The Decision

"Are you guys, alright?" Sedar asks the group between breaths.

"Yeah, thanks for the help," The young girl in orange answers with a tired smile as she sticks her naginata into the ground. She sees Des a little ways away as he puts his sword into its sheath.

"Des!" She exclaims with a sudden burst of energy, running up to him and giving him a tight hug.

"Get, off me!" He suddenly shouts as he shoves her away, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"Princess!" A ninja and man in an orange and green robe run to her, along with the man in yellow and the older girl in purple.

"Des, what the hell!?" The older girl exclaims as the younger girl looks at Des with utter shock.

"How do you know Des?" Cheral asks, stepping to Des' side.

"He's our brother," The man in yellow says.

"Brother?" Cheral looks to Sedar, asking for answers with her eyes. Sedar has a weird expression, looking like a mixture of anger, shock, and guilt.

"Princess, get away from them," The ninja says as him and the robed man step between her and the others, "You can't trust Qanians or Sahirians,".

"Excuse me?!" A woman with light blue hair exclaims as she walks to the older girl's side, along with a man with silver hair, "What do you mean we can't be trusted?"

"Yeah, we should be saying that about you, your soldier attack our guy first!" A man in a yellow shirt and leather armor states as he walks up to the young man.

"It wasn't an attack it was a hug,"

"With a dagger behind your back?"

"Hey!"

"Guys can you just-"

"Quiet! All of you!" Sedar roars, everyone going silent, "How did you guys get here so fast?" He asks staring at the three people who claim to be Des' siblings.

"What do you mean?" The older girl asks.

"...Nevermind," He brushes it off quickly, "Cheral, it's time we take off the seal,"

"Sealed?!" They all exclaim.

"Will you guys, just...be quiet for a moment," Sedar says as he turns to Des. Completely baffled, she walks up to Des, holding a hand up for a second before swiftly swiping it over his face, catching his body before it hits the ground. The three siblings all look shocked.

"He's just knocked out," Cheral says as she finishes lowering his body onto the ground, meanwhile Sedar walks up to the front door of the palace, looking for the medallion he tossed at Ruffus. Finding it, he walks over to Des and Cheral, kneeling down and pulling up his shirt, revealing a matching thin, purple medallion on his chest.

Sedar puts the medallion in his hand on top of the one on Des' chest, and it clicks into place. With a lot more effort than one would expect, Sedar manages to pull the medallion up, pulling the other one off of Des with it. Des suddenly wakes up as if waking from a nightmare. He takes a look around him, at all the people, and at himself.

"I...I..." He says, putting a hand over his forehead. He suddenly winces in pain as all his memories come flooding back to him, "I finally remember..." Cheral and Sedar give him some space as he gets up on his feet, "Stro, Rachel, Berryla," He says in disbelief before running to them.

They greet him with open arms in a big hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" He says, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Us too!" They all exclaim with delight.

"We all thought we were the only ones here until just recently," His older brother Stro says with a chuckle as they finish hugging.

"Prince Stro, I'm happy you got reunited, but...our mission," The man in armor says. Stro glances at the man before turning to his siblings with a slightly disheartened expression.

"Prince?" The others ask.

"Yeah," He answers quietly as he scratches the back of his head, "I've kind of been, adopted into the royal family that...rules Sahir,"

"What?!" Berryla exclaims, "I'm part of Klyfland's royal family!"

"That's crazy!" Rachel exclaims, "Same with me but for Qanas. Are we all considered Royalty?" She asks with excitement. They all turn to Des whose just looking at them baffled and unsure.

"Wait, aren't those the three kingdoms, that are all at war with each other?" Des asks, turning their small moment of joy into a realization of despair.

"That's exactly right," Sedar says, "For over one hundred years the kingdoms have been spilling each others' blood on their borders and in the South," The three siblings and the people that followed them all look at Sedar with a mix of anger and guilt, for they know it's true.

"You're one to talk," The man in the robe says, "My family died cause of you!" He yells in a sudden rage, "I ran in terror from Dusho, the place I had called home since birth. I spent weeks unable to forget the screams of my family as that monster you guys unleashed tore them apart!" It's not until he catches his breath that he realizes the tears going down his face. Sedar stares at the young man, glancing at Des and his siblings for a split second before responding.

"At least you were there when it happened," Sedar states coldly, "I once fought for one of the kingdoms and their stupid ass belief that they were in the right. And you know what happened? One by one, I found the members of family, dead, on the battlefield or their tombstone in a grave. I wasn't there for any of them, I wasn't even there to see how they died only that they died, for an unjust cause. You can talk all you want about what we do in the Sealed, but it can't compare to all the things the kingdoms have done to this world. At least we bring change to the places we conquer,"

Everyone remains quiet unable to think of a reply.

"You're welcome to stay the night here, but you all better be gone by sunrise," Sedar says as he turns to Des, Cheral and Rwel, "Come on, let's check the fort for food, we have a lot of people to feed," Des, a bit hesitant, follows, glancing back at his siblings and the others before hurrying over to Sedar.

"Is it smart to let them stay here the night?" Rwel asks as they enter the fort.

"No, but Des' siblings are all royalty, so I doubt the other people are going to lay a finger on him, and they're all too young to be a challenge for us," He says as they enter the foyer. They head left into a large room where a long table stretches the span of the room. They follow Sedar through another door to the right and barrels fill the room, some filled with meat and others with a small variety of fruits and veggies.

"You sure know you're around here," Cheral states as she looks at the food.

"I've been here before during a mission, long before that Ruffus guy and his friends discovered this place," He states as he lifts the lid of a barrel to look at the food, "Seems like they really stocked up the place though, lucky us,"

"Does this place have a kitchen?" Cheral asks as she grabs a bucket and fills it with some food.

"Other side of the dining hall,"

"Rwel, could you grab a bucket and fill it with meat?"

"Sure thing," As the two fill their buckets and leave the room, the sound of talking can be heard coming from the foyer.

"Go see if Cheral and Rwel need help with the kitchen, I'll attend to the, guests," And with that he leaves the room. Des makes his way to the other side of the hall and enters a room a bit larger than the food room, but smaller than the dining hall where Cheral is already throwing some logs into a stone chimney.

"You need any help?" Des asks, feeling a bit awkward.

"We're fine," She replies, "You should go and have a seat in the dining hall, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind right now,"

"Alright," He says with a slight nod before leaving the room and sitting down at one of the tables.

In such a short time so much has happened.

He thinks to himself.

I got my memories back, my siblings found me and we had a small reunion, and I discovered they're all part of the royal families of the three kingdoms that are all at war with each other while I've been part of the Sealed for a couple weeks.

The door to the foyer opens again as Sedar enters.

"They're making themselves situated," He states as he sits down, "We'll be upstairs while they're all downstairs. The ruffians we knocked out woke up and are chasing after their friends," He lets out a sigh as he stares at the floor intently, the air slowly becoming heavy.

"...What kingdom, were you a part of..?" Des asks trying to break the silence.

"...It doesn't matter, all three are the same," He states bluntly, "They fight at their borders, push a bit into one kingdom, get pushed back, it never ends or goes anywhere. Besides, not like you'll have to worry about that, we'll be seeing every kingdom at some point when we finally have enough power to attack them and end this cursed war once and for all,"

"What about the others?" Des asks, nodding to the foyer, "What will happen to them?"

"Your siblings will be fine Des. We plan on capturing the royals, not kill them. And don't worry, we're not going to do anything like that right now, it'd be suicide to do anything to them or their friends at the moment," Before the conversation can continue the doors open again as Stro and the man in armor enter the room. Stro takes a seat by Des, glancing at Sedar as if Sedar might suddenly pull out a knife.

"Hey Des," He says putting his elbows on the table.

"Hey Stro,"

"...How's life been in the Sealed?" He asks awkwardly, unable to think of anything else to talk about.

"Um..." He scratches the back of his head, "Can't really say much, all my memories of being at the main castle are just...I don't know I can't really explain other than, nothing,"

"Cause the seal," Sedar adds, "It suppresses any feelings a person may feel,"

"Okay, well," Stro says trying to steer clear of that, "I haven't introduced you to my friend Roke here," The man in armor, whose sitting on the other side of Stro, leans back and waves with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," He says.

"Nice to meet you too," Des replies. He notices the mesh in their clothes, "What's with the shirts?"

"Hm?"

"Your shirts, parts of them look like they're made of netting or something,"

"Oh, this?" He asks, pulling on the mesh part, "This is to allow air to flow through when travelling through the deserts,"

"Are there a lot of them in Sahir?"

"Oh yeah, tons. Fields and forest are very rare there, but the oasis are completely beautiful. And at the castle we live at, there's a constant solar eclipse, it's breathtaking,"

"Constant solar eclipse?" Des asks clearly skeptical, "Is that even possible?"

"Trust me, I was completely skeptical of it too until I went there. I have no idea how, but it's just always there. And the town looks like-"

Before he can finish Rachel enters the room along with the girl with light blue hair and guy with silver hair.

"Hey Des," Rachel says, sitting down on the other side of the table near Sedar, but putting a bit of space between herself and him.

"Hey. Stro and I were just talking about Sahir,"

"Oh, I was just wondering what Sahir and Klyfland are like, I've only been in Qanas this whole time. I've heard people talk about how it's covered in deserts, is it really true?"

"This tan of mine should answer that," He says gesturing to himself, "What's it like in Qanas?"

"Difficult," She says rubbing a shoulder, "The only thing I'm okay at is archery, which kills my arms and shoulders. The forests and hills though are stunning though, and when the sun sets, the sky is the most gorgeous mix of blue, purple, orange, and yellow,"

"Ahem," The blue hair girl coughs.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I haven't introduced you two to Des yet. Des, this is Shu,"

"Nice to meet you," She says holding out a hand.

"Nice yo meet you too," He replies, shaking her hand.

"She's really good with a sword, she even killed a bear by plunging it into its head and saved this guy," She gestures to the silver haired man, "His name's Ivory," He simply waves with a nervous smile, "We found him while travelling here and he agreed to join us,"

"We know all too well about making allies where we can," Stro says, "The king's already sent me on two mission by myself and I've had to get any helping hand I could find to do them,"

"You could learn a thing or two from this girl," The man in a robe says. They didn't notice Berryla walk in with the ninja and him. Berryla takes a seat where Sedar had been, who they all realize is gone from the room. The two guys take some wooden stools and place them at the edge of the table.

"I'm so happy we finally found each other, even if it's for a short time," Berryla says looking at her siblings with a heart felt smile, "Oh I made you guys something! Mark, do you still have them in your pockets?" She asks with utter excitement.

"Got em right here," The man in the robe says as he puts a hand into one of the robe's inner pockets. He pulls out three crowns made of yellow flowers woven together.

"I made them from flowers I found at a riverside town while travelling," She says handing them to her siblings, the flowers are remarkably still fresh, "I found a mage who was able to use a spell on them so they'll stay fresh forever," The siblings all put the crowns on, each one fitting perfectly.

"Now we all look like real royalty," Rachel says, making them all laugh a bit.

"Oh yeah, this is Mark and Fred," Berryla states, "Fred's a ninja and Mark is a guy we met in the town I got the flowers from. Fred's very serious about his job making him no fun to talk too," Berryla says, crossing her arms.

"But, I am, right?" Mark asks.

"Yup," The answer makes him smile a bit, Fred giving him a side glare.

"Dinner is ready," Cheral says as she comes out of the kitchen with some bowls of steaming hot soup. Sedar and Rwel come out, helping her serve everyone. After everyone's been given their food they get themselves some and sit down at the table, Rwel and Cheral sitting near the group while Sedar sits at the other end of the table.

"Sounds like you have all been catching up," Cheral says with a smile as she twirls her spoon in her soup.

"Yeah," Des replies, "I just wish I had interesting stuff to say,"

"Are you saying we're not interesting?" Cheral asks with a frown, putting a hand to her chin.

"Of course not. Guys, this is Cheral and her husband Rwel, and you've all already met Sedar,"

"Pleasure to meet you all," She says with a warm smile as she waves at them. Rwel being caught off guard quickly waves too.

"Niph to meet phu," He attempts to say with a mouth full of food.

"Is that a guillotine axe?" Roke asks glancing at the axe on Rwel's back. Rwel finishes chewing before answering.

"Yup,"

"Wow, I've never seen anyone use one, then again I've never seen anyone your size,"

"Yeah, you're like a mountain," Berryla adds in awe.

"Thanks," Rwel says smiling out of embarrassment, "I train a lot everyday,"

"What got you guys to join the Sealed?" Mark asks sharply, stirring his still untouched soup.

"It's quite the cliche love story," Cheral says with a smile, "We were a little younger than you, Rwel was probably half his size at the time," She says as she goes through her memories, "We lived in a town settled between Qanas and Sahir. Our town was split in two, me being a Qanas mage and him a Sahirian axe man. Though my parents were from the two kingdoms, they wanted me to be with a someone from Qanas, but I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

After an, incident, I lost my parents and my sister left me. Rwel here snuck me into his home. Shortly after that soldiers from both kingdoms came, each one trying to claim the other side of the town. We barely got out alive and we made our way to the South where we met Getron who pledged to stop all the senseless fighting between the kingdoms. Ever since then we've been fighting for him, and each other," She puts a hand on Rwel's, whose face turns red.

Cheral takes her hand off, giggling a bit along with everyone else but Sedar and Mark. As the night goes on everyone talks about their adventures travelling to the fort and what their lives have been like in the kingdoms. Though some arguments about which was better started the siblings managed to break them up and keep the mood friendly. After eating they all parted ways to their sides of the fort.

Des slept in a room with Sedar upstairs and with a stomach full of warm soup, doze off quickly.

"...Des..." A faint whisper says. It's enough to wake up Des, causing him to sit up, rubbing his eyes as he looks at the silhouette of someone. His eyes adjusting he manages to make out that it's Berryla.

"Come on," She quietly whispers. Des glances over at the other bed, seeing Sedar still asleep. He quietly gets up and sneaks out of the room with her. The two make their way out into the foyer where everyone but Sedar, Cheral and Rwel are waiting. The two make their way downstairs and walk up to the group.

"Des, we want you to come with us," Stro says, "Well...one of us that is..."

"...What?" Des asks, now more awake.

"We know now that we're all a part of this war," Berryla says with worry, "And we've been talking all night and just...we can't bring ourselves to all go to one group and fight against the kingdoms we've all called home for so long,"

"We wish we could, we really do," Rachel says worryingly.

"Why do I have to have to join one of you?"

"...Well you've been here the least out of all of us, and from what we've learned, you've been under the effects of a seal for practically all of it," Stro states, "So...you don't really have much of an emotional attachment to any group at the moment,"

Despite the partial truth of the statement, it still hurt hearing that. Before Des can respond the group all notice someone behind him upstairs. Des turns to see it's Sedar, whose making his way down the stairs. He stares at Des, and than at the group, focusing on the siblings a bit.

"I need to have a word with Des in private," Sedar states before taking Des by the arm and walking off with him into a nearby room.

"Stay with us," He says bluntly after closing the door, "It's the only way to guarantee that your siblings will survive this war,"

"What? How are you-"

"Just, trust me," Sedar says, trying to hide his worry, "You have no idea how important you and your siblings are Des, you guys are the key to ending this war, you guys are the Warriors of Hope that this world has been waiting for. I know this is a lot, but...you have to believe me Des,"

"..." Sedar closely examines Des, seeing he's not fully convinced. He lets out a sigh.

"This decision is yours to make, not mine...I just hope you choose what you believe is right..." Sedar says with a heavy heart, "Come on," The two exit the room where everyone's waiting. Des looks at everyone, and glances back at Sedar. He takes a deep breath before he speaks.

...

The decision, is yours.

Hey guys, author here! I have to put my thoughts in the actual story since it's too much to put in the author's thought thing. So this is the end of the story, from this point on, the story splits into four separate stories, each one being the war as it plays after Des' decision. How the war will end, is determined by this one moment in time. I would love to work on the stories, but that would mean working on four stories at the same time as the point of the story is to give the reader a choice and I don't want people who choose one side to have to wait until there's gets made. I might add more chapters to this giving little stories about some of the characters that are in the four stories and maybe even some art of them. I do plan on making the four stories but it will be awhile as I have to finish "Town with the Girl in Red" and I have a big personal project that I'm working on at the moment. Hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far and be sure to comment what you guys would like! :)