Armageddon

Chapter 22: The Broken Man

"But it was his life."

Xyaxon remained indifferent to Selena's gentle nature, and his answers sent a cold shiver down her spine. "His will be a noble sacrifice. You must do whatever it takes to protect your world." The Divine's voice vanished, and, with a flutter of her eyes, she found herself sitting on the balcony at Dark Blood Hold once more.

She swiveled her head to see that Silver was still sound asleep, and the world resumed spinning. With her new resolve, her breaths and steps grew heavier as she returned inside and made haste in scribbling out a letter intended for Silver, hand trembling and struggling to hold the quill: "Please forgive me, but I have to do this."

After folding up and displaying her small letter on top of her pillow, she rushed over to the washroom and cleaned herself before donning her dragonscale dress. Satisfied once ensuring Revelation remained safe within her pocket, she tied up her waist-length hair and belted Dragonheart to her hip but purposefully left her shield propped against the wall, no longer needing it.

Selena had to meet the Lich on the battlefield and save Thor before Lord Godfrey's army arrived; she wanted to find Rahim and tell him of her plans, but she paused as she reached for the door, hand frozen mid-reach for the handle. She feared never seeing her friends and family again, but—no, they would stop and convince her to stay until their planned departure.

Instead, she hurried to the balcony, looking back at Silver once more before shifting into her dragon form and sweeping herself through the brewing winter storm, ribbons of Aether following each flap from her celestial wings.

*****

Hours later, when morning came, Silver awoke, but he panicked and scrambled around to find his wife missing. Only when he paused did he bother finding and reading the note she left on the pillow, and his face became like porcelain; he then noticed the opened window to their balcony, and his heart sank faster than a dragon spiraling from the sky.

While Silver jumbled in a frenzy to clean up and dress, Lord Godfrey and his allies prepared for their long trip. Among the clatter of preparations, Lord Godfrey, Colonel Cyres, and General Araneus repeated their planned stops supporting their schedule, allowing the army some rest before the eclipse. Satisfied, Araneus and Aracania led their newly harnessed Nidhoggr and riders towards the rest of the group from the nearby deep hills, the ferals admiring the massive gems blazing from the middle of their chests. Araneus couldn't excuse himself from laughing at how much they acted like dragons when hoarding treasure, but Aracania grew impatient; she clicked her talons against the rocks in anticipation as she ordered the ferals to take up formation, tail flickering and swishing side-to-side.

After Aracania cleared him from yesterday's maneuvers, Noctis took his position as leader of the second battalion that would handle Ashur's aerial raid. The only rider he would accept, aside from Selena, was Damien; the Prince of Shadows, with Rahim's help, ensured the new saddle was securely fastened and packed with weapons and provisions. Noctis swung his head and nudged Rahim's shoulder with his nose in between the deep-rumbled chittering vibrating from his throat.

As much as Rahim attempted to ignore Noctis' affections, eventually, he sighed and reached out to pet the feral leader. "You know what? You lot aren't so bad." Before he could brace himself, Eshara dove down from the circling flight above and joined in on his newfound friendliness, chirping to Rahim's touch. He grew nervous and stepped back as the two circled him, but eventually, he couldn't help but grin when the ferals rubbed their snouts against his open palms like cats showing affection.

The last of the suited soldiers—Kiba, Maru, and the rest of their pack—boarded the large metal ships lined with rows of benches covered in thick furs for comfortable seating. The rest of the ferals waited for General Araneus' command to carry them off. Lining the vessel walls were a plethora of weapons and extra armor, the extras carted off by the smaller weighted dragons in boxed crates. The Aynu, in wolf forms, followed their alpha leaders proudly into the ships, ignoring the others still wary of their presence. Maru snarled as the fur bristled upon his back when he noticed one soldier staring grimly at one of his pack members; immediately, the warrior averted his gaze.