Moonlight {Moonlit Trilogy Reboot}

Chapter Thirty One: The Storm

They stood still within the Knights' hideout. Topaz had spoken a simple message, telling them to meet at Crown Peak if they truly were willing to surrender. Igneous began to feel the dread creep back in. They were going to do this, they had managed to get this far. But were they truly prepared?

"Are you ready?" Igneous asked Ria, hoping that her answer would quell the dread within him. He patted himself down, feeling his hands graze the twin blades Senn had gifted him. The dread grew inside him. Those blades were a grim reminder of the truth and dangers of war.

He pulled the Enderblade free and found himself freezing up in fear. In the sword's reflection, he could have sworn he saw Abbigail for a moment. He blinked and the illusion faded. Maybe she was proud...or he was losing his mind to stress.

Looking back at Ria, he hoped her response would ease his mind. She met his eyes as he put the blade on his back. "Are you ready?" He asked again. Her answer came in the form of a slow nod. Both of them could feel the fear of the other, it tangled together like two snakes embracing each other.

He lunged forth and pulled her into a hug. She could easily meet the same end Senn had. Her training was more advanced but the chance still lingered. If a Wither could bring Abbigail down, then Ria was nowhere near immune to her own mortality.

Quartz approached from behind as Igneous pulled away from Ria. "Does she remind you of Senn?" He whispered as Igneous stepped back to greet him. Igneous embraced Quartz tightly, wrapping his arms around the other's spiny back. Quartz sat still for a few moments, his arms up in shock and his mouth agape, before he embraced his partner back.

"Of course she does." Igneous uttered, unaware of how much he was shuddering. "I am afraid of more than her mortality, though..."

"I know." Quartz put his head behind Igneous' shoulder. "You're not alone in that."

"Being alone is not what scares me, Quartz." Igneous pulled back. He glanced down at his fingers, imagining them coated with the blood of many. The image made him want to shut his eyes, but he could not bear to see what his mind would do when his vision was concealed. A slight hiss escaped him as he gulped down some air through his vents.

Was he more afraid of becoming the slaughterer than he was of being slaughtered?

Quartz looked down at his feet and bit his lip. "I am doubtful that my words will help here but..." He knelt down and grasped Igneous' hands. "I believe you are more likely to die than you are to become a monster. And from what I've seen, you're too competent to lose this battle."

Igneous leaned forth and kissed Quartz on the cheek. "This. This is why I love you."

"Because I tell the truth?" Quartz said with a smile. Igneous let out a slightly amused chuckle. He stood taller than before as Quartz withdrew himself. Igneous took in a hefty breath and faced his army.

"Then let us leave now."

-

Igneous pushed his way through Crown Peak, finding his legs sometimes resisting him. One part of his mind cried out, telling him how foolish he was for willingly walking into his doom. The Nether Star in his inventory, however, spoke a different story. Walking through Crown Peak, about to fight his greatest enemy, felt surreal. It was as if he was watching himself move in the third person.

Guards stood on each and every building, clustered together like a swarm of cicadas. Occasionally Igneous would stumble into a guard on his way to his destination and would have to hold back the impulse to stab wildly. Now was not the time to ruin the facade. All of those guards would happily surround his army and tear them to shreds. They had to buy time for the Nether and its onslaught.