3rd POV

Clash

BANG!

"Ugh!"

"Give up...your magic is futile!" Madeleine yelled, pointing a sword at his former friend...

Espresso stared determined and frustrated...

He's trapped him here and he knows if Espresso's tired enough he will drop the craters of Coffee eruptions.

Espresso struggled to stand having been thrown against the wall for the past few minutes, Madeleine looked at him, eyes furrowed in frustration as he attempts to strike first, Espresso strikes at him with a coffee attack, Madeleine dodges and hits his side with the handle of his sword pushing him to another wall.

Espresso coughed, grabbing his side with his right hand while keeping his left hand up.

"Enough...you're hurt enough..."

"Why don't you just kill me then?"

Madeleine's eyes softened, whether it was shock or surprise he didn't know...

"You killed those cultists easily...why can't you kill me?" Espresso spat, keeping his hand up.

"It isn't in my jurisdiction to execute the innocent..." Madeleine says, holding his sword tightly, Espresso scoffed. "Execute? Just who do you believe you are?!"

Madeleine placed his sword to the ground and looked with courage or pride. "I am The Phoenix Glider, ranked 'The Purger of Abomination' in the Celestial order of the Phoenix! By the name of the Order, I shall not take the life of an innocent but cleanse this world of plague if commanded!" He declared, Espresso looked at him confused...

If commanded...?

So it's not out of his own will...? He's being told what to do?!

Espresso knew Paladins took well to commands...they are submitted to the Light and are strict in upholding their creed...

But a god that tells him to kill cookies...?

"Madeleine that's barbaric! Why kill these cookies who only kill for the same reason as you-?!"

"It is not the gods who command this will..."

Espresso froze, he was not expecting that answer, he stared back into those cold eyes once filled with warmth...

If he doesn't kill for his gods, then...who?

Who is he answering to if not his god?

"The Phoenix Order is the Order created by the First World! Long before time had named this world Earthbread! The world created by the first who survived the oven!" Madeleine spoke, pointing his sword at him.

"We may serve under the will of our gods, but our actions and commands are to the First of Legends! There will to provide True Order to this world! Under the shadow of what it once was!"

Espresso paused, The First World? First of Legends? What is this?

Long before time had named this world Earthbread?

"What do you mean by that?"

"Unauthorized information...to be one with that classification is to be indoctrinated into the Phoenix Order...and you are not a member, so get out of my way!"

Espresso dodged the sword, it leaving a huge dent on the wall behind him, upon instinct, he threw a coffee bean at Madeleine's face, to his surprise, Madeleine was caught off balance by the sudden attack...

"I can't just let you do this! This isn't you, nor anyone's job to just, execute cookies!" Espresso shouted.

"It is my duty as a member of the Phoenix Order! And you are in the way of that!" Madeleine raised and swung his sword at him again, Espresso being able to dodge it and punch his face.

"You had a choice not to go down this path!" Espresso kicked his stomach. "You had a choice! The Paladin's mercy or whatever this is!"

"Why? Why do you choose this path?!"

"Why Madeleine?!"

"WHY?!"

"To protect the order of this world! This foresaken world that has long been torn, that was taken from those who have come before us and have been disrespected!" Madeleine yells pointing his sword to him.

"I am a Madeleine...Descendants of the Great Ancestors of old, we were the first born generations of the old ancestors before the rest came to! And we have wrongfully stolen that which is not ours!" Madeleine declared.

"And as a member of the Phoenix Order it is my upholding duty to ensure that the old world gets restored!"

"Do you always have to live in the shadow of some stupid legacy-?!"

"YES ESPRESSO! YES I HAVE TO BECAUSE IF I DONT THEN WHO ELSE WILL HUH?!" Madeleine yelled at the heat of the moment halting his ground and gripping his sword tight, the two cookies stood across one another...staring at the other with conflicting emotions.

"What else am I supposed to do? It's not like anyone asked me what I wanted..." Madeleine spoke, then sighed and lowered his sword. Espresso let down his guard wanting the knight to be safe with him...to be comfortable and let his frustrations out...

"Look...don't get me wrong...this religion that I follow...one that's not with the Paladins...I...I do love it and am loyal to its teachings...! But...it's not like anyone asked me to be a part of it..." Madeleine spoke.

"No one asked me if I wanted to become a Paladin, I just went in there because I needed to know how to fight! No one asked me if I wished to be Loyal to the Light because the gods forbid a Paladin not worship the very Light they were created for. No one asked me if I wanted to be Captain or Head of the Creme Knights I was promoted! And no one asked me if I wanted to travel the world to look for relics held by Ancient Heroes from possibly decades ago, I was just 'assigned' such a task because good 'ol Madeleine, son of the Great Heroic Paladin, Grand Madeleine Cookie was there to witness its destructive power!" Madeleine says, crossing his arms and falling next to the wall behind him.

"And let's not forget... 'Oh Madeleine is her son! He's supposed to be high and mighty, heroic, The Pride of the Academy!' Or 'Madeleine Cookie is the Face of the Republic, he's supposed to be radiant! Extravagant! Focusing on his looks and his stupid cape!'"

"Oh, and let's not forget the 'Madeleine can you do this for me?' 'Madeleine can you stay here like a statue for me?' Or 'Madeleine mind dealing with that huge dragon while we cower away in fear because, Y'know, you're strong you can handle it it's fine-"

"It's fine-"

"IT'S NOT FINE!"

Madeleine punches the wall behind him anger causing a crack...Espresso froze beside him, seeing the amount of strength that one punch possessed...

Madeleine looked to the ground with such anger and frustration, but soon quelled his anger and just hugged himself...

"I envy you...Espresso..."

"Wha- you...Envy me?" Espresso says, sitting down beside him. He nodded in response.

"You're so..."

"Free..."

Espresso blinked at him, slightly shocked and confused...

"How do you do it so easily...voice your own opinion no matter how cruel it sounds?" Madeleine asks him staring at his eyes as if begging for an answer...

"..."

"I...well...when you grew up in the Lower City like me...you tend to...be ignored...to be silenced by those of the Upper City..." Espresso says, remembering the discrimination and the classist remarks...the amount of times the Upper City guards dismissed him and thought he was a big deal just because he was a citizen of the Lower City...

"So...as you get older...you decide no longer that you should be silenced...to give them the same treatment as those of the Upper City has treated you..." Espresso says sighing...

"But...I don't want that for you...neither this..."

Madeleine looks at him, confused.

"When I voice my reasons it comes from a place of anger and distrust...logic! I rely heavily on logic and facts and experimentation because I refuse to feel so inferior and subjected to illogical and outright cruel standards that the Republic has given!" Espresso says.

"That only made me bitter...not..."

"Not sweet..."

Espresso stared at Madeleine who only chuckled...

"...I really thought...that if I was the Phoenix Glider, I'd finally be free...running around, helping cookies...without a care of how they say how 'vile and unethical' or 'unlawful' it is...but even then..."

"I'm still subjected to become a mindless puppet made to follow orders..." Madeleine says leaning his head against Espresso's shoulder...

"You don't...have to be that way..."

"It's the standards of command in the Phoenix Order I'm afraid...the..."

He paused...not willing to reveal the secrets he held.

"The First Ones...the First Race...holds more power in the Phoenix Order...as long as I am a part of the order I am bound to their command..."

"I don't wanna leave...I also hate being locked up in chains that bind my spirit..."

Espresso sighed, holding Madeleine close...

"Logically speaking...you can only choose one...but..."

"Who says you can't have both?"

Madeleine again gave him a look of confusion...

"I mean...if you want to make decisions on your own...you first have to build your own path, right...?" Espresso asks, smiling for the first time at him...

He wasn't sure now but...those words mean a lot to  Madeleine at the moment...

Then the sky turned red...