Chase picked up his pace as he walked through the halls.
Scurrying up to catch him was Poppy who whispered angrily into his ear with hurriedness.
"Are you an idiot!? Scratch that I know you are! What the hell were you thinking!?"
Chase shook his head.
"We need to leave..."
"I know that! That's why I am coming with you!"
Chase turned his head back, making sure everyone was accounted for, and then scanned further back making sure they were not being followed.
"How much is a carriage ride to the City of The Sun?"
He quickly asked himself, rummaging through his pockets for coins.
"I'll pay, but the academy? Are you sure?"
She was clearly panicked by what he had just done, to a Paladin nonetheless.
"I need to see Leander, there is something I need to ask him..."
She tilted her head as they walked quickly and were about to reach the exit before an arrow struck like lightning against the large door that led out of the castle.
"Shit..."
Poppy muttered, drawing her spear.
Chase turned around slowly, tugging on the cold embrace of Hero's Fang.
"That was stupid..."
Picto, one of Rider's generals said with a laugh, as he held a crossbow in one hand and an indigo scimitar in the other.
Michael was about to summon his scythe but Justin put a hand in front of him, warning him with a gesture to not fight.
"I think we should just back up and leave."
He said with little care in the world.
"And let them kill us!?"
Poppy yelled in outrage.
"Nah, I don't do dumb things without a backup plan."
Justin said with near perfect timing, as the ceiling exploded with a violent purple light, and debris came crashing down from above.
A figure came following the debris, and crashing down with a powerful weight, fully donned in indigo armor with a helmet that covered his entire face.
"Rayan... You are a traitor as well?"
Picto asked with distaste.
"Rayan of Mayhem... I carry the great title of my ancestors before me, and you nor Rider have ever honored my family once... I am no slave..."
He growled with an echoed from beyond his armor, his voice sounding almost ceramic.
Pushing himself up from a kneeling position, Rayan lifted his sword from the crevice in the red carpet, and outstretched it toward Picto.
"New friends, I ask that you leave without me and meet me once more on the battlefields soon to come."
No one argued, and they all flooded through the door once Michael and Chase were able to get it open.
They fled into the streets of Rider Kingdom, where the found the first purchasable carriage and got on before the driver could even ask where they were heading.
Poppy was muttering something about treason in the seat next to him, as Gemini did something similar biting at his dwarfish fingernails, Gabriel looked almost nauseous, and Chase was worried that he would pass out.
Then there was Justin and Equan who had begun singing and sharing pouring drinks.
Chase put a hand on Equan's forearm just as he was about to be handed a drink.
"No."
He said, followed by a frown from the young archer.
"Too young."
Chase followed up with the words which made Equan sigh and lean back in his seat.
Chase peak outside of the window behind him, where he seen the driver watching the horses as they sped through the streets.
"Phoenix Academy please."
The driver nodded and sped up the carriage with the cracking sound of his whip.
"I can't believe you did that!"
Poppy hit Chase in the shoulder, but it looked more like she was forcing herself to be angry even though she probably agreed with what he had done.
Chase grinned, and looked outside of the window at the night sky above.
As they left the kingdom of Rider and ventured West, the sky lit up even more with stars, and there it was...
The constellation of Blaze lit with beautiful collection of stars, or at least he had named it the constellation of Blaze. It was new and had not been given a name that he knew of, so he found it fitting that his father was the one who it was named after.
Chase put a hand on Gemini's shoulder.
"Calm down, they want me. Not you guys."
He grinned at his friend, trying to calm the half-dwarf down.
Then he turned to Poppy, and scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry for dragging you into this, it was kinda selfish of me."
Poppy frowned, her ivory white hair flowing with the wind of the carriage.
"No, I should have never told you what the feast was about, although I can't say that it wasn't the right decision but it sure was stupid."
He shrugged.
"Is Neo still at the academy?"
She nodded.
"I don't think he is leaving until he is strongest to challenge for the position of Paladin..."
Chase nodded, gazing at his friends on the other side of his carriage.
"Makes sense..."
Then without even realizing how tired he was, Chase drifted off to sleep swiftly. Feeling his head hit the back of the seat of the carriage he finally fell into a slumber without any meaningful dreams or terrible nightmares.