Chapter 2

Cecil slowly opened his eyes. His head throbbed as he tried to focus. A cloudy haze blurred his sight and it took every ounce of strength he had to blink it away. After a few moments, he managed clear his eyes and start to make sense of what was going on. With a painful groan, he pulled himself into a sitting position. Every muscle in his body ached, from his head to his toes. There was no sharp pain anywhere, though, so he concluded that nothing was broken.

"What the hell happened?" Cecil moaned, slowly removing his helmet. He rubbed his head gently, entirely aware of his headache. Even the hairs on his scalp hurt. Looking around, he concluded that he was in a grove of some sort, surrounded by a forest. That’s odd.... The heat that beat down upon the back of his neck felt like it was a thousand degrees. Feeling dizzy, he laid back down. Though even thinking was painful, Cecil began to try to remember how he got there. There was the Crystal of Water. Yes, he remembered the Crystal of Water now and how the King had reacted when he had expressed his displeasure with the orders. Then Kain, and the package. Then Mist and...

Cecil sat up like a shot, suddenly realizing what had gone on. Fire. The village had been on fire. Fighting nausea, he looked around. But this wasn’t the village. Where was the village? There should have at least been some ruins. Then the rest of his memory returned and remembered the little girl. The little girl whose mother he and Kain killed. The visions flooded his mind, causing the throbbing in his head to increase. He cried out in discomfort and cursed the pain. He then remember how he had blacked out. That little girl had called Titan on them. But where was she? And where was Kain? Forcing his eyes open again, Cecil looked around. His gaze almost immediately fell upon a tiny, sprawling figure about thirty feet away from him. The little girl.

Hold on, he thought, carefully picking himself up. He fought dizziness and nausea for only a moment before he was able to steady himself. Slowly, he took a few steps, and when he was sure of himself, walked over to the little girl. At first, she didn’t seem hurt, just unconscious. He called out to her but there was no response. Groaning, he realized that he would have to get down to get a closer look at her. Slowly and painfully, he fell to one knee, then the other.

"Little girl?!" he called out, shaking her shoulders. There was no response. He felt for her pulse. It was definitely there. She needed to be seen by a doctor, though, just to make sure. He sat back and thought for a moment. Where is the nearest town? Kain is going to have to help me carry her. I’m in so much... Kain. His thoughts were interrupted. Looking around, he saw no one.

"Kain?" Cecil cried, pulling himself to his feet again. Pain wracked his body as he stumbled around the grove. "Kain?!" The Dark Knight limped his way to the edge of the grove and looked into the woods. Nothing. A shudder in the bushes nearby made him jump. Peering into the shrub, his heart fell when he saw it was nothing more than a baby Imp. The little monster scattered frantically, as if Cecil was actually a threat to him at the time.

"Kain!" The Dark Knight bellowed with all of the strength he had left. No matter that it caused a burning pain in his chest. "KAIN?! Where are you?!" Nausea swept over his body. He felt sickened by the thought that his friend could be missing. Even dead.

That earthquake had to have been violent, Cecil thought to himself, unable to muster the energy to speak. He ventured into the forest, crying out over and over for the Dragoon, but there was no answer. After a few minutes, he began to sweat, consumed by nervousness. Please, no, Kain. You had to have made it out of that earthquake. You can’t be gone. The Dark Knight stopped, over come by weakness. He looked around again. Nothing. Kain wasn’t there. He made his way back into the grove. Unable to pick his feet up, he stumbled on something and fell to his knees. He kept himself from sprawling by throwing his hands out. They caught the hard ground and caused pain to shoot up his arms. Unable to pull himself up, he didn’t move. Dropping his head, his black hair fell towards the ground. He closed his eyes sadly and let out a broken hearted cry.

"KAIN!!!" A burning sensation filled his head. Tears had come.

No! Cecil thought angrily. You can not cry! Be a man! Lifting one of his hands, he wiped the sweat from his face. He valiantly fought back the signs of sadness that threatened to spill from his eyes. The lump in his throat choked him. I can’t stay here. I have to leave before I pass out. He coughed violently, blood spattering onto the ground. With a groan, the Dark Knight slowly pulled himself to his feet and made his way over to the girl. Mustering up some unknown strength, he picked her up and starting walking To where, he did not know.

* * *

The ravage sun beat down upon Rosa mercilessly as she made her way over the seemingly never-ending desert. Waves of heat distorted her sight, making her dizzy.

How much longer could Kaipo possibly be? she thought, her mind garbled from the extreme temperature. It can’t be far, I’ve been travelling for 13 days now. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she trudged forward. Suddenly, she stopped, realizing the falseness of what she had just thought. She hadn’t been travelling for 13 days. There was no way. Wasn’t it only a while ago that she had watched those mountains collapse? Yes, but it seemed like she had been walking for so long. Maybe I have been walking for almost two weeks. Is that really possible? Turning around, Rosa wiped the sweat from her eyes and attempted to focus on where she had come from. In the distance, through the heat waves, she could make out a mountain range. At least, she thought it was a mountain range. The cawing of some bird in the distance startled her and made her jump.

"Whoa," she whispered, looking around. There was no bird in sight. She pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes and took a deep breath. You’re losing your mind, Rosa. Keep it together. You’ve got to keep it together. For Cecil’s sake. Suddenly, something heavy began to crawl up her arm. Glancing down, she expected to find a Scorpion or a Sand Bug. There was nothing. But the feeling was still there. With a swipe of her hand, she tried to brush whatever it was away, but it continued.

"What the hell?!" She knew she felt something on her arm. The sun continued to beat down upon her face as she tried to work through her muddled thoughts and make sense of what going on. Her body was sickeningly hot...hot enough to boil her sweat. "What is going on with me?!" She wasn’t sure if she had spoken out loud, or if it was all in her head. It didn’t matter, because there was no one around to hear her. She stumbled forward a few paces, struggling to take in a breath. Her chest felt as if there was a weight pressing down on it. Something wasn’t right. The crawling sensation returned on her arm, threatening to drive her mad when it wouldn’t go away.

"Cecil..." the White Wizard mumbled, closing her eyes. It was the only way she could try to stop the dizziness. Slowly, she took a few steps forward, even though she didn’t know if it was in the right direction. A sudden breeze kicked up the sand. The fact that she was inhaling as much air as she possibly could made it inevitable that she would also breath in the rough sand. It made it’s way down into her already parched throat. Doubling over, the White Wizard coughed violently. The heaving went on for a few moments as the sand continued to swirl around her. Finally, unable to stay on her feet, Rosa collapsed onto her hands and knees. She grasped her throat, trying to relieve some of the pain. When the coughing fit finally ended, she was left weak and unable to stand up. Crazy thoughts ran rampant throughout her head. There was a monster after her. It was so frightening. It was in somewhere in this sand storm and she had to get away from it.

Run! Rosa screamed at herself, dizzy with paranoia and fear. She tried to get up but collapsed under her own weight. Clawing at the sand, the White Wizard cried out in desperation. There was no where to go. There was not enough energy to press on. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was uttering the only sane word that was left in her head.

Cecil.

* * *

Cecil sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at the little girl. The doctor had looked her over, but could find nothing wrong. She was just unconscious, with a bump on her head. Having yet to wake up, she looked so serene to him. It brought him immense relief to know that the girl was alright. Even though she had called that Titan on them, and Kain was now gone, he was still glad she had survived. He watched as her tiny chest rose with each inhale, and sank with each exhale. The ticking of the clock in the corner was the only other noise. Leaning over, Cecil ran his hands through his dark hair. He came to rest on his knees and he closed his eyes. His mind wandered back to events of the day.

How long had I walked for? he thought tiredly. More importantly, how did I ever manage to make it all the way to Kaipo? He barely remembered staggering into town with the girl in his arms. Somehow they got to the Village Inn. Having pushed himself through the pain and weakness, he had forced his legs to get himself and the girl away from the grove. It was amazing to him that he could barely remember his journey. The only other thing he could recall with precise accuracy was the immense heat of the sun on his back as he had crossed the desert. He cracked a tiny, sarcastic smile as he thought about the sand covered hell hole.. Being one of the most harsh and desolate areas of the earth, no man in his right mind ventured into the Kaipo Desert with out the proper resources. He had done the exact opposite. They could have died! A deep breath escaped his lungs as he laughed sarcastically. He must have really been out of it. But it was of no importance now, because they were safe.

Unable to sit still any more, yet unable to sleep, Cecil stood up and ventured over to the window. The gentle moon light fell upon his face. He sighed. It’s light was such a contrast to the sun. It soothed his skin and calmed his emotions. The stars twinkled softly around the moon, becoming the perfect addition to the night sky. He reached over and unlatched the window, allowing the cool breeze to sweep into the room. The Dark Knight just stood there, absorbing the peace and quiet the sky gave him. It didn’t last long though, as his thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bed. Turning around, he saw that the little girl had woken up.

"Oh, my head... " she mumbled softly, sitting up and rubbing her green hair. Cecil stood frozen in his place, just watching the little girl. She finally felt his gaze upon her and looked up at him. Her big green eyes widened in surprise and she backed up against the wall. Pulling her knees to her chest, she glared up at the Dark Knight. She obviously hadn’t lost her memory of the events in Mist. A knot formed in Cecil’s stomach as he looked down at the child. She was so innocent. So innocent without a mother, and it was all because of him. He walked up the bed and knelt beside it so he was eye level with her. The little girl tensed up and tried to back away again but she had already gone as far as she could.

"Please don’t be scared," Cecil said calmly, reaching out to her. She let out a feeble cry and buried her head in her knees. Ashamed of himself, he pulled back and clasped his hands.

Of course she is going to be scared of you, he thought angrily to himself. You killed her mother! He spoke with softness in hopes of soothing her.

"Are you alright?" The little girl did not respond. Cecil lowered his head and continued. "I know I have done an awful thing to you. I can’t not possibly ask for forgiveness but please let me at least protect you! Please. You’ve got to understand something. I was sent by the King of Baron to deliver a package to your town. I was totally oblivious as to what was inside. I had no idea your mother was controlling that dragon!" The girl finally looked up at him. Her big green eyes glistened with sadness. They stared at each other for a few silent moments before a single tear formed at the corner of her eye and slowly slid down her tiny little cheek. .

"I loved my mother..." Her words were soft, yet full of grief and rage. "And you killed her." Cecil’s heart broke as he watched another tear fall from her eye. She was right. He had killed her mother.

"I will never forgive myself for the death of your mother, little girl. Please understand that I did not know what I was doing! The King of Baron deceived me and because of it, your village was destroyed. Never again, though, will I listen to him! His morals are wrong. So wrong and they go against everything I stand for. He used me and my crew to steal the Crystal of Water from Mysidia. To steal it from innocent people and I just can’t do his work anymore! I just won’t!" She remained silent and stared blankly at the wall. Her lip quivered violently. She was fighting back a tidal wave of tears. Cecil could tell. "Do you want to tell me your name, so I can stop calling you little girl?" There was another long pause. He waited for her words.

"Leave me alone." She was harsh, cold and blunt, even though her voice was still timid. Cecil lowered his eyes and sighed under his breath. He didn’t blame her...he didn’t blame her at all.

* * *

The rays of the setting sun fell softly upon the hill as two young men valiantly battled each other. Violently throwing their swords attacks at each other, they fought with the intensity Zeus himself. The clang of his Lance against the other’s Dark Sword echoed down the hill and into the valley of Baron. Pulling away quickly, the Lance swung down at the knees of the other. With lightening quickness, the attack was avoided by a quick jump into the air. Using the moment of awkwardness to his advantage, the carrier of the Dark Sword quickly brought his weapon down upon the lance, jerking it from the young man’s hands. It skittered across the ground and came to a rest a good ways away from them. He began to run after his lost weapon but the dominant one tripped him up, sending the man sprawling. With an animalistic cry, he jumped on his opponent and held the Dark Sword menacingly to his throat. The other looked up at him with a flash of fear in his eyes. It soon disappeared and was replaced with a big smile.

"Congrats," Kain said, pushing the Dark Sword out of his throat. Cecil smiled back and put his weapon back in it’s sheath. "You killed me!" The Dark Knight chuckled.

"Barely, man. You almost had me on that leg sweep."

"Almost? HA! You didn’t falter one time!" Cecil held out his hand and pulled the Dragoon to his feet. He dusted himself off and retrieved his Lance. "I don’t know why the King wants you to train anymore. You are such a better candidate for Captain of the Red Wings than Baigan is. MUCH better!" They began to walk back towards the castle.
"Thanks, Kain. I’ve been training for this for a long time!" He pounded his hand into his fist. The thought of Baigan made his blood pressure rise. "I hate that guy! He is so God damn cocky. I just want to puke all over him sometimes!" An evil grin crossed Kain’s face.

"Well, if I hold him down..." Cecil laughed heartily at the thought of them sneaking in Baigan’s room and doing something like that. He quickly dismissed the idea, though, because he knew that Kain actually would hold him down while Cecil puked on the guy. That was the last thing he needed to do right now.

"Thanks, Kain, but I think I need to prove that I’m better in a way other than heaving all over Baigan’s face. Although, I’d like to do that some day!" The two men shared a laugh as they made their way down the hill. Kain smiled.

"The offer is always open."

Cecil opened his eyes and was met by darkness. Blinking a few times, he sat up. The moonlight had shifted, telling him that only a few hours had passed. A feeling of despair filled him when he thought about the dream he had just had. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and leaned over sadly. Kain. The Dark Knight remembered that day like it was yesterday. The day they both sparred to try and help him win the Captain’s position. The Dragoon had insisted. He wanted to do everything in his power to see that Cecil made it to that rank. He was the best friend a guy could ever have. Now he was gone.

"Kain..." he whispered miserably, his hands over his face. The tears did not come this time, but the sadness he was feeling was more than enough to show that he was grieving. If only he had followed his gut instinct and just ran from Baron. If only he had refused to deliver that package! What was he thinking? After the whole ordeal in Mysidia, he promised himself that he would never do something like that again. Yet, when he was ordered to deliver that damn death wish to Mist, he complied. Again. And look what it got him. Rosa was miles away from him, an innocent town is dead, a girl is motherless and his best friend in the world was gone. You are a coward, Cecil. Nothing but a gutless coward.

His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a crash in another room. The Dark Knight’s head snapped upwards and looked towards the open door way. From his angle he could see nothing. Seeing that the girl was still sleeping, Cecil stood up carefully and began to make his way over so he could get a better look. Deep, gruff voices filled the air.

"Where is she?!" the voice boomed. Cecil’s heart jumped. He recognized the voice as one of his crewmen. The innkeeper stuttered with nervousness, saying he did not know who he was talking about. Cautiously, the Dark Knight peered around the door way and surveyed the scene. He could see the backs of two Red Wing soldiers as they faced the innkeeper, whose face had become ashen with fear.

"Don’t LIE!!" another soldier screamed, pounding his fist on the desk. Cecil pulled back and pressed his body against the wall. The soldier’s next words made his blood boil. "We want the Caller!"

Oh no you don’t, he thought viscously. His eyes fell upon the girl. She had woken up and looked scared. She started to say something but he put his finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet. Nodding in compliance, she closed her tiny mouth. Another crash sounded that made Cecil shudder. Without further hesitation, he scrambled to his bedside where his armor lay. The little girl watched him in fear. He had to get his weapon to protect them. No sooner had he reached his gauntlets did a gruff voice sound behind him.

"Freeze!" the soldier cried with authority. Cecil’s heart pounded in his chest. What do I do? Staring down at his sword that laid upon the night stand, his mind ran rampant with thought. Holding his hands up above his head, the Dark Knight turned around slowly. His eyes were met by the sight of two Red Wing soldiers. He immediately recognized them as two of his leading men, Lyrian and Phelps. At the sight of their former Captain, the look of rage on their faces softened. They dropped their weapons to their sides. The bigger of the two, Lyrian, spoke.

"Captain Cecil!" The Dark Knight licked his lips nervously. "You are alive! You survived that earthquake?"

Cecil nodded and dropped his hands. He looked at the little girl and they met eyes. She looked terrified. "Yes, Lyrian. I survived that earthquake. What in the name of Odin are you doing here?" He already knew the answer though. The King had sent them after the Caller. But how did he know that anyone had survived at all?

"All of the Callers were supposed to die with the package, Captain Cecil." The Dark Knight’s stomach churned, a sudden anger consuming his body. The mere thought of that terrible mission made him want to puke. How could these two soldiers, HIS two soldiers, possibly comply with such a mission?

"How can you follow through with such a heinous order?" Cecil cried, stepping forward and throwing his hands up. The two soldiers threw up their swords in defense. He quickly backed off, realizing that he shouldn’t make any sudden moves. They were, after all, out to complete a task. A task of destroying the little girl and from what he knew from past experience with Baron, they would stop at nothing if their loyalty was strong enough. Lyrian and Phelps were as loyal as they come.

"Don’t come any closer, Captain Cecil," Phelps ordered, a slight shakiness in his voice. The word Captain fell hard upon the Dark Knight’s heart. He did not want to be known as the Captain of an air force that was held such low morals. Lyrian gripped his sword with extra tightness as he spoke. A twinge of irritation laced his voice.

"Just give us the girl, Cecil, and no one will get hurt."

"No." The Dark Knight was blunt. He would not let the King have this girl. "She is innocent Lyrian! Innocent!"

"Cecil. Give us the girl." The soldier spoke in a deep, menacing, monotonous tone.

"Did you not hear what I just said? I said no!" Lyrian grunted with impatience.

"Don’t make us force you!"

"I don’t care what he told you to do. I am DONE following the orders of that man!"

"Cecil...by orders of the King of Baron..."

By the orders of the King of Baron... Cecil could literally feel his blood boil when those words crossed his ears. With lightening speed, the Dark Knight grabbed his sword and turned back to them, holding it out with anger. The two soldiers fell back into battle position, ready to fight. Cecil uttered his next words with such sickening fury that it made the two soldiers shudder.

"No one orders me around. No one." With those things spoken, the two soldiers hesitated no longer. Lyrian sprang at Cecil while Phelps went after the girl. Her shrill scream ripped through the air as he grabbed onto her arm. Cecil cried out in fury as Lyrian brought his sword down at him. He quickly parried the attack, deflecting the soldier’s weapon with own Dark Sword. With a quick movement, he brought his knee up into the unprotected groin of Lyrian, who gasped upon contact.

"Help!!" the little girl shrieked in horror as Phelps forced her out of the bed with the one jerk of his hand. Tangled in the sheets, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Cecil threw Lyrian aside and leapt over the girl at Phelps. Caught off guard, Phelps tumbled to the floor, his sword skittering across the floor. Cecil landed on top and wasted no time ripping the man’s helmet off. He quickly threw the first punch. Phelps’ head snapped back, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. His hands quickly fell to the back of his skull but there was no time for him to absorb the pain, as Cecil’s fist soon met his nose again. I take no orders from anyone. He quickly wrapped his hands around the throat of his opponent but his attack was cut short by a kick to his side. He was sent sprawling across the floor. Coughing, he looked up and saw Lyrian standing over the fallen soldier, staring down viscously at him. Phelps groaned in pain.

"No would had to get hurt, Cecil," Lyrian hissed, still wincing from the kick to the groin. "You had to fight it though, didn’t you?!" The soldier lifted his sword above his head and looked towards his target. Cecil followed his gaze. It fell upon the little girl. She knelt on the floor, frozen and terrified.

"No!" she cried, covering her face with her hands. She trembled with fear. Lyrian started the descent of his sword. NO!!! With an animal like growl, Cecil sprang to his feet. He would not let him have the girl. She was innocent, a victim only of an evil King and an oblivious Dark Knight. With unbelievable strength, Cecil smashed into Lyrian, sending them both to the floor. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as he made contact with the hard armor. Not letting up for a second, Cecil proceeded to rip the helmet off Lyrian’s head and throw a punch. Blood immediately splattered the Dark Knight’s hand, gushing from the soldier’s nose. The two men struggled with intensity, neither one refusing to give up their fight. Finally, Lyrian got the advantage when he managed to get kick his foot into Cecil’s stomach and send him flying. He immediately jumped onto the Dark Knight and began to choke him.

"Help..." he wheezed. Struggling with all his might, Cecil tried to rip Lyrian’s fingers from his throat but he was in a weak position. He looked into the eyes of his former companion in panic. The soldier only stared back with eyes that said nothing but insanity. Blood ran down his face and dripped onto Cecil’s lips. He wanted to spit it off, but he couldn’t find the breath. Spots began to flash in front of his eyes. With a quick jerk, he turned his head to the side, looking for some way to free himself. He met eyes with the little girl, who stared back at him with fright. She suddenly looked around her and spotted his sword. With a quick movement, she grabbed onto it and sent it skittering across the floor towards Cecil. He pulled his hand away from Lyrian’s arm and grasped his weapon. Summoning kind of strength that he didn’t know he had, Cecil swung the Dark Sword up at his predator. The blade caught the flesh of Lyrian’s throat, immediately slicing deep into his neck. Cecil could feel his fingers release. With a grunt, he threw the soldier off of him and grabbed his own throat, taking in deep, much needed breaths.

"Look out!" The little girl’s voice rang through his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Cecil saw Phelps running towards him. You can not have her... He gripped his sword and turned toward the soldier. With an angry cry, he thrust his weapon forward and it plunged deep into the chest of his former companion. Phelps’ eyes bugged out as he sank slowly to his knees. His lips moved but no words came out. Cecil’s breath was ragged as he pulled the sword out of the soldier’s body and watched him fall onto his face. A pool of dark red began to form beneath the fallen Red Wing.

"You can’t have her..." he whispered bitterly, throwing his bloody sword onto the bed. His heart pounded with fury as looked at the bodies of his two fallen comrades. Two more casualties because of the orders of the King of Baron. With a disgusted cry, pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. He had just killed two men. Murdered. No, Cecil. He lifted his head and looked at the dead soldiers. A renewed anger filled him when he heard remembered their words. By orders of the King of Baron. He was done taking orders from him. Never again would he subject himself and his morals to that man. Never again.

"Did I get you in trouble?" Cecil’s thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice. Looking up in surprise, he saw that the little girl was sitting on her bed, her knees folded up to her chest. She looked at him with her big green eyes. There was a softness in her voice, unlike earlier. He smiled slightly.

"No, I’m not in trouble," he replied, sitting down on the bed and clasping his hands. He tried not to look at the dead soldiers that lay bleeding on the floor. "Those were bad men trying to do a bad thing. I can’t stand for that."

She nodded solemnly, staring at the corpses. Cecil watched her intently and saw that her bottom lip was quivering again. His heart broke for the child. He could see the pain in her face from everything she had gone through in the past couple days, yet she was holding those tears in.

What a strong little girl, he thought sadly. She looked back up at him and met his gaze. They stared at each other for a long time, as if they could both understand what the other one was going through. The hardness was gone from her eyes. Another tear formed and slowly trickled down her pale cheek. Her innocence was shining through. He didn’t see the angry girl that had cast Titan on he and Kain only a day earlier. He saw a young Caller who has had everything taken away from her and now needed a protector. I’ll be your protector.

With that thought, Cecil stood up from his bed and walked over to the bodies. He slowly began to gather them up to drag them out of the room. The little girl’s voice suddenly filled his ears. It was soft and hinted towards gratefulness for saving her life.

"My name is Rydia."

* * *

Cecil stared out the window as the sun began to rise over the mountains in the horizon. It laced the sky with deep pink and orange, reflecting off the endless miles of desert. He sighed and looked at Rydia. She hadn’t said anything to him last night after she told him her name. She had just laid down and stared at the wall. It took her a long time to fall asleep again after the encounter with those soldiers. Poor kid. She had whimpered and cried softly for a few hours before she finally gave into her exhaustion. Sleep would not come to him though.

Damn you King Baron. Yet another hatred filled thought flashed through his mind. That was all his head had been consumed with for the past few hours as he sat in a chair next to Rydia’s bed. He was leaning over and resting on his knees, his Dark Sword in his lap. There was no telling how many soldiers the King had sent after him. That’s why he had to stay up and keep watch. The girl had to be protected. Looking away from the window, he gently ran his fingers along the blade of Dark Sword.

Where do I go from here? he asked himself. I can’t go back to Baron. Not after all that has happened.

"Go, go, go!!!" A faint, yet frantic voice suddenly filled Cecil’s ears. His eyes darting towards the window, he cocked his head to try and hear better. A couple more voices that sounded just as frantic chimed in.

"Get her to the doctor!" Their tone of voice sounded so desperate that a tiny knot formed in Cecil’s stomach. Someone must be really hurt. Jumping up, he made his way over to the window to get a better look. Sure enough, there were four men rushing someone towards the doctor’s home. Squinting, he tried to make out whether it was a man or woman that was being carried. It must have been a woman, because her long blonde hair hung loosely and her arm hung limp down onto the grass. It created a faint trail from where it had been dragged along the ground.

Oh my God. Cecil’s heart slammed into the wall of his chest. It sent a stomach churning wave of nausea crashing over his body. No. It can’t be. Without hesitation, the Dark Knight dropped his sword and whipped around. As fast as his legs would carry him, he ran for exit. Bursting out into the morning heat, he saw the group of people off to his left. Please don’t be her. The Dark Knight sprinted across the center of the village. He pushed one of the men out of the way and looked down. He gasped when he saw the woman. She was as red as blood and laced with sweat. Her lips were extremely swollen and cracked. Blood covered them and trickled down the side of her mouth and down her cheek. He grabbed onto her bare arm but quickly pulled away, shocked by how hot she was. Burning up. She was burning up. If it weren’t for the blondeness of her hair that wildly contrasted the unnatural color of her face, or her White Wizard armor, Cecil would not have been able to recognize her. It was Rosa.