Thornton

  The morning light filtered through the cracks in the destroyed village, casting long shadows on the ground as we gathered in the remains of the archives. The air was still thick with the weight of the past few days, but there was a quiet resolve in all of us now. Whatever had happened before—whatever the King had said—we had made our choice.

  Before we split off to carry out the plan, Emberes, Hue, Jade, and I took a few moments to fill Cole and Lane in on the events of the PURE—the mysterious battle that had unfolded in Canu Village, the discovery of the King's betrayal, and how we'd come to the decision that trusting him was no longer an option. It was clear from their faces that they were processing it all, trying to make sense of what had been a whirlwind of chaos for us.

  "I know you're both used to trusting the King," Emberes said, his tone sharper than usual, "but everything about what we've seen tells us that he's been hiding something. We can't just follow his orders without knowing the truth behind them. The East? It's a dead end. A distraction."

  Cole nodded slowly, his expression hardening. "We already figured that much out ourselves. After surviving what happened in Canu, I don't think the King deserves our loyalty."

  I could feel the weight of the moment, the decision we were all making. It wasn't just a matter of survival anymore—it was about defining who we were, separate from whatever lies the King had fed us.

  "We're not following the King," Jade echoed, her voice firm. "We're forging our own path."

  Emberes' gaze lingered on the ground for a moment, then he pulled something from his bag, making my stomach tighten. It was his Guar Knight armor, the suit that had once been a symbol of his service to King Belfour. He didn't hesitate. He set it aside and pulled out something else from his bag—his Clan armor, the one that represented the Chonk Clan. The deep, rich colors of his clan's crest were a stark contrast to the cold, imposing Guar Knight armor.

  "I'm done with the King," Emberes said, his voice resolute. "This armor... it's not who I am anymore. It was never who I was meant to be." His hand rested on the Chonk Clan armor, and his eyes burned with a fierce determination. "I choose my Clan. I choose my people. No more lies."

  It was a silent declaration, but one that spoke volumes. We all knew what it meant. Emberes wasn't just rejecting the King's influence—he was rejecting everything that had come with it. This was more than just armor. It was his identity. And now, he was choosing to stand with us.

  I nodded in agreement, even if I couldn't fully understand what it felt like to cast off something so important. Still, I respected Emberes for it. It was a sign of how far we'd come and how far we still had to go.

  "Here's the plan," Emberes continued, after a brief pause. "We'll split up for a few hours. Cole, Lane, and I will search the outskirts, see if there are any other survivors. Thornton, Hue, and Jade will head back to the shed. We have all three keys now. It's time to see what's inside."

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  The plan was set. We couldn't waste any more time. We needed to figure out what the shed held, what secrets it contained, and how it fit into everything we'd uncovered so far. The idea of it—something hidden, something ancient—stirred something deep in me. It was like a promise, a goal we'd been chasing without even knowing it. Now, we would finally see it through.

  "We'll meet back here after a few hours," Emberes finished. "If anything goes wrong, we know where to find each other."

  And so, we slept. There was a strange sense of comfort in knowing we had a plan, even if it was only for a few hours. The archives, though far from safe, felt like the best option. The stone walls provided some protection, and it was the one place that had withstood the chaos of the village's destruction. For the first time in days, we allowed ourselves to rest.

  When the sun rose again, the world seemed quieter, like the storm had passed, at least for now. We gathered our things, checked our weapons, and prepared to leave.

  "Be safe," I said as I looked at the group, my voice steady. "Watch each other's backs."

  "We will," Hue replied, his gaze firm.

  "We'll be fine," Jade said, though there was a flicker of something in her eyes. I could tell she was just as anxious as I was. We all were.

  I glanced at Emberes, who gave me a nod of reassurance. "Let's get this over with," he said.

  We split off, going in our separate directions. My heart beat a little faster as I walked toward the shed with Hue and Jade. The keys were already in my hands, the weight of them still strange to me. But I knew they were important. They were the key to unlocking everything we'd been chasing.

  When we reached the shed, I stopped for a moment, taking in the sight of it. It stood there, untouched, as if it had been waiting for us all this time. The mana in the air seemed to hum around it, like it was alive, waiting for us to make the final move.

  Hue and Jade stood beside me, and we all took out our keys at the same time. The moment our fingers brushed the cold metal, something strange happened. The keys began to float in the air, slowly rising from our hands, their surfaces glowing softly with a pulsing blue light.

  The three keys spun in the air, their energy intertwining, merging together, twisting like threads of light, forming a singular, radiant key. The glow intensified, radiating with a kind of pure mana that I could feel vibrating in my bones. It was beautiful, mesmerizing. The mana felt alive, ancient even. It surged through the air like a storm, crackling with energy, as if the world itself was bending to our will.

  The combined key shot down toward the lock with a sudden surge of power, and with a soft click, it turned, unlocking the shed.

  I could feel the air change. The tension was palpable, thick with expectation, and as the door creaked open, the surge of mana from the key flooded over me. It wasn't just in the air anymore—it was inside me. The bracelets and rings, which had been dormant for so long, suddenly flared with a deep purple glow.

  I gasped, my breath catching in my throat, as the mana surged through my body like a tidal wave. It wasn't like anything I'd ever felt before. The power was intoxicating—electric and raw. I could feel it thrumming in my veins, racing through my muscles, my bones, every fiber of my being. I was stronger than I had been. More alive, more powerful, like something inside me had finally clicked into place.

  The rings and bracelets pulsed with the same purple light, syncing with the rhythm of my own heartbeat. I felt connected to them in a way I never had before, as though they were part of me. The surge of mana that coursed through me was undeniable. It was like the very air around us was full of power, waiting for us to grasp it.

  But it wasn't just me. I could see Hue and Jade's faces reflecting the same surprise, the same realization. We were different now. We were more than we had been.

  The shed had opened, and with it, a new chapter had begun.

  But what lay inside? I didn't know yet. I only knew that whatever it was, it was going to change everything.