Chapter 161: Resolve

Miser held Darren's collard. His face was full of seriousness as Darren told him to run away from something.

Immediately, Miser felt that he was in some sort of danger. It was as if his back was exposed, and he was about to be stabbed in the stomach.

"Run away!" Darren continued. His eyes were reddish and his face was full of craziness.

"What are you talking about?" Miser asked.

Darren was supposed to be still sleeping at this hour. He needed a lot of time to rest and recover from his wounds. However, he was now awake only after a few hours.

As expected, Darren's wounds opened up again and spilled down blood. Darren could not help but cry out in pain.

"Aargh!"

Darren saw the blood spill out on Darren's clothes, and it got him immediately worried. He looked out the window and shouted out towards the group.

"Help!"

His shout was immediately noticed by Hugh, and he burst out running inside. Once he saw the blood running, he quickly forced Darren back to bed and applied more cloth.

"You aren't supposed to be awake yet," Hugh said as he tightened the cloth around the wound on Darren's arm.

However, Darren did not seem he be scared by Hugh's words. He only stood up in his bed and looked at Hugh.

"You…you're strong," Darren commented.

As a long-time warrior in the kingdom, he immediately knew that Hugh was not a normal kid. Seeing Hugh stick with Miser gave him comfort and confidence.

"Help Miser and Mia. Please!" Darren cried out.

Hugh felt the strength on Darren's hands, and it got him worried. He did not know why Darren was so anxious for Mia and Miser's safety.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked as she burst into the room.

As Serena asked that, Darren immediately got flashbacks of when he escaped the army of the Cheroque kingdom.

"I escaped…I wanted to warn you of the incoming threat," Darren muttered as he stared off into space as if he was spacing out.

Hugh waved his hands in front of Darren, but it seemed like Darren could not see him.

Hugh did not like the suspense that was built up, so he shook Darren out of his daze.

However, it did not work as Hugh had intended. Darren's instincts immediately kicked in and attacked Hugh in self-defense.

Darren's moves were swift and powerful like a master of armed combat. Even with Hugh's massive weight, he was able to lift him in the air like it was nothing.

Hugh was surprised as he was not used to being thrown around like this. This was the first time that he had ever faced someone with this kind of skill.

Thankfully for Hugh, he was able to regain his sense of balance in mid-air as he took control of his own body back.

He landed safely on the ground with a big thump. However, Darren continued his attacks.

Darren's arms were like two snakes lunging at Hugh. It was fast and vicious, specifically targeting Hugh's weak points at his ligaments.

If not for his armor that he deployed at the last minute, he would be out cold right now.

"Uh…a little help here?" Hugh said as he got both of his hands busy dealing with Darren's attacks.

With Darren's physical state, Hugh was worried that his body would worsen once Hugh retaliates.

Serena moved and restrained Darren and put his hands behind him.

With her strength, Serena was able to restrain Darren's movements and prevent himself from hurting anyone, including his own body.

Darren struggled with all of his might, but he was of no use against two people with tremendous strengths. It was only a matter of time until Darren timed out.

Darren's movements slowly got slower and slower until his body came to a stop. It was at this moment that he gained focus back in his eyes.

Hugh noticed this change and let Darren go.

"Huh? Where am I?" Darren's asked. The last thing he remembered was that he was on a battlefield, but now, he was at an unknown location.

As Darren scanned the room for threats to his life, he suddenly saw the face of his old friend.

"Miser? Thank the gods you're still alive! Where's Mia? Is she okay?" Darren said as he got up from his bed and rushed over to his friend's side.

He did not seem to resize that his body was incredibly damaged. His body gave up on him as he tumbled as soon as he touched the floor.

Thankfully, Hugh and Serena caught him just before he slipped.

"You have to stay back in your bed," Jane said as she walked inside the room.

Darren noticed Jane walk in.

"What's with all the commotion?" Aric also came inside with a bored expression.

"Tell me, Darren. What's wrong?" Miser said as he walked towards his long-time friend.

Darren noticed the presence of these ridiculously strong teenagers inside the room. He was surprised to see them so young but so strong.

It distracted him for a little while, but the voice of his old friend brought him back.

"The army's coming to get you," Darren said.

As soon as he said those words, the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees. Miser was left speechless while Jane and Hugh both buried their heads while thinking of something.

"Why do they want to kill me so bad?" Mia said as she also woke up.

Darren saw Mia and he almost dropped a tear. He had not seen Mia in so long, not since she was a baby. Now, Mia was a grown woman who was as beautiful as her mother.

Darren wiped away his tears and steeled himself. Now was not the time to be sentimental. A reunion was reserved only after they won the war.

"They don't want to kill you," Darren continued.

Miser was relieved to know that Mia won't be killed. However, Darren's next words almost brought him to his knees.

"He'll take you captive as his queen. Only then will he be legible to be king."

"No!" Miser immediately rejected. In his eyes, Mia was still merely a child, and she should never be put into that position.

Miser knew the sadness that would be brought upon his daughter that happened. Her mother knew it best, that was why she fled the kingdom.

"Let's run away now before they get here," Darren said with urgency.

Hugh was in deep thought as the events unfolded. He was in a debate with himself as to how to approach the situation with the best outcome in mind.

"We don't have to," Hugh stated.

Darren immediately stopped moving and looked at Hugh. He could see that Hugh was strong, but he did not know if Hugh was smart enough to know what he was talking about.

"Do you have a plan? We are wasting time here!" Darren said as he continued to move. He grabbed Mia and Miser's hands as he began to walk out of the room.

"That would be unwise," said Jane. This time, Jane agreed with Hugh's decision.

"Are you both nuts?! We can't win against an army!" Serena said as she faced both Hugh and Jane.

Hugh and Jane both looked at each other and had an understanding. They both knew the truth about this world, and how it functions.

"We can win this war. We have to," Jane said with resolution deeply embedded into her eyes.

"Listen here youths. You may have the strengths to beat ten men or even a hundred men, but you simply cannot win against a thousands-strong army!" Darren stated.

"We don't have to," Hugh interjected. "There are other ways to win a war."

Darren stopped and looked at Jane and Hugh. "Like I said, do you have a plan?"

"Not yet. But I know that running away is not part of it." Jane said.

Mia saw Jane and Hugh's conviction to fight, and it ignited her into something that she wanted to do.

All her life, things just happened to her. She did not have to power to fight it or change it; she was merely a spectator in her own life.

She was helpless as her mother was killed in cold blood. She was captured by loan sharks, and she sat in the prison waiting until she was rescued.

No more. She did not want to be a bystander anymore. She wanted to fight for her freedom, for her destiny.

Mia shrugged away Darren's hands and walked towards Hugh and Jane's side, a move that was unexpected to both parties.

"Mia?" Miser asked with confusion on his face.

"I don't want to run, father. I want to fight. And if they say that there is a way to fight, then I will fight with them!" Mia raised her voice like nothing she had ever done.

Hugh smiled as he saw the confidence burst out of Mia. Then, he turned to look at her as he spoke.

"Do you want to be a queen?"