Ten and Cyte are walking down the stairs they found in the secret passageway. Ten is walking behind Cyte and in this moment of peace, his mind wanders to Cleus.

“Is Cleus ok?”

Cyte keeps her focus on what’s ahead to make sure there are no surprises as she answers.

“My king never needs more than a week to get back.”

Ten can feel her trust in Cleus, but is still left with certain questions.

“I know this isn’t really my business, but what’s the deal between Cleus and Endo?”

Cyte stops walking and Ten slightly startled stops as well. Cyte now looks back at Ten like she is assessing him of his trustworthiness. A few moments pass, as Ten nervously avoids her piercing gaze. She then turns back around and continues walking.

“When a child is born into the royal family they are assigned a shield, a crown, and a sword. The shield is the person who is responsible for their safety, the crown for their education, and the sword to slay all opposition. I am my king’s crown and Endo used to be my king’s sword.”

“Aren’t they around the same age?”

“From the moment my king was born he was being trained on how to be a just and righteous king. To make sure that happens, he needs people he can trust and rely on. That is why the shield, crown, and sword are the same age as the king.”

“So he automatically gets three best friends?”

Cyte stops again, she looks at Ten with a sad smile on her face.

“Yes, he does.”

Ten can see that Cyte got a little emotional, but since she didn’t tell him to stop asking questions he feels he can ask another one.

“So why are Endo and Cleus fighting?”

“It’s an unwritten law that the sword becomes the general of the king’s army. And that their children become the swords of the next king. This has been our tradition, and how we have been able to keep the peace and fend off invaders. But the previous king’s sword … “

Cyte doesn’t finish her sentence. She stops talking and starts shaking with rage. Ten can see how upset she is.

“You good? Never mind it’s ok.”

Ten and Cyte were just about to step into a dark room before Cyte stopped walking. The lights in the room were off, but they suddenly switched on. There stood Thelia in the middle of the room holding a red sword, and in the back of the room near the door stood Endo. Thelia is the one who starts talking first.

“The previous king’s sword freed the people from an evil king.”

Cyte doesn’t say anything, her eyes are locked on Thelia and the sword she is holding. Endo seems slightly amused by how focused Cyte seems to be.

“You recognize the sword even though you’ve never seen it? Guess the rumors of a secret library in this school are true. Guess the pictures in those books were pretty detailed. Did you learn anything else from the founder’s secret library?”

Cyte doesn’t reply. She realizes that this situation is bad and that the two of them won’t be able to make it out of there alive.

“Ten, run back up the stairs and call for help. I’ll try to keep them here.”

Endo gets a big smile on his face.

“Strils told us that whoever came down here, wasn’t allowed to leave. Soooo.”

Cyte looks back at Ten and screams at him.

“RUN!”

Ten doesn’t know what to do. If he runs away he can ask for help and save his own life. But if he does that, Cyte will most likely die. But if he stays they will both die and he will most likely just get in the way since Cyte will have to protect him. Ten’s legs start to shake, he grabs his head and falls down to his knees. Thelia now also smiles as she takes a step forward.

“The Crown’s Blood Sword will enjoy cutting into that weakling and a traitor.”

Those words set Cyte off something fierce.

“HOW DARE YOU!”

Cyte is getting ready to charge at Thelia when suddenly the ground starts shaking and a huge wall comes up from the ground in front of Cyte and Demo. Cyte stops at the sudden wall in shock, Ten grabs her hand.

“Let’s go!”

Ten starts running and Cyte is following him. As they run up the stairs Cyte doesn’t fully understand how this situation came to be.

“What happened?”

“I dropped to my knees because I needed my hands on the ground to use Higher Reasoning.”

“So that was all an act?”

Ten hesitates before he answers.

“Let’s just run.”

They get a good head start before they hear what sounds like an explosion behind them and a huge cloud of dust springs forth from the doorway that led into the room. From the dust Endo and Thelia spring forth chasing after Ten and Cyte. Ten and Cyte make it all the way out of the stairway and run out of the supplies room and the building. Once outside Endo and Thelia use their special technique to increase their speed and catch up to Ten and Cyte. Thelia is in front of them and Endo is still behind them, as Ten and Cyte stand back to back. Thelia raises up her sword and points it at Ten and Cyte.

“You should feel honored that you’ll die by the Crown’s Blood Sword. It’s more than a piece of filth like you deserves.”

Cyte takes a deep breath and breathes out. She looks at Endo who hasn’t drawn or made a weapon yet and then quickly looks back at Thelia who is holding the sword of her ancestors. She can’t find a way out of this.

And that’s when she hears a familiar voice coming from the distance.

“Only those loyal to the true king are allowed to wield that sword.”

Chapter 50 Fin.