“That can’t happen! Why was it pushed forward!” From his position on the couch, Bruce struggles to get up. Ian does his best to keep him still.

“Enough with the struggling! Do you want to make everything worst?!” He scolds Bruce.

Rongz studies his underlings face. “There’s more to report isn’t there.”

“Yes.” He nods. “Our lookout says that a few Lunestra Army ships pulled into the docks. We don’t know why.”

“They are probably here to make sure the executions are carried out without any interruptions.” Axel hits his fist on the table. “Those bastards.”

“First, we need a plan. There is no time to sit on our hands.”

“I say we just go kick some butt and storm the mayor’s office!” Axel announces. “He needs to be stop and so does this army that injuries innocent people!” Anger builds on Axel’s face.

“Look, we can’t just rush in there.” Ryo says.

“Maybe we can.” Rongz pulls a piece of paper from the desk. His hand quickly writes out a letter, but he continues the conversation. “What is left of us in the resistance will distract the soldiers. It should be no problem. You, Vince and Axel will free the prisoners then go to the manor.”

“Are you going to be able to handle them all? There are almost twice the number of soldiers here.” Axel questions him.

“Its our city, we will protect it from those outsiders.” Rongz’s determined eyes give off strong confidence. “Remember who you are talking to? Leader of the resistance. I bet those idiots wouldn’t pass up a chance to capture me.”  He passes the note to the messenger. “Give that to the boys. Tell them to be ready at dawn” A hush blankets the whole room.

With the sunrise, soldiers litter the central area around the execution platform. The numbers increase to a few dozen circling the perimeter. Crowds of people make their way through the streets gathering in front of the platform. Mixed into the crowd, Ryo and Axel wade their way into the front few rows. Vince lingers to the left, keeping his eye on the path to the mansion and the patrols eyeing the waves of people. Rongz and Philarce stay towards the back, ready to give a signal at a moment’s notice. Whispers rise between the people, a mix of fear with the foreboding dread of what they would witness.

All attention turns to a procession coming down the path from the mansion. Four soldiers surrender Xander, making their way to the platform. He carries himself with a intimidating air and a evil aura hidden behind his spectacles. He carries a heavy leather book under his right arm, bowing to the soldiers when they reach the stairs. At the top, he places the book on a podium, glancing out at the crowd.

“I will now proceed with the execution of these pirates. Who under the law have threaten the peace of Lunestra Kingdom.” The words carry the weight of a heavy transgression. A line of individuals all tied together by their wrists are led up to the top, Allen is one of the first people to be placed over a trap door. Gasps arise from the crowds, not because of the charges but the condition each prisoner is in. Many struggle to remain on their feet, a few can’t be recognized with their faces covered in, blood, cuts and bruises. “These pirates will now be judge in the full extend of Lunestra’s laws!” Xander continues his speech. Next, the executioner, a man with his face covered in a metal mask comes up the stairs.

A horse drawn wagon comes down from the detention facility, pulling up just before the stairs. Two soldiers lead out the prisoners one by one. Audible gasps from the crowd echo across the area. The prisoners covered in dry blood are led up to the top. Evidence of torture can be seen between their faces and ripped clothing. Leading the line, Allen trugs his feet against the ground, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion. His mind wanders over the last few days, from Axel’s visit to the news that his father potential was killed because of him. The first five stand next to where Xander is.

“We have tried to reason with them, but they refused to work with us.” Xander turns the page of his book. “I will give them one last chance. Pirates! You will tell us why you decided to plan an attack on this city!”

Unable to handle his charade, Allen whips his head towards him. Eyes full of anger. “We aren’t pirates! You just tortured us spouting nonsense!” He yells at him. “You and your cronies are nothing but monsters!” A soldier comes behind him, gagging him to keep quiet.

Xander adjusts his glasses. “Well, it seems like their last chance has been passed.” He raises his hand. One soldier gets the prisoners ready to be dropped.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Axel edges his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side. “They can’t hit them all.”

“Watch for them.” Ryo’s eyes fixate on Xander. An invisible line connects him to the man above them.

Xander stops his hand, glancing down into the crowd. His eyes scan the people one by one until they fall on Ryo. Around Ryo the faint glow of green emanates from his hands and eyes. Something that only he sees and a smile creep on his face. On the other hand, the moment of eye contact between them alerts Ryo. The threat to them skyrocketed in a mere second, like a trap they had walked into. He spins around to signal Rongz, however shouts from the crowd turn his attention back to the stand. Xander brings his hand down.

On cue from the arrow snapping all the hanging ropes at the same time. It sticks right into the far wooden pillar. Allen falls to the ground, gasping for the little air he can get.

Panic breaks out in the crowd. Residents flee from the city center looking for places to hide out. Amidst the confusion, Ryo takes the opportunity to leap onto the execution stand. He brings his sword down, cutting the ropes from Allen and the prisoners beside him. Vince lands next to him, slamming the executioner in the gut. Axel from below, pushes his way through the stampede to catch up. He notices Xander stepping back against the edge of the platform. He jumps back, disappearing behind one of the wooden pillars.

At the docks, Julius and Gunther exit from their ship. At the end of the dock, their men take out two soldier’s dress in a similar uniform to the Lunestra army’s. Two rows of soldiers disembark from the ship, their weapons ready. Several screams in the distance alerted them to the disturbance. Julius takes off ahead of Gunther, who tries to keep the group organized. “Julius get back here!” He holds out his left hand. “Seems like an attack. Round up and detained any pirates or suspicious individuals wearing our uniform!”

Julius pushes through the people fleeing the center. He enters the middle of a small battlefield. Citizens dressed in leather armor, push back against soldier’s dressed in a off color uniform like theirs. Small confrontations break out all over, it’s hard for him to pinpoint where the leaders are. Behind him, the soldiers come, just as confused as he is. He scratches the back of his head. “Detain anyone with a weapon in their hands. If they resist, then use force if you must.”

On top of the platform, Ryo looks down at the newcomers. “Where did they come from?”

Julius slashes an attacker diagonally across their chest. He tries to route people down one of the side streets and his men separate to round up all suspicious individuals. Pushing through the crowd, he makes it to the bottom of the execution site, from up above one of the fighters knocks the air out of his lungs. “What’s going on?”

His memories relive their previous battle, the ship going up into flames, the utter destruction of the one person who could end the world. In front of him was the evil being that could destroy everything. Why was he alive? Even if we couldn’t find the body, no way he come out of that unscathed. The fighting around him became trivial compared to the threat that manifested before his eyes. Panic also came from his wounded confidence. His plan was foolproof, the rest of the crew was either lost or captured. How could one man manage to outsmart him? It was like a punch to his gut. The mere thought enraged him. A nagging thought of a pirate triumphing over the genius of the Lunestra Army. He runs to the bottom of the stairs and prepares to head up.

“Mr. Lyberg!” One of his men runs to him. “Sir. We have suspicious people trying to flee the city at two different exits! What should we do?”

“Cut them off!” He orders then proceeds up the stairs. A hand reaches out from behind him, yanks on his arm.

“Where are you going!?” Gunther pulls him back. “We are ordered to bring these people in. Follow them!” His words fall on deaf ears. Julius eyes, mind and very being are drawn to the figure he saw at the top. I must confirm it. It can’t be real. Just my eyes playing tricks on me. He yanks his arm out of Gunther’s grasps. “Are you disobeying a direct order?!” He yells at him.

Ryo jumps off the platform, rolling head over heels to soften his landing. Axel and Vince join up with him from the opposite stairs. “Rongz is taking care of the prisoners including Allen.” Vince updates them.

“Are you done with your fancy moves.” Axel pouts, displaying a bit of jealousy watching Ryo’s quick and precise movements.

“Then we head to the manor.” Ryo replies. Alex and Vince move ahead of him, but something stops Ryo in his tracks. A cold murderous feeling directed at him from the battle. From atop of the platform, those same eyes peer down at him. Unable to shake the nagging instinct of familiarity, he brushes it off and follows the path towards then manor.