Blade(Part 1): Dawn

Chapter 35: Dameon

Dameon and Shala both wore cloaks to hide their outfits as they approached the city of Noglidas. The capital of Astros was the most heavily enforced by Skaolan law, and it was a wonder about whether Dameon and Shala could enter without earlier notice. They wouldn't risk it. They climbed over the walls, sneaking past the guards, and slipping into the crowds unnoticed. None of the Skaolan soldiers seemed to notice them, even though they must have passed a patrol every few minutes. Dameon had heard that Noglidas was one of the worst places in all of the colonies to live, and Shala had said a few unsavory things about it. Actually being there in person, and the looks on its citizens' faces proved it. There was a gray sky, almost no noise from the people walking through the streets, who also had no joy in their eyes. The Skaolan soldiers seemed to be watching everyone's every move. It seemed as though if anyone was doing something that a patrol unit even thought was wrong, they were killed right in the streets.

"I can't believe this," Dameon grumbled.

"Me, neither," said Shala. Dameon could only imagine how difficult this was for his friend, who was a Guardian, in a place where the Guardians were needed the most. He made it clear to her, though, that neither of them could draw attention to themselves if they were to remain safe. No one, it seemed, was safe in Noglidas, though. It seemed like no one was safe in the years after the Colonial War. Both Dameon and Shala wanted nothing more than to help the people who looked like the needed it, but they would only be killed, and even if they managed to fight off their attackers, they would eventually be hunted down and killed later.

"So, we're here," Shala sighed. "What do we do, now?"

"We have to lay low," Dameon reminded. "And never take our cloaks off in public."

"So, we just hide?" Shala hissed.

"I'm not any happier about it than you are, Shala," Dameon admitted. "But what choice do we have? The Blades of Midnight are gone, the few remaining Guardians are scattered, and even Acran is losing to Skaola's armies. On top of that, the people are genuinely terrified of Aziz. They're too scared to do anything in their defense. It's hopeless." Shala gave Dameon a look of anger on her face at first, but it slowly went away, and she hung her head with sorrow.

"You're right," the Guardian admitted. "You're absolutely right. I should have realized that ten years ago."

"I should have, too," Dameon sighed. "And then Silas betrayed me, then the Celestial Sword was attacked." He hung his head and sighed again.

"Maybe it's best if we part ways," Shala suggested. Dameon wouldn't argue with that. When he met Shala, he couldn't have been more hopeful for people fighting against Skaola. She wasn't scared of Aziz's armies, and she still wasn't, but she was done fighting, and so was Dameon. Neither of them would risk losing each other just by being together.

"Maybe you're right," Dameon admitted. "There's just no point, anymore." A tear began to run down his face. Shala reached to his cheek and wiped it away with her thumb. She then stood on her toes and kissed him beside his eye.

"For what it's worth, Dameon," she said. "You gave me a reason to stay a Guardian for the past month. It seems as though that word means nothing, now, but you aren't one, and you made an impact on me."

"You did the same for me, Shala," Dameon admitted. "Even if it didn't last."

"Goodbye, Dameon," Shala sighed.

"Goodbye, Shala," said Dameon, and Shala turned around and walked off. Dameon saw her disappear into the crowd with the same expression on her face as everyone else. It wasn't only depression or anger, it was hopelessness. Once Shala disappeared, Dameon took a few steps forward, but didn't see her. He would never see her again. More tears began to form in his eyes.