Prologue

Granseal was currently at war with the kingdom of Tiar. King Granseal was hoping to conquer Tiar, for it lay to the south of the Fort Roft. Granseal had established Roft in the northern part of Grans Island in hope of beating out Galam and Tiar for control of the island. Tiar did not take too kindly to the establishment of Roft. Thrice, Tiar soldiers ravaged Roft. King Granseal and King Tiar began their war.

At the beginning of the war, it appeared as if the two kingdoms were evenly matched. But as time went on, it became clear that Granseal had the upper hand in soldiers and resources. Granseal's attacks had all but crippled Tiar. Any day now, King Granseal would give the order for the soldiers to move in and sweep through Tiar.

Five soldiers sat impatiently in front of the Ancient Tower. It was their turn to guard the tower. The members of this quad were the youngest in the Granseal army. Phillip was the leader. At nineteen years of age, Phillip was already a well-seasoned member of the Granseal army; he had been trained with the sword since his childhood days. The butt of the long sword he currently wielded stuck out from behind his blond hair. Phillip was wise beyond his years and a master on the battlefield.

Bianka, the only female member in the army, was Phillip's childhood friend. She and Phillip had gone through Sir Astral's school together. Bianka was the one of the youngest members of the army at eighteen. She was very skilled at the sword, but her true weapon was a laserlance, a weapon from the Ancients. The laser-lance resembled a bo with ends made of blue laser beams instead of wood.

The brothers JJ and Ben were quite a combo. JJ was twenty-five and Ben was twenty. JJ was very tall, but Ben (nicknamed "Big Ben") was very short. JJ had a big crush on Princess Elis. He seldom got support from the squad, for everyone in the squad was not a fan of the princess. Ben did not want to be a soldier; he was a musician at heart. His father, who wanted both his sons to be in the army, had "convinced" Ben to join the army. Ben yearned to run away from the army and become a musician.

Dave was the rebel of the squad. He and the other squad members were friends, but he didn't always follow the rules. Many times he did not act like he was twenty-one years old. Dave detested Princess Elis. He often made fun JJ for being infatuated with Elis. Phillip was the only leader Dave really respected.

"I don't see why we're not in Tiar wiping the floor with Tiar soldiers!!" grumbled Dave.

"Cause the king wants us to guard the Ancient Tower," replied Ben. "You know that, Dave!"

"Yeah, I know, but why does he waste time with the bloody tower??" Dave complained. "I mean, what's it gonna do, erupt?? Dude, if I have to guard it one more day, I'm gonna blow it up!"

Phillip laughed. "Don't lose it, Dave. This is our last day guarding the tower."

"Yeah, don't worry...it's almost time for the next squad to relieve us," Bianka spoke. "Are you guys ready to go to Fort Roft tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah!" JJ spoke.

"I wonder if we can see the Grans Cathedral?" Phillip wondered.

"I heard they're building a Monastery right next to it," Ben said. "It's really tiny, but it's supposed to be a Master Monk training ground."

"I have a bad feeling we're gonna need a lot more warriors," Phillip commented. "I don't know how much longer the war will last. I'm glad at least we're allied with Galam. If we were at war with them..."

"Then at least maybe we'd see some action!!" Dave broke in.

"Dude, all you care about is fighting!" JJ exclaimed. "You are messed, Dave."

"Well," Dave said with a smile, "I'm not the one with the fat crush on Her Annoyingness, Princess Elis!!" The others broke into laughter. Another Princess Elis comment from Dave.

JJ made a face. "You guys are so mean," he complained.

"Dude, I heard King Granseal was trying to marry her off!" Dave exclaimed. "No one wants to marry her!!"

"Hey!!" JJ said. "No, she's just so beautiful that they're afraid to ask for her hand!"

"Beautiful my foot," Dave told JJ. "Does anyone here actually like her? Besides JJ I mean?" Silence. "That's what I thought."

"She has that 'Help me, I'm a princess' attitude," Bianka spoke. "I really don't like that attitude!! I mean, please -- you've gotta learn to fend for yourself!!"

"Yeah," Phillip agreed. "She's daddy's girl. King Granseal really loves her and he always shelters her. That's why she's like that. But there may come a day when that may be to her disadvantage."

"You mean she gets killed?" asked Dave. "Aww, cool!!"

"Hey!!" JJ protested.

"Hey Phillip!!" Another squad had arrived to relieve Phillip's squad. "We're here. It's our turn to watch paint dry."

"YES!!" Dave exclaimed. "I am outta here!!" Dave dashed off into the distance. The others laughed.

"Is it that bad?" one of the soldiers asked. "Well, we brought a deck of cards."

"Cool! Wish we'd thought of that," Bianka spoke.

"Well, we're gonna take off," Phillip said.

"Are you going to Fort Roft tomorrow?" asked the other captain.

"Yep."

"Lucky you."

"Well, have fun!! Bye!!" Phillip, Bianka, JJ and Ben took off.

"Hey do you guys wanna get Abat?" asked Bianka. "He's at home right now."

"Sure, why not?" asked Phillip.

"I'm gonna go practice my fiddle," Ben said. "I'll catch you guys later."

"All right, I guess I'll go with him," JJ spoke. "Since you guys don't like Elis!"

"But no one really does!" Bianka pointed out.

"Well, I do!! Someday, after I become a big war hero, I'll get to marry her."

"Oh, sure," Phillip said. "Well, see you tomorrow at the docks."

"Bye."

Phillip and Bianka headed over to Bianka's house to meet up with Abat. Abat was Bianka's younger brother. He was the youngest member of the army at sixteen. Abat was another skilled warrior, but unlike the others, he was a low-level telepath; he could read others' thoughts.

Bianka and Abat's mother was in the kitchen when Bianka and Phillip entered. "Momma?" called Bianka. "Abat?"

"I'm here, dear!" Bianka's mother came to the doorway to greet Bianka and Phillip. "Oh, hello Phillip! Are you off-duty?"

"Yeah, we're off for today," Phillip spoke.

"And you're going off to Fort Roft tomorrow!! My, how you've grown so fast!! Oh, and Bianka, please be careful at the warfront!! I wish you went into another profession!! It's very dangerous right now..."

"I know, Momma -- I'll be careful!! Where the heck is Abat, anyways??"

"He's in the back."

"Okay, bye!!"

"Be back in time for supper!!"

"I will." Bianka and Phillip headed out the back and into the backyard. Abat was practicing throwing hammers in the back. "Hey Abat!! We're off duty!!"

"About time," Abat said.

"You are so lucky you didn't have to do Ancient Tower duty!!" Phillip exclaimed. "Dave was going nuts today!!"

"Ha, ha, I can well imagine. Well, Dave should be happy when we arrive in Fort Roft in a few days."

"Yeah, but we're just going to relax there until the invasion!!" Bianka said.

"Oh yeah huh. Are Big Ben and JJ coming?"

"Yep."

"Dave said King Granseal was trying to marry off Elis!!" said Phillip.

"Really?? But no one wants her, of course."

"Exactly."

"JJ got mad, huh?"

"Yep."

"Ha! Ha!"

"Hey, what do you guys wanna do?" asked Bianka.

"Well, I suppose we could just hang around Granseal," Phillip said. "We won't be back here for at least three weeks." And so, the three friends chatted and wandered around Granseal, just like their childhood days. Within a few days, they would be fighting for their beloved kingdom.

Soldiers were relaxing and chatting on the deck. They would have a brief vacation at Fort Roft, and then they would depart for Tiar for the invasion. Phillip and his squad sat chatting by the edge.

"So are you anxious to kick Tiar butt, Dave?" asked Abat.

"It's about bloody time. I can't believe we get a vacation. What the heck is with that?!?!"

"Maybe we can go to the cathedral!!" suggested JJ. "And maybe we can check out the new monastery, too!!"

"What, so you can check out all the Master Monks?" joked Dave.

Abat laughed. "I bet he will!!"

"What happened to her Royal Pain In the Butt?" asked Dave.

"That's princess to you!!" snapped JJ.

"You and Princess Isle," Abat groaned.

"Elis!"

"Whatever."

For the most part, the voyage took place without event. The ship Phillip and his squad were on stopped by the Grans Cathedral first. There was a group of monks stationed there who were to help with the war effort. While there, the ship needed some repairs, so the soldiers had a day to tour the cathedral.

"Hey, are you guys gonna tour the cathedral?" asked Bianka. "It looks magnificent from here!"

"Sure, let's go!" Phillip said. "Anyone else coming?"

"I'll go," spoke Abat. "I need to start a stained glass collection."

"I'm coming too," declared JJ.

"To check out the Master Monks?" laughed Abat.

"Hey!!"

"Well, I don't care about the stupid cathedral," Dave remarked. "So I'll stay and help with the repairs. The sooner we get outta this hellhole the better."

"Patient much!" exclaimed Bianka. "Well, okay -- let's get going then."

The beautiful Grans Cathedral towered high above the soldiers, its spires stretching towards the wide-open sky. Decorating its cold exterior were elaborate carvings of various deities. The cathedral seemed to echo a sense of insignificance to the on-lookers. It was timeless; it had seen the births and deaths of generations, and it would see the births and deaths of generations to come.

Nestled amidst the towering mountains of Grans Island, the cathedral was a stark contrast to the beautiful wilderness around it. Undisturbed by the bustle of the towns and kingdoms, the cathedral stood as a solemn reminder of the power of the Light. The cathedral lay on flat ground, but to three of its sides rose the mountains. They were silent stone sentinels, standing guard around the cathedral.

Phillip, Bianka, Abat, and JJ entered the cathedral. Stained glass windows captured the light of the midday sun, illuminating the images of Mitula and Volcanon. The interior of the cathedral was lighted by this gentle light.

"It's beautiful!" whispered Bianka. Even the whispers of the tourists and other visitors echoed in the vast cathedral.

"Look at the ceiling!!" exclaimed Phillip. The ceiling was arched up, with beautiful gold decorations one hundred feet above the on-lookers.

"I'm glad I'm not a janitor for this place," Abat commented. "Hey!! Look at that!!"

Past the pews and the altar were a dozen or so stone-carved figures. They surrounded a shrine dedicated to Mitula. Each figure was a warrior, with a weapon made of pure gold.

"Who are these people??" wondered JJ.

"Darn...they don't look familiar at all!" Bianka exclaimed. "Darn Astral..."

"Sir Astral the most boring teacher in the world," commented Phillip. "No wonder we fudged on the history."

"Hey, do you guys wanna go check out the new monastery?" asked JJ.

"You really are anxious to see it!" Bianka commented.

"Well, since JJ can't have Isle, we should let him try to have one of the Master Monks there," Abat spoke.

"I think I'd prefer the cathedral," Bianka stated.

"All right. I'll see you guys at the ship tonight then." JJ took off for the new monastery and left Phillip, Bianka, and Abat in the Grans Cathedral. They spent some time at the cathedral, then stopped by the new monastery. By the time they had finished, the ship was repaired. By the time the sun died in the west, the ship was on its way to Fort Roft.

While the others waited and practiced, Phillip's squad spent the day at the beach not too far from Fort Roft. Even Dave, impatient as he was, had agreed to come along. They would soon be testing their well-honed battle skills.

"When we take the castle, I'm gonna personally collar King Tiar!!" Dave declared. "I can't wait to see the look on Princess Amy's face when we invade!!"

"Yeah, that girl gets on my nerves. She always tries to suck up to the people King Tiar makes deals with," Abat commented. "And no one likes her anyways. They all think she's incredibly annoying. She's almost as bad as Elis."

"You guys are so mean and so hostile!!" protested JJ.

"No we're not!" Dave spoke.

"But you have to admit Amy is annoying!" Phillip said. "I went with King Granseal during one of peace talks, and Amy kept trying to kiss up to King Granseal!! It was sickening!!"

"Eww, I'm glad I didn't come that time," Bianka spoke. "Amy just plain annoyed the heck out of me."

"She and Elis and that duke's daughter...what's her name...Vanessa! They are all three of a kind," Abat said.

"Let's talk about something pleasant for a change," Bianka said. "We've arrived at the beach!!"

The waves washed gently up against the shore. It was the perfect setting for a day at the beach: the sun was high in the sky and the temperature was warm. No one else was on the beach, for the war had scared off most of the people living nearby. Ben spread his towel on the shore and cranked out some books. Dave and JJ went swimming in the Grans waters.

"Holy crap!!" cried Dave. "This water is so cold!!" He jumped around frantically in the water.

"Maybe that'll cool Dave off," commented Abat.

Bianka laughed. "I'm glad we don't have to wear our armor for at least a day. I heard it was gonna be hot."

"Your costume is basically a swimsuit," Abat said. "What the heck are you complaining about?!?!"

"Oh, whatever, Abat. I don't understand how you can go marching around in hundred-degree weather in chain mail and all that metal armor."

"I can't take it sometimes," Phillip agreed. "The heat just gets to be unbearable sometimes. Thank god most of Grans Island is not unbearably hot." He spread out his towel and sat down on it. "Now if only I had my shades..."

"Oh darn -- I left mine at home!!" Bianka exclaimed. "Well, those were the last things on my mind when I was packing." Bianka and Abat spread out their towels and sat on them.

"Ready for the invasion?" asked Phillip.

"I am so ready!!" Dave shouted. "Yeah!! Hey guys!! Heads up!!!" Dave splashed a big wave of water on Phillip, Bianka, and Abat. It drenched them on the spot. Bianka stood up.

"That does it!" she laughed. "Hey Dave!!" Bianka dashed to the water and catapulted herself in, splashing Dave in the process.

"My turn!!" cried Phillip. He quickly followed suit and Dave was soaking wet.

"ARGH!! This water's so darn cold!!" cried Dave, dripping wet.

"Water fight!!" cried Abat. "Heads up!"

"What -- ??" Before Dave could complete his sentence, a giant water balloon smacked him in the face. "Ooh, this means revenge!!" Within a few minutes, Phillip, Bianka, Abat, and Dave were in a furious water fight. Their screams and laughter echoed along the nearby mountains. It would be a long time before these mountains surrounding Roft would hear laughter again.

Cheers sounded in the crowd. "Yeah!!!" Dave screamed. "Time to kick major butt!!!"

"I want you all to remember that Granseal is counting on you!!" Phillip spoke. "This invasion is the final battle in the war against Tiar!! Therefore, we must fight bravely and wisely. Remember defense as well as offense. The Master Monks will do their best to help us, but some or many or all of us may perish when we storm the castle." Phillip paused. "The time has come; good luck!!"

Cheers and cries rang from the crowd. The soldiers gathered their weapons and prepared to march on the Tiar castle. Phillip's squad gathered their weapons and joined the other soldiers.

"Nice speech, O fearless leader!!" Abat praised.

"Thanks," Phillip said. "I really hope people realize that this is not just all for glory! I hope they remember that we're mortal and that their friends or relatives may perish in the assault."

"They will realize it once they get on the battlefield," Bianka assured him.

"I hope I can hack it," Ben spoke. "I...I've never been in a real battle before."

"I'm sure you'll do fine...stop worrying," Bianka told Ben. "Just remember to be careful -- we'll all watch each other's backs!"

"Aww, don't worry, Ben!!" Dave said. "If they try to stomp you, I'll kick their ass."

That evening, once dusk had settled, the Granseal army gathered on the mountains above Tiar. One of the commanders of the army approached Phillip. "Phillip -- the General gave the go-ahead command. There's an outpost in the woods we didn't know about before. Your men are going to have to destroy it. Make sure there are no witnesses."

"All right," Phillip said. "We'll break this force in half. You'll take this half, I'll take the other. My party will sweep the outpost and we'll rendezvous with you and the rest of the Granseal army before we storm the kingdom and castle."

"Sounds good to me. Good luck."

"You too." Phillip turned to the mass of soldiers. "All right men!! Listen up!!" At once, all the soldiers grew quiet. Phillip stood in the center of the mass. "Everyone to the right, you're with me!! We're gonna overrun this outpost, then rendezvous with the rest of the troops for the invasion!! Follow me, as quietly as possible!!"

Half of the troops, including Phillip's squad, followed Phillip down the mountain and through the woods. Silence fell among the troops as they marched quietly through the woods. The invasion had finally come.

Bianka and Abat marched along with Phillip at the front. Bianka clutched her laserlance in her right hand. Her eyes scouted the woods for any sign of danger. Dave marched behind them, happy as a clam. He was finally getting the action he wanted. Behind Dave marched JJ and Ben. JJ seemed to be in shock. Ben was walking half-heartedly beside his brother.

Quietly, they stole through the woods. Phillip's men came upon the sleepy outpost. The guards in the towers were asleep at their posts. Phillip motioned, and the archers dispatched the guards without a sound. Once the guards were down, the troops stormed the outpost.

The cold clash of metal against metal and the battle-cries of the warriors filled the air. The Tiar soldiers were hopelessly outnumbered. In addition, Phillip's men had the element of surprise on their side.

The Granseal troops quickly overwhelmed the Tiar troops. Phillip led his squad towards the house of the commander stationed at the outpost. "The door seems to be locked," JJ said.

"Ha!!" Abat knocked down the door. "Can I make an entrance or what?"

Phillip walked in first. The commander and his family were inside. The commander, sword in hand, came out to face Phillip's squad. His wife and children cowered behind the furniture in the house.

"Momma!! Momma!!!" cried one of the children.

"Shh!! Shh!!" The commander's wife tried to hush the children. "Daddy's gonna save us...Daddy's gonna save us..." She covered their eyes with her hands.

"You'll never take us alive, Granseal scum!!" the commander cried defiantly. He brought his sword down on Phillip's shield.

"Oh really?" Dave snuck up from behind the commander and ran his sword through the commander's heart. The commander gasped and fell to the floor, dying. The screams of the wife and the children filled the room. "This day is Granseal's!!!" cried Dave.

Other soldiers entered the house. "Round up the survivors and bring them to the center," he commanded.

"Yes sir!!" The soldiers took the screaming and sobbing wife and children from the house. They led them towards the center of the outpost.

"What....what are you going to do with them???" cried Ben in distress.

"What do you think?" asked Bianka.

"C'mon -- we've just about sacked the outpost. Everyone out to the center!!" Phillip led his squad out towards the center of the outpost.

"Wait!!" Ben grabbed Bianka's arm. "What did you mean, 'what do you think'?"

"I think you know what I mean," Bianka replied. "Come on -- Phillip's ordered us to the center."

The tattered survivors were surrounded in the center of the outpost. Blood, weapons, and bodies were scattered throughout the whole outpost. Some fires were raging through the outpost, but Phillip ordered them to be extinguished.

"I want the fires put out," Phillip ordered. "We don't need to draw any attention to this outpost!! As far as Tiar knows, we're not here!" Promptly, some of the soldiers went to extinguish the fires.

"Hey -- what about the survivors?" asked one of the men.

Phillip sighed. "There will be no witnesses -- no survivors. I can't run the risk that one of them will reach Tiar before us and tell King Tiar or General Ramsi that we're attacking."

"But!! But!!!" Ben frantically grasped Phillip's arm. "But Phillip!!!!! They're just wounded men and women and children!!!" he cried hysterically. "Surely they can't hurt us!!"

"I'm sorry, Ben," Phillip said. "But no survivors means we can spare no one. No one must tell Tiar that we're here -- it's our lives or theirs. I won't sacrifice my men to spare the survivors. If I let them live, I will risk killing us all, and as a commander, I can't run that risk."

Ben looked completely shocked. "But Phillip -- please!! Think of our families!! Our parents!! Our siblings!!"

"Ben." Bianka put her hand on his shoulder. "Ben -- that's war. We have to do it." She spoke softly to the dismayed Ben.

"Oh God, oh God!!" Ben stumbled back. "You can't do that!! YOU CAN'T!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!"

Phillip nodded to the troops. One by one, the survivors were killed. Some screamed out. Others cried as they met their demise. And some held their tongue until the very end.

The sight of the slaughter burned deep into Ben's eyes. "Oh my God!! Oh my God!!" Ben stumbled back, sick to his stomach. "I can't believe you!! THEY WERE WOMEN AND CHILDREN!!! Oh God!! Oh God!!!" Ben turned around and threw up again and again. Images of the mangled bodies of the women and children ran through his mind's eye repeatedly, taunting him and turning his stomach inside out.

"Ben!! Ben!! Calm down!!" JJ ran to comfort his brother.

"Umm, Phillip?" Dave tapped Phillip on the shoulder. "I don't think it's a good time to ask, but shouldn't we clear up the bodies?"

"Yes. Tell the men to do so."

"All right. How's Ben?"

"I'll see to him. You tell the others." Dave scurried off and Phillip went to see to the vomiting Ben. Bianka, Abat, and JJ were comforting Ben. Ben was on his knees, sobbing.

"I can't take it!! I can't take it!!"

"Ben, man -- I'm sorry, but that's the way war is!!" Abat exclaimed.

"I know...I know...." Ben was shaking all over.

Phillip joined the group. "Ben, you don't have to continue with the war effort if it is that traumatic for you," Phillip offered.

"Phillip -- I can't!!" cried Ben. "My dad...he'll grill me!! He'll have my head!! I have to fight!!"

"Yeah, Dad's a butt," JJ told them. "We have to fight."

"I can't take it any longer!!" wailed Ben. "Please!! I have to get out!! Have to get out!!"

"You don't have to fight if you don't want to!!" Bianka said. "Phillip already said..."

"No...I want to so bad, Bianka...BUT I CAN'T!!!" Ben sobbed again. "I'm no warrior...it's all what Dad wants..." Ben lay sobbing and shaking on the ground. He was in no shape to continue.

"Yo guys -- they're cleaning up!!" Dave joined the group. "Hey Ben -- you okay?"

"Gimme a few minutes." Ben sat on the ground recomposing himself.

"Phillip..." Bianka pulled Phillip to the side. "We should get moving or we'll be late meeting up with the others!!"

"I know..." Phillip looked at Ben. "I don't know what to do about Ben, though. I'm afraid of what will happen when we storm the city. There's gonna be a lot more death when we get there."

"I don't know either, but we really should go!"

"Okay. I'll call the troops to move on."