The City of Ionia

Roars flew from the crowd as if they wouldn’t quit. People threw their fists with weapons in the air, cheering for death. The environment was so hostile that it gave Ruby the chills.

Ruby stood next to Jeremy, who was whimpering as he couldn’t look in front of him. Considering the scene ahead, his reaction was completely understandable.

Placed at the edge of the room was a wooden pole. It didn’t lean against the wall, but the gap was pretty tight. Randy’s hands wouldn’t have been able to slip through. It didn’t have noticeable markings or any bark chipped. It was a smooth, wooden pole that ran a few meters tall.

But it wasn’t the pole that caused his whimpering. The person on the pole did.

Her silver, messy hair drooped like a drenched mop, covering her blue eyes. Her palms faced the crowd, up high as they were tied to the pole. Her legs, though, were let loose.

Augustus grabbed Ruby’s shoulder. It was a firm grip—a threatening one.

“Take the knife and kill your friend,” he said, offering his knife.

Ruby glanced back and forth between the knife and Harley. “Please…I’ll give you anything, just don’t—don’t force this on me. Outis coins, territory, food, anything. Just please—”

“I don’t care for those. I’m doing what is fair.”

“Zen terrorized villages. Killed innocent people. Looted money from the poor. What did Harley ever do to deserve this?”

He let go of her shoulder and swayed his arm low. “If you haven’t figured it out, this punishment isn’t for your friend. I don’t care whether she dies or the boy. What I want is for you to feel despair. What lengths are you willing to travel to save your son? Are you going to kill a friend, a comrade, to save your child?”

“...”

She couldn’t speak. Not because her throat caught her voice but because she didn’t know what to say. Was this situation really impossible to get out of? Could she not do anything to ensure no one dies?

She already offered whatever she could think of. Augustus rejected all. What could she do? How could she change the direction of this headed outcome?

Could she really?

“Either the child dies, and your friend lives, or you kill your friend, and the child lives. What will it be?”

Ruby shook her head in contemplation. If neither were an option, she would obviously choose the latter.

There was no escaping the lion’s den. There was no fighting as well. Anything could lead to more death. Ideally, she wished for no one to die. Unfortunately, her ideals were too grand.

She observed the situation from every angle. All of them led to someone dying. Death was inescapable. It shackled her to the ground with her promise written in blood.

No one will die, right? What a joke. What a funny joke. What type of leader would lie to their comrades?

How ignorant can one person get?

“What will it be,” Augustus repeated, swaying the knife close to Ruby’s eyes.

“Can I wait till she regains consciousness?”

Augustus stopped and took a step or two back. Covering his mouth, he snickered in utter disbelief.

“Can you repeat that?”

“Can I wait till she regains consciousness?”

On her part, it was a serious question. She didn’t break a laugh or hint at a joke. Augustus, though, took it as one. His unfiltered reaction expressed his overwhelming confidence and control of the place.

“You can’t be serious. There’s—There’s no way.”

“But I am.”

“Your friend’s last memory is going to be you killing her. Is that what you want?”

Ruby took a weak breath. She interlocked her fingers and stood tall with a smile, gently tugging from one corner. “I wish to tell her something, that’s all.”

“If you’re trying to delay till help arrives, then it’s best to inform you that your home has been destroyed. Diego ran rampant in your little town. Everything reduced to rubble and ash, including your comrades.”

“Well, maybe,” Ruby said, “But that is still not going to change my request.”

“Tsk. I don’t appreciate having my time wasted. Either you pick up the pace, or your kid gets it in the face.”

Augustus walked over to Quinn, waving the knife close to his nose, similar to what he did to Ruby. Quinn stood still, moving his eyes wherever the knife went. He didn’t cry or budge. He stood tall and confident like his mother.

Ruby took a step forward but quickly retreated. Any sign of aggression could be catastrophic; she constantly reminded herself of that.

Jeremy, who whimpered on the ground, finally spoke. “Just take me instead.”

“Jeremy, quiet,” Ruby said.

He slammed his fist on the ground. “Kek. Just take me instead. I’m not as good of a person as Harley. She’s better at every aspect. I'm a nobody compared to her. If your goal is to kill one of us, kill me instead!”

“Jeremy—!”

“What courage. Inspiring. Unfortunately, you gave me every reason not to kill you. If you pose minimal value to your leader, then your death would be pointless.”

“What do you mean by ‘minimal value?”’ Ruby asked with her bottom teeth edged forward in a menacing way.

“His death wouldn’t do much. He may be important to you, but to your group, he’s just a normal person. Killing him would be like killing a random worker ant. No one will bat an eye. But killing your other friend…a trusted one with a role of importance…now that would only dent your group; it’ll punch a hole through it. The bottom line I’m trying to say is…your death wouldn’t significantly affect the Bariac Cult.”

“Is that it? My death wouldn’t do anything to Ruby?”

“Jeremy. Let it go.”

“I can’t!”

Spit and tears flew from his face. His eyes appeared to be bloodshot, though they weren’t. They were perfectly fine, other than the fact he carried two waterfalls. The veins on his neck bulged, and his floppy hair waved around aimlessly. In a word, he was a mess.

Ruby held him close. His legs gave out, unable to support his body. She slowly dropped him to his knees as he wailed in despair.

Slamming the ground, he cried, “This isn’t fair! It doesn’t have to end like this!”

While Jeremy’s soul gushed out of his tears, Augustus opened Ruby’s hand and placed the knife in her palm. “Your choice,” he muttered, backing away.

She glanced back and forth between the knife, Harley and Quinn.

“Teh…heh heh heh.”

Ruby held her face, crackling like this was a big joke. Her laugh grew louder and louder with more rigidness by the second. The crowd halted their miniature conversations to observe.

She scrunched her abdomen, nosing facing the ground, and flicked herself up.

She took a few uncoordinated steps as if she’d been drinking. Swaying side to side, she manifested enough self-control to stand right before Harley.

There she was. Her comrade—a friend—tied onto a pole, ready for death. No, she wasn’t ready. She didn’t prepare for this at all. Harley believed she would see the next day. She had high hopes for it.

Ruby slowly sunk to her knees, squeezing onto the sides of Harley’s pants.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed, unable to look at her friend’s face.

If I were stubborn enough, it wouldn’t have come down to this.

Her breathing became uneasy. Staggered breaths interrupted her thoughts. She focused on breathing since her body didn’t have the strength.

If I was stubborn for just one time…

“Keep wasting my time, and your kid is gonna get it as well,” Augustus whispered from behind.

She didn’t hear him creep up. Usually, her sixth sense would come into play, but today, that sixth sense extinguished out of existence.

Ruby collected herself, pulling herself up using Harley’s clothing. She stood eye-to-eye. Her gaze couldn’t escape her target.

Her friend.

She placed her hand on Harley’s face. It quivered through the contact, unable to stay still. She did her best to remain as calm as possible, but she was only human.

She once lived a life without emotions—without smiling, laughing, crying, worrying—nothing. Why could she not embrace that personality now?

Why couldn't she stop the tears from flowing?

Ruby slowly brought the knife close to Harley’s neck. She wouldn’t feel a thing. A quick, painless slip. That is all.

“Ruby…are you actually gonna…”

She couldn’t dare to look at Jeremy. What could she say? What would anyone say?

Nothing. Ignore the background noise and do what must be done.

The knife nearly came in contact with Harley. Ruby couldn’t thrust the extra inch or two. Hesitation caught her by the neck.

She glanced up and noticed a particular bracelet sticking out of the crowd of bracelets. A silver bracelet with Harley’s name written with miniature knives. A gift Ruby gave to her. She carried it with her.

She leaned into her ear on the opposite side of where the knife was.

One last sentence.

Her final say to a friend.

A close friend.

She whispered ever so lightly as though an angel possessed her.

“I…I love you.”

She slipped the knife through Harley’s neck.