Last Hope [VERSION I]

|10|

--Edited (4/2/16)--

"Embrace the struggle & let it make you stronger. It won't last forever."

||Elliot||

"Elliot! Elliot!" a familiar female voice called my name.

But I ignored it.

The sound of clashing swords echoed in my ears as my sword met my opponents. Though my body was weak I somehow managed to stand up and fight through the pain. Blood gushed out through my armor, but I ignored it as my enemy swung his sword in an attempt to take off my head. I countered the attack and in doing so he let go of his sword, flung it far into a fiery pit, and it was gone forever.

"Shit." The Teran spit.

I was often surprised I could actually survive when facing an enemy. Muscles were foreign to my thin body. My personality consisted of shy, clumsy, kind, and fragile. Something people who were capable of flinging a sword into fire and putting enemies through hell didn't possess.

I pointed my sword at his armor-less chest, ready to end his life. He froze, terrified. His eyes bulged out of his head as the sword plunged into his chest. The Teran looked down at his blood spewed out and grabbed the sword with his right hand.

"S-S-S-Su-" He began to stutter. I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

Before he could make another sound with his mouth he sagged onto the ground and breathed slowly until his last.

I reached for my sword and jerked it from his chest. It came out swiftly, and blood dripped from the ends of it.

Guilt suddenly came over me. Who was this man? Was he a husband? A father? I suppose I would never know, considering I killed him.

And who was this "Su" person? Mother,wife, child, the possibilities were endless.

I was trained to believe that if I wasn't allowed to see my family, then I should show no mercy to my enemies. But I simply couldn't think that way—with every person I killed, I couldn't help but imagine how many more people would suffer because of it. Yet I continued to kill anyway, to scared that if I refused I would be sentenced to death also.

I do not doubt the Empress Revana of Tera makes her men think that way too.

Not that I had much of a family, anyway. My mother died during childbirth. God knows who my father is. My cousin, who was older by 16 years, raised me. It wasn't hard to believe he despised me. He refused to look at me under any circumstance we were placed in—training, on the battlefield, etc. And when he did, he practically tried to kill me with his cold, unloving eyes.

If only I had a guy I could rely on...

At least I had Leona, Rilynn, and Tristan. They were the best friends I could ask for. They loved me and wanted the best for me—speaking of which...

"Elliot!!" The familiar female voice called again.

I didn't have to see through the fiery pit to know it was Leona.

"Leona!" I called. "Leona!"

She was so tall, as she got closer I could see the top of her head and her long brown hair flow back as she ran.