The age of Bangna

Truth

The flames are increasing in size, reaching new heights and burning bright red, engulfing anything in their way. It's getting hard to breathe, the air heavy with smoke causing loud coughs to erupt. The smell of burning flesh transmitting through the ground as well as the shrill screams breaking and tearing vocal cords. Earth is burning alive, and he can't do anything to stop his imminent death taken by the wild flames.
He jolts to a sitting position, the sudden movement causing his head to throb as he tries to calm his raging heart and take in deep breaths, he had forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Earth was completely drenched in sweat, his hands clammy and unsoothing when he brought them to his temple to calm down. It was happening every single night now, his nightmares getting worse and worse, Earth forgetting all the ways he had died in them as each day he slept even less. There wasn't a specific someone to stop his dreams now and save him, Nammon tried his best, but Earth was getting weaker and weaker every day that passes. He felt the heaviness in his limbs and the throbbing pain in his joints, his headaches were constant, and Earth just felt exhausted all the time. His uncle was convinced that this was none other than Mix's doing as revenge for him banishing him. Mix, it hurt to say his name. All this time and Mix was just lying to him but what was his purpose Earth thought, he had never caused him any harm and in fact took care of him. Was it all a ploy for the future when Earth was too blind and too late to notice?. He couldn't help but still await him every night alone in his rooms, he wasn't sleeping anyway so might as well wish for that tell-tale knock on his door signalling his return. But it never came, Mix left and Earth's heart broke.
"Are you listening?" His uncle uttered into the main courtroom snapping Earth out of his thoughts. He didn't feel steady at that moment, the room seemed to spin, and it was hard to look directly at his uncle without swaying to the side. Today was markedly worse than yesterday and all the other days combined, the medicine that Janhae had brought him yesterday evening having no effect. "The king is not feeling well, bring him to his physician", that was the last thing that Earth had heard his uncle say before his knees gave out and his eyes closed against his will.

It took the late afternoon for Earth to wake up, Nammon had to fight with his uncle to let him remain here, but Nammon fought hard willing the man to understand that the king couldn't move in this condition. Nammon was exaggerating, the king had only collapsed due to exhaustion most likely, but he had a suspicion that something more would happen were he to let the king leave his watch. It was time for Earth to discover the truth, the journal that Mix had left behind to Nammon before he left crying and broken located under the bed. Nammon couldn't stand and do nothing anymore or else it was very likely that the king would die, his own life be damned. He went to lock the doors as a precaution, he wasn't taking any risks tonight. The king had woken a while ago, he was sitting up on the bed, his back resting against the wall while he took small sips of the herbal tea Nammon had made him. The physician walked up to him sighing before bowing before him and then proceeding to take the journal out from under the bed. "What's that?" Earth asked, looking at the clearly old black leather book. "This will hurt" Nammon started "but it will explain a lot of things ", he handed Earth the journal allowing him time to go through it on his own as Nammon sat down on the opposite chair waiting. He knew when the king arrived at that cursed passage as the latter dropped the leather-bound book to the ground in shock and his eyes wide. "You know the truth now, Mix was going to warn you before all that followed happened," Nammon said sadly, he put his hand on the king's shoulder only for Earth to shrug it off immediately and get to his feet. Nammon tried to stop him, putting himself in front of the door but Earth saw nothing but red in front of him, he was tired of being lied to and betrayed, he had enough. He will apologise later as he pushes Nammon to the side, Earth had only one goal in mind now.

"Earth are you feeling better now? I'm glad", Janhae said as soon Earth came into her view, she was confused when he did not speak to her before recognition registered in her eyes as Earth pointed his sword at her. "You killed him" Earth spat, his voice betraying him coming out shaky, he still wasn't fully recovered. "So you have finally found out," Janhae said nonchalantly, her sweet demeanour completely gone and instead her face was nothing but cold and merciless. How did Earth fail to see this for so long. "Why did you have to kill him?"
Janhae laughed as soon as the last word left Earth's mouth "Are you still naïve even now? "she questioned taking a step towards him "How can I not want to get rid of him, he lied to me, he lied to all of us, he's better off dead". She was almost right in front of Earth now, the tip of his sword touching her stomach. "And I would do it again and again if I have to" she continued "until nothing is left between me and that crown", Earth's next breath was shaky, he had never heard Janhae in such a cold manner before, there was no going back "So that involves killing me as well then doesn't it?"
"I've been trying to do so for a long time, I was close once until that village boy came and reversed all my progress", she felt satisfaction at Earth's absolute expression of fear and guilt at the mention of Mix "With him gone, I could start again, making you sicker every day until your body gave up, but now I have to speed things up"
"Not if I kill you first" Earth spat hoping that his voice didn't sound as hoarse as he felt it.
"You.... Kill me?" Janhae laughed, inching even closer, Earth's sword digging into her stomach but not enough to cause damage yet "You don't have the guts Brother". She's right, that one word shaking Earth to his core, his hand trembling so much that his sword fell and clattered to the ground. He fails to see what she does next as he feels a large blow to the back of his head. He sees the floor below him first before his eyes give up and it all turns to black