The Crimson Prince： Awakening 47 Chapter 18: Aftermath

Will flew over the battlefield making sure no survivors surfaced from the corpses of the corrupt aura wielders. He didn't want to take the chance that any of them could have survived the explosion he created with the vast amount of energy within the vortex of crimson pillar. If one survived, there would be no end to the trouble it would cause him.

His new wind aura was somewhat of a mystery to him. Even though Will had used it against Jake not even an hour ago, the aura had almost no hint of being around him. The crimson flame had long since come back to him, but instead of gold flames, bolts of gold lightning flashed within the ruby red of his aura. He hoped that when he unlocked his new ability, he would be able to control wind as he did his flame. Will knew it wouldn't be that simple. He had to train months with his flame in order to do little more than light a candle.

When Will controlled the flame for the first time, when the door within his mind opened, the awakening was a pillar of flame he was able to use in order to save Maya. After the awakening, he had to train day and night to be able to achieve the same effects. He had to come up with a plan that allowed him to train as he did with his first gift.

As Will set down in the middle of his two hundred and fifty man force, he saw Leo with a group of fifteen waiting for him. "Hey Will?" Leo said as he raised his hand slightly palm up. "We have a problem man." he brought forth his aura, but instead of the usual silver flame, wind circled barely visible around his open hand. Small shocks of gold played around the wind as if dancing happily in a storm. "It's the same for all of them as well."

"There's no time to dwell on that right now." Will said as he summoned his aura. "Everyone gather around!" He yelled out to the two hundred and fifty man army. Almost all at once, his group had circled around him.

Will stretched out his hand and shot a powerful bolt of lightning to the ground in front of him. As soon as the bolt hit the ground, it shot up into a blinding gold archway. "I'm sending all of you to Michael's manor." he looked at Leo and Bianca with a small apologetic smile. "You two go with them to make sure Michael has enough s.p.a.ce." Will put his arm around Leo and drew him close. "I want you to research whatever you can for improving this village. Ebonhart may be the capital now, but when we are done it'll be the largest city in this kingdom." Leo nodded at his self proclaimed brother as he led the group through the large archway.

Bianca made her way to the archway following the large crowd. Before she stepped through, she turned to face Will. Maya had made her way to him already and stood by his side. It made her irritated seeing how formal the girl had become with her boyfriend. "Isn't she coming with us?" she motioned to Maya.

"No," Will looked at Bianca with a slightly exasperated glance. "She is going to come with me to help confront the king."

"What's the difference between me and her?" she asked as she took a step towards him. "Why is it all of a sudden her that you would rather have around? What makes her so special?"

Will was already at his last nerve. He had loved Bianca since he was young. Not long ago when he had just arrived it was her picture that kept him going while wandering the lands of Ebonhart. While Maya had clearly shown her affection for him, he stayed loyal to the girl back home. No matter what she tried, he never once looked at Maya the way he had Bianca. When he had lost Maya, a wave of guilt crashed upon him. He had dreams every night of how he failed her.

When she had come back to him, even as the b.a.s.t.a.r.dization of her former self, Will was overwhelmed with relief upon seeing her again.

"I don't think right now is the best time to talk about this." Will said as he looked at Maya and then to Bianca. "I need to sort out my feelings before I can tell you my decision, but as for why Maya is coming with me," he said as he walked closer to his girlfriend. "She needs my protection as much as I need hers. I don't yet know what the side effects of her new aura will be." he said as he reached a hand to Bianca.

"I know there's more to it than that." Bianca snapped as she shoved his hand away. "What aren't you telling me?" her eyes narrowed as she glared at Maya. "She was corrupted, you don't even know if she is even in control right now."

"Maybe he wants me to come along because I'm not full of insecurities." Maya finally had enough of Bianca's fit. "I wouldn't blame him, just listening to you question something you love is enough to make me sick."

Bianca looked as if she were ready to start throwing punches. Will noticed her ring glowing a menacing red in the darkness of night. Her face filled with hate was looking between him and Maya. "If you never would have come here, none of this would have happened Will." her hands glowed with a crimson flame. "If you never met her," she pointed a scarlett finger at Maya," I wouldn't have to feel this way!" she shrieked as her hand went down to her chest to her other, buckling as if she were in pain while her flames spiraled out from beneath her.

Before Will had a chance to say anything, Maya stepped in front of him. "Who are you kidding here?" she said as she allowed her darkness to come forth, the outline tinted gold. "If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else!" she shouted into the crimson inferno. "Why did you even come here?"

Maya looked out from the familiar flame to Will. "I came here for Will, to bring him back home." her eyes shown with tears as she looked into his. "Don't you miss your life? Jonathan is waiting at your house for you to come home. Have you already forgotten him?" with every question, she took a step forward, as if trying to bring reason closer to him. "What about school? I thought you wanted to go to college and stop moving around so much? Your uncle is in New York, we could move there and you could have a pick of any school you want." her eyes grew brighter with every word that came from her lips. "Think about it Will, you could have a normal life with me in New York. You don't have to fight so hard for this place. It's not your home, let's just get out of here." her eyes were pleading now, begging her boyfriend to come back.

Will looked heartbroken. Bianca could almost see the thoughts forming in his head, as if she had somehow brought them to the surface herself.

He had almost started to take a step forward before he heard Maya's soft voice whisper. "What about us?" his foot stilled before it could lift. "Will saved me from a life of prost.i.tution. The very flame you wield is the one he used to bring justice to those pigs." her eyes were that of shadows. "Would you bring ruin to so many generations of women and children just because you want your boyfriend to come home with you?" she took a step forward, her darkness shadowed Bianca's crimson light.

"Look around you and imagine living here Bianca." Maya said as she held her hand out to the burnt fields they stood in. "Can you even imagine the work these families had to put in to even grow these crops?" her calm voice picked up slightly and her voice broke from emotion. "None of these crops even belong to the villagers. It all belongs to Ebonhart to pay taxes. They get pennies from giving these goods to the knights barracks. Half of the kids here wouldn't have survived winter were it not for Will. If he leaves and nothing changes, none of them will survive. They will be sold as slaves to pay off their debt."

Bianca shook her head. "I don't care." Will looked at her, shocked. "Let someone else do it. Slap his father awake and teach him how to rule again but you can't have him."

"And what about after my father's rule ends Bianca?" Will had enough of hearing her tantrum. "There needs to be a Prince to take a King's place. Are they supposed to just have a few years of peace before all h.e.l.l breaks loose?" he sighed. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about going back, but he was needed in Crystallia whether he liked it or not. "What happened to you Bianca? You weren't always like this."

Bianca stared at Will, and he could almost visibly see her heart breaking. "Ever since we helped Jake, nothing has been right." she suppressed a sob. "What do you owe these people? How do you know they won't just hurt you after you give them all you can?" she knew how far Will would go to help even a stranger that he owed nothing to. "When will it end?"

"I'm a prince. Its my job to give to the people, maybe I've always known that. I will give everything in my life to them so long as it keeps them off the streets. I wasn't just born for myself Bianca. To ignore them would be to ignore myself. This is my life." he said as he looked around at Ember and the now empty area around the archway. He silently counted his blessings that Leo had kept moving them through despite the entertaining spectacle going on in front of them.

"I'll make it easy for you to choose Will." Bianca said as she pointed at the archway. "Go home with me right now and we can start our life together." she looked over at Maya. "Or go with her and never see me again. I will go through this portal and head back to Minnesota, you never have to hear from me again." she didn't hesitate to turn from Will and start walking slowly to the portal.

Will was lost in thought. He didn't know how exactly to stop this from happening. All of the good times they had when growing up hit him all at once. The houses they broke into with Leo, the times at java joint, doing homework at the field in the back of his house. As she walked away, he saw them sitting on the half finished library on a starlit night looking down at the residents below. He thought of every plan they had ever made. He tried to make his lips move to stop her, but he couldn't speak.

The flames around Bianca started to extinguish as she made her way closer to the archway. With every step, the intensity began to wither. By the time she was a foot away from leaving, they were completely out.

Bianca looked down at her now normal hands and looked back at Will. A surprised look dawned her features. "What did you do?" she asked in a small voice as she tried to summon a flame.

A small tear went down Will's cheek as he stared out to the symbol of his past. "The flame was a manifestation of your support to me and the kingdom." He said as he looked into her eyes, his own were somewhat glazed over with the emotions he felt. "You vowed to be my s.h.i.+eld, to support me, that's why you had your abilities. By walking from me, you no longer need your abilities. Go and enjoy your normal life, and remember I love you."

Bianca stared up at Will for a moment, tears forming within her eyes before she turned and left through the portal.