On a snowy hill, four figures stood.
The sky still snowed, but it wasn't as heavy as before
Even though it was cold, the air still felt humid and damp
Almost like it was melting
Down below the hill, at a good distance, war reigned at the castle
Huge shouts could be heard from so far away
On the hill, the hazy weather slowly cleared, making the figures visible
It was the original resistance
Kado, Edd, Craig and the old man
They all stood watching the battlefield. They wore black robes
The hoods weren't pulled over their heads yet
Behind them, a decent sized cabin lay. It was constructed from ice
It blended perfectly with the snow
"Sir, he's taking too long," Kado said, looking down at the battlefield
"Patience, Kado," the old man said
"I hope he's alright," Craig muttered
BOOM
One-half of the palace just collapsed. Blue and orange energy flared from inside
"Let's go inside for a game of 'Pass around the donkey,'" the old man said
He turned, walking toward the cabin
"Better than nothing," Edd muttered before exhaling smoke from his cigarette
Everyone followed
They went inside
The room looked like that of an outpost. Yellow lights were built into the main post of the building
They almost looked like flames
Or the essence of one
The ice wasn't even melting, though. It just glowed a deep yellow. Not too bright, not too dull.
The room looked mostly normal, except for the blood
Blood remained all over the floor, trails slowly leading to a corner of the wall
Nine Iskari guards were piled into a corner. All of them were dead
Some badly burned, some with missing limbs or stab wounds
None of the four said anything. They all sat around an ice-constructed table
The old man shuffled inside his robes, pulling out a deck of cards
He began shuffling
His hands trembled, eyes still shut, but the cards never once got misplaced
He began handing them four cards each
Distant explosions echoed from afar
The old man nodded to himself
"It is almost time for Phase Two," he said as he began handing out cards
The three nodded, briefly passing a selected card to each other
Suddenly—
The door to the cabin was pushed open
It was Len
He panted heavily before shutting the door
He also wore a black robe, the hood covering his face
"You're late," Kado said
Len removed the hood, sighing
"Next time you try going unnoticed on a battlefield," he answered
Len walked over to the group table. The were no chairs, so he stood
The old man nodded at Len
He didn't nod back
Instead—
"Sir! Why did you make us lie?" He asked, dropping his hands on the table
The old man still sorted his cards
"Well, well, now that you all are here," he said, passing a selected card to Edd
"Let us commence."
He didn't take his eyes from the cards
Not once
"I know you all are confused," he began
"But have faith, this is all a distraction," he continued
Kado took his eyes from the cards
Everyone did, their eyes locked onto the old man
He still sorted his cards
"Sato... Sir, are you saying our people are bait?" Kado asked
"No." The old man answered quickly
"Thomas is."
Briefly, Edd sighed, relief washing over his face
"What do you mean?" Craig asked
"You locked him in that room without my orders," Sato said calmly, still sorting cards.
Kado looked away. Craig stared at the table.
"He escaped. He flew straight to the palace. So I adjusted."
"The speech... we lied to our people," Len muttered.
"It was necessary," Sato answered. "Our people needed a symbol. Thomas was that symbol whether he likes it or not."
"He hates us," Craig muttered.
"That doesn't matter," Sato replied. "What matters is that he keeps Kuro occupied."
Edd exhaled smoke from his mouth, nodding to himself as if weighing Sato's words
"Those two have been fighting for centuries," Sato continued. "Every time they meet they destroy each other. Ice pierces fire. Fire melts ice. They die and they return. They die and they return."
"How many times by now?" Kado asked.
Sato tilted his head, listening to the distant explosions. "At least three or four by now."
"And when one finally weakens enough to not return?" Edd asked.
"That is when we move."
THOMAS'S POV
The warfield below continued. Blue and orange glows flashed everywhere
Screams of panic echoed. Shouts of anger and curses reigned over the battlefield
The full moon watched it all. The moon wasn't even white at all
It was a pale red
Slowly growing a darker shade every time another blood was shed
Smoke rose into the sky, passing by the moon
It was the palace
One side of it had collapsed to the ground. the other half barely stood.
On the roof of the palace a blue blur landed
Then an orange one
The blue quickly jumped off the castle
Orange followed
Both their faint glows still lingered in the air, leaving a trail where they went
The two landed on the snowy ground
Blue skidded to a halt
It was Kuro
Enji appeared from above, heel ready to stomp his face
Kuro dashed backward
Enji crushed the ground. Snow flew upward from the impact.
Through the haze, Enji's eyes glowed orange
A low growl came from Thomas's body
Kuro smirked
The two dashed toward each other
Fists cocked backward
Before they could clash—
Kuro moved a little to the left,
Enji's fist passed to the side
It was too late for him to recover
With both their momentum, Kuro's punch slammed into his gut.
Instantly.
Ice tore through Enji's flesh, digging deep into him
Ice sprouted from his back like branches. Enji vomited blood
Kuro moved closer to his ears
"You're on your last life," he whispered
Enji growled, raising his flaming fists
Kuro's eyes widened
Flames blasted from his hands downward
He hammered then into Kuro's face
Instantly, the whole ground sank, melting snow blowing all about
SATO'S POV
"Sir, I don't think we should do this to Thomas," Kado said
Sato raised his head from the cards
"What are you fighting for?" he asked
Kado's eyes flickered for a second
"F-freedom..." he muttered
"Good," he answered.
Once the demons weaken each other, our people can handle the Icies," Sato said. "The only thing keeping them in power was Kuro."
"And the boy?" Len asked.
"Which one?" Sato asked.
"Thomas." Sato paused briefly. "If he survives, he may join us. But he is an outsider. This was never his war."
"And the others? The ones captured?" Kado asked. Sato didn't answer.
He picked up his cards again.
"They don't belong either," he answered
The whole group went silent, distant explosions echoing from the battlefield
Briefly, the cabin shook.
Len raised his hands from the table, staring into space
Edd still stared at his cards. Eyes low, cigarette burning.
Craig was scanning the room
Kado stood still, hands briefly squeezing the cards
Then—
"Hah! I won," the old man said, dropping his four cards onto the table
The rest didn't even drop theirs
Just pure silence
End