The Final Ashfield

[THREE MONTHS LATER — ABANDONED FOREST]

"You ready?" Aleximus asked. 

Jacender fumbled around with his sneakers, struggling to squeeze one on. "Just... One… second!" he grunted. Aleximus grumbled and threw a bag over his shoulder.

 "I told you to get ready over an hour ago." 

Jace ignored him and stubbornly pushed his foot deeper into the shoe. "You should learn how to listen, idiot." his brother continued. "You're twelve now; You should know how to tie your shoes" 

Jacender's forehead twitched. "Can you just.. Shut.. UP?!" 

He stamped down angrily, finally sliding his foot into the topline and grinned. Inadvertently, below his feet, the wooden floor collapsed at his rough physicality and scattered splintered wood around his ankle.

"Ow!" he winced, scratching himself. His brother snickered. "Good for you. Stop messing up the shack."

Since they had left the Axis, the boys had covered a great deal of distance. They had focused on conserving their strength and securing food, but just a few days prior — after hours of tracking a small family of deer — Jacender had stumbled upon the outskirts of a nearby forest filled with small, abandoned temples. There, to their surprise, they found a great assortment of animals and drinking water. But most of all, it served as a temporary home. So, after a few days of cleaning and creating make-shift windows and doors for their shack, the pair were finally ready to go explore the area.

"You said you saw some people yesterday, right?" Aleximus asked him as they stepped out. Jace shoved his wooden blade into his bag and rubbed his nose proudly. "Yeah! A large wall with a bunch of runes too. They were wearing weird outfits." 

Aleximus nodded and closed the door behind him. "I don't like it, but we still don't know where this Pendragon place is. We're gonna need to snoop around before we find that Ivan guy uncle Matsuda was talking out." 

He dug his hand into his pocket and felt his fingers wrap around the handle of a sharp object. "Remember, we're not here to make friends or explore. No one can be trusted — even Uncle Matsuda's friends."

He had become much more talkative since their argument on the hilltop, but there was still a silent battle that waged on behind Aleximus's eyes. He could not longer afford to be careless.

THOOK!

"You're not the boss of me," Jace laughed, slapping his head. Before Aleximus knew it, his brother had made it down the path ahead, screaming, "And stop being so edgy! It's super not cool!" 

"What–" Aleximus yelped, turning pink. He felt his head and then stared daggers at Jace before yelling, "I'LL KILL YOU!", and ran after him. 

Jace stopped and turned his butt to him. He stuck out his tounge, grinned, and smacked his backside taughtingly. "Catch me if you can! Nyah!" 

Aleximus's face went white with anger.

"JAAACE!" 

 -------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------

[UNKNOWN WALL — A FEW KILOMETERS FROM THE FOREST]

The wall was massive. In terms of height, it probably rivaled the giant Ashtree back in the Axis. It's width, however, far outstripped the likes of the tree by at least a dozen times over. The twins couldn't see an end to the imposing structure.

At the base of the large rampart was a broad dirt road connected to only the abandoned forest behind them. The part of the wall the road was connected to looked similar to a giant door. Aleximus couldn't help but become interested in the golden dragon and the forging hammer carved onto its surface. It was a crest, he reckoned. It matched nicely with the faded silver markings of archaic language covering the rest of the wall. 

There wasn't much else around with the exception of a few bushes. The wall felt solitary — as if it didn't want anything close to it at all. 

Aleximus eyed the wall and kept his hand at the ready in case they needed to fight. He had shoved Jacender into a thick bush nearby and hid inside with him. Jace wasn't too happy. His face was already filled with bruises and punch bumps; Aleximus had gotten his revenge after he'd run off on him. His brother looked very embarrassed.

"Hey, idiot," Aleximus coughed, trying his hardest not to laugh. "Pay attention." 

"'P-Pay attention'?!" Jace stammered. "Look what you did to me, you bastard!!"

Aleximus looked away from him and covered his mouth. "It's your own fault. Shouldn't have pushed me."

Before Jace could retort, a growling voice caught their attention, screaming, "BACK AWAY FROM THE GATE!", making them duck their heads lower into the shrub. 

Crap, did they hear us? Jace mouthed to him. Aleximus shook his head and pointed closer to the wall's doorway. 

Short, brown, and blue-uniformed sentries spilled out along the top of the wall, each taking up a post on the long battlement above. On the backs of every guard was a foreign word reading, "驅動" and a miniature version of the golden dragon crest on the gate. No, Aleximus realized. He studied their formation and noticed the extra attention afforded the large door embedded into the wall..

It's not just a door. It's a gate.

With that understanding, his eyes flitted to the entrance where something he had failed to see before stood. Because he and Jace were so caught up with the wall and its grandeur, they'd fail to notice the small, dirt-covered little boy who stood in front of it. 

His attire was ragged and his hair unkempt, like he hadn't changed his clothes in weeks. There were also some bruises around his exposed shoulder and reddened fingertips. Those were caked in blood. 

Everything except his caramel-hued eyes was dirtied in grime. 

The sentries at the top of the gate jeered in unison at the sight of him. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, defect?" one yelled. "You're not wanted here!" shot another. 

"Step away from the gate!" 

"Yeah!"

"Menark! False Dwarf!"

One after the other, similar insults followed in quick succession, causing the boy's lips to quiver. Desperate to communicate, the boy's hands rose, his fingers locking together to form several intricate hand signs. "Ah! Mmf! Bah!" he murmured, hoping they'd listen. 

An image flashed across Aleximus's mind. He remembered his uncle's use of hand symbols in his battle against Hatagi; The Mudras. Does he know them too? He asked himself.

"...eaf…" Jace muttered. Aleximus turned to him, unsure of what he'd said. "What?"

"He's deaf. Look."

The strange boy opened his mouth, the sentence in his mind, but his mouth unable to speak it. "Pl…s…" he whispered, unable to say it. The guards erupted with laughter so loud that Aleximus nearly flinched. "PFFTT!!!" 

"The hell you say, mutt?" one man asked. He stepped forward, his jaw almost square-like. He seemed higher in rank than the rest, as his uniform was half white, half blue, cleaner, and was equipped with short silver-brown shoulder pads. He brushed aside his short, lime-colored bangs and placed a leg against the battlement railing. "Speak louder!"

 The boy's face burned terribly red. It looked as though he could read lips if nothing else. The men above seemed to know that, and purposely pronounced their words with exaggerated flair. Aleximus instinctively put his hand on Jacender's shoulder and pulled him back down. "Don't even think about it," he chided coldly. "I told you we're not here to make friends. We don't know him, alright? Let them deal with their own problems." 

Jace sucked his teeth and unclenched his fist. "I know… I know I can't get angry. But I also don't like bullies."

Jace noticed that a thick metallic belt ran across the main bully's waist, hidden by a golden-brown half-cape that fell along his left shoulder pad. Holstered and hanging scarily by his side, was a long sword-like object. It had a heavy mechanism built into its hilt and was welded together expertly with a metal tube and sleek barrel. Whatever it was, it was made for more than just slicing. 

 "You're in trouble now, menark!" the guards cheered, "Captain Upo'll finally get rid of you!" The brown-haired boy's shoulders fell down, his eyes beginning to water. They would not listen.

"Tears won't help you in any way." Captain Upo smirked. "I don't have sympathy for the impure." 

A glimmer shone in his eyes as his hand brushed against his weapon. The sentry captain had come upon a rather amusing idea and wanted to test it out. "Hey, menark!" he laughed, grabbing the hilt. His finger coiled around a small trigger as he pointed it at him. "I'll do you a favor! If you can dodge three rounds from my gunblade, I'll speak with the council about allowing you back in the city! Want to play?"

"C-Captain, is that safe?" someone murmured. "The elders wouldn't—"

"Shut up!" Upo barked, a conniving smile playing upon his lips. "He doesn't know that. Besides, tainted blood like his deserves to be punished."

He faced the ragged youngster and raised his voice; "The rules are simple: Whichever way I point, you can't go. If you do, you're out!"

 Of course, Upo thought to himself, there's no way he'd have the guts to—

Several gasps broke out as the boy stepped forward. Despite the tears in his eyes, his resolve had not faded. Although the reason escaped both Jacender and Aleximus, they could tell that he was determined to get back in the city — one way or another. 

 "Ahan!" the boy shouted confidently. 

A flash of irritation found its way onto Upo's face as he scowled. He wasn't used to being stood up to. At all. Without warning, he tightened his grip on the trigger of his gun, cocked back the hammer and— 

BANG!

The boy ducked, narrowly dodging the stream of green Sanctum Energy, and dove to the ground. His chest thumped with fear. There was a stinging on the side of his face; A deep, bleeding gash birthed by the bullet. 

 "He'll kill him!" Jace yelped. He tried to rise again, but Aleximus refused to budge. "No!"

On the wall, the sentries's faces were a mix of apprehension and worry. "C-Captain, maybe that's enough…"

"We're not allowed to harm others without the chieftain's decree… If someone were to find out about this…"

"SHUT IT! ALL OF YOU!" Upo yelled. He looked furious that the boy had avoided his round. Even more so that he had already stood up again to face the second. 

Cocky brat!

The deaf boy took a deep breath in and readied himself for the second shot. "Goood~," Upo said. "This time, you can't go left, right, or down."

As he said it, he stuck his pinkie out to the left, his pointer to the right, and his thumb toward the ground. The only options the child would have would be to escape into the air or jump back. The chances of the captain missing a shot like that were extremely low. 

BANG!

The boy, like Upo expected, retreated into the air. He grinned as the small ball of energy performed a shocking curve in mid-air and flew through the boy's thigh with a wet shhllk! 

 The boy came crashing down, the blood from his thigh slowly forming a small below him. He winced, barely able to hold back his sobbing.

Not good, Aleximus thought. With his leg like that, he won't be able to dash or jump. That next shot will kill him. He's being forced to give up.

Captain Upo laughed and sheathed his gun-blade. "I believe that settles that game then, don't you think? Never show up here again, menark!"

Everyone there fell silent. The clever captain had introduced the game to force the boy to willingly give up what he wanted beyond the gate. He would either choose self-preservation or embarrass himself with death, never to make it past the wall once the game ended. 

Jace's nose crinkled with disgust. "He's out of options." 

The other boy seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. As the men atop the wall cheered for his would-be loss, he collapsed to his knees. Unfortunately, that's how it goes when you don't have power. Aleximus thought grimly. Thoughts of Hatagi's cruelness occupied his mind. 

On the battlement, Upo turned his back to the boy and walked past his guards. "Stop gawking and get back to work. We're done here."

There wasn't a response from his men. "Hey," he spun, facing them. "Are you guys listening? I said hurry up and—" 

To his left and right, he found all his men frozen with shock, staring down the edge of the wall. "C-Captain…" someone faltered. "L-Look!"

Upo stomped hard and pushed his way through to the railings. "What now? Don't tell me he dropped dead already!"

But the boy was not gone. In fact he was still there, and when the captain had reached the edge and looked over it, he saw a sight that caused his jaw to clench. Aleximus, Jacender, and even the rest of the sentries were collectively caught in disbelief too. In front of the great wall, though he was bleeding and outnumbered with no one on his side, the boy, instead of giving into despair, ripped off a part of his baggy shirt and quickly wrapped it over his bullet wound. The hemorrhage was quelled slightly, but not enough to stop the bleeding. He stood up straight and shifted his weight onto his better leg. He had the energy for one, final round.

H-He's still going for it?! Aleximus marveled. Something about the boy's tenacity caused his heart to flutter. How could someone so hated return against all odds with such unquestionable hope in his eyes? How could he continue to keep going without the strength to do so? Was he a fool?

Aleximus certainly thought so. But deep, deep down, he admired his bravery — his will. 

Captain Upo had come upon the same realization. He unsheathed his gun again, growling, "Why you little–", before his men could react and began to charge a large round of energy at its muzzle. "Fool! Do you really think you'll survive this?! You can't change your circumstances even if you somehow get in there! Don't you get it?!"

The boy did not flinch at the insult and raised his hands. He wouldn't run this time. He planned on taking the shot head-on. Upo sweated nervously. "F-Fine! If it's death you want, I'll give it to you! Just remember that I warned you, punk! You asked for this!" 

He steadied his grip and got ready. 

"Aleximus, we have to stop him!" Jace shouted. He was tired of being held back. His frustration was reaching its boiling point. It would soon transform into anger.

However, when he turned to look at Aleximus, he noticed something. His brother's hand was no longer on his shoulder. In fact, Aleximus hadn't been in the bush for a few moments now. 

"N-No way!" Jace blurted. His brother's bag was still on the floor, but his training sword and the metal object he had carried were both gone. Jace spun back around and poked his head out of the shrub, his eyes locking in on the black blur that zoomed toward the deaf boy. "He wouldn't!"

BLAAOW!!

The captain's beam erupted dazzlingly and rained down onto the young boy below. It was like a fantastical explosion of fireworks had been set off. But this time, it was towards a person. The shadow of Upo's aura blinded the boy and made him duck. Up above, the other sentries struggled to wrestle the gunblade out of their captain's hand. Upo had gone too far and they knew it. The game was over. There was no way the boy could have survived. 

At least, until something lodged itself between the boy and the gun at the last second, sending them both tumbling over and skidding off the ground.

THUNNGKKKKK!

"Ahk!" the deaf boy yelled as his body hit the ground. His eyes flew open. He'd been pushed a few meters back, his life saved. Someone stood before him guardedly, half of a red wooden blade snapped at their feet. It was another young boy. He was slightly taller with pure black hair and red, crimson eyes. He was clad in a dark black sweater and gray cargo pants. Burrowed into the ground before him was the aftermath of the captain's devastating shot: Cracked earth split open by the force of the blast. 

"The game is over," Aleximus said darkly, brandishing an oblong silver dagger. He lowered the fearsome weapon to his side and tossed the other half of his broken training sword onto the ground. They had both helped stop the bullet and split it in two.

"W-What the hell?!" The guards clamored. "A human?!"

Upo staggered, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. W-Why is a human this close to Xastol? Impossible! Did they come through The Weeping Forest? If so, did the Lord let them through?!

"Tsk," Aleximus groaned, cutting through the commotion. "Damn it, look. My sword's broken. Now I have to use that asshole's dagger."

He eyed the small blade in his hand and sneered. Uncle Matsuda was right… I guess it did come in handy. He recalled Hatagi gloating about the properties of the Illodium dagger being able to cut through anything. Aleximus had banked on those abilities being able to help stop the bullet.

"Who are you?!" Upo demanded, picking his sword up again. "Who sent you and why are you here?!"

Aleximus turned to the young boy behind him and scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't get in the way to help."

"Then why did you?" Upo spat.

There was a slight pause before Aleximus spoke again. "All that talk about powerlessness and circumstances pissed me off. Lets just say you reminded me of a guy I hated."

The sentries and their captain obviously had no idea what he meant, but the tone behind the boy's words was serious. Was he somehow threatening them? If so, it was odd. They couldn't feel a lick of Sanctum Energy from him. Was he holding it back?

Aleximus gave them no time to think. "Jace, get out here" he called, scratching his ear with his pinkie. Jacender rushed from the bush and jogged to him, both their bags in tow. "I thought you said we weren't gonna help!" 

"We're not," Aleximus repeated. "But don't you remember what we came here for? Those idiots up there won't be any help."

Upo's lips stretched, ready to go off. "Who do you think you–" 

"—What is all this commotion about?" a voice interjected. It sounded young and light. Whoever it was had to have been in some position of authority because, in an instant, the rowdy guards had hushed and resumed their positions; falling into a lined formation once more to let a small figure walk through. All the boys below could hear was the clicking sound of someone's shoes approaching the battlement railing.

That hanfu..! Upo's eyes bulged. He stared in amazement at the short boy before him. He was around the twins' height, with a light-brown, short ponytail that fell just short of his neck. At a certain angle, it looked blonde.

"Young Master Hisagi!" the captain cowered, "To what do we owe the pleasure? We could have had someone escort you…" 

Now that he was closer, Aleximus examined his outfit. It seemed to be of a traditional kind: A noble silver and caramel brown uniform embroidered with steel branches that bore ripe plums around his collar and shoulders. Around his arms were tightly fastened heat guard sleeves; The sort blacksmiths wore.

The boy — Hisagi — dismissed the captain with a wave. "No need for that, Captain," he said, locking eyes with the deaf boy below. "I need the exercise."

Upo raised his head with bated breaths. "So how can we—"

"I saw it all, Captain." the boy said suddenly. "You nearly went against clan law and killed him. Whether by accident or not."

Upo nervously slid his hand off the handle of his gun and covered the barrel with his arm.

Hisagi had an aristocratic air to him. His actions seemed posh and calculated and his watchful eyes exuded a firm confidence one might have mistaken for arrogance. But Aleximus knew better. It's not arrogance, he thought with tight eyebrows,  I know arrogance. 

He followed Hisagi's field of vision and looked at the boy next to him and Jace. He just doesn't like him. 

Though it was hidden slyly beneath his false presentation of calmness, Aleximus could tell with one look that Hisagi's eyes emanated superiority. Superiority, and hate. He knew because it was the look Hatagi had imprinted into the deepest part of his memory. What's more, it was the same look he himself had given Hatagi's corpse after his head was crushed. 

"Well," Hisagi continued. "I heard rumors that Hidemi had been making frequent appearances at the gate these past few days. I came in anticipation of that."

He pinched his nose and scoffed. "Though I can't say I anticipated the smell."

 The boy on the floor flinched. Jace stepped forward and clenched his fist, shouting "Hey!" before Hidemi could be scared off even further. 

Hisagi ignored him, turned to Upo, and smirked. "I must say, Captain, I am disappointed in your self-control. We are not forceful people. Nor are we a violent one. Perhaps the power of that badge went straight to your head?"

Upo gritted his teeth in embarrassment. "Of course not, young master," he breathed. "I… will strive to do better. Your cousin has been giving us a hard time for weeks now. I had gotten too cocky and allowed him to get the best of me." 

Cousin?! Both brothers jumped in unison. Their gazes narrowed as they made eye contact with each other. 

"He's no longer a cousin of mine, Captain. Not that he ever was." Hisagi glowered. "You should know the consequences of returning here, Hidemi!" he said, addressing him personally. "You were banished. And he will never be free."

"And as for you two!" Upo stepped forward, pointing accusingly at the twins. "I will only ask once more! Who are you and what business do you have with the dwarven city of Xastol?!" 

"Dwarven?" Aleximus asked, confused. Unwittingly, without missing a beat, Jacender followed up with a question of his own: "Like short people?" 

 Pandemonium ensued immediately. 

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY PUNK?!"

"I DARE YOU TO REPEAT THAT!"

"SCREW YOU!!"

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!

Each man on the wall immediately grabbed something from their waist. Their weapons were different from their captain's; several thick, black, and gold-colored hammer guns found themselves pointed angrily at the three below. There were small chamber openings in the middle of each hammer, assumedly to release condensed energy bullets like Upo did earlier. 

 Jacender instinctively drew his Ashtree sword from his bag and got ready for a fight. Aleximus stepped in front of him protectively and lifted Hatagi's dagger. If these dwarves were serious about shooting them… they could not survive. They didn't have the slightest clue about Sanctum Energy and its uses. He'd have to do his best to block the shots and flee with his brother. In order to do that…

Aleximus's eyes went slack, all color draining from his red pupils. Hisagi, Upo, Jacender, Hidemi, and every one of the sentries could sense the shift in his demeanor. Strange, Hisagi's eyes narrowed, …the Sanctum Essence around him feels fractured, like it's struggling to enter him…

Upo struggled to clear his voice. "Young Master, please. Ordinarily, we'd need permission from a Councilperson to act accordingly, but as you are a direct descendant of the clan, you can give the order yourself. We can shoot them down!" 

"I don't know who you people are, or what business you've got with this kid," Aleximus said darkly. For a moment, behind the sentries atop the wall, he saw a familiar flicker of green and purple standing in their shadows. He shook it off and focused. "I also don't know what sort of weird idiotic customs you have going on here, but to aim at my family? My brother?" 

Hisagi felt the undertone of madness behind the dark-haired boy's words. 

"It didn't end so well for the last person who did that," Aleximus warned. 

Jacender put his hand onto the dagger and steadied his brother's hand. "Hey — calm down!" he urged him. He lowered his voice, whispering, "We don't know how to use Sanctum Energy yet, remember? We're dead if they call your bluff!" 

Aleximus drew in a deep breath and slowly snapped out of his funk. "Relax, idiot. I won't do anything if they don't."

Upo, recovering from his bewildered state, found his finger wrapping around the trigger of his gun yet again. A quick charge of Sanctum energy amassed in the barrel, ready to fire at them both.

GRRRRR!!!

 "Didn't you just hear me?" Jacender said. His voice was muted and almost monotone. Commanding, even. 

"I said calm down. That goes for all of you." 

The sentries felt a chill creep up their necks. The seriousness of Jace's attitude was vastly different from Aleximus's. Where his brother had issued a warning, cautioning them not to overstep, Jacender had grimly given an order.

"Wait." Hisagi cut in, holding his hand up and stopping Upo from discharging his weapon. "Scary as your words seem to be, I can't sense any Sanctum Energy within you two. You're not awakened yet, are you?"

Both Aleximus and Jacender flinched. He can tell just by looking at us?! 

The young master's aura changed. An intense, but restrained line of gold and silver energy traced his frame, making the sentries stand back. "If it crossed my mind, I could easily have you gunned down where you stand and let that be the end of it."

Aleximus raised his blade again, refusing to have his bluff called. "So why don't you?"

"We dwarves are a race that strives for non-violence above all else. That has been our way for millenniums. We only know self-defense techniques; Something you bloodthirsty humans know nothing about, I suppose."

"What exactly is this place?" Jacender asked in a stern voice. Hisagi chuckled. "You mean you don't know?" he asked incredulously. With a smug look, he withdrew his energy and answered, "This place, is Xastol City: Home of the Murong clan — one of the six ancient clans of Eorðe — the Dwarven Clan." 

"Hmph. Sorry, but not everyone knows who you are." Aleximus snorted. "And not all of us care. We're just passing through the area. Whatever's going on between you and your cousin has nothing to do with us." 

"Then you'd do well not to return here again," Hisagi warned. "You, and that filthy half-breed."

Jace glanced at Hidemi and narrowed his eyes. He's half-dwarf?

Aleximus kept egging Hisagi on. "And if I do? What are you gonna do about it, short stuff?" 

The sentries flinched at the jibe and watched Hisagi's jaw tighten. 

Aleximus smirked, continuing with, "What the matter? Don't like what I said?" and beckoned him closer. "What are you going to do? Fight me?!"

"What did you just say..?" Hisagi asked slowly, unsure if this was actually happening. His expression slowly became disheveled and annoyed. He'd never been denied an order before; Most would speak to him with respect and dignity. But this boy — his human boy — he had none whatsoever. He was emotional and aggressive. 

"You think I'd stoop to your level, brat?" he said, a tinge of spite in his voice.

 "Master Hisagi..." Upo mumbled, trying not to get caught in the crossfire. "Perhaps you shouldn't…"

Aleximus wouldn't back down. He was trying to prove a point and was beginning to understand that if what the dwarves were saying were true — he wouldn't be killed, no matter how much posturing he did. "You know the kind of people I hate the most? Liars like you." he taunted.

Hisagi's sagacious demeanor turned sour; His face reddening at the word liar. "That's right…" Aleximus said, "Especially hypocrites like you. People who think they're better than everyone else."

Me? Hisagi tightened his fist behind his back. A hypocrite? 

"So what'll it be, pretty boy?" Aleximus pressed forward, taking advantage of his silence. "You wanna fight? You look like something's eating away at you."

"Aleximus!" Jacender hissed. He knew what his brother was getting at and why. Aleximus was keen and observant. It was clear he wanted something. =

Hisagi's thoughts were thrown out of whack. Me? Want to fight? Ridiculous! He has no idea what he's talking about… The half-blood behind him deserves every bit of my rage.

Satisfied with the thought that Aleximus was wrong, Hisagi smiled at Upo and his men and spun around. "No worries," he told them, "They're not to be taken seriously. They more than likely happened upon this place." 

"Yes, young master!"

"Hey!" Aleximus shot loudly. He stepped closer to the wall with faux anger. "Turn back around and say that to my face!"

Hisagi kept walking, adding, "I will not," as he waved him away. "Regardless of how much you try to goad me into a fight, it will not work. My principles aren't so easily broken. See yourselves out of my sight at once."

"Oh," he added, pausing for a moment. "And take the trash out with you if you'd like," he said, side-eyeing Hidemi.

Before Jacender could take action, Aleximus dashed a few paces back and then ran forward, quickly using Jacender's unsuspecting back as a springboard, and projected himself towards the wall. He had made it a fourth of the way up before everyone had realized what happened. His hand found its way into several slits in the wall and he began to scale it. "What the—" Upo shouted, trying to shoot him. 

"D-Don't!" Hisagi yelled. "It's what he wants!"

Aleximus smirked and threw himself higher with one last burst of strength. He had finally arrived, face to face with Hisagi. 

"F-Freeze!" the guards yelled. He'd gotten too close now. If he were to attack, they'd shoot. But Aleximus knew that. Instead, he focused on Hisagi, who he knew wouldn't allow them to devolve into violence.

That idiot! Jace huffed from below. He couldn't do anything to help him from where he was.

Hisagi's eyes widened slowly. He, too, knew what Aleximus was up to. "You're insane..!" he gasped.

"Am I?"

Aleximus raised his brow and slung Hatagi's dagger over his shoulder. His dark eyes returned once more. He quickly surveyed the situation, his eyes hoping to get a good look at what lay beyond the wall, but there were too many sentries. 

I'm going to need to get closer.

Before Hisagi could react, he lunged forward, swinging the blade in a stabbing motion. "Young Master! Move out of the way!" the guards called out, hoping to get a shot off on Aleximus. "No!" Hisagi responded, jumping just out of reach of the silver steel. "I can handle him!"

Aleximus nicked his robe, forcing him to maintain distance and push past the other sentries. I guess he wasn't lying about his self-defense… He's good.

 His eyes widened at Hisagi's next motion: With a swift, fluid swipe, Hisagi raised one finger to the sky and with his other hand's pointer finger — diagonally downwards. 

VOOM!

Instantaneously, a platform rose from underneath Aleximus's feet and sent him crashing into the sky and off of the platform.

 DHOOM!

"ALEXIMUS!" Jace screamed, desperately scrambling to catch his falling brother. Had it not been for the other boy — Hidemi — diving in at the right moment and absorbing the brunt of the fall, Aleximus would have undoubtedly broken his neck.

"Ngh!" 

"What the…" Aleximus winced. He felt a stinging in his forehead and his legs felt fuzzy. "What the hell was that?" 

Hisagi stared down at him with a look of disdain, panting slowly as he pointed at the walls' runes. They glew dimly and then quieted again. "The walls of Xastol are our greatest defense! Immeasurably strong and equally priceless! Any dwarven Runemaster with Murong blood could easily propel you away by tapping into its strength!"

"However, don't think for a moment that that was a fight!" he yelled, his hair and expression crumbling into complete disarray. Aleximus's surprise attack had made him angry. He'd been forced to defend himself and relied on external power to do it. Both twins drew sharp breaths, waiting for the next attack.

"GUARDS!" 

All the guards, without hesitation, aimed their barrels at the three boys below them. This time, they wore grim faces: A sign that they were no longer in a hesitant headspace. A line of different colored beams charged up on each hammer-gun with Upo ready to give the order. "Sir?" he asked.

 Hisagi's face writhed with irritation, but he pulled his messy hair back and shot one last look at Hidemi. "This will be your final warning. If you are to step foot near Xastol again, you will not be afforded mercy. Not even the Lord Of The Weeping Forest will be able to save you. Do you understand me, menark?!" 

This time, Jacender was the one to step forward — A hunter-like gaze taking over him. "Why you—"

"AH!" Hidemi cried. He grabbed onto Jace's waist and pulled him back.

"What the?" Jace struggled. H-He's strong! 

"What the heck's up with your grip?" he muttered, "Get off of me!" 

"Ahn! Ahn!!" Hidemi noised, unwilling to let go. His grip strength proved to be a challenge even for Jacender's fearsome physicality. Hidemi kept shaking his head, urging his new protector not to do anything rash.

"Damn it, let me go!"

"JACE!" Aleximus exclaimed. He shakily rose to his feet and dusted off his clothes. "Let's leave it there…" he coughed, pocketing Hatagi's dagger. He looked back at Hisagi and glowered. "Hisagi, right?" he asked carefully. "...I'll remember this." 

Aleximus turned away from the wall and gripped his left arm tightly, hobbling back towards Jace and Hidemi. "We've got what we came for, Jace. Let's go."

"Aleximus, are you alright?!" Jacender asked, rushing to his side.

"Yeah. But now I'm pissed off."

 Jace nodded in agreement. Hidemi, who'd been unsure of what to do thus far, timidly approached Aleximus and put his other arm over his shoulder, helping Jace assist him.

It wasn't something he felt they needed him to do. It was something he felt he had to do. To repay two human boys who, just until a few minutes earlier, he had never met before. Boys who had essentially saved his life and stuck up for him in ways that almost no one ever had. He was thankful for that.

"Hey you," Aleximus said, nudging him with his chin. "Hidemi?" 

The boy nodded.

 THUK!

Aleximus swung his head to the side and headbutted Hidemi without a hint of emotion on his face. "Show a little backbone, idiot! Don't just sit there and be bullied! Once you let someone step on you and determine the way things are…"

He sucked his teeth when a flash of Anna's fading face entered his mind. "That's when things go bad!"

Jacender smiled softly and looked off ahead. He also thought of his sister. Aleximus must have felt something close to contempt regarding the look on Hisagi's face. There was more to the story they didn't know, but it didn't matter. Family was supposed to take care of each other.

Nevertheless, Hisagi had embarrassed them both. And, despite understanding that they needed to grow stronger to survive in the outside world — they had been thoroughly beaten and forced to retreat. Aleximus hated that.

Hisagi straightened his posture and watched the boys walk away. What is this sense of… defeat?! They were wrong, after all! So why…?

After a moment of anger, he remembered the sentries were staring at him and retreated from the balcony with a swift toss of his robe. 

Below, Aleximus kicked Jacender in his shin, muttering, "I can tell you're laughing at me," and snorted. They weren't far from the abandoned forest they'd set up camp in. 

 "As for You!" he said, grabbing Hidemi's collar with his free arm. "You're coming with us!"

Nervousness quickly appeared on the boy's face.

"Something tells me you can help us find what we're looking for," Aleximus explained. "And maybe we can help you get in that city."

Aleximus's eyes narrowed, a plan forming in his mind. 

"I'll even teach you how to kick your cousin's ass."

[Xastol City]