LightReader

Chapter 2 - THE WAR

Both timelines show critical moments at the Tower of the Gold Dragon Castle. In the Non-Human timeline, Jack pulls Ridley away from the gold dragon, while in the human timeline, Jack charges at Ridley as Lucian fires a magic blast.

Moments later, Jack cradles Ridley's dying body in the human timeline, and in the non-human timeline, Ganz holds Gawain's lifeless body. At the same time, both Jacks draw their swords and charge at the Shadow Dragon Lucian.

Both timelines flashes as the battle causes tons of explosions around the towers, and in each timeline, Leona watches from her room in the Vareth Magic Institute.

In the Human timeline, Genius enters and gently tells her, "Let's hurry."

In the non-human timeline, Mariette tends to Leona's wounds and urges, "Hurry, grab your things! We need to leave this warzone!"

Leona grabs her book bag as a fireball shatters her window and bounces onto the floor. Mariette pulls her away just in time, and they jump out before the floor explodes.

Outside, chaos surrounds them as mages battles non-humans. They face armed green goblins, and Mariette uses earth magic to fend them off.

Leona sees Felix killing a blood orc, only to be struck down by a light elf. She panics as a black goblin riding a wolf charges her.

Mariette pushes Leona aside but is hit in the shoulder. Retaliating with earth magic, she kills the goblin while Leona casts lasers to kill the wolf.

"I'll heal you!"

Leona shouts as she rushes to her friend.

Mikey, the dark elf casts a lightning bolt, sending Leona crashing down. Before she can reach Mariette, he hits Mariette with a fireball. Leona cries as her friend is engulfed in flames.

Suddenly, an ice missile strikes Mikey. Leona looks up to see Genius using Wind Cutter to defeat multiple enemies. Overwhelmed, Leona faints as Genius calls her name.

Moments later Leona wakes in an abandoned tower, Miranda healing her. Genius is fighting outside, casting Wind Cutter and Ice Missiles into the distant.

Genius yells, "How much longer until the lever is repaired?" Butch responds, "Five more minutes." Suddenly, Golye crashes through the wall and crashes into the stairs as Miranda tries to rush over to him, he raises his bloodied hand.

"Focus on Leona, not me," Golye says. Butch is then concerned and ask, "Golye, you alright?!" Golye replies, "Concentrate on the repairs! Miranda, heal someone else that can actually save Radiata."

As Miranda can see Golye's eyes filled with hope as he stares at Leona.

Suddenly Joaquel crashes into Genius as they both crash onto the lockers, A blood orc then bursts through the door. Before it could attack, Pinky leaps on its back, stabbing it in the neck.

The both of them falls outside. Genius pushes Joaquel's lifeless body off of him and returns to the door, where he sees Pinky standing alone, bloodied and emotional, surrounded by the fallen bodies of both humans and non-humans.

"Everyone else is dead," he says to Genius..

From the second level of the tower, Butch finally repairs the lever as he pulls it the wall on the first floor opens the hidden passage way.

Miranda helps Leona to her feet towards the hidden passage.

As Genius spots a dozen light elves flying toward them from the sky, unleashing a barrage of magic light blasts that causes explosions throughout the tower.

Genius clears the smoke with a powerful burst of wind magic. With a roar, he fuses his ice and wind magic, launching dozens of Wind Cutters and ice missiles at the light elves in the sky.

As the smoke clears in the room, Leona and Miranda open their eyes to see Golye standing over them, having used his body as a shield to protect them from the blasts.

Golye smiles, and Leona, still shaken, asks, "How are you so sure I can save Radiata?"

Golye replies with quiet conviction, "I can see it in you. You have the potential to do something amazing to save our world."

Leona's book bag suddenly starts glowing, catching her attention. She lowers her head in contemplation as Golye begins to ascend the stairs with his wounds dripping tons of blood.

Genius passes a wounded Pinky to Miranda, who takes him as they enter into the hidden passage, just as the wall closes behind them.

Genius is heavily wounded and is exhausted as he lies against the wall. "Go on without me." he says weakly.

Leona then sees his heavy bleeding and pleads, "No... brother you can't!" He coughs up blood, with pain but has a determined expression replying, "You must live on for my sake."

Leona embraces him, tears streaming, just as Tony, the hobo, arrives he pulls her away despite her desperate attempts to stay by Genius's side.

Genius then gives her his glasses and says " Remember me."

Meanwhile on the second floor of the tower, Golye finds Butcher wounded and sits beside him.

Butcher admits, "I guess we're not the heroes meant to save the world."

Golye nods,

"We'll save it by protecting those who can."

As they both then spots a massive magic blast hurtles toward them. They both closes their eyes ready to face the end.

Meanwhile in the passage way, Tony continues to drag a distraught Leona away from Genius, who takes his final breath as the explosion rocks the passage.

The walls around them begin to collapse, and Leona is forced to watch in horror as her brother is crushed by the falling debris. Tony, with quick reflexes, manages to lead everyone into the sewers just in time, narrowly escaping the collapsing walls above them.

Leona sobs, insisting, "We have to go back for Genius!" Tony urges her forward.

Miranda leans over Pinky, mending his wounds. Though exhausted and injured himself, he pushes Leona forward with a shaky smile.

"Keep going," he urges. "My people died so the rest of you could live—don't let their sacrifice be for nothing."

They thread their way through the dark, twisting sewers, sorrow and resolve hanging heavy in the air. After a while Tony leads them to a guarded door where Elmo and Gregory keep watch.

"I brought survivors," Tony announces. Gregory lowers his spear; Elmo's eyes widen when he spots Pinky. Overcome, Elmo rushes forward and embraces him. Pinky, tears falling from his eyes, explains what happened to the others.

Later yhey step through the door into a sprawling camp crowded with other refugees. Grief still clings to the place.

As Leona moves through the camp she sees survival etched on every face.

David paces, pale and frantic. "Is my girlfriend alive?" he asks, voice raw.

Nearby, Cosmos rests with a hollow look, and Fernando floats slightly above the ground in quiet meditation.

Cecil cradles his son Aidan's lifeless body, tears tracking silently down his cheeks.

Natalie tends to Jasne's wounds with weary hands.

Herz sits besides Nocturne who is battered and bloodied, missing an arm.

"You should've left me," Nocturne says, voice thick with pain.

Herz meets his gaze without flinching. "If I'd left you, there'd be no one to lead our people. We're partners after all, Nocturne."

Leona absorbs each scene—suffering braided with stubborn endurance—and feels the weight of their losses settle on her shoulders.

She spots Morgana and Ernest among the survivors. Morgana's face brightens when she sees Leona and she hurries over. "I'm so glad you made it," she says, but Leona stands quietly and emotionally.

Morgana pulls her into a hug and Leona's walls crack. Tears spill out. "My brother… my best friend… so many others… they're all dead."

Ernest lifts his guitar and begins a soft, soothing melody that eases the tense, weary souls around him.

But then, something shifts in Ernest as he plays, his fingers moving more passionately across the strings.

The peaceful melody transforms into a powerful rock anthem. He stands, pouring all his emotion into the song, and shouts with raw intensity,

"We can mourn the dead together, but we must stay strong to save Radiata!"

Energy surges through the camp with the vibrato in his voice, but it's broken when Charlie springs to his feet in anger.

He lunges at Jasne, ripping off his hoodie to reveal his face. "TRAITOR!" he yells.

"It's Jasne Silverlake—Ridley Silverlake's father!" Charlie cries. "He's responsible for everything!" The accusation ripples through the crowd. Knights and survivors draw their weapons, as they too falls to rage.

Natalie steps forward, sword in hand, placing herself between Jasne and the mob. "Lord Jasne is not a traitor," she declares firmly. "What his daughter has done is not his fault."

Rynka answers the crowd with clenched daggers. "Jasne abused his power—he had Ganz and Jack thrown from Radiata Castle," she says. "Besides that his family has caused too much suffering across Radiata. He must pay!"

Charlie's voice drips with bitterness. "Ridley is the reason why this war even started! We'll use Jasne to bring her out!" He draws his sword. "You serve a corrupt lord, Natalie! He's only using you for his own pleasure!"

Natalie tightens her grip on her sword, her resolve unshaken. "You'll have to get past me first," she says, steady despite the tension. The camp hangs on the edge of violence.

Tony steps between them, urgency in his tone. "Now is not the time to fight each other. We're all survivors. Rest, regroup, and remember the real enemies are the non-humans!"

Charlie yells, blade leveled at Jasne. "Our enemy stands right before us!"

Jasne's composure breaks. "You're right," he says, voice trembling. "I've caused too much pain. I can't live with what my daughter did. Maybe I do deserve to die."

He spreads his arms, inviting them to strike.

"If killing me eases your suffering, then do it."

Charlie charges. Sparks fly as his sword meets Natalie's, the two clashing with ferocious intent.

Tony shouts "Stop! Save your strength for the real enemy! This is my camp!" his plea causes the other knights and survivors to hesitate, unsure if they should join the attack on Jasne.

Leona turns to Morgana. "Shouldn't we do something to calm everyone down?"

Morgana's gaze is distant and bitter as she replies,

"None of this matters anymore... Humanity lost its chance at redemption.... I was close to a cure, but deaths of the dragons broke the balance of the world."

Leona frowns. "What do you mean?"

Morgana's expression hardens. "I'm sorry," she says flatly.

Before the words settle, the ground shudders. Enormous rockdiggers explode from the walls and floor, their drills screaming.

Dwarves ride each creature, charging into the camp. Metal teeth tear through tents and bodies.

Donovitch, the dwarf, drives his rockdigger straight through Jasne; the impact turns Jasne into a spray of blood and bone.

A collective gasp of horror sweeps the survivors as the non-humans surrounds them.

"Looks like the reports were true the humans were hiding underground," Donovitch sneers as he rides a rockdigger.

Morgana, now wearing her mage hat and gripping her wand, stands the Non-Humans.

"Radiata's last hope is this camp,"

she declares with a cruel smile.

"And we're going to extinguish that hope, wipe out every last shred of humanity's survival to balance the cosmos!"

Leona's heart hammers. She snaps open a magic book as she puts on Genius's glasses on, bracing for battle. 

Donovitch raises his spear high and says, "Death to all humans!"

The dwarves roar in unison as their rockdiggers continue their brutal assault, tearing through the camp like a storm of metal and blood. Screams echo through the tunnels as the drills slice through tents, bodies, and stone alike.

Donovitch's spear thrusts forward, piercing straight through Natalie's chest. She gasps, blood spilling from her lips as she collapses. 

Elmo barely has time to react before a rockdigger crashes into him, shredding his body apart. Pinky, overcome with grief and rage, lunges forward and drives his weapon again and again into the creature that killed his friend, screaming with every strike.

Herz and Nocturne stand back to back amid the chaos, cutting down wave after wave of non-humans. 

Leona's eyes blaze with fury. She opens her magic book, pages glowing with fierce energy, and unleashes a massive blast of pure magic. Morgana raises her staff and conjures a protective barrier, but the force of Leona's attack is overwhelming. The explosion engulfs the area, blasting Donovitch off his rockdigger and hurling Morgana violently across the ground.

Leona roars, her voice trembling with rage as she fires a barrage of magic missiles, each one detonating against the enemy ranks. Dozens of non-humans fall in a series of violent explosions.

Nocturne charges through the dust and smoke, his massive sword cleaving through Donovitch in a single, furious strike. The dwarf's body splits apart, lifeless before it hits the ground.

Fernando joins the fray, thrusting his palms forward to unleash a torrent of energy blasts that explode across the camp, tearing through more dwarves and creatures.

But Morgana rises again, fury blazing in her eyes. She spins her staff and launches a swarm of magic missiles that rain down like meteors. The blasts tear through the survivors—David and Fernando are struck directly, their bodies thrown dead into the dirt.

Leona locks eyes with Morgana across the burning ruins. Their magic flares in unison. Both raise their hands, channeling immense power into a massive magic ball of glowing energy. The two spells collide midair, the impact sending shockwaves of lightning through the cavern. The entire camp shakes as sparks and arcs of power ripple across the walls, annihilating everything they touch.

Leona pushes harder, her voice breaking with rage. "Because of you, my brother died!"

Morgana screams back, her words echoing over the thunderous energy. "Because of humanity, everyone else is going to die!"

The two orbs clash violently, fusing into a single unstable mass of energy. It shoots upward, ripping through the ceiling and exploding, sending chunks of stone raining down. The entire underground trembles as massive debris crashes down, crushing both humans and non-humans beneath it.

Both Leona and Morgana throw up shimmering barriers, shielding themselves from the falling rubble. Morgana's eyes widen when she sees Leona still standing—nose bleeding, arm outstretched, magic surging violently around her.

"When did she get this strong?!" Morgana gasps.

Suddenly, several of Leona's magic books burst from her satchel, floating into the air around her. Pages flip open in unison, glowing with divine light.

Morgana's expression twists in alarm. "Don't! I have the cure to—"

"I don't care," Leona whispers, her voice trembling with rage.

A blinding storm of magic beams erupts from the open books, converging on Morgana. The magic swallows her whole—her scream cuts short as her body disintegrates in a burst of light.

Leona's strength finally gives out. Her magic fades as debris continues to crash down around her. She looks up through the gaping hole above, watching as the two colliding energy spheres soar into the night sky.

They explode high above the ruins, releasing a blinding flash. The shockwave slams Leona into the ground, leaving her battered and motionless amid the falling dust and fire.

More Chapters