Snippet #997223

Commander Roka pushed open the gates of the large fence of broken stone and wood surrounding the castle. The rim of the suns light on the distant horizon flew onto his eyes as he approached the door. Without a change of pace he sent a powerful kick into the wooden doors front and it swung to the side violently, Roka immediately walking through as it did, followed by Tailor. Roka paused as he approached a large staircase, doors surrounding him. "Search the first floor, find her," He whispered. Tailor and Oseal gave an immediate nod and rushed off into separate rooms. Jove decided to stay with Sentrius, Nai, Xeroux, and the rest, who stayed with Roka as the two Knights under his commander searched the floor. They quickly returned and shook their heads no. Roka turned slowly towards the staircase and drew his blade. He made his way up, the wood cracking beneath his armored feet as he did. His view saw over the edge of the staircase as they walked up. The top room had many chairs laid out, a small wooden tea table in the center. One chair face away, onto the window that shinned in orange light. A tip of black hair poked from behind the chair. Roka made his way toward the chairs and paused as the women sitting in the chair stood.

"Hello Sir Roka," The women said slowly, her voice crippled and weary. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Oh don't worry, they made sure I found you again," Roka replied hesitantly. "And its Commander now, actually."

"Never became a General then?" The women asked.

"No I became one of those, after our Commander died I became a Prefect, then a Minor General, then this," Roka said.

"And what about the smart boy, the one with the strong brow? Sir Dragoon?" The women asked.

"Same story, only he skipped the Prefect stage," Roka replied. "Now... you know why I'm here, don't you Master Sogani?"

The women chuckled bitterly, coughing as she did. "Yes Commander I know, I know."

Roka raised his blade quickly. "It will be quick," He said.

"A moment, give me a moment," Sogani muttered, before turning around. Her eyes were black, the white around them red. Her skin was wrinkled and burned, her hair black as ash. She was old and frail, and her movement reflected that. The woman began to make her way passed the chairs, her hand gently pressing on them for support as she went. She was headed for the stairs until the Black Knight Tailor stepped before her, his arms crossed strong. Sogani chuckled and glanced back at Roka. "Brilliant isn't it? The total destruction of Phoenix's," Sogani chuckled. "All to keep the King of Sora in power."

"Sora has no King, we are a republic, not an empire," Roka replied.

"You an empire but you conquer like one," Sogani spat. "Two brilliant laws. The right to civilize. And the right to destroy abominations. One ensured that all war had a permit, all expansion had a reason. The other to keep an enemy outside of yourself."

Roka squinted his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Sogani smiled. "A civilization only prospers when united. To unite you always have to be in the same group, and to keep the same group you need a separate, another. The phoenix's ceased to be a threat long ago, we are not the Phoenix Knights. Yet you insist we are and that we pay for our ancestors crimes. To keep it separate. Sora versus the Phoenix. Us, together, against them. That's how your Kings keep in power."

"Sora has no King," Roka repeated.

"It has Kings," Sogani replied quietly. "Weapons dealers, the heads of orders, the councilmen, the Knight elders. Its Kings are the ones who report to that grand hall in Sor and tell each other what they want, and then they get it. Sor has kings, all fighting each other for control Roka."

Roka was silent, his head glancing down at her words.

Sogani smiled slowly, her teeth black and brown. "I've always liked you Roka. More than Dragoon. You know nothing of darkness, even now, all these years later when we are both old and near the end, you still light. Your still so pure and innocent."

"Not so innocent," Roka replied. "I've killed more men than you could count, or maybe not more than you could count, but many. I'm a Knight, the world needs us."

"And the world needs us," Sogani said. "Let me go, set me free. I'm old and my life is near an end. There is but one evil I still live to fight, it is gathering in the dark worlds as we speak. Let me free, Roka... let me free."

Roka paused, before looking up at her again, his eyes directly to hers. "Sogani... you know I can't do that."

Sogani's eyes flickered. "I know. But it always paid to hope." Suddenly, her hand stretched forward, pushing itself into the chest of Tailor's black armor. Flames began to leap from her hand throughout the armor, and after a second Tailor was blasted back into Jove, a charred hole straight through his chest.

"Attack!" Roka commanded, charging towards Sogani whose hands spouted flames.