Plan I

A few days after the terrible events, Iwao and the others were standing outside the cave. Each of them carried all their belongings packed in a single bag on their back. The moons had risen high in the sky, the air warm around them. The only sound was the crackling of flames.

Standing side by side, they all stared at the gigantic brazier lighting up the night, burning the forest that surrounded them. But the trees were not the only ones burning.

They all had serious expressions. Before them lay the corpses of the sect members and of Urui, burning.

Lo was the one staring the most intently at the fire, its eyes glazed.

“Why burn the forest and not just the ones who hurt us?” It asked.

“Because it would have taken too much effort to bury all of them, and burning the forest serves part of the plan I have devised over the past few days. I think we’re all ready for it, and that it could go well. I don’t know the strength of the king, and I don’t want to know it yet. I don’t want us to be caught off guard or hold back if we begin with the idea that we might lose.” Iwao replied.

“We helped you with the corpses and the fire without asking why, but we want to know too. We’ll do everything in our power to defeat the king. But you know that if he comes with a large part of his army… even with all our strength it seems impossible. Maybe the most reasonable option would be not to take bold actions like this, but to defeat him by surprise.” Celi intervened in a concerned voice.

Iwao sighed deeply, coughing a little from the smoke. He glanced at Celi’s missing hand, then closed his eyes, saddened.

“I’ll be brief. Killing him by surprise won’t solve anything. We need to defeat him face to face, to avenge from what he did. I want to fight this horrible king with my own hands and put an end to his wicked life. Since we have no way to enter the castle or approach it normally, we will provoke him. We’ll force him to come fight us, to come where we decide is the best place for battle.”

“When he’s in the castle, the only reason he’d leave is if something important – or threatening his kingdom – forced him to. How do you plan to do that, when he almost never leaves?” Saya said, wiping her forehead from the sweat beading across her face.

“That’s why you’ll have the most important role of all, Saya. I’m sure of one thing: not everyone in the kingdom, not even all the soldiers, knows the king wants you dead. Many people beloved you, and maybe still do. Speak to the soldiers stationed in every major city of the kingdom, except the capital. Choose carefully, and be cautious. Find the ones willing to cooperate. You’ll have to sway them – some may have more faith in you than in the king. I know you can do this. I know your abilities better than anyone else.” Iwao explained with a gentle smile.

“But what do I tell them? What’s the plan with them? I can’t improvise like this!” She replied, agitated and stressed.

Iwao leaned toward her ear and whispered a few words so the others couldn’t hear. As she listened, her eyes widened, her expression shocked. But she quickly pressed her forehead with her hand, then straightened with a serious look, thinking.

“It could work… With this, my father could leave the castle and come to us, if we make it clear it’s “our fault”.” She muttered.

Iwao then turned to Celi, a confident look on his face. She looked surprised at how suddenly he faced her.

“As for you, Celi – you’ll be in charge of preparing the battlefield. We’ll use the deserted village of Yorl and the surrounding plains. You’re the cleverest of us all when it comes to Firia, spells, and traps.” Iwao said, half-jokingly.

“Traps?” Celi repeated, confused.

“Well, I did say that I wanted to fight him face to face, not that it would be fair. He has to suffer, and if he doesn’t see it coming, all the better. Place traps everywhere that can only be triggered by him or his troops. And most importantly, set a barrier of a few hundred meters around the battlefield. It may take you days, but it’s crucial. Make sure we can enter and they can too – but that no one can leave. It will be his final battlefield, the last place of his life. He won’t run away!” Iwao explained, anger rising in his voice.

Lo stepped forward and cleared its throat, though the sound was drowned by the roar of the flames.

“And for both of us, Iwao? What are we going to do? I want to fight too. I want… I want something more… Seeing all of you like this… I want… I want to see the king suffer the same.” Lo uttered, its body trembling, its lips quivering, confusion in its eyes as it stared at its own body.

“More and more, its body is gaining feelings and emotions as it lives through different events, but its mind doesn’t yet understand them…” Iwao thought, approaching Lo and grabbing its shoulders, stopping its trembling.

“We’re going to test something, just the two of us. Something that could give us an advantage in battle! We’ll do it together!” He said in an encouraging voice.

“And so… this fire is for what, truly?” Celi asked, interrupting.

Iwao froze, then slowly turned.

“Well... to get his attention, I thought it would be a good first step. A fire burning all the entire Western Mountains forest, sending a giant cloud of dark smoke rising into the sky above the kingdom. By following the trail, he’ll know it came from here – caused by us. This will prove to him that we refuse to hide any longer. This will be the first step to luring him out.” He explained, a proud smirk on his face.

He began walking away from the fire, gesturing for the others to follow.

“Once we’re far enough, everyone will split up to accomplish their task. We’ll meet in two weeks on the battlefield, when the plan truly begins. But be careful, Saya and Celi – you’ll be alone, and I fear of what could happen to you both… Let’s succeed, and then we’ll think of the future!”

Once far enough from the brazier, they all said goodbye and promised to return safely in two weeks. They all departed in different directions.

Saya set off east, wearing her usual clothes, a bag far too big for her on her back. It made each step difficult, yet she walked with determination, planting each foot firmly despite the fear on her face as she journeyed through the night alone.

Celi headed north, in her usual armor, despite the cracks and bloodstains. Her axe hung from her belt, her back bent by the weight of her bag. She clutched the place where her hand was missing, her body trembling, fear plain on her face as she too walked into the night.

Finally, Iwao and Lo went south. They didn’t speak any word, nor did they walk – they ran, fast, toward their objective.

The wind howled fiercely at their backs as they passed, no spells needed. They ran with nothing but their natural speed.

The stench of charred wood filled the air, and soon, as day broke, a black stain spread across the sky.

******************************

Saya spent most of her days on the road, walking from one city to another, sometimes riding in a cart with people she had approached, changing her appearance and hiding her face under a hood so she wouldn’t be recognized. She was now sitting in one of the carts, surrounded by strangers.

She didn’t talk much to them, seeming lost in thought, always gripping firmly her bag as tightly as if someone might steal it.

“Killing my father… it’s… complicated… but not because he’s strong. I know we must kill the evil sovereign to restore peace and calm the realm’s tensions. But… he’s my father, and he hasn’t always been like this… He’s consumed by evil and we can’t change him anymore.” She thought, rocking gently with the cart as it rolled over the uneven ground.

She looked at her fist, clenching and unclenching it, sinking deeper into her thoughts.

“I need to find the strength to do it. Iwao, Celi, Lo… they can’t do everything by themselves. Pull yourself together, Saya! Your father wants you dead and he no longer feels love for you – suppress these feelings and doubts.”

The cart jolted harder and harder as it hit deep potholes. After one big bump, Saya was thrown forward onto the cart floor. Her bag flew open and its contents spilled out. A ring, sumptuously adorned with a sparkling diamond, rolled free and clinked.

One of the two other passengers picked it up slowly. As Saya lifted her head, heart pounding, she saw a young, beautiful woman staring intently at the ring.

“This ring… It belongs to the princess. A ring so splendid can only belong to Princess Saya.” The woman whispered, giving a small, sad laugh.

Saya didn’t move, only stared with wide eyes. The woman looked at her with a comforting expression.

“Where did you get it?” She asked.

“Oh no… she’s going to try to rob me, or think I stole it and try to arrest me…” Saya thought.

She cleared her throat to steady herself.

“I found… I found it on the ground!” She stammered.

“On the ground? Are you sure?” The woman asked.

“Wait… she doesn’t sound angry... Am I just imagining it?” Saya wondered.

She nodded uncertainly.

The woman leaned back against the cart wall, sighed deeply, and stared up at the roof.

“I don’t really care where you found it. It’s been months since the kingdom had any news of the princess. Many of us are worried. You know, Princess Saya was, and still is, beloved across the realm for her beauty and her kindness. In these hard times – because of the king and the war – we need her light and her radiant smile. When you have a light of hope, you never want it to disappear, am I right?” The woman said in a saddened voice.

Saya looked down, a soft smile on her face, and dismissed her illusion spell to show her true face. As she raised her head, the woman dropped the ring. Saya caught it midair while the other man in the cart leapt up and then fell back as the cart hit another pothole.

“Pri...Princess Saya? What? How? Why?” The woman stammered.

“There’s no need to know every detail. Just know I’m here – still alive. I need you to do something for me: spread the word among all the people you trust, those more loyal to me than to the king or any other member of the royal family. Tell them something big is coming and that I will need their support when the time comes. Thank you for your words – I now know many people count on me. I can’t deceive you and the others. I must do everything in my power to succeed.” Saya said calmly and confidently as she removed her hood.

The two passengers in the cart knelt before her, smiles broad.

“Count on us, princess! We’ll do as you said! Free us from your terrible father or this kingdom will be shattered even more!” The woman declared.

Saya adopted a serious expression and nodded.

The first important stop of her mission would be the city where it had all begun for her and her companions. She was going to Taranios.

******************************

Celi had arrived in the deserted village named Yorl. Nobody. No sound. Just ruins and a strange atmosphere. The village lay in the middle of a vast plain – nothing but grass stretched out all around.

“He chose the right place to fight, I see. No civilians to be harmed, no real village or place to destroy… a place where we can give our fullest.” Celi thought.

She dropped her bag against the wall of a ruin and walked to the center of the village. There, she struck her axe into the ground and left it planted.

“I need to focus. He trusts me to do this all alone without any help. Luckily, I brought plenty of food and my notebooks to work from in between preparations for the battlefield. It will take a lot of energy and days… but I have to do it. If I make a mistake, it’ll be to our disadvantage.”

She returned to her bag, pulled out a notebook, and walked back to her axe. She opened it, revealing pages filled with text and small sketches. She leafed through them until her satisfied expression showed she had found the right page.

She took her position, placing her right hand above the axe and holding the open notebook at eye level with her left. The axe began to glow as she opened her mouth.

“Call our names from afar,

“Trap them in your body.

“Let the enemy not escape,

“Help us, for we need to protect.

“Grow stronger, amplify, extend,

“Envelop us with your warmth.

“I seek your protection,

“To bring my enemy to salvation.”

As she recited the words, the axe glowed brighter. Then, a bubble formed around it, soon expanding outward, passing through Celi and the ruins until it reached the edge of the village, forming a dome. After stabilizing, the glow faded and the dome vanished from sight.

“Well, the axe worked better than my sword as a receptacle. But as for the protection dome, the incantation I created may not have been the best. I’ll have to improve it to make it stronger, and also keep it invisible to the untrained eye – for the element of surprise. Then I’ll be able to recite strengthening incantations to expand it further. Hundreds of meters, just as Iwao asked for… Maybe I should start placing traps first.”

She wandered through the village and out onto the plain, stopping from time to time to place her hand on the ground – or to plant her axe in it – while muttering indistinguishable words. Each time, a glow of a different color flared and then faded away.

When dusk settled, she returned to the village and entered a house that was not too ruined. She set down her belongings and leaned against a wall.

“Thirty-three traps placed today, and a failed attempt with the protection dome. The day has been long. I need some rest... and tomorrow, I’ll do it again until everything is perfect.” She sighed heavily releasing her exhaustion.

The wind howled through the holes in the house, sending a shiver down Celi’s spine.

“Since this afternoon, I’ve felt something strange… I don’t like this kind of atmosphere, even though I haven’t seen anything unusual stand out. I mustn’t dwell on it. Sleep is what I need!”

The wind blew harder, and a brick fell from the wall of the house, making Celi open her eyes suddenly just as she had been trying to shut them. She froze, speechless.

The night would be long.