10 The Procession

"You did well…"

The battle ended in silence, and it was as if the slow cold night breeze ushered the sounds of noctems devouring his men far from his ears. He could only see the shadows of his men being torn apart. Some opened their mouths as wide as they could, some even flailed about and some, he could feel their eyes staring at him at the moment their life left their bodies. And there, he stood in the middle of everything; where every dreaded picture seemed faster than what it should be and where everything outside of their bounds seems slow and devoid of screams. He was now bloodied, weakened and desperate as he clung on the hilt of his blade that he managed to bury on the black knight's chest.

"You did well." A voice behind the knight's metallic helm resounded which brought a sense of calmness within the commander's heart. "I'm sure it was hard for you to do that."

Losing his power to keep himself close to his weapon, the commander fell into the dusty ground after a single breath. He was left with nothing else to do but to frown and catch his breath so after a moment, he glanced at the path of dead noctems at his side before he set his eyes upon the starless sky.

"You were about to win. You believed that you're going to too but I saw something different. I saw pain." The knight let out a breath as he pulled his sword out of his body. He then walked towards him and as he tilted his head, he followed, "Why is that?"

"I believed that I had no choice." The commander groaned and after a few shallow breaths, he said, "I took that shot and yeah, thinking about it now doesn't make me feel any better."

"So…" The knight then took a deep breath and as if he was smiling, he followed, "I wonder too how that feels?"

"Defeat? Oh wow," the commander said. "You like rubbing some salt on wounds huh?"

"I… I do not know what that means," the knight chuckled. "But honestly, I am quite honored that you're still talking to me after…"

"What?"

"No, nevermind."

"No… No… Say it."

"But-"

"Let me hear you say it," he said as he interrupted him with a long tired glare.

"Given that, I killed most of your men and those who survived are now left on the second wall," the knight replied with his voice quivering. "I think that I would feel bad about too if I were to put myself in your shoes."

"There you go, it doesn't hurt to be blunt does it?"

The knight then turned his head away and said, "Stop looking at me like that… It's quite embarrassing… It feels very… very… queer."

"Well…" The commander then pulled his face away from his enemy and followed, "You're making it weird yourself so let's not go there. For starters, tell me your name."

"I'm sorry but… I don't know who I am. All I know is that I was given a choice and now, I'm here to make Sael fall."

"So you're planning to storm the capital head-on with a wave of noctems just like what you did with us?" The commander replied while raising his brow.

"Well, that's what I actually had in mind."

"But I burned your army to a crisp! How are yo-"

"Give it time." The knight interrupted him with a firm smile.

The commander opened his mouth for a moment before he let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe it."

"Well then good commander, you now know my plans," the knight said with a condescending tone. "What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing." the commander showed him his bloodied teeth. "Doing anything is beyond me at this point, except for one."

"And? What is that?"

"I'm doing it right now if that's what you're asking about."

Feeling a hint of fear nibbling his heart, the knight squinted his eyes and looked at the wall in the distance. His eyes moved past through the charred shards of metal and rocks as well as the chunks of burnt bodies lying on the blackened ground. There, he saw it; the wall that was now supposed to be manned at least by a few watchers was already deserted and were now as silent as the wind that occupied the space around them. He couldn't help but knit his brows and to clench his teeth.

"Cowards…" The knight picked up his sword and let out a growling breath through his nose. "I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Even in this era, even after all that's happened, even after all that we did. There are still men capable of running with their tail in between their legs. They all deserve a painful death."

The knight then marched forward as he summoned the remaining pack of noctems to his aid but he was stopped when the commander took hold of his right leg.

The commander then laughed. "Well, we are all cowards here. Say the right words and we'd bail on this wall no problem. It's just every one of us is fighting for someone behind those walls. What happened is that I fucked up and they chose to run to save themselves. Sure, it sucks but I don't see anything wrong with it."

They heard nothing but the commander's rugged breath for a moment until the knight broke it by swinging his sword towards him and stopping it before it could reach his throat. The man just tilted his head as the commander remained in his spot with his reaction that seemed unbroken.

"You don't behave like a coward," the knight said with his tone firm and slow.

"Dude," he scoffed. "There are cuts all over my body. There's nothing really I could do besides talk at this point. I was just accepting my death and my men deserting me too…"

"Is that so," the knight replied and as if he was smiling, he looked at his side in wonder and said, "Then what are those?"

"What? I can't see much from here sorry. You have to tell me what's going on."

"It's them."

"What?"

They heard a booming sound of the horn piercing through the dense silent air and as the commander had expected, the green banner of the woodland dragon has been raised and below its wagging tail lies a small group of people donned in either armor or in bandages. Their faces were grim and their wide smiles seemed to be defeated but even so, they raised their spears and swords in the air as if they're someone above watching them.

"I was wrong," the knight's voice as his firm voice turned into something that resembled a whimper. "A group of soldiers deciding to march towards at the teeth of their enemies to meet death himself for their leader. It seems that there are still people left in this world who still value their honor."

"And then, those are the idiots…" The commander clicked his tongue and looked away. "You idiots…"

"My heart feels something…" The knight then removed his helmet and looked at the commander below him with a wide grin and with tears in his dark green eyes. "But you! Aren't you happy that there are still people who're willing to die for you?!"

They met each other's eyes for a moment as the long brown hair of the knight danced along with the silent wind.

"Ah shit, I can't look at them at this point…" the commander frowned as he tightened the grip that he had on the knight's leg. "No, but I don't have a say in this and now, I have to make my choice too."

"Don't worry, I'll at least remember the faces of these honorable men." The knight pointed his sword at the commander's throat once again and followed, "So, as their commander, tell me your name and let it be remembered by me."

The commander closed his eyes along with a deep breath through his teeth. "Gerald, the first son of George the Lumberjack."

"Do you have any regrets?"

"A lot, but if I had to pick one, man… I really wish that I got to see that the last three chapters of that magical girl novel."

"I see…" The knight tilted his head and slowly lowered his sword until it was just a hair's breadth over his throat. He drew a sad smile on his face and with his tone sweet yet strong, he said, "Do you have any last words?"

"Yeah."

He took a deep breath once more and opened his eyes that were now glowing red. The air felt dry and the temperature started to rise. The knight, same as the noctems around him felt a wave of fear that made them want to run but at the very last second, their attention was caught by the commander's soft voice, saying,

"Now that I got to look at you, you do seem a little bit hotter don't you think?"