Ouroboros

Chapter 4: Invasion

Was this really the city of Altea? If it was then why did it appear so different? Solaris brushed it off as a coincidence. In order to find out more about where he was, he had to be captured, thus he allowed it. He was brought in front of the King of Altea. The king was an older male. He had a beard that was roughly 3 inches long and was greying, much like the rest of his hair. Although he seemed old, his eyes had fierce determination.

Solaris was made to kneel before the king in the royal hall, decorated as lavishly as one might expect. The throne was a giant wooden throne with ivory and gold jewel fixings. "Your majesty before you is–"

"I know who he is Frea," the king interrupted. "He who bears the Mark of Calamity." He addressed Solaris in a condescending tone, "You were foretold to bring ruin and despair throughout the realm and yet here you are, prisoner of my mighty kingdom." He pointed at the door of which they entered, "When the sun reaches its highest, you shall be executed in order to save the world. The execution will be on Watcher's Cliff as so Altea may see your demise and take solace that the world shan't end in our era. Do you have any last words?"

"Sure, what prophecy are you talking about?"

"It is the prophecy foretold since the dawn of time in Aegis. It is told that he who has the Eye of the Ouroboros and the Hand of the Fell Dragon is the–"

Aegis? So this is the same Altea. I didn't get transported to a different world. No wonder they're so superstitious about my damn eye and hand.

"–you must be terminated. This is to prevent disaster–"

"Then let's get on with it." Solaris interrupted the king. Frea drew her blade to his neck and glared at him. "You have some nerve interrupting his majesty." Solaris chuckled in response. "If you wish to hasten your execution then so be it." The king waved his hand at a guard. "Sound the horn, today we save the world."

The sound of war horn blazed through the kingdom. An alarm signaling that the execution of the Calamity Marked was underway. Civilians from all corners came to see the spectacle. High above on Watcher's Cliff, was Solaris, knees bent and neck bare. Frea oversaw the execution. Although he was restrained, the fact remained that Solaris was able to break free from confinement and stave off an entire hold. Therefore, she was there as insurance. Should he begin to act up, she would be there to quell him, if she could. Solaris smirked as he overlooked Altea. "What's so funny?" Frea asked.

"I just didn't think that this was how I would die."

"You may have been a nice person, but your presence is a scourge on this world. For that, I apologize that you were cursed with such a fate."

"Don't be." Solaris looked down. "I am a monster," he made eye contact with Frea, his gaze piercing through her, "always will be." Frea nodded in response. She signaled for the executioner to approach. Then, Solaris felt a chill run up his spine. He glanced around quickly. "What is it? No more stoic nature now that death is here?"

"No that's not it." This feeling, it was the same feeling he felt when his comrades were slaughtered. "Something's coming."

"How can you tell?"

"Call it an addition from being a monster,"

"So insanity."

"I'm not joking Frea!" Solaris stood, causing Frea to draw her sword, "Something's comi–" Just then, a loud explosion was heard in the south. Frea ran towards the direction of the sound. It was the south wall. From the mountain they stood, they could see that the south district was breached. Monsters began pouring in, slaughtering civilians. A guard ran up to Frea, "CAPTAIN!! THE SOUTH WALL–"

"I see it from here. Give me a report."

"Yes sir. From what we were able to collect, the explosion came from the combined blast of five behemoths."

"That explains why the wall was breached. But behemoths are solitary."

"Correct. It's even more strange that they came with an army of multiple species: outland orcs, goblins, wyverns, harpies, you name it."

"Can the district be saved?"

"According to the mages, it doesn't seem likely."

"Tell the mages to cast a wall. Seal the district off. We have to stop the invasion."

"What about the civilians?" The guard asked. Frea stayed silent. The guard nodded, "Understood."

"WHAT?!" Solaris yelled. "YOU'RE GONNA LET THEM ALL DIE?"

"We'll find their bodies and alert their families not in the district if they have any."

"You're abandoning them?" Solaris tugged on his cuffs, "you're letting be slaughtered."

"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT US TO DO?" Frea screamed back. "There's too many of them. I would rather lose a district than all of Altea."

"You guard," The guard glanced at Solaris, "how many are in that district?"

"12,000."

Solaris grit his teeth, "You're gonna let 12,000 die." He glared at Frea. "And they call me the monster." Frea bit her lip. Solaris' remark hurted. "Sacrifices have to be made to ensure the prosperity of Altea."

"Send me."

"What?"

"You lack the men right? THEN SEND ME!"

"You must be kidding if you think we're gonna free you," the guard scoffed, "they're probably here to save you!"

"SHUT UP I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!" Solaris kept his gaze on Frea. "You have my equipment right? Give them to me and send me." Frea gripped her fist, but she noticed something. Solaris was surprised to see the monsters. They were going to execute him. Yet here he was, begging to be sent in to fight. She nodded at Solaris. "Fine. Get him his things."

"Captain!"

"GO THAT'S AN ORDER!" She walked towards Solaris and released him. "Don't make me regret this." Solaris didn't speak. He didn't need to. Frea felt his emotions. He was not the enemy. The guard quickly returned with Solaris items. Solaris started to get dressed and equipped swiftly. They heard another explosion. Another guard came in response. "Captain!!! Lieutenant Borg requests reinforcements. Their number far exceeds our initial– YOU FREED THE CALAMITY MARKED?" Frea ignored the guard. Solaris was finished getting ready. "Tell your men to focus on evacuation."

"Why?"

"They'll only get in my way. I can't focus on extermination and protection at the same time." Solaris approached the edge of the cliff. "Where are you going?"

"Down."

"What?!" Frea widened her eyes in shock. Solaris unsheathed his blade and jumped. She turned back towards the second guard. "Tell lieutenant to focus on evacuation."

"Roger!"

"Captain," the first guard overlooked the city, "why did you free him?"

"Because, either he succeeds in thinning out their numbers for us as he dies or they just simply overwhelm him and kill him, he still ends up dead. Either way it's in our favor"

"What if he succeeds and lives?"

"He won't. It's impossible for one man." Frea gripped her sword. Although she said that, her words did not reflect her heart. In truth, deep down, she wanted Solaris to succeed.