The Eye of Chaos (Council of Champions Book One) ✔️

Chapter Forty-Three: Run Aways

            Kei moaned as his eyes flickered open, taking in the bright sun which had taken the duty of waking him. He tried to move his arms, but they didn't respond. Neither did his legs. Screaming for help didn't do anything as no sounds came from his throat except for a weird gargle.

            Where was he? It looked like a cave, but there was no way he could be in a cave since he had to be at Vraik's control center. Suddenly everything rushed back to him and once again he struggled to break free of the restrictions on his limbs.

            "Stop moving, Prince. You know, you almost died on me." The woman who spoke was slim and agile. Her strawberry blonde hair bounced on her shoulders as she bent down with a bowl of some type of liquid in her hands. Her green eyes stared sternly at him, and for the first time in his life, Kei decided he wanted to do what she said. If only for a moment. "Hold still so I can give you some water."

            It wasn't like he could move much anyways, so he lay as still as possible. Aliza carefully lifted his head and brought the bowl to his lips where she gave him a little bit of water every ten seconds.      

            "We will need to start running again as soon as possible, so the faster you heal the better."

            "Run?" Kei croaked through dry lips. "I don't run."

            "Normally, I would agree and ditch you to go do your thing. But I made a promise to Hilda and Zaira to keep you safe."

            "What happened?" Kei winced at the pain he saw on her face and from his throat.

            "They both died. I've tried to gain as much information as possible, but it's like none of the guilds exist anymore. A complete annihilation." He looked at her in surprise as tears dripped onto his face.

            "I'm sorry," Kei murmured, forcing his hand to her cheek. Although it collapsed before it could actually raise more than in inch, he was sure he caught a hint of a smile on her face. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have been so confident."

            "It's not completely your fault, Prince. Everyone fought because they believed in what you said. Whether for the health of Vraik or for coin." She looked down and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Kei noticed that he had an eye patch over his violet eye.

            "Thanks for the patch," he whispered. "At least Ghunyan is dead."

            Aliza nodded and put his head back down on some sort of cloth. "Yes, at least he is dead." As Kei closed his eyes, he could have sworn he saw something flicker across her features, but before he knew it he was dreaming.

            "Kei, you have been sleeping for a long time now. How much more do you need to sleep?"

            He opened his eyes to an orchard and a woman on a stool. Kei watched her pick apples for the longest of times before answering.

            "I don't know. Where am I?"

            "I don't know either," she said, tossing him an apple. "But I really like it here."

            "Yes, I do too."

            "But you can't stay here, Kei." The woman climbed down and sat on the perfect green grass, the wind blowing her homely brown hair back.

            "Why not? You're here." He took a bit out of the apple and smiled as the smell of freshly baked bread and soup filled his senses.

            "I have been here for a very long time. It's about time I leave as well."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Kei, my son, you must wake up. It is not yet our time to die. Destiny awaits us."

            "I don't know what you are talking about, but I make my own destiny."

            "Then wake up before you lose it." Everything seemed to fade around him. The trees withered and the apples rotten. The grass dried up and died into shriveled brown pieces, not even a fragment of what they had been moments ago.

            "No wait, don't leave!" Kei shouted, sprinting to the familiar woman and reaching for her hand. But she moved further from him and he couldn't keep up. Suddenly he was falling. Falling into a pit of darkness.

            "No, stop, don't leave me!" His eyes snapped open and he shot to his feet. The girl from before sat on the opposite side of what seemed like a carriage.

            "I wasn't planning on it," Aliza said, a smile tugging on her face. It was obvious.

            "It was a dream."

            "Well, it really helped out, didn't it?" She pushed her hair back behind her ear.

            "What?"

            "Well, you can move again." She laughed and tossed him an orange ball. "Sit down."

            "How long was I out this time?" He asked, taking a seat. Kei looked at the orange ball and spun it in his hands.

            "Around ten days." Aliza raised an eyebrow as he took a bite of the orange ball. It was extremely sour, so he spit it out the moment it hit his taste buds.

            "What the Chaos is this?"

            "It's a fruit. You need to peel it." She walked over and snatched it from his hands. "Have you never eaten an orange?"

            "What an ingenious name," Kei grumbled, feeling weary again.

            "I'll take that as a no." Aliza continued to peel the orange and he watched her, wondering if his life would actually remain like this. He had killed his brother and avenged his family. Fileatte would choose a new ruler and that would be that. He was done with it.

            "Where are we going, Aliza?"

            She broke apart the orange and handed him several pieces of it, which he shoved inside his mouth. The taste was exotic and delicious. The juice stung a bit on its way down his throat, but soon enough his dry throat had been squelched.

            "The far east of Zemmick. To their capital."

            "Aquoverus. The land of peace of harmony, one of the richest places in the entire Northern Lands. I like that." Kei leaned back against the caravan and closed his eyes. "I think I'll take another rest before I wake up again. I'm feeling a bit..." A large yawn forced open his mouth. "Tired."

            Kei smiled and drifted off into a dreamless state.

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Word From Author:

Hi everyone! Long time no see :DSo many of you have probably noticed that The Eye of Chaos book is finished and the second book is fairly stalled. I'll be honest. I'm having a tough time planning or deciding what comes next. I could go the most obvious route and continue the struggled between our estranged brothers but I'm not sure I want to go down that oh so obvious plot. So. How do I plan to solve this? I've create a roleplay forum of our beloved world and will be releasing information/ lore about the world that has never been written or mentioned in The Eye of Chaos. What does this mean? This means that you, the readers, can participate in the building of the world including Fileatte, Dael, Vraik and so on. If I can get enough people to start roleplaying on this site with me, I'm hoping that it will give me new ideas! With the permission of the members, I may even include your roleplay character's in the current book! It is a work in process though so any suggestions would be extremely helpful. The site itself is also a WIP so bare with me hahaCome and roleplay with me in the world of Aeoxon!