The Last Embrace

Declar continued running down the valley of death, his feet thudding against the hard ground as he held his mother in his arms.

He dashed pass the trees and thorns in the way, not minding his safety, until he stumbled upon a stone.

With lightning fast reflexes, he instinctively protected his mother, wrapping his arms around her body as he crashed against the ground. 

"Mother, are you ok?" He asked as he rose from where he fell and began checking if she had any bruises, but he's gaze locked on her eyes and he could see her pained she was.

'The pain she's feeling is probably due to her injured leg and the fall just now.' a thought ran through his head.

He couldn't bear to witness his beloved mother suffering any longer, so he got up and moved a few paces away from her, shedding tears.

"I'm sorry mother, if only I wasn't weak," he muttered under sobbing tone. "If only I was talented in swordsmanship, then they wouldn't have the guts to defy us."

She swiftly rose from the ground and enveloped him in a tight hug. Overwhelmed with sadness, her voice failed her and she was left with nothing but tears in his embrace.

Tears ran down Declar's eyes as he felt his mother's warmth wrap around him.

Just as they were having their mother-son moment, an arrow shot directly into the back of his mother, breaking their embrace with a pain filled gasp.

Declar's eyes widened in shock as he watched his mother collapse before him, her gasp tinged with excruciating pain.

Following that, several arrows were sent hurling through the air, aimed at them, but Declar calmly placed his mother on her side, his face, expressionless.

He drew out his sword and with fluid movements that he had trained over a thousand times, he deflected the deadly arrows, the strike of his sword sending most of the arrows spinning, with some grazing over his body.

"Do these fools have no sense of surrender?" He carefully lifted his mother and suddenly noticed the emergence of the green veins on her pale skin; the arrows were tainted with a toxic substance.

More arrows flew endlessly towards them but Declar didn't waste another second before dashing deeper into the Valley.

"Declar… please go without me," his mother managed to utter, her voice breaking with each word. "As you can see, the poison… is spreading fast."

"No mother, I won't let you die," he replied.

His mother held him tightly by the collar of his robe, her eyes lighting up as if she was possessed. Her grip, strong enough to hurt Declar in the tiniest way.

Declar had never he seen his mother this way before, she felt like a completely different person.

"Declar leave without me, they say you are the disgrace of Leonidas clan, prove them wrong,"

"Survive and avenge me, avenge your father and the Leonidas clan for this unjustly act of the Evandros, to them become the retribution of Leonidas." she said as she gave off her last breath.

"No! Mother, not you too." Declar's anguished cry filled the air as he fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his face, leaving a trail of sorrow in their wake. 

The impact of his fall caused the rocky floor beneath him to crack. His gaze remained fixed on his mother's pale white face which were now marked by the green veins of the poison's deadly grip. 

With great tenderness, he gently caressed her cheeks, unable to hide the pain in his heart.

"Damn it… Damn it all!" He cursed out. "I'm out of strength and I can't move my legs. The only mission father gave me was to protect my mother and I still failed at that."

He got up and started walking gently, his mother's lifeless body still in his arms, the tears in his eyes drying up 

After wandering through the Valley of Death, searching for both an escape route and a fitting place to lay his mother to rest, a voice suddenly emanated from the depths of the shadows.

"Young Master Declar, congratulations on reaching this point after enduring hours of challenging running."

Declar glanced to his side and spotted approximately 25 swordsmen, among which was Nazick, a direct subordinate of Axel Evandros, the commanding officer of the first battalion.

"Hehe, all this waiting almost made me fall asleep", said Arlo, Nazick's vice.

'Are you telling me... That I've been dancing in their palm all this time?' Declar thought to himself. 'They were even prepared in case things got to this point?'

"No matter how much you strive, the Leonidas generation would end tonight." 

Declar immediately remembered the words Axel Evandros said in his father's manor.

"Why?... I don't even have a talent for swordsmanship… What more do you want from me?" Declar shouted, his anger slowly rising.

"Even if you don't have talent as a swordsman, you know something like that doesn't matter right, young master?" Nazick asked.

"As long as you have the right to become the next Blade fortress master, you're a threat. Just give it up."

"Even if you have commoner's blood mixed in you, rest assured, we'll ensure your departure goes unnoticed." Arlo chipped in.

'How dare they dishonor my mother, there's no way these bastards would give me a painless death.' Declar felt insulted upon hearing those words.

Declar walked towards a wall adjacent to him and laid down his mother gently. He soon turned to face them as he unsheathed his sword.

"If I'm going to die, I'll at least take half of you with me!" Declar declared with renewed confidence.

"Huh? Are you going to fight us? You, the disgrace of the Leonidas family?" Arlo asked while laughing.

The remaining soldiers joined in, observing his frail, stamina-deprived frame struggling to wield a sword with unsteady legs. To them, it was akin to witnessing a newborn calf attempting to engage in combat.

'He is still a descendant of the Leonidas family. Seeing how even without talent, he's refusing to give up. I can't let my guard down for a moment.' Nazick thought.

"Come at me!" Declar bellowed as he charged toward the troop.

They all unsheathed their swords and prepared for him, some ran towards him, screaming as they closed the distance.

With determination burning in Declar's eyes, he sprinted toward them even more, his two hands clutching the sword at his side. 

However, his shaky steps betrayed his bravado. As he closed the gap, he tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. 

Shocked by the suddenly turn of event, the soldiers as well as Arlo and Nazick all stared at him, each one of them unable to grasp what had happened.

'Damn it...' 

Swearing under his breath, Declar struggled to rise from the ground. Just as he was about to stand, a soldier charged at him, delivering a brutal kick to his jaw. 

The impact sent shockwaves of pain through Declar's face as saliva mixed with blood shot out of his mouth.

The soldier's kick was just the beginning as others joined in, ruthlessly beating Declar while he lay defenseless on the ground. 

Blows were relentlessly delivered to Declar's abdomen, ribs, and back, mercilessly administered by the swordsmen.

Despite curling his body and attempting to shield himself with his hands, the force behind each strike was akin to a hammer pounding against him. 

All Declar could do was endure this relentless attack, leaving his body bruised and battered.

'Maybe I was wrong about him being a threat, he's extremely lacking. It's best to end his life as quickly as possible.' Nazick concluded in his thoughts.

""End him!" Nazick ordered, prompting one of the swordsmen to draw his blade and approach Declar while the others continued their assault.

The swordsman raised his weapon, and the others stepped aside to allow him a clear path. 

Declar, with swollen eyes and blurry vision, managed to discern the imminent d

anger before him.

In a single, decisive motion, the swordsman's blade met Declar's neck, plunging him into darkness