The word hung in the air long after captain finished speaking.
Capable means nothing... If you hesitate when it matters.
No one spoke.
The anger that filled the yard earlier was replaced by something heavier.
The knight's stood still. Their backs straightened, and their breaths controlled, but their eyes had changed.
They understood.
War was no longer a distant idea. It was real.
And hesitation... meant death.
Leo felt it through Theron's body. The shift, the fire was still there. But now it was tempered with something colder, sharper.
Fear.
Not the kind the made you run. But the kind that made you realize there was no running.
The commander observed them, his green eyes moving from one knight to another, measuring, weighing.
Then, suddenly, he smiled.
"I have prepared high quality recovery potion for all of you."
The words broke the tension. A ripple moved through the formation, subtle-but there.
Even the Captain's eyes flickered slightly.
"Think of it as an investment," He added, lightly.
The captain held his gaze for a moment, and then nodded.
He stepped forward.
"Dismissed."
His voice rang out, sharp and absolute.
For a split second. No one moved.
Then-
"Yes Captain!"
The formation broke.
The knights moved quickly, exhaustion returning to their limbs.
The servants had already begun bringing out the small crates, each filled with red glass vials.
Leo felt Theron's body move with others.
Closer, the potion looked strange, thick, and a faint glow swirling inside of it.
Theron took one without hesitation.
And others knights, uncorked theirs.
"For the Crimson squad," someone muttered.
They drank it.
The effect was immediate.
Leo felt a warmth spread through Theron's chest, then exploded outward, into his arms, his legs, every part of his body.
The exhaustion they had moments ago, vanished like it had never existed.
His breathing steadied. His vision sharpened, and strength flooded back.
"What..." one knight breathed, flexing his hand.
Another let out a small laugh, almost disbelieving. "As expect of a high level potion..."
"I feel like my muscle got bigger," someone else said, turning his arms slightly, eyes wide.
A few laughed, the tension easing for the first time since the Commander arrived.
Leo couldn't help it.
When Theron Drank the potion. The energy. The clarity. The sudden lightness...
It was incredible.
For a brief moment, the fear, the war, the uncertainty...
It all faded away. And Leo smiled.
------------
Night Time.
"Are you sure? What if the Captain saw us? " Cassian asked, worried.
Theron didn't answer immediately.
"Yes.", simple, firm. With no hesitation.
Cassian exhaled slowly, like he had already expected that answer.
"...Alright, let's go."
They moved, slowly opened the door of their room, careful, quiet.
The corridor outside was dimly lit by flickering torches, shadows stretching across the stone walls. Their footstep were soft, and controlled.
Leo felt his awareness sharpen.
Every sound felt louder at night. Every shadow felt deeper.
They reached the hallway.
Empty.
Theron slowed.
Cassian frowned slightly.
"There is no one here..."
The child who was near the wall, staring at the floor... Was no longer here.
Cassian shifted slightly, "Should we go back? Who knows where did the Captain took him"
A pause.
Then, Theron spoke, low-
"No, a little further,"
They moved again, deeper into the hallway.
The light grew dimmer, the silence heavier.
Then-
Voices.
Both of them froze.
Ahead, just beyond the turn.
Two figures stood in the low torch light.
The Captain. And the Commander.
"The situation has worsened." The commander said, his voice low, full of concern.
He paused.
Theron and Cassian reacted instantly, they stepped back into the darkness.
Pressing themselves against the cold stone wall.
They hide behind the corner just out of sight.
"Sword of Dream... has switched side", The commander added.
Silence.
The words just didn't land, they cut.
"What?" the Captain's voice broke its usual calm for the first time.
Leo felt it, Theron's genuine shock.
Cassian stiffened besides him.
The Commander didn't repeat himself.
"That means..." the Captain continued, slower now, thinking through it,
"...They have Three highest level masters of Pathways"
His jaw tightened.
"We had two"
Another pause.
The realization settled in.
"But now..." his voice dropped, "...We only have one."
"And they have three."
The corridor felt colder. Heavier.
"That's right.", The Commander said, his voice heavy, "The tables have turned against us."
The Captain exhaled quietly, his gaze shifted for a moment.
"If only that unfortunate night hadn't happened" he said.
"The Golden Emperor..." he continued softly, "The one who held the seven empire together."
"The one who kept them in balance"
"The savior of humanity."
His eyes narrowed.
"Each of his followers lead an empire, and he was above all of them."
A pause.
"Truly…" The Captain said, almost to himself, "it was the first time humanity stood united as one."
The torch beside them flickered harder, casting brief shadows across his face.
Then, the moment passed.
His expression returned to normal.
Cold. Controlled.
"After They disappeared, the heirs of the 7 follower, each lead an empire, slowly corruption took over, and now because of the current Mad emperor, we have to go to war" The Commander said
And Captain Cedric nodded agreeing with him.
The silence stretched.
Then, snapped.
"It seems..." The Commander said slowly, "We have two rats"
Leo's heart dropped.
Cassian froze.
Theron didn't move, but Leo could feel it.
That instant spike of tension.
They had been found.
Footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Each step closer felt heavier than the last.
The Commander turned to the corner.
And there he was.
Closer than before.
His presence was suffocating.
Cassian's breath hitched slightly beside Theron.
The Commander stopped right in front of them.
Too close.
Leo could see his eyes clearly now, pale green, almost gold in the dim light.
Calm. And dangerous.
He looked at Cassian first. And then Theron.
Silence.
Long enough to hurt.
"Interesting," the Commander said softly.
No anger.
That made it worse.
The Captain stepped closer as well, his gaze hard.
"Explain."
*********************
Warning.
I'm not sure if someone is reading this, since there are 3 collection, But a few people told me that, my writing isn't very good, and they are right, it takes me 3 hours to write 1k words, and I have to much grammatical mistakes with poor execution, but they also said the idea of the story is good.
So I'm not sure if anyone reads it, but since I have collection and they expected a good story, I'm gonna consume Writing and Execution Fragments, and when I digested both, I'm gonna finish this story.