Corrin turned to the others and, despite his wounds, spoke with a newfound courage and determination.

  “There are families still here. I remember meeting with them when I first awoke. We need to get to the armory, get our weapons, and then immediately find the families. They should be in the same place I found them before.”

  Corrin turned directly to Kerea.

  “Can you lead us to the armory?”

  Kerea bit his finger softly, thinking for a moment.

  “I… think?”

  “Good, take us there then.”

  Kerea sighed. He took one final glance at the shard around Corrin’s neck before he tucked it in his loose-fit shirt. Kerea turned to the stairs, brushing his hair slightly away from his eyes.

  “Follow me.”

  Corrin and Tutsoi followed Kerea as he ran down the staircase and turned through the halls. Vrebathians once again were on the floor, wounded. Though, the ones here looked less so as they moved farther from the battlefield. The halls twisted and turned in strange ways, and finally it led them to a single door. Kerea turned back.

  “This is where the armory is. I don’t know if your weapons will be in there, but it’s possible.”

  Corrin nodded and walked through the doorway. Around him was a small room with armor stands around the sides. Swords, spears, axes, maces, and more hung from the wall. Tutsoi came in soon after, followed shortly by Kerea. Tutsoi and Corrin scoured the walls looking for their weapons. After a few more moments, Corrin cursed to himself under his breath and turned to Tutsoi.

  “They’re not here… where else could they be?”

  Kerea raised a hand.

  “There’s another armory. This is just the small one in the castle. The other is outside by the gates. It's much bigger than this one.”

  A new feeling of hope washed over Corrin as he took a deep breath.

  “Okay, we’ll go after those families first, then we’ll leave. Kerea, can you take us to the main hall?”

  Kerea nodded and brought them back through the winding corridors. They approached a large door, already opened. Soldiers laid bleeding and screaming out, resting against the walls and the large pillars in the all-brick room. The three of them quickly rushed past the door and through the main hall.

  “You’re going to make it! Just hold pressure here!”

  A soldier desperately held a dirty and bloodied rag on someone's stomach.

  “Don’t leave us- oh gods… Save us!!”

  A soldier sat against the wall, screaming out and crying. Both his arms were mangled beyond recognition

  “I can’t feel my legs! Help me!”

  A soldier crawled up the stairs and through the large doors to the outside, his legs ripped apart from the knees down.

  Screams that sent shivers down Corrin’s spine erupted all around them as they ran. Corrin ran past them and to a door that was to the right of the large doors outside. He recognized this as the double door to where he had been kept.

  As he approached, he noticed a dead body sitting against the door. Corrin pushed the body out of the way. As he did so, another soldier ran to the dead body and hugged it, desperately repeating to himself that they were still alive.

  Corrin walked through the door, which led to a hallway. There, a body lay on the ground, same as how he had left it. Corrin walked past it and to the farthest door on the right, where he had seen the family before. He opened the door slowly and peered inside.

  It was empty. Corrin sighed.

  “I hope they got out.”

  They quickly ran back through the door and out of the largest doors to their right. The outdoors led to the same staircase as before. Only at that time it was riddled with arrows, dead bodies, and screaming soldiers. Corrin ran through the staircase, his feet flowing down with each step easily.

  As they reached the bottom, they were forced to slow. Both due to their exploding exhaustion, and to the sight before them. Dead bodies riddled the ground around them. Some soldiers clung to dead bodies, screaming out in anger. The sun just then began to set as a deep orange hue covered the battlefield. Limbs and organs sat on the ground, ripped apart and burnt. Faces smashed into unrecognizable humps of flesh. Corrin fell to one knee and watched the death before him.

  He had seen death before, he had witnessed battle, though it was clear to all around that this was no battle; it was a massacre. Corrin looked at Tutsoi.

  “If you could use Resonances like this… why hadn’t you all rallied and escaped?”

  Tutsoi looked at the blood red ground and his anguish towards the scene.

  “We couldn’t. Something made our Resonances less powerful. We were sure it was something in the metal that the bars were made of. We couldn’t be sure though.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Corrin screamed out, he punched the ground with everything he had. A golden force flew around him for only a moment. He suddenly stood up and wiped away his tears.

  “Enough. Let's go.”

  Tutsoi asked no questions and followed Corrin instantly. Kerea stood and looked around for a moment. He shook his head and moved on, pushing away the thoughts.

  They walked around bodies and screaming soldiers until they reached a building, and, upon confirmation from Kerea, they entered. The armory was large, with many weapons scattered on the ground and walls. Sitting at the very top of one was a katana Corrin recognized. Relief washed over him as he jumped and grabbed it from its stand.

  He unsheathed its blade and peered into its deep, dark, soulless steel. He proceeded to sheath it immediately and attach it to his belt. He turned to Tutsoi, who was having more trouble. He looked around through the rows of katanas and broadswords until he picked one up.

  “It’s not mine, but I believe we’re running out of time here.”

  Tutsoi set it by his hip and held forward his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment and a loose circular portal appeared. The room around them suddenly began to whip rapidly. Through the portal was a grassy hill with Ekki Castle in the distance.

  “Go through, quickly!”

  Corrin wasted no time, quickly jumping through. Kerea was slightly more hesitant, but jumped through. Tutsoi looked back for a moment and quickly jumped through. The portal behind them closed abruptly.

  On the other side wind swept across grassy hills far and wide. Corrin’s hair swept around in the intense breeze. Corrin’s loose tunic and pants swept all the same as he smiled, thankful that he had escaped.

  The grass tickled their legs as it waved around. Corrin looked down the hill and saw a group of people walking. He took a deep breath and walked toward them from the hill. Tutsoi and Kerea followed, having trouble keeping up in the wind.

  Corrin, who had grown up in a windy place, found the wind comforting and protective. He walked down until he was standing only a few feet from the Anees, who stood looking at him for a few moments. Corrin looked at all of them, afraid and not knowing what to say, then it came to him.

  “We may have been able to escape the Vrebathians at Ekki Castle, but we are not out of this hell yet! We need to travel south to the Canlian Kingdom! There, we can get food and rest and feel safe!”

  Corrin watched as the people gave the information down. Corrin turned to Tutsoi and Kerea.

  “We’ll head to the Canlian Kingdom. When we reach a city there we’ll drop off these people as refugees. After that we’ll begin heading for the Mostiis Empire. It’s our best shot.”

  Kerea brought his hands together, fiddling with them. The idea of going to the Mostiis Empire did not seem to sit well with him.

  Corrin looked out upon the people. He knew that soon they would need to rest, and soon they would need to eat. He knew that neither of those things he could do currently. Then, he had an idea. He turned to Tutsoi.

  “Tutsoi, you can go anywhere with the shard, right?”

  Tutsoi shook his head.

  “Not necessarily. I need to visualize where I’m going, and I think the farther I travel with it, the more strain it puts on me. That's why it was difficult for me to keep the portal I just made open.”

  Corrin snapped his fingers in frustration.

  “Can you go back to the Fali Realm?”

  Tutsoi nodded his head.

  “I mean, I could. But why would I?”

  Corrin nodded and ignored his question.

  “Go back and get as many tents, clothing, and food as you can possibly carry. Backpacks, weapons, anything.”

  “Alright then… I’ll try. I’ll be back soon.”

  Corrin nodded, and Tutsoi created a portal through the cold and stepped through it. The portal disappeared entirely. Kerea walked up to Corrin.

  “What can I do, Corrin?”

  Corrin looked at him and then to the people.

  “Comfort the people. Tell them to follow me.”

  Kerea smiled and ran down the hill towards the people, doing so immediately. It seemed that he was happy to help the people. Corrin was surprised by Kerea’s strangeness. He had no motivation, though still he helped. It made Corrin slightly suspicious.

  Why help us, what could Kerea possibly gain from it?

  Corrin pushed away the thought. He would keep his eye on Kerea, though it was only important that he was helping. Corrin turned and began marching up the hill until he reached the top. He looked behind him and watched the mass of people follow him.

  He looked towards the sun. Knowing that it was setting in the west, he found exactly where he needed to head. He took a deep breath, rubbed his wound on his leg, and started walking.