Conscious, Conscientious

Two guards collapsed in silence as Skrili landed from her double-kick.

"Ouch," Deon uttered on their behalf.

His teammate shot him a quick glare to hush up. Then, after readjusting the hood of the cloak he'd imagined for her, she sprung back into motion.

Deon followed close behind, securing his own hood. They darted past the street and pressed up against the wall of the nearest stone building.

"Those guys are everywhere, now…" Deon whispered.

"Benton must have alerted someone," figured Skrili. "They're hunting us down."

From here, Deon could no longer see the section of the city wall they'd destroyed far back, where they left Benton trapped. Rows of buildings and structures blocked his view.

They'd decided to exit the top of the outer wall once the guards started popping up too frequently. While they proved to be easy opponents, they certainly slowed Deon and Skrili's progress. The duo spotted a tower where some of them had been emerging, battled their way down, and reached the city streets.

Deon stretched his legs. That had been at least a couple hours ago–while the outer wall had initially seemed like the most direct path to the castle, it may have been too roundabout.

But now, sneaking from building to building within a suburb of the city didn't seem much better; especially now that they still had constant run-ins with guards to worry about.

Skrili peered around the corner. The coast was clear, so they zipped forward until they reached the next building.

Deon stopped to analyze Skrili's purple gaze. Months ago, it would have appeared no different to him than her usual nonexpressions. But clearly, she was contemplating something.

"What?"

"It's just strange," Skrili uttered. "If Benton communicated that we beat him, you'd think they would send another member of Proscious after us–not a bunch of weak guards."

"True…"

Now that Deon thought about it, there was no way of knowing Phillip's progress so far.

"You think Phil managed to beat that lady Irma, then?"

"I hope so…but there's no way of knowing," contemplated Skrili. "She could just be using the guards to locate us faster."

Deon stretched his fingers and pressed them into a fist. If that was the case, their next battle with a Proscious member was likely drawing near.

But it also meant Phillip's wellbeing remained a mystery. And that only reminded him of another thought–one he'd been trying to block out of his mind.

Kotono and Hiroko…that last explosion…

…or whatever it was.

They'd seen it from atop the wall. After all, it was impossible to miss. The whole city must have witnessed it.

The morning sky had darkened a bit over them. When Deon and Skrili turned to witness the phenomenon, they found the darkness only intensified the closer it was to its apparent source: a massive, multicolored floating orb just beyond the destroyed city gate.

Even from where Deon and Skrili had watched, they felt a subtle warm breeze.

But when the orb moved, they saw a much more familiar energy arise to challenge it: Kotono’s–though it immediately grew too bright to lay eyes upon.

Blinded, Deon and Skrili had expected an explosion. Instead, they heard a constant, high tearing in the distant air like two metal tools endlessly scraping together.

And then, after moments, nothing.

They'd opened their eyes to find nothing in the sky anymore.

Deon's fists squeezed even tighter.

How could Kotono and Hiroko possibly walk away from something like that?

They…they must be…

"Hiroko and Kotono are alive," Skrili said adamantly.

Deon snapped back to the present. His ponderings must have been all over his face.

"But Skrili…I've never seen power that insane before–"

"They're alive," Skrili repeated. "Wei can't beat them. They're the best in the Multiverse–nobody can beat them."

Deon welcomed her certainty, desperate and biased as it was. But he couldn't ignore that the fight had ended after that: there were no more energy blasts.

Did that mean Wei was defeated? Had they won?

Or…was he coming for them next?

He looked back to Skrili as she peaked past the building, and his mind shot back to her contorted, nearly lifeless body in the courtyard two days before.

"Come on," Skrili signaled.

Deon blinked hard and hurried forward.

"HALT! RETURN TO YOUR QUARTERS!"

They broke into a sprint and slid against the next building's wall. Deon swallowed hard.

He'd seen it out of the corner of his eye: the row of guards down the street blazed their swords.

"DO NOT RESIST!"

This bark had echoed from the opposite direction.

"We're surrounded?" whispered Deon.

"Wait."

Skrili snatched his hand and pulled him to the corner of the building. They turned and planted themselves against the side wall.

Deon followed his teammate's sharp eyes, which peered over towards where they'd just run from.

Another guard emerged, rushing down the street with his weapon drawn. But he didn't seem to notice them. Instead, he continued past the building entirely and hurried to where they'd seen the other guards.

"I SAID DO NOT RESIST!"

"WE NEED MORE BACKUP!"

"WE HAVE NONE!!"

Shouts burst from the street in clear opposition to the soldiers, their voices bouncing off the city walls. Deon and Skrili inched closer to the front of the building until they could witness the unfolding situation.

Farther down the road, the four soldiers engaged in a skirmish with nearly a dozen citizens.

"The city is under attack! We demand you all remain indoors during an active battle!"

"You'll have a much worse battle on your hands if you keep withholding the truth!"

The civilian was met with seething cheers from his colleagues, some of whom were restrained on the ground.

"Where is Queen Layla?!"

"Who is running our Kingdom? We saw the Queen morph into that woman with our own eyes!"

One of them unsheathed a standard sword.

"We won't fall for your deception!" he proclaimed. "Zayza killed the Queen, didn't she? Zayza is behind this!"

He raised his head to the heavens.

"Zayza has overtaken Azvalyen!! Zayza–"

With the shocking swipe of a light sword, he collapsed.

"Stun!" a guard bellowed.

Breaking into combat, the guards quickly incapacitated the rest of the rioting civilians.

"We cannot keep doing this," a soldier gasped, deactivating his sword. "Between the invaders and these brewing riots, we're spread too thin!"

"Protesters have already ransacked and occupied the Multiverse Resource Buildings. The castle will be their next goal," another agreed. "We can't wait any longer for this…"

"It won't be long. They've been located. That will calm everyone back down."

Deon lowered to Skrili's ear. "Wait…who's been located? Don't they already have Lammy, Zayza, and Pang?"

Skrili's eyes darted around speculatively, but she offered no theories. "Let's get out of here," she decided.

~

Deon caught his breath for a moment, but forced himself to stand tall. They'd just darted from one building to another for what must have been the thousandth time.

He'd considered hovering atop imagined planks again, but that would just make him blatantly suspicious. They had to find and fight Proscious members only; they couldn't waste time or energy shaking off the whole of Azvaylen's army in the process.

From behind a wall, Deon and Skrili searched towards their destination. At least by now, after a couple more hours of sneaking down streets, they could see the castle's towers more vividly.

But they knew they still wouldn't get there for a while–not at this pace.

"There are even more of them now," Skrili observed.

Deon was about to point it out, himself: as far as they could see, a guard stood stationed at practically every other road.

They slipped back into the darkness of the thin alley they'd found.

"Now what?" Deon uttered.

Before Skrili could reply, a voice in the air seemed to answer his question instead:

"All citizens of the Capital, the threat is neutralized. Report to the courtyard for the formal execution of former princess Zayza and her conspirers…All citizens of the Capital, the threat is neutralized. Report to the courtyard for the formal execution of former princess Zayza and her conspirers…"

Deon and Skrili froze.

Gradually, doors creaked open all around, followed by footsteps. The air filled with an uneasy mixture of hushed and vigorous voices. Guards began commanding directions.

Then Deon caught the quickest glimpse of a foot stepping across the end of the alley.

Skrili tapped Deon's chest.

He didn't hesitate: Deon imagined two wooden planks onto the ground. The duo stepped onto them and jumped as the planks sprung them upward. With the assisted momentum, Deon and Skrili cleared the height of the roof and touched down on top of it.

Deon followed Skrili's lead as she flung towards a chimney at the corner of the uneven roof. They leaned flat against it, masking themselves from any soldiers high above on the city wall.

"All citizens of the Capital, the threat is neutralized. Report to the courtyard for the formal execution of former princess Zayza and her conspirers…"

Deon cursed. "Are we too late?"

"It seems like they're making it a spectacle to calm the rioters," Skrili analyzed. "As long as they're waiting for an audience, there's still time."

The announcement repeated. By now, the streets were full of residents. Deon and Skrili lowered.

"Wait–why are they saying 'the threat is neutralized' when they know they haven't beat us yet?" wondered Deon. "They're pulling something…"

Skrili nodded. "This could be a trap to draw us out."

Fire building inside, Deon stood.

"Well I don't care if it is. I'm not letting this happen."

"I was about to say the same thing."

Eyes on the still distant castle, they raced forward and jumped from this roof to the next. They kept low, hushing their steps as they powered across the buildings.

Deon did his best to model his run after Skrili's, realizing he was not nearly as built for stealth. But the farther they raced into the city, the wider the gaps became between roofs and the less consistent their heights and shapes were. Eventually they opted for the floating planks after all, surfing across the air as close to the roofs as possible.

But Deon almost lost balance and plummeted into a chimney when something spawned in the corner of his eye.

Up in the sky, above the castle, a long red arrow appeared. It pointed down to a precise location within the courtyard, where the attempted execution occurred two days before.

Then beside the arrow, letters began fading in like new clouds.

"Skrili," Deon alerted.

"I see it."

They stepped down onto the nearest rooftop, their eyes glued to the sky.

"Four of us captured…

…Guards everywhere, but no Proscious members…

…Help."

Deon observed the scores of citizens below, but none of them paid any mind to the giant floating message.

"Phillip," he knew.

Yet another arrow stretched from the words, and pointed towards the far left of the location the first arrow highlighted.

"Best angle," it added.

"It could also be Irma," Skrili cautioned. "If Phillip is captured, this could be another attempt to trick us."

But even as she expressed her theory, more words appeared underneath:

"Chewing is overrated."

"It's Phillip," Skrili agreed.

"Guess he knew you'd be skeptical," noted Deon. "Let's go."

~~~

Lammy stumbled forward and bumped against Zayza. Retaining her ruse of mindlessness, she subtly leaned to help him regain his balance.

"Wow. I must say, your illusions are impressively believable," admitted one of the guards to Phillip behind them. "They even feel real."

This time, he nudged Zayza.

"Perhaps you can make me a girlfriend that looks like her," laughed another.

"To be fair, even an illusion of a woman would reject you," Phillip uttered.

"WHAT?!"

Lammy tried to hide his wince as a shock rung out behind him. Phillip let out no cry.

"It's almost time. Make them look chained up NOW!"

Lammy and Zayza caught on quick, raising their hands back in false bondage. Feeling nothing, Lammy had to trust Phillip followed through with the illusion.

Thankfully, the guards seemed satisfied.

"Now walk them closer."

A breeze brushed Lammy's disheveled hair as he and Zayza reluctantly inched closer to the edge of the pearly balcony. They'd stood in this very spot only days before, under Layla's pretense scrutinizing glare.

And now, all of their joint escape efforts led them back here once more, likely to fulfill the execution Layla had been forced to promise.

Don't look down…Lammy knew.

He'd caught a glimpse of it. Though he tried to avert his eyes, he couldn't tear them away from the tall, black spikes below the balcony.

It was the mangled body decaying within them that finally forced him to look anywhere else, though he could barely make it out through the balcony's elaborate fence. It must have been lodged there for days.

That was his fate.

No…

His eyes found Zayza's. Somehow, despite it all, she gave him a smile.

Her shivers were visible, and her eyes watery as she forced herself not to react too noticeably. But she still gave him a smile–the same one she'd given when he first agreed to help her in No Man's Land.

That's right…I'm the one who suggested this plan, Lammy remembered. Zayza believed me. She trusted me–everyone did.

I won't let them all down. We had to avoid getting thrown back in that dungeon no matter what–Deon would never find us in there. This was the only move. I need to trust myself on this one.

It'll work. I know Deon.

He WILL get here in time.

His own smile must have emerged, because Zayza's eyes seemed to warm.

He wished they didn't have to remain silent.

Abruptly, Phillip stumbled forward and stood beside them, magic swords still pointed at him from multiple angles.

"We don't appreciate your attitude, so your turn will come next," a guard declared.

Phillip simply breathed in deeply, then out, and kept his eyes to the sky.

Unfazed…Lammy noticed. Deon's friends are incredible.

We're still in this.

"Heave!"

The courtyard filled with a deep roll. Wood creaked off to the side, out of Lammy's vision. But he saw the source of the noise soon enough.

For a kingdom so elegant, the contraption before him seemed horrifically out of place. A bar of crude wood rolled towards the balcony, soldiers pushing its wheeled legs on either side. It arrived just above their heads.

And dangling from it, perfectly in place for Lammy and Zayza's wrists, were four knotted ropes.

Zayza slammed her eyes shut, unable to turn away without raising suspicion. She fought to keep her breath steady.

I've seen this before…Lammy realized. Why have I seen this before…?

It came to him all at once, along with another sweep of dread:

The Dream World. When Zayza defeated Fewpar.

She'd uttered the word 'nightmare,' and shifted the entire world around them into another realm.

Faceless shadows hung all across the sky. They dangled by their wrists from rope–just like the ones before him now.

As he stared at the knots awaiting him, the same quiet heaviness he'd felt in the Dream World returned.

For a split moment, he wanted to break into a run–summon Loozooloozeux, snatch up everyone he could, and fly away.

But logic stepped in and held its ground. Any questionable motion at all, and the ruse was up: Phillip would be dead immediately–Fewpar too, and even Zayza if she didn't catch on in time.

Lammy kept himself still. Fear wasn't their plan.

"Everything is in position," came a voice from below.

"Good."

Someone stepped closer behind them on the balcony. If Lammy remembered this over-eager voice correctly, it was the same commander from the western tower.

"Make the Illusionist create a Queen Layla," he ordered.

The guards jerked their swords closer to Phillip's neck.

"Do it!"

"I'm…not well acquainted with her," he hesitated. "You may need the real Queen. My illusion may not be realistic–"

"You made these two realistic!" argued a soldier.

It was worth a shot, Lammy recognized. If he convinced them to get Layla here and everything goes to plan, she could escape with us.

But also…

He caught a glimpse at Phillip's frown.

He might also be telling the truth…and, if Illusionist powers are like imagining, is he worried about maintaining the copies he fooled the soldiers with? By now, they must be pretty far away…

Would adding one more illusion be too much and blow our cover?

The commander stepped even closer. "Do it, or die a slower death than we've already prepared."

Eventually, Phillip nodded. He had to play along; this was their very last chance. He had to keep the endgame alive.

"Very well."

~~~

Deon dismissed the floating planks. He and Skrili touched down into a dark alley.

But this time, there were no more buildings to weave between. Only a wide-open street lay before the courtyard, and it was currently flooded with Azvalyen citizens.

Soldiers shouted directions even more harshly than the first courtyard summoning, herding everybody towards a makeshift path in the center of the former front wall's rubble.

"All citizens of the Capital, the threat is neutralized. Report to the courtyard for the formal execution of former princess Zayza and her conspirers…"

Even with the front wall decimated, Deon couldn't see deep enough into the courtyard to spot the balcony from here.

"There," whispered Skrili. "That's roughly where Phillip said to go."

Deon followed her finger to the far left of the courtyard, nearly a straight-shot from the alley. Its side walls had survived Kotono's blast from the other day. Foliage and small statues rested in the grass on its outer side.

Deon nodded. "Guess we'll have to blend in for a second."

He took a deep breath. Then as leaves drifting into a stream, they slipped into the moving crowd.

They eyed their destination, hoods low. Deon mirrored Skrili's subtlety as she gradually shifted towards the back–clearly, keeping a low profile was a skill she'd inherited a long time ago.

Then, as the crowd evened out at the corner where the wall met the rubble, Deon and Skrili slipped away amongst the trees and statues. They vanished behind the wall while the citizens piled towards the entrance.

Deon let out a sigh. "Almost there–"

Skrili pounced ahead. By the time Deon followed her motions, he found a guard collapsing at her feet.

He stiffened:

Two more!

The rocks he imagined flew in and met their marks. Two guards fell in defeat–one towards the middle of the wall, and another at the farthest end where it met the castle.

Again, Deon sighed–this time after ensuring they were truly alone. Keeping close to the wall, he rejoined Skrili and they inched to the corner.

The team reached their destination and huddled close. As Deon's shoulder pressed Skrili's, he noticed how warm she felt–even through her cloak.

"You ready for this?"

After a start, she nodded. His question seemed to nudge her back into the present.

"Then let's do it."

Reimagining two wooden planks, Deon set foot on one and began floating upward. His muscles tightened.

But Skrili seized his arms, yanking him back down.

"What?!" he whispered impatiently.

"We can't just waltz in there and punch everyone. We need to see what we're dealing with and plan our attack."

"Oh. Right."

Even more gradually, they resumed their ascent.

The booming voice of a girl almost froze them for a moment, until they realized it echoed from the other side of the wall:

"My citizens…long have you waited for justice. Chaos and deception have befallen our beautiful Azaylen…"

Deon peered around. No more guards were nearby.

Almost there…

"But now, because of our unrelenting strength, I stand before you–the TRUE Queen Layla–to mark the end of this treason against the Royal Family. I stand before you to bring about the end of not only this traitor, but also the team of terrorists she recruited to threaten the Throne…"

Deon and Skrili cleared the highest branch of the nearest tree.

Just a little further…

"My citizens, with the death of my fallen sister, I promise to you–to all of Azvaylen–a renewed era of stability…"

The top was within arm's reach. Deon and Skrili clutched the thick, coarse edge of the wall. Maintaining their balance atop the planks, they peaked over.

"Now, before you all as witnesses, I commence the execution of former Princess Zayza and her allies."

Deon immediately bounced his eyes from the sea of people when the corner of his vision caught the spectacle they all stared at.

"Hey…what is this?" he muttered. "That can't be right. Nah, this isn't real."

"Deon…it is."

Skrili's words stabbed into him. But their bluntness forced him to reckon with the sight before him.

Just before the balcony, his cousin dangled by the wrists from the rope of a wooden contraption. He hung on the farther side, while his companion, the princess Zayza hung closer to them.

The same spikes from days before awaited them on the ground below, harboring the same torn corpse.

Deon automatically reached his hand out, but Lammy was much too far away.

But if they dropped now, it was over.

No.

The vision from the fog returned.

It's wrong. It's not allowed to be right. I don't allow it.

Orange enveloped his vision. The last thing he could detect was that Lammy's eyes seemed to be glowing.

…Or is that from me?

Just the same, he could no longer distinguish the sharp heat now coursing all around his body from his rage.

This couldn't happen. Their failure couldn't happen. His senses blurred, and nothing was about to stop him.

Because he would kill everyone between him and Lammy.

And if he proved too late, he would annihilate them all, anyway.