Betrayal (2)

"All men, forward!!" Myriad shouted at the top of his voice.

This was followed by the roaring of the soldiers as they all rushed to the battlefield to play their part. To their utmost surprise, only a hundred men were facing them. Was this a trap? a prank? are they underestimating us? confusion got all of them in the head as they thought about what Traxdart's motive may be. Suddenly, a very loud alarm loud enough to burst one's eardrum if heard too close came blaring from the emperor's castle. If one thing was understood by them all, it's..... they got us. They rushed back to the castle forgetting the hundred soldiers behind them, but surely turning your backs during a war is one grave mistake. As if it were all planned, enemy swordsmen came from the south of the kingdom, where the emperor's castle was and most of all, where the citizens were evacuated. It was hell, having brutal warriors attack from both the front and back. It was hell. Only two-third of them survived, and they were captured as slaves.

---

"Now that our soldiers are prepared, we're waiting for you, Traxdart. Come, we'll show you loss. Defeat for your kingdom!" Myriad shouted as he walked through the hall on his way to the frontlines.

Myriad surely knew he was going to win this war especially with the help he got from Tracy's kingdom, and he would have if only there hadn't been a mole amongst them.

There were loud screams and cries of agony coming from a large crowd filled with women, men, children and elders.

"What?" Myriad was as confused as a fifth grader solving college questions. He rushed to the nearest window to observe what was happening and holy m*therfucker his jaw dropped for almost an hour as he thought about when had gone wrong. He snapped back to his senses and quickly ran downstairs to free his people from the shady old bastards that intend to use them for slaves. But there's only so much one man can do. After several hours of fighting, more and more men kept coming. It was endless and Myriad had sustained several injuries that he currently stopped moving and just stood with sword in hand looking down. Several thoughts both necessary and unnecessary flooded his head.

"How do they even know to attack from the back? I'm glad I told Tracy to go back to her kingdom... wait! attack from from the back? and we didn't even know till the last second, that means they know about our emergency exit underground!" In the distance, a large flat door covering a part of the ground was wide open with soldiers pouring out and capturing the terrified citizens. "But how would they know about something like that? unless... as much as it pains me to admit it, there's a judas amongst us, the high ranking officers. But..." Looks forward ahead anger clearly written on his face. "Who would do that?!" He took a deep breath his face filled with a glistening grimace as he sighed it all out while releasing the stiffness in his shoulders.

"Come at me you mutherfuckers!!!"

___

Myriad slumped on the ground covered in blood. For the record, he had put to death over a hundred men in these few hours. The side of his abdomen from just below his ribcage to his waist was ragged and missing with blood leaking out like a broken tap while his right forearm had been cut off. Every single breath he took was heavy and death is around the corner looking for him and not the other way around.

He used his left and only useable hand to hold his sides that was heavily bleeding. "There's no living in me even if I survive this. It's either I live incapacitated or get captured as a slave. Thankfully, the soldiers are too busy to pay attention to me". Using the wall behind him as support, he managed to stand back up littering the walls, grounds and surroundings with blood as he walked.

"Even if I were to die, i'ld die on my throne".

Pain filled him from the inside as he thought about how his family or friend might have betrayed him. It was heart wrenching and was so close to crying when he heard one of his people say with great effort.

"What happened to the mighty emperor we used to know?"

Myriad was rendered speechless as he remembered all the speeches he gave to his people with great confidence. It all came back to hit him like karma, or rather a bustling tornado that knocked all reasoning out of his head and the air from his lungs.

"But my Lord, you tried your best!" The old man smiled gently

Myriad broke into loud cries as tears streamed down his delicate face

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Myriad begun cleaning the tears from his eyes which caused the blood from his injured side to stain his whole face. He stopped to look at his palm realizing what he had just done. He used the back of his arm to rub his eyes but that didn't clean up the blood. As he continued his fruitless attempt, another person; a young lad of about eighteen years spoke. He was cuffed in chains that restricted every free movement.

"I thought we were going to win this war. It's the opposite, Lord emperor"

"..." Myriad didn't know what to say

"It's all your fault. When a leader is incompetent, the rest of the kingdom falls along with it. Or am I lying?"

Just those simple but truthful words caused a mumbling riot amongst the rest of the people.

"Yeah, that's right!"

"What have you been doing, you good for nothing emperor!?"

"How do they know about the underground shelter!?"

Myriad could only mumble to himself

"N-no, it's not my fault"

"What a pitiful condition he's in"

"Like you're one to talk" He mumbled

"You shouldn't have become king in the first place!"

"Yeah!"

"Die a miserable death you stupid emperor!"

Low screams and shouts of hatred, disappointment and anger filled the air. Only those of this kingdom could understand.

Those who only had chains that wasn't restricting their hands or legs but on their necks took whatever was beside them like cans, bottles, slippers, glass, rocks and threw it at him. The others were just reigning curses at him and his family.

He simply moved towards the castle without dodging any of it even if it was the rocks or glasses that hit or cut him.

The people whom I share my emotions with during my times of happiness and despair. They've all turned their backs against me.

"What did I expect"

His eyes were filled with hatred and anger, and the blood stains on his face made him look even more ferocious that anyone that comes before him would think twice before passing by him despite his pathetic state of being. He was like a beast that just came out of hiding behind a fake mask. How frightening. Without much effort and no emotions, Myriad solidified his heart and spoke without pains...

"Mankind truly is ungrateful"

---

At the castle...

"For the first time cough cough in several years, it cough just had.... to be my generation that falls. I'm a disappointment. For the first time in several generations, the Accura kingdom has fallen.

"Haa" Myriad pushed himself up to his throne and sat down waiting for his soul to be claimed when someone came in.

"Ohh? he's still alive, how are you still alive!?" The person shouted in surprise as he turned to look at the person also coming in.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to die?"

Myriad couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's a lie" He said in disbelief "It's you, so you both were the traitors!?" Myriad shouted at the top of his voice.

"Come on, don't yell at us, you see, we just couldn't afford to become slaves if this kingdom should fall. Besides, they offered a good position of high ranking status for us if we helped them" The carefree man said out loud.

"Agreed. So we decided to help Traxdart" The somewhat cool man coincided.

"Help them? so you're saying you already decided that we were going to lose"

"Yes~"

"Exactly"

"So you see, you might just be a problem if we let you live. So..."

Menace, a word one must not mistake with anger was clearly heard in that playful voice.

"I, Kira Mickey, will make sure to end emperor Myriad. On. His. Throne". Ha!

"Kira, make it quick, the others are coming"

"Calm down Ryu, it's not something you can just do on a whim! Afterall, I've waited all these years"

Mickey raised his sword and looked straight at Myriad. He whispered into Myriads ears with tears falling of his face.

"Rot in hell~"

Stab!!!

Ahh. This is it. Betrayed at the end and killed at the hands of my childhood friends

Before he completely lost consciousness, Myriad heard more voices as people came

into the room.

"Is it over with?"

"Huh? another conspirator, who is it this time? sounds like an old man. Well, not that it matters. But still... the voice is familiar, so familiar..."

A bitter laugh at the end...

"Haa. Those bastards"

---

In a dark space, Myriad woke up gasping and panting while tears streamed down his face.

"Where am I?"

A different coloured hair little girl floating around suddenly came down to Myriad's eye level.

"Who are you?"

"Me? oh, a Devil in Disguise~"