The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "Track 3 - Dragonspine" by Mihoyo (Genshin Impact OST) - available in Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter ~

As the youngest one feared, it seemed as if their doom was just around the corner …

The General's team, and the other platoons left to hold the frontlines succeeded in giving more time for the others to recuperate. Once they were done, they switched with them and had themselves aided. They did it alternately so that the security in the frontlines were kept. 

Hours passed again of continuous fighting with the new hordes of monsters. As time went by, the knights felt them getting stronger, and them, weaker. And if that wasn't enough, the scouts they sent a few moments ago to investigate the origins of the monsters, failed and got killed mercilessly. 

"General," one of the knights teleported beside the General to report, "we're running out of provisions. All paths are blocked by monsters so there's no way for us to get more ingredients nearby. We tried to send scouts to gather more but I'm afraid they returned unsuccessful".

"We really need to do something with the last of our energies," a platoon leader nearby told the General as he slashed towards a monster. "If there's no other way … we will need to -"

"NO!" the General strongly disagreed. He knew what he was suggesting. "That's the last of our options - no, rather, that's never an option!"

"B-but General -,"

"Are you telling me to abandon half of the knights while the mages create a teleportation circle and evacuate everyone else?" he replied furiously. "To abandon our city and succumb to these monsters? No! If we do that, we will no longer have a home to return to. And these monsters, they will simply pass by the Ice Walls and destroy the villages ahead of us. It's either our city who suffers or theirs!"

The platoon leader could only sigh and shook his head in disappointment.

Rania and Elliot felt the intensity of the situation. It wasn't that hard to see that they were obviously losing the war that they thought they already won. Everyone's heart began to sink low. Rania and Elliot tried to encourage them as much as they could but the truth before them spoke a different story.

ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!!!

Alas! While they were still fighting the second wave of monsters, another wave came in - a third wave consisted of pure high-ranking monsters! Not just a dozen, or a hundred, but THOUSANDS of them! 

Seeing them come, fear and hopelessness covered everyone's hearts … For who wouldn't?

Multitudes of enemies came rushing from all sides ...

from the skies above ...

to the land below …

and even from the seas …

Hordes of such powerful beasts enough to destroy cities! And with thousands of them, everyone began to lose hope. For what was left of them?

Tired bodies from all the non-stop fighting …

Exhausted spiritual energies that refused to be replenished as time passed by …

Injuries and deaths that continued to pile up ...

And hearts that began to crumble …

"Where's the end of this?"

"Will they be able to get through this?"

Everyone was uncertain … even Elliot froze up as soon as he saw the new hordes of monsters coming to them. His eyes widened and his mouth stuck open. How could he not? For at that time, he was powerless. 

If only he could use his powers then all of this would have been much easier. But no … even at that desperate moment, it didn't come back. All that he could rely on was his physical strength. Yes, for a normal Magi he was really strong in terms of physical prowess enough to take on any beasts, but even so ... it wasn't enough to save everyone from the demise that was before them.

"So this is how it feels to be powerless," Elliot thought as he stared on his right palm that wasn't holding his sword. "Is this how they felt, too? Those humans … when we conquered their planet? And all the other planets as well? Since they were weaker, they could only succumb? Because there was no hope? And there was no one to help them?"

As if time passed by really slowly … Elliot's surroundings moved at a snail's pace. His aching heart drowned him in deep thoughts.

"I said I would help them … that I would protect them … 

but here I am simply being a burden ...

Weak and powerless - what did I think of accomplishing? 

Without my powers, I am more like a human thrown into a den of powerful monsters. 

Without my powers … I am nothing".

Elliot knitted his brows and gritted his teeth in his disappointment of himself. Hiding his tearful eyes with his fringes, he gripped his sword tight and slashed towards the monster that lounged at him. He was able to kill it in one blow since it was much weaker, but what of the larger beasts from afar that was fast approaching them?

"Why am I so weak?!" Elliot blamed himself. "Of all the times that I need my powers, why did I have to lose it now?! People are dying and I can't even do anything about it! Why?!"

"Arghhhhh!!!" loud shrieks could be heard a few meters away from him.

Elliot immediately glanced at its direction only to see two men pierced on the chest by a huge monster with sharp tentacles. Their blood splattered on the clothes of the others nearby.

Elliot's heart sank lower … The tears he had been trying to hold back, burst out. 

His face wretched, his complexion paled, his dry lips trembled ...

And his heart screamed in agony as he shut his eyes close…

"What can I do to save these people? What else can be done to turn this situation around?"

In his desperation and weakness, he looked up … towards the sky.

Though his weary heart and flesh failed, Elliot's spirit turned to the One that never failed ...

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