1046: Make the choice

Make the choice

**For the Privileged chapter readers, the end of the previous chapter has been slightly amended. 1

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Claudia took a brief moment to regain her composure since even the flashback was enough to leave her shaken.

After taking a few deep breaths she promptly connected with the swallows once more to confirm where the magic circle was and where her other comrades were.

Eurig was casually walking along the streets towards city gates whereas the rest of the transformed demon-kin were converging on the building that housed the magic circle which was powering the entire city barrier.

"What should I do next? How can I draw him out as quickly as possible?"

There were all these pieces of the puzzle right in front of her and when she looked at them from above something clicked inside her head. It was akin to a spark of enlightenment that promptly explained something that was a mystery to her mere moments ago.

"The boy!" she smacked her head in realization, "How could I forget?! Eurig said he would lead them to the 'promised one' right? Then..."

She closed her eyes and reestablished the connection with the old groundskeeper in the house. The groundskeeper's body suddenly went stiff before she stood up and walked over to a nearby bookshelf.

She tore off a small page and wrote something on it before making her way outside to the door. She gripped it casually but then pulled it with such force that it was almost ripped off its hinges.

On the other side she saw Arnett with his fists raised into the air. They had turned into a bloody mess from constantly banging on the door.

His face lit up when he saw the groundskeeper. Running up to her he pulled on her dress, "Please help us! My sister, she needs a healer quickly! Please-"

But halfway through the sentence he noticed the dazed look in her eyes. It felt like she was looking "through him" somehow.

Her lips parted and two overlapping voices came out, one belonged to her and the other to Claudia.

"There are more than one hundred thousand people in the city of Argham. Women, children, the elderly, the sick, and the helpless. They have come from all over and even now more are trying to make their way here seeking refuge and a safe haven just like you."

Arnett obviously was more than a little confused by the sudden news update but as strange as the situation was he needed help more urgently.

"What do you mean? Grandma please we need help-" but she cut him off and continued in the same manner.

"Argham is the last hope for all people that were born on this world. If it falls, you will have nowhere left to go. You will be picked off one by one either by the monsters at your door or the invaders until there is nothing and no one left."

She abruptly jerked forward starling Arnett.

"Eurig and his friends have gone to destroy the city's barrier. If it breaks, every single person will die. Not just you and your sister, but everyone else too. They will be slaughtered by the hundreds, massacred completely and thoroughly."

She grabbed his hand and placed a paper on it.

"This is where they are going. Make a choice. Either try and save your sister or save the city. The fate of a hundred thousand souls rests in your hands."

"Wha-"

Before Arnett could say anything she turned around and walked away robotically, leaving him stumped and speechless.

After a couple of seconds he came to and checked the piece of paper which had a simple drawing on it. It was showing three locations marked in relation to the city gate.

One was where they were, the other was where the magic circle was and the last one was where the refugees were gathered. There were sure to be healers there.

He stared at that drawing without blinking for what felt like a lifetime but the very next second he scrunched up the paper and placed it in his pocket.

Walking over to the bed he carefully picked up Eva, wrapped her up in a sheet and ran out of the door barefooted towards the refugee camp.

There was not much of a choice for him. Eva came first. He had promised to protect her no matter what and that's what he was going to do.

Claudia was watching everything through the eyes of the swallows, keeping a close eye on him.

Arnett ran as fast his legs could move, rushing through street after street leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. He reached the refugee camp within 4-5 minutes since it wasn't particularly far.

"I NEED A HEALER! PLEASE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, garnering attention from several of the city guards that came running up to him.

"What's wrong? What happened to you?" seeing his smashed up fists and bloody feet that was of course the first question.

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