Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Colter
Kingdom of Howard, Unknown
Tears were still tracking his face as he flew through the air, the wind instantly dried the tears on his cheeks but it wasn’t long before new ones took their place. His mind has been made up.
“If he wants me gone, then I will be gone.” The sorrow had overtaken him, making him remember memories that he had when he was a child, how his father had treated him then and how his mother always tried to care for him all those times. Pain shuddering through his body as he realized how he was always treated as an outcast and as the crazier brother.
His father had always favored Gian because of how he acts among them, like true royalty, snobbish and looks down on the common people. While Colter had always understood the plights of those who did not live in a palace as him. He was seen as some sort of black sheep by his father. He had always won the hearts of the people wherever he went and that irritated his brother. In terms of combat ability and fighting skill he had always trumped his brother and succeeded every time they had a sparring session. Yet his father never seemed to accept him. All those years, he yearned for approval, all those times he did stupid stuff just to get his father’s attention.
What replaced them now is a cold loneliness, his father had never cared for him. Only for the image of the kingdom and its royalty.
“The old man wanted to lock me up for no valid reason at all.” He moaned to himself still trying to maintain his composure, “Does he not see me as a son anymore? He didn’t even hold back this time striking me.”
In his agony, he felt multiple presences following him. His body tensed up immediately as he weaved to the left, a spear had come whistling past him, nearly impaling him had he not dodged the way he did. Colter turned to see the attackers and recognized their outfits. They were royal guards that wore armor that bore the seal of the kingdom.
“Well, looks like the old man is dead set in trying to put me in prison.”
Another spear flew towards him, he veered downwards and dodged it by bare inches. He felt the pressure of the wind change as the spear hurtled away from him. “One bad move and I’ll be skewered and brought to prison in no time.” He muttered to himself, willing his body into concentration as he tried to avoid the current danger.
“Surrender, Prince Colter, there is no escape from us!” one of the guards called, “Do not make us resort to even more violent means!”
“That old man’s really stubborn, so that’s where I got it from!” Colter thought to himself and focused more energy into his flight ability. He had reached enough speed to break the sound barrier that he left sonic booms in his wake.
But these were royal guards, one of the elite fighting forces of the kingdom. They kept up with the prince and one of them had almost succeeded in grabbing him, but Colter moved too fast and was too aware of his surroundings.
“Halt, Colter. Do not make me do this.” A voice spoke from behind him and Colter stopped in midair as he looked at the source of the voice.
A royal guard stood before him and stared down the rogue prince.
“Vergil...?” Colter asked mindlessly recognizing the man
The royal guard nodded curtly at him, “Do not make this any harder than it needs to be, prince.”
This was Vergil, one of Colter’s childhood friends, Silver haired and well built. He was one, if not the best of the royal guards. They both trained together and had an equal record in training matches.
“Come on, Verg.” Colter pleaded him, using a childhood nickname “Let me go. Surely you do not want to see me imprisoned for no reason at all?”
Vergil shook his head, raising a closed fist in the air as he stared at Colter.
The royal guards behind him stopped dead in the air and let them have their space.
“Orders are orders, Colter. You know it is treason not to follow the king’s orders.” Vergil told him coolly
Colter felt anger rise in his veins, “Even if it is a foolish command that has no bearing whatsoever?!”
“We are the King’s shield and sword. What he asks us to do, we have no choice but to obey.”
“Then you are nothing more but another wall in my way, Vergil. Let us begin.” Colter said barely controlling his anger at how one of his closest friends had been turned into a drone by the king.
“No, friend. It ends.”
With blinding speed Vergil darted towards him, Colter barely dodged it crossing his arms over his stomach as his friend landed a mighty blow. He felt his nerves shriek in agony as Vergil’s fist connected. With a grunt, Colter raised his arms and pushed away the fist that had struck him deep. As Vergil tried to regain his posture, Colter tried to land a knee but it was quickly batted away by the Royal Guard’s quick reflexes.
“I am not a trainee. I have been honed for battle all these years.” Vergil said, taunting him landing a three quick jabs on Colter’s already swollen face.
The three hits rocked him, he felt his consciousness blank out for a split second before waking up and dodging the fourth hit that would have knocked him down. Vergil’s fist whiffed past his face and Colter used that momentum to land one across his friend’s face. It was like a boxing counter.
“Had enough yet, Vergil?” Colter asked him, breathing raggedly, this Ecanus was one of the kingdom’s best fighters.
“I am no mere citizen, Colter. You know it will take more than a lucky punch to take me down.” He spat blood and charged at Colter again.
Grumbling in frustration, Colter had no choice but to trade hits with him. The royal guards that had been ordered to stand down watched in amazement as they watched this deadly dance of two fighters. The air around the two of them whistled as they cocked and launched their fists at each other. Each blow was enough to knock a large person unconscious, yet these two were taking it as if they were nothing.
There was a slight lull in their fight as they appreciated each other, Colter leapt back and grinned at his friend’s competence in fighting.
“Not bad, Verg. You’ve come a long way from fighting training dummies.” Colter commended his opponent, who smiled back in return.
“Well, I’m still amazed that royal blood doesn’t run blue” Vergil jested, commenting at the blood that has matted on Colter’s brow.
As if on cue, they both announced at the same time, “Now then let’s get serious!”
Vergil raised his hands in front of him and focused a strong amount of magic into them, seconds later multiple spears of water were conjured in front of him, snapping his fingers forward, all eight of those water spears hurled themselves at his intended target.
“Shit!” Colter shouted and started dodging like his life depended on it. One grazed him in the arm but had he not moved, it would have been skewered like meat.
“You’re trying to kill me?!” Colter roared in exasperation.
“I know you well enough that you’d survive those.” Vergil retorted “But it’s time to take you in, prince.”
Colter realized it too late; Vergil had conjured a gigantic ball of water and was planning to use it to imprison him.
“Think!!!!!” Colter thought to himself, his adrenaline running high as he was about to be defeated in combat. Then it came to him.
He clasped his hands together and focused an enormous amount of magic at the palms of his hands. He felt it flowing out of him, like a roaring stream of river.
“Technique Four, Burning Sun!” Colter roared and released his hands; a ball of flame had been conjured in the space that his hands were in and it grew larger by the second.
Vergil unleashed the sphere of water towards Colter and gasped when he saw Colter reply with a fireball.
“Well played.” He muttered in sheer joy at his friend’s plan.
Both spheres collided in the air and it imploded, creating a smoke so thick that there was no visibility. The shockwave knocked Vergil back, coughing. As the smoke settled Colter was gone.
Grinning at his friend’s genius, he ordered the royal guards to scan the area. Knowing fully well that the prince was gone.
He had used the smoke as a way to escape from Vergil and the royal guards, still clutching at some of his wounds, he had found himself in familiar territory. He had seen this place before, yet he felt weak and pathetic because of the hits he had suffered in the battle with Vergil.
“That fucker was holding back.” Colter told himself, “I remember him blowing a training dummy into a million pieces with just one hit.”
Then he saw it, it was still there right where he left it. No need for the magic rabbit this time, the shimmering portal seemed to pulsate in and out of existence, beckoning to him. Colter landed and approached it. This is the first time he stood this close to it and felt the energy flowing from it.
It gave him chills at the sheer purity of its magic. It was like soft caressing hands tempting him to step into the portal. His thoughts betrayed him as he hesitated. Then his battered mind and body remembered the treatment he had received from his father all those years. Clenching his fists, he willed himself into stepping into the portal, shaking from fear and curiosity, he closed both his eyes.
“Now the useless prince will be gone from your sight, father. I’m sorry mother.” he muttered
With a deep breath, the prince stepped into the portal, finally committing the sin that would sentence an Ecanus to a miserable life.
He opened his way and found himself staring into a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. It seemed to twist and turn with each passing second, various sounds flooded his ears, making him cringe and flinch. Sounds that were unrecognizable, voices as if it were in a hall filled with people echoed in his head. They made him lose control of all his senses; it was as if an overwhelming force is making him experience everything all at once. He heard laughter, cries, unrecognizable sounds and explosions. The shapes formed all over him hypnotizing him, in front of the prince formed a wormhole like pathway that he was propelled into. A sense of falling hit his senses and instinctively, he tried to fly. But he found himself powerless to do so, and thus the helpless prince fell into a never-ending chasm, trying his best not to scream at the horrors and the sights that behold him. He held on to his head in order to prevent it from apparently exploding, as this is what his brain tried to tell him. There was so much information being shown and his eyes could not keep up.
He could see images and sceneries pass him by as he fell, various windows apparently that showed him glimpses of different parts of different worlds. He tried his best to concentrate but his mind had been consumed by all these visions.
Prince Colter Howard landed in the pavement with a dull thud, right in the middle of the bustling New York city street. People gasped and pointed at his pathetic figure laying down in the street. Others paid him no mind and went about their business. His visage was deathly pale and he was shuddering violently, still trying to recover from the portal that he was sent careening into. He realized that he had stopped, but his body was severely weakened and drained by the forbidden portal. Suddenly he felt someone lightly tap him on the back, he did not reply, there was a sudden prodding kick as if to check if he was responsive and alive.
A woman’s voice suddenly came to his ears “Tessa! I need some help over here!”