Chapter 91: Boom Goes the Chosen Ones
---Aaron---
"NO!!" A scream was ripped from my throat. I saw the flames flickering down in the forest below, right where our campsite was. I didn't need magic to see that the entire area was obliterated. I didn't need magic to know that everyone was dead.
Katherine was staring with horror at the flames as her lips struggled to form words. "How—?"
"You planted a bomb, didn't you? You intended to kill us all along!" I struggled with renewed vigor and tried to lunge out for Lord Victor. My captors held me back, but their iron grips didn't matter to me when all I could see in my mind were the charred and blown up bodies of my friends.
"Ah, Aaron, you are smart. I'm sorry I underestimated you before." Lord Victor smiled humorlessly at me. Then he turned his attention back to the blazing forest. "Isn't fire such a beautiful element?"
"Lord Victor bombed the campsite? He…blew everyone up?" Katherine was in so much shock, she seemed to not be able to process the information.
"Yes he did. The fire is a direct result of all the explosives used. For an explosion so large that we can feel it from this height, the sheer amount of explosives used would wipe out anyone and anything within half a mile of the epicenter. There's no way anyone survived that." I was seeing red. All I wanted to do was strangle Lord Victor.
"Ashley was down there. I thought Ashley was working with you. Why would you kill her too?" Katherine trained her gaze on Lord Victor. I saw murder in her eyes. Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold back her emotions.
"Child, please. I am the evil lord. I use people to get what I want, and then I get rid of them. She seemed too, ah, rebellious for my taste. If she could betray her friends, who's to say that she wouldn't betray me someday?" Lord Victor answered calmly, as if it was just another thing checked off his to-do list. Katherine's eyes burned red.
"Why would you do such a thing?!" She screamed. "Why would you kill my friends in front of me?!"
"I told you to hurry up and make a decision. You were too slow, so your friends paid the price." Lord Victor clasped his hands behind his back and turned to face us. "Now, my dear Kath, choose between me and the mission, or Aaron will die too. But I suppose that might be what he wants though, because his dear, dear Indigo is dead. Isn't that right, Aaron?"
"Don't call me Kath!" Katherine yelled and lunged for Lord Victor.
"Don't you dare talk about Indigo!" I shouted at the same time and wrenched my arms from my captors with a burst of sudden strength. With two swift kicks to their stomachs, I knocked down the two soldiers that had been restraining me and grabbed one of their swords. I barreled towards Katherine's captors, who simultaneously let go of her arms in order to draw their own swords. The guards around the edge drew their weapons and prepared to advance. With a huge gust of wind, I swept them all off of their feet and sent them toppling off the mountain, ignoring their screams as they fell to their deaths.
'Indigo is dead. Lucian is dead. Everyone is dead.'
Meanwhile, Katherine picked up a discarded spear and hurled it like a javelin towards Lord Victor. He dodged it easily. Not discouraged, Katherine picked up another spear and sprinted for Lord Victor, trying to impale him. He only laughed and swirled his cloak, disappearing into thin air. Katherine nearly ran straight off the cliff; she barely managed to stop in time.
Maniac laughter echoed around us. Lord Victor materialized in the middle of the peak again. "I suppose this means you're not choosing me," he said to Katherine. "What a pity; I really hate to kill you."
"I will murder you, even if it's the last thing I do!" Katherine had murder in her eyes as she charged at Lord Victor again. I've never seen her so angry and so out of control. But then again, her best friend was blown up into smithereens while she couldn't do anything. All of our closest friends were murdered.
I hefted the sword and charged alongside Katherine. My heart burned with the desire to run Lord Victor through with the blade a hundred times, a thousand times, a million times. I needed to avenge my friends, and all the innocents that Lord Victor killed. I needed to avenge Indigo.
Suddenly, Katherine screamed. She stumbled, but gritted her teeth and kept lunging for Lord Victor, even as he laughed and danced out of her way, all the while staring at her intently. Every time she tried to stab him he twirled away to safety, and each time he laughed manically. With each evil cackle, Katherine tried to stifle her screams, until she dropped to the ground and curled into the fetus position, tears streaming down her face, and body twitching with pain.
"What are you doing to her?! Stop that!" I yelled, charging at Lord Victor with the sword extended. He dodged my blade, and Katherine let out a scream so terrible it sounded inhumane.
"I said, stop it! Stop hurting her!" I couldn't bear hearing and seeing Katherine in so much pain.
Lord Victor's eyes flashed. "What are you going to do, Aaron? How will you stop me? At the rate you're going, Katherine is going to die before you even land a single blow."
I charged at Lord Victor, but he turned invisible again. The sword pierced through empty air. Lord Victor's malicious laughter echoed in the mountains. I spun around, trying to locate the source of his voice, but it was everywhere. Meanwhile, Katherine's pain increased more and more, until her voice turned hoarse from the screaming. I couldn't take it anymore. I threw down the sword.
"There! I'm not trying to kill you anymore! I give up! Now stop hurting Kath!"
With a snicker, Lord Victor materialized out of the air, his feet touching down on the edge of the cliff. Katherine's body shuddered and stilled. For a moment, I thought she was dead. I glared at Lord Victor and dropped down by Katherine's side, turning her to face me. What I saw nearly broke my heart.
Katherine's face was red and blotchy from her tears of extreme pain. Her bottom lip was bleeding from where she bit down to keep from screaming out. Her shirt was damp with sweat, and the fingernails on her right hand were splintered and caked with dirt from clawing at the floor in pain. Blood stains had appeared on her shirt at her abdomen from the wound that ripped open again. Gently, I lifted her so that her upper body was cradled in my arms. Katherine weakly buried her face into my shirt and whimpered, with tears still streaking down her face. Her shoulders trembled with the pain of heaving heavy breaths and the lingering aches of Lord Victor's torture.
"Why would you do this to us? Why?! What have we ever done to you?!" With the fire raging in the forest below and Lord Victor's menacing figure in front, I let loose an anguished cry. I have never felt so helpless, so useless, because even though I was chosen as a hero to save the world, I couldn't save my friends. I couldn't even stop Lord Victor from hurting Katherine right in front of me.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone