Ch 2- The First Death

The sudden shout of Camelia's disciple startled him, and he turned to look at the children. All four current 'Seeds,' innocent and vulnerable, were locked up in a cage and looked on the verge of falling into a carter.

"Teacher, you don't have to care about us. Please, save yourself," the children pleaded, their worry for Camelia palpable in their voices.

Camelia looked at the four kids locked inside the cage, and he steeled his heart.

There was only one way these kids would be set free. And that was if he died. 

Once he was gone, the council would not feel this desperate. Instead, they would want to take their time to make sure these kids were under their control.

This was not Camelia's first time being forced into this situation, but certainly the first time he had confidence that he could end it all.

"Let these kids go. Your beloved kingdom would go down in flames if you followed the path you set out on. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

Camelia tried to reason with the king one last time, but the younger male had lost his mind long ago.

"Hahaha, who cares what happens later? I have ways to control these monsters after you are gone. The decision is up to you. What do you want to do?"

The king asked, and Camelia frowned.

He could feel the spell that had been woven in the air. 

It blocked all the sound from reaching the kids. Camelia doubted the kids could read their lips and tell what they discussed.

The king continued to speak, not even noticing that he had lost Camelia's attention.

"There is a way you can gain my cooperation. What you need to do is simple - give in and end your life. I will even allow you to have last words with your kids…as long as you make a contract with me not to tell them the truth. Here, if you agree, then take this vial."

Camelia was certain that the council was manipulating the emperor.

The kids were watching everything, but the king looked certain he would get away without reparation.

'Maybe the council has found a way to control the Apocalypse. Or maybe they just want to throw away the king as bait.'

Whatever the reason might be, Layla did not want to think about it.

He did not have time to think about it. The dungeon was finally breaking apart, and Camelia needed to decide.

"Fine, you win. But you promise you will let these kids live if I take the poison?"

Camelia asked in a hesitant voice. 

No matter what the king said, Camelia would force the king to keep his word. He would drain himself of every last drop of magic if he had to.

Thankfully, it did not seem like the king had such lofty ambitions.

"Don't worry! I will keep my word as long as you do as I say. We can shake hands to make this promise."

The king extended his hand first, and Camelia knew it was a trap.

Despite knowing this, he willingly extended his hand toward the king, but there was only one reason behind it.

No matter how much he pretended he did not care, these kids had warmed their way into his heart.

He would give his life to protect them.

"You have a deal. Now, please leave and call for reinforcements. Head Priest Zayne is outside this dungeon. If you ask him, he will get the kids out. I don't think I can make it out in my current condition."

Camelia spoke as he drank the potion. 

The poison quickly spread across his body, cutting off his magic first.

The pain was excruciating, but Camelia breathed through it all to get himself to calm down. 

"Fine! Take your time. After all, this is all you have left."

The kind assured, and Camelia watched him leave with clenched teeth. Camelia freed the kids from the cage after the king was gone.

They were all between the ages of ten and sixteen, and he felt sorry for these kids. All four of them did not deserve to be here.

"Teacher, will you be alright? Your body…and that potion."

The youngest, Eris, looked at Camelia with tear-filled eyes. She felt bad, mainly because she had asked everyone to go out and pick flowers.

Despite their teacher's warnings, Eris wanted to go out, which resulted from her stubbornness.

"I'm fine, Eris. You don't need to worry. All of you will be fine. Zayne is coming to get you out of here soon."

Camelia kneeled in front of the kids, but his body was beginning to feel heavy. His eyelids were also closing at irregular intervals.

At this rate, he would fall asleep, never to wake up again.

'I cannot allow that to happen. I need to stay awake, or else-'

But it was so tough to keep his eyes open. The poison was beginning to affect his consciousness as well.

At this rate, it would not take long before Camelia's life would come to an end.

"That man again? Master, how can you trust his holiness-"

"Shhhh. Don't speak about Zayne like that. Zayne might appear rigid, but he cares. Lucas, you are the oldest here, so you need to take care of everyone else. Rem, help your brother out during this task. He will need someone to keep him on his toes.

And Helios…please, don't blame yourself for your inability to control yourself. One day, you will master it all."

Camelia wanted to get these words out as fast as possible. But the more he spoke, the more tired he felt.

The poison had already reached his heart at this point, and Camelia wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

His head dropped quite a few times as he tried to keep it up. But even he knew that his end was near.

"Teacher, what is wrong with you? Are you falling asleep? Should I try and help-"

Lucas asked hesitantly, and he even reached out toward Camelia, but Camelia was faster than him, and he quickly swatted his hand away.

"It's fine. I am just a little tired. Just let me sleep for now. Just…take care of yourselves."

Camelia finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.

And then…he never woke up again.