

AGRATHIAS

By

Conor Nicholl

Email me at cnichol7@alumni.nd.edu (letter l in cnichol) to be put on my mailing list for updates on when Eliathar, the sequel to Agrathias, comes out!

Copyright © 2016 by Conor Nicholl

Illustrations by Andros Martinez © 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

To contact about publishing queries, or for information regarding permission, contact Conor Nicholl at cnichol7@alumni.nd.edu.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 19 18 17

To Elise, who believed in this book first,

Sean and Brendan, for those games we played when we were younger,

And to Uncle Rob and Aunt Pat, two of the strongest and bravest people I have ever known.

~PART ONE~

A Brother's Regret

Arone

A Pale Reflection

Broken

Farewell Beginnings

Fire's Calling

The Palace

The Warrior

Tyris

A Tarnished Memory

Reincarnated

Fate's Gladiator

The One Flaw

Shadows in the City

Ambushed

Through the Kresiliss

The Altar

The Crossing of Two Paths

Saric

Wind and Shadows

The Phoenix Rising

A New Threat

Kazan

The Fields of Eldemour

End of Part One

A Sparrow's Cry

* *

~PART TWO~

A Troubled Past

The Sorcerers of Anglo-Matten

The Shawled Woman and the Ragmar

Urana

Clever Evil

Ravella's Blessing

The Last Haven

The Battle at the Temple

Fate's Vengeance

To Paths Ahead

End of Part Two

Pronunciation Guide

* *

Unusual Singular to Plural Forms

Eladara – Eladaran

Ragmar – Ragmarn

Nouns that are the same Singular and Plural

Nark'thul

Shadin

Anorati

AGRATHIAS
PART ONE

A Brother's Regret

A creature stalked along the forest ground, a small horn clenched in its hand. Its dark, rugged skin made it look almost invisible as it moved in the night. Its bony shoulders swayed with each step, and all the while it looked to the trees, searching for something.

It stopped. Slowly, it reared back its head and brought the horn to its large mouth. It blew air through its long, spindle-like teeth, and a low drone chilled the depths of the surrounding woods. The creature's eyes closed to relish the sound as its echo died down. It then continued to creep forward, but only for a few steps. It blew another haunting moan, its black eyes reopening wide this time, allowing the night sky above to be perfectly reflected within them.

This small creature was surrounded by countless others, and a young man crouched in a tree high above all of them. He was dressed in a dark cloak, and his hood was pulled over his head so that only his mouth showed. A long, steel sword hung from his side. His hand gripped the hilt of it tightly.

The sound terrorized the young man. His mind flashed back to two days before. The first thing he had heard in the distance was this noise. It came just moments before the legion of these things everyone called 'Arcams' flooded his town.

You shouldn't think about it, the young man winced.

But the image resurfaced. It was his entire fault the Arcams came, even though he didn't mean for it to happen. Still, his sister was taken, and he and his parents were forced to watch as a knife was raised high for all to see. Everyone else in the town would be spared, but his sister...His mind froze at the thought of the dagger that swiftly cut through the night and pierced her chest.

NO! His mind screamed as despair started to seep into it.

The effect of this thought was almost instant: The air chilled and a light mist sprinkled the ground. He stared at this sudden change, his stomach plummeting. He failed. If there was any chance of escaping these woods, it was now gone. The young man knew, as he was sure the Arcams did, that this rapid change was not due to nature. He caused it, and it meant he was within ear-shot of the horn.

The lurking of the Arcams ceased. The jagged ridges on their backs arched as each one looked to the trees. The young man, who had at first tried to stop the oncoming cold, abandoned his efforts in order to give himself extra cover. He slowly lowered his chin to his chest and waited.

His heart hammered wildly inside of him; he was going to get caught. Of all the things to chase him, why did it have to be these monsters? They searched endlessly for him, never sleeping. His body felt so tired now.

They were going to wait in that spot until he was found. This scared him even more. He did not know how much longer he could last. He craved to fall asleep, but he knew there was a chance he would fall and make some noise. His heart raced faster. This was his death sentence.

He had to hope, though. It was all he could do. Even with the Arcams gazing into the trees for the next few minutes, he held on to some hope they would just move on. He hoped to get up from this spot and leave the woods. But where would he go? He was no longer welcome from where he came.

There suddenly came a rustling from below. The Arcams had started to move! He tilted up his head to get a better view. Several of the creatures were grouping up with each other, and it looked as though they were actually going to move on. Yet still, he remained completely frozen in his spot. His breath was almost non-existent. If this were to be his chance, his silence was most important now.

Then they spread out. Most had grabbed what looked like long sticks. He slowly closed his eyes, hoping. Just hoping they would move on. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be somewhere else... just anywhere else...

An awful cackling noise came from below. The nose-less faces of the Arcams lit up as the sticks became ablaze with fire. His jaw nearly dropped seeing all the Arcams below. There must have been thousands of the creatures stretching the length of the forest. They tilted their heads toward the sky again. Instead of just peering, though, each began to laugh with an awful gargle.

He should have seen it coming. The Arcams threw their torches into the trees above. Many became caught in the branches above him. It was slightly raining, but somehow a fire began, and it slowly approached him.

This was it... any effort to put out the fire would give away his location, and letting the fire reach him would force him from the tree and into the mass of Arcams below. Which should he choose? He could fight below; he lived and breathed through his sword. He felt much more comfortable battling with it, though it was riskier being on the ground. He would be safer up here, but that would mean using his magic. He had it for quite some time now, but not nearly as long as his sword.

Before he made his decision, another horn sounded. The sight of his sister being stabbed flooded his mind again. As he scrambled to discard the memory and focus on the flames that were now so close to him, the barrier that kept his misery at bay crumbled away. His sister's gut-wrenching scream echoed. Sadness overwhelmed every part of him.

A raging downpour began. His hood flew back, and his normally brown eyes were now a glowing blue. Power shot through his veins, but it was not at all comforting. His entire body felt a great shock. So much so, his sword was forced from his hand. He could only sadly watch as it disappeared below among the Arcams.

He reacted with his only other option. He flung his hands toward the canopy of the tree, and two jets of water shot forward, extinguishing the flames.

The Arcams cackled maniacally at the long-awaited discovery of their target. Without hesitation, they swarmed the tree, hurling their bodies into the air to try reaching the young man. Their jumping ability was incredible, but he was just out of reach for every one of them.

A massive wave of icy wind suffocated the ground below with an unrelenting force. He tried to contain its reach, but his sister's screams of pain crumbled away any attempts at restraint. He was beginning to panic; he could feel his magic warping out of control.

All the faces of the Arcams below contorted into their last hideous expressions as they were frozen solidly into their places. The arctic wind then blasted the ground and raged outward. He was doing much to obliterate the Arcams, but it all did not matter. He wanted control. He needed control.

The remaining Arcams weren't deterred the least. Nearly all took out bows, the others still attempting to jump. Arrows twanged through the air.

Several waves of ice and water battled back. The arrows were shredded by the incredible force, and countless more Arcams were killed. As the wind continued to surge, the iced bodies shattered, and the remnants were tossed among the bark of the trees.

The Arcams were the loudest they had ever been. They jumped up and down in excitement. Their black eyes rapidly searched for another way to attack, finally resting on the surrounding trees.

The Arcams were upon him in seconds. They jumped up from lower limbs on further trees to make large bounds to the branch he was crouched upon. This time, many made the jump, and he soon had dozens of Arcams flying toward him every second.

As much power as he had in his unstable state, he couldn't account for all flying at him. His arms flung about in wide circles, slicing through any Arcam he could with thin sheets of ice. But a few made it through, and he was knocked from the tree as their bodies collided with his.

He quickly tried to slow his fall with a strong wind he had conjured below him. A sharp pain shot up his side as he landed on it, and the surviving Arcams collapsed in heaps around him. He sprang to his feet, knowing full well other Arcams would soon be upon him.

They rushed at him recklessly, slamming into each other as they stormed onward. Each Arcam was only half his height, but they were very much faster than a human. And the wide, hateful looks given from their black eyes gave even him a quick feeling to turn and run.

A stampede of bodies roared at him. Countless arrows whistled through the air. He did his best to rid the air of them, but their massive number was like the many bounding Arcams. One lone arrow flew through the horrific freeze and struck him in the shoulder.

He grunted and doubled back. The screaming in his head grew louder, and it was soon all he could hear. His sister's face was all he could see. He felt the magic coursing through him. He didn't think he could contain it. He was afraid it would explode from him, and in a last effort at quelling its power, he formed a shield of solid ice around himself.

All was quiet, but he knew the storm was about to break from within. He thought the absence of the noise would allow him to calm his mind, but even he knew deep down that this desperate attempt was only to try delaying the inevitable. There would be no solitude. There was never a chance at solitude. There was only pain. And the screaming... it was making him cringe now more than the arrow protruding from his shoulder. It wouldn't stop, either. It just grew louder and louder, and he just couldn't make the sound go away! He couldn't stop her from dying!

Then, she was right next to him, and he saw the knife in her chest and heard her scream the clearest she ever had. In that last frantic moment, his grief and fear of his power completely consumed him. As his sister collapsed to the ground for the last time, the magic inside him violently expelled outward. The ice protecting him shattered. Freezing, blue energy blasted deep into the ranks of the Arcams, utterly shredding apart any creature or tree in its wake.

All of this was too much for him. When the blue light faded, he found that his body could barely stand. He looked at the frozen landscape. He noticed that for once the Arcams weren't quick to rush at him. They were hunched low to the ground, crawling steadily forward. Now would have been the best time to try and escape, but his legs didn't have the strength to move.

His vision started to blur. The glow from his eyes faded.

"Ravella... I'm so sorry," he whispered as he collapsed to the ground, darkness completely enveloping him. His last sight was of the Arcams scampering over the tundra. Their faces were taken over by the utmost joy at finally securing the person that took so long to capture.
Arone

One was taken, and the other one had been found.

It was time to set forth the plan.

It was not unusual to see the two brothers dueling in the forest just outside of town. Every day they tried to be there, tried whatever they could to overcome one another, tried to forget...

Clang!

The younger brother, Arone, was forced off balance. He twisted in a wide circle, his white hair swaying to one side, and his foot caught itself on the other.

This would seem like a setback, at least for this fight. But this wasn't the first time he'd been knocked to the ground. As he fell, he thrust out one arm to break the fall and the other with his stick to cover his back.

Rolling through the fall, he felt a heavy strike on his stick, one that nearly jerked his weapon from his grasp. He clenched his hand tighter, lurched around, and propelled himself forward.

This time Toaran, his older brother, was caught off guard. He took a few steps back, but one of his feet snagged on a root, and his body toppled downward.

For the first time in a month, Arone was on the offensive. Even before this, he'd hardly ever won. Arone, aged 19, may be only two years younger than Toaran, but Toaran had always seemed stronger, bigger, and taller. So now he really needed to push this through. It might not happen again for a long time.

Arone's focus became solely on movements, yearning to beat his older brother. This was it. Today, he was going to beat him!

Toaran's back slammed against the ground, but his upper-body stance didn't falter. Each attack Arone gave, Toaran deflected it.

Toaran soon smiled, and his foot suddenly kicked out. Arone, too focused on Toaran's hands, had no time to prepare as his legs were swept from under him. The surprise caused his stick to fly out of his hand.

He couldn't believe it. No! He was too close to lose this! Yet, Toaran was now hovering over him, stick held out to Arone's face. The excitement in Arone came crashing down as the realization that he had lost seeped into him. How could he let this happen?

"Almost," Toaran said. "Almost."

"Again," demanded Arone. He'd be more careful this time.

"I don't think so," Toaran muttered, grabbing his back. "I think I'm going to head back to town."

Arone laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Toaran was already turning away and leaving. This was definitely odd; they'd just begun, and Arone couldn't remember a time where they stopped after one round of sparring. Maybe the fall did hurt more than Arone thought.

"Falling has made you weak!" Arone called after him, trying one last time to get him to come back.

"You lost!" Toaran answered. "If I'm weak, what does that make you?"

He started to snigger, and Arone just rolled his eyes.

"And remember not to stay out here too late," Toaran said before disappearing from view. "The Anorati still haven't returned."

"I know," Arone said. He thought back to two nights before, when a glowing red light appeared on the horizon. It was followed by a blinding lightning flash. Arone had never seen it so bright and close before! All were advised to stay in town until the Anorati found the source, but this wasn't enough to keep the brothers from dueling. Nothing had really stopped them before, because...well...

Because you were a coward once when people needed you most.

He shuddered as he thought back to the day nearly ten years ago when an Arcam attack broke through Terrifor's walls. He could still see Arcams running, leaping, killing. His mother was taken then, and where was Arone? He was trembling in the corner of his room.

The screams of death from outside his room got to him that night. He could only rock and tremble, wishing the murdering would stop. He should have moved. He should have done anything to help his mother instead of being in that stupid corner. If that weren't enough, later when the battle was over, he found out his father had been taken as well. Then, he and Toaran were alone...

Toaran fought that day. He was brave...unlike Arone...but they both wanted to fight from then on to be tougher, and for Arone, to make fighting second nature. He would reach for a weapon the next time instead of a corner to tremble in.

Arone glanced around where they fought and saw his bow resting against the tree. Although it was unusual for Toaran to leave so early, it wasn't unusual for Arone to stay after and practice with his bow. Even when he was just a child learning to walk, he'd shown interest in it, and since then, he excelled. He needed the sword for short range, but it was always the bow he wanted, and it's what he wished he had used in the Arcam attack.

He grabbed the bow and started walking. There was one spot he knew by a lake he had found years ago. Some great targets were there, and he'd usually shoot a few volleys there before returning home.

He felt the wind pick up on his way there, and his eyes closed when feeling it sweep over his skin. He listened as the leaves jostled in the trees, and for the first time that day, his mind cleared.

A bird tweeted above him, and he glanced up. The bird had been flying around this spot for as long as Arone could remember. He felt comforted whenever he saw it. It zipped from the branches and circled around Arone a few times before landing on a branch, eye level to him.

"Had a good day so far?" Arone asked. The bird shook itself before tilting its head. "Mine was fine, although I can't speak much for Toaran."

Arone half-smiled and continued on. A few minutes later he saw the first shine on the water's surface. This is where he stopped for his first target. He was far from the other side of the water, but that was the point. Branches, twigs, and bramble obstructed his vision just enough to see a small glimpse of the tree branch over the water. He quickly let two arrows fly, one after the other, and saw both land, one on top of the other.

Of his targets he could hit, that one was by far the most difficult. He'd been hitting that branch for nearly a decade now, and it wasn't until two summers ago he'd been able to consistently split the first arrow with his second. He smiled at how hard it'd once been, and how easy it now was, strangely.

The bank of the lake was where he took the rest of his shots. He started striking knots in trees eye level to him, hesitating only to make sure no one was in the way.

Gathering all his arrows, he turned his attention to his final target, the one he had never hit consistently before. It concealed itself beyond the steep hill to his right: a ring of flowers that rested on the shoulder of a large waterfall.

The wind lightly swept across his skin at that moment. His eyes closed, and he saw the flowers in a circle, and he saw the tree branch beyond sight that gave him the most trouble.

Today would be it. He would hit that spot twice in a row; he could feel it. Never mind he felt it on all the other days. The scene was more vivid in his mind today, and his body seemed to know just how to move with the wind's touch...a deep breath...and two arrows flew. He followed the second one until it disappeared from sight. Hopefully...

He went on his way, looking at the lake, where just beyond he could see the high path that would lead to the flowers with the two arrows in the center. They just had to be there. And while wishing this, he glanced to the right.

And stopped.

Something weird was happening next to the tree closest to him. The foliage behind it was twisting around itself. Right away, Arone was rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. But when he was done, the twisting was greater. Its reach created a circle about Arone's height where the edges eventually blurred back into the regular sights of the forest. The dirt around it wafted into the air, slowly creeping onto the spot. It eventually disappeared altogether into what Arone could only see now as melded colors.

A hand appeared suddenly, and Arone grew cold. He slid behind a tree just near enough to see what was happening at that spot. By now the hand had reached far enough for an arm to appear, and the first hint of red glinted.

A man showed himself. He looked around as he stretched his neck, his dark red clothes swaying with his movements. As he did so, Arone caught glimpses of the man's eyes, but what stuck out most was the large scar that covered some of the left part of his face and ran down the back of his neck. It was black and looked as though the skin there had burned and died long ago.

Arone's heart began to thump faster. Who was this man? What was he doing here? Above all, what did he just walk through to appear here?

As he thought this, the man raised his arm, and he turned his head slightly to the right. Suddenly, two bolts of lightning rocketed from his hands and flew out of sight!

Whatever surprise Arone had from the melded colors was forgotten. The loud sound made him collapse, and his hands quickly covered his mouth to stop part of the gasp he began to make.

He didn't know how the air could be so still after the lightning flashed. He thought that it, too, should be screaming in disbelief like Arone's mind. How did the man do that? How could he have done that?

But now the man was looking around. Arone had to duck behind the tree every once in a while to avoid being seen. It was hard to keep his breath calm, and as he stared with his back against the tree, he was never more thankful his beating heart couldn't be heard.

On one of his turns, the man's gaze stopped. At first, Arone thought he'd been spotted, but the man was looking over Arone's left side. The clench on his nerves loosened, and he breathed easy.

Then he saw his bow where the man was looking, and the clenching that returned nearly paralyzed him.

The man smiled fiendishly.

"Where are you?" he whispered.

Now Arone didn't care what the man did from there. His back was pressed against the tree, waiting for the dreaded moment when he'd hear the footsteps and feel a hand grasp his shoulder as he was caught...He couldn't imagine being hit by lightning.

Arone was trapped. He didn't dare look, but if he never did, he would wait here forever.

He heard footsteps, and his hope crashed down. His head lifted. Please, just walk away from this tree. Walk anywhere else but here.

But the more he wished, the more the footsteps neared him. He could now painfully feel the bark on the tree as his back pressed onto it harder and harder.

The footsteps crossed by his right, and Arone's eyes pinched shut. The foolish thought that maybe he would be hidden by doing this crossed his mind. He didn't care if it was pure fantasy; he was now in full view if the man turned his head left, and hope was the last feeling he wanted before being struck by the lightning.

There was silence as the steps halted, and then–

"Arone?"

A Pale Reflection

He felt more shock, and the hold on his nerves released so suddenly that his shoulders slumped forward.

"Lynn," he gasped as he looked to his right and saw not the man, but a woman who'd looked after him and Toaran since their parents had been taken away.

"Arone, are you hurt?" she asked, hurriedly approaching him.

"No, I'm okay, but the man who was there–"

He stopped when Lynn helped him up, and looked around the tree. The man was gone, and any sign of the melded colors had disappeared.

"Man? What man?" Lynn asked.

"Never mind," Arone said. There was no way he could convince her without some sort of proof. Where did that man go?

Lynn's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure you're fine? Nothing's troubling you? Because, well, it certainly just looked like something was."

"I'm fine," Arone lied. It was best to fake it and not seem more deranged than he already felt.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Then why were you crouching like you were hiding from something?"

"I was just...resting...Toaran and I sparred longer than usual, and I was just resting before working with my bow."

"Toaran is out here too?" she asked, looking around.

"No. He headed back a short while ago."

"Good," she responded. "You should do the same. I don't even know why you chose to come out here in the first place! You know the Anorati haven't returned yet!"

"Yes...I should..." Arone replied absentmindedly, looking at his bow and walking toward it.

But when he grabbed it and turned around, Lynn just stared at him.

"What is up with you? You always want to practice with your bow."

"Nothing's wrong," Arone muttered. "I'm just tired is all."

He wanted to get away from this place for now. He needed to get somewhere else and think about what happened. Maybe even consider the possibility that he imagined the whole thing. There weren't any signs of it left, after all. And a man that controls lightning?

That couldn't be, though. It was all too real, especially the lightning. In the likely case he wasn't imagining things...

"Lynn," he called back, and she turned to him. "Make sure to watch out for yourself. Like you said, the Anorati haven't returned yet."

"I will," she whispered, now looking confused. "Just...get to town and be safe."

Arone nodded and ran from the spot. It would only be a few minutes, and he would be out of the forest's edge and running around the town's walls. He was soon at the gate that had been reinforced since the last battle all those years ago.

After slowly waving his arm to the Anorati atop, the gate opened slightly and he made his way inside. Right away, he saw the blacksmith where he and Toaran had worked a few years after their parents' disappearance. It was also where he made most of his arrows.

His hut was toward the center of town, and there he headed. When he entered it, he saw Toaran lying on his bed, his hands underneath his back. There was a pained expression on his face.

"Toaran?" Arone spoke.

"What do you want?" he wheezed.

"...Never mind..." Arone sighed. Now wasn't the time to tell him. Especially since he wasn't even sure it all happened in the first place. But...it had to have happened...

"Okay then..." Toaran said, as Arone made his way to the small staircase leading to his room. "And you might have to cover for me tomorrow. I don't know how long this pain will last."

Arone mumbled in agreement and climbed the staircase. Extra work was nothing compared to what he'd just seen. His mind was thinking rapidly and taking in everything. His bed awaited him, and he lay down on it.

Never in all his life had he seen something like that. Sure, there had been tales of people controlling magic. He'd even heard that a group of sorcerers controlled a region far north of here. Yet, none of them, as far as he knew, could strike out with lightning.

He could still see it streak into the sky. And the noise it created was powerful enough for his entire body to quiver. Or that could have just been the shock...

It wasn't usual for him to fall asleep so early in the day, but as his mind continually replayed what he saw, he had no idea his eyes had closed. He suddenly was in the woods again, his back practically being imprinted by the tree's bark. His heart was racing again, and he became aware of the blackness that slowly crept in from his outer vision.

Once again he closed his eyes, but they would not remain shut. A few seconds later they sprang open, and there was the man. Arone yelled, and the space between him and the man expanded. This calmed him, but even then he could see the man lifting one hand. Then came the glow.

A loud bang and white light, and everything turned into fire. Arone gagged and choked on smoke. His hands moved up to protect his face as much as possible, but his arms were already blackened with ash, and the pain was too much to handle. He screamed and choked until death came in a cloak of white light.

The smothering subsided as he opened his eyes. He was in the forest again, though this time he was lying on his back. A woman was running to him; she was weaving among the trees that were quickly dissolving around him. A familiar place, a room, was materializing.

Arone bolted upright, awake. Lynn had rushed up the stairs.

"Lord Pivincy wants to speak with you," she breathed. "Hurry. Now!"

She rushed back down the stairs, leaving Arone still dazed from both this and his dream. What happened now?!

He stood up in his groggy state and stumbled down the stairs. Toaran was already gone; whether to see Pivincy also or not, Arone didn't know.

Only a small hint of red was left on the horizon as Arone dashed through the streets. His sleep-like state was quickly lifting; his entire dream was a blur now except for that fire. He could still feel it lashing his body as it turned it into ash.

The manor house was at the outer eastern part of town. Lynn was respected by Lord Pivincy, and she was able to have Arone and Toaran eat there often. It was then that Pivincy learned of Arone's skill with the bow, and after seeing it, appointed Arone as an archer on the wall. Everyone else thought it was funny to see a ten-year-old boy there who could barely see over the wall. Once they saw Arone was much better than most of the archers already there, however, all talks and snickering behind Arone's back ceased.

Arone approached the gate to the manor house and slid his finger down the gate's lock. The gate dissolved, and Arone passed through before the metal began reforming itself, twisting into its place as before, recreating the same gate as before.

Arone knocked on the door, and as he waited, he noticed the small, black Broolana to his left and right that lined the base of the manor house. A sudden calming feeling overcame Arone when he remembered these flowers were rumored to shrivel and die within a day before disaster struck. He didn't necessarily believe the superstition, but it still comforted him to see them all alive and well.

When the door opened, Arone was surprised to see not an Anorati answering it, but Toaran. Any grimace he had from the late afternoon was gone as he gave a half smile.

"You don't have to cover for me tomorrow, after all. The pain just vanished after that small bit of rest I had."

Arone returned the smile, but he was already looking around for Lynn or Lord Pivincy, wondering why he'd been summoned so quickly. All he could see were Anorati posted at each path through the manor.

Lynn and Lord Pivincy descended from the staircase next to the entrance door. They were furiously whispering with each other, but upon seeing Arone and Toaran, they cut off their voices.

"Come, Arone and Toaran," Lord Pivincy said with a smile. "We shall eat before discussing other matters."

Of course, the first thing on Arone's mind as they walked through the large, oak doors was what they wanted to talk about. He thought it had to be about what he'd seen, but he hadn't told anyone about it yet. Maybe Lynn had also seen the man?

The feast hall had a cobblestone floor, and its walls were some type of blackened rock. One long, thin table rested in the middle, and four plates were already prepared in the center. Arone and Toaran took the two seats opposite the fireplace. As Arone sat down, he looked upon the mantle and saw two golden goblets on the left and right sides, with a shield hung above. It had a coat of arms with a blue eagle on the left surrounded by fire and a red lion on the right amidst a sea of shimmering water. Between the two creatures, a sunset shone in the distance.

"So, Toaran, I suspect Rondor has been treating you and your brother well at the blacksmith?" Lord Pivincy asked.

Toaran answered with a yes before he and Lord Pivincy began talking about other things, like the new steel at the blacksmith. Arone was glad Toaran was there to answer all the questions so Arone could start eating.

Arone was not the only one out of the conversation. Lynn was going back and forth between eating and glancing at Lord Pivincy. With each look, her face grew more impatient. It was during their talk about Prellacistine, the celebration of late Autumn, that Lynn finally spoke up.

"Lord Pivincy, if I may, I think it's time we got to the point of why we're here."

"Lynn," Lord Pivincy replied, "there's no reason for you to call me 'Lord'. You and I served in the same legion. Saved my life, too."

"You're avoiding the point," she persisted.

"I don't find it necessary, considering Arone's still eating."

Arone closed his eyes as his stomach flopped. They were here to talk to him.

"It's important for this town!" Lynn insisted. "Arone can handle the discomfort of talking while eating!"

"Okay, okay," Pivincy said after looking at Lynn.

"Arone," he then said. "Our two Anorati have been found dead in the forest. There weren't any signs of a struggle or poison, so we can only assume it was some sort of tragic, unexplained accident. Lynn, however, said you might know something about this, since you apparently acted very strange when she found you today. In trying to find out if they were murdered, we wanted to know what you had seen. And I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly. I wanted to wait until you were finished eating to ease you into the news."

Lynn groaned, but Arone was already busy thinking. At the mention of the two Anorati dying without a seeable cause, Arone clenched his hands into fists. He saw the man raising his hand, sending two lightning bolts into the sky. Two. And lightning wouldn't leave a trace.

"Arone, I know something happened. Just tell us what," Lynn said calmly.

It seemed impossible, yet it all made sense. Arone had to have seen it. He was going to sound insane, but he felt he would not be allowed to leave until he shared what he had seen. So, he took a deep breath and let everything out. There were the merging colors, the man with the markings, and finally, the lightning that had to be the cause of death for the Anorati. After hearing it all, Lynn's eyes narrowed, but the life in Pivincy's face went out.

"Light...ning," he whispered.

"You know something about this?" Lynn asked when she saw Pivincy's face.

"...Yes...Yes, I think..." he said, shaking while standing up.

Everyone stared at him as he began to stagger toward the door. Lynn looked up at him multiple times as he made his way, looking every time like she would say something, but each time, confusion forced her into silence.

"...Just...appreciate what you have..." he choked, his voice as distant as his gaze was. Arone's fists clenched tighter, and he began fidgeting. Never had he seen Lord Pivincy act so odd before, and his message...well...it just radiated doom.

Arone didn't notice through his racing thoughts that Pivincy had already reached the door. But now Lynn finally broke her silence and spoke out.

"Pivincy! What's wrong with you?! Do we need to add to our defenses?"

"...Yes...Defenses..." Pivincy mumbled. His hand grasped the handles of the doors and disappeared through them. When the door slammed shut, Arone looked at the crackling fire before him. Its whipping seemed to match the turbulence he felt within. He was again reminded of his dream, and he could almost feel that fire reach outward, trying to peel away his skin...

"I think I'll go see what's wrong, Lynn said, thankfully diverting Arone's thoughts away from the mantle. "You two...just...do whatever you do, I guess."

She shook her head, as if still grasping what she saw. She then bustled from the hall.

Toaran and Arone awkwardly looked at each other and then to their plates. Despite there being some food left for each of them, Arone just wasn't hungry anymore. Even if he were, he didn't think he could continue after seeing the look on Lord Pivincy's face. Both ended up pushing their plates forward slightly and following Lynn's path from the hall.

Lord Pivincy was seen in the long hall just to their right when they closed the door. There were two Anorati on either side, and Lynn was kneeling before Lord Pivincy. They could see him sobbing, while Lynn seemed to be desperately pleading something. The awful sight sent chills down Arone's spine.

Arone bowed his head and hurried from the manor. As he heard Toaran's footsteps behind him, he spun his head around a few times. But each time he wasn't sure why, and he only ended up seeing Toaran giving him a sad smile.

There was a somber mood in their hut as they relived their childhood, describing the spots they would spar before their parents disappeared (especially near the blacksmith, they agreed). They remembered the time when they were very little and got lost in the woods, just to find out they were near Terrifor the whole time. Their parents were frantic, but once they figured out where they'd been, all they could do was laugh and smile. And the laughing and smiling...it reminded them of their father when he would sing songs of their Agrathian heritage to them at night, or of their mother when she would pretend to be the evil sorcerer they had to defeat. They missed them both so much.

Arone had his back against Toaran's bed during all of this, and before he started losing his battle to sleep, he felt the bed move as Toaran stood up.

"Arone, when were you thinking of going to sleep?" he asked.

"Soon, now that you mention it," Arone responded.

"Would you mind..." he paused. "Would you mind sleeping down here tonight? You can have my bed if you want."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," Arone answered. The thought never crossed his mind, but now that Toaran said it, Arone saw the vividly pale face of Pivincy in his head and heard his last few words. Going upstairs suddenly seemed weird.

Even though he had a nap, sleep came easily. His mind took him back in front of the fireplace in the feast hall again. He started to panic, but this fire didn't seem to want to murder him. In fact, it wanted to calm him as he sat alone.

Only, he wasn't alone. Lord Pivincy appeared at his right as the feast table and all the chairs but the one Arone was sitting on vanished. Pivincy's face was now gray, and his fingers and neck were creaking as they moved.

"I don't know how," Pivincy groaned.

"You...You don't know how to what?" Arone asked, avoiding the gaze by staring into the warming fire.

"I don't know how," Pivincy whispered right into Arone's ear. Arone recoiled back in horror as he watched Pivincy approach the fire. Pivincy paused, his shoulders sagging, and he then walked into the mantle.

Pivincy wailed as the manor hall exploded. All around him was the forest. Some parts of it were on fire; he thought he could hear the trees screaming. The parts that weren't, he could hear voices, familiar ones, though just as fast the scene went to black.

Silence...Silence and a horn's calling.

A nightmare in the distance.

Broken

Arone woke to Toaran scrambling around.

"Arone? Good, you're up," he said. "Lynn wants us to meet her at the gates of Pivincy's manor again."

With that, Toaran was gone and Arone got up. He had everything with him from the night before, and it wasn't long after Toaran's departure Arone left also.

He'd learned by now to accept things as they came to him. Sure, he had questions as to why he was being summoned to Pivincy's manor again. These questions, though, were placed behind all the others he already had. He ended up following the same path to the manor without much worry. The only thing he noticed was all the people rushing about, most of them with their arms full of their belongings.

Arone thought Pivincy would be at the gate when they got there, but it was Lynn who was standing next to Toaran. Pivincy, though, wasn't absent. When Arone got close enough, he saw Pivincy sitting calmly outside the manor house, his eyes closed. His legs were crossed and a sword balanced on his thighs; he had gently placed his arms in his lap before the sword.

"What is–" Arone started when he got near Lynn, but she only waved him off.

"Don't worry about him. He's adamant about staying there, and I don't know why," Lynn started. "Because an Anorati reported a massive Arcam army on the move here, one that is larger than what happened ten years ago. Pivincy doesn't think Terrifor will hold out, and he's ordered the evacuation of the town."

Toaran and Arone stared in disbelief. Arone looked at Pivincy and wondered why he would just sit there so peacefully when the town was about to be bombarded.

"He won't stop people from staying behind and won't look badly on those who choose to leave, which I implore that you two do."

Arone heard the last part, but he was already looking at the walls when Lynn talked about people staying. He didn't care that the Arcam army was bigger than the last great rush. This is what he had been working toward while sparring. This night, he would be brave and fight.

"What are you going to do?" Arone asked as he looked back at Lynn with a solemn expression. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm staying back," she started. "It only feels right to try defending my home. But if there comes a point where there is no more hope, I will leave. You two aren't expected to fight. Besides..."

She took in another shuddered breath.

"I want you to find your parents. I really do. I don't know where they are or if they're still alive, but if you two die here, there will never be that reunion. You deserve to find your parents. Please, take this attack as a chance to set out and finally find them."

It was hard to keep looking at Lynn because Arone had already made up his mind. He wanted to find his parents more than anything in this world, but he had to do this one thing first. Didn't he?

Arone didn't wait for Lynn to say anything else. He had no time to explain what this battle meant to him, nor did he want her to say anything that would encourage him to betray his training. He slowly took a few steps back, saw Lynn begin to tear up, and muttered a 'sorry' before running back to his hut.

He was back upstairs and getting his bow and sword. He picked up his quiver of arrows, and closed his eyes. Courage will prevail today. Even if it takes his life. Because he owed it to himself and this town.

But when he turned around to head downstairs, he stopped cold. A low sound came through his window: a horn. If there was one sound in the world he didn't want to head into battle with, it was the drone of the Arcams' horns. He could feel his body turn numb, and he could feel his gaze edging toward the same corner in his room he trembled in the last time he heard those horns.

"NO!" a defiant voice inside him yelled, and his body warmed again. This would not happen. He'd just let courage in, and he would not let it slip so quickly. This is why he trained all these years. Arcams were heading to Terrifor, and he was going to protect this town.

He bounded from his house. Toaran had already disappeared from the gates along with Lynn; Arone assumed he would join the battle too. Arone knew where he would go from there. He would take his spot on the wall where his father before him had fought. He would defend his town from there.

When he reached the wall, he ascended the steps. About half the archers normally there had already taken post, and Arone assumed this would be about the number of them fighting. He moved five men to his right and laid down his sword.

"Arone! You're here!"

He turned to see Garand, an elderly man who'd help him out since the first time he'd been given this spot. Arone smiled.

"Yes. It's time I fight for my parents."

Garand reached his arms around Arone to give him a hug.

"And you shall," he smiled warmly.

It wasn't long before the horn's sound in the distance began to grow. Arone already had an arrow fitted to his bow when he saw black movements behind the tree line. His fingers shivered as the anticipation grew. At the height of it, the Arcams burst out onto the plain.

And his jaw dropped.

The Arcams weren't just an army scampering from the forest. They were a huge legion, filling out the entire border. They leapt through every hole, bursting through the branches. They turned the entire ground black.

"Archers, prepare!"

Arone could hardly hear Tharon's shout over his heart seeming now to beat in his ears. His mouth was already dry. Fear started to creep into his head at the thought of his first large fight. He'd killed an Arcam before, but by the daunting numbers now, he might be thrust into the fray for the first time.

He would be calm. He pulled the bow taut. Just concentrate and wait. Wait for the command.

As soon as the command came, everything became a blur. He heard the faint twanging of arrows as they whizzed through the air. He felt each of his own as he let one fly after the other. He saw each land perfectly, but his main focus was on the size of the Arcams approaching. When one was killed, its space was consumed by countless more.

When they were close enough, the Arcams began their attack. Their bodies propelled through the air. The height they reached was astounding, but the walls of Terrifor were raised since the last attack. A huge majority ended up smacking against the walls, while a lucky few made a clean jump over the barricade.

At this sight, Tharon rushed to the inner staircase and made a swiping motion. A low rumbling sound followed. A last resort to defense came in case they underestimated the Arcams jump from last time. Another barricade rose up on the outside: one of solid Anglomite.

Now no Arcam could make it, but it came at the cost of limited sight. Arone shot arrow after arrow through the gaps. He turned right at the sound of a screech and saw an Arcam rushing over the fallen body of Garand. As he pulled up his sword and hacked at the Arcam, he fell to his knees, gut wrenching, and crawled to the old man.

Garand gasped, and Arone tried his best to console him.

"You...find...your parents," Garand wheezed, smiling. He would die in the next minute, and as he took his last shuddered breath, Arone got up, confused. He felt a paralyzing feeling getting to him more, and he had to clench his teeth and take a deep breath to quell it. Tears rolled down from his eyes as he was forced to look away from Garand and go back to fighting.

But with the death, suddenly the fight was taken out of him. He looked at the smothering numbers and then to his quiver. He could shoot every one of his arrows, and hit one, even two Arcams with each, and it wouldn't matter. He didn't know how the Arcams would get through their walls, but it seemed those numbers alone could just repeatedly pound against the stone and they'd make it through eventually.

It seemed like he was in a dream as he walked from his post and down the staircase. He saw all the swordsmen lining the street; they were all staring back at him with confused looks, but none of that seemed awkward, because deep down he thought he might never see them again.

He thought about going home, but he shuddered at being any closer to that corner in his bedroom when the Arcams might soon overrun the town...like last time...Then, for some reason, the blacksmith came to mind, and when nothing in his mind objected, he set off right for it.

When he unlocked the door, he stumbled inside and...silence. Finally, no screeches, no having to waste arrows on targets that would only reappear again. Garand, though...he flashed through his head, as did his parents being taken, and Arone fell to his knees. His head buzzed as his dazed expression wandered about the room. He saw weapons missing...He saw the anvil...so many things he'd made there...

His sight fell on the corner of the room he'd kept all the arrows he'd fletched. Rondor always was annoyed at him for making so many, but Arone's obsession with archery made him ignore the constant belittling. Plus, Rondor himself never made any attempts to remove them, so the pile kept growing.

Arone picked himself up and neared the pile. He watched one of the arrows twirl around his finger, and the thought of returning to the fight came back to mind. A crazy thought crossed his mind that if he used all these arrows, a noticeable dent would be made. Maybe the Arcams wouldn't make it through the wall. Maybe he could spend all night running back and forth, and that would help!

The buzzing subsided as he clenched his teeth together again. He stuffed his quiver as full as reasonably possible and burst back into the battle sounds of the night. A few Arcams' bodies lay scattered before the swordsmen, and their ranks were stirred. Arone ignored their eyes this time as he returned to his post. There, sadness still crawled into him at the sight of Garand, but now the overwhelming feeling was respect for his fallen friend.

He looked out and noticed a spot in the distance that was pure black. The Arcams were piling onto each other in a forward motion, so that the spot slumped toward Terrifor. Nothing came to mind, but with so many bodies packed together, this became his target.

"Tharon! What is that?" Arone roared, pointing out. It seemed no matter how many Arcams he killed, there were always more to swarm the darkness.

Tharon looked, but when he drew a blank expression, Arone groaned and returned his focus on the mass. It was getting close to the left corner away from them; the angle through his slit was getting too steep for him to hit any of them. As the blackness disappeared from view, Arone took a step back and watched the other archers on his left. Some noticed the oddity and began firing over there.

Tharon was called over to the left, and the archer calling was making jabbing motions at what Arone thought was the black mass. Arone continued firing from his spot, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tharon looking from the black mass to that archer signaling, and then finally to Arone.

Far away, shouts and cries erupted. At first, Arone couldn't make them out, but he saw a faint glow against the wall's edge. The roaring rang along the wall, and it was at the point Arone could understand the cries as he saw archers abandoning their posts to his left.

"There's fire on the ground!"

Arone didn't see the danger, though. This wall was made from nothing resembling wood, and he couldn't see the Arcams being able to throw anything so high into the air, nor did they have contraptions that could do it for them. Everyone else seemed as confounded as Arone. They all fixated their shots.

The air was suddenly ripped apart. A massive explosion blew apart that side of the wall. Arone was knocked backward. All he could see were the archers, Tharon one of them, being tossed from the wall and far into Terrifor. And this crushing sight, along with its surprise, kept him on his back, knowing...just knowing...

He knew there was a large gaping hole in their defense now. He knew that even now the Arcams were pouring in by the hundreds, and he knew there weren't nearly enough swordsmen there to take them all on. But from the hope he still had, and the opposition to the fear that was subduing him, he got up and ran to help the swordsmen. This fight was not over yet.

~

Pivincy didn't move. He wasn't going to. This town had been his life, and this was the town he'd sworn to protect when he took the sacred oath linking his fate to Terrifor's. And he would fulfill that oath today.

He withdrew from his lap a heavy, black sphere. He cupped it in his hands and pressed on it tightly. Black and white fog swirled within, and a slight hissing sound was heard.

Give the people one last chance at a better position.

He thought of all the people he'd met in his life. He held onto each of their smiles as he thrust the sphere down. A shriek sliced the air, one that went high and low, and this noise would drive the Arcams even crazier than they already were.

It didn't take long for the stream of black to flow through the town and pound up against the gates to the manor house. Arcams used themselves as rams as flesh met iron, and Pivincy accepted a fact before it even happened: the gates wouldn't hold out.

He stood up and placed his sword out in front of him. He remembered the first time he held it in his hands—his first battle over two decades ago. A tear and a chuckle came to him as he remembered Lynn's wide eyes, in that battle, as she struck the Arcam that Pivincy had failed to see rushing at him. He hoped she was still alive somewhere in this town, and if she wasn't, that she'd been able to die with friends rather than alone like him.

As the gate buckled in and crashed to the side, Pivincy drew in his last, long breath. He was going to miss Terrifor. He was going to miss this life. But before he died, by everything on this Earth, he was going to show what defending a home really looked like.

~

The Arcams nearly blitzed through the swordsmen's ranks in seconds by their numbers. It was only by luck that they did not attack but instead ran off toward this high screech, low rumble sound to their right. All began fleeing through the town.

The sound wouldn't last long, and the remaining defenders found themselves having to entrench into a narrow path not too far from Arone's hut. There was a path behind them, but luckily when the Arcams charged back toward the swordsmen, they were too focused on killing them at the barricade. They never searched for a different way around.

Lynn was closest to the barricade, screaming orders at everyone who could hear. Arone and Toaran were farther back, spears in hand like everyone else, watching for the Arcams leaping over the rubble and debris to impale them when they landed. Thankfully, almost all the Arcams were bashing themselves against the barricade and grabbing at the humans through the tiny gaps, so only a few leapt over every so often.

Another explosion blasted them from their left. The shops and homes in its wake bombarded outward, and this time, Arone was taken clear off his feet and into the hut's wall to his right.

His sight was blurred and his ears were ringing when he glanced up. Fire was sweeping the barricade, and Lynn was nowhere to be seen. The archers and swordsmen farther away were already fleeing. Arone didn't blame them; there was no defense left here.

He spotted Toaran just a few feet away, shaking his head and rubbing his wrists. The fire was quickly spreading behind him, and they had to leave fast.

But Arone couldn't leave yet. Not if he could wait for Lynn and try to help her if possible. The fire approached; Toaran coughed, gagged and escaped the flames near him. He saw the fire get so close it could just reach out—and Arone would be burned alive...yet...the fire didn't feel as hot as the dream made it out to be.

Arone, suddenly entranced, the sounds of the battle dying away, slowly held out his hand. The fire, as if it were being coaxed, bent and dipped slightly to reach his grasp.

But the thing to touch him was not the flames. Out of the fire leapt Lynn in one bound, and in the next motion she grabbed Arone's outstretched arm and yanked him along with her. Arone snapped from his entranced state, and he was once again thrust into the piercing sound of screams from the town's people, running for their lives.

Arcams and humans alike spilled from Terrifor's exit. In every direction Arone looked, there was another Arcam to hack down as it tried to wrench apart everything around it.

Terrifor was lost, and Arone was torn between survival and protecting those around him. Most of the fighters were making their way into the woods, while the Arcams, content on destroying Terrifor, were sprinting off in the other direction.

Arone fought next to Lynn as a final large group of Arcams splintered off from the main group and attacked the fleeing humans. Arone turned left, right, and behind him, hacking away.

"Arone! Behind you!" Lynn cried out as she lunged her sword clear through the Arcam just about to slice into Arone. Arone was thrown off balance, and he crashed to the ground. Any pain he had was drowned by one terrifying thought: he almost died...

He rolled and weaved through arms and legs, defenseless for a few seconds, but at least he was alive.

He bounced to his feet as quickly as he could. The group of Arcams was thinning; he was wildly looking all over for Lynn. With Toaran, they could escape once the path was clear.

Arone finally caught eyes with Lynn, but there was something off about how she was staring. Her expression was glazed like Pivincy's once he found out about the man with the lightning, and her mouth was ajar a bit. Arone looked at her feet to the few more dead Arcams and then behind him to see what she could be looking at.

When he turned back, Lynn swiveled and fell to her knees, and that's when Arone saw the Arcam sticking its blade into her back.

The buzzing toppled back into his head, and he could actually feel his heart being ripped from him. Emptiness...emptiness...

Hatred...

Without realizing it, he was mauling the Arcam. Slicing every limb he could see. Feeling something inside he'd never felt before that made the fire in Terrifor engulf his thoughts. The unbounded hate...it made him want to wrench apart every last piece of the Arcam's existence.

Next thing he remembered seeing was himself slumped over Lynn. He cried and hoped beyond anything that she'd live, but her chest had stopped heaving, and the dull silence made the realization hurt more. It was impossible to think that someone so experienced at fighting could just die like that. And it made Arone colder to think she might've been killed because she was too busy saving Arone...

It was as if he lost his parents again, only this time it was real. Lynn wasn't taken away, but murdered. Lynn had been a mother to them almost as long as his mother and father had been parents. And now she was dead.

He felt someone yank on his shirt. He resisted, but when he saw Toaran's face, he gave up the struggle and followed. He looked back once, but Lynn's body was already hidden by the Arcams and humans running about. Arone and Toaran ran off to hide in the forest from the hopeless situation. They waited for the screams to die down and the weight of death to finally lift from them.

Farewell Beginnings

It was hard to believe over the next hour that everything had been perfectly normal the day before. Yesterday, he woke in the morning after working at the blacksmith the day before. Afterward, he and Toaran had gone to the forest to spar–

Where he saw that man, he thought, and everything fell apart. Lynn and so many other people now were dead.

He fought back how thankful he was for Lynn to watch over them. It hurt too much to think how good things had been before this fight. Silence was a cruel instigator, though, and he sat huddled against a tree, entranced in sadness, watching Toaran slowly pace around.

When the night's steadiness took back command, Toaran eventually came over and helped Arone up. He then gave his brother a big hug. As strange as it was that their life had been shattered in the past few hours alone, it was even stranger that this hug made everything seem a little better. Arone hugged Toaran back.

"I think," Toaran said when they let go, "we should go to Bengaul. The Arcams might be running there, but it's the only place close where we have a better chance of defending ourselves than here."

Arone nodded in agreement. As he did, he couldn't help but look in the direction of Terrifor. Another plummeting feeling overwhelmed him as he realized he might not be returning in the near future. It would be nice to visit Terrifor one more time.

Toaran was looking at Arone and reading his expression.

"I wanted to go back there too before leaving."

Toaran and Arone walked side by side. The dread of seeing his town destroyed seemed too much, and if the walk had been any longer, Arone might've stopped and just headed to Bengaul. Yet, Terrifor's crushed wall quickly came into sight, and although there was shock, Arone pressed on.

He didn't want to walk among the dead, so he made his way around the field before heading into Terrifor. Looking back, he saw Toaran kneeling down next to a body farther away that could only be Lynn's, and Arone turned away.

He saw the scattered fire and all structures leveled except the manor house. Arone saw the Broolana still living...well, there goes that myth...Arone's focus narrowed to his hut, or what was left of it, and before he knew it, his house was right in front of him. It and its memories lay broken. Arone now thought, all along, this had been a sort of beacon. One day, their parents would find them, because all they had to do was look for this hut.

Arone's face paled. There was no beacon anymore. Their parents would never know where to find them. If his parents came back here, they might go to Bengaul to find them. But they might go anywhere else. Besides, there was no hut in Bengaul to find. Their parents probably wouldn't recognize them, since he hardly looked like he did as a child.

Their parents were probably dead.

Arone took a deep breath as he shoved this thought away and stood up to leave Terrifor. He'd made up his mind a long time ago that he'd always consider them alive until he found proof. Alive, not dead. And he was prepared to take this thought to his death.

He passed Toaran while stepping over the wall's rubble. Both gave a small smile to each other. Arone continued walking until he was once again on the battlefield's edge. He waited there, his gaze continuing to linger where Lynn died, and he would always have to shake himself away from this sight. The thought came to go and say something to her, but his feet never moved to mirror that thought.

Toaran appeared some time later. He spotted Arone and walked his way. Arone stood up and wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. They only turned and headed off together. Arone felt something tugging him, though not something physical. Whatever it was, it remained with him for a while before it, like the life of Terrifor, dissipated.
Fire's Calling

Toaran and Arone lived in Bengaul when they were much younger. Arone must have been three when they moved, and he couldn't remember what their hut looked like.

It was a quiet walk. Much like in Terrifor, being together was enough to gather some sort of comfort. They hoped Bengaul would still be standing when they arrived. But Arone knew those Arcams could destroy the city, and then after that, where would they go?

Bengaul had to be one of the best, if not the best, stronghold in Agrathias. If Agrathias fell, how long would the other regions last? An image of the Arcams scouring the earth filled Arone's head. He quickly discarded it, rather focusing on the Segoada trees in front of him as their bark slowly shifted from brown to black to gray.

Then they were there: the spot Arone had always gone to after sparring with Toaran. And for some reason, his sadness came back with a vengeance. His throat suddenly tightened as he fought back tears. All around him...he saw the gentle sloped path that would lead to all his targets. Targets he'd hit for years and years.

He sniffled and looked up, and his air seemed to be knocked right from him. The bird and its nest...were gone.

"Are you okay?" he heard Toaran say somewhere in his panic.

"I'm...I'm fine," he muttered without moving. Just fight back everything. But he loved that bird...strangely...He wanted it back—or at least wanted to know that it was alive. That bird had been flying around this spot for as long as Arone could remember. Please...just let it be alive...

Arone staggered on, mumbling that he was fine, and along their way, they took a few rests. Arone especially liked these because he always wanted some excuse to hold off making it to Bengaul. During one of the rests, Toaran sat against a tree and began to doze off. Arone sat across from him, just staring.

He looked around, taking everything in. He thought about what else they could do if Bengaul were destroyed. There would be nowhere else safe, except maybe Glavendale or Lavamar, but those cities were far west and east. He didn't think he had the spirit to walk to one of them just to see it had been overrun by Arcams.

Arone glanced at a spot between two Segoadas. They could live on their own from here on out. Maybe, as Arone's heart started beating faster, they could just start searching for their parents. No matter where they were, they could find them. Skip out on living in a town. Live on our own.

The two trees turned black. We'd have to watch out for the Arcams along the way. Perhaps we'd find a resistance against the Arcams. They wouldn't take the army on all at once, but if they took on small groups...the Arcams weren't that strong, anyway.

The bark turned brown—and a shadow flashed.

Arone blinked; his heart hammered more. He stared, the thought of adventuring off rapidly disappearing. He could've sworn he'd seen—there it was again!

Arone looked from Toaran to the place with the shadow. Toaran didn't move, so Arone got up and began walking toward the Segoadas. The shadow, as if it knew it'd been found, began to slither back through the trees.

He didn't think it was safe, but he couldn't just ignore this. If it were a foe, ignoring it could be deadly too. Arone held his bow tightly and had his hand on an arrow. Just one move and that shadow would go down.

He passed the tree where he originally saw the shadow. It was now just as far away, but it had a different form to it. Before, it seemed distinctly human, but now it was smaller and resembled a blob as it moved back.

Then, when it reached a patch of Synlana, their stalks shrinking away from the black mass, the shadow disappeared altogether. Arone blinked a couple of times, but the vanishing wasn't fake. Whatever it was, it was gone.

Arone walked the rest of the way, still prepared for a strike. There were the Synlana, but something small and red on the ground caught his attention. It came from where the shadow disappeared, and when he stooped to see it better, he noticed it was a sphere with a small red stripe around it. The rest of it was white with a faint gray hue swirling inside of it.

Arone picked the sphere up and held it. It didn't react to his touch, and it was small enough to close his entire fist around. He could bend it if he squeezed hard enough, but he didn't press too much in fear of breaking it. So he stood there, staring and wondering if anything would change.

He was still fixated on the sphere when he made his way back to where Toaran slept. Only this time, Toaran was standing, looking up at the trees. He didn't even look at Arone.

"Toaran, I have to show you something!" Arone said, about to hold up the sphere.

Toaran quietly placed a finger over his mouth, and Arone stopped lifting the sphere. He looked with his brother and remained quiet.

A branch snapped to his right up in the trees. Right after, the leaves rustled. Someone or something was up there. Arone shoved the sphere into his back pocket and drew an arrow to his bow.

A breeze picked up, and then...

The upper part of the trees he was staring at was blasted apart as a streak of lightning arced from above and struck the ground before them. Arone and Toaran fell backward, Arone's bow falling out of his hand.

When the glare from the streak subsided, Arone, horrified, saw the man from the woods staring at them.

"It was you in the woods when I killed the Anorati?" he asked.

Arone didn't know what to say.

"I saw your bow," he continued, gesturing toward the ground. Arone looked, and the innate instinct to grab it surfaced.

But just as the urge came, another bolt blasted the ground, and his bow was blown apart.

The air inside of Arone was forced from him. He'd had that bow his entire life. It was a gift from his father...

"Just in case you thought using that would help," he said. He then began to hover toward the ground.

"You sent the Arcams, didn't you?" he heard Toaran ask.

"Yes," the man whispered.

"Why, though?" Toaran pressed. "Why did you want Terrifor destroyed? Why do you want Bengaul destroyed, too?"

"Bengaul will be spared."

"But why destroy Terrifor in the first place?" Toaran persisted.

The man didn't respond to this with words. He glanced at Arone, and very slowly, a smile grew on his face.

His arms shot up. A third bolt, terribly bright, launched forth. Arone shouted, but it was not for his own life. He shouted at Toaran who had less than a second to realize that the bolt was coming for him. It streaked from the man's hands into air and hit Toaran squarely in the chest.

It didn't strike Arone, but that didn't stop the paralyzing feeling to crush Arone into his spot. Toaran's body spiraled through the air as Arone's warning cry was squeezed into silence.

Toaran's body slammed into the tree; an awful thud deadened the air. His body fell limp to the dirt.

The paralysis lifted as he teetered in his stance. Not happening. Please let him still be alive. Please let him...but his thoughts succumbed to the fire that took over when Lynn died. Only this time he felt like his body itself was on fire. And hatred for that man fueled its spread. He saw the Arcam he hewed apart, saw himself kneeling over Lynn's body...

Arone roared just as the man whispered, "This is why." The flames within him ignited and a huge pillar of fire erupted toward the man.

He disappeared into fire and smoke, a hue of blue and white cracking against the flames. But Arone didn't notice this; he didn't register an inferno was now separating him. His thoughts were wild in pain at everything he could think of between him and his family. Everything was gone now... everything...

A quick fatigue slowed his thought process. His mind now saw the fire, and a new shock hit him. His body was too weak to feel anything else, though, and he fell back.

The fire died down to show the man gone and all the surrounding Segoadas burned down. The flames crept from where they reigned, and the fire seeped into his arms.

Sheer exhaustion grew in him, causing the anger to subside. In the past, he would have found some way to fight this, but this finally stopped his search for hope. The Arcams had taken everything but his brother from him, and now this man took his last friend. The battle was lost, and the fatigue reached its peak. Arone slumped forward as his vision turned to white.

...

Arone and Toaran were looking over town's wall at the full moon.

"They say the Lurick hunts in the forest. It's supposed to eat the evil spirits that try to make their way into Terrifor," Toaran said.

"What evil spirits?" Arone asked.

"The ones that go after little brothers named Arone."

Arone stared back, wide-eyed.

"But...my name is Arone..."

A loud blast sounded from behind them. Prellacistine was already in full swing. People were dancing and singing about, celebrating the last few weeks of warm weather before winter began. In the center of the commotion were several men conjuring small bursts of fire into the air, making shapes as the flames twisted around. Arone thought one of the shapes would be the Lurick, and he really wished it would get rid of those evil spirits.

"Come on, Arone!" Toaran shouted as he grabbed Arone's hand and pulled him around the circle of people. They weaved among them, yelling and dancing as the town's people moved around in a slow circle. They passed by their mom and dad along the way, and the four of them joined together and laughed almost the entire night. Arone quickly stopped worrying whether the evil spirits would be eaten or not.

...

Arone lifted his head. It was heavier than usual. He didn't know how much time flew by since he passed out, but he had no concern about it.

What happened earlier kept playing through his mind, but he was too worn out to feel anything toward it. The man, his brother, the fire...

He looked over at Toaran, then shuddered and immediately looked away. Lynn's death popped into his head; he'd wanted to say goodbye to her, but something inside stopped him from doing it.

He needed to do it this time, though. This was his brother, and doing nothing now seemed the worst disrespect toward brotherhood. So he turned slowly and started to crawl toward Toaran's body, his head looking away until the end when he would finally look.

His insides were ice and his heart thumped faster with every move. But he would not shy away, and he reached the tree where Toaran laid still. That's when he looked to see Toaran's petrified eyes and paralyzed face.

And he cried. He cried like he never did before. He cried harder than after his parents had been taken, and he cried past the point of shaking pain.

He was alone. No brother to help him and parents that might as well be dead rather than disappeared. And no thought now stopped him from believing that.

He eventually cried himself into a ball, his back against the tree. It reminded him much of when his mother was taken, and the pure dread made him even more exhausted. He felt more like the scared child he was.

...

They'd been searching for an hour. They were lost, and Toaran was trying to find their way back...Arone was suggesting ways to go, but he knew just as little as Toaran about their trail ahead.

"We've passed this tree already!" Arone said frantically.

"No, it just has moss on it that looks like moss on another tree!" Toaran answered.

They ran from tree to tree until, out of insane luck, they ran right into their parents.

"Where were you?" Arone's mom said, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Arone began to cry but Toaran, though shaken, told their parents everywhere they had looked, and Arone, surprised out of his mind, saw his parents smile. It was later, after his parents consoled the sobbing Arone, that they told both their sons they had walked in circles around Terrifor for the past hour.

"We're just thankful you two stuck together," his dad said. "Because you two will always support each other, no matter what happens. Always."

...

...

The memories were too much. The happier they were, the more his gut twisted. He tried thinking of other things, but that would only lead to wondering where to go next, and not knowing made him panic. He tried his best to fight it all off by clenching his teeth. It felt like any oncoming panic would be too much.

He wanted to give Toaran a burial, but he had nothing to dig with into the earth. So for now, he pulled Toaran up against the tree and folded his arms onto his lap and gently closed his eyes, all the while humming a song their father used to sing about a little boy wanting to be an animal.

A few hours passed. He spent the time numbly walking around, feeling the place growing more suffocating by the minute. He couldn't leave Toaran stranded, but he couldn't stay there. He couldn't stay...he couldn't leave...

His panic made his vision blur. He took a few steps; he had to leave. But...Toaran...he felt the same force pulling back as before with Lynn, only this time it was enough to stop him. He looked back and saw a person who deserved so much more in life. He vowed to return when he could and give his brother a proper burial. And with this, the force lifted.

Arone fled.
The Palace

Trees and rivers passed. Arone was sort of sure which way to go. Although if he were wrong, he guessed he would just take it as a sign Bengaul was not the place he was meant to be. On each step he took with his deadened senses, he started to think this was the most likely thing to happen to him.

So, he had to be prepared for now and what was to come. And, well, he wasn't. It was best just making up his mind then instead of having a plan. Any order now made no sense.

His mind attempted to push forward from Toaran's death. He saw the man smiling at him as he whispered, 'This is why'. What was that supposed to mean? The only answer now was the fire coming from his hands in that next moment.

That's when he remembered what he could do. He looked at his hands. He tried getting some more flames to surface again, but nothing came forth. Then he saw the forest on fire in his head. He thought it better not to try again until he learned something about this.

He found a cleared path that was familiar to him, which put the possibility of finding Bengaul quickly to the forefront. Maybe they had taken this path when they moved from Bengaul to Terrifor. It wound its way around, and Arone saw Cresalin along the ground that kept blossoming and withering away.

This path opened into a long meadow. He spent the entire distance running his hands through the tall grass and trying to take in whatever breeze found its way from the sky. The meadow went into a thin strip of the forest that eventually gave way to a wide open plain.

Arone collapsed to his knees, and the tears rolling down his face were finally those of joy. He saw a large city with a brilliant red glow: Bengaul. He ran, shoving all the pain away for at least this moment. Something lucky was bound to happen, and it finally had.

He must have looked like a lunatic to the Anorati on the walls. He was dirty, bloody, waving his arms all about, and sobbing. Somehow the message to open up the gates to let him in got through. That or the Anorati were just coming out to see the wreck Arone had become. Probably the latter. The gates opened and three horsemen approached him.

Right away, the brown horse in front went behind Arone as the middle horseman leapt down. He was flashing the hilt of his sword.

"Do not be alarmed in our next action," the Anorati said. "It's customary when a stranger approaches."

He flicked his hand. The horseman behind Arone unsheathed his sword and held it uncomfortably close to Arone's head while the other one took out his bow and slung an arrow to it.

"Now," the Anorati continued, "please tell us what brought you here like...this."

Arone didn't know exactly how to put it. The main thing on his mind was his brother's death, but he didn't think that would be important news now. That, and he was just sick of reliving it over and over again.

"Terrifor was razed to the ground," Arone said, making it as blunt as possible to get it over quickly, "by an Arcam army that was the biggest I've ever seen. After the attack, I saw them rushing in this direction, and I wanted to warn you."

The Anorati's eyes widened and his head bobbed forward. He took in a moment of looking at Arone and then to the ground before looking back at Bengaul's walls. He pointed to someone atop and beckoned him.

"I'll be back, but I need to know your name before leaving."

"Arone."

A moment later, another Anorati was riding out to meet them.

"I have to inform someone from the palace of your arrival to see what they want to do with you. I assume you have no place to stay?"

Arone nodded. He guessed he would spend some time looking for a blacksmith to see if they needed a hand there. But, if an Arcam attack was coming, he would love some place to rest up.

The Anorati turned round and climbed on his horse before trotting toward the palace. Arone was left in silence, and he used this time to sit down. One Anorati still had his weapon pointed at Arone, and the other awkwardly looked at Arone from time to time.

Arone looked toward the woods, wondering how the Arcams hadn't charged from there yet. He then gazed at Bengaul's walls, and was glad to see them at a height much greater than Terrifor's. However, he didn't know how well they would last against one of those explosions like the one he had seen. How would they pierce the swarm of bodies surrounding whatever caused it?

He gazed around until, oddly, his eyes fell on the bow the guard was holding. Arone swallowed another crushing feeling in his stomach as he saw how much it resembled his old bow. Perhaps he could make another one while in Bengaul. It just wouldn't be the same as the last one...

The first guard did eventually come back to them. He had a suspicious look on his face as he approached.

"The king would like to speak with you," he said, being just as confused while saying it as Arone was hearing it.

Arone climbed to his feet and started following.

"Stay close to me. I must say this even though it's obvious, but please don't do anything stupid on the way to the palace."

"I won't," Arone responded.

Walking along the street, though, after heading through the gates, he might as well have been acting foolishly. Everyone who passed stopped and gawked. Some of the younger children shrank behind their parents who hurried them along. He felt bad everyone had to see him like this; he looked awful. Arone wished the palace were closer. He whispered to the Anorati to speed up a little. He needed anything to get this walk over with.

The palace's steps finally came as the crowd they passed thinned. From this close, Arone was in awe at the gleaming red Drathenite of which the palace was made. The dark, coarse black doors were the only items of the palace not made of Drathenite, and they were the most beautiful doors he'd ever seen. He'd heard about how the palace was the pride of every Agrathian, and he now saw why.

As they walked up the steps, two Anorati at the top opened the palace doors. He was met with a spectacular view of a hall that was at least double in size of the manor house's greeting hall. The walls and floor had the same polished Melkane as the manor house, and in certain places, paintings were hung upon the wall. A giant, winding staircase was in front of them to the right, and beyond that lay the rest of the palace, wherever those paths led.

"King's chamber is upstairs," the Anorati announced as the other two joined them. They ascended the red staircase all the way to another hallway, much narrower, that led to a large oak door at the end.

"Do not be afraid when speaking to him," the Anorati spoke. "Just speak deliberately."

Arone nodded. He thought after all he'd been through, he might be able to handle a talk with the king. Hopefully.

The Anorati opened the door, revealing a room with a huge bed on one side and a desk on the other made from the same material as the doors to the palace. All along the floor were stacks of parchment, and on the walls were various armaments and paintings of former kings and queens.

"Arone! Come right in!" the king said, sitting at his desk in the far corner.

As the Anorati followed Arone in, the king soundly cleared his throat.

"I admire your protection, but this is a conversation I want to have between the two of us."

"What?" the guard gaped. "Sir, you know this is the worst thing to ask of your protectors, to be alone with a stranger!"

"He's no stranger. He may have been gone for quite some time, but I still remember him. It's fine to leave us alone. I command it!"

The Anorati may well have been slapped in the face. He stood there abashed for a few seconds before walking and grumbling out the door. Before he closed the door, he shot another suspicious look at Arone.

The door closed, and only seconds later the king spoke in a much more serious tone.

"Arone," he said, standing up. "I am so sorry to hear about Terrifor. I'm so grateful you made the trek here and told us about the threat."

"There's...more..." Arone said cautiously.

"More? What else could there be?"

There was no debating the reality of the situation this time, unlike back in the manor house. So Arone just told the king the rest of the details of what happened involving the man from the forest. He tried busting his way through his brother's death, but he still got choked up on it.

The king, to Arone's dismay, reacted much like Lord Pivincy. The paleness rushed to his face as he slumped to his chair. And with the news of Toaran's death, he let out a disheartening moan.

"No..." he whispered. "You two were so good together...Toaran always made sure you were okay all the time. And your parents all those years ago..."

"How do you know about me? About my parents?" Arone asked.

"Your father and I were good friends. He was an archer for Bengaul's walls, and when he moved to Terrifor he sometimes ran the courier's report between our two cities, and we'd talk for a bit. And one of the courier reports had your father and mother's name as some of the people taken after that Arcam attack. I made sure Lord Pivincy had you two looked after."

"Oh," Arone answered.

Then the king's reaction to the man ran through his head.

"Excuse me for pressing, but who is this man?" he asked.

The king gave an exasperated chuckle.

"You're going to end up having more questions if I just tell you his name. So I ask you to let me say a few other things too before you ask anything else."

"His name is Dogane," the king continued. "He was the second king of Bengaul. He began his rule over two thousand years ago. His reign then was brutal, to say the least, and I would say the period of rule was the worst time in Agrathian history. Stick with me when I say this, but Dogane was immortal, and he lived for over twelve hundred years. Twelve hundred years of terror."

"We don't know how he got his powers, but the people back then were hoping that if he were able to get his magic, then someone else in the world would too who could stand up to him. Their hopes were answered in the form of not one person, but two. Ramas and Ubinion came from the land beyond the Allobnesian Sea riding blue and red griffins. They could control fire and water, and they challenged Dogane. People feared that since Dogane had lived so long, he couldn't lose. But it turned out his immortality only came from not dying of old age. However, he could be struck down in battle, as that fight showed."

It was getting hard not to say anything after he heard that last sentence. Immortal? He already died? He understood there were many forms of magic on Earth, but he'd never heard of immortality and resurrection...

"When he died, though, a bead of light was left behind. Ubinion and Ramas felt Dogane's power in it, and they tried whatever they could to get rid of it. Sadly, it was too strong to just go away. It was their regret on their deathbed that they never fully vanquished Dogane. They hid it so no one could use it again."

"I guess they were wrong," he said in a squeezed whisper.

"What...what do we do?" Arone asked.

"There's nothing we can do, I think," the king answered. "If Dogane wants to take over, he will."

"There must be something we can do!" Arone retorted. "If he could be killed once, he can be killed again."

"That was only when four beings with incredible magic had faced off against him."

"All it takes is one arrow," Arone added. "One slash with the sword. One moment when he isn't looking."

"I'd like to think that moment would come, too. But before we get our hopes up, let me tell you something. This man, in one simple flick of his hand, caused the entire city of Bengaul to be knocked out, with some townspeople even killed, after an uprising happened to permanently remove Dogane from his throne. Multiple assassination attempts, some by his most trusted people, were foiled. No one seemed able to finish him."

"Except when he died at the hands of Ubinion and Ramas. And he'll be killed again."

"Arone, I admire your determination, but saying he'll die does not kill him again. It took over twelve hundred years for resistance to come against Dogane last time. It would be pure luck if it took at least that long to happen again."

"So is all we can do is just wait for Dogane to come and take over?"

"Yes," the king sighed. "There was something Ramas and Ubinion said they left behind, but they never clarified what, nor was anything written down. So it was assumed they said that just to put everyone's mind at ease."

"So, what do you plan on doing to defend?"

As the king rose from his seat, the sunlight from the window tried to give color to his pale face.

"Nothing," he whispered, defeated. "Any news of Dogane would cause mass hysteria. And the people here do not need that before Dogane comes here."

"Nothing?" Arone asked. "No soldiers? No training? No gathering magical people to prepare to fight?"

"Nothing," the king repeated. "Give the people a false sense of security so they'll feel safe for as long as possible."

"And do you expect me to also live here under these 'safe' times?"

"You may choose to live wherever you want, although this city is probably the safest place until the end comes, considering all the Arcams running in the woods. If you do choose to stay, I'd be more than happy to give you the Cespin you'd need in your time here. It won't be able to compensate for your troubles, but it will help you spend your time here as comfortably as possible."

"Thanks," Arone said. "I think I just need a place to stay for some time. And maybe some food for tonight?"

"You act as if you're asking for one of my limbs," the king gently smiled. "You fought to save your town and witnessed all you did. I can pay for your food for now."

The king reached within his desk drawer and brought out a decent amount of Cespin.

"Thanks," Arone muttered again. "I was going to start working in Bengaul soon. I was wondering if you needed someone at your blacksmith?"

"I don't believe Morvane is looking for anyone at this time, but if you have half the skill your father had bragged you had, then I'm sure you can convince him to give you some work."

Arone accepted the Cespin. He smiled as he neared the door to leave.

"Remember that no one is to know about the man," the king said. "Only about the Arcams coming this way. I'll be posting more people to the walls to show I'm doing what I can to 'stop' this attack."

Arone nodded and opened the door. It was a second later that the Anorati came rushing into the room. On his way out, as the door was closed, Arone heard the king say, "Ah, thank you for your concern. But, as I promised, I am not dead."

Arone laughed, and his head turned to the left wall. That laugh was erased when he saw the painting of a man with a stern expression. Written below it was 'Dogane: A Call for Duty'. A second expression was carved below it that read:

On his death, the people actually rejoiced toward the heavens that had finally removed its dark veil and gave them the warmth they deserved for so long.

It was not this phrase that Arone got caught up on, and it wasn't about Dogane's twisted sense of duty. It was that the man he was looking at now was not the man from the woods.
The Warrior

"Excuse me, but do you know where the nearest tavern is?"

Arone was back on the street, and he stopped a woman. The woman, though, was clearly not pleased with Arone's appearance.

"Are you going to wash up a bit before taking that room?"

"Umm, no..."

"Well, you have to look nice if you want a room," she said, looking with disgust at Arone from head to foot.

"Really?" Arone asked. He'd never heard of that rule before.

"Well, no. But don't you want to look nice while getting a room?"

"Please, I really would just like a room."

She squinted as he said this but ultimately pointed to her left.

"You head down this path and turn right. It should be by a small hut."

He thanked her but also couldn't help hearing her mumble, "Then again, it is a shady place. Maybe you would fit in there," before striding away.

All Arone could really do was shrug off what she said and move on. Compared to the main road, the path she had pointed toward was much less crowded. It gave no sense of danger or mystery, though. There was a small shop on the other side of the path from where he was supposed to turn, and it was there he ended up first. And upon seeing all the food inside the shop, the feeling of not eating for a whole day hit him with full force.

His eyes moved about faster than his hands. He grabbed meat and fruit to the point where his arms were overflowing. He didn't worry; the king had given him more than enough Cespin.

"Whoa, hold on there. Don't let your hunger make you stumble," a man called, rushing to him with a knapsack. "Here you are, sir."

Arone turned and quickly set all of his food into it. But as he started off, the man's hold on the knapsack tightened. Arone glanced up to see a questioned look on the shop owner's face.

"You have enough Cespin for all this food?" he asked.

Immediately, Arone could feel his face redden with embarrassment.

"Yes, of course," Arone defiantly responded.

"Okay then," the man finally said.

A few minutes later, Arone was at the shop's counter, and the man counted up his items. Before he gave Arone the total, though, he paused and looked up.

"Where do you live around here? I don't believe I've ever seen you in this city," he said.

"Well, you wouldn't. I just arrived here today to see the king. He was the one who gave me the Cespin."

"Hmm, a favorite to the king...I hope," he said skeptically. But after a few more seconds of tapping his fingers on the counter, he named the total due.

Arone reached in his pocket and handed the man the amount. He smiled as he received it, but there was still that hint of a question in it. Almost like he was waiting for Arone to say it was all a joke. Instead, Arone grabbed the knapsack and walked back outside.

Once there, he looked across the path at the street with the tavern and understood what the lady was talking about. "Shady" described the darker street with battered-in huts and cracked pavement. Arone thought she had just been ranting, but as he walked along the street, something wasn't right.

"You looking for something?" a man asked quietly from his seated position by the wall behind him. He was clutching a knife.

"Uh-umm-no," Arone stammered and briskly walked into the tavern.

There was a slightly smoky smell upon entry. A wooden staircase stood immediately to his left, and four round tables rested to the left, across from the main counter. Two men were mindlessly rambling on about what seemed like dirt.

"Ahhh, but this g-ground has dirt that is so smooth," one of the men said, eyes closed and flicking his feet across the ground. Arone looked. There was not a speck of dirt in sight.

"You, boy, what do you want?" the tavern keeper asked firmly.

"I-I need a room," Arone answered, his voice faltering.

"That depends. Can you afford the rates? It's two Stohls per night."

Arone tried to walk confidently across the room. He guessed he made a good impression because the tavern keeper didn't give a second glance at Arone's appearance like everyone else had. Then again, with the company in the room as a comparison, he didn't seem all that much stranger.

With the tavern keeper's eyebrows raised, Arone reached into his pocket. He grabbed two blue coins and almost gave them to the tavern keeper until–

In a second's notice, he doubled over in pain, causing the coins to fall to the ground. His pocket had given him a searing burn that felt much hotter than any fire could give. His eyes watered at the blistering scorch, and for a moment he thought he would fall over. But the one brief, stabbing shock was all that came, and Arone regained his balance.

"Is everything okay with you?" the tavern keeper asked, narrowing his eyes. "Nothing weird is going on?"

"Yes," Arone responded, collecting his coins from the ground and wiping the tears from his eyes. Where had that come from?

"Second room on the left when you reach the top," the tavern keeper stated, eyeing the stairs. He sprinkled fine powder on Arone's right hand and muttered a few words.

It was obvious on the first few steps that the pain had all but completely subsided. A small amount of warmth still remained, even after he reached the first few steps.

"You said nothing weird is going on," the keeper said before adding, "Keep it that way."

Arone glanced back to give a nod and a forced smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the men fall from his seat from laughing.

The first thing Arone noticed on his door was the many deep cracks along its surface. Arone looked at the other doors and noticed they were far better off. Some even looked polished. Hoping this was not an indication of what lay inside, Arone waved his hand over the door handle, pulled on it, and went inside.

It was not like he was surprised. At least the room was well kept. A bed was set up on the far side of the room against the wall. A single window to the left of the bed let in the day's fading light. A stone table lay loose on the floor on the side of the wall with the door. Nothing was kept on it.

He sat on his bed and stared at the other wall. He had his bow to remake and the blacksmith to go to, but his bed was calling to him with a louder voice. This was the first time in a while that there was nothing happening. Silence was all around him. He lowered his back onto the bed, and he quickly felt the imprint of the sphere in his back pocket.

The sphere hadn't lost its original appearance when he took it out to examine it again. Immediately, the fire came back to his mind. The king talked about how Ubinion—or Ramas, he couldn't remember—could control fire and beat Dogane. If someone without magic didn't have a realistic shot, maybe it would rest with someone who did? Someone like Arone.

Was he even capable of fighting Dogane? No. Of course not. He didn't even know how to make the fire he did in the woods.

But if there was a way for him to find out how, would he fight?

Yes. No doubt. The answer didn't even hesitate to come to him, and he smiled suddenly. He would fight. He would fight. Because Dogane needed to fall. Because he'd trained himself to fight and never again to cower.

A moment ago he thought he'd craved silence, but not now. Maybe later the urge to rest would hit him harder, but for now he needed to get out there and find a way to conjure fire. Perhaps find out more of the sphere in his pocket.

He will fight!
Tyris

He was out of Bengaul and into the forest as soon as he could make it there. Somewhere no one would see. He took a spot in the forest and sat on the ground. He stared at his hand and tried to conjure some fire, just any amount. He tried shaking his hand; he tried saying 'fire' while shaking his hand, but those two actions didn't work.

He then remembered the pillar of fire he shot at Dogane in the woods. At that time, he didn't say a word or do anything special with his hands; he just felt it. He felt the fire he saw, and this is what came forth as his magic.

Maybe...he just had to see and feel it, so he thought of anything fire, and the first image to come to mind was the mantle in the manor house. In both his dream and reality, this was the place he felt calm, and this is what he wanted to try first. He thought about how the fire wanted to come to him in those moments, just as the fire that Lynn jumped from seemed to want to touch him. Then, the fire's movement had meant nothing, but now it meant everything. The fire was trying to come to him because he was controlling it without realizing it.

Something opened in his mind, and flames leapt from the mantle. They pushed past the space from the barricade and finally reached his body. It filled his mind, and he opened his eyes with the intent to light his hand on fire.

Crimson and orange sparked from his palm. The fire spread around his fingers and the back of his hand, and Arone now looked at his hand almost all in flames. He felt like he should be concerned, but he didn't feel the intense heat as he should from being so close to a fire. He thought of a hotter, bigger fire, and the flames increased with the intensity.

His mind filled with smoke and a dying flame. His flames were cut from existence. He now stared at his usual flesh, unharmed, and wondered how much more fire he could conjure. His thoughts fell onto the first dream he had and the actual pillar that made Dogane disappear.

Just as soon as he imagined the scene, he didn't like these images. He didn't like how it made him feel that he was losing control, but maybe that was what he needed to do to make his magic more powerful. After all, that pillar he sent at Dogane was immense. If he could make that appear, he might actually stand a chance against Dogane when he faced him again.

Arone let the flames ravage his mind. He let them make his rage grow as he remembered everything painful that happened to him so far. He had to recreate what he felt, even if it felt like he was being ripped apart.

This time, the fire did not become a part of him. It surrounded his mind; it made him feel only agony. He was choking again like in his dream, collapsing over Lynn, trying to see Toaran.

Just before the fire seemed to swallow him up, another searing twinge came from his back pocket, and the fire escaped his mind in small flares around him. He took a gasp of air.

"You can't let it get to you."

Startled, Arone looked to his left to see a man with black hair watching him. How much did he see? Arone had a suspicion he already knew the answer.

"What are you talking about?" Arone asked.

"The fire. You can't let it consume you."

"So you...you saw what I did...?"

"Yes. It's surprising. Interesting. But not the first time magic has appeared from nowhere."

Why was this man taking this surprise so well? Arone freaked out when he saw Dogane blasting the sky with lightning. Although, the lightning did seem more impressive and horrific than just someone's hand on fire, he guessed.

"What do you mean, I can't let it consume me?"

"Ramas often talked about his anger. It was the only thing that turned his fire against him. And it's what I guess you were fighting with just now."

"Wait...How do you also know about Ramas? How do you even know about the weakness in his power?"

"If you look deep enough in history books you will find the information on Ramas. As for the weakness in his power, I must admit it takes a lot more effort to find. He didn't like to talk of his shortcomings. But the information is still there."

"You would think they'd make the information on Ramas, Ubinion, and Dogane more known, seeing how it affected everyone so much."

"Yes...but even the most important events in history become more like myths when enough time has passed. It was warned someone might gain Dogane's power in the future, but then it might not happen. So fewer people along with us historians would know about it as more time passed."

"That...makes sense," Arone said.

"It's sad, but true."

"So since my power is so much like Ramas's, does this mean it's connected in some way?"

"As it is, they are entirely connected. One of their two last acts was to give up their magic and pass it down their bloodline. If someone got a hold of Dogane's magic, then Ramas and Ubinion's magic would belong to one of their living descendants."

"So the magic chose me?" Arone asked, bewildered.

"Maybe. Ramas talked about his magic 'choosing' a descendant, but he didn't say how. He did also say, though," the man added, seeing Arone's concerned look. "The choice was up to them. If you don't want the magic, you can will it away. And the problem will rest with someone else."

"I-I can?"

"If you want."

Someone else could have his power? Someone else to fight Dogane?

This was ridiculous, though. He just made up his mind! There was no reason to turn back now.

"I'm going to keep it," Arone said.

"I thought you would," he said, beaming. He walked over to Arone and extended his hand.

"I'm Tyris, by the way."

"Arone," Arone said, as Tyris helped him up.

"So, Arone, if you don't mind my asking, what happened to you?"

"Terrifor burned down," Arone said, not wanting to think about his brother's death as he started trying to make fire again. "And I escaped."

"Oh, were you the one who gave word of the Arcams coming here?"

"The news of the Arcams already got out?"

"Urgent news like that usually gets around fast. That and I talked with a guard, and he mentioned someone warning this city of the Arcams."

"Oh," Arone laughed as he raised the flames from his hand to eye level. "I guess that would do it, too."

Over the next hour, Arone constantly worked with his fire. He tried building it up, bending it, making it leap from hand to hand. He didn't necessarily get the hang of it by the end of trying this time. The fire would usually build up and collapse, or the jump to the other hand would feebly move and then fall to the ground. Tyris would chuckle sometimes, especially when Arone failed to bring back the flames into his body, forcing Arone to stomp the ground and smother the fire.

"You know, I could 'accidentally' burn you with this fire!" Arone said one time while hopping around the ground.

"I don't think you could reach me if you tried!" Tyris laughed.

Arone shook his head as he stomped out the last bit of flames. He sighed and then looked toward Bengaul.

"I'm going to go back into the city and do some things," Arone said.

"Understandable," Tyris commented.

"I'll probably be out here this time tomorrow if you want to stop by and help. You seem to know a lot more about my magic than me," Arone suggested. He was going to need all the help he could get.

"I will. All this really fascinates me, even if I'm not showing it."

They walked back into Bengaul. Tyris smiled and bowed his head as he took off in the opposite direction from Arone. Arone watched him leave, happy that there was someone who could answer at least some of the questions Arone had. Arone turned, and after asking another woman who thankfully just gave him an answer of where to go, headed off to the blacksmith.

...

"Excuse me; I was wondering if you needed any extra help."

"I have all the help I need at the moment, sorry."

"Are you sure you don't need any more? I've worked at the blacksmith in Terrifor for over seven years now. I've used many different metals. I'm one of the best archers you'll see in your lifetime, too," Arone shot off, saying anything he could think of.

"Oh, so you know Rondor, do you? How is he?"

Arone closed his eyes. He didn't know how many more times he could explain this while staying sane.

"Terrifor, umm, well...it burned to the ground during an Arcam attack. I don't know what happened to Rondor."

"WHAT?! When did this happen??"

"I don't know exactly. I think it was yesterday, but I've been knocked out so much I'm not too sure."

The blacksmith gave a disheartened sigh.

"How are you through this all?"

"I'm fine."

The blacksmith now took greater notice of Arone's state.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."  
The blacksmith's eyes grew wide.

"Then yes. Of course I can find a spot for you. Any man battling those monsters and surviving the burning down of their town...and given your experience, you can work for me. You can start tomorrow!"

"Thanks!" Arone smiled, shaking the blacksmith's hand. "I'm Arone, by the way."

"Morvane. Eager to see you tomorrow!"

Arone left after eyeing one of the corners of the room they were in. He saw many different bows resting against the walls, and he wondered if he'd be able to buy one to replace his own. He'd ask tomorrow.

He regrettably returned to the tavern. As he entered and walked past the keeper, he tried looking away, but he thought he could feel the keeper looking at him. He didn't want to see if his feeling was correct.

It was already dusk, and with the hint of night, Arone knew it was probably best to just try and fall asleep. True to his thinking earlier, his body craved his bed the more he looked at it.

He found, though, that as he lay down with his eyes closed, his mind began searching the silence around him. As if waiting to replay again, the events of the past few days resurfaced. The screaming that ensued around him was relentless. He cried that night as the faces of Lynn and Toaran repeatedly surfaced, and it was only by a miracle he fell asleep at all.
A Tarnished Memory

Over the next few days, Arone spent his time in the woods with his magic. In all but one day, Tyris joined Arone. He would usually sit off to the side with a book he brought and would sometimes look up to watch Arone; otherwise, he was just there to answer any of Arone's questions.

"Was there anything else written about Ramas's powers?" Arone asked once. "Any tricks, or something else?"

"Unfortunately, there was nothing special to his magic," Tyris answered. "What you've experienced is what it really is. Simply thinking of and feeling fire is enough to make it. From there, you must work on how much and how powerful that fire will be. And above all, you must figure out how to deal with your anger. If you let it run you in the wrong way, your magic may rip apart everything around you, whether foe or friend."

Arone wasn't sure if this was good or bad. He liked how his magic could become better with practice alone, but the fight with Dogane was looming. He wanted something simple, anything at all, to help him.

"What exactly is this whole thing with anger?" Arone asked, continuing his thoughts. "Is there some way to manage it?"

"That," Tyris started, "is an answer I can't tell you. Ramas said he never found a way to deal with his anger. He would just stay away from it when dealing with his magic."

"Oh," Arone said sadly. "I wonder why it's anger that I have problems with in the first place..."

"It's interesting you should say that," Tyris said. "Ramas wondered that constantly, too. He said that he never had a problem with anger until he got his magic."

"That's the same with me!" Arone said, nodding his head. "All my life I've never felt out of control with my anger. Now it's out of control, and the fire going through my mind hurts so much."

"Ramas called it his curse," Tyris said. "One small price to pay for having the power to kill Dogane."

Arone sighed. He guessed it made sense that something negative would come with his magic. It still sucked, though.

Later in the day, he took his post at the blacksmith. It was sad to work in the new environment, considering the fate of the old. He quickly found out too, though, that working in a city with much higher demands than Terrifor was interesting.

"This metal wasn't used in Terrifor," Arone said to Morvane as he was being shown around the blacksmith. He was pointing at ore that was dark green and had a small glow in the light.

"Jespar. Needs to be heated over an intense flame to be melded down. But the pay-off is great in its strength. Stronger than everything here, except Anglomite."

"I'm assuming a regular fire alone won't do the trick?"

"It's doable, but it'd be an extremely slow process. It needs a Culmern. We're actually close to one right now."

A few steps later, he stooped down and opened a door on the floor. Morvane and Arone followed the stairs down, which opened up into a large, very hot area. More of the Jespar was stacked along the walls of the chamber, and in the middle were steps leading into a giant pit of magma. Contraptions lifted and lowered the ore onto anvils, and people stood by with hammers ready to meld it.

"Shifts have to be made quickly and often," Morvane said. "Even if we have people resistant to fire working there, the heat is just too intense after a while. We wouldn't normally have so many working, but we've just been given orders to meld more Jespar-based armor for an Arcam attack coming our way."

"Yes," Arone said, looking away. He didn't mean for people to be working so hard when he gave the news. "I imagine you'll need more."

"Oh well. It's a blacksmith's job, I guess," he sighed. "You were probably given some strange demands in your time as a blacksmith, too. Luckily, though, you're going to be covering the extra work lost to people shifting down here. Turns out I did need extra help after all, I guess."

Arone's work involved everything that he'd seen at Terrifor, thankfully. He picked up his hammer, heavier than the one in his old blacksmith, and began pounding away at the heated Anglomite. He occasionally eyed the bows against the wall, trying to see if he could pick one out right away that would be a good replacement.

During his first break, he walked up and down the line of bows, trying out each one to see if it was the right fit. He found something wrong with each one, whether there was not enough stretch, it not all made from the same wood... too long, too short...toward the end of the line, he picked one up. The stretch was almost identical as were the other features. The only thing different was its handle.

He didn't like it. He put it down with the slow realization that none of these bows would be right if that bow wasn't good enough for him. Maybe...maybe making his own would do it. It wouldn't be perfect, and it wouldn't be the same, but his father had made him the bow before, and he would do that for himself now, too.

After he was done in the blacksmith, he took scrap Jespar, arrows, and a hammer he said he would return later, and he went out into the woods. From then until dusk, he melded the bow with his own fire. Without the Culmern, this proved very difficult because the fire was only hot enough to allow minor dents after every few hits.

Sometimes he would glance off behind him. He would stare into the quiet forest, wondering where the Arcam army was. And to that end, where was Dogane himself? Why wouldn't he want to reclaim his throne now? Not that Arone was complaining, but he had the hunch on getting here that Bengaul would have been overrun by now. Weirdly, by some miracle, it was still standing.

He tied his spare feather string around the bow's ends when he was done. It looked slightly haphazard, and the stretch wasn't right, but at least it reminded him of his father.

He strung one of the arrows and looked deep into the woods. It felt so awkward holding the different handle, but in the end, he was holding a bow, and the bow is what he'd used his whole life.

He shot three arrows quickly, and the last one missed.

Arone caught his breath: how did he miss? He never missed a target so close in years! Did his bow really matter that much?? What if he was so used to the last bow any other would be like starting over?

He didn't have the patience to try and hit those targets to train his aim better. He was mad at the whole situation. He could have protected his bow from Dogane, and he would still have his father's gift.

He went back to the blacksmith and gruffly thanked Morvane for the hammer before returning to the tavern. He passed the tavern keeper, this time not shying away, but giving him a look that was just as annoyed as the one the tavern keeper was giving him.

That night was not good. It seemed like Lynn and Toaran were lying in wait the past few nights to pop into his head, but this night was worse. All he felt was rage as their faces appeared, as Lynn fell over and Toaran flew against the tree.

The rage built on itself, over and over again. Fire. Fury. Death. Torture.

The flames formed. They started coursing. He was in the forest again, and there was no stopping the fire from coming this time. Dogane needed to die! Toaran was dead because of him!

The sphere in his back pocket suddenly burned with intensity Arone never felt before. Arone woke up and gasped as he was forced to throw it from his pocket onto the ground. There, it started to vibrate and hum, and Arone could only imagine how hot it was at that moment, and he wondered how long it would take for the floor to melt away.
Reincarnated

The sphere hummed to the point that it turned all white. It had become so hot by now that Arone could feel the heat radiating from it, and he feared the heat wouldn't stop. Soon it wouldn't be just the floor he had to worry about.

The sphere twisted itself around, and the red line appeared again. Something started to poke its way through here. It looked like a head of some sort. It wasn't human, but it was something that could definitely persevere through the sweltering heat, even though it was so small.

In the next moment, its entire head made it through. It was that of a bird. The sphere wasn't just something Arone found; it had been an egg this entire time!

Next came the wings, but the last surprise would come next. As it crawled and chirped over the constant humming, a small lion's backside followed. Arone remembered what these creatures were. They were thought to be a myth, but Arone couldn't deny what he saw in front of him. The egg was that of a griffin!

The griffin hobbled around. Arone kept blinking and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't seeing things, but he didn't know that griffins would be so small, and certainly had not known that they were hatched this way.

It tried to stand proudly, but its legs collapsed underneath its attempted stature. As it stumbled about more, it turned around and finally set its eyes on Arone. Its head tilted slightly to its side, which didn't do so well for its balance, and it fell over again. But there was something in its gaze when it clambered back to its feet; it was very interested in Arone, yet cautious as it neared him.

When it was just a few feet away, it gave a loud chirp and collapsed again. But it was too excited to stay down for long, and it ran over itself as its head rushed toward Arone's leg and began brushing up against it.

Images popped into Arone's head, none of his own. He saw a land that was greener than his; it was where the forest seemed almost alive as the branches of the trees twisted slowly around.

That image was then gone, and he was flying over the sea at a speed he knew this griffin couldn't possibly hope to ever obtain. There was a shore in the distance, but behind him stood a rock formation that was impossible to climb.

Then he saw the Dogane from the painting outside the king's room standing in front of Bengaul. He was shooting off electricity toward his right at a man who summoned his own fire to block the magic. His vision suddenly shot toward Dogane, energy spiking, and Dogane just barely rolled out of the way of the man's protective flames before the vision swept past him.

He saw his room again, and the griffin was peering into his eyes.

"Y-you were there?" Arone asked, skipping over how unlikely this could be. This griffin had been with Ramas when they defeated Dogane. Yet, it was here again.

The griffin bobbed its head, and once again it nuzzled up against Arone. The battle continued at a later point in time, this time Dogane surrounded by Ramas, Ubinion, this griffin, and another blue griffin opposite his vision. Only, the blue one was huge: about the size of a horse! And now that Arone thought of it, his own eyesight gave the creature a height much taller than the griffin in his room.

Dogane raised his hand, and he disappeared into a bolt of lightning that shot to the sky. A few seconds later, a lightning storm blitzed the ground. Dogane showed himself briefly in each spot the lightning struck, arcing himself at his four enemies. Seeing Dogane become as fast as lightning, seeing him become lightning, terrified Arone, but Ramas and Ubinion brought up their own defenses that were just enough to stop Dogane's storm.

The scene blurred and formed itself again. Dogane was once again surrounded, but this time a wall of fire and ice was around them. The four were moving in, constantly bombarding Dogane with magic. He tried to get away, but his lightning could not break through the formed barrier, for he had to concentrate so much on his attackers. The closer they got, the brighter everything became, until there was just blue, red, and arcing white. The lightning was not the only thing shining white, either. Through it all, Arone saw Dogane's eyes glowing white and his face twist into a mangled snarl. Then...darkness.

He was back in his room, and the griffin started trotting around it, stumbling much less often now. Arone leaned back into his bed and began to wonder how he'd ever be able to face off against Dogane. He'd seen him summon that storm as though it were nothing. He saw what it took to block those attacks, saw the barrier encasing them and Dogane. The magic Ramas was doing was far more powerful and bigger than what he'd been doing in the past couple of days. He'd still fight, but what he saw made him know he would lose quickly against Dogane.
Fate's Gladiator

Sleeping that night was not easy. He was too busy watching his griffin, still wondering how it was able to be here, yet it had already lived during Dogane's reign. And when he did manage to drift off, it wasn't long before a loud chirp from the griffin would bring him back awake.

Toward the end of the night, when dawn shined its way through the darkness, Arone finally got a couple of hours of sleep. Despite this, when he woke up for the last time in the morning, he didn't feel tired. He couldn't wait to show Tyris this wonder. There was no doubt he'd know something about it.

An hour later, he decided he was going to go to the forest early and wait; he couldn't stay in this tavern any longer. He stooped down and scooped the griffin in his hands. Strangely, it was at least double the size of the sphere that contained it, and Arone was only able to barely hide it by cupping both his hands around it.

As he ran from his room, he felt the griffin poking and pecking around in his hand, and it was a misfortune that a particularly sharp nip made him gasp out in pain just as he was passing the tavern keeper. Arone saw him look up, and Arone hurried out of the tavern before he could say anything.

"Why did you have to do that," Arone huffed as he ran through the streets.

Arone had been able to wash out the blood and dirt in his shirt since arriving, and the funny looks had stopped. But now as he ran through the streets, arms clasped, he found these stares coming at him again. He really needed to stop getting into these situations, but it's not like he could help it.

Out in the forest, he let the griffin go as he began working with his magic. He tried replicating what he saw in the vision from the griffin, but he almost laughed. The wall of fire he made was really just a small flare that tried to spread out in a circle before collapsing to the ground.

After a few more tries, he looked around and noticed the griffin hadn't moved at all. It was sitting on its hind legs, just watching Arone.

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as Ramas," he sighed as he slumped down against a tree. "I'm sorry it won't be much of a fight when Dogane comes here."

The griffin stood up and approached Arone before resting itself against Arone's side.

His next sight was a vision of Ramas talking directly to him.

"Whoever you are," Ramas said, tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry for what you've been given, and what is expected of you. But if you're seeing me, it's because you chose to keep your magic, and not everyone would just accept the situation you're in. You've got bravery most couldn't hope to obtain in a lifetime. You may be outmatched to Dogane, but just remember that bravery. Somewhere along his life's path, Dogane forgot what it was like to struggle. And as you might know, struggles bring out our fear, and without bravery, those struggles consume us. So if you face him, just give him the hardship he's forgotten, and you will finally have the chance to destroy him with terror."

The griffin flopped away, this time leaping into the air, testing its wings out for the first time. How was he supposed to give Dogane a challenge? Once again he tried making a wall of fire. It lasted for a few seconds and was only a fraction of what Ramas had produced. See? This would get destroyed if Dogane tried to break through it.

He spent the rest of the time watching the griffin try some more, and only a few attempts later, it was hovering in the air for quite a while, flying around a couple of feet before landing.

"If only I could learn so fast," Arone sighed. The griffin turned and squawked at him as it jumped and flew again.

Arone noticed soon Tyris strolling from Bengaul, and Arone quickly clasped the griffin gently in his hands. It started jabbing at his fingers, but a few seconds of discomfort was fine to give the surprise.

"You look...excited," Tyris said, confused, when he passed the tree line and saw Arone smiling widely.

"I have something to show you," Arone responded.

Tyris looked from him to his hands.

"I hope it's you not trying to 'accidentally' burn me, because we all know how that will work out."

"No," Arone laughed, and then opened up his hands.

Tyris took two small steps back, awe finally showing on his face.

"I didn't know I had it at first," Arone said. "It was in this sphere I found in the woods."

"In the sphere...?"

"Yeah," Arone said, and then he described what happened the night before.

"I can't believe this," Tyris said quietly. "I never thought I'd ever see a griffin so young. Ramas and Ubinion only mentioned the place where Aine and Ibnoba came from. They never said where it was or how to get there, or anything about griffins hatching from eggs."

Tyris sat down and watched it hop around. He set his book aside.

"This griffin and the other were terrors in the sky against Dogane. Without them, the fight would've been lost. It's so weird to see how little and clumsy it is right now."

The griffin gave another loud chirp and fluttered over to Tyris.

"Hello, Aine," he smiled, as the griffin hopped onto his lap and rested its head on his stomach.

"Is it..." Arone hesitated, "Is it sending you images?"

"She's sending me brief glimpses of things, but that's only because she's young right now, I think. Ramas said Aine and Ibnoba are very particular when it comes to sharing their memories with people. I wouldn't consider myself so special."

"But you know so much!" Arone said. "If she should send images to anyone it'd be you. You'd gain so much more from it than me."

"I've only traveled and read books, and I'm just a stranger to her," he smiled. "You're about to take on Dogane, and you're blood-related to one of the only humans she's ever known personally."

"Plus, I like finding things out on my own," he smiled. Then he looked down at Aine again. "And the best joy is stumbling on things like this that I've never seen before. Things that aren't just told to you."

Arone spent his usual time practicing conjuring fire, while Tyris's gaze never strayed from Aine. As Arone worked through the morning, his wall of fire grew a little wider and became more stable. It was still weak, but at least something was happening.

Aine, however, found herself flying at heights where she could reach lower limbs on trees. She pounced up and down there, chirping triumphantly before flying to other branches. Arone watched her as he started moving around, keeping his fire balanced around him, trying to make it grow in height.

While walking around, his foot bumped against something on the ground. Arone looked down to see Tyris's book pushed just slightly from his kick. He breathed back in the fire and stooped down to read, 'Fate,' as the title. Picking it up, he opened it to the first page. It was blank except for a message scrawled in the center:

Time has already chosen Fate

"Tyris, who wrote this book?"

"It was someone during Dogane's reign. If there was anything else Dogane was passionate about besides ruling over everyone, it was his belief that fate has already chosen the destinies of people. Since he was given such incredible power, he thought it was natural to rule over everyone."

"And the person who wrote this went against him on it?"

"No, surprisingly," Tyris responded, "that idea was widely accepted during the reign of Dogane's father, Osmas, who believed fate gave him the power to rule as fairly as he was capable. It was easy for people to believe they must carry out their predestined roles when their king was abiding by this concept with justice. The book you're holding is a man's scorn at people for dropping their faith just because hardship followed good times. The man thought Dogane was fate's test against the people that was planned since the beginning of time."

"Someone believed that?" Arone said.

"Actually, even toward the end of Dogane's rule, a number of people did. Dogane had ruled so long and pressed his cruelty and beliefs on so many people that it just happened. It wasn't until after he was defeated, and freedom showed itself, that people saw how ridiculous the thought of a predetermined role was."

"So was that when Eladaran like Siness arose?" asked Arone, thinking of the Eladara that was supposed to reside over Velgath Forest and control its well-being.

"People have always believed in the Eladaran. They just weren't focused on during Dogane's rule. Ramas and Ubinion revealed, through Aine and Ibnoba, another part of this world that controlled the elements, but people didn't really want to follow that. They just wanted to go back to how things were before Dogane ruled."

Arone considered all of this as he opened the book back to the first page.

"Who wrote this?" he said, showing Tyris the message.

"I did," Tyris responded. "Because I believe there was truth in what Osmas and Dogane said. Although when I think of the word fate, it makes me think of some thing controlling everything. Time makes more sense, because everything belongs in time. And I'm not saying someone's actions are set in stone. Paths change as time changes."

They walked back to Bengaul after Arone scratched his head and gave the book back to Tyris. He picked up Aine in his hands and struggled even more to keep her hidden.

"Then living would be meaningless," Arone answered. "Even if things change along the way, there's no fun in trying to live a path that has been chosen for you."

"Well, you don't know what was set just yet. You are only finding out along the way."

"But what about evil people? What about Dogane? If everything is already is determined, then why get mad at him? He can't help it if he was already chosen to be evil."

"Remember, I said things can change with time. Dogane has had more than enough years to try and allow his future to be different."

"Is the change random, though?" Arone asked. "Or does fate change with everything you do?"

"I don't know," Tyris said. "I'd like to think everything we do makes a difference, but I am only a person living in time, so I'll never know."

There they said goodbye and parted ways. Arone was just about to search for something in Bengaul for their own Eladaran and maybe something more on fate, when Aine stopped snipping his fingers and began to hum a very soft melody. Without being able to stop it, Arone's vision whisked away to somewhere in a forest. Before him was an old man.

"Arone," he said, the vision sometimes fogging. "You have to come to me soon."

The vision whited out, but then it appeared again, and the old man said his message again. A couple more times this happened, although each time the scene around the man changed. The forest turned into a city, which turned into a barren land, then into other places.

Aine stopped humming as Arone returned to his normal vision. Luckily, he had stopped walking and now just stood there with his mouth slightly open. To his relief, no one walking by seemed to notice.

By now, Arone knew these strange things were definitely real. But how was he supposed to know where the old man was when everything around him kept changing? He'd seen a forest. Did that mean Velgath Forest? Or what about the city, which had definitely not been Bengaul? He wanted to help the man, but he couldn't go searching blindly, especially when Dogane could strike at any moment.

He ignored the piercing look and the "nothing funny, you hear?" from the tavern keeper as he went to his room. He thought about what the man had to say that made it so pressing.
The One Flaw

When he woke the next morning, he felt something brushing up against his leg. He opened his eyes and sat up ready to see the griffin nestling itself on his bed.

But his eyes grew wide, and it wasn't because something else had stumbled into his room. The griffin, overnight, had managed to grow double its size! There was no hiding it at this point, and Arone didn't quite know how to bring it out into the woods.

He had a plan to get it out of the tavern, but he'd need Tyris. So he waited until the normal time he'd usually go, and after hiding Aine under the bed and hoping the tavern keeper wouldn't choose this time to make a random room check, he left for the woods.

Tyris was already there holding another book and standing by a tree. Arone ran up to him and quickly told him the situation. He then asked Tyris if he could be a distraction at the tavern. Arone could get Aine out to the woods then.

"Right away," Tyris said and followed him back.

Arone walked into the tavern first. He strode just past the tavern keeper, up the steps and waited by the door. He heard Tyris walk in and at the same time opened his own door.

"Now, Aine," Arone said, kneeling by his bed. "I need you to be quiet as we walk down these steps. I know you like to fly around, but for now, it's very important you just walk, and walk quietly."

Aine stared up at him, and there was something different about her. Her reverence she tried to show yesterday shone more clearly today, and she was more calm and fluid with her movements. Arone was hopeful this meant she understood what was about to happen.

He opened the door and tip-toed to the stairs. He could hear Tyris asking something about how the tavern was made, and that was when Aine slowly crept her way to the stair's ledge. When Arone reached the bottom of the steps with her, he quickly scanned the tavern and saw no one else there but the tavern keeper and Tyris.

"I heard that you made that axe over there," Tyris said, pointing to the extreme, opposite corner of the room away from Arone and Aine. Arone took this time to pick Aine up and place her inside his shirt. If he was pointed at, it would be tough to get out of looking 'funny,' but this is the best plan he had. He carefully made his way over the ground.

"Anglomite. Very well done. And that handle's embroidery is one I've never seen before."

"Thanks," the tavern keeper said. It was weird hearing him sound friendly. "You heard right. That actually took me over a month to make."

Arone opened the door and set Aine down. Aine scampered through the opening and immediately went to her right. Arone looked out and turned right after Aine. The only person in the narrow lane was the man with the knife he'd seen the first day. His head was drooping as he nodded off.

There was a small space between the tavern and the place next to it. It was here Arone and Aine stayed, waiting for Tyris.

"Arctur does not like you," Tyris said when he came. "Talked about how there are always noises in your room and how you always seem to be up to something when you come in and out of his tavern."

"He didn't like me since the first time we talked," Arone replied. "It's a bit unfair."

"In his defense, those people are usually the ones that give him the most problems."

"It doesn't matter," Arone shook his head. "How are we going to get Aine out of town?"

"I have another place she could stay at. You too, if you want to."

"Really? Where?" Arone asked, his spirits already starting to lift at the prospect of not sleeping in that tavern again.

"There is a hut next to mine whose owner is gone for the next couple of months so he can enjoy his stay in Anglo-Matten rather than here with the winter coming. He has me watch it to make sure it doesn't blow up."

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Arone said, "How far away is it?"

"It shouldn't take too long by going through places less traveled," Tyris answered, "although you'll have to look a little out of place with Aine under your shirt if we are spotted."

"I'm used to that," Arone laughed as they set off.

They went down path after path, sometimes walking by people who took a second to see why Arone had a slight hump in the middle of his shirt. Arone only looked straight forward and moved on without giving it too much thought; he found this way of dealing with the looks to work out best and be less awkward.

When they did come upon Tyris's house, Arone slowed his pace as he stared. The home was beaten and worn, and all along the small, patchy grass surrounding it, there were small skeletons scattered about. Arone definitely wanted to ask Tyris about this, but he didn't know how to form a question for it.

"Tyris? Why..."

"I know this looks strange, but it keeps any unwanted visitors from coming into my home."

"I can see why," Arone said as they walked past.

The hut by Tyris's home was smaller than Tyris's, but all Arone cared was that it didn't share the sense of foreboding. Looking at the two homes, it seemed someone had drawn an invisible line between them and said to make the two sides as drastically different as possible.

The other hut had just one floor, but it was about twice the size of Arone's bottom floor, so he didn't mind at all. He set Aine on the floor and watched her lift her head regally and walk around the room.

"Now there's the Aine I've read about," Tyris laughed. "I thought something changed her when I saw her yesterday."

"Do you think this place will suit you?" Tyris added.

"Yes. Definitely," Arone answered. He would've taken even Tyris's home over his room at the tavern.

~

Arone grew a bit edgy over the next few days. Where was Dogane? Was he lying in wait just beyond the forest's edge? Or, as Arone turned cold when thinking about it, what if he were already here in Bengaul? Looking for Arone, ready to kill him...

On top of it all, he kept getting visions from Aine of that old man. With each passing day the visions got clearer, and the scene around the man flashed less. Soon the scenes were only going between the forest and the city. But even if he knew where to go, would he risk leaving with an attack imminent?

Speaking of Aine, her growth didn't stop. Just two days later she was too big to keep hidden in Arone's shirt, and Arone had to make the nerve-wracking decision of leaving the hut and living with Aine in the forest.

Before Arone knew it, Aine was the size of a small horse, and Arone found himself for the first time looking up into Aine's eyes when she reared up. And if Arone was in awe, Tyris was beside himself with fascination.

"Her red is so vivid. Her feathers..." he said, petting her while Aine rubbed her head against Tyris's. "I just never thought I'd see one in my lifetime. I know I keep saying that, but it's so true."

Arone was a little ways away, casting fire out and away from him. If he concentrated hard enough, he could send a feeble stream of fire that reached a few meters away.

"Did Ramas ever talk about riding his griffins?" he asked.

"When Aine grows to her full height, which may be in a few days at the pace she's growing, you two could fly together for hours. I don't know if she can hold you for too long just yet, though."

When Tyris left, Arone took a walk with Aine, looking at her and then into the sky. When he was little, he'd sometimes imagined he had wings and could fly through the sky. Never once did he think he would actually be able to do it.

Arone spotted a deer after making his way over a hill. Normally he'd be hunting them, but this time he just stopped and stared, with Aine doing the same. The deer stopped its grazing, and its head bolted up at Arone. The next few moments were spent both of them intensely fixated on the other. Arone's eyes narrowed; he wondered what this thing he had hunted for so long was feeling now.

A loud screech echoed through the woods. The deer bounded away, and Arone, who was now rapidly looking around, didn't see where it ran away.

He knew without a doubt what caused that sound. The question was whether it was a lone Arcam, or if the army had finally made its way here. Aine was already up and running through the woods.

"Aine, slow down! This could be a trap!" Arone shouted as he followed her. Aine only paused for a second to look behind her and give Arone a sharp shake with her head before running onward.

They found the Arcam walking among the trees. This Arcam, though, was acting stranger than the others, and its body looked heavily burned. Arone strung an arrow to his bow and paused. Not because he was unsure of his aim. Something wasn't right. Arcams wouldn't travel alone. He'd never seen one jerking as violently as it walked. It was almost as if it would drop dead on its own accord.

Aine nodded to him, and Arone let the arrow fly through the air and hit the Arcam. It fell to the ground before it could make another sound. There were no signs of other Arcams, but that didn't ease Arone at all. Somewhere nearby was the bulk army. This Arcam couldn't have traveled very far alone by the looks of it. Arone kept on his ready over the next few hours.

At night, Aine sent him a vision with Ramas saying to Ubinion, "I will watch tonight, and you can sleep if you want." Arone took this as Aine's way of saying that directly to him. He trusted her, but it's not as though he could just fall asleep knowing for sure the threat could be just beyond his sight.

A few hours later, his eyes started to get heavy, and he fought himself to stay awake. But his eyes kept shutting and reopening, and although the air was tense as his heart pounded through the random spikes of fear, it was still warm. Sometime deep in the night they closed, and then he was being chased by this black mass that was behind him. A body of water was to his right, and though he remained in the woods, there was a huge mountain in the distance that was approaching rapidly.

Then...

"Arone!"

Arone bolted up, shouting "The Arcams! Where are the Arcams!?"

But there were no Arcams to be seen. There weren't any horns to be heard. There was just he and Aine.

And she was talking to him.
Shadows in the City

"The old man from the vision!" she continued to shout. "It's finally clear! I know where he is, and we have to go now!"

"We can't go!" Arone replied, saving the obvious question of how this conversation was happening for later. "Dogane is coming! We have to defend Bengaul!"

"I know how much this stand means to you. But Bardin knows where the ice descendant is. The ice descendant's been captured, and without us, Bardin won't be able to save him."

"No..." Arone moaned. He was looking at Bengaul, a place he'd silently sworn to protect.

"There will be a time in the future when we will fight, but it can't be now. Not when we can get more help. Don't be like Dogane. Don't fight alone!"

"But the people here..." Arone said.

"I know it sounds heartless, but you must leave. You'll stop so much more suffering if we can kill Dogane soon with the ice descendant and Ibnoba rather than if you die alone today and his rule be hundreds of years like last time."

Arone shoved his head into his hands, and slowly, he knew that Aine was making sense. He looked back again at Bengaul, thinking of how selfish he was about to be.

"I'll go," Arone said. "But I'd like to say goodbye to Tyris first. It's the least I can do for all the help he's given me."

"That's fine," Aine answered. "But we have to fly into the city. There's no time to waste."

"But you'll be seen!"

"Let them know I'm back," Aine said, already coming toward Arone. "Climb on and we'll fly together."

"Are you sure you can hold me?" Arone asked. "Tyris said it would be a few days before you're ready."

"I am ready for the flights ahead," Aine said, and Arone grasped her neck as he slid his leg over her back.

"Hold onto my feathers and clench your legs around my side. We'll start off slow for now."

Arone did as Aine said, and she sprang into the air. Arone's head was pressed down, and his hands and legs clenched tighter. This first surprised feeling was drowned, however, by a sudden exhilarating one as he felt the wind whipping his face and he saw the wide expanse of the horizon revealing itself. He knew this was a sight possibly no one else in Agrathias, or even anyone else the world, would see in their lifetime.

Bengaul was a short distance away, but that first flight's thrill made the time last longer. Arone was looking up at the sky as they flew over Bengaul's walls, so he did not see Tyris's home until they landed.

All the feelings of wonder he had escaped him right then. His breath caught as he saw Tyris's home blasted apart.

"Arone...I'm so sorry," Aine said, but Arone didn't say anything as he walked into the remains. Maybe Tyris wasn't around when whoever did this struck it down.

He shouldn't even say 'whoever.' He knew who did it, and his worst fear was realized. Dogane was somewhere in Bengaul.

As Arone searched through the remains of the home, he figured Dogane was probably watching him now.

Then why was he waiting to kill me? Arone thought. If he could become king as easily as everyone said, why did he push everything until later?

While he was thinking, he saw a note on the topmost layer of remains, and upon picking it up he read:

Start preparing. He's found me through his spies, and I couldn't stop him.

Take care and don't try to find me. By the time you read this, I will be dead.

Through this trek

Remind yourself of what you must control in order to really fight.

And scorn those who do not believe in the cause.

Dogane has spies? People helped him, even knowing what he could do??

"Aine, we–" Arone began but was cut off.

The sound Arone had been dreading finally came from the horizon. The horns echoed, and Arone knew the Arcams had arrived.

"Arone, we have to leave now!" Aine said as she rushed at Arone. Arone could only agree as she nearly bucked him onto her back and flew off into the air.

"We have to help them! At least a little bit!" Arone shouted over the wind, holding on with every muscle he could muster.

"No!" Aine cried defiantly. "We are to rescue the ice descendant and do nothing else!"

"But..." Arone uttered, as the black wave of Arcams came into the sight. He saw them enveloping the spaces of the trees, swamping the colors of the forest like last time. He couldn't leave them! He had to fight!"

"Trust me on this," Aine said softer. "You will be able to fight for Bengaul one day."

The farther they flew over the Arcams, the more ashamed Arone felt. This was his home, even for the short time he was here. And now he was leaving it defenseless. Defenseless, like when his parents were taken.

He didn't realize it, but in his defeated state he had loosened his grip. There came a point when Aine made a turn, and Arone slid to the left. That side of his body swung over the side, and it was only by clamping Aine's feathers hard with his right hand did he stay on.

Aine shrieked in pain.

"Sorry...I didn't know my grip was too loose," Arone muttered. He tried to tighten his hold around Aine more.

They had to take many breaks along the way. In each one Aine collapsed to the ground, huffing and wheezing.

"You don't have to do this. I don't mind running some of the way if that will stop you from killing yourself on every flight."

"Don't be ridiculous," Aine breathed. "We'll go much faster if we fly. Besides, I can handle just one day of difficulty."

At the end of the last leg of their journey, when Arone thought they must have entered a different forest by then and the sun had started to set, Aine sent him a scene with Bardin standing in the middle of four trees evenly spread apart from both him and each other. When Aine left Arone's mind, Arone saw ahead of him a spot that had a peculiar shine to it.

"Bardin didn't take any risks on us guessing," Aine said as she made her descent and landed.

The bead of light dimmed, and in its place materialized Bardin. He stood there with a smile of relief.

"I'm so glad you came!" he said. "I was beginning to think I would have to fight the Ragmarn myself."

"Sorry for being so late," Arone murmured, not sure if he was sorry or not.

"Don't worry. For some reason, it was very hard to communicate with Aine up until this morning."

"That was my fault," Aine said. "And Arone, only you can understand me when I talk. So whenever I want to say something to someone else, you have to say it for me. Could you please tell Bardin that as a hatchling I couldn't focus on him when he gave me the message?"

Arone nodded and relayed the message.

"Ah, that makes sense." Bardin said. "But we're all here now, and that's all that matters. Before we say anything else, though, we should probably move on to another spot. The Ragmarn are heading this way, and they're nearing a Kresiliss that will send them to Dogane, I presume."

They spent time walking until they stopped beneath a tree partially uprooted, so that its base-line brush made an overhang they could hide under.

"The Kresiliss they are using is just up that way," Bardin said, pointing to his left. "They should be here in the next few hours."

"Do you know how many there are?" Arone asked, envisioning himself against hundreds.

"There's...a few," Bardin said, nodding his head to the side.

"Liar," Arone laughed nervously.

"I feel it's best to just go into the fight. Don't really worry about the numbers."

Arone couldn't help but disagree. He really wanted to know!

"Aine said these Ragmarn had their own magic?" Arone asked. If he couldn't know their size, he needed to know their strength.

"They can control the air and earth, but their magic is much weaker than yours."

"Weaker? Weaker than this?" Arone asked, thrusting out whatever fire he could. Its arc lasted a few meters before hitting the dirt and becoming smoke.

"Well, weaker than what your magic will be when you've used it enough," Bardin chuckled.

"That's what I was afraid of," Arone sighed.

"You don't have to use magic if you don't feel comfortable with it, you know," Bardin said, looking at Arone. "It's more important you kill with an arrow than miss with your magic."

Arone reached behind and grasped one of his arrows. Could he fight without using magic? He didn't know how arrows would do against air and earth.

"I mean, I understand you might want to try using magic in a battle. And maybe soon, it will work better. But not now, when you're only beginning. How long have you had it? It probably hasn't even been that long."

"A week or two," Arone said, seeing the past few days blur into each other.

"I'm impressed," Bardin said. "If you can already make that much fire, imagine what you'll be able to do soon."

"But that was only with the help of Tyris. He was a man who saw me using fire outside of Bengaul. Well, he didn't exactly reveal anything spectacular, but he was able to answer most of my questions, and I'd probably get better faster if he were still here."

"Tyris?" Bardin whispered. "What did he look like?"

Right after Arone told Bardin about Tyris's black hair and brown eyes, Bardin's eyes lit up, and he smiled.

"What is it?" Arone asked.

"This Tyris," Bardin answered. "He's my son!"
Ambushed

"Your SON?" exclaimed Arone. He was stunned. How could it possibly happen that he meet the father of the man he just stumbled across in Bengaul?

"Yes. I'm just as surprised as you," Bardin laughed.

It was a very short time for him to be surprised before the sickening realization kicked in. Tyris was dead, and he stood right here before Tyris's father. He stared at Bardin's smile. He knew he eventually had to tell him what happened. It was sad to think of his smile vanishing.

He didn't know what to do. A lump formed in his throat. His mouth became slightly agape, and he looked down. How was he supposed to tell him?

"I haven't seen him in quite some time. It's surprising to hear he's living somewhere. He isn't one to stay in the same place for long. Always on the move. Has been for years."

Bardin said this and chuckled a little bit more, this time somewhat puzzled. He had noticed Arone's sudden change in appearance.

"Of course...it's not the first time he's done something out of the ordinary. He's been a unique person since he was young. I guess that would be obvious since his father can send visions to people."

The old man's eyes continued to focus on Arone, who wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground instead of having to tell Bardin his son was dead.

"Are you okay?"

This was very direct. His laughter was gone from his voice. Arone quit averting his gaze and instead stared right back into Bardin's eyes. His throat was dry, and the lump made him nearly choke as he tried to find the right words to say.

"Yeah... I'm fine." Arone started. "But your son. Yesterday, before I saw him, someone went after him. They...They killed him. And Tyris's house was destroyed."

After saying this, Arone's eyes frantically searched Bardin's for any sign to stop. Whether his description of what happened was clear or not, he felt compelled to go on.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. It's all my fault..." Arone said and once more went to staring at the ground. "He was a very nice man. He took in someone he didn't know and tried all he could to teach him what he knew. But if it weren't for me he'd still be alive."

Nothing more came to his head. He stood there, not wanting to see the sad expression on Bardin's face. All he heard was the soft rustling of the trees from the steady wind blowing.

Then, Bardin reached out toward Arone and gave him a big hug. Arone was not expecting this at all. He thought Bardin would have wanted some time to himself.

"You brave man," Bardin breathed, gently patting Arone's back. "I appreciate you telling me that. But I'm happy to say that you needn't worry. Tyris isn't dead."

Arone took a small step back out of disbelief as Bardin let down his arms to his side.

"What do you mean?" asked Arone. The scene flashed back to his mind. He saw the house blown apart and the note that was left among the wreckage. The note Tyris wrote to say he was dead. If he was not, why didn't he at least try to tell Arone that he was still alive? Bardin had to be in denial.

"I am not the only one in my family who can do something extraordinary. Ever since Tyris was little, he's been able to travel back in time. I know," Bardin added when seeing Arone's head snap back, "it's hard to believe. But when he was young, barely able to walk, there was one time Tyris took a hard fall and just...vanished. He reappeared a few days later talking about crazy things like a shadow world and seeing us walking around the house and woods but not being able to talk to us. We didn't know he went back in time until he said he saw his own self."

"So you're saying that Tyris wrote that note then traveled back in time to escape?"

"Yes," he said, then his eyes widened. "He left a note?"

Arone withdrew the note from his pocket and handed it to Bardin. He didn't really pay attention as Tyris began mumbling to himself. His mind raced, trying to grasp how someone could travel through time.

"Start...preparing...attacks..."

It was just impossible. Someone could actually go back in time? They'd be able to change so much.

"No...That's not right..."

But things have never changed. The past has always been the same. Or at least he's never seen anything that was changed.

"...Why did he say that...?"

What about himself? Has Tyris changed anything about Arone's own past? Did Tyris even help him in his past?

The clouds shifted and the moon shone brightly. Its light uncovered a path to their right. It was narrow, and it ran to a stream. He had been thinking so much he didn't realize the air had stilled.

"This one's a bit tricky," Bardin said, this time at Arone.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a message hidden somewhere in this note to where he's gone. While growing up, we used to give each other puzzles. And, unfortunately," he laughed, "we've gotten really good at the puzzles."

"How could he have possibly expected me to look at that and know there was a secret message in that note? I thought those were his last words to me."

"Oh, I'm sure he meant all that he wrote here. I'm sure he didn't want Dogane to figure out where he was going next, and he thought you would eventually stumble upon me."

Bardin handed back the note, and Arone just stared at it. No way would he figure this out.

"So...how does this time traveling work, if you know?" Arone asked, setting the note down.

"Well, when Tyris goes back in time, he enters this shadow world he calls Narthane. It's exactly like our world, except everything is slightly grayer and there are these beings that are just shades all around him. When he was young, he was terrified of them. But while growing up, he found they weren't scary at all. They speak another language. It took him a long time to learn it."

"So when he goes back in time with this shadow world, is he still in our world?"

"He is still in our world, but he can't interact with it the same. The shades keep him from messing up anything important in the past."

"How do the shades know what is important?"

"That is up to them. But Tyris guesses it's all dependent on what a person deems important in their memory. And that importance may be based on how much it impacted a person's life. So if something happens that will stick in a person's mind, Tyris can't change it.

"So Tyris's power," Bardin continued, "comes when he changes the blurry parts in a person's memory or when he can learn about things in the past that would help times in the future."

Bardin picked up the note again as Arone stared forward. He wondered if any of his memories were changed from Tyris going back in time. Any of his childhood, anything with his parents, or just anything in the past few days...

"But...he used that one before..." Bardin mumbled. "Unless..."

"How does time travel work going into the future?" Arone asked. It seemed stranger than going into the past.

"Tyris actually cannot go into the future. Even when he goes into the past."

"So that means he's stuck until he lives to the point where he left?"

"Yes."

"And how old is Tyris exactly?"

"Tyris is twenty years younger than me, or at least that's how much he's lived in our time. It seems whenever he goes back in time he doesn't start aging again until he catches up with his own time."

Arone nodded and ran through his head again what Bardin said as he began mumbling again. So Tyris could only change what wasn't important...He guessed there was only one thing left for answering.

"You said that Tyris saw himself? Does that mean he's in two places at once?"

"In a way, yes. But he can never talk or do anything to his own self when he travels into the past. Tyris has to be a certain distance from his past self before he can start changing anything in our world. Otherwise, he's invisible to those around him when he's close to his past self."

Arone's head fell back on the overhanging roots. Bardin sounded like he was paying attention to the end of the note now. Arone thought about all the things Tyris could see going back in time. He could've seen what this land was like before it was Agrathias. Or maybe he could see into the places beyond the Allobnesian Sea if there was ever a time an opening to it existed. Since no one knows now, maybe it was open during some time in the very distant past.

Bardin nudged him with a grim expression. He motioned behind him, and Arone looked past the thick tree.

He gasped. Before him, walking past the next tree, so close all they needed to do was turn to see Arone, were the Ragmarn. In the dim light, Arone could see only their stature. They were shorter than the Arcams, probably reaching just above his waist.

He threw himself to the ground, hidden from view behind his tree, and he looked at Aine and Bardin with shock. Aine tensed and leaned forward, and Bardin crouched to the ground near Arone.

Thoughts whirled around in Arone's head. He'd been so focused on Tyris that he forgot about the fight ahead. He didn't know anything about the Ragmarn except for the powers they have. Taking on this group of Ragmarn had to be harder than taking on the Arcams, no matter how ferocious the Arcams were. And what if his magic wasn't strong enough...

He stared wide-eyed at Bardin. Bardin glanced back, understanding his look, and gave him a small smile.

"These creatures' skin is just like your own," said Bardin. "It can be pierced by arrows. Don't feel pressured into using magic if you aren't comfortable doing so. Fight with what you know."

Arone reached behind him. He'd forgotten about his bow. He gripped it in his hand and felt a sudden sense of reassurance. Reaching behind again, he grabbed an arrow and fitted it to his bow. Bardin had a point, and now the fight seemed almost doable.

The Ragmarn were just walking out of his sight when he stole another look around the tree. He crept about its trunk and stalked into the shadows. Aine went to his right.

"Keep to the trees. Know there's protection all around you," Bardin whispered before slipping off to the left, hiding from Arone's view behind another tree.

Arone didn't need to be told twice; he couldn't imagine taking on a small group of Ragmarn in the open. He nearly glided over the forest ground, being very careful to make the slight crackling of the leaves seem to be just natural sounds from the woods.

He raised his bow. The Ragmar he'd last seen was still in sight. He stretched the bow's string back slowly, taking a few more steps. He'd use the spot he just ran from as cover.

The arrow flew. With deadly accuracy, it pierced the Ragmar's head. It fell limp as Arone bolted for cover.

The other Ragmarn gave out a loud, low roar. Arone chanced it and strung another arrow to let it fly. The Ragmar he shot fell to the ground, sharing the same fate as the one before.

As he jumped into hiding, the ground started to rumble. The wind began whipping about.

"We know you're out there, Arone," he heard one of the Ragmarn snarl. "Surprise attacks won't help you for long. Sooner or later you'll have to face us all. And I don't think you are ready for that."

Aine let out a terrifying screech. Suddenly she launched herself from the darkness. With incredible speed she reached the Ragmarn huddled together. She pierced two of the Ragmarn with her talons and rammed them against a tree. Before they could even make a sound she gashed them apart before rocketing into the sky.

"IT'S THE GRIFFIN!"

The Ragmarn bellowed this, and Arone used this moment to bring forth another arrow. He couldn't help from being shocked, though, at how horrifying Aine could be. Those claws were like swords, and her speed was unmatched. He could only imagine the terror of staring at a griffin in the eyes right before it killed him.

"KILL THEM!"

Rocks and boulders alike circled the air around the Ragmarn. They waved their arms around, the speed of the things in the air increasing faster and faster. Arone didn't know how much protection he would have where he was, but he didn't think running away would save him now.

The Ragmarn roared again as earthen objects burst outward. Trees were like thin twigs as boulders splintered through them. Arone huddled where he was. He could see the force of those boulders, and he cringed. His heart nearly jumped from his chest as a boulder his size tore through the air just above where he was hiding.

When they were finished, Arone took a deep breath, aimed over the brush, and killed another Ragmar where it stood. It let out a low grunt as it fell backward.

His spot was now given away. The Ragmarn must have seen him before he ducked down again, as they rushed toward him. It was here that Aine bolted down from above again. The Ragmarn immediately scattered, scared out of their minds. This didn't seem to matter to Aine. She landed, flattening anything underneath her and lashing the rest of her body at anything she could get a hold of. This time, she remained on the ground and stormed onward. Arone leapt from hiding and followed, letting any arrow he could fly.

The Ragmarn, though, made the earth tremble more. Jagged, rocky formations jutted from the earth. Arone glanced at his arms. Comfort aside, it was time to use fire.

His mind sparked. He felt the flames start to flow. On the outside, his arms heated up, and small wisps of fire crackled into life. Arone thrust out his hand and watched as a small ball of fire shot toward the Ragmarn. It flowed over ridges of the earth and died out before it got to them.

"He knows how to use his fire!" shouted a Ragmar.

Now, the Ragmarn made the earth gather around their feet. As this was happening, more rocks began circling. Wind began slicing at Arone, and he ran from tree to tree, using his own fire to deflect any gusts of air that flew too close.

Aine, on seeing the rocks, soared back into the sky. Once again, Arone had to watch and hope as rocks were shot in all directions. He dove onto the ground and covered his head, hoping nothing would come too close.

"Arone! Shoot your fire at me!" Aine screamed as she landed next to him. "The Ragmarn cannot shield themselves with the earth. It'll be impossible to attack them!"

Then Arone saw what she meant. The creeping earth was hardening as it rose around the Ragmarn's feet. He still didn't know why sending his fire Aine's way would help. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Arone, just do it!" Aine screeched again, this time more urgent. The barrier had reached the Ragmarn's thighs by then. He had no choice but to follow Aine's instructions.

He released more fire from his mind and focused it at Aine. Instead of it burning her, as he had thought it would, something remarkable happened. The fire absorbed into Aine, making her glow a bright red. A second later, an inferno, so much larger than Arone had even sent at her, scorched from Aine's front. It bellowed toward the Ragmarn, and in a blinding flash of red, it blasted apart their defenses.

A strange yelping noise arose from the Ragmarn. They flew through the air, their bodies smashing against the trees around them. Arone had no idea if any of them had died. All he could do was to stare at the splayed bodies, marveling at what just happened.

"You..."

A Ragmar whispered this and twitched his head. He staggered to his feet.

"Will..."

From his pocket he pulled out a knife. He struggled as he walked toward them. Arone didn't know how to respond. These Ragmarn hadn't managed well against him so far with their magic. How did this Ragmar expect that using a knife would help him more?

"NOT! GET HIM!"

But the Ragmar did not intend to use it on Arone. He slumped to his knees after a few more steps and held the knife eye level to himself. Before him, lying on the ground was a body of a person Arone hadn't noticed until now. The ice descendant!

"You so much as reach for your bow and this knife will end his life! Same goes for your bird! It makes the slightest twitch and I'll make sure Rikaida dies before your bird reaches me. So if it really wants to test its speed, I dare it to try."

The Ragmar looked worn down and bloody. Its skin was singed badly, and it was breathing heavily. His hand holding the knife, however, was not faltering. Arone knew he could quickly kill the Ragmar, but he wouldn't dare risk Rikaida's life.

"I don't think Dogane would like it at all if you killed his prisoner," Arone spoke. "You'll die if you do."

"You think I care about that agreement anymore? As far as I'm concerned, he broke his end of it when you attacked us. Said he'd deal with you himself," the Ragmar responded and lowered his knife toward Rikaida very slightly.

"And besides," he added, "it doesn't look like I'm getting out of this alive anyway, so I might as well do as much harm as I can before I die."

"No... no one else here has to die. You can walk away now. Take any of your wounded."

"And get killed by Dogane later for not doing what was asked? You don't seem to understand the spot I'm in."

"We could protect you! Join us then!" Arone said desperately. Anything to keep Rikaida alive.

"You can't protect me. You won't even be able to protect yourself. Besides, there is no trusting a human."

The Ragmar's hand inched closer.

"Do not make us kill you! Drop the knife! Walk away! Join us! Anything other than what you're about to do!"

But it wasn't going to work. He could see it in the Ragmar's eyes. Arone slowly...so slowly he wasn't even sure he was moving...inched his hand toward his bow. He needed to reach a spot where it'd be one quick swipe and the Ragmar would be dead.

Before he reached his bow, he saw the flash of steel. Only...it wasn't from the Ragmar. Bardin had managed to make his way to his sword undetected. With one slash, he sliced at the knife in the Ragmar's hand. The two weapons clashed, and the Ragmar grunted as his knife was battered from his grasp.

In an instant Aine was upon it. She pinned it down underneath her powerful talons and slowly lowered her head to stare into the Ragmar's eyes. Arone could only imagine the look Aine was giving, and he knew what was coming next.

"Aine! Stop!" Arone shouted.

This was met with a menacing screech from Aine.

"NO! This thing was going to kill Rikaida. And you want to protect him?"

"He didn't have a choice. None of them did."

Arone looked at the dead Ragmarn scattered about. He didn't regret killing any of them; had they not been weakened they would have tried everything to kill him. But these were not Arcams. They were forced to lead Rikaida away or perish. Now that it was over... he just had a feeling this Ragmar should be spared. And they really did need all the help they could get.

He strode over to the Ragmar and looked him in the eyes.

"You can either join us or leave. However," Arone said, gesturing to all the motionless bodies on the ground, "I can almost guarantee you'll be alone. Who is going to help you then?"

"Who is going to help you when the time comes to face me?" another voice sounded. It came from behind them, and the person speaking was at first hidden from view. But Arone recognized the voice. How could he forget it?

The man from the woods strolled into view. The markings on his face started to glow slightly. He had the smirk on his face that Arone knew all too well. It was the smirk he had before he killed Toaran.

There was no hesitation. The fire practically leapt from his arms, larger than he'd done so far, eager to strike the man down from where he stood. He, though, merely waved his hands, and a small burst of electricity dispersed the flames.

"You're outnumbered," Arone said. "You won't be able to beat us."

"I'm outnumbered?" the man laughed. "You mean by the Ragmar with weak magic and a boy who's only learned the power he has? I think I'll be fine."

A knot grew in Arone's stomach. He was right. Still, he wasn't going to let that stand in his way.

"The only thing I can even see as a challenge to me," the man continued, "is that griffin of yours. But I'm afraid it's going to be just a little bit busy."

It didn't take too long to find out what he meant. Suddenly the ground started to shake. It was different, though, than from the Ragmarn. The rumblings came in short bursts, like something enormous was walking toward them.

With a sudden roar, a monstrous being burst through the trees behind the man. It was about the size of the trees, and it had a long body with two arms protruding from its midsection. It coiled and writhed about as it stood there, showing its tough, scaled form. When it reared back its head and gave another roar, it showed teeth, much like an Arcam's, except they had to be the size of swords!

"Get the griffin," the man whispered.

Aine relinquished her grip from the Ragmar and broke off toward the thing. With matching speed, it swung its body out and swiped at Aine. She swerved and instead took to the skies.

Even though the creature had no wings, it still ascended in quick pursuit of Aine. Both were out of sight in seconds, with the only sign of their presence being the screeches and roars they cried out.

"I'm going to offer you a choice," he said. "You can either go peacefully or by force. I've seen all I've needed to see."

Arone hesitated, but now was the time to act.

"You already know my answer," Arone responded, and he sent out another burst of fire.

"Pity," the man responded, and a bolt of lightning crackled forth.

The two sources of magic met in the air, and a burst of yellow, red, and white emerged. Arone tried to keep his power steady, but he had never experienced this type of interlocking force before. The man quickly overwhelmed his fire. A large shock traveled through his body, and he was knocked off his feet.

"Come willingly now," he urged. Impatience wore on his face.

"Never," Arone simply responded.

For a few seconds the man stood there, scowling. He moved his jaw around in frustration, and some static went up and down his arms.

Then he raised his arm, but not at Arone. With a growl, he sent out a large strike of lightning, and it hit Bardin straight in the chest.

"NO!" Arone groaned. Bardin flew through the air... so much like Toaran...his back arched, and his arms whipped outward...there was a loud thud as his back smashed against the tree behind him. He crumpled to the ground. Arone's heart plummeted; his already-frail body couldn't have possibly survived that kind of hit.

"And now for you, failure," he said, directing his attention to the Ragmar on the ground.

The Ragmar, defenseless, stared at the man with a brave, defiant face. Arone saw his chest heave one last time before Arone noticed the electricity began to build up in the man's hands.

He shot his energy at the Ragmar, but Arone was ready. With whatever strength he had left from the shock, he breathed a wave of small fire from his mind, and allowed it to flow over his hands. It clashed with the lightning, and both powers were reflected away from the Ragmar. Arone slumped to his knees, exhausted. He knew the man would just send more, but he was determined to fight until nothing else came from him.

The man threw back his arms again. He was gathering more power this time. His eyes seemed to glow a faint white as the electricity around him grew. Arone prepared himself, but this time would be different. He couldn't get more fire to run through his mind. Once the man attacked, Arone would be overwhelmed and the Ragmar killed.

"AHHH!!"

The man suddenly screamed. Something sharp had pierced right through his chest. His breathing became shallow, and his eyes widened. He turned around to see the ice descendant, who had finally woken from his unconsciousness, with his arm outstretched. The strong, blue glow from his eyes illuminated his red hair and tattered clothes.

Before he could think about this incredible luck, the large monster crashed to the ground, Aine following close in pursuit. The man stumbled to it, wheezing and gasping, and the thing roared into the clearing, whipping its arm at Aine, who had just tried to dive. She abandoned her attack and landed next to Arone.

The man gave one last look of pure hatred before throwing himself onto the flying monster, which continued to hiss and turn itself about. The man's look was more foreboding than any one he'd given before. Once he was secure on the monster, it broke upward into the sky and disappeared behind the horizon of the canopy.

The forest erupted in screams. The sound felt like knives against Arone's ears, and he pressed his hands against them.

Then, with a burst of wind, the screams were gone. Arone remained there, hesitant to move his hands away in case the screams returned. He glanced around and noticed that only he and Rikaida were cringing in pain. The Ragmar still lay on the ground, weakened from the fight and unresponsive to what just happened.

"What...happened?!" Arone asked Aine, bewildered.

"The spirits of the wind are the most frantic I've ever seen them," Aine answered. "Not that I blame them. There was something strange about the man's magic that he didn't realize. The soul of Dogane rested with it. All this time it's tried to possess him...whether he was aware of it is uncertain. But now that he's wounded, Dogane's found a way to take over. Dogane is back!"
Through the Kresiliss

Possessed? What did she mean? How could that even happen? Arone thought about what Dogane did when he ruled and cringed. Now if they lost, everything would happen again as before. The land would die. The people's hopes would fail. And there would be no one to stop him this time. How could this happen?

"This isn't good," Aine said, her voice quivering. "I can remember that fight with him all those years ago. Dogane was so difficult to face, and that was with the four of us very prepared. I'm not going to lie, Arone. That Shadin you've just seen, the thing Dogane now has... it horrifies me. It's too fast and strong... I don't know how we're going to kill both Dogane and that abomination."

A gasp came from Arone's left. Bardin! Arone rushed to his side and propped him up against the tree. The old man tried to lift his hand, but he was too weak, and it collapsed to his side. It was like seeing Toaran again, dead against the tree, taken by the same killer.

Bardin's eyes rolled over to him.

"Saric...It's Saric..." he wheezed.

"W-What?" Arone asked.

"The place where Tyris went. It's Saric...it's in Menang, the region to the North-East."

"How do you know?" Arone said.

"The first and last letter of the first phrase is "s". The second letter and second to last letter in the second line is a. Just repeat that for the rest...clever man...Almost...Almost got me..."

He smiled, but his breathing calmed and he still couldn't move. His eyes rolled about until they rested on Arone.

"I'm very proud of how you fought. You used your instinct. And don't blame yourself for what happened to me. No one can predict when that man will show up."

"I think I'll go search for Tyris in Saric," Bardin continued. "Try and see if he can do anything about what happened. Don't think this will heal on its own. I'd like to take you with me. Really, I would. But unfortunately, I can only teleport myself."

Bardin looked again at Arone, a sad smile on his face. He tried raising his arm, maybe to say goodbye, but he still couldn't muster up the strength. Arone instead knelt down beside him and gave him a small hug. He didn't want this to be the last time he saw Bardin, but he couldn't help but think it might. This wasn't right. This shouldn't be the end.

When he let go, Bardin's face was gleaming. After a few seconds, he disappeared from sight, leaving Arone looking at the empty spot where he once sat.

He began to feel heat seeping from his body, but he didn't pay it too much mind. He wasn't fighting, and he needed to get this anger out of him or it'd bottle up inside of him. He let out an exasperated cry, and a ball of fire shot from his hand. It burned the ground before him and left a wide, black circle.

"Arone!" Aine cried. "Stop now!"

"It's okay. It just needed to be done," Arone responded.

"Just think about what Tyris said," Aine retorted back. "You're just making it easier for your anger to dictate what you do with your magic. Besides," she added with a growl, "It really hurts me when you do that."

"Sorry," muttered Arone and looked away. He did feel sorry; he didn't know it hurt her. But how else was he supposed to handle his anger? He couldn't keep it all bottled up. It'd just build and build until one day it'd violently explode. And if this burst of fire came from just a small feeling of anger, he'd hate to see anything more.

"Who are you talking to?"

Rikaida spoke for the first time. Arone quickly looked at him, wondering if he was joking. Then he saw the Ragmar, who had managed to sit up, looking slightly in his direction. He had the same quizzical look on his face, and Arone knew he was thinking the same question.

"Aine, that griffin," Arone stated, pointing to Aine.

"You mean you can talk to yours?" Rikaida asked eagerly.

"Yes..." Arone said, then suddenly looked around, remembering that Rikaida should also have one. "Wait. Where's yours?"

"I had to leave her behind," he responded sadly. "I-I don't know where she is."

Aine picked up on this immediately.

"Did she just hatch?"

"She was two days old," Rikaida answered after Arone relayed him the question.

"You mean you left her alone as a hatchling? You fool!" she shouted, sounding very alarmed as she whipped her head in Rikaida's direction and glared at him.

"I've got to go, Arone," she worriedly said. "She has to be found!"

Aine didn't wait for Arone's response. She hauled herself into the air, and without hesitation jetted out of sight. Arone wondered how she would find Rikaida's griffin.

"I take it she's mad at me," Rikaida muttered.

"Yeah..." Arone said.

"It wasn't my fault, though," he said back. "If I kept her with me she'd be dead. And I know that'd be much worse than being lost."

"Don't think too much on it," consoled Arone. "She'll understand when you can explain to her."

Rikaida nodded, still looking sad.

"If you don't mind my asking," started Arone. "What did happen?"

Rikaida slowly sunk to the ground, looking as though he was thinking of where to start. Arone followed, and he saw the Ragmar's head perk up a bit and turn slightly, trying to listen better.

"It's this power," Rikaida began. "Everything changed when I first found out I had it while accidentally controlling water in a river near town. I spent a few days there afterward, trying to see all I could do. No one saw me, or at least I thought no one did.

"Two days before the attack on my town, I was in the woods moving the water about. Then, I heard a rustling sound behind me. It didn't sound like the wind at all. I knew other people would freak out if they saw me controlling water. I just stood there, not knowing if I should just confront this person or not. Maybe try to explain how things got to be so odd... yet, even I didn't know where this power came from.

"I was shocked when I found no one. I checked everywhere too. For a second I thought I had imagined it all, but then I noticed this small blue sphere on the ground.

"I didn't know what to do. And once Ibnoba hatched, I had this small creature with me. I didn't know what it ate. I didn't know how to take care of it. But it looked so small and helpless, falling over itself, I couldn't just leave it there. So I took it home with me. I hid it in my pocket and prayed it wouldn't draw attention to myself.

"On the second day after it was hatched, toward nightfall, we heard a strange horn sounding in the distance. It was from these Arcams I'd heard about before but never saw. There was no time to think, not knowing how far away the Arcams were. I rushed out of town and back to the forest. I placed the griffin by the river. I knew that it wouldn't stay there, but then again, it wasn't really mine to begin with. It had come from the forest, after all, and should it be gone by the time I returned, I thought it was best for it.

"I returned to a huge black mass rushing toward our town. By this time everyone was out of their houses, and I could see the look of defeat already on their faces. No one had expected the Arcam army to be so big. Even the archers and swordsmen that lined our streets were in awe. All we did was watch as they sprinted toward us.

"It wasn't even a fight. They just stormed past all the archers and swordsmen. It seemed all the Arcams cared to do was get to the center of our town. They filled the town plus a large part of the surrounding land. A man then stepped from their ranks, walked in front of my home and began staring at me. He didn't say anything, but I had a bad feeling he was there for my magic.

"My family was standing near me. My parents were slowly looking from me to the man, wondering what was going on. My sister, though, focused only on me. The look she gave me was caring, and it was a look I will always keep in my mind.

"The first words from this man were the worst. He simply said, 'Get the girl,' and suddenly Arcams swarmed my sister and brought her to him. My parents and I tried to stop them, but dozens more came between us and him, and from then on we could only watch helplessly with all that happened next.

"He began talking, trying to reassure the town's safety so long as we complied with him. He said we had a traitor among us, and he was sent to make sure that traitor was banished. That is when he pointed at me and declared me to be that traitor. He said I had stolen magic, and that he had been bestowed with magic of his own to make sure I was stopped."

"What?!" Arone exclaimed.

"I couldn't believe it myself, but I was in no place to argue. The man pointed his arm at the sky and lightning shot from his hand; the people could only believe him. It didn't matter that I was friends with most everyone or that I didn't show my magic. He held the upper hand."

"I could see a few people turning against me, but what really shocked me was my parents... that probably hurt me the most. They said I had put my sister in danger just so I could have magic. I thought somebody had replaced my parents with some of the man's own people. I knew our bond wasn't as strong as between them and Ravella, but still...

"My sister said she believed in me out loud, despite the others' accusations. This made me feel so good to have a sister like that, who would trust me no matter what going on before her. And it would be the last words she said, too, which made them even more special. Once she spoke them, the man struck her in the chest with his knife and murdered her.

"I can't say how devastated I was to see her fall to the ground. There aren't any words that can describe it. She was my one person I could talk to about anything, and she was gone. And worse, that I caused it. My parents rushed to her side, taking turns crying over her body while shooting evil glares at the man and even more menacing ones at me. I just stood there, looking at Ravella, and wondering what an awful person I was.

"The man said to let this be a lesson for all who choose to steal magic. He proceeded to walk toward me, saying that I was to go with him. While he was doing this, though, I started to feel strange. I know now it was because of how sad and shocked I was feeling, but at that moment I was slowly stepping back from him, shaking a bit and feeling the air around me get cooler.

"Everything from there was a blur. He tried to attack me, but I suddenly struck back with my own magic, and this seemed to surprise him. I sprinted from my spot, cutting my way through the Arcams. The last thing I heard him say was 'I told you he had stolen magic! Look at the coward! See how he runs from his punishment!' I knew I could never return. I just needed to get away from that place. I needed to find that griffin and get as far away as possible.

"I couldn't find the griffin, and I was soon trapped up in a tree. I fought the Arcams there, but my memory of Ravella's death was so vivid, I couldn't control my magic. I'm not sure how long the fight lasted. I don't know how many Arcams I killed, but no matter how many I did, they just kept coming. Eventually, I was hit in the shoulder and knew the end was near. I tried to save myself with a barrier of ice, but my sister kept screaming inside my head, and I couldn't make the sound go away. It scared me too much, and my magic exploded from within me. I remember feeling so weak afterward and just looking around before blacking out.

"What I saw next was a strange place. I was in a city, although I do not know which one. It was dark and windy, and I knew there was a strong thought in my head that I needed to be somewhere, only I didn't know where. I thought that searching the city and seeing what was on the buildings would help me remember what I was looking for, but I couldn't understand anything.

"My life faded quickly from my memory. I forgot who I was, I forgot the fight in the forest that brought me there, but weirdest of all: I forgot Ravella. My new life in this city was all I knew. Just walking along the streets, trying to find what was lost, that was my life. It didn't bore or scare me; it was what I lived to do. I don't know how long I existed there. It may have been only a week in our world, but in that world, it seemed much longer.

"I don't remember exactly what allowed me to get out of it, either. In one moment, I started to remember things. Of course, my sister's death was the first thing I remembered. But more followed: my name, the forest, my town, my parents, and then everyone else. I realized I had to get out of that city; there was nothing needed to be found there. I ran to the city's walls and searched for the gate that led the way out. Strangely, though, when I found it, it was already open. When I left the city, the darkness immediately brightened, and I found myself lying on the forest ground as you were protecting the Ragmar from the man's attack. I tried ramming that ice as far into his chest as possible. I couldn't kill him, but I sure hope he remembers this for when I get stronger and actually have the chance to finish him for good."

Rikaida's demeanor soon changed. He sighed and sat back, using his arms behind him on the ground to hold his body up. Arone had no idea how Rikaida had been put into the state he just described. He didn't know where the city Rikaida had just talked about was either. Everything in it just sounded so strange. Darkness, forgetfulness, words that had no meaning...Arone knew that Rikaida couldn't teleport, and he didn't know of anyone who could teleport other people. Maybe what Rikaida described wasn't an actual place at all. Maybe it was a place in Rikaida's head. That would make more sense. But he didn't know Dogane could do that. And if he could do that once to Rikaida, who's to say he couldn't do it again.

"He took my sister from me. He turned my family and my whole town against me. He needs to die for what he's done, and I hope I will have the honor of killing him. I wish I could've hit him harder with that ice. I guess I'm just glad I was in time to stop him before he killed you two."

Rikaida sighed again and bowed his head slightly. He looked like he was going to continue talking, but both he and Arone noticed the Ragmar moving out of the corner of their eyes. They turned to see him looking as though he were struggling to say something. They waited, and when he did talk, they were surprised.

"Th-thank you," he muttered.

Rikaida and Arone looked at each other, both having bizarre expressions on their face. The Ragmar was not a being Arone understood to apologize. In fact, he had somewhat expected him to try and finish off Rikaida.

They sat there afterward, waiting for Aine to return, hopefully with the other griffin. Arone looked opposite the direction Ragmar was facing, knowing that somewhere among the trees was the way to the Kresiliss. The Ragmarn were taking Rikaida there, and he wasn't sure why. They were going to meet the man there, or Dogane, as he should say now, but it wasn't clear what would happen after that.

Some time passed. The Ragmar soon stood up and began walking around the clearing. He checked his dead comrades' bodies, and Arone kept an eye on him the entire time. The Ragmar would bow its head after seeing each body, though Arone thought he heard it muttering something, too. When he was done, he walked to the other edge of the clearing, facing away from everyone, and stared into the forest.

Arone glanced to his left at the forest's edge and looked at the dense brush. The Ragmar should probably travel with them. It seemed fitting. His magic may not be as powerful as theirs, but he was another fighter. Besides, if the Ragmar left them, how long would he survive before Dogane caught up to him?

Arone was still thinking on this when his gaze shifted to the right a little. It was strange, but he thought he saw a hint of orange among the leaves. Two hints of orange, actually. They were separated from each other by a distance that made them seem like eyes.

It happened before he could even think about it. From the brush leapt a huge, dark, silver wolf, and in one bound it pinned Arone against the ground. Its amber eyes were wide, though it didn't bare any teeth. Arone's mind went blank, and no thought occurred to him that he had magic that could force this wolf from him. He stared back at the yellow eyes with a weird, contorted expression on his face.

Suddenly the wolf's eyes softened, and Arone's face scrunched as the wolf began licking it. His hands flew up trying to shield his face, but the wolf edged in and licked his face more.

"Awww, you weren't supposed to do that, Gunnolf!" someone shouted from where Gunnolf had jumped. Arone fought his way to his feet, just in time to see a young boy with blonde hair leap into the clearing.

"You could've at least scratched him or something! Now he's going to think you're not tough," the boy sighed. Gunnolf turned his head at the boy's direction and tilted its head, not sure whether to care or not if its image was at risk. It whipped its head back toward Arone and started rubbing its head against his side before lying down on the ground.

"That wolf took me off my guard and flung me to the ground if that helps," Arone said to the disgruntled boy. "I don't doubt how strong he is."

"I guess you're right," the boy responded. "I just guess I wish you were an enemy to him. More exciting."

"Thanks," Arone replied with an awkward chuckle. "How long were you watching us?"

"Right before the griffin flew away. I wanted Gunnolf to stalk the Ragmar over there, but he just stayed near you. Oh well."

"What is your name?" Arone asked, slowly sitting next to Gunnolf and petting its fur. He liked this wolf for some reason, despite it tackling him not too long ago.

"Lupercus," he said, wandering around the clearing and inspecting all the bodies strewn about. "What's yours?"

"Arone," Arone replied. He was still half-smiling at Lupercus, bewildered. Where did this boy come from?

"And I'm Rikaida," Rikaida stated. He seemed just as surprised as Arone.

"Nice to meet you," Lupercus said. "Gunnolf also wasn't interested in you."

"What a shame," Rikaida said, not at all upset.

"So what exactly happened here?" Lupercus asked.

Arone told him, starting from when he and Bardin found the Ragmarn to when Rikaida pierced Dogane's stomach with ice. As he talked, Arone could see excitement dance about in Lupercus's amber eyes. His mouth hung in awe. As Arone related the story, he still pet Gunnolf, all the while the wolf starting intently at the Ragmar.

"You got to do all that?!" Lupercus asked, stunned.

"Yes," Arone responded.

"Just my luck," Lupercus said, throwing his arms into the air. "I arrive after all the action is done."

Arone frowned. He didn't view what just happened as exciting.

"I need to come with you guys then!" continued Lupercus excitedly. "You guys will probably fight again soon, right?"

"Wait... what?"

Arone thought another person would be joining them, but he was expecting the Ragmar to be that person. He didn't mind more help, but Lupercus was too young to fight with them.

"Don't you have family? Aren't they worried that you're gone?" questioned Arone.

"I do, but not the typical family. There are a lot of people with us. We don't have a home; we just wander around everywhere. Everyone there is really my family. But they have this 'proving' thing where you must leave for a month and survive with one or two other people. I chose just my brother, but we got separated."

"How did you get separated?"

"I'm not exactly sure what happened to him. But it's not unusual for the people to separate. Everyone sees what they want in the month and then returns."

"I'll find him, one of these days," he added. "Right now, I need to join you guys!"

Rikaida walked over to Arone and began talking just low enough so that only Arone could hear.

"It might not be a bad idea for him to come along so we can watch over him. He doesn't have to fight. I think it's more dangerous if we let him go off on his own."

"Hey, what are you guys saying?" interjected Lupercus.

"Nothing much," answered Arone. "We were just thinking that you could come with us."

Arone agreed with Rikaida. It would be hard to tell Lupercus he couldn't fight in the actual battles, but as long as he was with them, he would be protected.

Afternoon neared its end, and the first signs of dusk arrived. Gunnolf had left Arone's side since then and spent the time lying next to both Rikaida and the Ragmar. Rikaida, like Arone, took to Gunnolf quickly, but the Ragmar only once bent down to pat Gunnolf on the head. Lupercus was talking with Rikaida, though they were on the other side of the clearing, and Arone could barely hear anything they were saying.

This was about the time when Aine came back into sight. At first, she was just barely visible through the foliage of the trees, but there was no doubt the red glint glowing larger was hers. When she was close enough, Arone noticed something else. Something blue was with her, hidden at first because it had blended in with the sky. It was the same size as Aine, and it was just as fast.

Arone had a hunch, and it turned out to be true as Aine flew onto the ground of the clearing. What landed next to her was another griffin, equally as large and magnificent looking as Aine. She turned her head about with such grace, catching the eyes of both Arone and the Ragmar before resting her eyes on Rikaida. She nodded her head as she steadily approached him. At the same time, Aine neared Arone.

"I want you to tell Rikaida I'm sorry about being upset at him," she stated awkwardly while looking away from Arone. "I had no idea about all that happened to him."

Arone nodded and kept looking at Ibnoba and Rikaida. He saw them say something to each other before Ibnoba brushed her head against Rikaida's. He didn't hear what was being said, but the sound of Ibnoba's voice was soft and sounded much like she was singing the whole time. It made the air seem lighter.

"It seems Rikaida can already talk to Ibnoba,"Aine said when she was close to Arone.

"Strange. He seemed not to be able to understand you earlier."

"He was always going to understand Ibnoba before me, just like you would understand me before Ibnoba."

"How does that work? Why couldn't I understand you when I met you?"

"I'll have to admit," Aine said shyly, "I didn't really know how to talk for the first few days, so that part was because of me. But you were getting used to your powers, and the connection between us was also still strengthening."

"I've only been able to talk to you for a day, though, and I've been around you for almost a week. How is he doing this already?"

"I guess we don't have to be exactly near each other, then. I'll admit that I would've guessed like you. But you can already understand Ibnoba, am I right?"

Arone nodded.

"Then you beat him there. Does that make you feel better?"

Arone laughed and looked away.

"The Ragmar is still living," Aine stated suddenly. She was glowering in its direction.

"What did you expect? That I'd kill him while you were gone?" Arone responded back.

"Yes," she bluntly said. "It didn't try to kill Rikaida again?"

"No. Actually, he thanked Rikaida for saving him."

"Oh, he did?" she asked, but she didn't have anything to say on it after that. She still stared at the Ragmar.

"What does it plan on doing now?" she questioned.

"He hasn't said anything other than the thank you. I just assumed, though, he would go with us."

That statement was met with an angry brush of Aine's wings.

"He will NOT be going with us. That dirty little thing almost killed Rikaida, and you want to bring him along? Oh, yes, why not just let him, then? There will be plenty of times for him to catch us off guard, but we'll just have him come with us, anyway."

"I don't think he will try anything. I think we've changed his outlook on humans."

"I don't care what you think. You're just expecting the best of him. I've seen reality. I've seen what backstabbing cretins they can be."

With that her eyes met Arone's, and suddenly Arone wasn't looking at the forest anymore. Instead, he was staring into a wide open landscape. Aine's eyes were circling the landscape slowly. Patches of grass were scattered about it, but it mostly was barren. Smoke was billowing from it, and a large group of humans were standing over a heap of dead Arcam bodies. With the humans were a small group of Ragmarn, and one of them had taken up spot next to a human Arone assumed was the leader. They both stood at the head of the gathering, beaming proudly.

The human and the Ragmar joined one hand each and raised them in the air. All started to cheer and holler, but Aine's focus was not on the people. She was eyeing the Ragmar and flying a little closer. Arone could see the Ragmar reaching slightly toward its side, and that's when he saw a glint of steel. As the Ragmar's hand gripped the hilt of the knife, Aine's vision rushed forth suddenly. The last thing Arone saw was a flashing glint as the Ragmar swung its knife into the person's chest. The next second, he was looking forward in the forest again.

"What was that?" Arone asked, horrified.

"The 'trust' between the humans and the Ragmarn was going up in flames. What you saw there was the second king of Bengaul after Ramas and Ubinion stepped down from rule. He put unconditional faith in the Ragmarn. He thought they would help end the Arcam threat that still remained from Dogane's rule. But as you saw, they turned on him after one of the fights and killed him."

"There was once a dream," Aine continued, "that Ragmarn and humans could fight alongside each other. But that was the last attempt at uniting the two groups, and for a good reason. So when I say there's no trusting a Ragmar, I mean it."

"But why would that Ragmar just kill him?" Arone asked. "It makes no sense."

"There's this whole history of fighting between the two races that goes back to earlier than anyone remembers. Ever since the two races came into contact it seems they were killing each other. Both claim the other side started it, and that fight you saw was the king's attempt to finally quell it all, but the Ragmarn chose to continue the separation."

Arone understood Aine's point of view. Still, there was sincerity in the Ragmar's voice when he thanked Rikaida. That had to mean something.

"I'd still trust him," Arone said finally. It had to be done.

"And you will die one day with that trust, as the king of Bengaul did before you. You may want him to come, but I'll tell you now: I'll kill him if he comes near us. And I am not joking."

Arone stared at the Ragmar and then shot a spiteful look at Aine. How could she just throw away help like that if the Ragmar wanted to come along? There was something about this Ragmar. Arone would keep an eye on him if he did come, definitely, but he wanted to try and see if this would work out.

"Aine."

A gentle singing hymn wafted in the air. Ibnoba had left Rikaida and strode over to them.

"I'll take responsibility of the Ragmar if that allows you to let him come with us."

Aine twisted her head in the Ragmar's direction and pondered what Ibnoba said. Arone was surprised that Aine was even considering this at all. She'd objected just seconds ago to it with no hopes of changing her mind.

"If that's what you think is right, I will allow it," she finally stated.

Arone stared stupidly at Aine. That was all Ibnoba had to say to allow the Ragmar to come with them?

"I trust Ibnoba's judgment over yours," Aine said to him, seeming to read his mind.

"Come now, Aine," Ibnoba said. "I admire him for having hope."

"It's easy for him to give hope," Aine responded. "All he's seen is this fight. He doesn't know of the war between the Ragmarn and the humans."

Arone left the two griffins and walked over to the Ragmar. If Ibnoba believed this would work too, then maybe his hunch wasn't so crazy after all. He knew this was based largely on hope to allow this Ragmar to join them, but it was time to see what the Ragmar thought.

Arone reached the Ragmar's side and stood there. It didn't acknowledge him and only stared forward.

"It would–" Arone started, but the Ragmar quickly cut him off.

"I know you want me to join, but it's not going to happen," the Ragmar said. "We should pretend like this never even happened, and that you had killed me here instead of allowing me to live. We aren't meant to live together. Nothing in our history points to that being possible."

"Maybe you should quit worrying about the history of our ancestors," Arone spoke, "and start worrying about your own history you'll make."

"If only that were so easy," the Ragmar sighed, not giving any hint his mind had been changed.

"I'm offering you this chance now, and it won't be available for much longer. We can offer you protection as long as you help us. And as you've just seen, we'll need all the help we can get."

"It just won't work," the Ragmar whispered, still not moving his body.

Arone's shoulders were hunched as he returned.

"He won't come," Arone said.

"It's for the best," Aine stated, while Ibnoba hung her head and went back to Rikaida.

"I think we should start moving on," Arone continued. "And I was thinking we should go through the Kresiliss and see where that leads. I know you're going to think that's crazy, and that we should probably head to somewhere else, but I believe we should know where Rikaida was being brought."

"I agree with you."

Arone was about to argue, but he was taken aback. Aine was actually agreeing with him?

"I've also thought it'd be important to check the spot Rikaida would have been kept, too. Of course, an ambush may be set there, but I think it's unlikely that we'll meet anything difficult to fight other than Arcams. Dogane didn't expect the Ragmarn to be beaten, and he certainly didn't expect his own self to be wounded so badly."

Arone told this to Rikaida, who agreed to it right away. Out of all of them there, he was the most intrigued one about the Kresiliss. They began to walk away, Arone glancing back multiple times to see if the Ragmar had decided to go with them instead. Each time he saw the Ragmar standing in that same spot, looking out into the forest.

The Kresiliss actually turned out to be the thing with the melded colors. Loose dirt hovered before it, being pulled slightly inward, but not as quickly as before. Arone stood there, thinking about how it would feel to go through it. But before he decided to take a chance and pass through it, he looked around, and that's when he saw the Ragmar appear from behind a tree and approach them.

Arone smiled. He turned back to brave the Kresiliss.
The Altar

He reached out his right hand, and when it crossed through, he felt a watery vapor surround it. He thought it would be difficult to breathe in the mist, but his concern disappeared when he pulled his head through and took his first breath inside.

Then something bizarre happened. His whole body began to dissolve as the vapor thickened and surged around him. It didn't hurt, but it was something that spooked him as his body became one with the Kresiliss.

The whirling continued until he couldn't see the forest anymore. There was only a myriad of colors and a slight whooshing noise that steadily picked up. Arone couldn't see his stomach, but it still didn't stop the sickening feeling of becoming so scared.

All of a sudden the whirling ceased, and he found himself standing on the forest's ground again—but in a different location. There was no Kresiliss behind him or any evidence of one, either. When he looked in front of him, he saw a giant, thick tree.

A sound like liquid rapidly flowing began. He glanced around to see its source when Aine started to appear. Much like the blending of the Kresiliss, she swirled into existence, her bold, red form finally showing.

One by one, the others showed up. They all appeared like Aine, and luckily, no one had been disfigured. The last to appear was the Ragmar, and he immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Never... again," he wheezed.

"I thought it was fun!" Lupercus laughed. The Ragmar looked at him and shook his head.

"Why would Dogane use a Kresiliss that'd lead us here?" Aine asked, staring at the open field behind the big tree. Arone glanced around the tree and saw a giant structure in the distance. It looked like it was made out of stone, and from his view, he was looking at a triangular side with steps that led into an opening at the top.

"Where are we?" Rikaida asked.

"He was taking you to the Temple of Osmas," Aine breathed.

The name seemed familiar to Arone, but where had he heard of it before now?

Both Aine and Ibnoba trotted into the clearing. The others followed, and they began a quick pace to the temple. As Arone looked around, it seemed as though the border at the forest's edge formed a near-perfect circle around it. The ground surrounding the temple had vibrant, green grass, and with each gust of wind, the grass would shimmer in wavy patterns.

As they got closer to the temple, greater detail showed. The temple was a gigantic pyramid. It towered over anything Arone had seen in his life, the Bengaul palace included. This once proud temple, though, was marred in several places as moss made its way over the gray stone. The steps were small and numerous. Every so often they would lead into a tiered platform before starting up the temple again. The large opening at the top stood resolute against the clear sky.

"We should fly up the steps," Rikaida said, looking up the immense staircase. Arone agreed, although Lupercus, standing next to Gunnolf, spoke up.

"You guys can fly; I'll run."

"Oh, don't worry," reassured Arone. "We have room for you on the griffins."

"Thanks for the offer," Lupercus said, his face looking thrilled. "There's something I need to show you, though."

Lupercus gave one quick glance to Gunnolf and nodded his head. Gunnolf growled in return, and instantly they started to scale the temple's steps. Arone was in awe as Lupercus bounded up alongside Gunnolf. He was just as swift and nimble. In a matter of seconds, they were near the top. With a humongous leap, they flew over the last section of stairs and landed in front of the temple's opening.

Arone couldn't make out Lupercus's expression when he turned to face everyone below, but he knew Lupercus was beaming. Or at least, that's what Arone would do; what Lupercus had just done was incredible. Arone never met anyone in his life whose speed matched a wolf's, least of all a child like Lupercus. Arone jumped on Aine while Rikaida helped the Ragmar onto Ibnoba. The Ragmar hesitated at first, but soon begrudgingly agreed as both he and Rikaida prepared to fly.

"How did you do that?" Arone asked after shooting toward the top.

"I have no idea," responded Lupercus. "I've just been able to do that ever since meeting Gunnolf. Trust me; I was just as surprised as you when it first happened. And there's something else, too."

Lupercus let out a low, guttural noise. Arone was unsure why until Gunnolf responded in a growl much like it. Lupercus and Gunnolf began to speak to one another in low growls.

"I can speak to wolves," Lupercus said as he finished talking to Gunnolf.

"You just picked up that too?" asked Rikaida.

"Yes," Lupercus answered with a smile, "although it's not exactly speaking. Wolves don't have growls for certain words. They mostly speak how they feel. When I met Gunnolf, whenever he growled, I understood. Whenever I talked back, for some reason I knew how I had to growl. I kind of like it."

As they continued to talk, Arone approached the temple's opening. The light from outside breached the darkness of the entrance, but only for a little while. The light rapidly diminished after a certain point, and the large unknown glared at them as they stared into the temple.

"Do we go in there?" Arone asked Aine.

"I think I now know why he wanted you here, Rikaida...I just need to see something..." she answered.

Aine led, and Ibnoba followed closely behind her. Arone kept close to the Ragmar. All together, they entered the darkness.

Arone lit up the air around them with very thin and weak fire that was just enough to see a few feet in each direction. Just like the outside of the temple, the path before them was worn in places. The walls to either side were lined with unlit torches, and upon seeing them, Arone swept the fire forward.

The walls flamed as the fire lit up more and more torches. Soon, a large staircase became visible, and it led down into a humungous chamber. When they reached the steps, Arone could see them fan out down to the floor. His eyes widened as he saw huge gray pillars reach from the ground to the ceiling in two rows leading to the other side of the temple where another large opening stood. The floor itself was made of the best granite, and both side walls had three large, silver statues.

They descended the staircase, Arone's dumbfounded expression remaining on his face. It didn't occur to him how big the chamber really was until he reached the bottom. There, the brazen pillars stood so high that Arone had to arch his neck to see the tops of the closest ones to him. The statues on either side of him were as big as the palace in Bengaul. He didn't know where to begin, so he decided to just head to the three statues on his right.

The first one nearest was a king dressed in thick robes. Its profile was turned slightly so that its right side stood more in front of its left. Its right arm was extended in front of it, a scepter in its hand that reached all the way to the ground. At its feet, the robe turned into a landscape; warriors the size of Arone clashed against each other on one side. Arone saw the expressions of the men; they seemed so life-like. And the weapons they used seemed so real; it was like he could grab one from their hands and use it in battle. On the other side were people mingling about with each other, unaware of the bloodshed occurring near them. At the foot of the king rested a plaque that read:

The power to change

He turned and looked toward the next statue. It was a long walk, but the detailed artwork made up for it. This statue was a hooded figure with one arm to its side and the other held out before it, its fingers on its clenched hand wrapping upward. Whether the figure had feet, Arone didn't know. Covering the bottom of the stature was stone made to look like smoke. Its cloak seemed to be caught in a breeze as it billowed slightly to its left. There was a plaque at the front of the statue at its base. When Arone was close enough, he could read the words scribbled on it:

Each has but one path set for them

To his left, he saw the last statue at the end of the room. After admiring the statue before him and looking back at the first one, he couldn't wait to see what this next one would be. He wasn't disappointed, either. This one was more human in appearance than the last, although it wasn't clear whether it was a man or a woman. The person shown had ivory entwining about its body. It stood tall, its two arms jutting outward from its body with hands held open, palms facing away. There was no plaque with words like the last two statues; instead, a multitude of stone animals roamed about its base. And from there, mixing itself in with the ivory, were small streams of water, fire, stone, and lightning. As Arone stared, he couldn't believe how beautiful the statue looked. All the intricate detail, especially with the elements, must have taken ages to create.

He looked around then, remembering there were others still in the temple.

"It's a real shame how this temple isn't visited anymore," Ibnoba sighed when Arone came up to her side. "It took so long to make, and the statues here are the most spectacular I've seen in the whole world."

"What are all these statues for?" Arone asked.

"Osmas wanted to remind everyone of those things you don't underestimate," Aine answered and then turned to face the rest of the chamber.

"On this side of the chamber are statues representing one's elders, the children, and women. The side you came from had nature, fate, and the king."

"Why would someone need to be reminded of how powerful a king could be?" questioned Arone again.

"That statue isn't meant for the public," Ibnoba answered. "It's the only one here made solely to remind the future kings that what they do will change everything around them. Any act of war, any law made, all is not to be taken lightly when their rule is considered."

"Really... that kind of thinking was thrown away with his son..." Arone said, almost chuckling at how opposite Dogane was than his father.

"It was truly a disaster," Ibnoba said. "Everyone suffered. He caused everyone to hate Osmas even though Osmas ruled fairly, and Dogane caused everyone to hate this temple. Decades of effort during Osmas's rule...wasted. And to tell you the truth, I'm surprised Dogane kept this place standing. The only thing Dogane cared for in this temple was that statue over there."

She was pointing at the hooded figure, and Aine turned to look with her.

"Besides that, Dogane loathed the other statues," Ibnoba said. "Women to him were just like men, and all were slaves to him. He didn't need a king's statue considering he was reminder enough. He certainly didn't need a statue of nature because he controlled, in his view, the best element. And there was no underestimating the children and especially the elderly since they were useless in the first place."

"He really thought that? How?" Arone asked, stunned. "Where does he think all his 'slaves' came from? Each was once a child."

"He thought the children had to prove themselves," Aine cut in. "They had no purpose until they started abiding fully by his rule. He knew there would be good and bad workers, so there was no underestimating or overestimating in his eyes."

"Terrible way to think..." Arone shook his head. "And once they were too old to work..."

"They were once again worthless," Aine responded. "And even when they were able to work, they were treated like nothing. You can only imagine how bad it really was, with nowhere to go but to the outer walls of Bengaul. What once kept your enemies out now kept your worst enemy as close as possible. The young ones feared growing up because all they had to look forward to was servitude, and those too old to work feared one day they would be forced from where they lived or even killed to accommodate those that could work. And all was this way, so that Dogane could rule. That was all he ever wanted: people to rule."

Aine glowered and strode away from the statue and toward the opening that led to the rest of the temple. Arone looked around and noticed that everyone else was leaving the statues they were looking at and also going along in Aine's direction. Ibnoba silently nodded at Arone, and together they left the statue of the woman.

Aine led the way through the opening. It was a tunnel that eventually led into a chamber room much smaller than the room before them. Other than small indents for steps at each of the corners, it was otherwise empty. There was a path leading from each side of the room, and each was lit equally.

"I think I know which way we are to go," Aine said.

Aine took the path straight in front of them. It started off narrow like the last, but as they proceeded it widened. The torches began to be spaced farther and farther apart until the tunnel reached a spectacular corridor.

The night sky replaced the walls, and had it not been for the path behind them, Arone would have thought they had somehow stumbled back outside. But that would've been impossible anyway, as it was afternoon. So this corridor couldn't be reflecting what was outside. Nevertheless, he saw stars light up the sky.

Soon groups of stars began moving together. They formed shapes of creatures that Arone had heard of in stories, and others he didn't recognize at all. Arone saw griffins soaring about, cawing magnificently. They intertwined with a myriad of birds, all the while making their way around the corridor. He saw these creatures with huge wingspans but small bodies hovering in the air. Far off in the back, he noticed a group of small birds moving in perfect harmony with each other, and he became entranced as they fluttered around.

A loud roar cried suddenly through the corridor. At the opposite side of the corridor, a Shadin came to life. All other constellations fled off into space, and they were left to watch the Shadin spread its wings. Arone began to think if it was just a mirage as it seemed to lurch back in preparation for a strike. He brought about fire, but it wasn't necessary. The Shadin instead gave another screech, and this time the stars began to fade. A red swirling mass formed at the end of the corridor, and the night sky turned into the regular stone they had seen everywhere else in the tunnel. They approached the redness to see there was no path leading onward behind it.

"Enter the mist," Ibnoba gently said.

"What?" said Arone, more out of bewilderment than in asking a question. He gave an uneasy look at Aine, but she didn't object. He reached out his left hand and saw the redness start to encompass it. Around him, he noticed the corridor and everyone else fade away as he was gently picked up into the air. Soon there was only darkness.

He felt himself being slightly pulled, and it wasn't until he saw a room in the distance that he figured out he was moving forward. As he was able to focus, he saw the walls were made of brilliant green. At each of the room's corners stood dark green statues of people kneeling toward something in the center of the room. The red mass, all the while, pulled him softly forward until at last he saw the object: a red and green altar. It had a wide base that slightly expanded with its height.

As his feet crossed over the boundary of the room, he saw the walls around him float into existence, and the red mist disappeared. Just like with the Kresiliss, it was not long before the others began to appear. Only this time, everyone showed up instantly instead of gradually.

"I hate this," the Ragmar huffed. He was hunched over again, wheezing.

"Really? But that time was even more fun," Lupercus smiled at him kindly, patting him on the back. The Ragmar looked as though it wanted nothing more but to hurt Lupercus. Seeing this, Lupercus shrugged sadly and began to explore the new chamber room.

Arone took a closer look at one of the green statues. It was a man dressed in worn-down clothes. His head was bowed slightly as he kneeled on his left shin, his hands gathered together on his right knee. Arone stooped and saw the statue's expressionless face. As he looked to the other three statues, two women and another male, he again saw the same empty expressions.

There was a slight dip of steps in the middle of the room that reached from the front and stopped in the center at the altar. The altar itself had ruby edges with green color filling it in. Strange markings were engraved all over the altar. As he looked around the room, he noticed the walls were covered with more of these markings, though they were smaller than the ones on the altar.

"What do these markings mean?" Arone asked as he looked back toward Aine and Ibnoba.

"You can understand them," Ibnoba stated as she approached the altar.

Arone almost laughed. How could he understand these? He'd never even seen them before. There seemed to be thousands of them all around him, too. As Ibnoba climbed the steps and stood by his side, though, he decided to try reading them.

He glanced at the first marking. It was a diagonal line with three smaller lines slashed through it. As he tried to figure out what it meant, a soft voice in the back of his mind began to speak. He wasn't sure if it was even there or not, but as he continued to read, the message became clear, and it was this message he read aloud:

"This altar is evil. This whole temple is evil. I feel ashamed at what I've done, but it was the only thing that would have saved my village from Dogane. But it didn't matter in the end. Once I helped him, he went back on his word and enslaved everyone there anyway. Everyone...taken from me...and I was banished.

"Dogane was stricken down in battle not too long ago, and I can finally see my family again after decades of wandering. My youth's been taken from me, as was everyone else's, but at least I'll be reunited with them again soon, and we can return to the village if it's still there.

"Dogane is not gone, however, and that is what I fear most. That's why I've returned to write this message in the language of the wind, something Dogane will never hope to understand. I was here when this chamber was made under his rule. He had brought together people who were 'gifted' in order to make this room unique. One person for the location of this room, where it exists in another sort of 'time,' one person to transform everything in here into Jespar, one person for something I unfortunately don't know about, and finally myself to curse this room so that Dogane may die only here.

"I was blessed with the power to maintain life to a certain extent, but it was used to keep hell on Earth. I don't think I can ever look at myself the same way again...We can try to rejoice now, but Dogane will return again someday. As to how: I don't know. But when he does, strike him down, but make sure the final blow is done within this room. Then, this world will finally be ridden of this demon."

"No..." Arone heard Aine moan.

"All this time," Ibnoba said. "Everyone wondered why Dogane's magic was left behind. We wondered why we couldn't destroy it. We did our best to hide it. We made sure no one was with us, but it was only a matter of time before someone would find it."

"If only we found this before we killed him!" Aine groaned. "All of this could have been prevented!"

Aine stormed past the altar and began pacing. Ibnoba just sat down, her gaze unfocused.

"So we're supposed to attack Dogane in Bengaul and just knock him out? Then bring him to this altar and kill him?" Lupercus asked.

"Possibly..." Arone mumbled although the plan sounded ridiculous.

"So what does Dogane do from here?" Arone asked, after a small pause. Aine had stopped her trotting and was breathing heavily.

"I imagine he'll return here soon if he finds someone who can translate this altar, but if he does, he'll be with a lot of Arcams, especially if he can only die here. It would probably be best if we weren't here when he came."

"We could set up an ambush!" Lupercus cried after hearing everything from Arone. To his right, Arone saw the Ragmar sort of nodding.

"That would be a good idea if we ourselves were ready," answered Aine. "You saw the man in the woods, though, Arone. Think of how strong he was, and know that Dogane is much worse. You have to become stronger with fire and Rikaida with his ice before you have any hopes of fighting Dogane. And I and Ibnoba need to become faster if that Shadin is to fall."

Ibnoba gave a quiet nod. Although Arone didn't want to give up an advantage, he had to admit Aine was right. He felt so helpless against the man; he didn't want to feel worthless while fighting Dogane. He glanced down at his hands and watched fire trickle back and forth between his two palms. This magic was so new to him. He didn't know how to become more powerful, but he thought he could at least start with using it more. He was excited to think his strength could grow, that maybe next time he could hold his own against Dogane. So, if they weren't going to wait for Dogane's return, this left one clear path for them to take.

"We should go to Saric, for Tyris," Arone suggested, then explained to Rikaida and Lupercus who he was.

"I agree, but what do we do after that?" asked Rikaida.

"Train, I guess," shrugged Arone. "If there's anyone who can help us with our magic, it would be Tyris."

"Do you have any places we could go?" Arone asked Aine.

"None that I can think of," Aine said, though something was very off with how she said it, almost as if she were lying, and this interrupted his thought process completely.

"What?"

"It's true," Ibnoba replied, but the usual melody that accompanied her voice was gone, too. It was a cold tone.

"Okay..." Arone answered. He looked at Rikaida, then forgot he couldn't understand them yet. He shrugged it off and instead looked at the red mass floating above the altar.

"We should get out of here, then," he spoke as he looked at the Ragmar. "I'm very sorry. We'll have to go by the way we came in."

The Ragmar gave a slow nod and took in a deep breath. Arone reached out his hand and felt the gentle tug again on his arm. His last view of the chamber was of the Ragmar lifting his head toward Lupercus.

"I swear, you tell me how much fun you have again and I'll punch you," he said, and Lupercus took a small step away.

Arone smiled, and the chamber disappeared into blackness.
A Crossing of Two Paths

Arone found himself in the middle of the huge chamber when the red mist vanished. From there, they all left the temple, taking last glimpses of the place before walking up the steps and out the corridor.

"We should probably get rid of any signs we were here," Rikaida said as he faced the entrance.

His hands began to glow a light shade of blue. All around them, the air grew a little dense and cold. Just before the ice shot forward, though, the Ragmar cut him off by pushing down Rikaida's hands with his.

"You're just going to make a mess of things," he growled. "If we really don't want to leave a trace, we can't freeze the temple."

The Ragmar began slowly waving his arms around. As he did, the air warmed and started to blow against their backs and into the temple. Gradually, the light from within dimmed until there was only darkness like before. Still, though, the Ragmar kept the air flowing, stopping after a moment had passed.

"I don't know of any lit torch that can withstand that much wind, no matter how far into the temple. We should be okay."

They left the temple promptly after that. Arone once again flew on Aine while Rikaida and the Ragmar rode atop Ibnoba. Lupercus ran with Gunnolf, and they would follow closely below them. He said he'd be fine, so long as they made a few stops. They soared across the grassy plain and reached the tree line before heading north. By the way Aine was describing as they flew, the temple was in the far west of Agrathias. In order to make it to Saric, they would have to pass by Drathen.

The dense forest gave way to a wide meadow, one just as grassy as that surrounding the temple. In the distance, he could see a long, gray mountain range and could only guess they were close to Drathen. They took their first rest at the beginning of this meadow.

"Where did you meet Ramas?" asked Arone.

"Ubinion and Ramas lived in Eliathar, the land that is beyond the Allobnesian Sea. We were sent to Ubinion and Ramas when it was discovered they had magic."

"Sent? By whom?"

"That's not so important right now," Aine answered in a low voice. Arone was taken aback a little; why was it not important?

"So what is it like in Eliathar?" Arone questioned.

"You actually saw it once."

Right then Aine connected gazes with Arone, and once again Arone's sight swam out of focus. In this blend, dark greens meshed together, and suddenly Arone was looking at a familiar looking scene. Two men were off to the right talking, and all around him were more pulsating colors other than the dominant green. He did remember this. Aine had shown him this place just before meeting Tyris.

This scene lasted longer, though. As Ubinion and Ramas talked, Arone's vision slowly rose. He saw flowers with petals that spanned the length of his body. The tree branches contorted themselves in unusual ways, seemingly merging each tree into the next. The denseness of these branches became great toward the canopy; Arone could hardly tell which branch belonged to which tree. Aine finally cleared the utmost level, and Arone saw the rest of the landscape.

Gargantuan trees, some as large as the mountains he saw in the distance, covered his view. One happened to be close by, and vines draped from its top in a way that almost veiled its trunk from sight. Groups of animals and insects swarmed around it. One animal in particular, a horrifying winged bird that was almost pure bone, made a sweeping dive toward him. He suddenly felt a strong sense of pride and anger, and he knew Aine had just made herself look more terrifying than the creature itself. It rapidly changed directions and shot off toward another tree.

The vision started to fade as they began to fly forward. He saw waterfalls and rivers, all flowing with torrent that was not seen in his life. A huge mass of rocks drifted to his left. The scene was suspended in a steady manner, stretching from the ground and disappearing into the sky.

But this sight would not last. The floating rocks turned into specks of pollen in Arone's own vision, and he was staring at the meadow again. Aine went to his side.

It seems seeing through Aine's eyes had passed more time than he thought. Lupercus and Gunnolf had regained their energy already. They all set off, this time in the direction of the mountains. They would scale the surrounding range, taking a longer route than the straight shot through Drathen for safety, as Drathen was completely desolate and dead except for a city in the center called Mittel. Thieves scoured over the land. Over the centuries, these thieves, along with stragglers, funneled from Drathen through a mountain pass in the East to Menang.

"So that's what lies in Eliathar?" Arone asked. "I would have never guessed. No one was ever able to get there, or least any person I've known. How can that place be so different than our own?"

"The answer to that," Aine started, "unfortunately comes from strange things in our world. We have this part of the world: the one that we can see and interact with. There is another part, though. Everything that has to do with the elements: the rain, the wind, the sky, even the mountains, is manipulated by celestial beings that live in that part called Eledressa.

"It has been this way since the beginning of time. We live separately from them, just as they roam the world separate from us. They know what to do to keep this Earth alive, and we live as a result of their magic.

"Rifts occur between the two parts of this world. They cause connections; some humans will be born with magic that normally belongs to a celestial being, and sometimes, more rarely, a celestial being gets trapped in our part of the world. Just as no can explain why we live separately from the celestial beings, no one knows why these rifts happen. And no one knows who rules over the celestial beings, or if they even have rulers. It could be the Eladaran in the human world, or something else.

"The rifts formed, though, are almost always small, and usually the person's magic is incredibly weak, or that the celestial being is trapped for a short time. Very rarely, a rift causes a huge change on the Earth. For Dogane, this made him receive magic that made him almost like the Eladaran from folklore."

"You said something about celestial beings being trapped in this part of the world?" Arone asked.

"Yes. There are spirits of the wind who have been stuck here ever since Dogane came to power. There is also a water spirit who came into existence right about the same time, too. Now that I think about it, it seems that when the rifts occur, they occur together."

"Water spirit?"

"She was a kind spirit with the misfortune of helping Dogane when he was a small boy. She found him wandering in the forest far from Bengaul after he ran away. He was petrified of the magic he had, and she couldn't stand to see someone so small in so much distress. However, once she started helping him, she knew something wasn't right. The things he said: his intentions.

"When she realized all of what he said was real and not just some reaction to being alone, it was too late. Dogane's magic had grown far stronger than she expected, and her own magic in this human part of the world was weaker than in her own. Dogane fended her off when she tried to stop him, and he headed back to Bengaul. The water spirit fled into isolation, never forgiving herself. When we found her in Eliathar, she'd lost all her kindness. She's now a cold and hateful being."

"Do you think if we stop Dogane, all those spirits will return to Eledressa?"

"Probably," Aine answered. "If the rifts can happen together, they can be reversed together. But that's just a guess. Rifts like these rarely happen. I think the last rift that caused someone to get incredible power affected Haadis, a man in Allobnesia who got the power to raise the dead. I do not know much about him, only that he was not immortal like Dogane and did die eventually, and his power never resurfaced. I don't know of the spirits around when Haadis lived. So perhaps if we beat Dogane, we'll find out."

They soon reached the base of the mountain. Aine and Ibnoba dipped to their right, and they began their flight around its side. Arone looked up and saw the mountain's grand peaks white with snow. Yet even higher than that, he saw a dark red haze over the skies of Drathen. Below them, Lupercus and Gunnolf began leaping over any large boulders.

"The rifts are mainly concentrated in Eliathar, which is why it is so different there. All the tiny rifts that occur almost make the place come to life. Even with what you've seen, I'm sure you can understand what I'm saying."

Hours passed. They took two more small breaks, and on the second one, they found themselves on a thin stretch of plains that rested between the mountain's base and the start of another expansive forest. Right when they landed, Arone noticed Lupercus standing still, his head tilted upward. He was growling softly to Gunnolf, who in turn faced the opposite direction and stared into the woods.

"In what city did Ramas and Ubinion live?" asked Arone.

"There aren't really cities in Eliathar," Aine answered. "The land moves and changes so much that any city made would be razed before it was even finished. People there live in small tribes instead. Ubinion and Ramas came from different tribes. Ramas's lay more to the North, where most of the mountains were located. Ubinion came from the South, where the forest reigned. They were treated like Eladaran when the rifts between them and the celestial beings were formed."

"How did they know to meet each other?"

"A few months after they first had their magic, we were sent to them. We flew them from their two tribes and met somewhere in the middle. It wouldn't be for another few months before we set off for the battle against Dogane. It may seem like a pretty long time to keep the people in Agrathias waiting, but we needed every day for them to practice their magic. Dogane was a monster with a millennium of experience. But we were four and he was one. Ours together was just enough to overwhelm him.

"We had his power buried in the region of Anglo-Matten, but we knew no hiding place could be safe forever. For that reason, Ramas and Ubinion found an old woman by the name of Helena who could preserve their magic for a time when Dogane's magic was discovered."

Arone nodded and noticed that Lupercus was finally leaning his head forward, getting out of his trance. He now had a confused look on his face, and Arone walked over to him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I-I don't...could it actually..." Lupercus said, not really paying attention, but continuing to growl alongside Gunnolf. A few seconds later they turned and entered the forest. Their forms were lost quickly in the dense brush.

"Do you think he wants us to follow him?" Arone asked, but everyone just shrugged. He began pushing the branches from his path.

Hardly any sunlight reached the forest ground. He didn't notice before entering, but the trees were very tall and narrow. Behind him, there was no sign of the mountains or even any of the others with him; it was as if he'd walked into a new world in the few steps he'd taken.

Lupercus and Gunnolf were slowly trudging along. As Arone followed, his feet snapped twigs along the ground, giving away that he was behind them. Both didn't seem to care, though, as neither glanced around to see who was there. There was a tiny splashing brook they crept along, but they wouldn't for long. Soon, they left it, and Lupercus went into a thick part of the forest. Here he stopped, and Arone watched them a few trees away.

"Kaidai, are you there?" asked Lupercus.

Silence. Arone searched his mind for where he head that name, but he wasn't sure if he even had.

"You don't have to worry. I'm safe."

There came a scuffling from in front of Lupercus, and Arone saw another boy come forth. He was slightly older than Lupercus, and he had short black hair.

"Are you sure? I've...heard things," Kaidai responded.

"Heard things?" Lupercus asked, puzzled.

"You've been around thieves of magic," Kaidai answered. Right then, Arone's stomach plummeted. He remembered what Rikaida said before Dogane killed Ravella. Dogane already talked to this boy.

"Thieves of what...?" Lupercus said, bewildered.

"You've been helping Arone and Rikaida. They stole fire and ice magic."

"No, they didn't," Lupercus answered, still unsure if he was hearing Kaidai right. "They got it by..."

His voice trailed off. Arone never told him when he got his magic.

"See? They never even told you. They stole it."

Now Arone was getting mad. Who was this kid to be lying about him like that? How could he not see the evil in Dogane?

"I'm sure there's a reason. I've just never asked them about it."

"And you'd believe any lie they told you; you're so naive."

"What makes you so sure?" Lupercus snapped back. "How do you know they stole it?"

Arone shut his eyes and dreaded the words about to come from Kaidai's mouth.

"Dogane told me. He's been sent to stop them and return the magic. He was nothing but nice to me. He even took care of me after we were separated."

Arone didn't think his stomach could sink anymore. He had a slight suspicion of who this might be, but it was now clear that this person was Lupercus's brother.

"He... took... care of you?" Lupercus asked, now puzzled more than ever. Arone had had enough.

"Of course Dogane was nice to you," Arone said, coming out from his hiding spot. "He wanted to turn you against us."

The effect was immediate. Kaidai doubled back and drew his sword. His eyes were large. His voice quivered.

"I thought you said you were safe," he gasped.

"I am. This is Arone, our friend."

"He is not a friend of ours if he is an enemy of Dogane."

"Dogane is the enemy," Arone said louder. "He tortured everyone a millennium ago."

"What are you talking about?" said Kaidai. "No one can live that long."

"Dogane's been dead for the last nine hundred years," answered Arone. "Dogane was an evil ruler, and when he was finally beaten his power was left behind; no one could get rid of it! It was hidden, but no matter where it would be, someone was going to find it again, and that's what the man you met did!"

"Come on, Lupercus," scoffed Kaidai. "Don't tell me you believe this nonsense."

"I do...I–"

Then he cut off. Arone's heart started to hammer. He realized that Lupercus had never even seen Dogane before. He never witnessed his cruelty. It was his word against Kaidai's, and he didn't expect to win with family involved.

"Come with me, Lupercus," Kaidai spoke. "Save yourself from the painful afterlife you're headed toward by helping these traitors."

Lupercus slowly lifted his head, his eyes sad but slowly being convinced. He took a small step toward Kaidai and looked back at Arone.

"But he was so nice. All of them...I couldn't hurt them. And Dogane was so bad..."

"It's confusing because you've only seen one side," Kaidai soothed Lupercus. "Once you see how kind Dogane is, you'll realize you've been lied to."

Now Arone's temper began to rise, but it was entirely aimed at Dogane. This was all going wrong. Kaidai couldn't take Lupercus away from them. They'd both be killed the next time they met Dogane. He had to think of something! These boys were too innocent to be murdered!

Lupercus began growling with melancholy, and Gunnolf answered in one questioned yelp while tilting his head.

"Even Gunnolf liked Arone," Lupercus began, "how am I supposed to get him to turn against–"

His sentence was cut short. His eyes suddenly danced with happiness.

"Gunnolf likes Arone!" Lupercus shouted. "Arone can't be bad! A wolf can judge the soul of a person. Even you know that!"

Lupercus raised his arm in Arone's direction and gave a quick grunt. Gunnolf trotted straight at Arone and sat by his side.

"Of course Gunnolf would be fooled," Kaidai said, though even he was now unsure. "Gunnolf never met anyone who had stolen magic. I wouldn't doubt such a person could fool a wolf."

"Kaidai," whispered Lupercus. "We were always told the story of the wolf, of its gentle, pure spirit. One that can tell enemies from friends. I can tell you after being around Gunnolf and Arone: They're all true."

"We have to stop believing in stories one day," Kaidai scowled. "We have to start believing in reality."

"This is my reality!" Lupercus shouted.

Kaidai's scowl remained. He held his sword firmly at his side, and Arone feared a fight would break out.

"You will come with me whether willingly or by force. I'm here to protect you, and you're throwing yourself away with these people!"

"Then help me if you want to protect me!" Lupercus desperately yelled. "Stop believing Dogane and stay with us for a while! You'll see! They are the good guys!"

Something snapped in Kaidai. He let out a cry and swung his sword. Lupercus wasn't expecting it at all, and Kaidai's strike cut into a small part of Lupercus's shoulder as he tried to deflect it away.

The air was quiet. Lupercus's face was pale, his expression horrified. Even Kaidai's eyes were wide at what he'd just done. Lupercus gripped his shoulder tightly. The wound didn't seem too bad, but that cut would be small anyway to the wounded bond between the two brothers.

Arone and Gunnolf jumped into action. They leapt to Lupercus's side, but they had only gone so far before Lupercus shouted back at them.

"No! This is between me and my brother!"

Arone and Gunnolf stopped, Gunnolf making anxious growls. Arone began weighing what he should do, but if he did anything against what Lupercus wanted, he might lose him after the struggle. And he didn't know how long Lupercus would remain alive before meeting Dogane.

"You...struck...me..." Lupercus said as a tear ran down his cheek.

"I told you I would take you by force," Kaidai said, gulping. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will stop you from helping thieves. I would rather you be stopped now than stopped later when fate condemns you."

"I'm staying," Lupercus spoke. "Are you really going to force me? After everything we've been through? Just because some man helped you?"

"You are my little brother," Kaidai whispered, a stern, sad look on his face. "And I love you."

His sword slashed through the air, but this time Lupercus was ready. Steel clashed as brother struck out at brother for the second time.

The two fighters made their way around the trees, Kaidai always on the offensive, and Lupercus doing what he could do to fend him off. He kept looking at Arone, shaking his head furiously, and Arone knew Lupercus was going to continue trying to talk more sense into Kaidai. Gunnolf, all the while, frantically pawed at the earth, his cries reaching an almost hysterical level.

Kaidai struck both their weapons to one side and gave a grunt as he elbowed Lupercus hard to the ground. Lupercus lay there motionless, his chest heaving. Kaidai stood menacingly over Lupercus. He stretched his sword over his head.

"Please don't do this!" Lupercus sobbed. "Please stop and help us!"

Kaidai didn't listen. His sword slashed the air, and it was at this moment that Lupercus's stability shattered. All hope lost, Lupercus went into a rampage Arone didn't know could exist in such a small body. The roles were reversed, and it was quickly Lupercus that was besting Kaidai. Lupercus growled and grunted ferociously, even throwing his entire body at Kaidai sometimes; anything to beat down his brother. Finally, with rage, Lupercus knocked the sword from Kaidai's hands and made a deep gashing wound into his stomach.

Kaidai sputtered and fell forward. His eyes lazily rolled around, resting on Lupercus before collapsing to his back.Lupercus snapped from his state in time to fall to Kaidai's side and began to press hard on the wound.

"NO! NO! HELP!"

Arone could hardly recognize the sound of Lupercus's shrieks, but he bolted to the two of them. He began heating up the wound, hoping to cauterize it in time. But as he saw the damage and knew the extent of healing needed, he knew it would be too late.

"Kaidai, KAIDAI! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!"

Lupercus collapsed on Kaidai's shoulder, gripping his hand tightly. He began hyperventilating, and Arone could only try and calm him down a gentle voice. But this wasn't working, and even Arone was having a hard time remaining still. His anger at Dogane began to rise, and he had to let go of the wound soon, or he would start doing more harm than good. He clutched Lupercus against himself. He held him as his sobs shook both their bodies. And they watched as Kaidai started to wheeze his last few breaths.

This was too much for Lupercus. He jumped from where they were crouched, his hands rapidly gripping different parts of his head. He spun around where he stood, breathing faster and faster. His eyes bolted to the trees and then to Kaidai's body, to the trees and then to the body...He stumbled over once, and then with one last sob sprinted from the area.

Behind him, Gunnolf let out a piercing howl before following Lupercus. Arone was left staring into Kaidai's eyes, wanting to tell him not to fear the end—but never coming forth with the right words. All the while, Kaidai's eyes bore into Arone, and there was a point where something seemed to change in his gaze. He feebly lifted his arm, and Arone grasped it. He gathered Kaidai's head and shoulders and pressed them against his chest. He slowly rocked back and forth, humming and sobbing quietly. Arone did this until he heard the last breath leave Kaidai and saw the protective light vanish from his eyes. Then, he laid him down to rest.

...

"Arone, what happened?"

He didn't say.

"Arone, what happened? "

Arone, pale and stumbling, found himself back in the sunlight, though it hardly warmed his trembling body. Aine was asking him questions, but her voice sounded like just a buzz against his ears. He could see Lupercus far up the mountain. He was talking to Rikaida, and Gunnolf was nearby.

Everything seemed to be in a haze after leaving Kaidai's body; he wasn't even sure how long he remained standing before leaving the forest. Now, all he could do was to trudge up the black mountainside. Black...as now the world seemed again. His mind was going haywire. He saw Kaidai in his head, then his own brother. He saw Kaidai dying, and saw Toaran flailing through the air.

Lupercus's eyes were blank and teary when Arone reached them. Rikaida had his arm around him, and he was speaking in a low tone.

"I always picture her somewhere out there. One day, I'll be with her, and that's always comforting."

"I don't think he wants to see me ever again. I k-killed..."

Lupercus began to cry silently.

"Maybe he won't at first," Rikaida responded softly. "But maybe he'll see soon that you were part of the good guys all along. Then he'll be proud of you again."

"I don't want him to," said Lupercus. "I don't want him to know he was tricked. I'd rather be the bad guy and he the good, so he can always remain the big brother he's been to me."

This tug at Arone's stomach deeply. Rikaida glanced up, a sorrowful look on his face. Arone sat down next to Lupercus, but he knew there was nothing he could say to make the situation better.

They spent a few days there, or maybe more. Time lost its rules, it seemed. Lupercus stayed up on the mountain. Rikaida would stay with him most of the time. Lupercus liked their company, but it was usually Rikaida who did most of the talking. At night, Gunnolf would bay at the moon, sending a tragic melody throughout the mountains of a boy who would never be so vibrant again.
Saric

"I think I'd like to say goodbye to him," Lupercus said one day. "I'd like, though, for you to, uh...for you to go with me."

Rikaida nodded, and the rest of them followed Lupercus as they entered the woods. This time, the sun did not poke through the canopy, and they were left trudging through a dark forest.

Kaidai was still sprawled out on the ground when they reached the spot. His eyes were still open, and the image of them staring back at Arone shot through his mind. He had to look away.

Lupercus came through with Rikaida. His back stiffened and his pace slowed. He walked alone to Kaidai, and when he was by his side, he fell into a sitting position. He didn't make a sound, but over time, his body started shaking.

"I hope we find Dogane soon," Lupercus said. "I don't care what magic he has. I want him to feel his world fall apart. He deserves it. He deserves to die."

When he finally did get up and turn around, Arone's sadness was stifled by, strangely, fear. Lupercus's amber eyes now glazed, and his stare looked like it could melt even Arone. The hair on his arms and neck had grown darker. His breathing was quicker and shallower.

Lupercus was young, but at that moment Arone was glad he wasn't their enemy. He strode toward them with power and anger, and Arone immediately got out of his way, as everyone else did too. Gunnolf, normally sweet-tempered, followed with his head lower to the ground, and the hair on his neck stuck up.

~

They didn't stop the rest of the way. In fact, Lupercus and Gunnolf ran faster and harder. If Aine and Ibnoba just glided instead of flying slowly, they could just barely keep up.

Saric loomed in the distance. It was humongous—at least three or four times the size of Bengaul. On approach, they could see that a patch of the town was smoking.

There was a hill overlooking the town, and there they stopped. Lupercus right away went to Gunnolf, and they began growling with each other.

"Ibnoba, Gunnolf, and I will stay behind while you try and find Tyris."

"Don't do that," Arone said, stopping short. "You should hover around in case we need your help."

"No, it's too risky. If we're seen, it will draw more people outside, and you don't want that while you're looking for Tyris."

"And just remember," Aine added, "it's important to keep your powers hidden, but if there is a confrontation, the people in that town are only human and don't stand a chance against you and Rikaida."

Arone nodded, hoping their time in Saric wouldn't come to a fight. The outer edge of Saric, as those heading into it noticed, made this hope slim. Right on entering they could see dead bodies rotting in the streets. Brown, green, and dark red liquid marked the sides of the huts and ran into the streets they walked down. Every so often, they would see a shadow lurking out of the corner of their eye.

Arone and Rikaida were hesitant, but Lupercus strode through Saric, past all the decay, without a care. The deeper they went, thankfully, the cleaner the streets became. Soon, it was normal to see people walking about.

They came upon an open square with a tavern in front of them. The doors were slightly battered in, and there was a large window around the left side of the tavern on the second floor. Through the window, a large, brawny man was seen facing off against a much skinnier one. The skinnier one was holding his ground well; the brawny one would usually just charge, and the skinny one would step out of the way and let momentum take its course.

In one charge, the skinnier man was close to the window. He slid swiftly to the right and kept his foot behind. The brawny man, too late to avoid the trip, toppled over. The window splintered apart as the large body crashed over the window sill and fell to the ground.

The skinny man stole his way through the crowd of people who were trying to get a better look at the fallen one. And when the brawny man finally climbed to his feet, the first people he glowered at were the three of them there.

"What are you three looking at?" he growled.

"N-nothing," Arone answered.

The man's gaze turned sour.

"It was you who helped Niron, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"Yeah," he continued, creeping forward. "You came to check on Niron, to make sure he double-crossed me."  
"We were just passing by," Arone said.

"Of course you would say that," he said, withdrawing a knife. "Well, I have a message for Niron."

No, Arone could only think. We aren't here for blood. We only want to find Tyris.

The man was reaching back his hand. They could stop him; Rikaida already had his hand on his hilt. They didn't know if the man would survive; they didn't know if the people watching would react. But none of that mattered as he approached.

It all happened so fast. The man drew back to thrust his knife, and Rikaida brought up his blade. But it wasn't he who blocked the attack. At the last second, a young woman with black hair leapt from above them, out of nowhere, and landed in front of them. In a few swings, the brawny man was dead, and the young woman was urging them to run away.

"Hurry!" she said, running off to the left. The three of them, not wanting to see the onlooker's reaction, followed.

They dashed along the streets, the woman sporadically turning. Arone and Rikaida struggled behind, but Lupercus had no problems keeping up.

When they were in a narrow way, she suddenly stopped and spun on her heel.

"What were you thinking?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Rikaida as they huffed to a stop.

"Why did you come here?"

Arone and Rikaida stared at each other. Neither could think of a good lie.

"You know, it doesn't matter. There is never a good enough reason to come here. Especially for you three."

"We were about to kill him," Rikaida said.

"Right," she answered. "And you weren't just staring at that man, too caught up in it all to attack. I know."

"I was ready," Rikaida said, flashing his sword at his side.

"I can only imagine how you'd fight," she chuckled, making Rikaida scowl.

The woman, seeing this, sighed.

"Sorry," she said. "It just looked bad from my spot."

"It's fine," Arone said. "Thanks for the help."

"I can help you more if you want," she offered. "I know this place pretty well. You'd have to tell me why you're here, though."

Arone and Rikaida looked at each other. Arone knew if she helped and they found Tyris, she would eventually know about their magic, but having someone who lived here help them would be better than blindly searching.

They nodded at each other, and Rikaida spoke.

"We're here looking for a man named Tyris."

The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I don't think I've ever heard that name before. But that only means we'll have to look in the parts of Saric that I'm not so familiar with, which are few. The parts that we won't die in, that is."

"Wherever you want to search is fine by us."

She smiled and turned to go, but then stopped short.

"There's, uh, something I have to do first," she muttered; looking around. "You can come too if you want."

She set off again, slower this time, on a different path as she headed left down a dark alley. Arone was always looking over his shoulder and to the tops of the buildings.  
They were soon in front of a hut with a poorly built roof. The woman moved forward, taking a deep breath to speak.

"My father's a little sick. Don't be surprised that he looks so bad."

She opened up the door, and right when they entered they were hit with the smell of sweetly scented lavender from the candles surrounding the woman's father. He was lying on a bed on his side facing away from them.

"Kathara, is that you?" he wheezed.

"Yes," she answered. "I brought a few other people with me. I'm going to help them later."

"Really?" he asked. "That sounds wonderful!"

The father's voice, however, did not sound cheerful. Kathara gave them a quick look before starting to talk to her father. She was practically touching his ear as she whispered to him, so there was no hope of hearing her.

Arone looked around to see that Kathara's hut looked a little like his own room. There were crates of random things scattered around the room. Off to their left, though, there was a half-finished staircase. Arone looked to the roof, confused about where the stairs were supposed to lead.

"Um...I'm really sorry," Kathara soon spoke up, sounding as though she were about to cry. "I really want to go with you, but my father needs my help."

Arone looked at her sadly.

"Thanks for at least thinking of helping us. I hope your father gets better."

"Thanks," Kathara said, her voice drastically off pitch. "Make sure you stay away from the border of the city unless you're leaving town," she warned. "Things happen there."

Arone nodded, remembering all they saw while walking into Saric. With this on his mind, he furled his eyebrows. Kathara's eyes yearned for something as she watched him leave. Her father gave a nasty cough, and the door finally closed.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rikaida asked as they stood in front of Kathara's house.

"Just...look for Tyris, I guess," Arone answered.

"But where? Even if we cut out the border of this city, it'd still take forever to find him. And how will we even be able to find him? Just shout out his name?"

"Or whisper it for secrecy," Arone joked, but even when he thought about it seriously, he couldn't come up with a way.

"Why not," spoke up Lupercus, "just wait in the tavern? We can watch the people walking in and out, and we won't have to worry about walking around."

"That actually...sounds like a good idea," Rikaida said.

"But what about that man Kathara killed? People will not like us returning," Arone said.

"Maybe they didn't see us too well?" Lupercus answered. "And Kathara won't be with us, so if they're looking for a woman, they won't suspect us."

Arone crossed his arms and stared off into space. He could see the mob of people in the tavern running at them when they got into sight. But he could also see the three of them running into someone on the streets if they looked in random areas. And if there were more than a few people, they would have to use their magic.

Arone looked back from where they came.

"Do you even remember the way we took to get here?"

"I do," Lupercus said. "I can lead."

Lupercus set off, slower than Kathara, as they made their way back to the tavern. Impressively, he knew every single turn, and before they knew it, they were standing behind the hut right next to the tavern. They approached unnoticed around the corner, keeping their eyes on the broken window. They were relieved to see no one still looking down, but when they looked to the ground, the dead man was nowhere to be seen.

"We should head to the door now!" whispered Rikaida, and they crept the rest of the way, forced the broken tavern door open and stole their way inside.

The inside was so much more hectic than the tavern in Bengaul. People were laughing and moving back and forth around the many tables in the room. To Arone's surprise, there was a fight on the twisting staircase behind the tavern's counter, and no one else, including the tavern keeper, seemed to care. There were two people at the foot of the stairs, each holding a knife, trying to get at a man brandishing a small sword who was holding his spot at the first spiral above the other two men.

"There's a spot over there," Rikaida said, pointing to an open table near the wall. They walked to it, with Arone sitting down and facing a drunken woman with green hair at another table and also the fight. It looked like it was reaching a stalemate.

No one really spoke as they sat there. Arone spent his time looking from the fight on the stairs, to the people all around him in search of Tyris, and finally to Lupercus who was snarling as he stared forward. Arone still felt bad for him.

"You don't pay? YOU DON'T LIVE!" yelled the thin tavern keeper suddenly as he plunged a white dagger into the chest of the man sitting in front of him. Rikaida and Lupercus turned to see the man slump from his seat and crash onto the ground. Only a few seconds later, someone else climbed over the body and took the man's seat, starting to speak with the tavern keeper, who calmly brought out a cloth and wiped the blood from his dagger.

Rikaida's eyebrows rose, and Arone's mouth opened. No one acknowledged the dead body on the ground, but Arone guessed it shouldn't be too surprising, considering that no one had stopped the fight on the stairs either.

From there, Arone wasn't sure how much time passed. He kept his eyes open for Tyris, sharing a general description of him with both Rikaida and Lupercus, should they see him before Arone did.

The fight on the stairs escalated as the man with the sword swung it around and sliced the wrist of the man whose hand held the knife. He grunted and dropped his knife, clutching his hand and fleeing from the tavern, his partner following close behind.

"Cowards!" the man with the sword shouted as he ran in pursuit. Those in his path finally paid them heed as they sidestepped from his way.

Arone looked at the tavern keeper, but to his surprise, he saw him staring at the door, looking concerned. Not only him, but everyone around him had grown unusually quiet, all stopping what they were doing as they stared at the men who fled from the tavern. When Arone looked, though, he saw another person had entered the room. This person was wearing silver clothes, and he had a veil over his face. This man wasn't familiar, but that didn't stop Arone's heart from skipping a beat. The man wasn't alone.

The man was pulling Kathara along behind him. Her eyes streamed tears, and she was held tightly by the wrist.

"It seems," the man boomed in a deep voice, "we have some traitors in the city."

People looked each other in confusion.

"And not," he continued, "to any of the clans in Saric. These traitors have stolen something far more dangerous. Magic from the Eladaran."

People began to murmur.

"This woman helped the traitors, and she has paid a very costly price for it. I tell you to not be like her, and instead, help seek out the thieves."

Arone knew where this might lead. Quietly, he rose with the other two, and they stuck to the wall as they moved toward the door. His eyes caught Kathara's, and at first, it seemed there was hatred in them, but anything else was hidden as she looked away.

"Do not be afraid to bring them to justice, for any injury you receive in pursuit of them will be nothing compared to the pain in the afterlife you'll receive if you don't."

They were near the door, almost out, when a woman finally spoke up from the crowd.

"What do they look like?"

"They are two young men and a child."

The three of them were almost near the door when Arone saw a few people, including the drunken woman, look at the spot they'd once taken. Some were confused at its emptiness, but he saw one man follow the wall until his eyes caught Arone's.

"Go!" Arone whispered behind the other two, now pushing them hard to get out the door.

"They're there!" he heard the man shout, but they were already yanking the door open, and they just narrowly escaped as people in the tavern crowd grasped for their limbs and clothes.

"Run! Run!" Rikaida shouted, but Lupercus was already far ahead of them. Arone ran, turning to look back sometimes, seeing some of the weapons being thrown. He used fire when needed. They had no path to take, no place to regroup if someone was captured. Lupercus waited for them at every turn, and with each different path the question of whether they should stay in Saric became more pressing.  
"We have to leave," Rikaida said, catching his breath and standing next to Arone.

"But Tyris!" Arone groaned.

"It's too dangerous! We'll have to manage without him!"

"Which way is out?" Arone asked finally.

"Let's just go with what Kathara said. Look for when the streets turn ugly."

They told this to Lupercus on the next turn, and their turns became less random as they chose a straight path that had to eventually lead to the outside.

Up ahead of them, Lupercus stopped short and drew his sword. Two men walked out in front of him and blocked his path. Lupercus faked two lunges before clipping the one on the left and hitting the one on the right with a knife he threw from his pocket. Arone and Rikaida were with him by the time he leapt on the two wounded people to finish them.

"Lupercus, we have to go!" Rikaida shouted as he pulled up on Lupercus's mauling body. Lupercus, at first, growled at Rikaida, but Rikaida was much stronger, and Lupercus had no choice but to follow.

Arone looked around wildly for others who might attack them. He ran slightly ahead of everyone. He turned a left, a sharp right, looked around, and stopped.

"How in the..." he began, looking at the house to his right. The one with the battered doors and windows and the skeletons scattered along the walkway.

"Do you see someone?" Rikaida asked.

"No, it's just...Tyris is here," Arone whispered.

"What? How do you know?"

"He had this same house in Bengaul. He must have hoped I would recognize it."

They strode up the path to the front door. Arone, hoping Tyris was on the other side, opened the door, and the three of them rushed inside.

The first thing he heard and saw was Kathara weeping against the far wall. Then, he saw the veiled man standing and facing toward them just to his left.

"Where's Tyris?" demanded Arone.

The man never answered. He just glanced down to his left, and Arone, following his gaze, saw the lower half of a body on the floor. The upper half was hidden under a fur covering.

"He had been hunted by Dogane ever since Dogane got his power. He was going to die sooner or later."

"Why did you do this? Why are you following Dogane?"

"Because there was a time when Dogane ruled with complete control. It's going to happen again, and I'm making sure to choose the winning side."

"Dogane can't win!" Arone shouted back. "No one will be free!"

"Should they be free, though?" the man continued. "Who is to say Dogane shouldn't rule if he was chosen to have all that power?"

"Are you crazy?!" shouted Rikaida. "No one should ever be enslaved! No one should ever control the lives of other people! Besides, Dogane wasn't 'chosen'; it was a freak occurrence! Anyone could have been given that power!"

"You choose to believe one thing, and I the other," the man retorted. "It wasn't chance. Think about it! The power to control lightning, given to somebody who would have succeeded his father as king, instead of that same power given to some person who walked the street. That is too great of a sign to pass it off as 'a freak occurrence'!"

"So let's say you were right, and Dogane was chosen," Arone started, shocked someone would actually believe in something like fate. "Where do we stand? We were given power that beat Dogane before."

"You are only a test for Dogane's immortality," answered the man. "He was beaten once before, but he has returned, and he has a far greater advantage now. You two will fall against the Shadin, and that is why I am siding with Dogane."

"We are Agrathias's last hope. We can beat Dogane and make him fail the test! We know it's hard for him to fall, but we know exactly what must happen! Join us instead. Don't let fate choose your side!"

"Dogane is too strong, too prepared to lose," the man said. "Fate isn't the only reason I'm choosing sides. It's common sense."

Arone bit his lip as he looked at Rikaida. Rikaida, though, already had his hands pulled back.

"Then lose with him," he said, and he launched a torrent of ice at the veiled man.

Right as it was about to strike the man, the ice disappeared. A haunting, whispering noise filled the room that sent shivers down Arone's neck and back.

"You can't even break me," the man laughed. "And you expect to beat Dogane?"

His voice was interrupted by Rikaida's laughter.

"You think that's all I can give? Besides, unlike Dogane and you right now, I have someone else to help me."

He nodded at Arone, and they together hit the man with fire and ice, though Rikaida's magic looked so much stronger than Arone's. The whisper was now a soft screech. There was a bright flash of red and blue as their magic broke through whatever barrier the man had. He shouted as he dived away, but not before Arone's fire engulfed part of the man's veil. He fell to the ground and quickly put the fire out, but not before his veil was ruined.

The man rose, his hand covering some of his face.

"Show yourself!" Rikaida demanded. "We want to see the coward we are ridding the world of."

He did, and Arone's hands dropped. There, standing before them, was Tyris.

"No," Arone said softly.

"Arone," Tyris spoke, no longer under the disguise of a false voice.

"You traitor!" Arone cried. "You joined Dogane? After everything you know he did?!"

"I joined for survival. I've seen what Ramas and Ubinion could do, and your magic is not nearly as strong."

"That's only because I just got it! With time and practice, it w–"

"Do you think Dogane will allow you to have 'time and practice'? His conquest has begun, and you will have to attack him far sooner than Ramas and Ubinion had to."

Arone was stunned into silence. This was not the same man who helped him in Bengaul.

"Kathara," Arone said. "You can come to us. Tyris can't hold you prisoner anymore."

"You'll find," Tyris said, "that I'm not keeping her here against her own will. She's been able to leave since coming here, but she's been too busy sulking since her father was killed."

Arone had that hunch since he heard Tyris say what happened to Kathara when he dragged her into the tavern. Still, the confirmation made him silent again. Kathara's father sounded so weak, and it seemed Kathara loved him so much.

"You murdered her father?"

"It had to be done."

"It did, huh?"

Rikaida scathed at Tyris for a few seconds.

"Then so does this."

Tyris vanished in his spot as a third blast of ice hit. The back of the house tore open as everything in the ice's path froze over.

Arone cautiously approached Kathara. He couldn't say he was sorry. He couldn't really say anything to make the pain of her father's death lessen. Especially when it was their fault.

"Kathara?"  
She hardly glanced in his direction as she cried.

"You can come with us if you want. You wouldn't have to worry about people trying to kill you."

This time she shot a ruthless glare, and he backed away.

"Arone."

Rikaida was over the body on the floor that Arone had forgotten. He had the covering pulled back, and in a few steps, Arone could see the face of Bardin staring up at the ceiling.

"His own father..."

There was no comprehending any of this. Tyris could have easily saved his father, and not doing so...

He turned back around, and to his surprise, Kathara was on her feet. Her lips were trembling, but the glare was gone.
Wind and Shadows

"He did what?"

"He betrayed us. He placed his allegiance with Dogane."

Arone had walked from the city, the others trudging with him. Aine and Ibnoba were waiting just over the hill; Gunnolf had run off into the forest. Almost immediately upon sight, Aine began trotting toward them out of concern. However, there seemed to be a slight limp to her stride. Arone began telling her all that had happened with Tyris, and she was just as surprised as Arone.

"I never suspected anything like this from him..."

She sounded worried, and her head snapped in the Ragmar's direction. She gave him a long look, and Arone wondered what she was thinking. She turned back toward him and stared off for a few seconds before talking again.

"I thought you'd come back with good news. I feel awkward telling you the good news I have."

"I think the one thing I'd like to hear right now is good news," Arone stated.

"If you don't mind, we have to walk somewhere, then. But I'll say now: We may have help when we fight Dogane."

Arone looked at the rest of them. Rikaida and the Ragmar were next to Ibnoba, and Kathara and Lupercus were slumped against two trees, Kathara still crying. He knew there was nothing he could say to them to make the situation any better. Only time, he felt, would be the best soother for Kathara. He decided to go with Aine.

She took off into the forest, still limping. Now, Arone knew he didn't imagine it from before.

"Did something happen while we were gone?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said in that weird voice. "I just landed wrong after flying for a bit."

"I can help heal it," Arone suggested. He chose to ignore her deceit again.

"It'll be fine."

Arone shook his head, and they continued on.

"Who is the girl?" Aine asked a little ways further.

Arone told her the rest of their time in Saric. He finished with their confrontation with Tyris.

"Oh," Aine said dishearteningly. "Do you think there is anything we can do for her?"

"I don't think she even wants to be near us. I was surprised she came with us."

"I suppose we can give her time and let her choose the best path for herself," Aine said.

"That's what I was thinking," responded Arone.

They came to a steep incline in the forest. This is where Aine said they were nearly there, and they began scaling the hill. When they reached the top, the tree line ended suddenly, and Arone found himself near a turbulent river. He followed its flow with his eyes and noticed it drop off into a waterfall some ways away.

The edge of the river was jagged, and from that spot he looked around and noticed that they stood upon a plateau that reached far off to his right, with trees eventually appearing as before. On both sides of the river were flowered meadows.

"While you were gone," Aine started, "I caught word of a council about to take place."

"A council?" asked Arone.

"Yes. It's one held in the skies of Anglo-Matten, which if you aren't sure, is the region just north of here."

"What happens at this council?"

"I'm not too sure," Aine answered. "I never really heard about it when we were with Ramas and Ubinion. I'm taking you to a wind spirit who knows all about it."

"How far away is the spirit?"

"It's actually right here," Aine stated. "You can talk to the spirits, but it's still going to take some concentration since your bond with them is new. Just feel the wind and think of it as a living thing."

Arone took a few steps forward and looked around the plateau. He felt the tingling of the wind, a feeling that he tried to magnify in his mind. With each glance around, he noticed the grass turning blue instead of green, and the bristling wind started to take on a more shadowed wisp.

He closed his eyes, and in his head he tried to form arms and legs out of this shadow, but it all seemed weird to him. He went back to just feeling the wind, how it swept across his arms like an actual human could if they reached out with their hands.

Arone opened his eyes, and all sounds but the wind dulled to low rumblings. Before him, the shadow was much more defined, and it now looked like a black mass of swirling liquid.

"Hello," it said, its voice echoing.

"Hello," Arone responded.

"Aine has already told you why you're here?"

"She said it concerned a council in...Ang..." Arone said, forgetting its location.

"Anglo-Matten" the spirit answered kindly. "A group of sorcerers meet once a year to discuss whatever matters are pressing in that region."

"And what matters are important for this council?" Arone asked.

"It's not the matters that are important, but the help from the sorcerers you can get."

"Yeah, that would be great! What are their powers?"

The spirit paused.

"It's their powers that are concerning. There are six sorcerers, and each has a unique magic, such as the magic to read minds or to move objects without touching them. Each involves the mind in some way. Unfortunately, the sorcerers mainly use their magic for trickery, and having them help you with your fight against Dogane would be very risky. However, their help, if directed well, would be invaluable."

Arone looked back to Aine, who remained silent.

"So I'm going to have to decide if we should seek their help?"

"Yes. I do not envy the choice you have to make."

Arone looked again at Aine, yet still, she did not speak.

"Well...what do you think I should do?"

It was normal for the shadow to slither around itself, but now it gave an abnormally big squirm.

"Take the help," it said, "but be extremely cautious."

"Okay," Arone sighed. "Where is this council?"

"The general time is announced ahead. The specific location and time is determined by the sorcerers telepathically and won't be announced until a few days before it happens."

"Who do they expect to go to this council, then?"

"Anyone in Anglo-Matten."

"It doesn't seem like it," Arone muttered.

"That's why they can't be trusted. They have always figured that to rule, they'd have to give some say to the people. But if they made it nearly impossible to get to the council, they would only have to answer to the people who appear there. After all, quelling the riots of a few is far easier than that of many."

"And the people just live through this?" Arone asked. "It sounds like a subtle version of Dogane's command. They must understand how unfair the sorcerers are being."

"They do live through it, but they only do because it's not complete control, like with Dogane. I think if the people in Anglo-Matten united against the sorcerers, they could definitely win. The sorcerers know this. It's why they give the illusion of involvement, and it's why they allow their people more freedom than they are comfortable giving. But they're always scheming, thinking of ways to gain control without prodding too many people."

"That's ridiculous," Arone said. "If they are able to overthrow the sorcerers, they should just do it."

"They may be able to do it, but it would require a lot of coordination that is hard to organize."

"Of course it will be hard. Everything is hard! Look at the situation we're in! It's going to be brutally difficult to bring down Dogane."

"In their defense, most of their difficulty comes with having no magic at all. Dogane may be powerful, but at least you can fight back with something that can hurt him. Imagine having nothing at all and being asked to go against six magical beings. Planning is everything, and planning an attack with the rest of the region is not easy at all."

Arone remained silent. He should have thought about that. The people must feel helpless and alone. The first thought that came to mind was his mother being dragged away while he was hiding. He had no magic to help him...no one to help him. Maybe that's how many here feel.

Arone opened his mouth and then quickly shut it; he didn't know what to say.

"The people will take action if desperation calls for it," he said finally.

Arone looked at Aine, but he wasn't sure why. He guessed he was waiting for her to say something, but her silence persisted.

"So, we seek out their help, then?" he repeated to himself.

The spirit spoke sadly.

"I'm so sorry giving you this awful suggestion. It's easy for me to give it, but you actually have to deal with it. I wish I could help you more, but there's not much I can do for you in my state. But believe me, I will try."

Arone smiled a silent thank you.

"I'll talk to you again when the exact time is announced. In the meantime, if you choose to go, stay near Anglo-Matten for the next week or two."

A gentle breeze picked up. It swallowed up the whispering, all the while the grass shifting to red, then to yellow, and finally shifting back to green. The shadow dissolved away, and all was normal again.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Arone said on their way back. "You're usually the one I'd expect who'd have the biggest say in something like this."

"It's not my decision to make."

"Are you sure that's the reason?" Arone laughed. "You didn't think that way before when I wanted the Ragmar to come with us."

"That was different," Aine said. "I've seen his kind in action. And the amount of risk there is with bringing him outweighs any help he can give. There may be the same risk with the sorcerers, but their help is so much more, by the way the spirit described it."
The Phoenix Rising

A few days had passed since they left Saric for Anglo-Matten. In the shimmering hours of one morning, the sun found a way to shine through the thicket in thin rays. They casted fading light on the forest's ground. The few dew droplets were caught in a beautifully glimmering display. The area around him was thus illuminated in an almost dream-like state, complete with a golden haze surrounding him.

Aine twitched behind him, interrupting the illusion. She furled her feathers and took in a deep breath. Instead of a long sigh with her drifting back to sleep, though, she shuddered and jerked her head violently to the right. She gave a strangled groan and shifted her position.

"What's wrong?" Arone asked worriedly.

"Nothing," she wheezed.

"You're lying," Arone retorted, flatly. What had happened in the past few days and just now were too weird to be nothing. She was hiding something, and it annoyed him greatly she wouldn't answer him directly.

He pushed himself from the ground and crawled to Aine, who was a few feet away from him. He sat with his back against her wing and his legs pulled to his chest. There, he clasped his legs with his arms and took in the surprising allure around him.

"No, it was just a sudden jolt of pain is all," she sighed, although she turned her head the other way.

Arone's head whipped in her direction, his face full of discontent. How could she just lie to him like that? She could not possibly expect him to believe it?

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"It's not important," she simply replied.

Arone shook his head in frustration, but seeing she would not budge, he bowed his head and gave up. Hopefully what was happening would not affect her any more than it already was.

He spent the rest of the time before everyone woke up continuing to look at the stunning view before him, all the while thinking about how they would convince the sorcerers to join them when they finally got an audience with them.

The morning's mist proved not to last. The light through the brush and trees lost the perfect angle for this sight, and the mist disappeared as the sun rose into the air. It was about this time everyone started to wake up, and with a dodged look from Aine, they made preparations for the day.

The next several days started out similar to this, and although they still had a little ways to the council's location, they spent all this time doing nothing but improving on their combat. They stayed in that one spot near a large clearing during this period of time. The spot could endure jets of fire and ice without really being destroyed. There was also a river there for cooling off.

Even though they were not aiming to harm, there was still a striking display of magic and skill. Red and blue clashed against each other in gashing attacks. Rikaida was definitely better than Arone at first. Ibnoba and Aine, meanwhile, hurled at each other in the sky, their talons tearing at each other's wings and bodies. Aine seemed to do the most damage, but they were both constantly crushing each other to the ground and then taking flight once again.

At first, Arone had spoken out at this. They looked like they were fighting to the death. But Aine reassured him, saying the wounds would heal fairly quickly, and they were not really attacking with the strongest blows they could.

"Besides," Ibnoba added, "this was always how griffins had practiced combat in Kazan."

While they were all fighting, Lupercus and Gunnolf would sometimes face off against each other. They would growl and tackle the other, their teeth clamping down on the other's throats, legs and arms. This time it was Rikaida who tried to stop it, but Ibnoba stopped him with her wing.

"This is what happens in nature. They are fighting to be the alpha wolf."

"But Lupercus's skin..." Rikaida said, looking at how vicious Gunnolf was snapping at Lupercus.

"His skin has become a little tougher, I believe."

Rikaida nodded and went back to fighting.

Although Lupercus possessed no elemental power himself, he made it clear that they were to not hold back. He and Gunnolf dashed around the clearing, and Arone and Rikaida would take turns trying to stop Lupercus before he was upon him. Surprisingly, Lupercus was incredible at dodging their attacks. His agility allowed him to almost instantly change directions, and he would soon be upon them. Lupercus and Arone were matched evenly with sparring. Whenever Lupercus was in range, Arone would grab hold of the stick he used with both hands and began to lash out at Lupercus. Arone was somewhat stronger, but Lupercus's wolf-like abilities made him faster and more relentless with his blows. There was no clear winner when they fought.

When Lupercus and Rikaida fought, though, it was certain that Rikaida was better. He had more strength with a sword than Arone, his expertise with it being like Arone's with his bow: superiorly unmatched. Lupercus was usually knocked to the ground, or his sword flew from his hand. Lupercus was speechless each time, and after so many skirmishes, he smiled.

"You should fight Arone," laughed Lupercus.

"We did," Arone said back, remembering the might behind each of Rikaida's strikes. "I didn't fare much better."

Lupercus chuckled too as he stood there. But unlike Arone, whose grin remained somewhat frozen in place for the next few seconds, his smile vanished. His gaze went slightly to the left, a look of questioning on his face. Arone turned and saw Kathara looking at them with a sullen expression. She averted their eyes, but it was clear she didn't stumble upon them on accident.

Suddenly her eyes snapped toward Rikaida, and she approached him slowly. Arone, of course, thought this odd and wondered what she would do. When she reached him, she bent over and grasped the stick Lupercus had just used.

Thinking she would start attacking Rikaida, Arone quickly looked between Kathara and Rikaida, who tensed, also expecting Kathara to lash out. But instead, she just strolled to the other side of the clearing and disappeared behind a tree.

Lupercus approached Arone.

"I think she's going to strike," he whispered.

Arone stared intensely at the tree concealing Kathara. If he were to guess, he would definitely side with Lupercus's opinion. But he was more thinking on why Kathara was doing this. All this time she wanted nothing more than to be alone.

A few more seconds passed before Kathara appeared once again. This time, she held another stick, the same length as the first, in her other hand.

"Let's see," she whispered, and started walking distinctly toward Rikaida. She began spinning the stick in her right hand at an incredible pace. The closer she approached the higher her left arm rose to give the first strike.

But she would not strike first. Rikaida struck at her swinging sword and let blow after blow follow. Kathara was ready. The strength behind Rikaida's attack was immense, but she knew just the right way to deflect them and send back her own. She focused on Rikaida's hands, and this proved to be effective. After a few blows, Rikaida's stick was knocked from his hands.

"What the..." he breathed, but his position was not compromised. He dodged her next few slices and rolled to his weapon.

Gaining his stride once more, he struck at Kathara again, although differently this time. The strength behind the blows seemed to dissipate slightly, and he became more reserved. His speed, though, did not increase. Kathara proved to be much faster than everyone there, even Lupercus. For each of Rikaida's attacks, she returned two or three. Her face was calm and her strikes focused on different parts of Rikaida's body, compared to Lupercus who was fierce and attacked the body as a whole. Her movements were full of deadly grace; she was viciously fighting.

The fight progressed throughout the entire clearing, and Kathara began using more than just her sticks. Between a few blows she started thrashing kicks at Rikaida or sweeping his feet out from under him. This addition, though, was not at all foreign to Rikaida. In fact, he joined in almost at once; however, his attacks were brutal and his movements still minimal. They proved very potent.

Kathara, for the first time in that fight, showed surprise on her face. Her assault slowed as she spent more time dodging and blocking his attacks. And as her grimaced looks showed, sheer heavy punches were much harder to deflect than solid strikes from a sword. Not that Arone could blame her. Rikaida wasn't holding back, and he was already incredibly strong, even if he didn't look it on the outside.

One heavy slam landed against Kathara's side; her two sticks held steadfast by Rikaida's one. There was no hiding the pain she felt. She let out a heaving gasp. Her body contorted and her head swung back, eyes closed tight. She crashed to the ground, the impact knocking her sticks from her hands.

"Wow," Lupercus whispered. "So much power."

Rikaida stood triumphant over her, but the high-strung effect of fighting was quickly fading away. He held out his hand to help her up, even through her scowling at it. She tried to catch her breath while holding her side.

"Sorry," Rikaida grunted after a long, awkward pause.

"No...no," she frowned, yet accepting Rikaida's hand. "I should've done something different."

Kathara continued to hold her side as she staggered with Rikaida toward them. As he followed, he seemed to watch her, silently asking if she needed any help. Her gaze didn't slant, and she gave no indication of wanting any.

"Are you okay?" Arone asked when she was closer.

"Yes," she responded, sitting next to Lupercus. She squinted a bit at Rikaida, as if wondering how she should react to him beating her.

"Don't worry," Rikaida said unsurely. "It's been my whole life."

"Don't pay any mind to me. I've lost. I just need to get better," she responded, a little irritated.

There was silence for a few minutes. Then, Arone looked about the clearing before finally setting his eyes on his bow.

"If this is for improving ourselves," he said, realizing something important, "I think you all should consider other weapons for fighting besides swords."

He stood, bow in hand, and grabbed five arrows. All eyes were on him as he took aim at the tree Kathara had gotten her second stick.

"There is no real trick to it. You sort of get a hang of it after a while. You pull back," he said, stringing an arrow to his bow, "take into account the wind, and aim accordingly. Then you let it fly. I'm hitting the tree across the clearing, in the knot under the lowest branch."

The familiar sound of an arrow whistling through the air was heard. Arone saw its tip plunge into the tough bark.

"Nice!" Lupercus exclaimed.

"That's not all that can be done," Arone smiled. Very quickly he shot arrow after arrow, five total, at the same target. One after another, they hit the same knot in the same place, splitting the previous arrow down the middle.

Surprise was replaced with complete awe. He held out his bow to Rikaida, saying, "You can try first." Rikaida looked at the bow and then to Arone.

"Just start with one shot. It really helps you with enemies from afar if magic risks hurting innocent people. Or, if you're like me, when it's your main weapon."

Rikaida grasped the bow and clumsily held it up. Arone knew he wouldn't hit the target unless a large amount of luck was with him. But that was to be expected. Arone couldn't possibly count all the times he missed with a bow before he started hitting his targets.

Rikaida gripped an arrow and pulled back. He looked uneasy as his fingers tried to position the arrow correctly. His eyes moved a bit, trying to look for something that could help him hit the target. And at the last second, he pulled the bow a little farther back and let go.

The arrow soared through the air. From the tip's position, Arone knew exactly where it would land, but there was no time to tell Rikaida as it flew past its target: very wide-left, disappearing from sight.

An embarrassed grin spread across Rikaida's face, and he quickly handed the bow off to Lupercus. He, like Rikaida, stared quizzically at it, and he was a little bewildered; the bow was large compared to his size.

He grabbed the back of the arrow with his whole hand and yanked as far back as his arm-span would let him. His shot, like Rikaida's, never touched the tree. It landed in the dirt, going only half the distance.

"It really needs to get used to. It's hard at first to come close to your target."

"No kidding," Rikaida and Lupercus said together and almost at once.

Kathara went next. Unlike the other two, she looked more composed. She didn't shake when she pulled back, and Arone knew this wasn't the first time she held a bow. Before she released, she squinted and sort of stood there frozen. Then she let go. The arrow whizzed through the air. It hit the tree on its left side and deflected off.

"That was pretty good," Arone smiled.

"My mother would practice with me when I was younger. I haven't shot one since she died. That actually felt good..."

~

Kathara's demeanor changed from that moment. Her downtrodden mood disappeared, and she was happier and less withdrawn than even before her father was killed. As she talked about her childhood to them, a certain glow laminated her face, as if some dark oppressed bond had been broken from her.

"Our house was nice once," she started. "Back when my mom was alive. It was before Saric was evil and could pass as a decent town. It had always held a shadow of its grim state you saw now, but that shadow was pretty well hidden for some time.

"Our house had two stories. Surprising, I know, since the top now is gone. My father was so vibrant. He and my mother did everything they could for me. But most of all, they gave me so much love. And that's something I thankfully have from them. And even though they have been taken away from me, at least I have that."

Her voice went tough, and her smile quivered a little.

"No one can kill that," she said indignantly, then gave a much bigger smile.

"I was eight when my mother suddenly became very ill. Come to think of it, many people became sick around that time, although it didn't seem to be too contagious. Most were able to get over it. Only a few, like my mother, didn't. Her skin blackened and hardened. Her face sort of froze into a leveled expression. Her eyes began to sink back into her head, and her skin resembled ash. She died within a month of having becoming sick. Before she left this world, however, she gave me this letter."

Kathara pulled out a note and read it softly:

My love, I wish I could hold you in my arms and make everything feel better. I wish I could say that I love you, over and over again. But since I cannot, I will instead write it, over and over, so long as my hand gives me the strength. And when that fails, you will always see my love in my eyes until the light is gone and I leave this world. Then, I will forever love you from the heavens.

You always had this wonderful smile. It always made me laugh no matter how bad my day was, and that is only one of the many things that make you so special. Even now, even if you don't know it, your smile is just as vibrant. It makes the pain go away. It makes me feel like I can fly. Thank you so much.

I must admit that at times I start to feel the world is out to get me with this disease, but then I remember I was just someone who happened to get it. It makes me so scared, but one thing that calms me is knowing that my spirit is my own. No disease can ever take that away. I will fight, I will love, and I will make others and myself happy until I die.

Stay strong, Kathara. Always be the steadfast person I know you are.

I love you Kathara.

I love you so much, my darling, strong daughter.

"It just didn't seem right to me. She was one of the dearest people I will ever know. She was incredibly more pure in heart and soul than the scum that soon walked the streets of Saric later on, yet most didn't suffer as horrid of a death as her. Her disease was a torture meant only for the wicked and defiled...and she got it anyway. So I couldn't shrug it off as a mere happening.

"It was hard to grasp my mom's death, but my dad... I think he died that day as well. He never left her side that month. They were always talking to each other about all things you could possibly think of. I had to buy all our food that month and do all the cleaning. I really mean it when I say he was attached to her side. She really liked that. I don't think she ever wanted to be alone.

"She died during the day, in the afternoon. Her breathing had grown very raspy, almost like some deep rattling noise. We didn't understand her at all that day. But when she stopped making sounds, we just...assumed. My dad became silent, and we just sat there for the rest of the day.

"The hardest part came the very next day. My mom had wished for her body to be burned and her ashes spread to the North, where she had traveled most. I had to beg my father to come with me. I couldn't do it by myself. He finally agreed and helped me wrap her up in the blanket she slept on. And while we did this, my father noticed the ring was gone from her hand. This really set him off. We searched around, but we could not find it in the house. So one of the few treasures my mother had that he could cherish her memories with...disappeared..."

Her head was bent slightly and her eyes were open wide. Again she looked freaked out and on the verge of tears.

"We burned her body outside of town, when a northerly wind kicked up. We stayed there for hours, until about when the sun was almost completely beyond the horizon. I don't think we spoke a single word. My dad stood the whole time, just staring. Going home then was different.

"Everything changed. My father remained at home physically, but every other part of him was gone. I had to do everything for both of us from then on. I started to work at the butcher's shop in place of him. The butcher was really nice; he understood what happened, and didn't mind me working for a little while until my father could get on his feet.

"I would say that's where my fascination in weapons began. I didn't want to kill anyone," she smiled, seeing Rikaida's face. "They were just really interesting to me. After all, I didn't mind helping the butcher cut up meat at the shop. It seemed seeing my mother die slowly hardened my eyes and stomach enough to handle cutting into other flesh.

"When I wasn't working, I was out in the woods, using whatever weapons I could find at home. They were mostly knives, and I ran about the forest and just cut things. I saw how things were cut and the best way they could be. I avoided home except to sleep and give my father any food I bought for the day.

"This was how the next few months went. I became very good at my butchering job. The butcher seemed impressed, and he never asked when my dad would return to work. I think I knew from the start, anyway, he was never going to return.

"There came a time when running through the woods wasn't enough. I needed some sort of live practice. I knew the only place that would do was the blacksmith. They were pretty reluctant at first. Not too often do you see a ten-year-old girl begging for lessons in fighting. But after a few days of persistence, they finally agreed.

"They must have wanted to discourage me from fighting or wanted to get back at me for nagging so much. They paired me with one of the strongest-looking men I'd ever seen. His name was Gorgan. His arms seemed thicker than my head! His head was bald, and his body didn't seem to have any fat on it. Only muscle. And he was so mean at first.

"I didn't let him get to me, though. It was hard, considering he was hammering me each time, but I hung in there. I was too curious to know how good I could become with weapons. After the first few days, seeing he couldn't break my spirit and that I was actually there to fight, the man focused less on punching me and more on showing me how to move about my knives and daggers. I learned quickly. Gorgan was even impressed.

"I never had great strength, however. I grew stronger, but no matter what I did...and I even did Gorgan's exercises...my strength never became like an actual fighter. Both of us were disappointed at first, but that's when this man had changed his training. He said I may not be stronger than all my opponents, but I would be faster and more skilled. From that point onward, I focused on very quick blows. I have to tell you that at first, I grew tired so fast, but I loved the concept. Gorgan pushed me. It took several months of fierce battling, but my body finally became used to attacking much faster than others usually attacked."

Kathara sighed a little bit before saying the next part.

"All along, Saric grew more dangerous. It was slow at first, and I'm not sure how it even began. Looking back on it, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. The people there are so weird and creepy. It may have had something to do with the disease that hit all those months ago. But the Saric seen today had emerged slowly.

"My father continued to exist. He would sometimes walk around the house, staring at the window. Sometimes, very rarely, I would see him outside walking around. Those days were always the best. Usually I would come home, and he would always ask how my day was. But on those days, we would talk about other things too. I explained everything happening at the butcher's and about my sparring at the blacksmith's. He was surprised at what I was doing, and I think it also somewhat intrigued him.

"One stormy day, I came home at night to a small crowd of people outside one of the houses near mine. They looked pretty mad, and most had torches in their hands. They were shouting something about money being owed. I'm not too sure about details, though, as I was trying to sneak around the group to go into my own home.

"I didn't expect it to happen, but before I entered, I heard a loud shout from behind. I turned to see the man who owned the house talking to them. I couldn't really hear what was being said, but he was talking quickly. I thought he was speaking loudly enough to be heard inside, so I quietly entered my home. My father was sleeping when I got inside. I went to the window, and I continued to watch the argument unfold. It seemed to be dangerously escalating. They started to surround him.

"I guess it goes without saying what followed. The person who I thought was the leader took out a knife, and in the torch's light, I saw him stab the man. As he slumped to the ground, the killer turned around and waved his arm broadly. Next thing I knew they tossed all their torches into the crumpled man's house.

"You've never seen the house I'm talking about, but it was much bigger than and very close to ours. So when I saw that house rapidly catching fire, I knew our house would probably ignite too. I woke my dad, yelling to get any blankets or pieces of cloth he could find. I gave a large bucket to him to go fill with water in case we couldn't smother the flames.

"By this time, the crowd had disappeared, the stabbed man lay dead; another gash ran across his chest, along with a puncture wound in his chest's left side. I hurried to his house and started to put out whatever fires I could. It helped very little. The house was already ablaze, and I could only watch and hope nothing more would happen.

"You saw my house. It has no upper floor. My dad arrived in time with the water to see the flames touch on the right upper side of our home. We rushed to the upper floor. He used the water, and I whipped at the flames. We seemed to have it under control-until the left side of the man's house gave way and crashed onto the spot we were extinguishing.

"The crash and the fire forced us out of the house as it swallowed the whole upper floor. It was at that moment I felt the same sadness as when my mother died. It was as though our memory of her was dying as well. My dad stood beside me. So still, so quiet, so pale-faced.

"Then, a miracle occurred. The thundering skies finally drenched the ground in a downpour I never thought I would be so glad to see. Right before the fire spread downstairs, the first signs of smoke started to appear. The other house, although starting to smoke itself, had caved in on itself. It was long since beyond repair. Then, just when the fire seemed to be completely put out, the top floor gave way...and that was that. It was devastating. The lower walls were still intact, fortunately."

Despite what she had just said, she showed a smile.

"If there was one good thing that came from it, we found my mother's ring. It was a big relief. Seeing that almost made up for our house having been burned down. And from that day on, my father never parted with it, even till death. I spent the next few days with my father fixing the roof. It ended up being worse than before, but at least it kept out much of the rain.

"In the coming year, there came a point where going to Gorgan every day didn't seem so necessary. I'm not sure exactly when. It could have been around the time Saric became the evil place it is today, no longer safe to walk the streets so freely. Whether it was or not, I just found myself saying to him that I'd see him in the next few days after practically every spar with him.

"Life grew dull over the next several years. I had become as good as I could at fighting. And less time outside of my home meant more time inside, having to watch my father wither away. He wasn't as bad as when my mother had first started passing away, but he still did nothing all day.

"To be honest, it grew insufferable there in Saric. I dreaded waking up to my lifeless father, and I hated even more coming home to see him in the same spot, staring blankly ahead. I only liked it when I worked or those times I had sparred with Gorgan. Except for those few days when my father wanted to talk all day long, I just wanted to cry whenever I saw him.

"I started to venture about town more, despite the danger. I know it was stupid, and I was basically signing myself for death, but...I just had to do it. I was not reckless, though. My father was too grief-stricken to help anymore, despite my best attempts at cheering him up. I swear, any longer and I would've gone crazy or gotten into a really bad argument with my father.

"That was about a year ago, and since then, I've seen horrifying things most people couldn't imaginable. What some people would do to others, it's sickening. Yet it happened so much that I actually got used to seeing Saric's brutality.

"This is where you guys came in. Saric literally turned into hell, and that's what you saw. As for my father, I just don't know what to think. I went back yesterday to get the things my mother cared for most."

Kathara's voice grew somewhat coarse again. The sadness inside her looked to be welling up again, this time being fiercer.

"Why couldn't he push past my mother's death? I loved her too, and it hurt so much the next few days to carry on as though nothing had happened. Life didn't wait after her death. But I pushed on, and it's a good thing I did, or we would have never had any money or anything else at all!

"It was so bad living there; I hated it! Most of the time it was like this world was unreal to my father, and I was some type of friendly illusion that reminded him of my mother. And other than him, the butcher, and Gorgan, I had no one to talk to. No friends my age to spend time with. Everyone stayed inside to escape the terrifying outside around us. As they should have...I was just so fed up and bored!

"On many days, I thought of killing him myself..."

Kathara accidentally said this with a low snarl, looking off to the left. But as soon as those words were uttered she fearfully looked back at Arone. The final defenses holding back her tears dissipated. They began to flow down her face.

"NO!! I d-didn't mean to say that! Or...not in that way! I just knew he didn't w-want to live here anymore. He wanted to be with her. But some small part of him wanted to remain for me, however small. Yet I was pushing him away! The one person he wanted to see out of everyone else!"

"But it's as you said," Arone cut in. "There was no other way."

"YES, THERE WAS!" Kathara shrieked, and her eyes grew even wider. They bore into Arone with great vindication. "I WAS SELFISH!"

The two of them stared at each other for some time. Arone's body churned under his skin. He knew she wasn't entirely mad at him, but after the reaction from his last statement, he wasn't about to say anything to try and calm her down now.

"And then you came along," she whispered. "Bringing that man Tyris. And I let you into my home, and he saw this. And later that day HE KILLED MY FATHER! BECAUSE OF YOU!!"

The breaking moment had come. An intense blaze lit in Kathara's eyes, greater than any fire Arone could hope to produce. She was paralyzed for a moment. And after that short period, when the paralysis lifted, she launched herself at Arone.

It had to have been the weirdest attack on himself that Arone had ever witnessed. Her arms wrapped around him as in a hug, but her fists began to strike his back. They were hard blows, too. This continued for a while, alternating between the two actions, until she finally collapsed her head on his shoulders, sobbing.

"I can't f-forgive myself for feeling that way toward him. I'm s-sorry for all this. You didn't know this would happen. Sadly, this was p-probably the best thing for both of us. Death for him...and life for me...I just sh-should've tried harder to get him back on his feet."

She said the last sentence in a choked whisper and slumped to the ground. Her shoulders lay limp, and her head was titled to one side. No one said anything. Gradually, her sobbing began to subside. Right before speaking again, one of her hands grasped the dirt from the ground. She brought it to eye level and watched it sift through her fingers.

"I think I'll join you. Wherever you're going. Whatever you're doing. There's no way I can return to my home; it's all sadness and decay now, and just a huge reminder. I don't think I could handle all that for another second."

She glanced up.

"I don't care if I die. I just need to fight. To adventure. Hopefully, this feeling goes away. If it doesn't, I understand why..."

Arone took this opportunity to kneel in front of Kathara and reach out to hold her outstretched hand. He didn't know why he did; he just felt it perhaps the best thing to do to instill hope that she wasn't alone in this struggle. As she had been talking, he thought much of his family. He didn't realize all he had welled up inside of him since leaving Terrifor, but now the weight of it all slammed down on him hard. It was confusing and horribly crushing. He couldn't help but to think, though, that maybe this is what needed to happen, in some weird way. Maybe some small part of him yearned for this to happen, to finally feel this hurt.

"Thank you," he whispered. "And don't worry about the adventure and fighting. There'll be a lot of it to come. In fact, we'll probably be extremely tired of it when the end comes."

Kathara looked at Arone for some time, her prospect of the future seeming to shimmer in her eyes. And after her contemplation fell away, a slight half smile at last furled onto her face.
A New Threat

When Kathara recomposed herself and Arone the same, all decided it best to head to the river and take an earned break. It was early afternoon right now; the sun was still able to beam brightly through the canopy as it began dipping to the other horizon. As they walked, Arone remembered something.

"You said you went back to get some of the things your mother liked the most."

"Yes," Kathara responded as she stepped over a fallen tree. The river was now in sight. "There were two things she liked above all the others. Or at least that's what I think. She spoke most of them. One of them I found, but unfortunately..."

Here, she gave a great, troubled, sigh.

"Her ring was gone from my father's finger. I believe without a doubt it was Tyris who took it. That thieving bastard. I swear, if he ever gets within striking distance of me..."

She became silent in her malice, and Arone thought it time to help her change her focus.

"What were the other two objects?" he asked.

"Well, the first one," she started, the anger in her eyes washing away, "is this."

She reached into her pocket and brought out an object that had five thin spindles, each blue, red, and gold in color that spread out from one center point. The tips of each spindle were shaped in a way that when Kathara opened her right hand, the tips of her fingers could touch each spindle tip. And when she did touch them, the whole thing began to vibrate. More of its material formed around her fingertips while the center began to expand into a circle. Then, the object began to encircle the entirety of her hand until every part of it was covered like a glove. Inside the circle where it had stopped growing swirled a silvery haze. A bright, small light hovered in its center.

"She found it long before I was born. And well...I can definitely see why it intrigued her. I'm still mesmerized by it to this day even."

"Do you know what it's supposed to do?" Rikaida asked.

"No we aren't," she laughed. "It hasn't done anything so far except take up space. But it's still so beautiful."

"Did someone give it to her?" Arone asked.

"No, she found it in a desert among the ruins of some big temple. It was really miraculous she did find it. She was searching through some cracked stones when she noticed one of the thin tips sticking out from the ground."

Arone approached the colored mass and stared more closely at the bright bead of light. When he was close enough, he noticed the bead very slowly moving in a tiny circle. He could also feel a slight forced upon his hand when he reached out to it. This force shot up dramatically until he was just an inch or so from it, and he found it impossible to go any further.

"Yeah...no one in my family has ever been able to touch that light. We tried everything: using objects, running into it, which also didn't turn out well. But each time, we'd only get where you are now. And if you move it toward something..."

She moved her right hand toward a low-hanging brush, and as it neared, the branch bent. She pushed more, and the branch bent in an extreme angle until it snapped. She then forced the object center as close to the tree's trunk, yet her hand just wouldn't touch it.

"It doesn't matter if it's moved or something's moved toward it. Nothing will touch the center."

She took a few more seconds moving it, admiring it as she clenched her hand into a fist and reopened it. As she did this, the metal clinked together, always finding a way to conform to the shape of Kathara's hand. Finally, she held out her hand, palm up. With her left hand, she twisted the rings on all her right fingers until they turned once. Then she gripped the outside of the center and slowly slid that around, too. The object melted into itself as it reformed back into the artifact it was before.

"Accidentally making the object encase over our hand was the easy part," Kathara laughed. "Finding out how to take it off took my mom forever. She said it took a few weeks before noticing the tiny ring around its center, and by then she was wondering if she would ever get it off."

~

In the coming days, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Kathara continued relentlessly to try and usurp Rikaida, although none of her attempts came as close as her first. When she didn't face Rikaida, she would go against Lupercus and Arone, with whom she fared much better. Against Arone, it was clear she was the superior swordsman, but against Lupercus, it was tied. Lupercus's abilities combined could keep up with Kathara's tremendous speed.

Many days passed. More and more, Arone grew keen on the wind's whispering. It was fervently signaling them that the council's meeting was soon at hand. They gathered their belongings in that clearing one day in the morning. Before leaving, Arone took one last glimpse at the singed space. He didn't realize it up to now, but this place had been a haven, and probably the last spot to hold peace until the end.

The forest rose and dipped as they soared. The griffins' flight matched the landscape as they went. It was a smooth fly, which allowed his mind to ensue over the artifact once more. Maybe after the sorcerer's council they would head out to search for more of its secrets. But where would they look? The first place that came to mind was Saric, of course. Then maybe they'd go to deserts and search for any temples. But searching couldn't be the direction to go. It'd mean traveling back all over the land, and they needed more time to find people willing to fight. So much time needed...and the odds of finding even a few might be small. Who'd even believe them? To most, they were just kids.

They would have to show everything as proof. Their powers, the unusual thing in Kathara's pocket, anything for persuasion. Arone imagined facing Bengaul from the edge of the forest. He and only those with him now stood alone. He saw Dogane standing outside the city. He saw the Arcams bursting through the gate and hurtling toward them. Fighting alone is what he feared most would happen. Yet, it seemed so likely.

The sun was high in the sky, and Aine gave a sudden burst of speed. Kathara gripped Arone tightly as they rocketed forth. Arone looked wildly around, but there seemed to be no threat in sight. He patted Aine's neck, signaling it was okay. Still, she burst forward. Arone just shook his shoulders and let her continue.

Unfortunately, the search for anything concerning the artifact would have to wait. Getting reinforcements was too important. And further...a thought that just crossed his mind...how could he get everyone to the spot where they would fight...his mind was blank. This crucial step to defeating Dogane; he had never thought of it...he'd only seen himself with an army, never knowing how they would get everyone there. Arone let out a deep, exasperated sigh. How could it possibly be done? He couldn't expect everyone he convinced to just go somewhere when the time was at hand.

He thought of a Kresiliss. They were the only things he knew that could transport large groups of people quickly. However, they would need one Kresiliss for every place they traveled, and they would need every Kresiliss's destination to be the same. He had not the slightest clue how the Kresiliss was made, or even if they could reproduce it.

To his left, in the far distance, Arone could make out faint outlines of mountains against the blue sky. He wondered where they were in Anglo-Matten. He remembered dimly a map he once saw, and the mountains' name neared his recollection.

When he looked right and saw a large lake, he then knew they were in the northwestern tip of Anglo-Matten. And for some reason, his idea of the map was resolved in his head, and the name of the mountains became clear: Ban'Gorok.

A horrific, gut-wrenching scream shattered the silence. Arone's hands snapped to his ears, but it didn't help at all; the scream did not come from around him, but from inside his mind. His eyes closed. Fire that was not his own washed his vision. Through it he saw a desolate wasteland, like Drathen. Except here, he knew there was no hope forevermore of life.

"Aggh!" cried out Arone.

"Arone? What's wrong?" Kathara asked, but there was no chance to reply.

The scene before him dissolved away, just in time to see Aine and Ibnoba both slow down. Their bodies shuddered. In the next instant, it was as though they had been struck cold in mid-flight. Their wings drooped, and they plummeted toward the ground.

"Aine!" Arone roared, only able to say the one word through shock. Kathara screamed as the wind whipped their faces. Aine, however, remained unresponsive; she had been knocked unconscious.

Arone would've tried something. Anything. But doing anything would seriously hurt or maybe kill Kathara. He could only watch, numb like ice, as they rushed to meet the trees. Before contact, Arone saw a giant glacier to his right and knew that Ibnoba, the Ragmar and Rikaida would fare much better.

Aine crushed everything beneath her. Aine's body had to be taking a gruesome beating. Everything happened so fast. All he could do was turn around and hold onto Kathara tightly. The way they were falling, he would absorb more of the impact, so long as he didn't let go.

There was a huge thud as Aine crashed into the ground. Arone, luckily still holding on, was propelled forward. His back seared as it hit the dirt and flew back into the air. The second contact was more direct, and his grip was lost as the wind was knocked out of him, but he knew the worst of the impact was over.

His body wheezed heavily, the feeling of not being able to breathe remaining dominant for the first few seconds. When it passed, his chest groaned back into quick heavy gasps. He panted there on the ground and swiveled around. Kathara was already sitting up, grasping her wrist. But to his right, Aine was limp on the ground. He struggled up, and immediately his back exploded with pain.

"Arone..." Kathara whispered. She was staring at his back. He reached with his hand and felt jagged scrapes and deep wounds. He withdrew his hand and saw some blood gleaming on it.

"I can't thank you enough for shielding me."

She approached him and gave him a soft hug around the neck. "Are you able to do anything about the wounds?"

"I can heal them," Arone said. "But wounds like this may take a while. I can't speak for Aine though."

It felt like hundreds of tiny swords were piercing his back, and he needed Kathara's assistance to hunch over Aine. On the way over, he began to gently heat his wounds.

Aine was motionless. The proud, magnificent aura always surrounding her had been stomped upon. Her fur and feathers were matted; large gashes, much larger than the ones on Arone's back, tarnished her. Her body was contorted in too odd of a way; something was broken.

"Aine," Arone whispered.

Nothing. The fleeting though of death crossed his mind, paralyzing his insides for a second. But he had seen her glory; he had seen her sparring with Ibnoba. It seemed they had fallen harder from greater heights. They had always been conscious and able to heal any injuries.

"Aine," he uttered again, though so soft, he wasn't sure if even Kathara heard him.

He thought maybe he should help her some. Anything was better than just watching. He reached out his hand to where he thought the worst area affected was. He touched it to start healing, then toppled over in agony.

The same bloodcurdling scream erupted in his head. He heard Kathara shout something, but it was drowned by all the noise ripping at him. The scream intensified, and other shouts filled the expanse. That dead place filled his mind, except this time there was a dark black swarm of things too far away for Arone to make out. They came endlessly, beyond Arone's vision, and he just knew there was no defense to this place left. All was lost.

"ARONE!"

The screams and cries vanished. Arone stumbled to his feet, dazed, to see not Kathara shouting, but Aine. Her head was weakly lifted off the ground, her neck slightly shaking from the small effort. Her breathing was raspy, and any movement made by her seemed to take all the energy out of her.

"Aine! Are you...What did I...What just happened?" he sputtered.

"I wouldn't know where to begin," she said, collapsing her head back on the ground. "Is Ibnoba fine?"

"I haven't a clue," Arone answered, looking around. "But I think she'll be faring better than you."

"I feel so broken," she said. "I'll be fine, though. Believe it or not, I've suffered a few injuries worse than this in my lifetime. It will take a few hours before I can even think about flying again."

"I'll help," Arone replied. "But you are going to tell me everything."

"I just can't r–" she responded, but Arone cut her off.

"No!" he shouted. "You're not going to shrug it off any longer! Whatever is wrong just knocked you out mid-flight! It seems you know what is going on, and I want you to tell me now. No more avoiding. I've had enough of it!"

Arone's expression was very stern. This dancing around for the truth had to end.

"Fine," she heaved, then looked him dead straight in the eyes.

"Arone, I'm dying...Ibnoba and I have been for quite some time now. It's just...moving along faster now."

"W-What?" Arone stuttered, his throat tightening. Aine was delusional. She had to be.

"We...we aren't from this time or place. We're from another. Our bodies are tied to a land set in eternity, only life is being vanquished there. And we will die with it."

"But what about your life being eternal?"

"It is eternal. But my life depends on the quality of life of the land. If it is just a wasteland instead of the luminous place I've always known it as, my lifeline is destroyed."

"Then we have to go stop it!" Arone urged.

"Arone...there's no hope for it anymore. That's why we chose to stay with you two until the very end. We wanted to help you as much as possible before our time passed."

"And when did you plan on telling us? Arone asked angrily. "Just as you were about to die? Say something like 'Oh, sorry, but our home is dead, so now we will die too. Goodbye'!"

"It's not like that!" Aine responded immediately, and her damaged figure grew more resolute. "We would've given you enough time to adjust without us. How dare you mock our decision!"

She turned away.

"Can we get to this place?" Arone asked.

"It's called Kazan. And no," Aine responded. She was lying.

"Tell me now!" Arone grunted.

Aine glared at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"You have no idea what we're up against. Our land is getting destroyed. There is no hope for its outcome to be changed. Those few survivors left on Kazan fighting for life have been holding devastation at bay for centuries, but the last defenses have been broken. Kazan will be dead within the next several days when its last living member is slaughtered."

"You have to try, anyway. Both of us lose if we don't go there."

"Arone, you'll die if we go there! Because if I die, you have no way of getting back to this world."

"It's not like I'm already facing death against Dogane. I'm ready to do something to protect you. Your plan of doing nothing has you dead no matter what."

"At least you'd be alive. How much of a chance do you think this place has if you're dead?"

Arone gave an exasperated groan. Aine wasn't paying attention. She was refusing to see the greater picture or listen to what he really wanted to do. He didn't care that he could die. He would die facing Dogane alone. Even if there was a small chance for success, it was worth taking.

"We're going to Kazan," Arone said deliberately, staring at Aine, who did not return his look. "We would never make it without you. Besides, I would never live with myself knowing there was something out there I could have done to save you. I care about you too much to not help in some way."

Aine huffed. She didn't argue anymore. And through her scowl, Arone saw a small look of appreciation hidden within it.

Silence followed. Kathara was looking back and forth between Arone and Aine, a clueless expression on her face. Arone forgot she couldn't understand Aine and almost laughed at how absurd the argument must have looked to her. Arone gave her a sympathetic shrug. This was about the time Rikaida trudged to them through the thicket.

"I didn't see what happened after forming the ice. Ibnoba is fine. Is Aine okay?"

Vapor was wafting from his freezing, faint blue skin. His breath chilled the air in front of him.

"She's badly hurt, but she says she can heal through it," Arone answered.

"Sorry. I don't know if I could've helped. Everything happened so fast," he said.

He approached Aine, a wave of coldness preceding him. He got close to Arone and started muttering. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aine slightly tilt her head closer.

"We need to talk. Ibnoba is waiting," he whispered.

Arone looked to Kathara.

"Don't worry about me," she laughed. "I wouldn't be able to understand you anyway."

He followed Rikaida back through the thicket. They turned a little ways, and Arone found himself in a blasted area. It was frosted over, and the trees above him had collapsed.

Ibnoba rested in the crater. She was in much better condition than Aine, although she was clearly shaken.

"I suppose Aine's already told you about what's happening?" Rikaida asked as they neared Ibnoba.

"Yes. I had to force it out of her, though," Arone scowled.

"Arone...I am so sorry," Ibnoba said with her heavenly voice. She clambered to her feet and trotted to him.

"We shouldn't have held our tongues this long. Aine's suggestion seemed necessary in the beginning. I always had my doubts. But now, this incident...we're going to end up doing more harm than good if we stay our course."

"Is there any way you can convince her to try and save Kazan? I've pushed it as far as I can. I don't think she's accepted it," Arone said.

"It's for the better if I talk to her. Kazan is dying, and I don't think there's much we can do to stop it. But I'd have to agree with you on this one. A near futile effort is better than none. It will take a lot of convincing on my part, however."

"And Arone," she added. "There is a reason she's so headstrong in her decisions. She's usually right. And she may be right about this one, too. I just wanted you to know that, so you don't think any less of her."

Arone nodded his head grudgingly. It wasn't that he had lost any respect for her. It's that he wished she would have the will to fight for her home, just as he wanted the best chance to fight for his. And that would only happen if she would agree to defend Kazan.

~

Arone left Ibnoba to talk to Aine. They lay beside each other, whispering furiously. Lupercus and Kathara were walking together behind them. Gunnolf wasn't to be found.

"What do you think we should do?" Arone asked Rikaida.

"I can't say which I'd prefer," he laughed. "One kills Aine and Ibnoba, and it really puts us in an almost impossible situation to beat Dogane. The other might save them, but also gives a huge chance of killing us all. If I were to choose, I'd fight in Kazan to save their lives. But if they think otherwise, I'd terribly miss them, but I'll fight by your side against Dogane without their help."

Arone smiled slightly at Rikaida. In his mind and body, though, he was going to Kazan. He didn't think he could accept their decision to head on to the sorcerer's council knowing at any moment they could fall over dead.

They argued for some time. During it, Arone continued to think about the future and heal his back. A decent amount of the wound had already disappeared, yet it still hurt to move from side to side. Lupercus and Kathara came to them after they were done walking. Lupercus sat next to Arone and Kathara next to Rikaida. They were staring intently at Aine and Ibnoba.

"Did you find Gunnolf?" Arone asked.

"Yes, though he ran by me quickly. I think he's hunting," Lupercus respond. He pointed to an area to his back left.

"He hasn't been able to do that in a while," Lupercus continued. "I think he'll have a lot of fun with it."

"That sounds nice," Arone laughed. "Having fun."

"You can do it too," Lupercus added. "You just have to think of everything as one great adventure with a great challenge at every turn."

Arone smiled and looked at him quizzically.

"We are up against someone who'd love for us to treat it as a game."

"Nooo," Lupercus chuckled again, and he stood up. "Not a game. As a serious adventure."

Here he withdrew his sword and started facing off against invisible opponents.

"On the long fights, think about how your opponent will fight. If they go right, you go left–"

He suddenly rolled left with amazing speed.

"Then STRIKE!"

His sword sliced the air.

"And what if your opponent comes at you from behind?" Rikaida asked.

"Then you quickly grip your sword the other way and stab!"

"What if you're surrounded?" Kathara questioned.

"Then, you crouch a bit lower, and slash around you!"

His sword arced around in a powerful swing. When he finished, he let his arm holding the sword rest at his side.

"It's all about how you view everything. You can't go into a fight dreading the fight, because if you are killed...well, you wouldn't know it. So why think about it?"

"What if," Rikaida said, standing, "you see someone die before you. I think that's what most people fear. Not being able to save a person you care about so much."

Both Rikaida and Lupercus were staring at each other. Rikaida's dull, sad look reflected his memory of Ravella. Lupercus, whose expression suddenly became blank and pale, was undoubtedly thinking of Kaidai.

"Only if you caused the death, should it be a problem," Lupercus whispered. "But if you know you're going to try your best, there's really no reason to beat yourself up about it."

"Just letting go hardly ever works," Rikaida sighed.

"I know, I didn't mean it to sound so simple. All I wanted to say was when heading into a fight, you are already with people who are prepared to give up their lives. So as long as you fight your hardest, you can leave everything on the battlefield.

"And knowing all that," he continued, his sulkiness disappearing, "you can just go into it having fun. Because looking at it any other way hurts how you fight."

This was definitely strange to Arone. It was weird viewing a war as just a fun challenge. All the blood spilled, the people's anguished cries at their death...none of that could ever be 'fun.' He ended up staring at the ground, wondering if Lupercus's mindset could actually hold something to it.

The next few minutes passed in silence. Lupercus and Rikaida both sat back and stared ahead. The only thing to be heard was whispering between Aine and Ibnoba, which, based on the increasing pauses, seemed to be nearing its end.

Finally, Aine grunted something and rested her head. Ibnoba hung her head for a second and heaved a great sigh. She then approached them, holding her head up.

"She's agreed to it, but she's furious about it. I don't know if you should talk to her about it anymore. I think she just wants her time alone to heal."

Even though she said this, Arone neared Aine.

"Happy? We're heading to Kazan now," she growled, still healing herself with some difficulty.

She moved herself a little, and Arone felt a slight wave of heat come across his body. He looked down and saw that her wounds had only healed slightly. She grimaced, moving again, so Arone placed his hand on her back.

"I could help with that, you know," Arone said, kneeling down.

"I don't need your help," she said sourly. "You've already done enough."

"It was the best choice for everyone–" Arone began.

"To kill us all," Aine finished.

Silence prevailed again. Arone reached out his hand and placed it on Aine's side. She grunted in disapproval and moved her body away. Arone, undeterred, reached again. This time, she shot an evil look in his direction but decided not to move. Calm heat radiated from his hand. Now in direct contact with Aine, he sent her whatever peaceful images he could to her: flights over the woods, their first days together in Bengaul, and just them walking together during whatever rest time they had. But in the time he would give Aine to respond, he only saw the stream of his thoughts.

Even with the help of Arone it still took a few hours for Aine to look noticeably better. By then it was dusk. Only Gunnolf remained resting near a tree a few yards away; the others had gone off into the woods, though Arone did not know for what.

Aine, as if newly hatched, wobbled to her feet. There was pain in her eyes, but her magnificent stature didn't falter.

"The bones are almost mended. We can leave in a few hours," she said not looking at him.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning to completely heal?"

"If we are to fight this stupid battle we'll want to get there quickly. Besides, there is something I need to do there, and it would be almost impossible to do if I'm there late."

Arone didn't argue. Aine had already given up a lot, and she deserved to have this. He began to prepare for what to expect in Kazan.
Kazan

The journey to the coast of Karzrok was a little more difficult than Arone wanted. Any time there were signs of weakness, they took to the ground quickly. The breaks were much longer than usual. Aine and Ibnoba sometimes slipped out of consciousness, only to wake up a few hours later as if nothing happened. During this time, Arone would lie next to Aine, and vivid images would pop into his head. Most were of Kazan's dusty landscape from afar, but sometimes they would be more terrible. Arone found himself face to face with creatures Aine called 'Nargulas,' of which he had always seen scampering in the distance within other visions. He couldn't make them out. From above, comets rocketed toward the ground. Huge earthquakes wrenched the ground apart, and everyone he knew, including Aine, was killed around him. It was only during these times, when he thought Aine was possibly seeing the future, that he second-guessed his decision to go. But each time, he reminded himself that a fight against Dogane without Aine would be a lost fight.

They faced toward the sea; there was nothing particularly unique here. Aine and Ibnoba remained firm in their stance, which was surprising given how shaky they'd previously been.

"I...I never thought I'd see Kazan again," Aine whispered, and on hearing that, Arone smiled. He hoped she would enjoy returning, despite the situation. They flew close to the water, Aine's talons grazing the surface. Arone felt the warm spray from the sea against his arms. As they flew onward, he realized this was his first time actually leaving land. He looked ahead, only seeing water, and with their fast speed, he felt a strange sense of freedom.

"There's going to be a point soon when this world changes into mine," Aine said.

Arone didn't know what to expect. His mind only went to the Kresiliss he went through and the red mist in the temple, and he wondered how similar this would be to that experience.

They were a few minutes out when the change occurred. The water splashing against Arone began to slow down; it flew away from his skin and gently floated upward. Then, the sea in the distance started to churn. A tidal wave rose from the depths and swallowed his vision.

"Don't worry," Aine whispered. "You'll be able to breathe fine."

They were close now. Aine flew faster, and Arone held on tighter. Even though Aine gave reassurance, he still felt his heart pounding and held his breath when they were about to hit the tsunami.

The drenched feeling, though, never came. Instead of water pounding against his body, he felt air whipping over his skin. He took a deep breath. Any hint of sea water was gone.

As they pushed through the wave, Arone noticed something forming ahead of him. It looked like grass; they were near the edge of Kazan. Yet still the wave encompassed them, and even though they were moving forward, the land remained the same distance away.

The sight they saw was tragic. There was only a small amount of land near the sea that looked abundant with life. But after that, it was as barren as how Aine described Drathen: so much dark sand and earth. Just looking at it made Arone feel empty.

The wave parted, and the wind stopped. Whatever kept them from reaching Kazan was lifted, and they suddenly hurled toward it. They landed on the grass, after which Aine and Ibnoba immediately collapsed. Their chests heaved, but they remained conscious.

"We should get stronger," Aine wheezed. "Now that we're here again, the fields of Eldemour will give us the strength we've been missing for so long."

As she spoke, the grass around them glowed faintly. Arone felt a surge flow through him, and for a second, Arone's energy spiked. He stood upright and took in a deep breath of air. He was alive. Aine and Ibnoba, too, sighed and gently laid their heads on the ground. It was really hard to imagine any trouble lurking ahead of him with this feeling he had now.

It didn't take long at all for Aine and Ibnoba to rise again, prouder than ever. The grace and strength Arone had seen from the two griffins since he first met them was nothing compared to how magnificent they looked now.

Aine and Ibnoba both reared back. Their wings whipped out to their sides, their heads held high to the sky. A screech pierced through the air, and Eldemour responded with an almost blinding flash of light.

"We have to go," Aine said in a much more commanding tone than before. The light had died down, and they landed on the grass.

Lupercus and Gunnolf ran on the ground again, and they set off. The transition from Eldemour to the barren part was quick. The air chilled, and the wind became quiet as the dirt whisked about the ground.

There was a lone structure they flew toward. It looked like it had once stood resolute, but now its marbled frame was ruined. It mostly collapsed into itself, and there was only one small section left intact. There was an opening at the base of this part, and it was through here they flew.

They found themselves in a small, circular space. The area was dimly lit, and within itself stood twenty stone pillars, evenly spaced from one another, that spanned around the entire room. On a few of these lay griffins.

"Aine? Ibnoba?" said the large, gray griffin on the pillar directly in front of them. "Does this mean Dogane and his magic are gone?"

"No, Awrischa," Aine responded. She and Ibnoba flew atop the pillars closest to Arone. "The human there, Arone, insisted we come, and Ibnoba agreed."

"Kind," Awrischa commented. "But unfortunately, I don't think it's going to do much. The Nargulas are preparing their final assault. And there is no chance of surviving it."

"That's what I tried telling them," Aine said. "But they wouldn't listen."

Awrischa looked curiously at them as he sat up on the pillar. Arone was calm on the outside, but on the inside he was sick. On hearing the doomed situation from Awrischa, he suddenly felt stupid. He wasn't going to live if they stayed. He never really thought about dying. And now he was afraid of it. How would it be if Agrathias lost its only defense before the fight with Dogane even started? Aine seemed more and more right.

He didn't know how well he was keeping this hidden. He fidgeted slightly where he stood; the griffins had begun talking again, but his mind and ears had already made their voices seem as low drones to the screaming thoughts in his head. We are going to die if we stayed. We won't make it back to Agrathias. We should leave.

But what about the griffins? spoke a voice in his head.

But what about our lives? spoke another. You've already heard it twice. There is no winning this battle.

Arone slowly looked behind him. Death was outside. It was hidden among the dust, but Arone could tell it was there. Far off, the Nargulas were storming toward them; he'd seen them do it in all his visions from Aine. There wasn't much time to make his decision. He'd need to talk to Aine and Ibnoba soon.

"...it will take my life, but we'll gain better ground if we stay and win here first."

Arone settled down enough to hear Awrischa say that. He didn't hear what was said before, but he didn't want to ask him to repeat it.

"So," Awrischa continued, "we will need to choose our new leader."

There was a small pause.

"Should we win the fight," he sighed a few seconds later.

There was more silence. During this time, all the griffins, one by one, turned their heads in Arone's direction, at Aine. Even Ibnoba, who Arone always considered Aine's equal, gladly turned her head. Aine, seeing all eyes upon her bowed her head. The last griffin to direct its gaze was Awrischa. His eyes finally looked upon her.

"Do you accept the responsibility?" he asked.

Aine looked ready to respond, but then she hesitated. She turned her head to Ibnoba instead.

"I know in the past, rule has been given from griffin to griffin, but I ask this time to do it differently. Ibnoba has always been there with me, and...well...I profess myself too careful at times. She's always the one there in those times when decisions need to be made. If you will, I would like to rule with her."

Awrischa looked to Ibnoba.

"Do you also accept the responsibility?"

"Yes. If Aine thinks it should be done."

"Okay," Awrischa said, nodding his head. "And should neither of them be capable after this fight, and the battle is won, the rest of you will choose again among those who survive."

"Thank you so much for making my time in this world so great," he continued in an unexpectedly shaky tone. "Leading with each of you has been my pleasure, and I love you all. I'm sorry this will be the last time I talk to you. I wish I could do more...anything more...But I realize I have nothing left to give. I just have my life to offer.

Awrischa flapped his wings and rose into the air. He landed on the ground in front of the pillar.

"Everyone else, while I call upon Serbia, should get to Eldemour and rest. Say your thanks to those you've loved. Say your goodbyes. It will probably be the last time you get to do so."

He bowed his head once again and walked into the small chamber there. The other griffins, including Aine and Ibnoba, all bowed their heads in his absence and left through the entrance Arone had entered. Aine and Ibnoba were the last two to leave.

"I need to talk with you two and Rikaida," Arone said in a low tone before getting on Aine.

"I thought you would want to," she answered.

It was a peaceful moment at Eldemour. The creatures that lived in Kazan, or at least those still alive, had gathered for the last defense. Giants came from the sea in clans, their murky bodies clambering to separate parts of the area. They set down their weapons: torn chunks from the reef, and within a short time, they were heartily laughing over something.

Most of those that lived in Kazan were beings Arone had never seen before. Scattered about the fields were creatures about half the size of Arone. They had two horns protruding from their heads, and two tails lashed out behind each one of them. They only had armor on their legs, and each wielded a small knife. "Kallons," Aine answered when asked. "They have two layers of rough skin on their stomach, which explains no armor there."

There were also Ranves. They closely resembled snakes, though their mid-sections were expanded quite a bit to hold poison. Their speed along the ground had shown itself to be between Arone's and Lupercus's running speed.

The only creatures that looked somewhat like humans were the Wraiths. They were pure shadow and dust. They had a human stature when standing still, but they became a black form when moving around. Aine said they attacked by rushing through the body, destroying anything from within. "It can still be stopped," Aine commented. "Its body can be hurt with a sword, even though it looks like everything will go right through. Enough wounds and it will dissipate."

These and others Arone glanced at while going at the one thing on his mind.

"I'm going to ask this, and I want a blunt answer," Arone started. "Is there any chance of winning this?"

"No."

"Yes."

Both Aine and Ibnoba looked at each other.

"Don't lie," Aine said. "There's no real chance of surviving this. Even Awrischa agrees with me."

"Awrischa, like you, is saying it because the chance of winning is so small. Arone deserves to hear the truth."

"I just don't want him throwing his life away," Aine said. "But yes. There is a chance of winning. But it's so small you can just flick it and never hear from it again. We'd have to fight off the Nargulas heading this way. Let me tell you: If you thought the attack on Terrifor was anything, the size of this attack would laugh at those thoughts. Kazan will be covered in black for as far as you can see."

Arone met Rikaida's gaze.

"What do you think?" Arone asked him.

"I'd much rather Aine and Ibnoba stay alive, but if you think we can truly take on Dogane and his Arcams alone, then we'll leave."

"Then I guess we'll stay," Arone whispered, and fought back the urge to cry. This was it. He knew there was no hope against Dogane without them. Now they would fight an impossible fight.

Peace turned into indifference. Indifference turned into anticipation. Anticipation turned into fear. Hours went by without so much as a cry from the distance. Arone waited for anything to happen. Waited to die. Waited to live. All the while he couldn't help but feel nauseated and helpless. They had to win, but it seemed...no...He had to stop thinking about it. He couldn't let the battle get to him before it even started.

"Arone."

Aine was whispering to him.

"Stop feeling so nervous."

"What?" Arone said back. "I'm calm as everyone else."

"You're lying," she responded. "You're leaning against me right now. The images you're sending me are going crazy. I can't understand a single one."

"Sorry...I just can't help it."

"I know now I can't convince you to return home. But if you're going to stay, you're going to have to accept death. You're going to die. I know that is one thing you don't want to hear for easing your mind, but it'll help. If you look around, you'll notice how no one seems to care that there is a battle approaching. You might even think there was a celebration going on. Everyone here has had a long time to embrace the afterlife. They appreciate every moment of life. The future will hold war. Our nerves will have to be harder than even Anglomite. But now there is peace. And you'll wish you had it once the war begins."

Accept death? Arone thought. Just accept it? How was he supposed to do that? He didn't want to fight to die. He wanted to fight to live.

"How would that work? I'd be more depressed than happy..."

"You know? I can't explain why it works like that. I guess you would have to experience it to know. I can see why it's difficult for you; you have a way out, although that opportunity is closing fast. I would die either way if I was in Kazan or not, and all the creatures here cannot escape, so it's a little easier for us. Just know that it does happen."

He considered it some more. It was weird. His stomach was in knots the whole time. Death might come...if he stayed it probably would...but this thought didn't seem at all comforting. He decided to lean forward; he didn't want Aine to feel any more of his doubt.

"The battle will be here before you know it," Aine sighed. "Awrischa will fly to us in Serbia's body when the time comes. Disinau will be following. I hope you can relax until then."

"Serbia's body? Disinau?" Arone asked. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember?" Aine responded. "Awrischa is invoking the power of Serbia and Disinau, the two griffin constructs that have been with us since Kazan was made. Only a griffin may take its form, but to do so takes the griffin's life."

"That last part I do remember. But I have to admit that my mind was far from the conversation before that."

"I see," commented Aine. "Well, they were the first two griffins. When they died, their bodies became goliath constructs, and the energy they had flowed into these fields. Eldemour gives rise to the new griffins."

"What caused the decline?" asked Arone.

"Unfortunately, you are mainly responsible for this. Or rather, I should say, humans."

"Us??" Arone was surprised. "But it's almost impossible for us even to get here. How could we be responsible?"

"It's not from any action of anyone. Remember how there are two different parts to your world? Well, there's another thing that the two parts of your world never had a clue about. Kazan is a breeding ground for evil as it manifests its way from the human part of your world. Corruption, deceit, murder, anger, anything ill-experienced in your world creates a monster in ours. We'd always been able to fight them off, but then...well, Dogane started to rule. His psychotic terror turned the tides of our war against us. They sent Ibnoba and me to help at the first sign of defense in your world: Ubinion and Ramas. It came at a cost, though. With us in your world, the connection from there and Kazan became stronger, and the monsters rose from the ground at an even faster rate. What's worse, the energy from Eldemour was waning from so much fear from Dogane. Over a few Millennia, it's produced what you see before you."

Aine was right. There had never been anything he'd known about this connection. Nothing in any books. He doubted even Tyris knew; where would he have heard about it in the past?

"I don't know what to say...I never knew anything about it."

"It's not your fault," Aine sighed.

"So, even if we win today, the threat will still be there?"

"As long as evil exists in your world. So...forever...But if Dogane is stopped, the Nargula threat will be manageable again. Eldemour will expand, and griffins will be born. Kazan will have harmony for a little while."

In the next few hours, Eldemour began to give off a warming aura as it glowed brighter. Aine contently lay on the ground. Arone placed his head on her torso, and immediately his vision submerged itself in a different Kazan. This one had mountains in the distance that sloped from the heavens, and all the meadows below them, not just near the shore, glimmered. Arone felt such a vivacious feeling from Aine, it was as though he were experiencing it first hand.

But those mountains didn't stay mountains. The meadows didn't stay meadows. Arone moved his hand from Aine, and he only saw small dusty hills in miniature-sized versions of what they once were, and vast, dead plains. He wondered if there would ever be a time he'd look out before him and see the spectacular life he'd just witnessed.

"It's time," Ibnoba sang. "Eldemour knows the threat has started its advance. Such a lovely way to prepare for battle."

The feeling was soothing, but Arone still looked at Ibnoba like she'd gone crazy. His heart immediately pounded as he looked in the distance, expecting at any moment to see a cascade of black run across the landscape.

A low horn rumbled the air. At first Arone thought it had something to do with the Nargulas. He was relieved, then, to see two large, winged creatures that resembled griffins soar over the horizon.

"Disinau and Serbia," Ibnoba happily sang. She and Aine stood up, and together they waited with everything else for their landing.

Disinau's body crashed onto the ground first. It looked to be made out of shining white stone. It stared over everyone, and it slowly brought its outstretched wings to its side. Serbia was next. Its black streak landed next to Disinau, though its wings remained proudly in the air.

"They are coming."

Awrischa's voice boomed for all to hear. Suddenly all the creatures around Arone stopped talking and moving about. The atmosphere turned serious, as all lined up in ranks with their weapons at hand. The Sea Giants were in the front lines, their chunks of coral held firmly in their hands. Other than that, the rest of the rows didn't have any specified group of beings standing together. It was whoever could fit.

"The moment has come. This land was made to exist forever, despite the curse it must bear. The Nargulas have provoked us and threatened our eternity. They may outnumber us, but that is nothing. Their bodies may cover the land as they charge us, but those bodies will be carcasses of ash and dust when this battle is over. We'll make them become like the land they've killed for so long.

"Kazan will live on!"

All shouted at this. Even Arone, whose insides felt like someone was twisting them. Even Aine, stoic and composed, let one moment of unrestrained joy slip out as she reared up and screeched.

Something else stirred, though. In the distance, among the hills, a huge cloud of dust formed. The Nargulas broke through it and covered the entire horizon. Aine was right. Quickly, their numbers exceeded the Arcams when they had attacked Terrifor. Arone's stomach wrenched and turned. Thousands upon thousands every second, it seemed, poured over the hill. He looked behind him at the sea: his escape. He wanted to be there for Aine, but he had his own fight at Agrathias. If he wasn't there, everyone was doomed.

A fight to lose without Aine he reminded himself, and then he looked to Rikaida on Ibnoba. He held the same terrified, nauseated look on his face as Arone felt. So much doubt, but he had to do this...for some reason he knew he had to fight...They both nodded their heads at one another, sadly...bravely...Rikaida wasn't blood-related to Arone, but in that moment Arone considered him like a brother. And he was glad to be with family in case the worst should happen.
The Fields of Eldemour

"Arone," Aine breathed. "I want you to know I've always enjoyed my time with you. And with Ramas. Though I don't agree with you fighting here today, I'm glad I'm making my last stand with you. And if I die, I want you to win this fight. I want you to go back to Agrathias with Ibnboa and bury Dogane. Squeeze the life out of that demon and save your world."

"Thanks. I will," Arone said. He wanted to say more, but that's all he could think of. His mind was frozen. His body felt cold. Fear reigned inside.

The next few minutes were a blur. His mind focused on the Nargulas, then to Serbia, then to the Nargulas...

They were halfway to them. His palms were sweating. Holding on to his bow became difficult.

"Sea Giants! Prepare!"

Arone heard Awrischa, but the sound went right through him.

They were close. Close enough for Arone to string an arrow. No thinking was required for this; he was going to kill at least one.

"Give us the first kill," said Aine.

Arone was afraid, but he was never surer of a strike when he let go. As it flew, it seemed all the beings' eyes on their side were on that arrow. Arone looked at the neck of the Nargula it would kill, and smiled when the arrow struck.

All cheered. Immediately, Awrischa sent the giants. They thundered forward, waving their clubs with vigor. All the while, Arone let his arrows fly. He planned to use all but a few...just in case.

"Front ranks. Move out!"

It was time. Aine blasted forward. She and Ibnoba were neck and neck. Arone could feel the fire coarse through him. Whether it was from fear or feel, he didn't know. All he knew was that a miracle needed to happen. The Nargulas had blotted out the land. He didn't know how much he could take out from the masses before...maybe...no. He shouldn't think about it.

"I'm flying in now, Arone!" Aine shouted.

Just like that, they were on the ground. Fire blazed around them, the Nargulas screamed through their incineration, and Eldemour flashed. Aine's muscles tensed as her next attack wrenched apart the Nargula in front of them.

When Arone hopped off, he fought alongside Aine. As he looked around, he had his first good view of the Nargulas. They ranged everywhere from eye level to double his height. Their heads were elongated front to back, and one thick strand of hair ran down its back to its feet. Their arms and legs were thin, with the legs remaining bent at the knee even while standing. Each of its arms was dull on the side close to their body and sharpened as they moved to the other side. They had no hands; instead, blades took their place.

He fought with the fear from within. He began tearing through the leather-like bodies. They didn't put up much of a struggle to him, but just the knowledge of their sheer numbers made him feel worn down already.

Massive thuds came from his left. Arone saw giants clearing their way through. The Ranves slithered after them, twisting their bodies at the few Nargulas remaining from the giants' stampede; the powerful acid they spewed singed its way through them.

The leading giants roared, but their annihilating charge wouldn't last. Their momentum burned onward for a few minutes, and suddenly they were swarmed. The giants were much stronger, but the Nargulas layered against the giants. Arone was horrified to see the first Sea Giant fall over, dead.

Arone panicked. He sent out whatever fire he could, but it seemed the area around him just filled instantly with more bodies. It was then that he put his focus on his sword. The steel on it melted away as a blade of fire illuminated from the hilt. It went through all armor and weapons, and each kill became less strained and more satisfying. When other attacks came at him, he used his bow as his shield.

"Arone! We have to move" Aine shouted. She was looking at the sky where all the griffins had flown. "We are about to strike!"

They were back in the sky. Ibnoba and Rikaida joined them a few seconds later, and the fifteen griffins started flying faster and faster. Awrischa was ahead of them, and Disinau was on the other side of the formation. Arone was ready. Aine was ready.

Awrischa cried out and bolted down. Aine and the others followed. The speed they were going was almost too much for Arone to handle. Ahead, Awrischa's black body resembled a yearning reaper of the hellish things below.

They struck. Again. Thrice. Time and time again they cut clean through everything. On each dive, Arone would send flares out on both directions, anything to kill more Nargulas.

Then it happened. In the midst of the carnage, a group of Nargulas took aim at their target of assault. On the next attack, Aine shattered the air with a cry of pain. Arone looked below him, fearing a hit, but there was no blood. He did, though, see an emerald griffin, hacked in multiple places, crash to the ground and remain still.

The attack was called off. Eldemour dimmed, and Aine huffed to the ground.

"Too much," she winced. "It's getting to be too much. Feeling a griffin's death..."

She limped forward. Slowly, Eldemour brightened. She gained stride, and the griffins entered the battle again. Arone held back, observing the scene before him.

It wasn't good. They may have killed many, but they were taking on their own casualties, and any loss they suffered was monumental. He leapt back into the fray. He ran around the body of another fallen Sea Giant and joined with Ibnoba and Aine. Their attacks alternated between Aine ripping at what was around her to Arone shooting fire at her so she could reflect an inferno at anything she wanted.

Arone turned around. He heard something charging at him. A Nargula, one without pincers and that seemed to have thicker skin, was rushing toward him. It was the same height as Arone, and Arone aimed a strike that would cut through its chest.

He swung his flames around, and he nearly doubled back in shock as a loud clang filled the air when the Nargula brought up its hand to block. Its mouth opened up wide as it roared. Dark, black energy lashed out from its front. Arone was shot backward, his body petrified, his mind screaming and writhing. He landed and got up, but everything was off-color and darker. Each sound had a drone with it.

He stuttered with each step. His mind flickered between normal sight and this weird, alternate reality. Shadows were moving around him. They reached for him, trying to take him away...

"Aine!" Arone cried. "What's happening?"

Through sputtered words he described the creature and how it did this, all the while they both defended each other from attacks.

"A Nark'thul!" Aine cried in despair. "I thought we had wiped them out! That dark magic will trap you in the shadow world if it doesn't kill you first!"

Without any other explanation, Aine turned and began ripping apart her enemies again. The shadows, though...they were crawling over the bodies, over the fighters and Aine. They were getting closer to him...

Arone shook his head and snapped his attention back to the fight. This seemed to help, though he always felt something lingering behind him, even if the feeling was small. He had to find the Nark'thul. If it could do that much damage to him, he could only imagine the effect it would have on others. This time, he would be more careful.

It didn't take long for him to find it. He went back to where he had been before, and there he saw darkness crushing everything nearby. Bodies of so many creatures of Kazan lay scattered about.

He scorched the Nark'thul, and its dark magic combined with his own power. It was a good thing no one was caught between them, as there was suddenly an explosion of red and black.

Arone rushed. He dodged stream after stream of darkness. No other choice...He was too nervous to get up close; there was no telling what another hit would feel like. He brought his sword out and hurled it through the air toward the Nark'thul. It had nowhere to run. A giant wall of dark energy formed, and the sword was swallowed up before its force imploded and knocked the Nark'thul back.

Now was his chance. He strung his arrows and shot two into its chest before it could move anywhere. He ran up to it and brought his flaming fist down into its stomach. It roared again, but this time much louder. Its body decayed. A torrential blast of whatever magic it had left bombarded Arone. He tried to take defense, but he could slowly feel his body turning numb. The shadows were appearing again. They had faces now; they whispered things Arone could barely hear, but every sound seemed so near him...He had to hold on, only what he was holding on to was becoming distant. The blast, though powerful, along with everything around him, was turning gray.

Then the black magic ceased, and Arone slumped to the ground. Everything was silent, yet every creature around him was still battling...it was hard to tell friend from enemy...why was he even fighting in the first place? He didn't know...he saw beings, shadows, out for blood from one another. He thought he should step in. Stop all the killing. But his spot was comfortable. He could stay here forever, it seemed.

Shadows...they were chilling at first...then again, how could they be? They were holding out what looked like hands. They were going to take him someplace safe. He would forget about everything there. It was so appealing...

A hideous winged beast, familiar to Arone, landed in front of him, dispersing the shadows. He tried to cry out and tell the beast to go away. All was being ruined by this decaying thing, now in front of him, that had menacing, skin-ripping talons.

A bloodcurdling shriek. Arone shouted in surprise and contorted his body. His memory flooded back to him. The battle at Eldemour came back to him. The cry was coming from Aine. Her eyes, along with everyone else's, were looking to the sky at Awrischa. More Nark'thul were in the fight. There must have been a dozen at least unleashing their magic on the stone griffin. Awrischa sliced through the sky in a reckless attempt at freedom. He mutilated one, then...

The light from Eldemour was extinguished. Awrischa's body exploded. Aine, like every other griffin, including Disinau, crumpled down. For one gut-wrenching second, Arone thought he lost her.

Kazan started to rumble. A huge fissure stretched across the land. Aine came to, and immediately began screaming. Her voice was unfamiliar. She went insane.

"NOOO!!!!"

She tried to get up, but her weight was too much. She reached out her talon.

"My home!" MY HOME! PLEASE BRING IT BACK! I WANT IT BACK!!!"

"I'm sorry!" her voice was suddenly dangerously thin. "I didn't want to see this happen! I tried...I tried..."

Through the rumbling and shattering earth, Aine laid her head down to rest one final time. She muttered something, and she feebly shifted her neck to face Arone.

"Arone," she whispered. "Thanks for fighting by my side...I'm afraid I can't go on...you and Rikaida are Kazan's last hope...But if it doesn't work out, I'll wait until the time I can meet you in the afterlife."

Arone hugged Aine gently around the neck. The amount of love he had for her, for everyone he had traveled with so far, seemed like it almost couldn't be contained in his body. He would see her again, and he already welcomed the moment with open arms.

When he stood back up and turned around, he was shocked to find Rikaida, Lupercus, Gunnolf, Kathara, and the Ragmar standing before him. Each had solemn expressions. Each knew the end was near.

They faced the fissure...turmoil...There were still fighters for Kazan, but the chasm was widening. It was swallowing everything in sight. The six of them looked at each other. Arone smiled weakly and nodded his head. Aine had said that knowledge of death would cause peace within him. He sort of believed her, though he wouldn't call it peace felt about death. He would, perhaps, call it apathy.

They charged. Arone gnashed his teeth as his hands melted through flesh. He didn't meet any Nark'thul on his path to death, though the fissure cracking its way toward him meant the end, anyway.

He looked at his friends. This was the last time he could do it. In slow motion he could see Rikaida and Lupercus fighting together. He saw Gunnolf crouching on one of his kills, snarling and biting at the fissure. The Ragmar was launching himself with his air, sweeping the Nargulas from their feet and trapping two of them in a small tornado.

Everyone was fighting except for Kathara. She was fumbling in her pocket, confused. She brought forth her mother's artifact which expanded around her hand. A small bead of light, representing the palm of the artifact, unexpectedly hummed and glowed. The hum was louder than the noise from the fissure. Hurricane winds, not from goblin or Rikaida, whipped the air.

There were forms emerging from her hand. The first to come from it was the eagle's head, then the lion's back: griffins! Only, these were wisps. Nevertheless, they poured forth from Kathara's palm, and soon hundreds were riding along the hurricane.

Eldemour came back to life. Its light shone for hope. Its shine didn't affect him, but as he looked around, he noticed the Nargulas were doubling over in pain. They couldn't handle its blinding cast.

The hurricane's stretch rapidly shot outward. The land's defenders weren't swept away by its wind, but the Nargulas were flung into the air. Arone couldn't believe their luck...their miraculous, incredible luck...The wisps shot through them like sharp swords; none taken into the air could hope to land. Thousands were being killed as the hurricane swept to the distance and over the hills. The fissure's spread slowed to a halt.

Awrischa's wisp hovered before them.

"It is your time now."

"Thank you."

Aine and Ibnoba's voice spoke behind them. Arone turned and noticed them bowing their heads to the ground.

"I never expected," Awrischa continued, this time at the six of them, "that my last lesson in life would be from creatures of the human world. But I fly before you now, humbled by your presence. Never forget the hope and grit you've shown here today. Use it against Dogane. I dare say even he cannot win against it."

His wisp disappeared, as did all the others. The artifact in Kathara's hand released on its own, and all of them watched it fall to the earth. No one could comprehend what just happened. Arone sat to the ground, completely in awe; he thought he might never stand back up. He had seen death, he had almost welcomed it with open arms, and now it eluded him. This awe, though, was mixed with a sinister feeling. The shadows had returned, beckoning him ever so slightly. He shook his head. This time was too great to think about anything eerie; he would try to figure out what had happened later.

Aine lifted her head gracefully. She locked gazes with Arone. He saw something, and he thought it was because of the wind. Yet, as the hurricane ceased to a gentle breeze, he knew what he saw was real. For the first time since Arone had met Aine, he noticed she was crying.

Aine and Ibnoba then went off somewhere together. The rest of them sat in a circle around the artifact, admiring it and thinking. Thinking how this small thing could do something like what it just did. Or, maybe, it had been Kathara. She kept looking at her hand; she wondered, like everyone else, if maybe she had some power she knew nothing about.

"If so," Lupercus said, "you should find out how to use it more often. That was pretty cool."

He smiled and looked around. It was a silent atmosphere, despite what had just happened. The chasm had split the land in half, and it stretched from the shore all the way to the hills. He saw the creatures of Kazan staring at their dead. The few remaining giants had knelt by their fallen clan members.

Arone felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced around and had to suppress a shout. A shadowed human, flaked skin peeling away, had its hand stretched out to him.

"Arone? What's wrong?"

Arone's face, horrified, looked to Lupercus.

"N-nothing," he muttered. He would have to learn to hide his fears better. He looked back around, but the ghost disappeared. What was all of this meaning? The Nark'thul was dead, and he hadn't been hit with any more magic. Why was he experiencing this?

Kathara picked up the artifact. At once, it enveloped her hand, and the last thing to show was the space in the middle. The illumination was gone. She raised her hand and unsurely went to touch the crystal.

The force had vanished. Her finger easily reached the etched surface. The once humming object was now so silent.

"What exactly happened?" asked Ibnoba.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I didn't do anything special. I was just scared and running. Nothing about this was clear to me."

"Did you do anything to make the griffins appear?"

"No...I just felt the artifact vibrating, like it was about to break. When I held it up, it just did it on its own."

"Oh," Lupercus said. "Well, that's not as cool as I thought it'd be."

"Sorry to disappoint," she muttered back and gave Lupercus a sheepish look, making them both laugh. She twisted the crystal and stowed it back into her pocket.

~

"I don't know what to say. Honestly, I don't," Aine started to Arone later. "I just—I can't believe this place was saved, and it's all thanks to you people."

"I wasn't expecting to win, either," Arone said. "We wouldn't have either, without the artifact Kathara had."

"Still, I don't care if you didn't know. I don't care that you were so stubborn. All I know is that by some twisted amount of luck we came here and won."

"I'm still sorry for that," Arone said. "Didn't mean to cause you so much grief. I should have realized how tough it would have been to watch someone's homeland die before them."

"Don't be. Don't be at all. Deep down, it wasn't the certain loss that kept me away. At least, that was not the biggest reason. I didn't want to see this place die, and that unwillingness made me a disgrace to this land. I'm glad someone forced me here. It was the only way to redeem how much of a coward I was. Because if I had to die, it would be here. The pain was worth it."

She let out a long, spectacular screech. She took to the sky in grand spirals. All around the battlefield, the other griffins swooped upward. They joined Aine on her flight through Kazan. They made their way over Eldemour, over the gaping chasm, and finally beyond the hills. The dust on the skyline settled, and the hills, though wounded, started to sing a song of rejuvenation.

~

They gathered on the battered fields of Eldemour. Aine and Ibnoba, after taking the long flight with the other griffins, flew atop one of the higher points of the jagged fissure. Ibnoba looked at all the creatures below stoically.

"Thank you so much," Ibnoba sang. "Just...thank you. You all were so brave. So, so brave."

"We've lost a fantastic leader," Ibnoba continued, and her voice caught, and the melody in it staggered. "One with an undying devotion for every one of you. Someone who's shaped this land for centuries. We can only hope to have even a small part of his brilliance and composure, but we promise to at least always try to lead fairly.

Kazan will be different. We wouldn't consider ourselves fit to lead if we thought we would continue on like how it was before the battle. The scars in the land wear deep...we've lost those that made this land what it has been. And my life is indebted to them now. I will never forget who they were and what they meant for Kazan."

At this Ibnoba looked at Aine who was surprisingly shaking as she stood there.

"I...I..." she whispered, almost on the verge of tears, but Ibnoba gently nodded her head.

"I am ashamed to stand here...before all of you," she choked. "I was afraid to come back here, because I didn't want to see this place die. Ibnoba was always the one who pushed our return, but I wouldn't listen. I would rather...die in Allobnesia than fight here and maybe live...I feel so stupid that's what I settled on. I just want you all to know, though, that I'm so glad I was here. I'm so glad that I could see everyone fighting so bravely. And even in those final moments, I was happy I was dying here: my home.

I couldn't rule this land alone after what I did. All of you deserve the best, and Ibnoba...she's just a superb friend, a wonderful ally...a better griffin than me."

"The Nargula threat has been stalled for now, and Eldemour will expand," Ibnoba finished as she smiled warmly at Aine and looked back toward everyone else. "While we are away, we leave Kazan to the remaining griffins so the land has a chance to heal. And if we are struck down in the last stand against Dogane, to them is where the rule will stay. But you all better believe Dogane has one tremendous fight before him. He will fall!"

Aine and Ibnoba, with great applause, bowed their heads once again. From far off, the song from the hills reached a crescendo. Light dew from the ground sparkled into the air. Aine and Ibnoba submitted themselves as Kazan's harbingers of protection, and they arose a moment later as Aine and Ibnoba, Queens of Kazan.

END OF PART 1
A Sparrow's Cry

It was difficult for Tyris to walk down the streets of Bengaul. People were milling about, eager to watch the coronation of Osmas. The palace, naturally, was where this celebration would take place, and in that direction was where Tyris nudged himself to move.

He was not so much interested in the crowning. He knew already what would happen during the king's reign and what would happen in the future. He came back to this time because now was one of the first few times Osmas's son, Dogane, was in open view.

When it was time for the crowning, a girl climbed the palace steps. She turned and stooped down to place a hand on the ground, which caused a tune to start playing. It reminded Tyris the first time he traveled back into the past.

Next to come out were Osmas and his wife, Prellana. They were wearing the usual bright red robes to match the palace, but Tyris craned his head, overlooking these details to find what he needed. And there he was: Dogane, hardly even five, standing just behind them, his body nearly hidden by his parents' robes. Tyris didn't mind; his expression was all he cared about. He'd seen Dogane two times before, and Dogane still had the same bored look. Not that Tyris could blame him. Getting dressed and attending a coronation seemed hardly appealing to someone so young.

The thought of killing Dogane came to him. End it now before the horror began. Dogane was little, and it was weird to think of murdering someone so young, but he had to remember what this kid was about to become. But, of course, the shadow world would not allow him to interfere with something of such great consequence in the past; he could already see the darkness encroaching to prevent Tyris from altering something. Besides, if Dogane didn't have his power, killing him would mean the magic would probably go to someone else.

~

Over the next few years, Tyris tried each day to get a good glimpse of Dogane. He was trying to see any hint of wickedness in him. Those times he did see Dogane, unfortunately, were few, and in neither of them did Dogane do anything bad. One time he saw Osmas with Dogane on a balcony on the palace. Osmas was pointing at different places in Bengaul, and Dogane was looking the whole time, wonderment exploding in his eyes.

There did come a period of time when Dogane did not appear in public. One night during this time, Tyris saw Osmas and his wife arguing in the bedroom through the balcony. He wished he could sneak inside to hear what it was about, but the shadows had never allowed him into the palace so far, and they weren't about to start now.

~

After multiple nights of arguing, peace finally settled over the palace again. Dogane was allowed contact with Bengaul again only on rare, quick trips around the city as his father pointed out different places. Dogane now, instead of showing excitement, had a much more serious look on his face.

A few weeks later, Tyris saw Dogane at the balcony. He frowned, and he was resting his elbows on the edge. Occasionally, he would hold up his hands, and tiny sparks would leap around them. After a few minutes, when one jolt ran up his arm, he was suddenly pulled inside by his mother. She worriedly glanced over the balcony. Tyris was ready and rushed behind the nearest home.

Dogane did not appear in public again for another month. The next time he did show himself was only just outside the palace, too. His parents were introducing him to a man with black hair.

~

Tyris wanted to know the name of that man, but no books would give his identity, and he never could get close enough to hear if people talked about him. All he could do was watch as that man came and went from the palace.

One day, as Tyris was watching the balcony, he saw a bright flash of light come from the room. It lasted a few seconds before it was promptly darkened. Tyris knew it'd come from Dogane, and his curiosity rose. He glanced at the palace doors, and for the first time, the shadows were not heavily guarding it. He busted his way there, hoping the shadows would not change their mind.

He burst the palace doors open and hurried in the direction he thought the balcony would be. All along, he heard a constant, dull thud that steadily grew louder. His eyes were whipping back and forth for any guards, but none were found. A shadow materialized outside of one door he was about to enter. By the sound of the thumping, Tyris could only think the source of noise was in that room.

The shadow only allowed him to open the door part way. This room was not the balcony; it was a thin hallway. Tyris's breath caught in his chest. The reason for the thud became clear. Dogane was being beaten mercilessly by that man. It looked like Dogane had tried to defend himself, but now his hands lay feebly at his sides. Fist after fist, pound after pound...Dogane must have lost consciousness somewhere along the way. He lay limp and bloodied when the man was done pounding him.

Tyris felt like he'd been sprayed by Rikaida's ice; he didn't know what to feel. Here the most brutal man known alive, now made to feel more pain than what he'd give in the years to come. But he was only a kid, and he hadn't done anything yet.

The man swiftly left the room, no remorse on his face, and Tyris was left to stare at Dogane. He wanted to help him out. Blood was pooling onto the ground, and he didn't know how long it would take for someone to come and find him. The shadow would not let him move, though, and he was ushered into the corner. Then he understood. Dogane wouldn't die because he lived on to become king.

Minutes passed before any other sound was heard. Rushing footsteps came, and soon Dogane's parents, two guards, and the man came rushing forward. The man had tears streaming down his face.

"There's nothing I could do! The magic just welled up inside him and burst!" he cried out.

"I thought you could nullify his magic!" Osmas groaned. When he reached the door, he saw inside and stopped so fast that everyone else crashed into him.

"It's never been like this before. The magic is much stronger than I thought."

The man may have said this, but Osmas and his wife were deafened by shock. Dogane's mother was frozen where she stood, but Osmas ran, weeping, into the room.

"MY BOY!" he sobbed over and over, and each time it was as though someone was pulling Tyris's stomach farther and farther out of his body.

The shadow edged him toward his right. Osmas slowly walked from the room, Dogane resting in his arms. Dogane could have passed as dead, especially with the blood streaming down to his fingertips. But Tyris knew...even as convincing as this scene was, Dogane would live. Yet, through this knowledge, Tyris was surprised that the sight of this mangled child caused one tear to roll down his own face. Forget what Dogane did in the future. No child deserved this.

Everyone left, and the last person was that man. Tyris was horrified to see a pleasant smile. Tyris knew this had been happening all along. Maybe not to this extent, but the abuse was ongoing. Tyris wanted with everything to step from the shadows and kill him now, and if the shadow hadn't held him back at that moment, he would have.

~

Tyris was allowed to stay in the palace for the next few weeks, although he had to admit it was very smothering being restricted to certain parts of the palace at specific times. But this is what he'd been searching for, and he would just have to manage. Dogane was kept in another part of the palace, and Tyris never saw him. Different healers strolled in and out during that time, and, unfortunately, the man did too. He just hoped he was always being supervised when he was around Dogane.

The next time Tyris saw Dogane, he was slowly walking up the steps in one corridor of the palace. Osmas was guiding him carefully, and Dogane's head was snapping around. Osmas was patting him on the shoulder, telling him that his magic would not cause him so much harm again. The man, who finally Tyris learned was Mikali, had told Osmas that the day before. But at just the mention of his name, Dogane shuddered.

Just then the shadow ushered him away, up and down a few flights of stairs, until they were rushing into the corridor Dogane had been beaten in. There was still a dark red smear on the clear floor, and Tyris just shook his head and looked up. There was a large door ahead of them to which they rushed. Right when they were in the room Tyris saw the balcony and knew where they were. The shadow kept pushing him along, so he only caught a brief glimpse of the room with the large bed and different paintings, one in particular of Osmas, hanging on the wall.

It was on the balcony in one of the corners, Tyris would stay for the next few days. He couldn't deny the stiffness he felt while staying there. The shadow all the while kept motioning to the ground, indicating it could take him down there at any point, but Tyris just shook his head. He'd have to endure this for some time.

It ended up being worth it. On the third day sitting there, around sunset, both Dogane and Osmas walked onto the balcony. Dogane didn't need as much help moving as before. When Tyris looked at Dogane this time, he finally noticed a look of menace on his face behind the serious exterior.

"We'll figure out this problem soon enough," Osmas said, patting his son lightly on the back.

"What if there isn't a problem? What if I'm meant to have this magic?" Dogane asked.

"We don't know what this magic will do to you later. We've already seen the potential it could do, and I don't want you to be in any more danger."

"Then stop making me be with Mikali."

"Dogane, he's the only one that can help get rid of the magic."

"I don't want to get rid of it, okay?!" Dogane yelled. "I want to keep it! I like it! And I don't want to be around him anymore!"

"I know you don't want to work with him anymore, since all that just happened. I know you don't want to get rid of your magic because it seems interesting. But you'll be in more danger with it. People will want to harm you more, and you're already at such a large risk being king. As for being with Mikali, your mother and I will stay with you from now on, even if that means we might be harmed."

Dogane looked away, toward Tyris. For a second, he thought Dogane would tilt his head just a little more and see him. He could see the menace wash away from Dogane's face as fear replaced it.

"Fine," he whispered, as a faint white glow showed in his eyes.

~

A year passed. It was filled with Mikali arriving once every week, but since Dogane's parents were there to watch, no harm came to Dogane. Given this, there was still no denying the effect Mikali had on Dogane when they were both in the same area. Any sparks around Dogane were put out, and his face grew pale. Their time together consisted solely of Mikali staring at Dogane, with Dogane 'meditating.' Whenever he could, Mikali would smirk at Dogane, which is the only time Dogane's face would turn red aside from the paleness.

There was one day when Dogane was walking along the corridor where Tyris was huddled in the dark corner. Right when Dogane passed a pillar near the exit, Mikali walked into Dogane's path. Mikali instantly glanced behind himself, and Dogane turned to run. Mikali was too fast, and he caught Dogane on the shoulder after a few steps. Dogane tried to yell, but his scream was stifled as a hand clenched his throat. Dogane was forced against the wall, and Mikali's grip tightened. Dogane went past the usual paleness, and his face turned white.

"I've been waiting for this. It's taken some time, but now your magic is mine."

Fear was seeping into Dogane's eyes, and with that came a sharp, white glow. Dogane was being tortured from both the inside and outside. All the while, a sound hissed like someone was drawing in a large breath. A light mist formed between the two of them.

"Give your magic now!" he snarled, and he punched Dogane hard in the face twice.

At that moment Dogane's eyes flashed. Whatever he was feeling exploded in lightning, overpowering the nullification and flinging Mikali into the far wall. Mikali's burned body crashed as an awful snapping noise came from the collision.

Dogane was left gasping for air and sobbing, the white light now shining brighter. He tried to shout something, but panic halted his voice. When his eyes set on Mikali, he made a demonic grunt and crawled forward. He began beating the dead body with his electrified fists. With each punch he let out a scream, and each scream grew louder and the electricity around him grew. Tyris feared it would reach him, but the shadow gently kept him where he was.

The corridor seemed to shake. With one last wail Dogane pounded Mikali's chest, and a small crater formed underneath the body. Dogane rose, all humanity lost in his face, his eyes like beams of light even in the sunlit room. More magic expelled from him, and a huge part of the other wall was blown apart. Drathenite and granite flew in every direction, and Tyris didn't wait to send the debris flung at him into nothingness as he dashed away. Dogane took steps forward as all this was going on, and his footsteps sent small shockwaves outward. Everything was absorbed in front of Tyris, though he could feel the great power Dogane had.

Dogane stood at the large windowsill. He was crouching low, and his hands cupped his ears. Tyris knew what Dogane was trying to do; he'd seen Rikaida succumbing to it when sadness had engulfed him.

White lightning burned from Dogane and cascaded onto the walls. More Drathenite eroded away, leaving almost the entire side of the corridor open to the outside. Tyris expected Dogane to collapse, like Rikaida, yet he still remained there, crying. The light had gone from his eyes, and for the first time while looking around, he seemed to register all that happened. His demeanor of a scared, young boy returned to his face. He saw no other way out, and before Tyris knew it, Dogane leapt from the floor and disappeared.

Mikali was hardly recognizable when Tyris went over to look at him. His chest had been caved in, and his face was disfigured. There was no pity resting within Tyris at this sight. Not after what he'd done.

He didn't get to look at the body for long. The shadow pulled him away as Osmas and his wife ran in with their guards. There, the shadow started to blacken everything; he was being led back outside. The last thing he saw was Osmas slumping to his knees at the gaping hole in the wall. His wife let out a scream that still haunts Tyris to the present day.
PART TWO
A Troubled Past

They soared through the time warp. This time, though, there was no huge wave rising up to meet them. Instead, the sea began to churn. The blue sky turned green as bubbles in the water burst through the surface. When Arone looked into the sea, he saw a clear reflection, despite the chaos: it was the shore of his world, one he was glad to get back to.

"This will be a slight shock, unlike the last time," Aine said as she took in a deep breath.

The surface of the water flew up to them as they took a dive. A freezing chill ensnared Arone's body. He held tightly to Aine, immediately wishing the cold would go away. They broke through the water as though it were fragile glass, and the coldness was replaced by the raging wind felt on their way into Kazan. They were back in the tsunami, only they were engulfed in it for only a second. The next thing Arone knew was that they were flying in the human world again. The wave simmered back into the sea, leaving behind the water that had covered them before.

When they landed, Arone looked around. For some reason, everything seemed stranger. The sun seemed to shine through a shroud; the usual hue from everything had grayed. Nervousness spiked in Arone as he realized that remnants of the past battle were more defined here. The shadowed forms he'd seen in Kazan were actual people now, or at least that's what he thought. These could actually be real people...

"Does anyone see..." Arone started. He was staring at a tree where an old, shawled woman stood with her gaze fixated on them.

"What?" Lupercus asked as he and everyone else looked in the woman's direction. When they all kept blank expressions on their faces, Arone knew she wasn't real.

The excitement from their win was still with them, though their heightened senses left them too eager to do anything further. Arone just thought it was too awkward to move on so quickly. And when the minutes turned into hours of silence, he guessed everyone else felt that way, too.

When night came, Arone was by a small fire he made himself. Aine and Ibnoba were staring out at sea, silent; resolute. Kathara, Lupercus, and Rikaida were talking by the trees to the right. Gunnolf had just left the three of them to go hunting. Arone was wondering where the Ragmar was when a grunt came from behind him. There the Ragmar stood, the fire dancing on his face.

"Umm...may I sit here?" he said. Arone was stunned. This was the first time the Ragmar was remotely interested in talking to them.

"Sure," Arone said.

"Thanks."

The Ragmar took a seat opposite of him across the fire. As he sat down, Arone noticed another Ragmar step from behind him. The spite in its eyes was greater than any time Arone had ever looked at the Ragmar sitting before it. He knew before saying anything how unlikely it would be for another Ragmar to slip into this area unnoticed, so he ignored it as another shadow.

"You're doing well tonight?" the Ragmar said in a surprisingly pleasant tone. It was weird hearing his voice without it sounding like it was being shredded.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to take everything in, to be honest," Arone replied.

"I wasn't expecting to make it out alive, either. Which would have been a real shame...because, well..."

His voice trailed off. He tried to avert his gaze, but Arone could tell he was itching to say something.

"Go on," Arone urged.

The Ragmar took a deep breath.

"I never thought I'd meet a group of humans like you," he said, wincing as he spoke. The edge came back in his voice. "And I didn't realize how different you were until that fight. I didn't know humans could be so unyielding. Well, I sort of did. But I hadn't seen it in my lifetime. Until...you humans showed up. Then there was that battle and that bond at the end, and it was then that I knew I could trust you all with something, but if we died, it couldn't be done."

"Trust us with what?" Arone said curiously.

"The truth."

Arone furled his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting that answer at all.

"The truth? What truth?"

"The truth about the humans and the Ragmarn. I couldn't trust you with it before, because I thought you all were like the rest of your lot I've seen: close-minded but sweet on the outside, murderers on the inside. Power-hungry cretins who'd do whatever they can to take over."

"We're not all like that," Arone muttered. He was confused. No one he knew was anything at all like the Ragmar just described.

"Maybe not the worst of those traits. But everyone has some of it, and if conditions are met, it could be amplified. Do you think Dogane is the only terror in this world? He seems to be only because he has the power to turn his twisted wishes into sheer anguish. If other people, though, had his power, would he be the only one using his magic for destruction? No. Others would fall into the delusion of being far superior, too."

"Oh," Arone uttered. His eyes widened a little; the Ragmar made sense. Arone never thought about it like that.

"I don't like your kind," the Ragmar continued, "but I am one of the few of my race that has some hope, buried deep, deep down, that there exist some humans who possess the least of the despicable traits of humans. Maybe these people would listen to their past, and why we hate each other so much. These people would know their race is not as high as they thought it was."

"You can tell me," Arone said. "Sounds interesting, but are you sure you don't want to tell everyone else, too?"

"I will, but saying this face-to-face seems the best way to start. I don't really want to bother the others now. Besides," the Ragmar added, looking at Aine, "I don't think the red bird would take kindly to what I'm about to say."

"Her name's Aine," Arone laughed.

"Whatever. Knowing her name or not, I'd like to live to tomorrow."

"Makes sense," Arone answered. "Then...what is this truth?"

"That it was the humans who broke the alliance between Ragmarn and humans after it was first formed."

"We...did? How do you know that? The break came so long ago, and now both sides blame each other."

"My tribe is one of the oldest there is, and it was there in our history when the humans betrayed us. We might be the only tribe left that was a part of it."

Arone didn't know if this was true or not, but he decided to listen anyway.

"Back then, these regions used to not touch each other. When they did form into the land you see today, it was all first known as Allobnesia. For a few centuries, the humans and Ragmarn lived apart with no problems. You had your towns and cities you settled in, and we had our magic and nomadic lifestyle. Unfortunately, the centuries of peace would not last. One day, multiple Shadin appeared around Allobnesia. No one knows where they came from. A group of people was given the ability to control them. Humans, I may add..."

"You know that could've been a coincidence," Arone said.

"Still," the Ragmarn trailed. "There were only a few Shadin, but you saw it back in Velgath Forest. Imagine having no birds–"

"Griffins," Arone cut in.

"Large birds to help you. Those things attacked both the humans and the Ragmarn. Small towns and our different tribes were helpless against them. It was after repeated attacks that our two races finally joined. An army was made, and one by one, the Shadin and their riders fell. Many of our numbers died with each kill, though; they were just so strong. Nevertheless, we made it soon to the last two Shadin: the leaders. By luck they found out where one was resting and they set up an ambush. The men and Ragmarn took up their positions: a cave entrance on the side of a mountain."

The Ragmar's voice grew rougher, and he snarled before he spoke next.

"The Shadin broke out of the entrance; it and its rider had been forewarned. It seemed our human 'allies' struck a deal. The humans would join up with the Shadin and kill the Ragmarn, and afterward, they would let the Shadin leave, never to bother anyone again. In return, the Shadin's rider would show the enormous hoard of Drathenite of which he knew its location. And Drathenite has always been known to be so beautiful to humans. The hoard was enough to make a monument from it..."

The Ragmar stared into Arone's eyes, and this peering made Arone wonder what was going on. The more he thought about it, though, the more it dawned on him. He saw the city of Bengaul, of its towering palace overlooking everything.

"No," Arone whispered.

"That's right. That 'glorious' palace of yours was built upon blood and betrayal. My ancestors were murdered because humans wanted some shiny element from the earth. Do you understand that? Murdered. A bond broken, trust broken. But at least you got to leave with your Drathenite."

"I had no idea," breathed Arone. He didn't want to think about it. What happened...it was sickening. How could he look at that palace again?

"One Ragmar escaped the massacre. One. He allowed the truth to be spread. Sure...the Shadin were no longer a threat. But the humans were now despised more than the Shadin could ever be. That Ragmar would form a small group solely to avenge their fallen from that fight. They spread the word of how 'honest' the humans turned out to be to the other Ragmar tribes. Before long, they had enough force to punish.

"The Ragmarn were outnumbered, but you can't match up against their stealth and pure hatred, no matter your numbers. They slaughtered those humans just like those humans slaughtered the Ragmarn's brethren. It must have felt so good to do that. I wish I had been there. And it was sad that they didn't get that Drathenite and make the humans look really stupid. Kick them while they were down...the humans deserved so much more than just retaliation.

"The Ragmarn couldn't remain united forever. We just weren't meant to stay together in such a large group. That would be the first and last time the Ragmarn would ever attack with so much strength. But it was enough to send a message that the Ragmarn weren't to ever be taken lightly again. The war went on from there, but the battles were spaced out by years each time. The city of Bengaul and that palace were built, and the Ragmarn spread themselves to the edge of Allobnesia.

"Ages and ages passed. Eventually, the battles turned into skirmishes. The living, pulsing memory of betrayal became just a bitter story to tell that always reminded us of why we fight against the humans. To the other Ragmar tribes, what the humans did became more like a legend: something they weren't sure was true. Sure, they never trusted humans again, but that was because they had been raised that way. To my tribe, though, we knew. That battle became who we were instead of just some fable.

"And the longer I lived, the more that impression took hold of me. Until you showed up, I was so ready to let go of my small, very tiny belief that humans could be good. Only I and this other Ragmar had this belief. But that Ragmar was killed in the fight to free Rikaida..."

"I'm sorry that you lost him, but I'm not sorry I tried freeing Rikaida," Arone said sternly.

"I know...It was just nice having someone else there who shared in my crazy thoughts. And now I am alone..."

"Well, if it means anything, I appreciate you considering there's at least something good in us," Arone said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the Ragmar grumbled.

The flames took over as the only noise again, and Arone began to think. He hated that his ancestors did that. All for some stupid gem...

"Aine talked about the battle," Arone started, "where the humans and Ragmarn joined forces once again to take down the remaining Arcams after Dogane was killed. But the Ragmarn betrayed the humans there..."

"Our past isn't so clean, either. But I think if we could compare, losing one leader was far less tragic than losing an entire tribe. I don't like what we did that day. Believe it or not, the Ragmarn from my tribe, during that fight, didn't agree with the decision; for some reason, like me, they wanted to see if that king would actually keep his word."

"But," the Ragmar sighed, "the other tribes didn't think this way. One person was chosen to 'accept' the king's gratitude and then finish him. It was dirty, and I agree that the Ragmarn have had their role in this constant bloodshed. We are evil, in a sense. But in my experience, I see humans as more manipulative, greedier, and more useless. They are more evil."

"Some of us," Arone edged.

"Yes. Some of you," the Ragmar agreed, staring forward. "But more than you think when you see their true selves."
The Sorcerers of Anglo-Matten

Arone awoke the next morning to wafting ashes and the aroma of burned wood. The Ragmar was lying nearby, snoring heavily. Arone quickly recalled the night before, of the talk they had. The last words the Ragmar spoke resonated in his mind. Arone glanced at the other sleeping people and thought of everyone's true self, wondering if any of them were any different than how he saw them now.

His thoughts were interrupted when two figures appeared on the other side of the ash pile. The shawled woman and the other Ragmar stood there, staring at him with their heads bent slightly forward. Arone began shaking his head at the sight of them, but unlike times before, the forms remained, and their gaze didn't falter.

Several rays of light shone off to his right, and a transparent figure showed itself. It had the stance of a man, and he seemed to have a dark cloak draped over his shoulders. Behind him, a large, black coil lay on the ground. When the man took a step forward, the coil began pulling on itself. A Shadin appeared and made its way next to him. The man leapt onto its back and took out a sword.

This image then melted into itself. A bright light replaced it. The woman and the Ragmar turned their heads and glided toward it. Strangely, Arone felt drawn to it, and he started walking in its direction.

He was halfway to the light's center when the two forms of the woman and the Ragmar were absorbed into its bright glow. He was left to stare with an intrigued gaze. Maybe...maybe something bad would happen if he neared the light. But...no...something good was going to happen. Something that was going to make all of his problems go away. He reached out his hand...

"Arone? Arone, what are you doing?" Aine asked in a tired voice.

"Nothing," Arone answered, as the forest came back into view. "Just sleepwalking."

"Okay, well, just don't wander too far, I guess," she muttered. "I was thinking we should fly out soon."

"Yeah," Arone agreed, still occupied by what could have happened. What if he went into the light?

Everyone else awoke with the morning's rising sun. The elated feeling from the night before had left, and they all felt ready to head elsewhere.

"What were you and the Ragmar talking about last night? Aine asked, once they were in the air.

"He was explaining the past and why the humans and Ragmarn hated each other so much."

"Really, huh? So what lies did he tell you?"

"He said the humans started it when they double-crossed the Ragmarn at the last stand off against the Shadin. Did you know we did it for the Drathenite that used to build the palace in Bengaul?"

"Interesting..."

"What's interesting?"

"It's interesting, because I've never heard of that before. The battle against the last two Shadin was a massacre for both the Ragmarn and humans. They didn't win, either. The two Shadin escaped and were never seen again."

"What?"

"Yes. In fact, the Ragmarn blamed the loss on the humans, and out of revenge, they attacked the humans to try and steal the Drathenite they found. Which, of course, wasn't a successful strike, but they did murder a huge number of people in Bengaul."

"No," Arone said defiantly. "You're wrong."

"I'm wrong? Because one Ragmar's word can go against history?"

"Who wrote that history? The humans or the Ragmarn?"

Aine was silent.

"Don't you think," continued Arone, "the humans wrote that to cover what they did that day?"

"Yes, it's possible," Aine hissed. "But it's just as possible the Ragmar is lying. Either that or he was lied to."

It was Arone's turn to be quiet. Without proof, no one could be convinced. All Arone had was a feeling that the Ragmar was right.

"I will never know," Aine said. "All I know is what I've seen. The Ragmarn betrayed the humans by killing the second king after Ramas and Ubinion. They wanted the fighting to continue."

"Okay," Arone uttered, not wanting to say the Ragmar's tribe didn't agree with that action. Aine probably wouldn't believe it, anyway.

"Well, while you were too busy having such a wonderful chat with the Ragmar, the spirits of the wind came again last night. We're in luck. The council began yesterday, but it usually lasts a few days. If we hurry, we can make it there just before it ends."

"Did they say anything about where it's located?"

"There is a forest called Folarn, and the council is located above it."

"And this place exists in the sky the whole year round?"

"The place is there just for the time the council is held. Ragmarn controlling air keep it sustained in one location for the time being. Otherwise, it lies dormant on an island far off the coast of the region."

"Ragmarn? But I thought they hated us?"

"Oh, they're given plenty of gold for the few days they help the sorcerers. Plus, for some reason, they trust the sorcerers. They must think they're higher than the humans."

"That's not true," said Arone, remembering why the council was held in the sky in the first place.

"It has to be that, or just that the sorcerers aren't even human to them. There's no way the Ragmarn would make a deal with humans unless they wanted to harm them. And nothing bad has happened between the sorcerers and the Ragmarn so far."

"That's strange..."

"It is."

~

They reached Anglo-Matten in a day's flight. The land below broke itself apart as it became rivers. The houses here were small, and some were connected to each other by small makeshift bridges attached either to the upper or lower parts of the huts.

"Anglo-Matten is a large region, though. We still have to hurry," Aine said. "It's time to speed up."

Aine brought up her talons, and wind lashed against Arone's face as they spliced the air. Sensing the change of speed, Arone heard two howls below, and Lupercus and Gunnolf leaned forward to fight more against the swampland. They took only one break in that day and a half of traveling. Arone spent it staring off into the night; he had enough rest while sleeping atop Aine. She, however, along with Lupercus and Gunnolf, had just this short while to get some sleep.

When they reached the spot, Arone saw the floating mass that was high in the air. It was little more than a black, hovering dot. Below lay a forest with trees spread farther apart than usual, and along the ground were broken white statues.

Aine and Ibnoba ascended. Arone began to grow nervous. What should he say? Did the sorcerers already know about everything? And if he were to convince them to join, how should he prepare for after the fight, when the sorcerers may try to kill Arone?

The bottom of the floating land was in constant flux; wind currents tossed mangled roots and clumps of dirt from when they had been part of the earth. There were no barriers surrounding the island, so when they flew up, they took in the sight all at once.

Gray stone lined the entire ground. There were only four buildings there, and it was obvious by its size at which one the council was being held. That building was raised up, surrounded on all sides by steps fanning out in a circular manner. There was only one entrance where they landed. The door was twice Arone's size, and from the bottom spiraled up, much to Arone's surprise, one engraved Shadin on each door. Grabbing both handles, he pulled them open.

There were a few rows to the left and right where three people sat. In front of them was a raised, oval-shaped area, apart from everything else, with a small barrier at its edge. The area slanted deeply to the ceiling, so Arone could tell six people sat there, all but two of them separated by tiered levels.

One of the sorcerers was leaning back in his spot, and two black-haired men were on the lower two levels. There was also another two sitting together: a brown-haired man and a red-haired woman. Hovering above everyone on the top was a young, blonde-haired man. It was he who spoke to one of the people sitting on the steps, who was a middle-aged man wearing light clothing and a straw hat.

"We had warned you a few years back this would happen."

"You did not say it would flow through the lakes with the possibility of blocking the channels in multiple spots, including the one near my marshes. Fish will die! My life revolves around how many fish I can catch!"

"We all have to make sacrifices to protect this region."

"Protect it from what? And I don't see you making any of the 'sacrifices' you're talking about."

"Who do you think has to make this pipe system?"

"You have magic! It would be easy for you to do it!"

"My magic is constrained to the size and weight of what I move. Rest assured, this will be no easy task for me."

"We've seen what you can do," the man snarled. "You won't have any trouble making this. At least not as much trouble as we would to help you make these. And for what? Who are you protecting us from?"

"We've heard of an enemy from the South who is about to take the throne once again. There may be a time when we'll need a great defense. This system will help me cycle all the water in Anglo-Matten at once to defend ourselves from the threat."

"A ruler? That is a threat to us? Who is it?"

"Dogane of Agrathias."

"What?! Have you gone mad? The same ruler from long ago? This is why you're building this 'protection' and ruining our lives? No one can come back from the dead."

The man's face was blistering as he came to his last words. Silence ensued, but instead of the hovering man breaking it, the man next to the woman spoke up.

"Actually, we're in luck. It seems these people here can speak for what happened."

Suddenly all eyes in the room were on them.

"Arone of Terrifor and Bengaul," the man continued, "Isn't this true; Dogane has returned?"

"Yes..." Arone said after a pause.

"Oh, but he's just a kid," the man in the straw hat said, even more outraged.

"I think, though," the sorcerer said louder, "Arone knows what to show to make himself more credible."

Arone did, but he hesitated now because he wondered how this sorcerer knew everything so far. Could he read their minds? And if he could, did that mean he knew the rest of what happened? Even the artifact? Worry still in his mind, he soon chose to hold up his hand and light it up like a torch.

"Dogane has returned. I've seen him with my own eyes."

"You're another sorcerer?" asked the man with the straw hat.

"No," Arone answered, not wanting to throw himself in with the sorcerers. "I'm just someone from Terrifor who can control fire."

"Don't be so modest!" the sorcerer cheered. "I see you've done marvelous things in the past. You're just as much of a sorcerer as the six of us here."

"That may be so..." Arone started.

"So," the hovering sorcerer concluded. "There you have it, Timaiis. Dogane is indeed back, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. We need a lasting defense for the future, and the system is only effective if the pipes go through the water instead of underneath the lakes. However, since you took the initiative to come here, we can make it so that your marshes are not affected."

"And everyone else's are affected? Do you know how many people will try to steal my things? Take my home? Hurt my family? You'll make a war out of that place."

"I'm sorry, but that is our only offer. The safety of this land is our utmost concern."

"You mean the safety of your crown is your utmost concern," Timaiis muttered so that the sorcerers couldn't hear.

"What was that?" the hovering sorcerer asked.

"Nothing..." grumbled Timaiis.

"Let it be understood to the council," the sorcerer next to the woman suddenly said, "that Timaiis thinks we put our rule before our land."

Timaiis's face pulsed.

"Well, it's true!"

"That is far from the truth," spoke the hovering man. "If we did not care for everyone else, we would have left people without any options. For example, we have animals in Anglo-Matten that have exotic skins. The flowers on our plants are as beautiful as those in The Runterlands, even. These animals and plants are only found here, and they are worth a fortune in other places."

"That would require so much traveling, though," fought Timaiis. "And I have a family."

"You will just have to take them along with you, then. It may not be ideal, but it's not an ideal time. Remember that."

"But we aren't a family made for traveling. That's why we live here on the marshes. My boys love playing there. My wife and I love fishing in the lake. If you do this, we'll have to move!"

"No you won't," struck up the man by the woman again. "You'll find something else to do, but you won't be moving. Your thoughts are screaming at me; you love your home too much to move."

This was it for Timaiis. He stormed down the two rows of steps, and with one menacing look at the sorcerers, he threw open the doors and left the building.

"Oh well," the hovering sorcerer sighed. "You try to be nice, and it just blows up in your face."

"Anyway," the sorcerer continued. "We are very aware of the position this world is in."

"And we've already agreed to join you," the man by the woman cut in.

"We were just talking about it," the hovering sorcerer laughed uneasily. "We still have to all decide."

"Right! Well, we can do that now. Marzus! Wynthro! What would you like to do?"

The sorcerers below glanced up at him, confused.

"Still considering? Okay. How about you...Tyris..."

Arone edged forward, wide-eyed. No...

It took a long time for the man leaning back to do anything. He finally shook his shoulders, but the other sorcerer did not accept that as his eyes excitedly stared at all of them standing there.

"I'll need a verbal answer, Tyris."

"...Yes...then."

In an instant, Arone was charging forward. The voice was all he needed. Rikaida had no choice but to join him otherwise give him up to the sorcerers who were most likely going to help.

"TYRIS!!" Arone roared, then brought back his hands. Rikaida joined to help. It was then he saw the other sorcerers move their arms, but he and Rikaida were already too much through the motion to stop.

The fire and water joined together and lashed at Tyris. Before it reached him, though, it was met with the same force as in Saric, and their magic vanished at a spot just before the six sorcerers. Not only that, but there were other works, as well. Arone felt another large force bending the fire and water around the edges, twisting it backward, trying to send their own magic against them. There also arose this lingering feeling that something was clawing his mind, making him feel like everything in his life was terrible, like the world he knew was about to crumble away.

The spot erupted, and his fire raged toward the outer walls. Arone stumbled backward, gripping his head as the awful sensation slipped away. Both Rikaida's and his own magic blasted the walls, and large chunks of stone crashed to the floor. When the smoke and water cleared, Arone saw that the sorcerers were not frowning; in fact, every one of them except for Tyris was smiling.

"Ahhh," the hovering sorcerer said. "I remember our discussion. My vote was and still is a yes."

"Mine is also a yes," spoke up Marzus.

"And mine," added Wynthro.

Arone paid no attention. There could have been a hundred sorcerers there, and everyone could have said yes. All he did was stare at Tyris, his eyes raging like the fire within.

"How dare you just sit there, after all you've done!" Arone. "Murderer! You should have hidden yourself in the deepest hole and stayed there to die!"

"Arone..." Tyris started, but there was no way Arone would let him finish.

"Or just run off to your master, Dogane! I'm sure you'll have so much fun ruling over the lesser beings. Because 'Dogane' was chosen by 'fate' to rule."

He spat the last sentence out in a mocking tone. Tyris looked like he would retort, but Arone cut him off again.

"Die!"

He threw his sword. It was just as quick as shooting the arrow, but it didn't matter. The hovering sorcerer waved his hand, and the sword was thrown against the wall.

"Arone!" Tyris yelled. "I'm no longer fighting for Dogane!"

"Right, just as we're going to go join his side," Arone said sarcastically.

"It's true!" Tyris urged. "I used to fight with him...but after my father died–"

"When you let him die, you mean?"

"NO! It's more complicated than that! Sometimes there is no way to go through the past to save someone, and that is what happened to Bardin! It was Dogane who killed him, and I couldn't forgive him after that."

"Oh, so it took someone close to you to die to rethink where you're going in life!" shouted Arone. "You never stopped to think of all the lives you would have destroyed by helping him?"

"I never said that what I did was fine. I feel ashamed...disgusted...I know it's hard to understand my mind's changed, but seeing my father dying just made my world lose its meaning. Everything with Dogane made no sense."

"It did?"

Neither Arone nor Rikaida said this. Instead, Kathara spoke from behind them. "You liar! If your life lost its meaning, then why did you kill my father?"

"I had to kill him! It was to set you free! And I was...still making up my mind..."

"What?!"

Unrestrained, she reached from behind her and hurled out a small knife. Its aim was good, but like Arone's sword, it was deflected by the hovering sorcerer.

"You were going to live your life there," Tyris pleaded. "Stuck, until he died, which could have been a long time! I knew you wouldn't end it, so I stepped in."

"I was there to help him out in his final days! I was to make them peaceful as could be. YOU MURDERED HIM!"

She took powerful strides forward; no one wanted to get in her way. It was after she passed Arone that she drew forth her swords and pointed one at Tyris. Never mind the other sorcerers; her gaze rested solely on him.

"Well," the hovering sorcerer dragged in, holding up a hand. Kathara halted in her advance, an invisible force holding her there. "It has been great watching you all play catch-up. But, as we have decided to help you, there are things we must discuss among each other, and we ask to do it only among ourselves."

"You better be there, Tyris," Arone spoke in a vindictive voice. "Or I'll find you, one way or another. And I'll kill you. I already know you're weaker than us."

Tyris opened his mouth to say something in return, but all of a sudden his voice dimmed. Something began whispering loudly to Arone's right, and he was horrified to see the woman with the shawl and the other Ragmar speaking to him. Their mouths looked as though they'd been gashed and stitched back up improperly. Their eyes were red. The woman had her hand raised to the sorcerers. Arone gasped, and he saw Rikaida look at him. He wanted to ask him if he was experiencing this, but it was pointless; he already knew the answer.

He expected everything to return to normal; he even tried closing his eyes and shaking his head. But when he opened them back up everything was graying again, like when he was blasted by the Nark'thul's dying energy. From the cracks in the walls crawled out things whose ugliness topped that of the woman and the Ragmar. Things with burned flesh. Things with arms and legs, or legs and arms, he didn't know, in all places on their bodies. Long, lashing...reaching out...their bodies poured forth, and there was no hope to escape.

He was falling back. The grayness was expanding. Those lurking shadows were growing bigger. There was no hope for escape...He tried grasping onto anything, anything. But there was nothing physical to reach. The darkness expanded further. There was no hope to escape...

He tried holding onto the only thing he could: his name. Arone. Then...his family. His friends. His name was Arone Milius...Arone...There was no hope to escape...He was falling back...back...

...gray...

...back...
The Shawled Woman and the Ragmar

A breeze rustling the air...yet...no sensation on the skin. Black fog flowing against the ashen background...

No buildings... No people...only shadows. The shadows were part of the fog, and he himself felt almost like the shadows...almost like the fog...

Nothing to do but walk forward. Take a step from where he had once been, and into this unknown. No choice. Behind lay only a never-ending meadow. Boring to him, unlike the allure from what has yet to be seen.

The shadows...they didn't seem to want to be near him, although they were moving with the fog...being the fog...as it went somewhere.

Dead trees and fallen logs vanished and appeared along the way. Each looked just as decayed, just as void of any resemblance to what he'd known before, but they were still too intriguing to turn away from.

There was one tree, though. One tree the fog bent around before continuing on its way. This tree was alive. Gray, but alive.

But a rumbling shook the Earth. The tree exploded; a winged beast, the one he remembered from somewhere...where...? It clawed its way into the air, and with black eyes bore into Arone's own soul, it seemed.

Running. Running. The beast. With arched wings it neared. Trees, plowed. Gaining. Gaining.

Too many things at once. The beast was smoke. The trees were smoke. And the gray turned to black in one horrifying moment of emptiness.

Being alone.

...

...

Gray...again...A stream of shadow. The fog. He felt something underneath that pulled him along. He didn't know where he was being led, but he was content with it.

The black fog branched out at other places. It crawled upward. It scraped the sky. Beyond the stream to both sides of him, only two cliffs fell away into nothingness.

He began to think why he was here...

~

Kathara clutched Aine as they flew over a large river. Aine was breaking the boundaries of any speed she had ever gone before. Kathara could hardly hold on, but she had to push through the soreness. They all had to. Arone's hands were tied around her waist with ice from Rikaida. It was cold against her shirt, but pain couldn't be acknowledged. Aine told them what would happen if they were too late. She wasn't worried so much about losing the fight against Dogane. She was just so much more worried about losing a good friend.

~

Arone remembered things. A battle. Two. Someone needed him somewhere. A woman. A man. A boy. And...why was he thinking of that winged beast, too?

Maybe the people were at the end of this stream. But then, what about the battle? He didn't have a bow or sword. Maybe he had dropped them in the forest. Maybe he should turn back and get them.

But maybe he shouldn't. Now that he thought about it, the battle wasn't until the end, and by then they might not need him anymore.

Something screamed to his right. Another winged beast, though this one much larger than the last, had appeared. A rider, too...they were familiar.

The forest! The Shadin! The rider! Other people. He could see them, hear their names spoken, but the words were as recognizable as the shadows that carried him along.

More Shadin appeared. They were more transparent than the one in front, but it didn't matter. They scared Arone, made him want to move, but suddenly the fog widened.

Trapped.

Only to watch the things swoop through the air. The force of their coils whipping must have been deadlier than their gaping mouths. Their fangs. All they'd have to do was close around his body and he'd be finished. He didn't want to die! He had to hide! Their teeth. Their movements. If they turned his way...

A disturbance; the smaller beast had returned. It fervently barreled at the Shadin. It was still frightening, but now it was his savior. How was that even possible?

Ash. Shade. Everything in the air was smoke... never to know what would happen. The stream ended and the fog fell, like water, over a third cliff, unseen until now.

Arone would try to escape, but the stream was too wide, and the cliff too enticing. He would go against his judgment.

And so he fell...

...

...

...The woods appeared again, only this time he wouldn't enter them. A house; it was more interesting than something dead. Besides, the woods had the winged beast, and he did not want to see that again, even if it did try to save him earlier.

The house was...alive...not in that it moved, but he felt life within it. He slowly approached it. There lay something important within. He needed to see.

The wooden door opened to find...

Himself.

He was lying on the bed...but yet he was here. At the door. Wasn't he?

He went back outside and faced away from the woods. It was a meadow.

Separated. He'd already explored both. Now that remained was the mystery within that house.

Where he had existed twice.

~

Rikaida stood next to Kathara and Ibnoba. They were staring at Bengaul. It had been a week since they left Arone in care of the healer. She was the best in the world, but she said she could only fight the conversion. She wouldn't be able to beat it. That would be done by Arone, whatever that meant.

He wished that were their only problem. He really did. But as he saw the lightning strike around him, the crumbled section of the wall before him, and the Arcams scampering about, he knew there was more to come. Dogane had taken over Bengaul. He killed the king. He let loose the Arcams, and everyone was trapped. No one had died, but Dogane's rule was beginning again.

Without Arone, they couldn't hope to fight Dogane. Rikaida couldn't bear turning away from Bengaul, but they had to prepare. Dogane could go berserk at any moment. They needed to get as many reinforcements as possible to attack him here. The real difficulty was making sure he died at the temple, though.

There would come a time to fight for Ravella, but it was not now. Now was preparation. Now was waiting for Arone. Helping Kathara. Protecting Lupercus.

~

A black shade covered the meadow. Not fog. Forms, though.

And people. Actual people, like from a dream. They were more familiar than the shadows. They were like him.

They were sad, though. Fearful. Arone didn't know why. Their faces were calmed, but anxiety radiated from them whenever he was close.

Two people. Well, they weren't human. One was beauty. The other, hideous. They were large compared to the humans. The hideous, commanding. The lovely, endearing.

The ground began to shake. No! He didn't want this scene to change. He still needed to find out why he was in the house instead of out here with himself.

The people tensed and backed away from a spot in front of Arone. The rumbling stopped. A man appeared. A name...

...

Tyris

...

...

Who was Tyris? Why did that name come to him?

...

Tyris scanned the area and finally rested his eyes on Arone. He approached. Arone was hesitant. Who was this man? Why was he walking toward him?

Arone didn't want him to get near.

He stepped back, and Tyris stopped. His lips pursed. He held out his hand.

But Arone didn't budge.

A sigh of regret from Tyris. He vanished instead. Arone turned back. It was time to find out why he lay on the bed in the house...

~

It was hard to believe that nine hundred years had already passed. Nine hundred. Dogane could only repeat that number to himself over and over. Nine hundred...Nine hundred...

As the pull of time drew him, it was easy for his defeat to seem like a dream: a blur of colors, then...he would wake up. Only waking up gave him another dream and another and another. He began to actually miss the time he was beaten by Ramas and Ubinion. Even if he hated himself greatly for it, at least then time didn't play tricks on him. And he had to admit that he really enjoyed watching Ramas and Ubinion failing to get rid of his magic. They didn't know about the magic cast upon the temple. They already failed, and Dogane would return.

But when? After Ramas and Ubinion died, this question always surfaced. And this one question drove all his dreams. In some nightmares, 'when' would turn into 'how.' Because of the magic. Because of the magic. Was that a day that passed or a month? The magic.

And the wind spirits were the worst part. They wouldn't shut up! They drove him crazy more than time did. In the future, he would find some way to get back at them.

Dogane looked out the window of the palace and saw the mountains. It was time to begin preparing the assault on Anglo-Matten again. Taking over that land is what he'd been doing around the time he was beaten. He wished his magic could extend beyond Agrathias. Then he wouldn't need people to fight his battles for him.

All that remained were the descendants of Ubinion and Ramas. Most of the people here weren't aware of their presence, but so long as they lived, his rule wouldn't be absolute. He wasn't in a rush, though. He knew they would come soon. They had to be ready. His magic would be stronger that way.

Dogane looked to the fields outside of Bengaul, the very spot he had been killed.

No, he reminded himself. Trapped.

Trapped for so long underground. He tapped his fingers against the panes of the glass window. He was so infuriated with himself, but his incarceration was proof that he would rule forever. If fate wanted him gone, it would have done it there, but it preserved his body.

And now he was stronger, if that was even possible. And he was smarter. He'd learned his lesson. He found something that couldn't be beaten. The Shadin would tear those griffins apart, and he would deal with the descendants himself.

~

Himself. On the bed. Why was he laying on the bed? There were traces of a voice far away. A female voice. And other voices. But this female voice was the loudest of the faint.

He tried touching the face, his face, on the bed. His hand sifted through the cheeks instead. But his body on the bed stirred.

Why couldn't he touch his own face?

"It's about to happen!"

...

The voice grew louder, but he didn't understand. What would happen?

More thoughts came to him. Not the voices. His own. These were scary thoughts. A town being consumed by fire...although, didn't he once control fire? Did he cause this town to burn down?

He held out his arm...where was the fire? He made jabbing movements, yet nothing flickered. Maybe he couldn't produce fire after all.

He was getting worried. There were things in the past he didn't know, things about his own self. About his other self on the bed!

A light shone into the house, and something started to appear that hadn't been there before.

Color.

He left the house. He didn't want to think about anything else frightening. This glow was so much more pleasant, too.

"It's happening!"

Arone heard the voice but ignored it. The woman and Ragmar had reappeared. He thought he had remembered them grotesque looking and horrifying, but they now stood resolute against the bright shine.

Their hands were held out.

You are about to die.

...

What? No! He didn't want to die...did he? He wanted to live...didn't he?

After a look back, though, he realized it might not be so bad. All his time here had been about discovering something new. This light was new. The house and the forest and meadow were old.

He slumped to his knees and started crying. Did he have to give his body? His soul?

Silence.

The Ragmar and woman were reassuring.

Silence.

He stopped crying.

Silence!

...

Resolution.

He would die. He had to be strong and throw himself to the possibility that something good would come from this.

He would die.

The Ragmar and woman were reassuring. They still had their hands held out.

And he would take them.

He stepped forward. His hand lifted.

The door to the house burst open. The sky turned from blue back to gray. A screech...the winged beast smoked into existence and swept down from the forest.

He shielded himself. So this is how he would die, and not by the light.

The winged beast didn't attack him. Its claws skimmed over Arone's head, and it crashed toward the woman and the Ragmar. Before it reached them, the two figures threw up their other hands, drawing out concealed swords. Both slashed them upward, and the winged beast clouded into smoke, never to return again.

He saw himself exit the house.

He had awoken!

But this was bad. Very bad. His self was charging toward them. He didn't need to go far for Arone to know what he was going to do. He was going to try and kill the Ragmar and the woman, his saviors.

He couldn't! They ridded this place of the winged beast! They were nice!

Would he stop charging toward him? Please? No choice...

No choice...

He met himself halfway and blocked the path. His hand shoved up against his shirt. This time, his body was real. There was no shifting.

Something strange, though. He expected his eyes to be angry. Hateful. But there was none. Instead, sadness...pleading.

His head snapped back and forth. What did this mean? The Ragmar, the woman and the glow: tantalizing. His own self: questionable.

His own self, peering. Pleading.

Let me in.

Let who in?

Let me in.

Who is me?

Who...is...me...

...

Let me in...

...

Me, was him...his own self...

Let me in!

He let down his hand and gazed into his own eyes. No blackness within, only knowledge. The truth.

A war. His own self's war. His war. People, friends, a burned town. He didn't burn it down after all. Others did.

And he needed to stop them before they did any more.

A man's name. Dogane. He was the cause. The demon. Pure hatred encased by an ugly excuse of a man.

A council, the sorcerers, the beginning to this plague on his mind.

Everything.

His name was Arone Milius. His home was Terrifor. His brother was Toaran, his best friend, his deceased friend. This was the shadow world, and the Ragmar and the woman were not his allies.

Anger, fury. Destruction. A hurricane of dust and shade and shadows. The woman and the Ragmar stitched over into their horrendous selves and fused together.

The disgusting thing grew and swallowed up the light, which to that point had still been kind and welcoming. It wasn't tricking him in the end. He still felt like he would feel relieved and at rest by walking into it. But he didn't want to die now. He wanted to live.

More moans and yells. The forest and meadow came alive as the shadows clambered from the ground and trees. They formed the flowing streams, only this one would not lead anywhere. It encircled them. It trapped them.

If he died here, would he die in the real world? He didn't want to find out. It could be like a dream; this could all be a dream. But he shouldn't risk it. Too much could be at stake.

The shadows were moaning, but the moan from the fused horror was so much more eerie and haunting. Its arms, legs, claws, teeth, everything about it moved forward with lumbering terror.

It was on him. It swiped its body. Arone ducked, but his body behind him wasn't quick enough. The monster spiraled it through the air, and the body was shredded by the fog; it became the fog.

On the next swing, Arone brought up his sword. The monster's arm, or what Arone thought was its arm, was severed from its body.

The sound it made then was so terrible, Arone had to cover his ears, but his sword dropped while doing so. The goliath's foot hammered into his chest, and he flew, closer...closer...

He landed with his head staring right into the fog, right into anguish itself. He was about to become it. He had no weapon, and the monster was charging.

His name...was Arone...

He held onto that thought. He held onto his brother's memory. He thought one day he would be reunited with his parents, but that would not be so.

His name was Arone Milius. This was the shadow world, and the Ragmar and the woman were trying to keep him there forever.

But he did control fire.

The last thought moved his mind to the fire he had always possessed. It, the last remembrance of who he was, blasted everything around him. It burned the monster alive. It dispersed the fog. It revealed the light.

He wanted to go, but it didn't feel right. Maybe in the future when he was ready to die, when all there was left to do was give himself up to the afterlife, would he step through it.

But not now, and so it vanished, and everything went black.
Urana

His sight returned to him, but he wasn't taking in what he saw. He was too busy thinking, remembering everything about himself to make sure he wasn't in the shadow world anymore. He knew the battle to come. He knew his friends and what they had been through. And, he knew who he was. The dream's embrace had been shattered then, after all. So much relief flooded into him, although he wondered if he were truly free from the shadow's grasp, or if it would return again soon.

He decided maybe he was free for good, and he started to look around him. He was in a small room. There was a high-pitched whining sound to the right, and a black kettle there was giving off steam. The vapor wafted and turned itself among the clouded air all around him, giving off an aroma of jasmine.

He wanted to get up, but every part of him felt sore. He rolled to his left and clambered off his bed, stumbling onto the floor. With more effort than he ever thought needed to stretch, he stood all the way up and arched his back.

"You'll want to take it easy for a little bit."

Arone, much to his dismay, twisted his neck to the right and sent a great twinge of pain along the side of his head. After he had reeled back from the surprise, he saw a woman wearing an emerald dress in the corner. She had been shielded by the dense haze on Arone's first view of the room.

"What...happened?" Arone grunted.

"I'll explain everything after I get some food to you. You may not know it, but you've been out for over a month now."

A month! Arone screamed in his head. Did she just say a month?

"But—the battle! Dogane! Everyone else! Where is everyone else?!"

"Just calm down," the woman soothed while holding up a relaxed hand. "All your friends are safe. There have been no fights since your meeting with the sorcerers. However, Dogane's forces are spreading, and that's also what I need to talk with you about. But first, food."

~

"You were hit by the Nark'thul, and not just a graze, weren't you?" she asked after he took a few bites.

"Yes," Arone uttered, then quickly told her all that happened between him and the Nark'thul.

"There aren't that many creatures involved with the shadow world, but a Nark'thul is one of them."

"I just...I didn't know that would happen..."

"You should've said something right away, but I know you thought nothing would happen. Besides, in the bigger picture, I don't know if that would have helped. A small hit would've allowed you to get through its effects. But that was not a small hit. It would have annihilated anyone else that didn't have magic.

You needed help, but I could only hold off the shadow world's hold over you. I've never seen a Nark'thul in my life, so I could only go off of other experiences with that realm."

"I don't think you want to meet one," Arone said.

"Oh, I do," the woman sighed. "As dangerous as it is, I need to be around it in order to help people affected by it. It's been like that my whole life, really. Peril after peril...But what happened to you did help me out at least, if we wanted to have something good come from this."

"Was that all that happened to me?" Arone asked. "I was taken into the shadow world?"

"You were not exactly in the shadow world," the woman answered. "You were close, but you were just an observer in this case. I shielded you from their view, although I could only do it for so long."

"So all along, I was just lying here? How did you get me to eat and drink in the past month?"

"You didn't eat or drink," the woman replied simply. "Your body just lay on the bed, a little transparent. But it aged much more slowly as you crossed over. Your mind, however, picked up the slack, which is why I suggest letting your mind rest after telling you all this."

"Is there anyone around? I'd like to speak with someone about Dogane."

"They've gone out to find people willing to join the fight here. Lupercus would usually stay behind, although today Kathara chose to stay."

"Can you send her in? I need to talk to someone about all this."

"I will, but in an hour or two. As I said, your mind must have absorbed the most of your experience. You're about to get the worst headache of your life."

She treated it like a death sentence, and Arone squirmed. She stood up and moved to where she had been sitting. There, she brought forth a jar and carried it to Arone's bed.

"This essence of Cresalin will soothe you to the point of almost falling asleep. It will help with the headache. And I'll make sure no one disturbs you."

Arone sat back on the bed as the lady sprinkled a little of the essence into the air.

"Excuse me, but what is your name?" Arone asked before the lady exited.

"Urana," she smiled before closing the door behind her.

Arone tensed himself, though he didn't know what to expect. He'd had headaches in the past, but none of them had hurt so badly. So does it mean that this one would be slightly worse or much worse? By the way Urana spoke, he feared it was the latter.

He smelled the essence: It reminded him of cindered wood when they were in the forest telling stories at night when he was younger. His eyes started to droop as the smell within his head loosened up the strain on every part of his face.

Minutes passed as those nights came back to him. They usually talked about the Lurick. It'd given him nightmares as a kid, but that was when he was little, and his terrors then were imaginary things. Now his nightmare was real.

Almost as if waiting for the thought to come, he felt a twinge in his head. It pulsated a few times, and Arone winced. The twinge spread to the other side, and suddenly it was like someone was squeezing his head into himself. Wincing turned to grunts as he rolled over, trying anything to relinquish pain's invisible grip.

He hoped it would go away or at least stop compressing. His head ached harder, but his hopes were for nothing. He soon cried loudly in agony as the beating spread to the back of his head, and with each second, it felt like someone was crushing his head with a blacksmith's hammer.

He begged it to stop; his eyes started to water. He couldn't believe it, but he was starting to wonder if death would be better than this torture. His head violently contorted from side to side, and his hands were clenched so tightly he felt he would pierce through his palms with his fingers. It was somewhere in this suffering, when death seemed likely to come without him seeking it, that the pounding suffocated the sight from his eyes, and he blacked out.

~

When he woke up, he found himself curled up into a ball, his hands clasping his head. The pain was gone, but the memory of it still made him wince. For the second time, he took in a full view of the room. Everything was the same; even the essence still dusted the air. The only difference was that Kathara now sat with him, her knees held to her chest by her arms, in the chair where Urana had sat before.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," replied Arone, twisting himself around so she could see him smiling.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she stood up.

"I'm fine now, but that doesn't say much of before. It had to have been the worst pain in my life."

"Urana told me about it. I can't imagine what happened."

"You don't want to. It was so bad I was wishing someone would cut off my head to save me from any more pain."

"Well...at least Urana said it shouldn't come back," Kathara said with a slight smile. "It might ache now and again, but the worst should be over."

"That's good," Arone sighed in relief and lay back down.

There was a small break of silence while Kathara looked around the room.

"So what exactly did happen to you...not with the headache, but the other thing?" she ended up asking.

Arone told her everything he told Urana. Her eyes widened at the last part.

"I remember that! You were shaking so much. You were disappearing. I don't know how long it seemed to you, but you were like that for nearly two days. We had to take turns making sure you didn't fall to the floor."

Two days...no wonder he was so sore when he woke up. And it had only seemed like just a few minutes to him. The rest of his time in the shadow world had felt like maybe a few hours at most. The fact that a month passed was slowly becoming easier for him to grasp.

"Where's everyone else?" Arone asked. "Urana said they were trying to find people for the fight against Dogane. And how are they getting them here if they find anyone?"

"It turns out Urana is able to make Kresilisses to send anyone who wants to fight back here. She just needs a little bit of where we want to transport them, and then she mixes it in with some of, well, this," she said, gesturing all around the room. "Ibnoba has already brought dirt and grass from both Bengaul and the temple, so we should be fine getting everyone around once we need to battle."

Kathara's face darkened.

"But as to finding people, they aren't having much luck. Urana only has enough supplies for two handfuls of Kresilisses, and we'll be lucky even to use those. But even worse...Dogane's taken over half of Agrathias, Bengaul included. He killed the king..."

"No..." Arone whispered, his stomach plummeting. He'd only met the king once, but he'd been really nice to him. Without him, he would've had no place to stay at Agrathias. He was dead? And Bengaul was gone. Just like last time.

"And what's worse," Kathara continued, "Dogane's given command to people in the cities. He's promised people almost complete reign, with them answering only to him. He has people who are on his side for this battle. We'll be going against our own people for this fight. Those disgusting, little..."

It was awful to feel his stomach sink deeper and start to twist. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to stand with the other people from all over, united, against Dogane. Arone's face curled into a deep frown; what the Ragmar said about people was going through his head. He knew it was true all along, but to see it actually happen was worse than the truth itself.

"So, they've been careful when going through every city, because now Dogane has spies everywhere. They've been going to each town separately, waiting for all the people they thought would join, and then they use a Kresiliss to get them here. It seemed like a great plan in the beginning, but once Dogane trusted others to keep rule in the cities, our numbers won't even be enough to match up against Dogane's spies. Then, he has the Arcam army too."

"I don't think we will ever have enough allies," Arone said sadly. "I just thought people would want to fight for their home."

"They do," Kathara responded. "Just not as many as we thought. More people care about power than freedom, even if it's power over the people they once cared about."

"They never did care about them..." Arone said. It was as though the Ragmar were a fortune teller. "They were always this evil. They just never had the power to show it so well as Dogane has."

"Hmm..." Kathara thought. "I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way."

"Neither did I until recently. It was the Ragmar who said it."

"He spoke to you?" Kathara said, impressed. "I'd be lucky to get just a grunt from him."

"We talked a few nights before the sorcerer's council," Arone said, and then he told her all he could remember from the talk with the Ragmar.

"I don't know," Kathara said at the end. "He sounds like he was telling the truth, but it's weird believing something so huge in history when it comes from only one person. And what if that Ragmar who survived the attack lied about it to the other tribes to cause the massacre at Bengaul to happen? Which, actually, it was written history."

"But we could've written things to cover up what we did against the Ragmarn," Arone suggested.

"That's possible," Kathara responded and fell into a confused silence. She remained there for a few more minutes as she considered everything Arone said, but she ended up only giving a shrug. She looked up and smiled.

"I should let you get some rest. But thanks again for being here with me. All of you...mean more to me than you could ever think, and I need you to know that in case anything happens in the future."

She turned to leave, but Arone reached out his hand and grabbed hers.

"We do care about you. All of us. Ever since that day we met you in Saric."

"You mean that day I saved you?" she smiled.

"No," Arone laughed. "The day we met you. We were just about to kill that man."

"Right," she replied before leaving the room.

As she left, Arone thought of where he was. What city were they in? How many people were already here? Those thoughts were bringing back some of the headache, or what he thought could become a headache. And his muscles were still sore and the bed so comfortable. He would find out the answers later.

~

After he woke up again, he wasted no time in getting ready and going outside. The town was smaller than he imagined, but that was not the part about it that stuck with him the most. There was a haze that settled on the ground. It was slight, but it didn't seem real with how the sun was shining now. The houses were spaced about, and the people walking around were being so quiet and peaceful. Had Arone been in any other state, he would find this odd considering the evil approaching them, but his body was still worn down, so he accepted it.

Tents were already set up to his left, and Arone assumed that was where the people already here were staying. Only two men, twins by their looks, were outside of the five tents he could see, and they were busy sharpening their knives and swords. They glanced in his direction, and Arone saw one of them whisper something to the other. He squinted at Arone. Arone didn't really want them to look at him now when he was weak; he wanted them to see him near his best, so they knew there was actually hope of winning this fight.

He turned away, but before he did something caught his eye. A small bit of the white haze defined itself into a form against Arone's view of the tents. His head snapped back; the white figure was close to him. He didn't know what the form was supposed to be, so he took a closer look.

It didn't take long for him to know, though. As soon as he moved, the defining feature moved itself from the tent's white background and came into view clearly. A face!

Arone looked at the faint image of an old man, eyes blank, staring forward. He was Arone's height and wore a thin robe that hid his hands and feet. He was oblivious to the fact he'd been discovered; even when Arone moved in front of him, all the while fixated on the man, his gaze never ceased.

Arone glanced back to the rest of the town. He now understood why the haze seemed so unnatural. More ghosts were floating around, possibly waiting to show themselves for whatever reason they had. The people walking around...were they so quiet now because the haze unsettled them? Or did it have the same effect on them as it did on Arone?

"It is a shock to everyone...at first."

Arone turned his head to see Urana looking calmly at him.

"These are..."

"Yes," Urana nodded. "I wasn't sure when I first started to live here, but someone from this town passed away and then appeared here a few days later. So I knew then these were ghosts of real people."

"So this is what we have to look forward to after death?" We will exist here?"

Arone didn't like the thought of that...

"Only some of us, I think, and it wouldn't be forever."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not too sure myself. I can only tell you what I've seen. There have been others who've died here, but I've never seen them again. And for these ghosts here, there comes a point for nearly all of them when they just disappear."

"Most of them?"

"There have been only a few who've been here since I moved to this town."

"What is this town?"

"It's Pergusiss, near the southern edge of Agrathias."

"Why haven't I heard of this place before? People coming back to life here would make it seem like a well-known place."

"No," Urana said quite firmly. "They are not alive. This place is written about in numerous books, and some people do travel here in hopes of seeing their lost loved ones. But since only so many who die actually show up here, most who come are disappointed. And for those who do see them...well, those who died are just that: dead. People expect everything to be better by seeing them again, but it usually leaves them with more hurt than before. For those reasons, this place has been thought of as haunted, and people tend to not talk about it."

"Well, haunted has some truth to it, don't you think?" Arone said, looking at the fog around him.

"Haunting sounds so evil, though. This place, if anything, is spiritual. Haunting makes it seem like dangerous things would happen all the time that can't be explained. I, for one, have never had anything bad happen to me in all my life here."

Arone was about to ask her how long she had been here, when blue and red streaks appeared in the horizon. Arone knew right away that Aine and Ibnoba had returned.

"Arone!" Aine shouted as she landed. "You're awake!"

She galloped toward him, showing once again the unbounded exuberance of a child. Her head nuzzled against his own, and for a fleeting moment, Arone had a vision of his mother holding him tightly. He didn't know how Aine could send it, but Arone didn't care; he enjoyed it. He returned Aine's embrace with a tight hug around the neck.

"You should've said something! You told me you were hit, but I didn't know you had all of the Nark'thul's power unleashed on you."

"I didn't want to ruin your mood..." Arone said guiltily, yet a smile still escaped. "Besides, I didn't know all that would happen to me."

Aine nudged against him once more and then gently let go of him.

"I know, I know...All that is behind us now, and I'm just glad you're okay. But if anything happens in the future, just tell me, no matter what mood I'm in."

"I will," said Arone.

Behind Aine, Ibnoba and Rikaida approached them.

"I couldn't imagine the fight without you," Rikaida whispered as Arone hugged him and Ibnoba with one arm each. "Thank goodness you're okay."

After them, lastly, was Lupercus. He remained awkwardly in front of them, shying his head toward the ground.

"You...uh...scared us a little..." he muttered.

"I did, huh?"

"Well, not really me...mostly everyone else. I had to stay strong for them. Kind of hard. Didn't know how much longer they could hold out."

Arone gave a beaming smile and walked toward Lupercus. He stopped just inches before him, arms held open wide. Lupercus did hesitate, but he finally met Arone the rest of the way. As Arone held him there, his heart twisted not just for Lupercus, but everyone else there. His whole world, it seemed, would come to a close if either of them died, and he understood then what everyone had been feeling for the past month as they watched Arone slowly vanishing.

He saw the Ragmar walking between the tents. He frowned as he walked past the two twins. But this frown disappeared when he caught Arone's gaze. After a few seconds, each gave the other an admirable nod. His thoughts turned to what was happening in each of the towns. He wanted to tell the Ragmar he believed him. But those thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud sniffle. He noticed just before he looked down that a tear was running from Lupercus's eyes. Arone gave him a warm smile and hugged him tighter.
Clever Evil

"The situation isn't good. I had no idea Dogane would trust other people. There's nothing worse than a man like him learning from his mistakes..."

Nighttime had come. The city that Rikaida, Lupercus, and Ibnoba had returned from had offered quite a few more volunteers, and fourteen much larger tents than the others sprang up. They were now sitting before a great fire with every other person willing to fight. Standing before the fire, valiant looking, was Kathara. She was just about to start talking.

Aine and Arone had been off to the side. Arone was trying to find out more on what was going on in the towns.

"Learning from his mistakes? But he's not trying to find us," Arone responded. "Wouldn't it be smarter to find us now and force us to fight earlier?"

"He is forcing you, in a way," Aine sighed.

"How?"

"He'll play off how much you care for other people. I don't think you realize it, but it's horrible out there. It's exactly like it was 900 years ago, and it only took one month to happen. The best of humans have had freedom and family stripped away from them."

"But we wouldn't win right now if we attacked him. We don't have the numbers, and Rikaida and I don't have the magic."

"We won't rush into this, but it doesn't mean we can tread lightly. Dogane isn't some mass murderer. He's much worse. He uses everyone and then destroys their lives and leaves them to die. And if they're strong and choose to live, he tortures them away from the public's eye. He just plays on everyone's small amount of hope that everything will get better. But no one really sees this horrible end, and his lie continues."

"Oh..." Arone said, acknowledging the truth. The longer they waited, the stronger they would become, but the more people would suffer. "And no one figured out this lie for what it was?"

"People knew, I'm sure, even if they didn't see the torturing outright. But how could someone just throw away the lives of those they cared about? Would you do that?"

"No..." Arone replied. He didn't think he ever could.

"Exactly. You would follow along, hoping that someone would save you from Dogane. Unfortunately, for nearly 1200 years, it never did happen. But for those lucky people that lived during the time of Ubinion and Ramas, everything worked out in the end. That's the hope everyone has. It's the hope Dogane preys off of, but it's the hope that makes the times of torment bearable."

Arone thought about this as the last few people gathered before Kathara. Dogane liked when everyone was under his absolute control. What if, though, everyone decided to give up? That, it seems, would be the only way to stop him. But it would be impossible to get everyone to do it. Arone didn't think he would do it, either, which was the sad truth. He could never just throw away his family in hopes that everyone else would do the same.

"I wanted to thank everyone for joining us," Kathara started, looking at their faces. "I know it wasn't easy, and unfortunately, I have to be truthful right now. All of you should expect to die in this fight."

She nodded her head, and Arone bowed his. They were going to lose people now...a battle that was possibly lost from the beginning...and there would be no artifact that would save them this time.

When he looked up, however, no one had budged. His spirits rose, and a small smile crept to his face. He felt closer to everyone: a bond to death.

"Good," Kathara said with a devilish smile. "Then we might have a fight after all."

Her next gaze was at two large rocks next to her.

"Who here thinks they can throw one of these rocks farther than me?"

No one raised their hand.

"Come on, now. No need to be shy. I'm sure there is someone who can beat me."

Slowly, all eyes turned to the largest man in the crowd. He gave a large breath and stood up.

"I'll try."

It was interesting to see the two of them standing there: Kathara, the thin, confident one next to the much larger yet nervous man in a test of strength. Arone knew who would win, but he wondered what Kathara was trying to do.

Kathara went first. She struggled in picking it up, and it looked like she would topple over as she chucked the rock. It didn't go far at all.

All could see the relief seep into the man's face. Without any effort showing he hurled the rock out of sight.

"Great job!" Kathara smiled as she patted him on the back. A few of the people started to clap. The man turned to walk away, but before he did so, Kathara spoke up again.

"How about sparring against me, then?"

The man turned, a confident yet bewildered expression on his face. She threw him three sticks of different sizes. She herself picked up two short ones. There was much less hesitation this time. The man picked up the largest sword and stood towering over Kathara.

It was over in a few seconds. Kathara's strikes were just a flurry of wood that soon wrenched the man's stick from his hands and left him defenseless. All the watchers fell into a stunned silence so only the sound of flames could be heard. Kathara withdrew her weapons and turned to face the crowd.

"This demonstration was not meant to be embarrassing. Rather, let it be an eye-opener. I was bested in a contest of strength yet still won when it came to sparring. When I was younger, I realized I would never be as strong as other people in combat, so I took to what I knew I could do and wanted to improve upon: my speed. This is to show both to never underestimate your opponent and to find the style of fighting you feel most comfortable with and excel at it."

"However," she added, looking at the man who now looked rather uncomfortable standing next to Kathara, "I want to add one more thing. Who you fight with is who you depend on. Whatever ability you don't have, you must rely on those around you for it. Strength is not my strong point, and I would have to rely on others, like this man, to cover my weakness. And I don't mind at all doing just that."

She gave a short nod to the man. He smiled a little before sitting down. Her next gestures were for Arone, Rikaida, and Lupercus to join her.

"I want you to find your fighting style and exploit it. If speed is your ally, then choose to learn with me. If strength is, though, then go with Rikaida. If aggression and hand-to-hand combat are more your style, then Lupercus is your person. Do not underestimate him, either. He fights with wolves, and wins some of those fights, too! And finally, there's Arone, whose skill with the bow is probably the best on this Earth. Choose, but don't think that you'll only be able to fight with just one style. Combine them; make yourself as perfect of a weapon as possible."

From there they spread out. It took a few seconds for the people to stand up and choose their person. Most went with Kathara; Rikaida had nearly as many. Only a hand-fold would go over to Lupercus and Arone. Included in that bunch, bows in hand, were the twins Arone had seen earlier.

"Go easy on them," Arone called out to Lupercus as he started to walk away with his people.

"Of course I will! I'm only a kid, remember?" he said back, making Arone chuckle a little.

Arone took everyone to a tree near the tents. It had a low-hanging branch, and earlier that day, Arone had tied a rope from the branch to a root in the ground. He lit the ground around the rope with fire. The illumination not only caught the rope, but also the astonished faces of those around him. He brought them a good distance before turning and speaking to them.

"Does everyone here have a decent amount of experience with a bow?"

All nodded. The twins did so with skepticism toward Arone.

"Does everyone have enough experience to slice through that rope on their first try?"

Almost immediately, the twins raised their bows. They both strung an arrow and simultaneously let go. Each arrow cut half the rope and snapped it.

"Fantastic!" Arone clapped, but with the looks of contempt on their faces his clapping slowed.

He grabbed from behind the tree another rope and tied it to the same spot.

"Would anyone else like to try?"

An older man stepped forward. He was confident, but his drawing of an arrow was slow, and his aim was unsteady. When he let go, the arrow went haphazardly to the right.

The twins chortled and turned it into a choked cough. Arone's head snapped in their direction. How dare they. The smiles vanished from their faces, but the laughter remained in their eyes.

"That was a good first try," Arone muttered as the man's shoulders slouched.

"It's so shaky," he said.

In a whispered voice, Arone spoke to him.

"I just want you to try again. Don't think about the shakiness; just make sure you aim to the left next time."

Arrow after arrow flew. Each time Arone encouraged him, and each time the arrow seemed to get closer to the rope. The twins kept their snickering up, and Arone was doing his best to talk over them; however, he felt even he was losing his temper more and more. He could only imagine what the man was thinking.

On the next arrow, it sliced through a small part of the string. Arone could see the excitement overwhelm the man's face, and for a moment Arone shared in his joy. Behind him, though, very softly, he heard one of the twins mutter, "finally."

Arone snarled and turned on the spot. Strength and heat radiated from him, and at last the mockery was wiped from them. But that wasn't good enough.

"You two..." he growled, "Will. SHUT. UP!"

With each word he said, he sent an arrow slashing forward. The first one perfectly cut the rope, and the others struck the tree in the exact same spot as the first. With each pull back, the twins receded. With each hit against the bark, they flinched. The satisfaction was great, but he couldn't just bask in it. Besides, the heat and anger were starting to burn his mind.

"Do you realize what we're up against? Do you know what will happen if we lose? Because if it's passed anywhere through your heads, you'd know we need all the help we can get. That means you support everyone here no matter what. So if you dare try to say anything against anyone else, I swear I'll drag you away from this town, whether whole or in pieces."

The twins gulped. Any shade of the joy they previously had would not resurface.

"Let me tell you all the stakes. We are facing someone who won't be living just to kill you. He'll be living to murder every last inch of your being. He'll break your spirit and leave nothing but your soul to decide if resistance was even worth it. Your life will become just falling down into an endless pit, just hoping that one day you'll hit bottom so you can escape that hell. And all Dogane will do is laugh as he covers up the light from the top of that pit. You'll be alone and terrified out of your mind. You'll wish you could come back to now."

He tried to relate what he heard from Aine in the best way he could, and it seemed to have worked. The awe from people seeing him shoot the tree was now mixed with a horrified surprise. Those were not the ones he wanted to impress this upon, though. His last stern look was at the twins. They would not make another sound that night.
Ravella's Blessing

Dogane saw a child run out of a house. He recognized the girl; her parents had grown ill a few days before. She was probably just bringing them medicine. This wouldn't do, though. Their parents had grown too old to work. Their bodies took up room other people might need.

Dogane stopped the little girl just as she was about to enter her house again. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at Dogane's face, but he returned her a warm smile.

"Hello. And who might you be?" he asked.

"J-Jamie," she muttered, shying away.

"I saw that your parents were sick the other day. Were you trying to get them medicine?"

"Yeah. I think my mom's almost getting through it, but my dad is still pretty sick."

"Sorry to hear that. But luckily, I have something right here for them."

He pulled from his pocket a very small vial and handed it to the girl.

"Just a few drops will do it for both of them. Just put it in whatever drinks you will give to them, and it should cure them within the next day. Even your father."

"Really?" she asked, bewildered. "How much will this cost? This'll be so cool!"

"Doesn't cost anything at all. I always want the people in my town to be as healthy as possible. And make sure it stays a surprise! I want them to know that it was just you that got them better."

The girl ran from him so excited and slammed the door as she went back inside her house.

Dogane continued to walk down the street, surveying the progress everyone was making at the dig sites. He needed many able-bodied people to be working now; they needed to find it as soon as possible. If people couldn't work, they would be replaced.

Jamie's parents needed to die.

~

Over the next month, Arone's energy and strength returned to him. As it did, he lasted longer through the day as they fought. He was impressed with how fast Lupercus had become at dodging everything; there was hardly ever a fight where he and Rikaida could hit him with fire and ice before he reached them for his first strike. Kathara, meanwhile, seemed to get closer and closer to beating Rikaida.

Even after Arone gained all his strength back, Rikaida still went with Ibnoba and Aine to find more fighters. Aine felt more comfortable when someone stayed behind to monitor training, and Rikaida said he was already used to finding those who wanted to battle without alerting traitors in the area who had joined Dogane.

At night, all the focus was on helping everyone else. As more people arrived, the four groups started to even out. Thankfully, no other people tried Arone's patience like the twins had. Despite them cleaning up their act, Arone still watched them closely.

On some nights when Rikaida didn't make it back in time, Kathara would usually instruct both their groups. When this happened, Arone would usually join groups with Lupercus. Not only was it important for the archers to develop in close-range attacks, it was also pretty entertaining to watch Lupercus take on the others in a weaponless brawl. Anything went except cheap shots during those fights, and he usually won.

They sometimes practiced for hours. At the end, they would have a free-for-all: sticks only and no magic. When you were hit once, you were done. As such, Arone never won these fighting contests. Oftentimes, it was usually Kathara or Rikaida who won, depending on who had more people attacking them at once. Others, at times, also won fights. One time, Lupercus won, and his smile was exuberant enough to hint at how cheerful he was before Kaidai was killed.

~

"It's not good out there..."

Rikaida was talking to Arone a few days later in the afternoon. They sat with their backs against the house that Arone had awoken in upon first arriving to the city.

"It's getting too hard to convince people to join. It's only been a month, and most people have already lost everything. They're under the delusion that if they do things right, they'll get something back. And I can't compete against getting family back with a battle that's so set against us."

"Do you think you'll still go and find more people?"

Rikaida paused for a moment.

"I-I have to. It's hard to look in their eyes as they tell me all that's happening. It's hard to hear them say they'll wait for things to get better, knowing it's all a lie."

"Do you think..."

Arone had been thinking something for the past few weeks that he had held off on because of all the people showing up. But with Rikaida saying this, and with there not being any new fighters in the past two days, Arone felt it should be said.

"Do you think there are any of Dogane's spies in this camp?"

"I've thought that since day one," Rikaida said. "But they would be pretty worthless spies if that were true. No one knows the location of this place except us, and I check everyone for a Kresiliss before they come here. So I think we are safe for now. That doesn't mean, of course, we shouldn't be suspicious of those who try to leave randomly during the day."

"Oh, that makes sense," Arone replied. "Well, I'm glad it's you that is looking for people. I don't think I would've thought of all those precautions."

"Actually, it was Aine who told me to do all those things."

"Right," Arone laughed. He could see Aine doing the reminding. As he laughed, though, he thought of something else.

"Where is Aine, by the way? I need to talk to her about the attack. By what you're saying, it sounds like we should strike against him soon."

"I don't know," Rikaida answered, then sadly glanced at the hundred or so tents put up. "And I don't know about attacking, either. It doesn't seem like we have enough..."

His voice was cut off as the wind suddenly picked up, and a muffled hissing sound rattled the air. Arone looked around, expecting to see the Ragmar as the cause but was surprised to see him sleeping against one of the tents.

The hissing stopped, but the wind continued. A few seconds passed.

A metallic groan struck the air. To Arone's right, a huge, black form soared along the ground. At first, Arone feared a return to the shadow world, but he discarded that thought when he saw Rikaida staring at it, too. It wove its way along the path, coming ever closer to where they stood.

Then, it was in front of them, and the front of itself snapped at Arone's direction, staying in one spot while the back part of it continued on at the same speed. Time slowed; bones formed themselves into a giant face. It had no eyes, but Arone could still feel a smothering gaze. It wrenched its spirit through Arone's eyes and peered directly into his soul. Hundreds of memories flashed before his mind, and he had no way of discerning each from one another. He didn't like this feeling...He wanted this thing to move on.

As if reading his mind, the face disappeared and the front flew back to its original spot. The form made its way onward, not straying until it reached the end of the path, at which point it shot off to its right.

The fog around them stirred. Figures around them coalesced and floated to where that form had gone. Arone and Rikaida looked at each other. Almost at once, they started running down the path the form had taken. They glanced behind, surprised to see no one else was curious to see where it went.

When they turned right, Arone noticed something at the far corner of the town he hadn't noticed before: a courtyard. It was here the black form had stopped, and it was here that it started to peer around slowly. Its skeleton face reappeared, though thankfully it ignored Arone now.

It took a few minutes for the fog to reach them. When it did, all at once, every ghost began to materialize. Arone's mouth dropped open as he saw all those that came into existence. The sheer number...Arone didn't think he could even count all of them in his lifetime.

The form settled itself in the middle of the courtyard. Slowly, it started to change. Its face remained the same, but its wispy body began to shrink. What looked like two sleeves sprang from the cloak it now had covering the body. Skeletal, fleshed hands crawled out from its sleeves. This thing looked horrifying, but Arone felt no terror in its presence. It just stood there, hovering, now turning even slower as it looked at the ghosts surrounding it.

"What do you think it's doing?" Arone asked Rikaida.

But Rikaida wasn't listening. His head was glued to a spot somewhere to his right. Arone tried to see what he was looking at, but he had no idea what to search for. Like in a dream, Rikaida walked forward. Arone still peered, glancing to where Rikaida was walking, yet he couldn't find anything.

Rikaida stopped. His eyes were already tearing. His mouth was quivering. Arone now scanned wildly at the ghosts and anything else in front of them that could cause Rikaida distress.

"Ravella..."

Arone's stomach sank at the same time Rikaida slumped to his knees. Now that he knew what to look for, his eyes immediately found the spirit of the little girl in front of them. The girl with hair that reached far down her back and whose face resembled Rikaida's.

Within seconds, Rikaida was weeping; the air frosted. He tried multiple times to lift his hands, but his shakiness was too much. She acknowledged him, but it was unclear if she felt anything at his presence.

"I d-didn't m-mean for th-this to happen..." he sobbed. "You would s-still be alive i-if it w-weren't for this stupid magic..."

Rain started to pour suddenly. Arone, knowing what was about to happen, calmly put his hand on Rikaida's shoulder.

"Rikaida...just remember to stay calm..."

Rikaida's head teetered in his direction. He was more coherent.

"I c-can't even grieve for h-her? I j-just want to, just this once..."

Arone was at a loss for words. Because as much as he wanted to console Rikaida and stop the hurricane from coming, he understood Rikaida's grief. Arone couldn't get mad without blowing something up, and Rikaida couldn't get sad without flooding some place. Anger and sorrow...two of the emotions felt so often, and they weren't allowed to feel one of them. Sometimes, Arone just wanted to get mad, and not just mad...really mad. Just as he was sure Rikaida only wanted to cry for his sister. But they couldn't...

Ravella shifted slightly. She bent down until she was kneeling in front of Rikaida. Her hand reached out, and her form smiled as she waited there. Rikaida lifted his head up and stared at her hand. He tried lifting his own again, and this time his strength was greater than his sadness. He stretched the rest of the way and finally their hands touched.

The rain and wind stopped. Rikaida's head twitched, and an expression of great shock overtook him. He didn't say anything or make a sound. All he did was stare forward.

Ravella slipped away her hand, and the normal glow and look returned to Rikaida's face. Without saying a word, tears still flowing down his face, he stood up and left the two of them there. Arone watched, bewildered, as Rikaida slumped back along the street and disappeared from sight.

Arone turned around, expecting to see Ravella looking at Rikaida. But she was already standing back up and walking right toward the black form. It revolved once more, and on its final pass through, it fixated itself on Ravella. Its hand stretched outward, and Ravella was lifting up her own.

"Ravella...don't..."

Arone wasn't sure why he said that. Ravella wouldn't hear it, but he wasn't sure if that black form was safe or not. It didn't give him any sinister feelings, but what if it was dangerous?

Their hands touched, and Arone watched as Ravella's white outline unraveled itself and wisped away into evaporating smoke. Ravella was no more, and the black form bowed in her absence. Arone wasn't concerned at this, for he understood finally what happened. The black form, despite its foreboding features, granted Ravella peace. She moved on.

~

Rikaida was quiet the next few days. He was still able to teach; he still won most of the free-for-alls. He was just distant from everyone. Arone wondered if he knew about Ravella leaving this world, but he didn't think he should tell Rikaida unless he tried finding her again. He may already know. Arone never asked him what had exactly happened when he and Ravella held hands.

Arone had to admit he'd been a little preoccupied, too. Ever since seeing Ravella, he found himself constantly searching for Toaran. He couldn't find him in the courtyard, but that didn't stop him from roaming the town more than usual to find him. He remembered what Urana told him, that Toaran was dead even if he did exist here. He wasn't looking for resurrection. He was hoping just to see his brother again.

He would usually walk with Aine, often talking about the battle. Disappointingly enough, Aine was as unsure of when to fight as was everyone else. She, however, thought the time was very near, and they should start preparing the people there for the thought of an actual fight.

"There is hardly anyone coming anymore," she said one day. "And with every day that passes, I wonder if the skill everyone needs outweighs the suffering people must endure for us waiting."

"We could always free the people now."

"I want to. I really do. But the minute we attack some place, someone will teleport to Dogane and notify him, and he'll make sure that is the last place we attack."

"He wouldn't be so quick. We could probably strike a few towns and gain a few more fighters before he has time to establish order again."

They were behind the house when Aine stopped abruptly and turned to Arone.

"No," she said flatly. "Imagine the first place we attack, overrun by an army of Arcams and Dogane all at once, because one person was able to get to Dogane, and he uses his own Kresiliss to get to that place with everything he has. Some would get injured or captured, and then we'll be at a huge disadvantage when we actually do fight at Bengaul."

"Oh," Arone uttered.

"We wait for our attack when we are at our strongest. We attack him at Bengaul, and we do it soon."

"Then why not today?"

"If you think we are ready, then it is your call."

Arone grumbled. There would be no way to attack by today, and they were running out of excuses.

"We'll attack in three days," Arone said.

"Good. Just make sure to tell everyone tonight."

"I will."

Aine nodded, and they strolled forward. As they did, the door to the house next to them opened, and Urana walked out. She caught sight with them and rushed over.

"Are Rikaida and Ibnoba around?" she asked. "There's something I need to show you."

Arone, confused, set out to find them. Luckily, he didn't need to look far when he found them near the closer tents.

"Normally, I don't join battles," Urana started when the four of them were back at her house. "I hate sounding arrogant, but I'm really good at what I do, and I am more help to this region alive than dead. I'm not a good fighter, anyway. This fight, though, due to the odds and what's at stake, I've decided to heal while being in the fray. There's a good chance I may die, so I wanted to make sure someone knew about a certain place before I go."

She sighed and walked forward. The place where she stopped was at a large boulder with a single line of moss that ran alongside of it.

Urana reached into a knapsack and withdrew a strange, clumped green powder. She sprinkled it along the marking on the boulder. It was like acid and lava, and the boulder eroded away. Beams of light broke the stone until a dazzling spectacle showed itself.

"Step into it after me," Urana said as she did just that. Her body became light, and then she was gone. Arone was too intrigued after seeing this to hesitate. He was next into the light, and quickly his vision went white. The last thing he saw were the wide, concerned eyes of Aine as he disappeared.

~

It was there. It had to be. No one would cross him.

Dogane would fly there, head up the stairs of the tower, open the door and check the wall. His armor would be there, ready for him to use. But the man in whom they had put so much trust spoke of the traitor in their ranks. And even he, through the eyes of the man his soul consumed, had grown to trust him.

The only person he'd ever trusted before, now that he thought about it. Which made him know what he was about to find before he even reached the tower. His rage built. Sparks began to fly and encompass both him and his Shadin. No...Let him be wrong. Let him have his armor. Give him some reason to doubt this man. Please.

He was there. He saw the people come out and see what was going on. But they didn't matter. He was here for one thing.

Someone was in his way. He pushed him aside. He stormed up the stairs and blasted through the door to finally see inside.

His anger exploded at the loss of his armor. That empty spot...And the top of the tower had been blown to pieces. He was glaring at all the people below.

The traitor had the armor. He would be giving it to the descendants. That couldn't happen, or the battle would be even.

What was he feeling? Something else was fueling this power. Something he hadn't felt since fighting Ramas and Ubinion.

This feeling ran rampant through his body: the only thing he had difficulty controlling. He could contain it now, but there was no telling what would happen to him if more seeped through his defenses and spiked his mind.

He would cope with it, but not here. He'd made up his mind on what he would do. There was no time left; he'd have to start the fight now. He was gone from the tower at once, and he was on his Shadin. It could feel his fear take over more of his thoughts, and he knew there was one thing that would put him at ease.

Just put the plan into action. It was all there for him to do. Something that would make them attack. He could care less about all the people they'd convinced to fight for them. He cared not at all that he didn't know where they were hiding. In the end, he would always have the upper hand.

He just needed to start the plan.

~

For the next few seconds, all Arone knew was the light around him. Then coldness; a cavern appeared. The space around him was about the size of Urana's house; the walls shown of graphite. Urana stood before him, and on either side of her was a path leading elsewhere.

"I found this place a few years after I moved here," she said when everyone was there. "It's a very special place to me, as you'll soon see."

She led them down the path to their right. Right away along the walls, Arone noticed images moving about. He didn't wait to see if the others stopped as he became entranced by the scenes unfolding before him. The one directly in front of him showed a man taking a stroll through the woods.

"I thought you'd be interested in those."

Arone looked around. Urana was standing on the side of the wall that didn't have the visions, and she was staring at the four of them. It turned out everyone had been just as taken in by those as he was.

"These show anything in the world's past," she continued, probably answering the question on all their minds. "It can be as simple as someone eating their own dinner or the view of a tree blowing in the wind, or it could be as complex as a large meeting between people."

"Does it show events chronologically?" asked Arone.

"From what I've seen, no. These pictures are random times in history."

"Do you ever stay down here and just watch everything?"

"Sometimes," Urana said. "Sometimes it's a great way to clear your mind as you watch people go about their lives...see how different people react to whatever is happening to them. But I don't do it too often. Most of the time, the small things are seen, and only rarely does it show anything significant. Besides, as gripping as this all is, this isn't what I wanted to show you."

Arone tilted his head, but he followed her nonetheless. She moved along the cave, not really paying attention what was on the walls. Arone still followed her, but he, as he was sure all the others were too, couldn't help but steal glances at the wall. He saw the sea shimmering. He saw a woman riding a horse. He saw a thief stealing from someone at night...

Urana rounded another corner, and the tunnel they were walking in opened itself into a large cavern. An onslaught of aromas toppled onto him, and Arone saw in the middle its source: vials upon vials of substances lined the floor and were scattered on benches. The area was expansive, and all Arone would have to do was to walk a few feet before he reached the first organized collection of brews.

"This is my life's work right here," she sighed. "Every single potion I've made or discovered lies in this room."

"Really..." Arone and Rikaida said, now in awe.

"I was hoping to preserve it if I die. Pass it along to someone I trust. I know you two aren't so interested in healing, or at least I assumed that, but maybe if you find someone who is...I trust you'll make a good decision."

"You haven't met anyone you can think of right away?" asked Rikaida.

"The situation...it's more complicated than just finding someone else..."

All eyes were on Urana, expecting her to explain.

"There's a reason I keep everything here," she started. "Any other place and I would worry someone would come along and steal it all. There's not just medicine in this cavern, either, or I wouldn't be too concerned with opening it up to the world. Most of these potions contain something that can be twisted around and used for evil. Some, as I've come to find out, contain only death. And I couldn't stand if someone got their hands on it, even if just to study it.

"The reason I feel so safe it's here, though, is because only someone touched with magic can enter."

"Which means..." Arone began, realizing what she meant.  
"Yes. There's a reason I can heal so well. My power is an abnormal ability to mend. It's the only reason you weren't consumed by the shadow world sooner. I could interact with it, in a way. I could keep your soul from being touched before the entire force surrounded your spirit."

"But therein lies the problem, too," Urana went on. "I haven't met anyone with the passion for healing as I have that also has some sort of magic given to them. Sure, I've met plenty of healers that I've come to be great friends with who I'd have no problem trusting. But I just couldn't give them all of what I've discovered, because then it'd get stolen one day. No...Everything I have must stay here for the world to be safe."

"And you want us to find a person for you should you...um..." started Rikaida.

"Would you?" Urana asked. "I know I would rather everything disappear forever than have it fall into the wrong hands, but if I knew there was a possibility this could be passed on to someone just as dedicated as I, it would put my mind to ease to step into battle."

"We will," Arone said. He didn't mind doing it at all. Urana had saved him, after all. This was the least he could do to pay her back.

"Thank you so much," she smiled as she started to roam around the cavern, examining and picking up certain vials.

"But aren't you concerned someone will find this place on accident?" Arone asked as the thought came to him. "Wouldn't you rather us get rid of all this before someone else finds it?"

"Oh, no one will be finding this place on accident," she laughed. "It was only by extreme luck I discovered it. I had been inspecting the moss on that boulder when some of that green liquid spilled onto it. Only that substance does the trick. Can you believe it?"

"No," muttered Arone.

"Besides," she said, pointing to a large flask, "some of these would be rather hazardous if disposed of in the wrong way. And I wouldn't want you to guess each time, considering there are so many here."

"Right," Arone chuckled, imagining an explosion coming from each bottle. "I guess I wouldn't want that."

"No, you wouldn't."

She was rapidly scanning each thing she was picking up, sometimes combining vials as she went.

"Here," she said at the end, handing him a flask containing an orange fluid. "I need you to carry this. Be careful, though. If it falls and breaks, the acid inside will melt your feet away."

Arone's heart skipped a beat as his hand clenched the flask.

"I'm just joking," she laughed. "It's to help stop blood loss...to a certain extent. But you should've seen your face!"

She herself carried two small red orbs, and she began walking back through the tunnel. Arone looked at Rikaida, and they both scanned the room for Aine and Ibnoba. But they were not here, and they followed Urana to find them.

When they turned into the tunnel, they quickly found Urana, Aine, and Ibnoba staring blankly at the wall. The vision they saw was of a plateau spreading from the mouth of a wide cave. Outside were humans and Ragmarn alike.

"How long have you been..." started Arone, but then silence overcame him.

A Shadin snapped its way outward. It had a lone rider on its back who thrust a green sword into the air. The humans, all at once, began hacking their way through their Ragmarn allies. Some rocks were kicked up into the air by the Ragmarn, mostly aimed at the human traitors, but the humans massively outnumbered them.

"Oh my," Urana whispered as the vision turned onto a Ragmar whose arm was hacked off. Another human gashed its back open, and it fell limp to the ground. One lone Ragmar frantically ran off the plateau's ledge, uncaring to what lay ahead, because no monstrosity could be worse than what was left behind.

Then, the vision was that of a small bird flapping through the air. It did it so freely, with no way knowing of the blood fest it just replaced.

"He was right."

Aine shocked the silence with her wavering voice. Her head slowly turned to Arone. Humility emanated from her face.

"The Ragmar was right."

Arone felt the flask in his hand slip from how stunned he felt. He clenched it, tighter this time, but his mind thought more of that vision. He always had the hunch that the Ragmar was right. But what he felt now was dominated by what he saw. There were no words to describe how hopeless that fight had looked.

Everyone was silent on their trek back. Only Urana spoke to tell them to stand in the center of the first cavern to be transferred back to the surface. And when they finally returned to Pergusiss, awkwardness prevailed as they all went their separate ways. All but Aine and Arone.

"There's...umm...something I need to do," Aine muttered. She was looking directly at the Ragmar.

Arone stayed behind and watched as Aine walked onward. The Ragmar was eyeing each human with suspicion, holding his knife tightly in his hand. When he saw Aine nearing him, he tensed and moved his knife a little more forward.

Aine stopped just a few feet before him. She was completely still, but the Ragmar...even from where Arone stood, he could see the knife in his hand start to waver. Then, as an action more surprising than the first time he produced fire, Aine actually bowed her head.

The knife dropped from the Ragmar's hand. He was stern, confused, contemplating what he should do. Even as he stood there, unsure, Aine remained bowed.

The Ragmar made up his mind. He approached Aine and slowly lifted his right hand. His left was held up defensively. But Arone knew Aine wouldn't strike. She'd seen the truth.

His hand touched her head, and it was as though the ancient strife had reversed itself. People passed by; some even looked. Yet they continued on their way, oblivious to how monumental of a moment this really was. If something as unlikely as this could happen, then the chances of winning the battle to come didn't seem so bleak after all.

That moment was beyond heartwarming. There was no indication of evil anywhere. Yet, grief had harbored itself, and at this time, it finally struck. In the distance, a terrifying storm blasted the horizon. It expanded widely to the left and right, but in its center, Arone saw a torrent of lightning. It whipped about the ground without mercy, and despite the great separation between them and it, the thunder they heard was deafening.

"Dogane," Arone whispered. It was too sudden and astounding for it to be a storm. And besides, it had just been sunny in that spot seconds ago.

"Kathara," Arone said, finding her in the next minute, "if we don't return within the next hour, use the Kresiliss and go to Bengaul. Hopefully, we'll be able to join you."

Kathara nodded as Aine raced toward him. Her face was alive with panic.

"Hurry! Go! Now!" she cried incoherently, and the two of them sped off, Rikaida and Ibnoba joining them within seconds.
The Last Haven

He was here, where it all began. All those years ago he'd fought Ubinion and Ramas, and they had won. But that was long ago, and now he was much stronger, and he had his Shadin.

Dogane glanced behind him. Bengaul was quiet, like last time. Everything was like last time, except now he had his plan.

He would wait on this field for them, and then it would all unfold.

All he had to do was stick to the plan.

They took too long. Minutes after their take-off, the lightning died down, and clear sky prevailed again. They were still some ways away, and Arone's stomach knotted at the thought of what he might find. A forest. A lake. A meadow. Things flew by, but his attention was on that one spot that could have suffered catastrophic damage. They were soon near it. He saw smoke. It was just over the hill.

Aine and Ibnoba greatly slowed down at the horrid sight. A large city rested before them, annihilated by the lightning. They landed in a spot with the least rubble, but Arone couldn't get back up quickly from how sad he was.

His heart sank. He saw the bodies of those dead around him. Very close to him, a father was holding a baby against his chest...Everyone was dead, and all that remained was the smoke from the huts and bodies to billow into the air.

"This isn't like him at all..." Aine said. "We have to stop him before he takes down Bengaul. I can't believe he attacked a place...and he might strike another."

Arone quickly told Rikaida, and he agreed. They cut back into the air, and Aine turned in the direction of Bengaul. He wished...hoped that he wouldn't see lightning on the horizon. It couldn't happen. It just couldn't.

They were over Velgath Forest. They were almost there. It looked like they would not be fighting with their reinforcements. Or maybe they still could. One of them would have to steal away and go through their Kresiliss. Just...no lightning...no lightning...

He saw the field, and there was Dogane, standing so defiantly, as if nothing had happened. It was sickening.

"Arone! Now!" Aine cried, but he had already prepared. The fire poured from his mind, and it flowed over Aine's head. She propelled it forward, and it was like the pillar he had first shot at the man after he killed Toaran, when it all began. But Dogane was not like that man in the woods. A wall of electricity absorbed the fire. He thrust it forward, and at the same time, a deafening roar erupted from the forest.

The Shadin snapped its way from the trees. Its mouth crushed down on Arone at the same time the lightning reached him. The only way he could avoid both was for Aine to suddenly flip upside down, but this swerve made Arone slip from Aine's back and drop toward the ground. His stomach and hopes seemed to fall faster than his own body. He couldn't believe this was happening; he couldn't get injured like this!

He felt something clamp on his arm, and he looked around to see Rikaida's startled face. Ibnoba had her talons around him, and she flew to the ground. They landed, and Arone saw Aine streaking through the air, diving around the Shadin, doing anything she could to distract it. Its mouth writhed and collapsed onto her. It looked as though its jaws had crushed her, but in the next second, she flashed off into the forest. The Shadin, surprisingly, followed.

"I need to help her!" Ibnoba yelled, and suddenly it was Arone and Rikaida facing Dogane.

"Do you know what you're getting yourselves into?" he asked. "Did you prepare everyone else for death?"

"No one else will die by you," said Rikaida.

"Oh, but they will," Dogane replied, his eyebrows rising. "If they step onto that battlefield, they will die."

"The fight is here," Arone said. "Just you and us. How it's always meant to be. No one else."

"Ubinion and Ramas needed Aine and Ibnoba to beat me, and they were more powerful than you. And you think you two alone can beat me?"

"Yes," uttered both, and Arone flowed fire through his mind. He looked at Rikaida, and they held up their hand closest to each other. They'd figured something out in the past month of fighting with each other. It was a way to increase their magic's strength. It was a way Dogane never could have.

They grasped hands, and suddenly the flames in his mind intensified. Rikaida's ice and Arone's fire combined, and a blast of elemental power rocketed forth. This time, Dogane could not defend himself so easily. He had lightning in front of him, but their magic was stronger than his defense. It was broken, and Dogane flew through the air.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment. The demon, finally beaten at least once, was now being tossed through the air like the weak soul he was. They sent more magic, but Dogane's eyes had started glowing white, and the air began to hiss. An abnormal amount of lightning spread out in all directions. It blew apart some of Bengaul's walls and completely consumed Arone and Rikaida's energy as it came back at them. They weren't knocked from their feet, but there was no way to give themselves for another strike.

A bolt of lightning hit the sky, and low groans came from beyond the tree line. Arone and Rikaida continued unleashing what they had, but there never came a time again when Dogane would be overpowered.

The Shadin sliced through the trees, and they had to duck to avoid its massive coils from crashing against them. It was at Dogane, and in a swift jump, he was on its back as it started to fly away.

"This is your last day alive. It's time to settle this at the temple. You might not want to wait."

His hand thrust into the air one more time, and lightning spread across the sky. It struck the ground around them, and within seconds, the storm's reach widened.

"We have to save Bengaul!" Rikaida roared as Dogane went out of sight. They dodged the whipping streaks as they clambered on toward the city. People were screaming as they ran for cover. Arone didn't know the best way to stop the lightning, so he tried what first came to mind and just sent a blanket of fire that at first stopped the lightning from breaching everything in its way. But his fire went to smoke, and there was nothing more for him to do.

Rikaida was next, and with his movements he began making a barrier of ice that shielded the city from above. Lightning cracked and shot at the barrier in several places, but it was good enough to hold.

"Where are Aine and Ibnoba?" Arone asked but knew the answer as he turned and didn't notice any blue and red rushing toward them. They would have to brave the field again and search for them in the woods.

Before he went to see their fate, Arone took one more look at Bengaul. The city was being bombarded with hurling flashes of lightning, and Arone hoped it would not be long before Dogane was stopped. But...why was he going to the temple? It was the one place he could die.

They went through the woods, and it didn't take long to find the two red and blue masses collapsed on the ground next to a river. Aine and Ibnoba lay beaten, gasping for air with each strained breath. Both their sides had been torn.

Arone went to them and heated their wounds. They didn't look as serious as Kaidai's, but any injury was worse than no injury right before the battle. As he started, he saw a profound look of defeat in Aine's eyes as she glanced at him. She lay broken on the ground, and this scared him more than the thought of the actual fight.

"Arone," she breathed. "I've tried twice and it's too powerful. I don't know what will happen if I face it a third time."

"Aine," he whispered. "I don't care if that Shadin can beat you and Ibnoba. I don't care if it can beat all of us. You are who I'm fighting with, and I wouldn't choose anyone or anything else."

"I just wish I could give enough strength to kill it..."

"You once gave me a vision of Ramas telling me that strength was not important in this fight, so long as bravery could keep us on our feet and standing against Dogane. Any strength is good enough. I just need you to fight by me against Dogane."

He didn't want to admit what was in the back of his mind. The Shadin with Dogane meant death for everyone, and this lightning lashing against the forest was only the beginning.

Aine turned her head away. She let out a choked groan.

"Can you fly us back to Pergusiss?"

"I must, don't I?"

She was still looking away, but her gasps turned into winces of struggle as she clambered to her feet.

Arone and Rikaida carefully climbed on the griffins, and they teetered into the air. They flew near each other. Ice, water, and fire were cast above them to create a dome of protection from the lightning.

Over time, the lightning thinned in the distance as they flew. But this wasn't from the storm itself waning. Looking back, Arone saw the atrocity span itself widely in all ways. All he could think about were all the cities and towns affected. All the ones they hadn't been able to shield from the lightning...

They landed back in Pergusiss as the sun began to set. Everyone was entranced by the violence they left behind, but now was not the time for contemplation.

"Prepare!" Arone cried out. "We are fighting tonight!"

This knocked all from their hypnotic state. The town was alive with people scrambling among their tents, gathering their weapons and armor.

"Rikaida! Arone!"

They both turned to see Kathara sprinting toward them.

They told her what they'd seen at the blown-apart city and about their confrontation with Dogane. She was exasperated at hearing the former, and her eyes narrowed at the latter. Arone told her to tell all they would be going to the temple instead. They'd use another Kresiliss that Urana had.

"He will see what he's messing with," she said as she sprinted off again for her weapons and the Kresiliss.

Lupercus and Gunnolf were surprisingly the calmest. Unlike all the other people, they remained sitting, weapons already prepared. Lupercus was gazing out at the storm, slowly sharpening his blade with malice in his eyes.

"Aine, why is Dogane going to the temple? He must know his weakness there," Arone asked as he leapt from Aine.

"I don't know, but whatever reason, it does not bode well for us," she winced, and Arone was once again reminded of Aine's laceration. Arone's mind went to Urana and the orange flask he'd been asked to carry.

Through the commotion, Arone searched for her. She wasn't near the tents, and she wasn't in her house. Aine and Ibnoba ended up lying on the ground as Arone and Rikaida searched everywhere in town for her. They ended up finding Urana in a part of town they hadn't seen before. It was a place where the houses disappeared into an open space. Urana was facing way from them, staring into the heart of the location.

Arone didn't know what to call the place. It was mostly grassy, though it had random slabs of broken stone and rubble strewn all about. Unlike the courtyard, there weren't any large, concrete objects. There was, however, one bell that reached Arone's shoulders. It was worn down, yet its ancient look kept it composed of grandeur.

"Urana, what are..." Arone began, and then fell silent.

Actually, it was not just him that fell silent. The closer he got to Urana, the more he realized the wind creeping away, the grass stopping its rustling noise, and even his own breathing ceasing its sound. He was listening to what he thought was perfect silence. Everything still moved; he still felt the wind, but sound was now left to his imagination.

"U-Urana," Arone muttered, relieved that at least his voice could be heard. "What is this place?"

"It's the place people first appear when they die and don't move on."

Her voice sighed and seemed more distant than Arone's. She didn't turn her gaze toward Arone, but let it continue to rest on the bell.

"Do they appear there?" he asked, pointing at the bell.

"Yes," she whispered.

Arone approached the bell while Rikaida stayed behind with Urana. Something was wrong with her. The bell didn't change its texture much on a closer view, although lettering shown on it as a lighter gray against the bell's darker background. When Arone was close enough, he was able to read:

It is not death we are afraid of.

"It's so quiet here," Urana said, her voice shaky. "It's almost like the earth is trying to tell us its thoughts. And all my time here, I just used it as a place to clear my own head. I never really considered actually dying and reappearing here..."

"You don't have to join the fight if you don't want to," Arone said. "We'll need someone afterward to heal the wounded, and I can't think of anyone better than you."

"Thanks," Urana said, smiling, "and I would agree in any other battle. But this is so much more than that. I was working in that cave many years ago when I saw an image of a man stunning everyone in Bengaul with just a hand gesture. And afterward, he just smiled and returned into the palace. That image stuck with me, and it wasn't until you arrived that I finally found out his name. I'm helping during the fight, because if we lose, all is gone. For once, I'm worthless if I stay away from battle."

The strange silence overtook them again, but it would not last. The bell echoed, and a burst of air, sound included, swept past Arone. Noise was canceled once again, but a white figure had appeared next to the bell. It was abrupt in its first movements, and its confused eyes rested on the three of them there. Arone could only watch as its head looked up toward the sun, and from there it started to walk away.

"We are going to war now, aren't we?" she asked.

"Yes," Arone replied, taking another look at the lightning storm.

"Then peace shall be put to the test."

They all turned around and hurried back to the tents. The hectic commotion had dimmed, and most of the people had assembled near Urana's house with Kathara in the front.

"You all have gone through a Kresiliss once before, so I don't need to tell you the feeling you are about to experience," she said while everyone readied themselves.

"Dogane is expecting us," Arone continued, "but we do not want to show ourselves until we attack. When you get into the forest, make no sound and stay behind the tree line."

Kathara reached into her pocket and withdrew a blue sphere. She smashed it against the ground and waited for the Kresiliss to expand. Arone saw the familiar blend of colors and felt its slight pull.

In seeing this Kresiliss, feelings of nervousness rushed into Arone. Just beyond that, the Kresiliss now represented everything they had prepared for. Dogane would not be running this time. They would finally be meeting one last time, and then one side would leave this place, and the other side would perish.

Kathara went through the Kresiliss first. The others followed, and at about the halfway point, Arone joined. He took one last look at Pergusiss, his final place of tranquility, and within the next second, there was darkness and suffocation.

The awkwardness was stifled by a jolt of anticipation. The end of the Kresiliss came before he knew it, and there was the forest. There was the temple...

The other half followed, and the last people to step through were Rikaida, Aine, Ibnoba, and Urana. He noticed Aine's cut had almost completely healed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Urana tightening the flask containing an orange fluid.

He jumped on Aine, and Rikaida on Ibnoba. They went to the front of their respective groups. He glanced up at the temple's entrance, and in the fading sunset light he could just barely make out Dogane standing there between two lit torches. He hoped they hadn't been seen, but would it matter now if they were?

Something else caught their attention. At the foot of the steps was a large collection of rocks that had to be almost a quarter the size of the temple itself!

"A golem," Aine whispered. Arone knew not what a golem was, but anything possibly helping Dogane could not be good.

Lupercus pushed himself forward until he and Gunnolf were close to Arone and Rikaida.

"There's something Gunnolf and I can do to get some more fighters. But doing so will give our spot away."

He whispered this as Arone and Rikaida looked to the temple.

"Go ahead," Rikaida said.

Lupercus and Gunnolf turned and went to the back of the group. As they stood facing the woods, Lupercus's chest seeming to broaden, and his hair began to stand on end. They arched their backs and let out two piercing howls. It was a lasting call to arms from the wilderness that had been their true home since the first time they'd met each other.

For a few seconds, everything was still. Then, the other wolves of the forest returned the call, and Velgath Forest came alive as if dwelling in haunting memories, the wolves being the heavenly deliverers. It would be a few minutes before the first wolf showed up, but after the agouti beauty had appeared, a steady stream of the other strong, free-spirited wolves followed. Soon, there were just as many wolves as there were humans, and they all lined the forest's edge and snarled at the temple.

Dogane's followers appeared from the temple's mouth and descended the stairs. Arone's anger at their betrayal swelled in his chest, and he had to quickly divert his attention back to the others or start to lose himself to hatred.

"You have your markings," Rikaida said, "so do not hesitate to kill when you don't see red on their necks. They've signed their lives away, and now they are just as human as the Arcams under Dogane's control."

"Do not fear death," Rikaida continued. "Instead, love being able to make this stand with those around you right now. Embrace this tight bond that few people in life will be able to experience."

"Rikaida and I will attack first," Arone finished. "But after that, do whatever you can. Agrathias will never experience the oppression it once did, and we'll make sure of that."

Kathara called to all, "Spread out!" and their fighters fanned out and stood behind the rank of wolves. After this, Arone saw on his left that the twins had concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you ready?" Arone asked them.

"Yes," they said together, but their eyes did not stray from the traitors at the foot of the temple.

"Do you know anyone there?"

Here, they both let out a collective sigh.

"It may be hard to believe," the twin farthest from him said, "but we are not just twins. We're triplets, and our brother is standing among them."

Arone's jaw dropped as he looked back. There wasn't anything he could say in that moment. What if Toaran, were he still alive, abandoned good and joined Dogane? He didn't think it would be easy at all to follow his own advice he'd just given out. He realized others might be in the twins' predicament. What should be said to them? Just kill their family? Or maybe try to talk to them...he guessed that was a question only that person could answer.

"Was he forced to do it?"

"No," the other twin said. "He only wanted more power. So now he'll die for it."

That takes care of that situation. He'll just trust everyone else would make the right choice, or at least what was right for them.

A shuddered breath came from behind him. Arone turned and saw Urana in black armor. The hand holding her sword shook as she stood there; her other hand trembled as she nervously gripped the pouches around her waist.

"...Dilance...Pewdum...left...poison, right..."

"Urana?"

"...And all the rest..."

"Urana?"

Urana blinked a few times before tilting her head up at Arone.

"Oh, don't worry about me...Just going through all I have to make sure I remember everything..."

"Have you ever used a sword before?" Arone asked.

"Once before," she answered, looking at the steel in her hands as though she was looking at it for the first time. "But that was long ago, and it was probably the worst display of swordsmanship you'd ever have seen in your life."

It was exactly like before in the woods, when Arone met Bardin. Arone saw how confused and scared Urana looked, and he choked up a little.

"There was once a man I had known before who told me to fight with what I was used to during my first battle. I did very well because of it."

Urana blinked a few more times, smiled feebly, then went back to staring forward while repeating all she had, over and over. Arone, holding on to Bardin's kindness, onto everyone's kindness and bravery, turned his head and faced the temple again.

It didn't take long for the sky to grow a threatening shade of gray. The sun was nearly gone, but Arone knew by the surge of wind toward the temple that Dogane was about to unleash magic; Arone didn't want to stand around and watch how strong it was. With his and Rikaida's hands clenched together, he felt the rushing power from within.

Lightning barraged Dogane atop the steps. The wind gusted as the man they all hated glowed ominously. Arone's stomach and heart flipped together as the anxiety built up.

It reached its peak. The lightning blitzed toward them. Arone and Rikaida summoned a wall of fire and ice that was strong enough to hold against the onslaught. They felt the lightning pounding through their barrier, clawing through any weak spots, but Arone and Rikaida wouldn't give, and their strength held out for that attack.

Arone couldn't see Dogane when everything subsided, but he knew there must have been a scowl on his face. He then heard cackling, cackling that was all too familiar. As the opening of the temple grew red, Dogane took a step aside.

Thump. Thump.

His hands were shaking. He was eager and scared, but the panic from before the battle at Kazan had thankfully now escaped him. Given that unpleasant feeling before, he didn't miss it.

The first Arcam escaped from the temple and flew into the air over the steps, and Arone knew the battle had begun.
The Battle at the Temple

The Arcams were like a waterfall as their bodies rained down the temple's steps. They soon engulfed the traitors' bodies with their own, and they roared onward. Arone's arm was still outstretched; they needed to wait for the greatest opportunity.

When it was time, Arone and Rikaida nodded at each other. Arone spoke to Aine.

"Fight with me, Aine!"

"To the death!" she screamed and galloped forth.

Aine and Ibnoba rode as one. Behind them, Arone heard a loud "Charge!" from Kathara. They soon took to the sky in one great leap and climbed to the heavens. They needed strength on impact. They needed speed. They would try to crush the Arcams before their fighters even made contact.

At the peak of ascension, Aine let her body go. She gracefully arced, and Arone looked at the sun. Its dark red light bled across the sky, blending into yellow and orange at its border. He'd never noticed how beautiful it was before... Strange that it should be just now, possibly as his last view, that he did.

He closed his eyes. Even though the sun was fading, he still felt such an immense warmth wash over his face. He let go of Aine and threw his arms outward. The calmness and heat were rejuvenating. All his worries, at least for this one small moment, were gone. He finally then opened his eyes to see Aine beating her wings furiously and the ground rushing up to meet them.

"Faster...Faster..." Arone breathed. He wanted more speed. They needed more speed. It was a great demand at the speed they were going, but Aine always found a way to meet his request.

Fire scourged his mind, though in a different way this time. The fire did not just flare over his body. It incinerated his own self. And this wasn't from anger. It came from all the energy he'd been holding back. All the eagerness at finally putting to the death the person responsible for this madness. Arone became pure fire. Aine cawed magnificently as she joined him in crimson flares. They flew even faster, their form changing, growing, and yearning to kill.

They crashed against the ground, making an explosion that rivaled what obliterated Terrifor's walls. Their forms blasted out, and the Arcams stood no chance. The traitors were in the way, but there was no difference between human and Arcam flesh as they burned their way through the ranks. Arone's vision was of the entire field; his presence was everywhere. He saw Dogane pounding the ground with electricity, but it didn't matter. Any spot he struck the fire would just bend, and though it pained him slightly, he kept ravaging the field.

After hundreds had been killed, Arone reached his limit. Wherever he looked there was only fire and frost, and the Arcams still alive were scrambling to get into a better position. Some were swinging wildly at the fire.

Arone felt the fire return back into him. He could tell Aine was among his own self, but it was too difficult to know where they would both reform. Agrathias's defenders were almost breaching the front lines. They needed to strike to open the way.

Aine was not near him when Arone's body reformed. He looked through the fire and bodies, but there wasn't a hint of solid scarlet around him. He forced himself to the front of the assault in time to see Kathara's swords whipping in front of her. Just barely in sight to her left, Urana was running. She had given up her sword, and instead ran with her hands clenched, a yellow haze surrounding them. Lupercus and the wolves had just started their own charge and were rapidly gaining.

"For Agrathias!" Kathara roared, the echo of her words sounding among the ranks.

Arone sent two sweeping lines of fire on each side of him, enough to cripple the front lines of Arcams, and the defenders made their first strike. Arone doubled back at their surprising strength and followed their rush.

Dogane wasn't at the top of the temple when Arone turned back around. He wasn't running on the stairs, either. He'd just... disappeared. This, strangely, made Arone even more nervous.

Humans' cries mixed in with the Arcams as he made his way through. His focus was now on finding Aine. With Dogane gone, they could maybe attack from the skies.

Along the way he saw the ice that lasted even with the fire around them, and he thought about Rikaida and Ibnoba. Together they would turn the battle in their favor.

Right when Arone found Aine plowing through Arcams, a low hum filled the air. Arone's gaze turned toward the temple, to the golem specifically. It started to glow and shake.

Red, wispy streams furled from the golem, and for a moment Arone thought the golem had moved slightly. Arone continued to fight toward Aine; she had just seen him.

"What's it doing?" asked Arone.

"I don't know," Aine said, taking just a second to notice the streams.

"We should fight them from the sky. We could cover more ground," Arone breathed.

"No. We'd be too big of targets. We don't even know where Dogane is. He's hiding somewhere, waiting."

"But he'd pick us out on the ground then."

"He wouldn't strike us from far away. He doesn't want to risk hurting more people than he wants to."

"They're fighting against him, though!" Arone said while climbing on her back. "They've signed their lives away."

"Trust me. We're safe from him here so long as we're on the ground."

She lurched forward and clawed her way through the Arcams. Along the way, they noticed the red streams settling across the battlefield; they themselves had to fly through some on their way. They were actually cold, and Arone tensed. The streams hovered over the bodies of the Arcams, and they seemed to stir.

Arone didn't blame Aine for stopping. As they both watched, horrified, the streams went into the Arcams' bodies and began reanimating the corpses. Every single thing they had killed, even those that had been nearly burned beyond recognition, were now crawling up to their feet. Within a few seconds, hundreds of Arcams had joined the fight again.

Arone and Aine stood frozen. What were they supposed to do? All they had fought for had just been undone, and so easily too. They should retreat back. There was no use fighting the Arcams anymore. Their only hope was in killing Dogane, wherever he was.

"The golem! We'll strike it down!" Aine cried.

"The defenders must flee!"

"It's too late. They're too spread out. They would die faster running away than fighting right now. But if we destroy the golem, the Arcams may stop coming back to life."

Before Arone could answer, the earth erupted in one fantastic roar. Arone didn't have to wait to see what caused it. They couldn't help the defenders with the golem. And Arone and Aine were about to die.

The Shadin was out of sight when it came from beyond the temple, but the sounds of trees being pulverized were still just as loud. There were only a few seconds of silence, and then the beast's head roared over the temple's peak, and Arone saw the demon riding atop its back.

"Arone...goodbye..."

Aine darted to the right. Ibnoba was nowhere to be found. The Shadin swerved faster than them, and they clashed at the edge of the battlefield, thankfully away from everyone else. Unfortunately, though, the battle was over from the first blow. Dogane had the upper hand on Arone, and everywhere Aine turned the Shadin's coils barreled down on her. Arone was knocked from her back, and he slammed against a tree.

"Aine! Arone!"

Ibnoba's serenity was gone as she blew through the air. Rikaida wasn't on her back. Her body turned to solid ice as she rammed into the Shadin's side, which despite its quickness, was taken by surprise. Its body jerked into the trees on Arone's right, and its claw that had almost pinned Aine to the ground was snapped backward when it hit the tree first.

The injury enraged the monster. Its jaws somehow found a way to clamp around Ibnoba's back, and Arone watched, horrified, as she was whipped to the ground. She stayed there, not moving.

Aine had just barely gotten up when the Shadin pinned her against the ground. It looked up to the sky, its enraged state gone, though its grip on Aine not letting up.

"You will give up now, or the griffins die," Dogane said.

Arone sadly looked at Aine. She stopped squirming and gave Arone a look of fierce, fierce determination. Her head shook no at him. She then looked away.

"You know that will never happen," Arone said, creeping forward, readying for any onslaught—waiting for the right moment to try and save Aine.

"Fine," Dogane said and glanced at the Shadin. It remained still, frozen almost completely like one of the giant monuments in the temple. Arone felt something in the air, similar to before when the wind spirit appeared. His heart jumped. Could the spirit stop the Shadin?

"I said, kill her!" Dogane boomed, though his voice was far from angry.

The Shadin never obeyed. In the next moment, it relinquished its grip on Aine and flew up into the air. Dogane was flung from its back. The Shadin shook its head violently and toppled into the trees. Aine snapped up and nearly knocked Arone down as she tried to get both him and herself to safety. But she didn't have to pry much; just the thought of the beast smacking into him made him wince.

The Shadin crashed into Dogane once more; his body was knocked out of sight. A cry rang into the air, and the Shadin took to the sky. There, it was as clumsy as it was on the ground, and it never flew clearly over the height of the trees as it took out limb after limb. But even with its crazed state, the sounds it made eventually died out as it disappeared.

Dogane quickly stepped from where he'd landed. His expression, though, was not of anger or fear. He held nothing in his eyes. He just stood there with perhaps the most humanized look on his face Arone had ever seen. He didn't say anything either as his form started to blur. Small, blue sparks rippled along his arms.

Then he was gone. He turned into lightning and flashed back to the temple leaving Aine and Arone momentarily baffled.

"Ibnoba!" Arone yelled when his mind gathered its thoughts.

"No..." Aine said in agony. "We have to come back for her later. We have to protect everyone from Dogane!"  
The sight they returned to was grim. The defenders had taken a large blow, and their low numbers made it hard to see them from the sky. Dogane was in the middle of the fight, electrifying anything around him, still holding no expression on his face. Rikaida was fighting his way toward Dogane.

They almost flattened Dogane as they landed, but he was able to roll out of the way in time. He stood up, and another blast of lightning shot from his hand. It completely missed them and instead shocked the golem.

The relief he had was washed away as the golem shuddered once again. This time, as more red streams flowed from it, the golem actually began to move. It did so slowly as first, stumbling a little, but when it walked around with stability, it wrenched its fists into the ground with such might that those within the vicinity of the strike were knocked off their feet.

Rikaida finally made it to them. The Ragmar was with him. He glanced at the golem and then at Dogane who was looking at him, his head slightly tilted.

"Arone, you take out the golem. We've got Dogane," Rikaida said while the Ragmar nodded his head.

Suddenly there was a large burst of air. The Ragmar whipped his arms around, and everyone nearby except Dogane was forced a few meters back. Rikaida's hands opened, and he smacked the ground. The ground froze in a circle around him and reached to a point just past Dogane. The frost then rose up quickly into a dome, sealing off everyone from them.

"We have to fight the golem!" Aine shouted, though she was frantically looking at the dome. "For Rikaida."

Arone found it hard to leave. The golem was thundering into their ranks, but he knew that within the dome Rikaida and the Ragmar were fighting for their lives, and he couldn't help but think they would lose.

"Hurry!" Aine shouted as she ran around Arone and nudged him over.

Arone finally started to make the short run to the golem. Along the way he ran into Lupercus, and an idea came across him.

"Lupercus, I need you to cover for me."

He'd thought about fighting the golem from the sky, but it might be better to attack it from two sides. And if Arone were to focus everything on the golem, he would need someone helping him.

Lupercus's eyes lit up, and a big smile grew on his face.

"Of course I'll help!" he said and followed them.

Arone relayed his plan to Aine who agreed with it. She took to the skies at the same time that Arone hurled a fireball at the golem's chest. This immediately got its attention, and Arone had to sprint to direct it away from the fighters.

With Lupercus at his back, he had no worries as he dropped all focus away from the fight. They were at the steps of the temple, Arone on the left of the steps and Aine swerving from the sky to the right.

The golem let out a long, low groan, and an electric blast came from its head. Part of the blast slashed his side, and the fire in response wasn't so strong. The golem groaned as the fire blazed across its body, and it lurched forward again. The ground shook tremendously with each step, and Arone wasn't able to keep his balance to run away. In that moment, Arone was never more thankful of a lucky miss as the golem crushed the ground with its foot just to the left of him. The shockwave that came, though, brought him to his knees hard enough that he thought for a second they were broken.

He limped when he stood up, but his mind was finally thinking clearly. The fire he sent was much greater than the last, and it burrowed deep into the golem's chest. It fell back onto the steps, and small chunks of whatever it was made of crumbled off its body.

"Send your fire at me! Before it gets back to its feet!" Aine shrilled.

Arone answered immediately. He reflected the fire off of Aine's flying body with one of his hands, and with his other he shot more at the golem. The golem was pinned under two onslaughts. It roared as it struggled to get up. Its strength was still great under the pressure. It gradually stood up with lightning whipping about. Arone had to release his attack as the golem overestimated its defense and rolled forward. There were fighters where it went, and Arone hoped dearly that there were no defenders in the cratered area it made.

"Arone! Send it to me again! This time, everything! Everything! EVERYTHING!"

Aine's voice was barely understood. She wanted to kill, and she felt so close to piling into the golem herself. Arone felt a sudden rush and did whatever he could. He remembered all the fire he'd ever produced and that which he did not. There was the fire from his town, and what came from within was almost as strong as when he joined hands with Rikaida.

The golem was pinned again, but it did not have the strength to stand up. It would have been an unstoppable force with its creator, but it did not have the same amount of magic made within it as did Arone. Its electricity crawled and scratched up the fire's streams; it even made it halfway to where Aine was flying. The groans it now made, though, were of distress and dying. Just as when it had crashed onto the steps, pieces of it were falling off everywhere, and the air around it became a haze.

It blew apart in a brilliant explosion. Large chunks of it cascaded onto the battlefield, and the people around the behemoth scattered like crazy. And when the haze settled, a green glow emanated on the ground where the golem had been.

Arone sprinted to the spot and noticed an orb and picked it up. Its insides still swirled calmly, unaware of the destruction facing it. This must be what was resurrecting all the Arcams! Arone raised a fiery fist and brought it down. The orb smashed, and its contents were vapor that flowed to the ground before evaporating.

The Arcams, or least all those Arone could see, shrieked so loudly Arone had to cover his ears. Their skin began to peel away; some of the Arcams' limbs even fell onto the ground. That's when Arone saw that not all of them were affected, but nearly half were.

Arone shouted and screamed triumphantly, joining the battle again. He leapt over the golem's remnants and blasted the Arcams that would finally not be allowed to come back to life. He sent more flares into the sky, shouting to fight on and rally. All the people in front of him cheered and raged on. And those behind him followed, Lupercus being one of them.

Only he wasn't able to charge like the rest of the people. Arcams separated him from the rest of the fighters. He was ferociously dodging attacks.

There were too many surrounding him, though. Arone saw the Arcam that would go unnoticed. He didn't know he could shout so loud, so frantically, as he called to Lupercus. He followed with fire that was aimed solely for that Arcam. Its blade was slashing around. The fire grew closer.

The steel had connected a second before the fire killed the attacker. Lupercus roared and stumbled, sword striking around but his strength mostly gone.

Arone rushed toward Lupercus. He didn't know, though, if he wanted to see his face staring forward, struggling for the light within to fill his eyes. The distance widened between them.

Suddenly he was looking through a thin, shimmering veil, and all around him were the memories of their short time together. Arone's screams had been stopped by what had to be a knife that pierced his chest and kept everything in, including the pain and fear that was mounting... There were enemies around them, but they were naturally graying away, as if he had somehow stumbled back into the shadow world.

The Arcams were obliterated, and Arone reached Lupercus in time to hold him as he slumped to the ground. He was actually dying. Their little Lupercus was dying. As Arone tried to cauterize the wound he had an awful flashback to Kaidai's death. This wound was just like it. There was no healing it.

"I didn't...see it," Lupercus moaned then saw his wound and Arone's expression. "I swear I was looking everywhere! I just didn't...why didn't..."

"No. That's okay Lupercus; you tried your best, and that's all that matters!" Arone said, already crying with his voice shaking. "Just stay calm. Focus on staying alive!"

Lupercus gasped where he lay and his breaths were quick. Arone's insides ripped apart at the thought of both brothers dying. They were way too young...way too young. Arone was looking all around him, hoping to see something that would help, but he didn't even know what to expect. Urana...Urana...

"Lupercus. I'm going to get you some help!"

Before he stood up, though, Lupercus's hand grabbed his arm.

"No. Let Urana help others," he whispered, a tear rolling down his face. "I don't think this can be healed. And I don't want her to spend time coming here to find out she can't help."

"But you...you...you can't leave us," Arone gasped, shaking.

Lupercus struggled up and gave Arone a hug.

"You all meant a lot to me. I don't think I could have lasted a long time with the thought of killing my own brother, but you all were there for me."

With a great amount of effort, he stood to his feet.

"Lupercus, you keep your strength. Focus on..." Arone said but couldn't go on. He couldn't lie.

"I am gathering my strength," he winced, and then howled into the air.

Within a few seconds, Gunnolf bounded over the golem and was at their side. His nose nudged against Lupercus, and although Lupercus's face showed great pain, he still smiled at him. They growled at each other briefly before Lupercus slumped his arm over Gunnolf's back. They slowly moved forward.

"I'm going to fight, Arone," Lupercus said with another grimaced smile. "I'm going to die, but I will fight first."

As he struggled, Arone saw so much more in him than just a boy. Lupercus was the terror of the storms whipping the trees. He was peace and tranquility: the calm wind that painted white strokes on grassy plains. He was the burning love of a mother to her cub as it struggled to survive. He was the wolf that howled to the shining moon.

He stopped in front of what seemed like the entire Arcam army. There, he took one look at Gunnolf and then roared with such ferocity it demanded attention from everyone. His cry was eerie, loud, brave, and one that put even a grown man's to shame.

Lupercus charged from there on his own. Gunnolf sat down and howled for his friend who now brought out his sword. Lupercus, when close enough, jumped high in the air, over the heads of the front Arcams, and Arone saw the last living sight of his young friend before he disappeared among the Arcams.

Arone fell to his knees, empty and helpless. He couldn't stop Lupercus from dying. He couldn't stop Kaidai from dying. Lynn...Toaran...he was alone.
Fate's Vengeance

The dome now boomed. It gradually lightened to white. Arone, whose insides were only a void, got to his feet and walked to it. Though the Arcams had nearly all their forces taken out, they were still a large threat. Dogane needed to fall now. Then they could actually save most of the lives here instead of losing them.

The dome exploded. The Ragmar lay unconscious, but Rikaida was in a deadlock with Dogane. Their magic was between them, and Rikaida was forced onto one knee. Dogane then stepped forward, and the magic blew backward and crumpled Rikaida.

Dogane's anger returned to his face, and then he saw the golem destroyed. His eyes grew white. He streaked to the top of the temple and raised his hand. A storm erupted over the battlefield, and he was gone into the temple.

"Rikaida! Can you get up?" Arone shouted as he fell by his side.

"Yes. Yes," he moaned as he clambered to his feet.

Aine shouted at Arone.

"Arone! You've got to go with Rikaida and finish this battle in the temple!"

"And you!" Arone yelled. He needed her to win.

"I...cannot," she cried. "I have to help the people here. I have to get Ibnoba to safety. But the sooner you end Dogane, the sooner the lightning storm will subside."

Arone nodded with a jerk and glanced at Rikaida. They would have to go now. Rikaida did not register any of this, though. He was staring blankly ahead at a body lying on the ground.

"LUPERCUS!!"

Rikaida's cry wrenched through everything. Arone's thin veil was shredded. Everything was melancholy. The knife was pulled, and the memories gushed out of him. Arone lost the strength in his body. He couldn't stop Rikaida, who he knew would be seconds away from losing control of everything. Arone slumped to the ground and cried. The small warrior was dead lying just ahead, and there was nothing Arone could do. He had even seen the Arcam and was too late...

Arone's vision glimmered in the tears that started to run down his face, but his skin was quick to cling to the chill that crept at him. He was grunting Rikaida's name through breaths, but if he was feeling lost and dead inside, he could only imagine how Rikaida must feel.

"Arone! We've got to stop him!" Aine screamed.

Rikaida reached a point where waves of cold pulsated from him. In his grief, he began to levitate into the air. All his moaning ceased, and a stern look took over his face. This wasn't a sign, though, of all being well. The freeze continued. Arone began to shiver.

Right as Arone tried to shrug away the sadness and get up, the air around Rikaida blurred and turned blue. An intense chill flowed outward as a jet of blue ice cut deep through a spot just to his right.

"NOW!" Aine urged once more, and Arone stopped looking at the ravaged spot, hoping that no friend was taken in its storm. He rushed at Rikaida, and with the help of Aine, they poured fire around them. The ice and cold would be kept in for now, but Rikaida was dangerously stronger than Arone. This protection would not last.

"Rikaida, you must stop! Don't lose control; you'll only hurt more people!" Arone cried. He grabbed Rikaida's leg to pull him down, but his skin was so cold, Arone's hand actually burned from pain. He crumpled to the ground holding it.

"Please... Please...You've got to stop th–" he started, but at that moment, another blast erupted from Rikaida. It flashed blue in the air before striking Aine hard in the side. The fire burned itself out as she flew through the air and landed without getting up.

Arone would get to her, but he had to stop Rikaida first. Since there were no words to stop him now, he could think of only one other way. Arone ignited his entire body and charged. He tackled Rikaida out of the air and tried to smother the cold. His body writhed in the searing pain, but he had to hold on and stop Rikaida before he killed nearly everything around them. But Rikaida was just too cold, and Arone could only hold out his own pain for so long. He was drifting from consciousness. Away, and up above the battlefield...

"Arone!"

Arone came to as Aine shrieked for him, showing only small signs of her recent crash. Rikaida's eyes were normal, and the storm was gone. Instead of tears now, Rikaida was just sniffling. He was staring at the temple, and his sniffling just wouldn't stop.

"We should go," Arone said.

As they walked, the lightning storm broke through again. Arone deflected any stray bolts to them; Rikaida was unresponsive except for one lone question.

"Is Lupercus okay?"

Arone didn't have the courage to tell him the truth. He didn't want to risk another breakdown.

"Lupercus will be okay," Rikaida nodded as they began climbing the steps.

"Lupercus..." Rikaida choked.

They ran through the temple's mouth at the top, past the torches, and into the large chamber. Here, Dogane was ready for them. His hands were already reached out. Electricity was leaping about.

They pressed their hands together and brought their magic forth. Unlike before, their heightened state did not overwhelm Dogane's lightning. His prepared strike was strong enough to form an unstable deadlock. Arone tried curving his magic but failed to disperse the bundles of sparks that were ricocheting around the room. He focused then on holding the lightning there in front of them.

The magic before them could not be contained any longer in its small location, and Arone and Rikaida were knocked back as fire, ice, and lightning shot into the temple, ripping at pillars and walls before finally bombarding the ceiling. For a second, Arone thought it would collapse as large chunks of it and dust cascaded from above. But when the destruction was over, enough of the ceiling was still intact to keep itself held in place.

Everything below them was concealed in a thick layer of dust. Knowing they were still visible, the two quickly descended the stairs, their eyes wide trying to find Dogane before he found them.

"Well, this is a twist on the battle so long ago," Dogane laughed, his voice seeming to come from all directions.

"So is this how the battle will be decided?" he continued. "The first to find the other wins?"

Arone and Rikaida didn't respond, but instead began moving along the walls.

"Aren't you going to talk?" Dogane asked a few minutes later. "It doesn't seem very fair if I'm the only one talking. Aine and Ibnoba aren't with you. You're being a little careless, don't you think? And what about that little boy...? Lupercus, I think, was his name? I saw him. Didn't seem to be in too great of shape. What happened, you two? Why did you let him die?"

Arone turned to Rikaida, quick to make sure nothing would happen. It was not Rikaida, though, that the words would affect. Arone felt a quick, unexpected spite at Dogane, who'd dare say anything about Lupercus when Lupercus was much more of a man than Dogane would ever be. It was Rikaida's turn to stare confusedly at Arone, who had to back away for a few seconds. He took deep breaths to stop the anger from escaping his mind.

"Nothing will get you to talk?" Dogane said. "Not even if it meant finding out about your parents, Arone? Look to the center of the room."

A loud pop cracked the floor, and a silver wisp charged against the dust. It floated up to the ceiling, and as it did so, a scene began to unfold.

He knew right away, when the woman and man appeared, it was them. His heart joyfully leapt when he saw his parents' faces. As if something in the back of his head was expecting this, hundreds of memories flooded back to him, untouched by time, so vivid they could have happened yesterday. His mom and dad were walking along a street, in a place of which Arone had no clue, but they were alive! After all this time, they were alive!

"I tell the truth. This view is them at this very moment."

The voice inside Arone that told him this was all to bait him was beaten down by a surge of anger. His parents were alive! He couldn't let them die!

For them, he would let anger get at him. If it meant getting enough power, he would let a torrent of rage ravage his mind.

His fear spiked, but he let go of the barriers, and his body jarred suddenly with pain. His eyes glowed a bright red, and the floor below him started to steam. He stepped from behind the pillar and defiantly marched forward, blasting the area in front of him to illuminate. There was Dogane, only a few pillars ahead of them.

"Idiot," Dogane laughed. "I can't believe you fell for it."

Dogane shot electricity, but it hardly reached Arone before he deflected it, along with immense flames, back at Dogane.

He waited for a scream from Dogane, but it never came. Instead, the shout came from Arone as the magic still within him swallowed up his vision and incapacitated him.

"That's the best control you have? Seriously?" Dogane mocked. Just then, he electrified Arone's body and sent it spiraling through the air. Arone landed near the stairs, and the light dimmed in his eyes. He didn't have time to prepare a defense, but at that moment Rikaida appeared next to him with his hand reaching to Arone.

"Arone, grab my hand! I need your help! We have to do this together!"

Arone blinked, and there before him was Toaran, shouting the same thing. He wasn't sure if it was actually him or not. If it was him, he had to join him. He had to be there for his brother.

Arone grabbed his hand, and he was looking into Rikaida's eyes once more. His mind was still dull as Dogane hit them again. He sent his fire forward, but it was sporadic. It crept away at the pillars and floor.

"Arone, please focus!" Rikaida shouted as his ice took the brunt of Dogane's magic.

For your parents, something told him. Focus for your parents and your brother.

His eyes glazed over at his parents' smiling faces, and a weird surge of confidence took over him. If only once, focus now.

He was back on his feet, his fire centering on the attack in front of them. At the same time, his fire and Rikaida's ice glowed. This attack was not like the one just before. That one, Dogane was waiting and ready. This time, when the battleground was level, their magic finally prevailed. The three elemental blasts rocketed backward. Dogane was lifted up from his feet and sent wailing into the walls behind him.

When a deadening silence came, Arone thought, by a miracle maybe, Dogane was killed. But no sooner did there come a rustling. It didn't matter, though; they'd already proven themselves to be stronger. They would just keep attacking until Dogane was dead.

Two beads of white piercing light shone where Dogane landed.

"THIS IS CONTROL, ARONE!"

A huge gust of wind shook the dust and cleared the room almost at once. There, at the other end of the room, having reached the full extent of power, was Dogane. He hovered from his position, lightning crackled around him, and his hands glowed of a blinding light.

"You worthless things are going to die tonight!" he laughed.

The lightning around his hands expanded.

"Come find me...or wait and let everyone in Agrathias be consumed by the lightning storm. It's really your choice."

With a wail that seemed to echo through eternity, he thrust out his hands, and everything became white lightning. Before it overwhelmed them, he saw more chunks of the ceiling be blasted away, and the two pillars closest to Dogane were obliterated right where they stood.

There was no stopping this attack. They could only make the stinging electricity hurt less as they were flung through the air, their minds momentarily gone as thoughts they didn't think were theirs flashed through their heads.

Arone landed, confused. He tried to say something, but his words only came out in slurs. He looked over and saw Rikaida haphazardly standing. Arone tried to help, but his own arm thrust wildly at first, and he ended up knocking Rikaida back to the ground.

"Go. We finish it," was the first intelligible thing to come from Arone's mouth. He stood and stumbled forward, electricity still ravaging him, showing a worse attempt at walking than a drunken person.

It had never been so hard to walk before. They fell and tripped so many times, but those words Arone said were sticking with him. They meant everything now.

The electricity's effects wore off by the time they reached the second room; how long it'd taken them to walk the whole way, Arone didn't know.

The last hallway was different than before. Instead of constellations moving across the wall, there was only the Shadin at the end of the way, and its continuous roar was deafening, shaking the walls around them and turning the starry night black as the stars collapsed or imploded on themselves. Not wanting to wait and see the possible destruction of this hall, both of them sprinted to the other end of the hall, and after a short nod to each other, grasped the red mist.

The Shadin's roar became faint as they were teleported through space. This was replaced by another sight in the distance: the room with the altar, with Dogane waiting for them right by it. Arone shouted at Rikaida to get ready, but the space around them didn't allow anything to be said.

As soon as they appeared in the altar room, Dogane glanced at them and held up his dagger. Two tiny sparks leapt from its blade and hit Arone and Rikaida in the chest.

They froze in their spot, at first maybe out of shock at the tingling spreading through their body, but after that they were rooted; Arone was physically unable to move. He stood in his last position, only able to move his eyes around.

"The fighting is done," Dogane said, eyes still glowing, an occasional grimace showing on his face. "There's no more need for it."

He flicked his wrist with the dagger, and two more jolts struck Arone and Rikaida. Without meaning to do it, Arone's feet began shaking their way to one side of the room, and Rikaida's to the other.

It was now that the reality of what happened dawned on Arone. He freaked out in his controlled body, tried lashing out, but the madness he felt inside never reflected his very calm, strolling movement. Let me move! I just need to move! I need to fight Dogane! How was Dogane able to do this?! Just let me fight!

He reached the wall and turned to face the center. Dogane was facing the other way, holding up his dagger at Rikaida.

"You're first," Dogane scowled. "I hate you the most."

Rikaida, as though he were perfectly willing to die, strode forward.

"I want you to watch this, Arone," Dogane said. "I want your last thoughts to be of failure and how you were too weak to save Rikaida...just as you were too weak to save your brother."

"Leave him out of this!" shouted Arone, surprised he could even speak.

"No," Dogane said, turning his back to Rikaida. If only Rikaida could move then, he would end the fight now. "I'm going to remind you of it, remind you of his dead face, his body being broken in every way possible."

"But you weren't able to soak in the triumph too long, were you?" Arone said. "I beat you that day."

"You didn't beat us. We saw what we needed to see and left."

"Why do that? Why not take me down that day?"

"Because your magic was weak then."

"All the more reason to kill me then!"

"What do you know about this altar? About this room?"

"You can only die here," Arone grumbled. "You've led yourself to your death.

"No. I really haven't. But is that all? I thought Aine and Ibnoba would have heard something from those wind things in the world."

"Killing you in this room gives me your powers," he smiled. "But that's not enough. How much power I get depends on how strong your magic is at that moment."

Rikaida reached the altar, and there he started to climb onto it. Arone couldn't speak, not because of sudden paralysis, but because of how unfair everything now seemed. This was always meant to happen. The only way to come close to beating Dogane was to get stronger, but doing so would only make Dogane stronger in the end.

When Rikaida was on the altar, Dogane first plunged his dagger into Rikaida's thigh. Arone winced himself, and even though Rikaida's face was peaceful, he knew there was so much pain behind it.

"Now you know why I had Tyris help you in Bengaul," Dogane said. He raised the knife high above his head. Arone struggled the hardest he ever had to break through. "I have much to thank him for. He was the one, after all, who showed my descendant where my magic was hidden. And only a descendant of myself could unleash the magic again."

Arone stopped struggling; the only thing holding him up now was the hold over his body. He knew Tyris had been on Dogane's side, but there was no forgiving him now that he was the cause of everything to happen. Arone didn't know who he wanted dead more: Dogane or Tyris.

Dogane spoke loudly with words Arone didn't understand. The bloodied dagger in his hand glowed purple and blue.

"Fate gives everything," Dogane finished. "It's deemed me absolute ruler, and it gives you failure. Rotten luck, the side you were given, but I'll do my best not to sigh with pity when I take your magic."

Arone would cry if tears were allowed to run down his face. This wasn't supposed to be how the battle ended. He felt that he wanted to fall down, to let his body do what he'd succumbed to and just give up. He wished now more than anything to just close his eyes at least.

"DOGANE!!"

Black smoke filled the entrance of the room. Dogane paused before plunging the dagger into Rikaida's chest. He turned his head at the same time Arone glanced with his eyes to see, shockingly, the tavern keeper from Bengaul appear heavily clad in black and silver armor.

"Ahhh, Arctur! You've come to return my armor!" Dogane said.

"You wish," Arctur laughed. "Let's see how well you fight when your magic is worthless."

"Am I to assume you won't be using your magic, either?" Dogane asked.

Arctur only responded by drawing forth his sword.

"That's a no, then?" Dogane said, attempting a smile, but something unseen seemed to hit him, and he winced and scowled.

Dogane yelled, and a surge of lightning bolted forth. This shed into two smaller forces, but in the effort of hitting Arctur, it was useless. Just as the arc struck his armor, his figure vanished, reappearing behind Dogane in a quick flash. From there, the fight began.

At first, Dogane was heavily disadvantaged, only able to fight with a knife. But he was much better at close-range combat than Arone had thought, and he held his ground well. Arctur had been right, though. When there was the slightest indication Dogane was about to use magic, Arctur would disappear and return behind him, forcing Dogane to turn around and defend himself from a few sudden, heavy blows. The fight occasionally crossed in front of Arone. It ate at him to just watch another one of his allies fight Dogane on his own, but there was really nothing he could do.

The combatants found themselves in the corner to Rikaida's right after a few moments of fighting, next to a large green statue of a gladiator. Dogane, seeing the statue, made a quick rolling dodge right by its feet. From behind its legs, he drew a decent sized sword that looked as though it was made of ice. It was odd, though, that Dogane kept his dagger in his left hand as he fought.

The sword, however well crafted, seemed to give no extraordinary powers, only being there to give Dogane a longer striking range. It wove through the air, nonetheless, giving a display of deadly beauty in between blows. Still, Arctur had the advantage. Even though Dogane was able to repel blows, all along he had never been able to deal any devastating ones of his own. Arone could not believe Dogane's stupidity in keeping his dagger at his side, and Arone's heart raced, knowing what the inevitable outcome would be.

It looked as though Arctur knew he had the advantage, too, as he suddenly gave a series of fleeting blows. After each he would appear on some different side of Dogane and strike from there. Dogane was knocked off his feet and tumbled toward the altar. He was back up quickly, obviously hurt from the fall, but kept himself strong to defend himself from Arctur's killing attack.

Arone almost yelled in triumph before the strike. Dogane had foolishly chosen to spend his final move's time to start gathering magic around himself, and Arctur hastily disappeared. Dogane, knowing he was about to die, stopped. Knowing fate would not protect him this time, Dogane brought his sword and dagger up into a position that he wanted to die in.

But that was not his last movement. His body also turned on foot, and his dagger swiped through the air, at first at nothing. Arone's soaring feeling was still there when he saw this. It was still there when Arctur reappeared and quickly went for the kill. Dogane's dagger embedded itself into Arctur's armor and punctured his lower stomach. Where Arctur's attack had aimed, Dogane lifted his sword but was only able to handle most of its force as his side was slashed. It was clear, though, who had been hurt the most.

"It's not me who's ended today," Dogane whispered as lightning flowed into his sword. With both hands he brought it back and swung forward.

The contact created a loud bang. The armor protecting Arctur shattered. As he flew back through the room, the armor splayed out in different directions. Dogane rushed toward Arctur to relish his victory and collect the remaining bits of armor still intact on his body.

As this was happening, Arone's paralyzed feeling had lifted, and he was suddenly on the floor from not willfully holding himself up for so long. Dogane did not notice this, and Arone knew they now had their last shot. However, Rikaida was not moving. Arone hurriedly collected any armor that would fit on his body. He would need any help he could get. And even after he was done, Rikaida remained motionless on the altar, barely breathing.

Arone silently reached Rikaida. But when he did, he paused, knowing why Rikaida had not joined him; he was beaten. Arone shook him, and his eyes opened slowly. His arm crept into the air, as if he was in a dream, and reached toward Arone. He now knew that Rikaida thought he was dead, so he clasped his hand around Rikaida's outstretched one and whispered, "Rikaida, this is real. We can win!"

It took a few seconds for the message to sink in, but when it did, Rikaida's eyes opened, and then they shut quickly as he winced from his body's pain. When they were open again, Arone motioned to Dogane, the armor on the ground, and the armor on his own body. This Rikaida understood, because he immediately stood up and limped about gathering armor.

"It seems we've misjudged our opponent," Dogane sighed, standing over Arctur.

"You're right, you have," Arctur gasped. His eyes darted to where Rikaida and Arone were moving about, but only for a second. Dogane, thankfully, did not see this.

"Are you delusional? Do you honestly think you can still win?"

"Yes," Arctur grunted.

"Well...it seems it's your reality that's wrong then instead of your judgment."

At this point, Arctur did not bother to respond. He started to wheeze heavily. His eyes were zipping around the room, occasionally roaming over Arone, then heading on. Then, his eyes were still, deadlocked on the person before him.

"My reality is here, watching as you die," he coarsely laughed.

"Sad...you were a great ally, now broken into a deranged man."

There was silence in the air after that. Arone did not know when to join and try to save Arctur...not to say by now he even could. The way he was staring at Dogane and holding his wound, it was as if he was preparing to die, getting one last shot in at his killer.

Then, for whatever reason, Arctur started to chuckle. It was a low one, and he continued to stare at Dogane. He grew louder, until it became a booming roar, no longer restrained by injury; he allowed this final chance at unnerving Dogane through whatever way possible.

It worked, but at a price. Dogane's demeanor tensed for a second, and then he snarled as he brought up his sword. Before he made his strike, and before Arone and Rikaida proceeded to attack, Dogane looked at his dagger, firmly stuck in Arctur's stomach, and roared.

"NO!"

He quickly kneeled down and yanked out the knife. In its spot, blood started to trickle. This became the least of Arone's worries, though, as Dogane spun on foot and thrust his knife out in front of him, at eye level.

Another large arc bounded from the hilt. As before, it split in two and found its way into both Arone and Rikaida's chest. The same feeling overcame them as the first time, but the paralyzing never came. The armor instead glowed as a faint blue color.

"You've lost, Dogane," Arctur said.

An angry growl escaped Dogane's throat. He swept around and wasted no time in slashing Arctur's chest with all his strength. Whatever armor that still remained on him was torn away, and a large, red gash appeared that spewed blood.

"Stupid man," Dogane sputtered, turning to face forward once again.

"What do you hope to gain from this?" he asked, no longer taking a soft tone. "How painful do you want to make your death? One of you can barely walk, let alone fight. Surrender now, and you won't have to experience the humiliation of losing to someone better."

At this, Rikaida limped forward.

"You think this is a hindrance? My weakness? It is my strength! It gives all the reason for beating you! So I tell you now, in front of the world, you will die tonight! PREPARE YOURSELF!"

Like a madman drunk with rage, he rushed to Dogane, energy compensating pain. Dogane definitely was shocked, and his movement to guard himself was not as swift as all his others had been. Rikaida brought back his sword and let forth everything, making it look as though he was attacking from all spots, like Arctur. In the first few blows, Dogane's dagger was knocked from his hand, and he was forced to fight the remainder of the battle with just his icy blade.

Arone joined then, but this time striking at a distance, not wanting to get in Rikaida's way. He barraged Dogane with flaming arrows, taking whatever shots he could when Dogane was between him and Rikaida, which, unfortunately, did not happen much. Dogane's overpowered magic kept sparking up whenever a shot was made. It seemed the whole room was alive with electricity, and Arone knew that if it weren't for the armor, they would have been finished by now.

"Do you think that armor and your bravery gives you a chance?" Dogane asked through gritted teeth.

"What I have is more than enough to beat a coward like you," gasped Rikaida.

Dogane, enraged, sidestepped Rikaida's next attack and landed a kick on Rikaida's injured leg. It hit with such a force it snapped Rikaida's leg inward.

Rikaida cried out, his leg unable to move. Dogane, with a maniacal look on his face, went for the killing blow as he brought his sword back. A last attempt at defense was made by Rikaida as he blocked the blow. The clash was catastrophic. Dogane had imbued his sword with an electric force, and when it connected, Rikaida's sword was annihilated. The force from the strike flung Rikaida a few feet back.

Rikaida looked completely dazed as he glanced over his shoulder, but he was able to send a strong blast of ice at Dogane. Dogane merely laughed and held up his hand to absorb the energy.

"You are going to have to do more than that to beat me," he said.

Arone knew what was going to happen next, how this battle was going to end. He saw Rikaida on the ground, barely able to move. Arone thought that if he was also going to die, he wanted to fall next to the person who had helped him get this far, the one who had been with him until the very end.

He dashed toward his ally, his friend. To his right, he saw Dogane glowing, but he did not care. What mattered most was making it to Rikaida...making it there, and then beating Dogane.

Rikaida had his eyes on Arone. He wasn't entirely focused, but Arone knew he would recognize him when he got close enough. He would know to fight together, one last time.

Arone reached him. He placed his arm on Rikaida's shoulder, and Rikaida finally understood. He finally saw Arone clearly, and their hands rose together. Their gaze met Dogane's.

The illuminated blue streak flew across the room, overpowering the fire and ice that stood against it. The armor they wore brightly glowed, taking much of the force, but it was still strong...just...so strong...

Arone kept his fire flowing, but he could feel himself going in and out of consciousness. He was fighting Dogane, then seeing part of his past or just seeing black altogether. The room changed multiple times, becoming whatsoever surroundings it wished. Soon, Arone was not sure what was reality and what were hallucinations; he knew only that fire was keeping him alive.

"A-Arone. I...I can't hold..." Arone heard a voice to his left.

Blackness enveloped him more frequently now, staying longer than before, but occasionally he did see other things. He saw himself next to a slightly taller man than himself who had some sort of resemblance. This would change into more blackness before a scene of electricity striking at him showed itself, with the electricity trying anything to extinguish his flames. But he would not let go. This fire was too important, he knew. Something terrible would happen if he ceased.

"Ravella..."

It was a soft whisper. Darkness now completely shrouded his vision as he heard a loud moan. It escalated into an anguished cry, yet still he could not make it out. The air in the void grew very cold, and this made Arone think of more flames. He needed to stay warm against it...he needed to survive.

A dark figure appeared. At the same time, a hazy room swam into sight. Or at least he thought it was a room. Shadows were moving about, restricted by outer boundaries.

But the more it came into focus, the more his mind was free from its disoriented feeling. He saw that person to his left, now on his feet, but his eyes had turned blue, and his skin looked as though it had hardened.

"Rikaida," Arone breathed. The fight did not end them. They were still alive.

Rikaida had gone out of control, only he miraculously did not stray from his target. Arone felt an immense amount of force lift from him as Dogane put most of it toward Rikaida. Rikaida's armor was blasted from him.

Arone tried to reach his unbound energy, like Rikaida, but it was impossible. His mind was too weak. Somehow, Rikaida had been able to breach the barrier of his magical power and control what lay behind it, too. Arone, though, could give nowhere near as much as Rikaida. Lightning and ice held Arone at bay, and Dogane now fought Rikaida with all his might. Even without the armor on Rikaida, the two were equals.

The wind screamed about. Ice and lightning were flung everywhere. Arone had to stop fighting and guard himself. Both warriors were not distracted, their full intention to kill at all costs. And slowly, they approached one another, and their forces reached an almost unbearable force for Arone's sake. But he didn't care; he was just glad it was Rikaida fighting, as Arone had undying faith in Rikaida's strength. It was unlike his own, which seemed to be nearing its end.

There soon arose a difference between Rikaida and Dogane. It was small, but its impression was immense. Rikaida, worn out from everything: injuries, mentality, and endurance, looked fiercer than Dogane, who had not experienced any hardships for so long. No pain or anguish of lost loved ones he truly cared about. His soul was finally put through a grind.

Just as the two forces met in the center, the air became eerily silent. For a brief second, the deadlocked forces were contained, but Arone only added to his shield, knowing something terrible or great was about to happen. He took a final look, saw the snarled look on Rikaida's face, and then he saw only red from his fire.

The reaction of the connection was instant. Though he could not see anything, he felt the knockback on both his shield and himself. For a second he thought he would be killed from it; it was just so painful. But it was gone, and he let up his shield to survey what happened. Rikaida was on his knees, his head drooped, his arms hanging at his side. Dogane, however, was far from his original spot, bloodied and lying on the floor at the foot of the altar.

Arone staggered to Rikaida and grabbed his shoulder. Suddenly Rikaida snapped his head upward and caught Arone's gaze. Arone saw sadness, though he did not know why. He had fared far better than Dogane.

It was only for a second their eyes were connected. Rikaida then looked forward, climbed to his feet and limped to where Dogane lay. He grasped Dogane and pinned him to the altar. Dogane's eyes fluttered open, but it was clear by the way they were whisking about that he could not move.

"Fate...always is in my favor," he breathed.

"No, you are only fate's pawn," said Rikaida. "It's chosen to kill you in the most agonizing way possible. You've lived hundreds of years going toward one goal, only to fail. Agrathias lives on. FREE!"

Rikaida conjured an ice spear. He rammed it into Dogane's stomach. Dogane grunted like he had before when Rikaida struck him in the woods. Dogane had nowhere to run now, though. No creature to help him escape. In his quest to seek more power, he had brought himself to the only place he could die.

With shuddered gasps, Dogane slowly tilted his head in Arone's direction. His eyes screamed of fear and surprise, of the great weakness he had his whole life. But deeper within, as the memories of Arone's brother dying began to flood his mind, he saw the same malevolent face that had always been Dogane. The part of him that would never change, that could never change. Arone could not help but feel sorry for the sight, but he knew this pity would be wasted.

"F-Fate will...end you...too," gasped Dogane coarsely.

"Yes," Arone agreed. "But at least we'll be able to walk with it to death peacefully, and not disdained."

The spark in Dogane's eyes was sporadically moving about. He was starting to lose touch with this world. Arone could sense it.

"Don't let him hurt me," Dogane said in a feeble voice. He was staring at Rikaida.

"No one can protect you from me," Rikaida snarled as he withdrew the spear and rammed it into his stomach again and again.

"Don't," Dogane grunted as the spear penetrated each time, now seeming like he wasn't talking to either of them, "let...him...hurt me..."

As Arone stared on, eyebrows furling, Dogane started to, strangely, sob.

"Father, please don't! I'll do anything! Just don't let him near me! Don't let him hurt me again!"

As Dogane let out another pitiful, gargling noise, Arone raised his hands. For a moment, he paused, and he didn't know exactly why. He stared into the eyes of Dogane, seeing fear and anger mangling every last part of Dogane's soul. No remorse overtook Arone as he stood there; he could only think of how such a powerful man could now be so fragile.

Then there was fire and Dogane's body quickly began to turn into cinders and ash. His tainted soul began to leave the world in one last moan that echoed throughout the chamber. The wail continued to sound for a few long seconds, Dogane's hatred in it pouring forth. This hatred may have left the land slowly dying before, but it now could not strike fear into Arone and Rikaida. It could not pierce the walls that would not shake.

His yell diminished until it became part of the roaring flames themselves, and all that was left to be seen was the fire leaping about the altar. It twisted and splayed, consuming the monster it had hidden within it.

"What is that?" Rikaida suddenly asked.

Arone glanced at Rikaida and saw him looking toward the ceiling. Arone followed his gaze and noticed a white light hovering in the air. It seemed mysterious, foreboding, and most strange of all, familiar. Almost as if he'd seen or heard about it somewhere...

"It's the magic!" Arone cried out, remembering what Tyris had said about the first time Dogane had been beaten, when Dogane's magic had been left behind as a white light.

"We've got to stop it before it escapes!" Rikaida added.

No sooner had he said this, though, that Arone's stomach plummeted. They did not know how to stop it. Arone and Rikaida blasted it with fire and ice. Upon contact, it dimmed and gave off a low humming noise barely heard over the flames. It seemed to shudder, but that was all it did. And no matter the strength of their blasts, it still remained there.

Arone sadly lowered his hand, and Rikaida did the same. They watched as its glow slowly returned. It ascended to the ceiling, and as it did so, it began to split into separate lights. They were smaller, yet still just as bright as the original. When they reached the ceiling of the chamber, they vanished through the stone and flew from the temple.

"This shouldn't happen. Dogane should have been killed! HIS POWER SHOULD BE GONE!" Arone shouted. His frustration got the best of him, and more fire scorched the altar. He instantly regretted this, knowing that it would harm Aine, and slumped to his knees, defeated.

"This was supposed to save Agrathias... we were supposed to save the world's future... and look who we lost! Arctur... Lupercus..."

He choked on the last word and began to cry. Everything had been for nothing. As he stared into the fire, he realized this wasn't the last time he would be fighting Dogane. Dogane would possess someone else, but he would be there all the same. Maybe what Dogane had said about fate was true... if all that happened upon his death was his power moving into someone else's body, there would eventually come a time when he would beat Arone and Rikaida in a fight. It was inevitable...

As tears crept from his eyes, he glanced at Rikaida to see how he was doing. When he looked up, though, he noticed a vague expression on Rikaida's face. The last trace of blue light vanished from his eyes, and in one teetering movement, he fell to the ground.
To Paths Ahead

"Let me see him!"

"No! He needs to rest."

"But it would only be for a second. I swear!"

"Leave now!"

"I need to see him. I need to know that he's alive!"

"He let out too much magic at once. I don't know what's going to happen to him, and waking him from rest will only hurt him. Now leave!"

It had been a few hours since leaving the temple with Lupercus and Arctur. Luckily, the lightning had ended, and Aine was able to meet Arone inside the temple to bring the two bodies to the outside. Ibnoba was still healing. But once they landed, to Arone's dismay, Rikaida was taken up by Urana and whisked away to a tent so she could tend to him.

Annoyed at his failed attempts to see Rikaida, Arone resigned himself to sitting with Aine, the Ragmar, and Kathara just beyond the clearing where the fight had been. Here, they were laying Lupercus and Arctur to rest. If the failure of beating Dogane wasn't heavy enough, he could hardly look at Lupercus as he lay there on the dirt. He was too young to die like that. He was too brave.

Beside him, Kathara began to weep. She leaned her head onto Arone's shoulder, and he felt it shaking as her chest heaved. He put his arm around her and held her tightly, fighting more tears that were coming to his eyes, but to no avail. It was just too unfair. It should have been him that died instead of Lupercus. It was Lupercus who had protected him. Without Lupercus, everyone here would have died.

If any of them were taking it hard the most, it was Gunnolf. He circled about Lupercus, gently nudging him with his nose and licking his face. When this didn't work, he soon became frantic, growling and whining together, trying anything to wake his best friend. But Lupercus would not wake, and Gunnolf soon lay down next to him, whimpering softly.

Time dragged by. Arone looked to the battlefield. They had won, but the bodies of their fallen now were strewn across the battlefield. There was so much death; he hardly felt like they had won the battle. Not only that, but this was only the first battle. There would be more to come, and Arone wasn't sure if he'd be able to find another group of people to fight with him again.

"The writing on the altar lied," he growled to Aine.

"What do you mean?" she asked back.

"Dogane wasn't stopped. He remained in this world just like last time. I saw the white light that hovered over him after he was killed. It split and flew through the ceiling. Dogane still lives, and we'll have to fight him again someday."

"I don't think that is true..." she whispered.

Arone whipped his head in her direction, shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the spirits of the wind have never been happier. For the past few hours they have been soaring about the world, completely ecstatic. They would sense if he remained, and they would not be so happy."

A thin smile spread across Arone's face. So they wouldn't have to fight Dogane again.

"What about the white light, though?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I just assumed it appeared last time, because Dogane hadn't been killed. Maybe, though, this means it will return to where it came from."

Kathara stood up and walked to Lupercus. She knelt by his body and slowly began to stroke his hair. She wept more and buried her face into his chest. There may be no more battles, but this one had crushed them in the worst way possible. It was like an arrow had pierced their bodies, leaving a wound that no one, including Urana, would ever be able to heal... This pain would never go away...

Arone also stood up, but he did not get near Kathara. He thought she wanted to be alone right now with Lupercus, so he walked around her and instead approached Arctur. They had done what they could to fix his fatal wound, but Arone could still see the dark area where Arctur had been stabbed. As Arone stared at Arctur, he felt thankful. Even though Arctur had betrayed them and had worked for Dogane, his last act had been to save both Arone and Rikaida's lives. Just like Lupercus, he had saved the world.

He wanted to get to know Arctur better. He didn't want to remember him as just the tavern keeper that fought at the temple. He wanted to know his past and why he chose to fight for Dogane when he did. Maybe there was a reason for it. After all, his sacrifice meant he was not a coward or a power-hungry person. Perhaps he had been forced. Arone would like to know, but he couldn't now.

There they stayed for a while. Kathara silently cried over Lupercus and Arone stood over Arctur. The Ragmar was sitting very close to Aine, though his gaze was dead and straight forward. All was quiet; no one seemed to know what to do but just exist. Aine even, usually so demanding and proud, was now sullen. Arone didn't feel the usual aura she emitted. Her presence now seemed cold and distant.

Arone heard two people start talking to his left. Turning his head, he saw a man and a woman huddled near a tree. Arone glanced back at Kathara and thought she wouldn't mind if he went to talk to them. He needed to clear his head from the grief and stillness death had brought. This seemed the right way to do it. He approached them and then halted when he was a few feet away. He waited until he made eye contact with one of them before speaking.

"Hey," was all he could think to say.

"Hello," the man smiled.

"Are you two okay? Do you need help with anything?"

"No," the woman sighed. "Everything is as good as it can be, given what's just happened. But thank you so much for asking."

Arone stared forward, nodding his head.

"You can sit down if you want," the man said, gesturing to the ground before him. "The more people to talk to now the better."

Arone gladly sat down next to them and gave out a deep, relieving sigh.

"What's your name?" Arone asked.

"Darius. Happy to finally be speaking with you!"

The woman spoke next.

"You are a very brave man. I hope you know that. Flying into those ranks of Arcams like that. You really saved us out there. I'm Caligra, by the way."

"Well, it helps that I can use fire," Arone grinned as he shook hands with Caligra.

He didn't think it brave for him to do that. He felt he had to do it. He had to help everyone fighting for him in whatever way possible. Besides, if there were any brave ones from the fight, it would be Arctur and Lupercus. With what they had done, they were far braver men than he.

"True," agreed Caligra. "But you still put yourself in front of as many of those monsters as you possibly could. They fight just as hard whether they have an advantage or not, as they already fight so brutally."

"Yes, but you fought them without powers," Arone added. "I think that's much more impressive."

Both the man and the woman smiled and looked down for a second.

"We did what we had to and are lucky to be here still," Caligra said. "But it's safe to say that without you and Rikaida, we would've lost this fight."

Arone smiled sadly and glanced behind him at Lupercus.

"There are also others who won this battle for us," he said.

"Yes..." replied Darius. When Arone turned back toward them, Darius and Caligra were gazing at the temple. Their eyes shone of sorrow.

"Where do you two come from?" he finally decided to ask, trying to break the silence.

"I'm from Kurzen in Anglo-Matten, and Caligra is from Larinth in Menang."

"Oh," Arone said, surprised. He thought they had come from the same town. "How do you two know each other?"

"We actually met here, right before the fight," Darius said, laughing.

"Really?" Arone asked.

"Yeah," Caligra said. "Darius and his brother were next to me at the front lines. We never separated from there."

"That sounds great," Arone commented. It was nice seeing a friendship form after what happened. "Is Darius's brother around somewhere?"

No sooner had he asked this when he immediately regretted it. Darius once again sadly looked to the temple, and a tear fell from one of his eyes.

"He was murdered on the battlefield by Dogane. Dogane was about to kill both Caligra and me when Morane, my brother, stepped in between us. We were still shocked quite a bit, but Morane was sent flying. We ran after that, and Dogane decided not to follow. I saw Morane land. He didn't get up."

"I can't believe he's gone," Darius said, sighing sadly. "We did so much together, and now he's just gone. And seeing him die right before me was the worst feeling I've ever felt. I didn't want to fight anymore; all I wanted to do was run. It's only by Caligra that I remained. She kept me here."

"I'm so sorry," Darius said with another tear in his eyes. "I can't believe I wanted to leave. You did so much for us, and here I was, wanting to run away. You deserved better fighters."

"What better fighters?" Arone asked, and Darius looked at him confused. "You were the fighters that showed up. You were the brave ones. You'd just lost your brother. When I lost my brother, I couldn't think. I couldn't move. I can only imagine being in a fight when that happened. And you still continued to fight! Even if you needed someone there with you, that doesn't lessen it at all. You two, everyone here, mean so much to me."

"I guess I didn't see it like that," Darius said and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thanks... I just wish I could've been stronger. But all the will to fight just left me. I was so ready to fight with everything I had. And then that happened. I don't even know how..."

"You just acted," Caligra responded. "There was no thinking when that happened. There was no planning. There was only acting. Your first act was to run, and unfortunately, that's what it was. But your second act, what you had control over, was to stay, and that's all that really mattered."

"Perhaps..." Darius said, then his eyes widened.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

Without hesitating, he stood up and walked toward the temple, with Caligra and Arone following closely behind. Arone saw the dead strewn across the battlefield once again. With each passing human body, he silently thanked them for everything they did. Caligra started talking to Arone when Darius was just out of ear-shot.

"Morane was Darius's younger brother. They had been inseparable since Morane's birth through both the good... and the bad times."

"Bad?" Arone asked.

"Well, Darius told me that he and Morane didn't have such a clean past. When they were young, they were part of a group of thieves. It was pretty bad; he killed many people during that time. One day, though, something happened. He refused to tell me what, but it made him and Morane leave. From there they moved to Kurzen and lived good lives. But he said he's never been able to live with himself from what he's done."

"I never would have guessed..." Arone said, speechless. His pace slowed, as did Caligra's. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. And now, looking at Darius walking onward, Arone didn't know what to think of him. He certainly didn't think ill of him; Darius had been nothing but nice. But was being remorseful even enough to justify many lives lost because of him?

When they came close to the temple's base, Darius suddenly stopped. Arone and Caligra were still some ways behind, and they slowed to a halt. Darius neared one of the bodies who could only be his brother. When he reached him, Caligra started to silently approach, motioning for Arone to follow.

Darius knelt beside him, whispering things quickly to his brother. Arone couldn't understand any of it, but he could tell by his tone that Darius was getting more upset by the second. Darius placed his hand on Morane's shoulder and bowed his head. He began to cry, and as he did so, he started to softly pat Morane there on his shoulder.

"I thought I could just live my life and leave everything in the past. I hated myself, but I thought maybe if I left it all behind and lived my life for others, I would be redeemed. It seemed so right in my head. There was always the thought each and every day that no matter what I did there would be no redemption. I understood that possibility. Back then I was a monster that did terrible things that still keep me up at night and haunt me in my dreams."

"Now my brother stands before death without me," Darius continued, starting to sob.

Then Darius slammed his fist against the ground.

"Despite EVERYTHING we've done! ALL the people we've helped!! WHY DID THIS STILL HAPPEN?!!"

Darius slammed the ground one more time and yelled into the air. As the yell resounded around them, he eventually spoke in a calmer voice again.

"I know why," he whispered. "I just wish I was with him, now more than anything."

Arone looked at Darius for some time, always thinking about how he should react. He felt Darius's pain as he stood there; this pain was all too familiar with him from Toaran's death. However, there was another feeling also in him. Confusion had somehow found its way into him. It was confusion at what Darius had done and how he knew there were people out there who were furious at Darius for the loss of the loved ones he killed. There had to be so many people out there who would have loved to be in Arone's spot right now. They'd want to be close enough to Darius...to see him vulnerable...to strike him down on the spot so they could finally let their anger go.

Arone wouldn't do it. After all, who was he to be some sort of final judge on someone else's life. Even if a lifetime of good deeds was not enough to justify the slaughter of innocent lives, Darius had helped them.

Arone had to leave the spot. He was too confused by this. Besides, Kathara may be wondering where he went. He looked at Caligra and put up his hand to say bye. He might speak to them again, but for now he would leave them to head back to Lupercus. Caligra bowed her head, and Arone walked away. A slight breeze started to kick up, and a heavier smell of the dead struck him. He turned his head away and continued toward the forest's edge.

When he reached it, he heard Urana frantically calling to someone.

"Get back here! Just a few more minutes! I need to make sure you're okay!"

"I am okay! See? I'm walking around. I'm fine!" a familiar voice cried back. The biggest smile spread across Arone's face as he recognized the voice as Rikaida's.

Arone looked in the direction of the tent and saw Rikaida quickly walking from Urana. She was trying to hold him back by holding on to his arm, but he gave a sharp tug and wrenched it away. She gave out a loud groan and stood there with her arms across her chest, with a very sour look on her face.

"Rikaida!" Arone shouted as he rushed to him.

Rikaida's head whipped in his direction. Before Rikaida could even respond, Arone had embraced him in a big hug. Rikaida was alive! The one person who was with him until the very end with Dogane! Apart from Lupercus, he'd been so nervous for Rikaida, but now his mind was put to rest.

"I can't believe it!" Rikaida said excitedly. "We did it! Ibnoba told me that Dogane is gone!"

"I can't believe it, either," Arone responded. "But it was you, Rikaida! It was all you! Your power at the end was incredible!"

"Thanks," Rikaida replied. "But to tell you the truth, it wasn't all me."

"What do you mean?" Arone asked.

"My sister Ravella was with me. It's hard to describe how, but she was there next to me. She somehow made the sadness go away. Without her, it would've been impossible."

Arone smiled at Rikaida and hugged him even tighter. Arone was so happy for Rikaida. He could only imagine what it would be like if Toaran had been there. What it would be like to have all that power flow from him, and at the same time, have it be controlled. But most of all, to see his brother once again...Arone was glad Rikaida got to see his sister.

"She's gone, though," Rikaida added with a peaceful sigh. "She didn't say anything, but I knew by the last look she gave me, that would be the end."

Rikaida looked to the sky with a beaming smile.

"She's waiting for me now, and one day, I'll join her. When the time is right, we will be together again."

When Rikaida looked back down, his gaze was to the left of Arone. That smile on his face suddenly became transparent and his glowing eyes glazed over. Arone slowly let go of him and turned his head. Rikaida had seen the final resting spot of Lupercus and Arctur.

Rikaida edged forward, his vision only on the two bodies. Arone could feel his stomach turn itself into knots as he watched Rikaida get closer and closer. Arone didn't know how Rikaida would react. He didn't want Rikaida to be overrun with sadness as he was before. But even he couldn't blame Rikaida for feeling what he did on the battlefield. Arone bowed his head slightly and followed closely behind Rikaida, ready to help him should he need it.

There was no movement for a little bit. Arone couldn't see Rikaida's face, but he could only imagine the crushing, morbid expression it had. Arone wanted to reach out to him, but he didn't want to mess with the already tense situation.

It didn't matter. With a groan, Rikaida rushed to Lupercus's side and grabbed his hand.

"Lupercus, come back!" he softly cried. "Come back!"

He cried over Lupercus's body, tightly holding his hand and sobbing.

"You can't leave me, too!"

Just like before with Kathara, this sight quickly became too much for Arone. Tears came to his eyes again.

A slight chill settled in the air. Rikaida lifted his head, his eyes glowing faintly blue. He began to start breathing heavily, and he held himself tightly. With each exhale, Arone felt the air getting colder and colder, yet Arone didn't act. Maybe Rikaida would keep himself together, no matter the sadness.

"I should have been there!" Rikaida suddenly moaned. "I should have protected him!"

"It's not your fault," Arone said back. "You were fighting somewhere else. You were helping other people."

"But this is Lupercus we are talking about. He was with us since I was first rescued! What does it say for me if I save strangers over those who mean the most to me?"

Arone started to feel the wind being pulled into Rikaida. All along, the temperature was dropping. Arone began to shiver.

"You had no idea when Lupercus was going to need your help," Arone spoke. "You would've been wasting your time, and those other people would have died."

"I still could've helped people! But if I were around Lupercus, I would have seen the attack, and I could have stopped it."

"That's not necessarily true..." Arone whispered.

"What?" Rikaida's head spun in Arone's direction. "Of course I would have stopped it!"

"I was there," Arone said, a sinking feeling in his chest. "Everything happened too quickly. I killed the Arcam too late."

"Wha..." began Rikaida, now rapidly looking back and forth between Lupercus and Arone. "But maybe I could have done it. We could have taken turns watching over him."

"Rikaida," Arone softly spoke. "Lupercus made the choice to fight. He didn't want us constantly watching him. He wanted us fighting to win."

"He was just a kid, though! Of course we had to watch over him!"

"No," Arone said, this time loud and boldly. He became choked up as he continued to talk. "He was a man just like you and me. He made sure what he did last was to fight. He was dying in my arms, but he got up, and he ran into those Arcams. He died as a warrior."

Rikaida's eyes widened, and his face softened. A smile started to appear on his face, one that finally broke through his anguish. More tears came to his eyes, but they were tears of pride. The wind that had been encroaching gusted outward at that moment. As it did, the freezing air warmed, and the tense aura around Rikaida subsided. At last, a wide smile shone on his face.

"I had no idea," he said.

Gunnolf, sensing the sudden change in mood, lifted his head from the ground. He clambered onto all four legs and once more went to nudging Lupercus with his nose. Maybe he'd thought this change meant Lupercus was alive, and Arone bowed his head again.

Kathara approached them from behind and stood next to Arone. The tears were gone from her eyes, but her solemn expression remained.

"Do you think he is in Pergusiss?" she asked quietly. "Or do you think he was able to move on?"

"I don't know," Arone said back. He hadn't thought about that. "I hope wherever he is, though, he's happy. Maybe he's with his brother."

She continued to stare forward, and Arone set his gaze on Gunnolf again. He was still trying to wake Lupercus, but as before, it wouldn't work. After many more attempts, he sat himself on the ground, though this time his demeanor was different. His head tilted to one side and lowered slightly.

Ibnoba came up behind him.

"Arone...there's something you should know."

Arone turned his gaze to her.

"Tyris was near the battlefield. I saw him after being bitten by the Shadin. He was just...watching me. And then he ran away after the lightning storm hit."

"You know he's responsible for all this?" Arone asked. "He showed the man where Dogane's magic was, and only Dogane's descendant could get it. Without him, this entire fight wouldn't have happened."

"No..." Ibnoba whispered.

"He's going to regret ever helping Dogane. He lied about helping us. If he just ran away...I hope for his sake he never crosses paths with us again."

Arone frowned, but at that moment Gunnolf gave an exasperated whimper. He started walking around Lupercus. He was frantically calling outward with small yelps, first at Lupercus, and then to anyone around him who could hear. His eyes met with each of them there: the Ragmar, Rikaida, Kathara, Ibnoba, and finally, Arone. Gunnolf's gaze was that of understanding. Lupercus was dead, but Gunnolf still silently cried for him, his beloved friend.

From around them, the other wolves started to make their way to Gunnolf. Their heads were hung low in mourning for their friend, but the sight itself of them coming to comfort Gunnolf altogether was heartwarming. They formed a circle around them. One by one, they sat down, all along whimpering at Gunnolf, just as he whimpered back. He staggered about.

Finally, Gunnolf himself sat down. His eyes were only on Lupercus, and it was then that Arone thought he was saying his goodbyes. He was silent, and the other wolves around them also stilled their voices. Everyone was looking at the brave warriors that had lost their lives.

Gunnolf suddenly arched his head toward the sky and let out a glorious howl. It ached so much for Lupercus, for a time when everything would be better, when everyone would feel better from his loss. It yearned for when the shroud of sadness would finally be dispelled. Happiness would break this heaviness and ease their minds.

Then all the other wolves joined Gunnolf, and with them the air was shaken to its inner depths. Their howl together sang the most beautiful, tragic song Arone had ever heard. It rested deep within him and made him hurt. But it also made him hope that those who died would somehow find peace in the afterlife. And as the howling continued and neared its peak, Arone looked to the sky and closed his eyes. All was not fought for nothing. There would be good, after all.

Thank you for reading this book! The adventure continues and ends in the next book, Eliathar, currently being written. Have a great day!
Pronunciation Guide

(All-capitalized parts get a slight emphasis)

Characters:

Arcam: ARK – um

Ravella: ruh – VELL - uh

Arone: uh – RONE

Toaran: TORE – in

Anorati: on – or – OD - dee

Lynn: lin

Pivincy: PIV – in – see

Rondor: ron – DOOR

Garand: guh - ROND

Tharon: THERE (th is softer than in there, however) – in

Ramas: RAH – miss

Ubinion: you – BIN – ee – yin

Osmas: OZ - muss

Dogane: doe (female deer) – GAIN

Morvane: more – VAIN

Tyris: TIE – Riss

Aine: uh – YEE – nuh

Bardin: BAR – din

Shadin: SHA – din

Rikaida: ri – KAY – duh

Gunnolf: GUN – olf (like the olf in golf)

Lupercus: LUE – per – kiss

Ragmar: RAG – mar

Ibnoba: ib – NOB – uh

Kathara: ku – THAR – uh

Gorgan: GORE – gin (like in begin)

Kaidai: KAY – die

Awrischa: uh – RISH – uh

Nargula: NAR – you (as in the pronoun) – la

Kallon: KAL (the al as in pal) – in

Ranves: RON – vees

Nark'thul: nark – TOOL

Mikali: mi – KAY – lie

Timaiis: Tim – EYE – iss

Wynthro: WIN – throw

Marzus: mar – ZUSS

Urana: er – ON – uh

Darius: DARE – ee – iss

Caligra: kuh – LIG – ra

Places:

Agrathias: uh – GRAY – thee – iss

Terrifor: TEAR – i (soft I sound) – for

Glavendale: GLAV – in – dale

Lavamar: LAV (as in lavender) – uh – mar

Velgath: VEL – gath

Bengaul: bane – GAUL

Menang: men – ANG (like in angle)

Saric: SAR (sar is like in Sarah) – ick

Drathen: DRATH – in

Anglo-Matten: ANG (like in angle) – lo – MAT – in

Kurzen: KOOR – zen

Folarn: foe – LARN

Karzrok: karz – rock (no emphasis on either syllable)

Ban'Gorok: ban – GORE – ock

Runterlands: RUNT – er – linds

Pergusiss: PER – guh – siss

Other (Plants, Ores, etc.)

Anglomite: ANGLO (see above) – might

Drathenite: DRATHEN (see above) – night

Jespar: JESS – par

Broolana: broo – LA – nuh

Segoada: suh – GO – duh

Kresiliss: KRESS – uh – liss

Prellacistine: PRELL – uh – siss – teen

Lurick: LUE – rick

Cespin: SESS – pin

Eladara: el – uh – DAR – uh

Siness: Sin – NESS

Eliathar: EL – ee – uh – THAR

Eledressa: el – ED- ri – suh

Cresalin: KRESS – uh – lin

Synlana: sin – LA – nuh

