The Final Battle

Chapter 18

The Final Battle

Chapter 18

"This is where you die now!"

The words of Camus echoed through Cassia's mind as she sat with her sorrow in the darkness of the cell that she was confined to. She was alone in her thoughts and fears, and the memory of Ty's tragic death continued to haunt her. As she sat in silence, she felt as if there was nothing left for her to do within the confines of prison. A heavy silence and a sense of uneasiness surrounded the three of them as they sat in their individual cells, each one lost in their thoughts and emotions from the tragic event that had occurred before them.

Cassia sat with her back up against the wall with her head hung low, her despair and grief consuming her. Qualen sat next to her, her head also hung low, and Vash sat next to her, a sense of shock and horror on his face.

Ty's fate and memory lingered in each of their thoughts and minds as questions and worries ran through their uneasy minds throughout the night, each one filled with grief and guilt. Cassia had not spoken a single word since the tragic event, knowing it her decision to pressure Camus had cost Ty his life, and the guilt was undeniably heavy in her heart.

Qualen felt just as lost as Cassia did, feeling as if everything that they had known was suddenly shaken and changed. Ty, her best friend since childhood, had been struck down before their very eyes, and it was clear that everything had been altered. Pixo, the man she had grown to love and had trusted had betrayed her and the others in the worst possible way for them all, and everything that they thought they knew had been thrown into chaos.

It was a harsh blow for Vash, now having lost Ty again after they had spent a bit of their lives apart from each other for so long. He felt a sense of failure to ensure his younger brother's safety and felt a sense of guilt at not being there in time to rescue Ty from this terrible fate. He had promised to help to take down Camus and rescue Cassia but now he knew that his younger brother was gone and there was nothing he could have done to save him with his own actions.

The three were filled with the feeling of hopelessness as they sat side by side in their cells, each struggling with their own thoughts and feelings.

What was to come next?

The distant cries of the prisoners in the other rooms along with the drip of the passing storm through the small windows and the calm night breeze were punctuated by the approaching sounds of footsteps approaching them. They could hear the growing footsteps getting closer, and all three of them grew apprehensive and nervous about who might be approaching and what could they possibly want from them. Within a few seconds, the large wooden door opened, and entered a man. Wearing his usual attire of a long-sleeved dark brown tunic, black cotton pants that were complete with black ranger gloves, leather boots, and a sleeveless leather garment overtop his tunic. His face was uncovered his short brown hair dripped the remaining water droplets down the sides of his face.

Qualen was the first to notice the man who stood before them, and immediately stood up and approached his cell door. "Pixo." His sudden appearance in front of their cells took them all by surprise, but not as much as Qualen as she locked eyes with him.

But he had quickly turned away from her gaze. "This is the room," Pixo spoke after turning his head away from the three and back out at the guard in the hall. It took a few moments for Cassia to stand up and make her way over to her cell gate to prepare herself for what Pixel was about to do. Her mind was racing with thoughts and worries, wondering what he was going to do and what his intentions were.

Cassia's eyes grew wide as she was the first to notice the Mortimus guard carrying someone unconscious into the cell next to hers. Her heart quickly skipped a beat as she saw that it was Ty! It couldn't be... it was... it was Ty! Did he somehow survive the fall and attack? Pixo then directed the guard to place Ty in another enclosed cell, and Cassia could only stand watching helplessly as she was split apart from him once more. "Pixo, what is going on? Is Ty...?"