Chapter 17: Uprising

Chapter 17

Uprising

July 20th, 2019 AE, 1:41 PM

Ventasia was an aquatic metropolis with numerous canals running through it. The island city served as the link between the Astrelm and the Nova Empire. On opposite sides of the city, an enormous bridge connected the island to the continent across the water. Even though Ventasia was initially part of Astrelm, it now served as the central hub for Imperials entering the kingdom. Centurions and their mechanical Giants endlessly patrolled the streets of the stone city.

The Champions were flown to the city by airship in less than a day, but for Jaden, the trip felt like eons. He was so anxious over his upcoming fight with Kaiser, he was shaking in his seat the whole time. But even as this fear surged through his body, he couldn’t help but feel excited. He always wanted to fight another Ark Knight, but after years of being the last one, he never thought he’d get the chance. Perhaps this was due to his warrior’s blood, but he still really wanted to see what the Dark Lord could really do.

The ship landed in front of Ventasia’s central palace, which loomed over the bridge leading to the rest of the city. As they disembarked from the Imperial aircraft, Jaden watched as the palace blocked the sun’s rays, casting an equally large shadow over him. Waiting for the rest of the soldiers to touch down, he turned to the waters behind him and took in their majesty. Feeling the cool, salty air caress his face, he almost forgot that he and his friends were all prisoners.

“Wow, I never thought I’d ever get to see this side of the ocean,” he said to Astra. “Especially not like this.”

“You don’t have to do this, you know?” she said. “You could run away from all this right now.” 

“I know. But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Revan was quietly staring out towards the city, but he was looking at it at all. He was looking beyond the horizon and through the haze of reality itself. He was gazing into the past, all the way back to that traumatic day ten years prior.

The Royal Family had traveled to Ventasia for a peace summit with other countries, including the Empire, who had signed a treaty a decade prior. This was the perfect opportunity for them to launch an attack on not just the Royal Family, but all the other world leaders. 

The palace soon became engulfed in flames as imperial soldiers rained down from the sky. Their airships hovered among the foggy clouds like ghost ships. The soldiers showed no emotion as they mowed down the summit guests. As he frantically searched for his mother, he saw their commanding officer fire a bullet into her chest. He was only fourteen.

Revan desperately tried to help her as she bled out in front of him. He refused to leave her, even as the Imperials closed in on them. His father was forced to drag him away so he could flee the city with both of his children. The Empire then moved onto conquering the rest of Ventasia. 

While only a few world leaders were killed by the Empire, the total casualties still ranged in the thousands. No one else could go back for the dead, so Revan couldn’t even bury his mother. Next to the Newtown Invasion, this was the worst event in the entire war. But for poor Revan, it was the worst day of his entire life.

“Hey, Rev. Are you okay?”

Revan was pulled back to the present by Darek, who had walked up behind him.

“Did you just call me Rev?” He was used to his comrades calling him “Prince” or “Commander,” or just by his actual name. But Revan didn’t expect anyone to call him by a nickname.

“Sorry, Revan. What’s bothering you?”

Revan looked away from him as he spoke, desperately trying to find shelter within himself.

“Ten years ago, this was where the Empire killed my mother. I just watched as they shot her dead as everything burned to the ground. Now it looks like my sister could share the same fate.”

“You don’t know ,” Darek said in a desperate attempt to comfort him. “The Emperor promised that she won’t get hurt.”

“You don’t know that! No one knows what the Empire will do! They’ve probably already decided to execute us all right in front of the whole city!”

Unable to figure out what to say, Darek merely put his one hand on the Prince’s shoulder, which startled him for a second. He wasn’t wearing his armor, so he could actually feel his touch. Despite this, he let his friend be, as Darek was the only thing that could shield him from the pain, and so they stood there in silence until he spoke up again.

“You’re right. We don’t know what will happen, and we can’t trust them. That’s why we have to trust each other. We just gotta have faith.”

Even though Revan always believed that his kingdom could win the war, he always assumed the worst would happen. He thought this mindset was what kept him and his loved ones alive. Yet he never fully trusted anyone, not even them, enough to put their own lives at risk. Ever since his mother died, he encased himself in a suit of armor to avoid feeling that pain again. But now, he could no longer feel it around his thick skin, which slowly began to shed in the face of his only friend.

Their tender moment was cut off by a cold, menacing voice. Revan and Darek turned around to see the Dark Lord approach them from behind.

“Faith doesn’t last long in this world. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste it. The only person you can rely on is yourself. That’s the only one who’ll never betray you.”

“Says the guy who sold out his kind to the Empire! You may talk a big game, but maybe you’re not as strong as you think you are!”

Kaiser’s smug smile quickly vanished, as this pitiful human had challenged his dominance. The Dark Lord slowly inched himself towards the Darek, staring down at him with his piercing, golden eyes.

“You don’t know what I am, but I do know you. A Centurion like the rest of them. I can practically smell the fear all over you. I’ve molded men far better than you to serve us, but they crumbled all the same. You may have escaped us before, but you can be sure that by the time this is all over, I will break you.”

The Dark Lord walked away with contempt, leaving Darek disheartened and defeated. He didn’t even notice the Prometheans follow their master out of the courtyard. With that, they all began walking towards the great city, where Jaden’s impending trial awaited on the other side.

* * *

The Champions arrived at the Divine Temple, located at the south end of the city. Unlike the rest of them, behind it was a giant colosseum built entirely of stone. Even though half of it was destroyed and withered away, it stood the test of time. This arena was said to have actually been built in ancient Astrelm, before the Divine War. It was here that strong warriors fought to the death for glory and the people’s entertainment.

As Jaden walked through the gate to the colosseum, he could hear the screams of people on the outside. He walked out to the center of the arena to see that the citizens of Ventasia had filled the stadium. He could feel the pressure of the audience’s eyes all on him as they cheered out with excitement. This wasn’t even the whole audience, as hundreds of other spectators stood just outside the stadium. There were also cameras broadcasting us live, so everyone on the planet watching.

At the far end of the arena sat an altar overlooking the ocean, where a statue of Azura stood as witness. Thousands of Imperial androids surrounded the temple, while multiple airships hovered above it. In fact, the entire Promethean Army was stationed there to protect the Emperor, who was watching from the royal stand above the arena. At the center of it all was Kaiser.

Jaden saw that the Dark Lord wasn’t wearing his black mask as usual. Today, his true face was revealed to the world. Below his face hung Astra’s Keystone, just as Jaden’s hung from his neck. With both pendants present at the temple, they could enact the ritual to compete for the Star of Azura.

Jaden also couldn’t help but notice the sword hanging from Kaiser’s waist: His weapon was a black, longsword crowned with a dark, thorny hilt embedded with a red crystal. Jaden could sense a tremendous amount of dark energy resonating from it, equivalent to that of the Astral Sword. This was a Divine Weapon forged by Kaiser with his own dark power.

Kaiser looked around at the crowd, proudly smiling as he soaked in all the cheers and excitement.

“I must say I’m quite surprised!” he said to Jaden. “The turnout here is greater than I ever could’ve dreamed!”

“I never realized you were such a diva, Kaiser!”

“You should be honored, Jaden! You’re about to die for your country!”

Kaiser walked back to his side of the arena, and they both got into position for their duel. Dozens of cameramen recorded them as both fighters, broadcasting the event worldwide. At the same time, Astra and the others watched everything from the sidelines, where they were also being watched by Promethean guards.

“I can’t believe the Empire turned a sacred ritual into a media circus,” Astra asserted.

“I can,” Jesse added. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to see two Ark Knights battle it out? They’ve already sold out this entire thing!”

“This isn’t some game! It’s a slaughter!” Darek spouted angrily.

“How could the Empire do this?!” Kaylah asked dolefully.

“They’re trying to prove a point,” Revan answered bluntly. “They want to show Astrelm their greatest fighter dying at their hands.”

Astra looked up towards the Emperor’s lofty perch, where he sat on his throne, smiling in anticipation. A pair of royal guards stood behind him, vigilantly watching with their rifles ready. To his right was a hologram of her father, King Ramon, who did not share his happiness. He could only sit in his Sanctuary and watch this madness unfold.

“You seem very pleased with yourself, Alderic.” Ramon pointed out.

“Why wouldn’t I be? When this duel is over, I’ll finally be rid of the Ark Knights that you so depend on.”

“Don’t be so sure. Jaden has more power than you realize.”

“I should be saying the same about Lord Kaiser. You won’t believe what he’s really capable of.” On that note, the Emperor turned his head back to the arena and spoke to the masses.

“People of Astrelm, hear me! Today, one of your Champions will stand trial for crimes against the Empire! His punishment: to die at the hands of our Dark Lord so we may claim the power of the gods!”

Everyone sitting in the stands cheered for the Emperor’s speech. Though they were all Astrean civilians, they were forced by Imperial gunmen to praise him under threat of death: a testament to Alderic’s ravenous ego.

As Jaden and Kaiser unsheathed their swords, the entire crowd fell silent. Both knights locked eyes with each other as they keenly predicted the others’ strategy. The crowd was no different, as they vigilantly watched them from the edge of their seats, waiting for someone to make the first move. Jaden could feel their energies boiling to the surface, causing their bodies to flow with electricity. A storm cloud of energy was brewing around them, heralding an explosion of combat preparing to go off.

Finally, Jaden launched himself towards Kaiser like a rocket, unleashing his blades on him at breakneck speed. The Dark Lord quickly defended against the supercharged attack with his own blade. Jaden followed that up with a wave of swift sword strikes. But Kaiser blocked each of his attacks with relative ease.

  The Ark Knight brought both of his swords down on the Dark Lord, who parried them with his own weapon. Jaden rushed towards him for a counter strike, but Kaiser retaliated with a swift punch to the gut.

“Guh!”

His fierce attack caught Jaden entirely by surprise. Kaiser wasn’t even trying, and his speed had already surpassed his own. The sheer force of his attack sent Jaden flying off the ground. Fortunately, he landed on his feet and prepared for another assault. 

Filling his blades with burning light, Jaden charged back at Kaiser with incredible force. Even then, none of his attacks weren’t breaking through his defenses. Kaiser ignited his sword with his own dark magic, bathing it in a harsh red light. In retaliation, he swung his demonic sword right at Jaden’s head. Luckily, he slid underneath his searing blade, narrowly avoiding it as it swept past him. 

“Impressive, Jaden!” he said. “But I expected more from you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m just getting started!”

Jaden focused all his strength to go all out, enveloping himself in a fiery blue aura that sent shockwaves across the arena. The Ark Knight could feel his blood racing through his body as it swelled with new might. He then bolted towards Kaiser with even greater speed, and their blades clashed with a bang. 

Flashes of blue and red light shined throughout the battlefield. Neither Jaden nor Kaiser could land a hit on each other. Both of the Arkanians were practically at a stalemate. For the first time in Jaden’s life, he finally found a warrior that truly rivaled him. He couldn’t help but feel excited by the challenge. Even when powered up with the Astral Force, he kept pushing himself to do better, despite the pain it caused him.

Come on! Keep pushing!!!

Jaden could feel his senses overloading as the battle reached its peak. He could barely even begin to process the experience. It was like his mind was being forced out of his body, and he was running on pure, primal instinct. As the battle continued to intensify, Kaiser’s defenses slowly deteriorated until Jaden finally managed to break through them.

His Dark Night Sword cut through Kaiser’s cheek, and Jaden could actually see a hint of shock on his cold, dead face. For the first time ever, he had caught the Dark Lord by surprise.

“Why you little—”

Before he could even react, Jaden ferociously drove his fist right into his gut, causing him to cry out in pain. 

“Gyahh!”

The Ark Knight launched himself across the field with incredible speed, slamming the Dark Lord right against the brick wall. He continued hammering away at Kaiser, his fists sending explosive waves through the air. The spectators fearfully backed away from the wall as it began to crumble in front of them. 

Jaden leaped away from Kaiser and called the Astral Sword to his left hand. He summoned the blade’s holy power, filling it with energy that he unleashed in a shining slash. Having immobilized his opponent, the Ark Knight charged himself with all the strength he could muster. He then released it all on Kaiser in a blast that completely swallowed the Dark Lord in a sea of light.

“Yaaahhhh!”

The crowd recoiled from the shockwave released by the blast’s impact. After a moment of stunned silence, the audience roared in awe of the Ark Knight’s strength.

As he heard their excitement fill the colosseum, Jaden couldn’t believe that everyone was actually rooting for him. After years of keeping his powers secret, he didn’t need to hide them anymore. The whole world finally got to see who Jaden really was.

The other Champions joined in the crowd’s hurrah, overjoyed to see their friend victorious. 

“Yes!” Jesse cheered. “Way to go, J!”

“I guess Kaiser was just another pretty face!” Darek added.

Kaylah merely sighed with joyous relief, but Astra and Revan looked on with concern and skepticism. However, their father smiled with pride as he finally gained the upper hand against his rival.

“Well, Alderic. It looks like you put your faith in the wrong man,” said the King.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” The Emperor responded, staring down at the field with no concern at all.

As the dust settled, Jaden slowly began to catch his breath. He had nearly used up all of his energy during that assault, causing him to cramp up and almost fall.

The smoke cleared, and, to Jaden’s disbelief, Kaiser emerged from it unscathed. The only wound he could feel was the cut on his face, which instantly healed before Jaden’s eyes.

“What? But how?!” Jaden exclaimed.

Kaiser looked down on himself for any other wounds, as if he expected to have gotten hurt.

“I thought you’d be better than this!” he exclaimed. “Now it’s my turn!” 

Kaiser flexed his body as it became engulfed in a red and black aura. Streaks of red lightning flowed across his body as it filled up with dark energy. Jaden could feel him powering up with a frightening amount of strength. The Dark Lord then began to levitate off the ground like he was swept up in a massive whirlwind. At that moment, Jaden had a horrible realization: Kaiser was going easy on him.

Kaiser held a black orb over his head, which immediately dispersed into a volley of energy rockets. Jaden bounced away from each explosive blast as they ravaged the battlefield. Catching him at the edge of the smoke, Kaiser fired a pulse of darkness at Jaden, which he quickly blocked with the Astral Sword. The holy blade absorbed the evil energy, converting it into light that Jaden shot back at him. Unfortunately, Kaiser quickly defended against his attack with a red force field. He then condensed his shield down to the palm of his hand, transforming it into an electric sphere that he launched at Jaden. With little time to react, he formed a magic orb to hold it back, resulting in an explosion that almost brushed him off the ground.

“How…how do you have this much power?” Jaden asked Kaiser.

“Oh, Jaden, you have no idea what true power is!”

At that moment, Jaden thought his vision was failing from fatigue, but he saw there were four Kaisers. He thought this had to be an illusion, but before he knew it, they all ganged up on him. Everything about them, including their blades, felt all too real. He tried to fend off their attacks, but they quickly tore him away like a tornado of broken glass. Jaden could feel his strength getting cut down until he was down on one knee. All four of them then combined their power into a massive, black sphere and launched it at Jaden. This ecliptic blast shot the Ark Knight straight into the wall, forcing the Astral Sword out of his hand.

As the Ark Knight slowly fell back to the floor, all three of Kaiser’s clones merged back with the original. The entire crowd fell silent as Kaiser walked towards Jaden menacingly. On the other hand, the Emperor smirked with delight as he watched the young boy suffer. Jaden was now fighting to stand up as the Dark Lord towered over him like a monolith.

“You may have learned to control your powers, Jaden, but I spent my entire life mastering them! For decades, I’ve fought countless battles with the very worst of humanity, enduring the worst pain imaginable! But from that pain, I grew stronger, and now—” 

With his right hand free, Jaden summoned a dagger to shove into Kaiser’s throat. However, his opponent caught the blade in his hand, the sharp edge going right through his palm.

“—I can’t feel anything!”

Kaiser grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off of the ground. Jaden could then feel him suck the life out of him with his dark magic. As he desperately tried to break free of his lethal grasp, Kaiser sadistically smiled as he watched the boy struggle to stay alive. As the last of his energy left his body, Jaden’s eyes fell shut, and his entire world turned black.

Back on the sidelines, all of Jaden’s friends witnessed his defeat with utter disbelief. But none of them were more distraught than Astra. Standing on the verge of tears, the Princess desperately wanted to help him and stop this battle, knowing she had the power within herself to do so. But all she could was watch as he suffered a bloody defeat.

Kaiser then soared into the clouds with Jaden still in his grasp. The cold wind brushed across the Dark Lord’s face, and yet he felt nothing, for he was already as numb as a corpse. But as Kaiser stared at this swordsman hanging lifelessly from his hand, he couldn’t help but ponder the tragedy of his loss. This young warrior held so much promise as an Ark Knight; he hated to see it all go to waste. He immediately pushed these emotions aside and simply said—

“What a shame.”

He then tossed Jaden aside like a rag doll, sending the Ark Knight plummeted to the ocean. His frail body hit the water in a whimper of a splash, sinking into the abyssal darkness.

* * *

Kaiser looked down at all the people below, now mere ants in his spiteful gaze. In turn, everyone stared up at this man in the sky, floating above them like an angel of death. Everyone was shocked by how easily Kaiser pulverized Jaden: an Ark Knight they hoped would deliver them from this demonic tyrant. The other Champions were even more stunned by their friend’s horrifying defeat.

“There’s no way this is happening!” Jesse exclaimed.

“He can’t be dead…he just can’t!” Kaylah added.

Meanwhile, Astra was suffering such a massive panic, she could hardly breathe. It felt like her heart was about burst out of her chest. She just couldn’t hold it in anymore. She couldn’t let another loved one die. In a moment of desperation, she ran out into the field to save Jaden, ignoring the Prometheans ready to shoot her.

“Astra, wait!” Revan shouted.

Kaiser suddenly flashed in front of her, blocking the way to the ocean. He held his hand out to Prometheans, signaling for them to lower their weapons. With the androids obeying his command, only the Dark Lord stood in the Princess’s path. However, the difference in their power made it feel like a massive, black wall stood between her and Jaden.

“Don’t even try, your Highness!” Kaiser ordered. “You have no chance of getting through me!”

“You monster!” Astra spouted. “How could you do this?!”

“You think that I’m a monster? I’ve seen what real monsters are like. I’ve seen men turn against their own kind, slaughtering each other for no good reason. I watched as cities burned to the ground by their hands. But amidst that chaos, as I stared into those flames, I saw the truth. You may think I’m a monster, but you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Just then, the crowd’s silence was replaced by their strident screams. Centurions inside the colosseum were being impaled from behind with swords laced with dark magic. These Imperials couldn’t see their killers, but they were shrouded in black cloaks and bore the Destroyer’s symbol on their skin. The Death Riders were revolting. 

More spectators shrieked in terror at the sight of this massacre. One by one, these men collapsed, lying dead in pools of their own blood. Both the King and the Emperor were baffled by the chaos that continued to unfold.

“Alderic, what’s going on?” Ramon asked.

“I don’t know!” said Alderic.

Before he knew it, a long, black sword was sliding across his neck like a serpent. Alderic already knew that Lok had his blade at his throat. 

“Something else just came up!” he whispered.

Lok drove his boot into the device projecting Ramon’s body, ending the transmission. He then took Alderic away, passing the dead bodies of the Emperor’s royal guards.

Alderic was brought down to the arena where he and other Death Riders joined Astra and Kaiser. Just like that, the Dark Lord had the Emperor kneeling before him.

“Kaiser, what the hell is this?!” Alderic was seething with rage.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this!” Kaiser responded, looking down on him with a malicious grin.

Suddenly, the entire Promethean Army flooded into the arena. Thousands of androids marched out and completely surrounded Kaiser. All of their airships circled the battlefield like vultures. They even flew in their mechanical Giants, now operating by themselves, onto the rim of the colosseum. But Kaiser was not deterred by this at all.

“Give it up, Kaiser!” the Emperor ordered. “You’re no match against my army!”

“You still don’t get it,” he said with contempt. “I’m not the one who’s outmatched.”

The air around them started rushing towards Kaiser; his energy built up like a cosmic vacuum as a dark force germinated within him. Something else was coming.

Suddenly, a large, black haze surrounded Kaiser, completely shrouding him in darkness. It began swirling around him like a tornado, eventually growing bigger than the colosseum itself. The cloud then took the shape of some sort of humanoid creature with long, sharp horns, a pair of demonic wings, and three piercing, red eyes.

The phantom beast bellowed as it released a wave of darkness that flooded the colosseum. Everyone inside braced themselves as the torrent of evil energy came crashing down all around them. The stadium quickly became filled with the darkness and the screams of its spectators, yet they both faded in no time at all.

While it seemed like nothing happened at all, all the Imperial androids lowered their weapons. They then just stood in place, as if they were all deactivated at once. However, all of their eyes quickly shifted from a cold blue to a burning red.

“What did you do?” Alderic asked Kaiser.

“I gave them a new perspective.”

Just like that, the soldiers opened fire on the audience, and pandemonium broke out. The spectators began to flee the colosseum, desperately trying to escape the wave of death washing over them. Revan and the others took cover inside the stadium as the soldiers came in, firing randomly at anything that moved. One Promethean discovered them and wasted no time in prepping their execution. Fortunately, Revan disarmed and incapacitated the android, blowing its head with its own machine gun. He then shot two more automatons through the head while the other Champions took their weapons.

“Come on, follow my lead!” Revan ordered.

The android army quickly poured into the city, firing at anyone in sight. At the same time, the Giants marched through the streets or crawled up on rooftops and set the city ablaze with their optic blasts. 

Back in the arena, Astra watched in horror as the city was ravaged in a sea of fire. Alderic himself was frightened as both his army and his Empire began to crumble around him.

“Did you really think you could ever rule this world?!” Kaiser asked him. “All you’ve done is sit on your throne and watch your army of puppets fight your battles for you! But with my power alone, I quickly turned them all against you. You could never understand true power, because you’ve sacrificed nothing!”

“Maybe so,” Alderic responded, “but you’ll never be a god.”

“You’re right. I’m something far worse.”

Kaiser raised his sword up so he could bring it down to Alderic’s neck. But before the Dark Lord could exact his judgment, a column of white light shot out of the ocean bordering the city. 

From the depths of the sea emerged a man in black bathed in a matching blue aura. Out of sheer instinct, Jaden had harnessed the power of his energy to lift himself up into the sky.

The Ark Knight lowered himself down to the battlefield, where Kaiser saw something radiated in his right hand. Jaden clutched a cerulean stone overflowing with divine energy that healed his wounds. Without even having to measure the stone’s power, Kaiser already knew what it was.

“The Star of Azura!” Kaiser declared.

He raised his arm up to shoot Jaden down. But the Ark Knight seemingly vanished as he flew down to the colosseum. He suddenly reappeared on the other side of the ring, holding Astra in his arms. 

Jaden disappeared once again as he sped across the arena. When Jaden popped up again, everyone was baffled to see that he had grabbed Emperor Alderic. Not even Jaden nor Alderic could believe it. The Ark Knight was protecting the leader of the Nova Empire.

“Get out of here, now!” Jaden yelled.

With great haste, a couple of Centurions took Alderic and fled the scene. Gripping the Astral Sword, the Ark Knight turned his attention back to the Dark Lord and his Death Riders.

“It looks like you got some of your strength back!” Kaiser said, unfazed by the challenge. “But no matter what state you’re in, you still can’t win! Just give up!”

“No way!” Jaden shouted. “You can’t keep me down!”

“We’ll see about that. Let’s put you out of your misery!”

As Kaiser prepared to brutalize Jaden, a speeding bullet grazed his shoulder. Clutching his wound, he scowled across the arena to see that the shooter was Revan. Behind him were the remaining Champions, all armed with the weapons they stole.

“Kaiser!” Revan shouted. “If you want them dead, you’ll have to kill us first!”

“Very well,” he answered. 

Kaiser held his arm out and forged an electric orb that could vaporize all four of them at once. With the Dark Lord distracted, the Ark Knight blasted towards him and swung the Astral Sword at his head. Though Kaiser quickly stepped back, Jaden successfully slashed him across the face.

“Gaaahhhh!”

Kaiser shrank back as an acute pain shot through his cheek. This wasn’t like how he wounded him before. He shielded his face as it morphed into a mask of black veins and sharp wrinkles. Seeing his cut fail to seal itself shut, Jaden quickly realized the Dark Lord’s weakness.

“GET THEM!!!” 

At their master’s command, the Death Riders set their savage sights on the other Champions. In response, Kaylah reached for a grenade and hurled it to her enemies’ feet.

“Jaden, get down!” she shouted.

As Jaden shielded himself, a fierce, white flare erupted from the device, blinding everyone in its path. With Kaiser and his Riders stunned, Jaden rushed over to Astra and the other Champions. Revan turned to Jaden and Astra and shouted—

“Are you guys okay?” the Ark Knight.

“There’s no time for that! Take Astra, take the crystal, and get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving you guys!” the Ark Knight countered.

“I’m not asking you!” Revan said sternly. “Kaiser can’t get his hands on her! Go now! Protect Astra! That’s an order!”

For a split second, Jaden was shocked to hear Revan actually entrusting him with his sister’s life. But he no time to appreciate it. 

“Okay! Astra, hold on!” Jaden said.

As the Princess wrapped her arms around him, the Ark Knight propelled himself into the air, escaping with Astra in a trail of blue light. And with that, Revan and the other Champions fled from the colosseum.

` By the time they were all gone, Kaiser and his Death Riders regained their vision. The Dark Lord was seething with rage now that his prey was gone.

“NO!!!”

“Lord Kaiser, are you alright?” Lok asked.

“Why are you just standing there! Bring them to me! NOW!!!”

Lok and his men flew away with great haste, leaving their master alone as rain began to fall from the sky.