Male 3: Space Wizard Centurauri Asterios 

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Male 5: Healer Wizard Eiridan Stormblessed

"What happened to you in there?" Jaeyria asked."Nothing. I'm fine," Eiridan lied."Your item didn't restore your reserves, and you winced when I touched your side earlier. What happened?" she insisted, glaring up at him. "Don't give me that load of crap about being fine. You clearly aren't.""Fine..." Eiridan sighed and stared at the path they were taking. "The dragon attacked me. Kyren showed up just after I went into my tunnel and warned me that it would. He told me that it wouldn't negotiate and gave me options. I chose the obvious one; I submitted when it attacked. After it realized I wouldn't fight, it let me have the object.""Just like that?" Jaeyria asked. "Yeah. It broke a few ribs and punctured a lung prior to that, but..." He shrugged in an attempt to be nonchalant. "Details. They're mostly healed now."She stopped and dragged him back when he tried to keep walking. Pressing her palms to his chest, she snapped, "Details? Mostly healed? It could've killed you, Eiri! What's wrong with you? You're not yourself.""I don't know," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "I really don't. I've felt off since the draining spell took hold. I don't feel good either."She shook her head and dragged him to a nook in between an outcropping of rocks and the mountain-side. Further back, they noticed a cave. It was conveniently placed, and she tugged him toward it. "You're going to rest. That's what you're going to do. No buts or protests.""We should... We need to keep moving, not rest..." he mumbled, stumbling. His legs were becoming weaker, and he crumpled to the ground with a gasp.Her irritation fled in an instant as she rushed to his side and pulled his head into her lap. "I'm sorry, Eiri... I'm so sorry." Tears dripped down her cheeks. "I keep messing up and hurting you..."He shook his head, feeling horrible for making her cry. "No, I'm sorry," he croaked as nausea accompanied the return of his weariness. "I shouldn't try to shut you out when I need help." He reached out to wipe her tears away.She leaned into his hand and ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "I don't know what to do anymore," she whispered, misery in her previously bright eyes."You can help me to the cave. Please don't cry, Jae."Jaeyria closed her eyes and swallowed back her sobs.He felt the wave of sadness as it crushed them both. She was so upset about his condition and almost losing him. His own pain and sadness swirled in with his weariness to make a toxic brew. Darkness danced on the edges of his peripheral as Jaeyria helped him limp into the cave. She laid him gently in the mouth and used her pack as a pillow for his head. He smiled gently at her as unconsciousness slowly stole her from his sight.***"The barrier is going to come down, Eiridan..." Kyren's voice whispered in the darkness. "You and Jaeyria should run. Stay away from the other rebels. I have to make a show of trying to stop you both, but you need to knock me out or something and take me with you. Just make it convincing, would you? My family depends on it.""Wait! Kyren?" Eiridan called out into the mist, turning in circles as he tried to find Kyren."I'm still here... What do you want?""Why isn't the wand helping me? Your father said it would...""My father is a liar, Eiridan. By now you should know that... The spell might be gone, but your dragon was a particularly nasty breed. One that is able to make it harder for other magical creatures to heal." A sour tone crept into Kyren's voice, "I just hope you survive it. It's just like my father to destroy everything good...""But what's the plan? If the barrier's going out, how do we know where to go?""Go to the peak of the largest mountain in the range. I'll be there. Work on the barrier if you can. Weaken it. I have my dragon working on finishing it off. We won't have long before my father figures out what we're doing and tries to stop us. Make it count," he snapped. "I have to go. Don't make me sorry I told you."Eiridan detected a hint of desperation in Kyren's voice as he fought through the fog to reach his benefactor. "I won't... Kyren?""What?" His impatient tone masked the fear and hope in his voice.Finally Eiridan saw him standing in the gloom. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes were downcast. His aura was blacker than the shadows surrounding them and swirled with the silver threads of sorrow and the gold strands of wistfulness. Eiridan drew closer and touched Kyren's arm gently. "I've always been your friend..." He wasn't sure why it was so important to him that Kyren understood this, but it was. He had a feeling that the other man had never had a true friend before. Or at the very least, Kyren hadn't had one in a very, very long time. His family was all he had left, and Eiridan wanted him to know that he had more now.Kyren tensed and looked up at him briefly. His blue eyes were glossy, and Eiridan realized that he was on the verge of tears. It surprised him. Kyren had never seemed like the sort to show vulnerability. Yes, he was vulnerable, but he hid it behind his mask of sarcasm and anger. "Stop looking at me like that, then," he snapped.There's the Kyren we know and love, Eiridan thought with a smile. Then he frowned. "Like what?""With pity. You think I'm broken. You think you can fix me, don't you?""No. I don't." Eiridan stepped back. "I see that now. You're the only one who can truly fix your problems. I'm just here to help and listen. Friends do that, you know."Kyren looked away. "Do they?""The real ones do.""Whatever. You better go back to your girlfriend. She needs you.""And you don't?" Eiridan asked, crossing his arms. "Anyway, when I wake up, I'll just go back to my prior state of discomfort.""No, I don't need you." Kyren's voice was hard and sharp now. "You're already awake, and you have been for a while. I'm keeping you here to tell you what you need to know without my father finding out. It's draining me, so leave."Eiridan gasped and sat up. His head throbbed as he did so.Jaeyria lay beside him, her head pillowed on a second pack. A few feet away, Eriswen was curled up, sleeping peacefully. She had her cloak around her to ward off the chill, and when Eiridan looked down, he saw that he had a blanket draped over his lower body.Jaeyria stirred and reached out to him. "Are you okay now?"He shrugged. "My energy levels are so-so.""Why?" She sat up, a frown furrowing her brow."Because I'm currently cursed. My dragon made the healing harder for me because of his race," he explained patiently. "I'm sorry I was irritable before. It won't happen again.""It's fine," she mumbled, glancing over at Eriswen."What is it?" Eiridan asked, stroking her cheek."I got a message. We need to leave now." She cast another troubled look at Eriswen."Yeah, I know.""We have to leave her here, Eiridan.""What?" he asked, dropping his hand away from her face. "No!""Yes. It's the only way. Otherwise, you're going to end up sorry," she hissed. "I'm not going to watch you die when I can stop it."He looked down at her with a sad smile. "Why would you watch me die? I know where we're going and what to do... None of it includes dying, Jae. Just freedom.""Look, I don't know what Kyren told you," Jaeyria whispered fervently. "But I'm telling you that Vaxon will retaliate when the Magi run. If we're with the rebels, they're going to kill you.""Why?""Because if we're with the rebels," she explained patiently. "It means that I chose not to side with the Family Royale, and you'll pay for it." Tears shimmered in her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. They glittered in the rising light of day as sunlight spilled in through the cave entrance and splashed over the two of them.He stroked her cheek, wiping away her tears, and kissed her gently. "Jae...""What?""We aren't doing the wrong thing just to save me.""Yes, we are!" she insisted as he kissed her again."No, we aren't. I can't do that, Jae."She pressed her palm to his chest, trying to push him away. He caught it and pressed a feathery kiss to the inside of her wrist. She shivered and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Why do you have to make this choice so hard for me, Eiridan?" she moaned."I'm not. We don't have to go with the rebels, but we're not abandoning Eris. She's a friend.""Eiridan," she started to cry as he pulled her into his arms. "We have to. Eriswen is one of them." She hiccupped.Eiridan examined her aura carefully as more and more purple flooded it. Her hysteria was rising. She really did believe Vassti's warning about him. Sighing, he realized that he couldn't hurt her more by refusing this. "Leave a note to explain. Then we'll go."She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you..." she whispered, her sobs gradually abating.He rubbed her back and then pulled away, walking to the cave's entrance. "I'm going to look for the mountain we're supposed to head to."***Her portal spit them out near the very peak of the mountain Kyren had mentioned. Half of their legwork was done by the portal, but they still had to descend the opposite side. The barrier cut the top portion off a few feet from them, and it pulsed gently. Behind it, the companions could see blue skies and trees, which were waving in a slight breeze.Wind howled with a vengeance around them, and Jaeyria shivered, pressing herself closer to Eiridan. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. With his ribs still sore, he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with this.Jaeyria rested her arms on top of his as they watched the shifting landscape behind the barrier. "How long before it goes out?""I don't know. We're supposed to try and weaken it. Kyren's going to show up before it comes down. Be prepared for a fight."A few baby rock trolls rumbled up to watch them, their beady eyes blinking in unison."What?" she growled, spinning to face Eiridan. "He saves you, helps you, and then forces us to fight him anyway?""He has a family to protect.""He can kill other people instead? It doesn't have to be us."Yes, it does. Eiridan held her closer to him. Because we're the only ones who will actually help him escape too. The others would just try to kill him.He couldn't tell Jaeyria that though. He didn't know what Vaxon could hear or what he would listen in on, so he couldn't risk giving away Kyren's plan. Kyren still didn't quite trust him yet, and he didn't want to hurt his only chance of helping. If he was careless or betrayed Kyren, the other man might never trust anyone again. He'd clam up like he did before, and he'd become bitter. Eiridan couldn't be the reason that occurred."Well, guess we better try and take this thing out." Jaeyria sighed, pulling out of his grip to stalk closer to the force-field. It pulsed brighter and then dimmed again as she walked a little ways down the slope toward it. "I'll try and crack it, I guess." She began drawing runes with her stylus, and they flashed brightly, sending a wave of arrows at one spot on the force-field. It didn't do anything though.The force-field swallowed the magic whole and continued pulsing like it was before Jaeyria tried to bring it down. She drew more runes. These flared brighter than the last set and sent another rain of arrows down on the same spot. The results, of course, didn't change."This is insane!" she growled, spinning to face him."Here. Try combining our magic. And ask the frost trolls to help.""I can't siphon your energy off or use it. And why would the trolls help?""Yeah, you can. I'm a healer, remember. If I give it to you, you can use it," Eiridan said, grabbing her hand. "Secondly, we're going to ask them."The baby frost trolls stepped closer, pointing at the pair and whispering to each other. They rolled into little balls when Jaeyria shot a wary look at them. Eiridan stepped closer, tugging Jaeryia with him, and set a tentative hand on one of the troll's heads."Hey, I know you don't trust us, but this our chance to get out of here. It's your chance to go back to your parents or homes. The barrier's got to come down for that to work... So can you help us? You can use your frost breath to freeze it and help pressure it into breaking."The young troll uncurled to blink up at Eiridan. "You want Zhiloh's help?" it asked in a high-pitched, grating voice.They nodded."And the others, if they'll do it," Eiridan said."Zhiloh ask them..." the troll muttered, rolling over to the other quaking little ones.They huddled together, discussing the idea and then Zhiloh came back. There were only four of them there, and they all hid behind Zhiloh as if it was the leader. "Zhiloh ask. They all say yes. Moll, Cully, and Ziv say they help you..." it said, smiling proudly.Eiridan patted its ice covered head with an amused smile. "Thank you, Zhiloh. Come on, everyone. Let's get started on this."Jaeyria complied and began sketching out more symbols in the thin air surrounding them. This time, instead of give out arrows, the shadow magic spread over the force-field like a second wall and began pushing.Eiridan wasn't sure if it was because the field was weakening or if it was their combined magic, but the force-field began to flicker suddenly. It shifted down the slope, giving way before Jaeyria's small wall. It seemed to force the shield to bow out in one area.Eiridan thought the result was something like a balloon as you filled it with air. The more you filled it, the more likely it was that it would pop with the next breath you forced into its interior. The force-field began looking crackly. The frost trolls gave excited, high pitched grumblings and blew icy shards at it in unison. They slammed through her wall and into the force-field. For a moment, it seemed as though nothing further would happen, and then a webbing of cracks appeared behind the shadow wall, spreading over the force-field. A hole the size of Jaeyria's shadow wall suddenly blasted open, blowing steamy air into their faces.Before they could walk through, darkness began gathering in the sky, speeding towards them. Jaeyria's hand flew to her weapon. The soft ring of steel scraping against leather pulled his attention from the cloud to her. She held her unsheathed sword in hand, ready to fight, and stepped away, going back up the slope. Eiridan followed. The baby frost trolls cowered behind the various boulders, closing their eyes and huddling up together. Their craggy skin blended into the mountain side, effectively masking them from the intruder's view.Kyren's mocking laugh filled the air around them as he materialized before them. He stalked forward with a smirk, and tendrils of darkness reached for them. They toyed ponderously with Jaeyria's fingers before tearing the blade from her grasp.She let out a growl as Kyren stopped just in front of them. "Get it over with then. Kill us if you're going to."Eiridan grabbed her waist just in case she decided to try something."Just killing you wouldn't be any fun. And anyway, what use do you think a tiny sword would be against me? You tried that, remember?" Kyren stepped even closer and tapped a finger against her head. "It failed pretty miserably.""You jerk!" Jaeyria spat and slapped him across the face. "I'm going to kill you."Eiridan tightened his hold on her waist as she fought to free herself. "Hey... Jae, stop.""No! Let me go, Eiridan. I'm going to give this low-life a taste of his own poison for once." She tried to shove Eiridan's hands off her waist, but he didn't let go. "Let go!" she yelled. "He's going to kill us both!""Let her go, Eiridan. We have to make it look good." Kyren's voice filled his head, and he let go of Jaeyria in shock.He gazed questioningly at Kyren, but he couldn't voice any of his concerns because he didn't have the ability to communicate beyond the spoken word."Just before she actually kills me, use one or two of those spells your teacher showed you.""I don't want to hurt you!" This time Eiridan did protest aloud."Don't care. Drain my energy, and make sure that I pass out. I know you can, Healer, so do it! And then figure out how to finish off the force-field. Odahviin was killed before he could finish. It's weaker though." His eyes met Eiridan's, and he seemed to sense the Healer's hesitancy because he added, "Curse you, Healer! You said we were friends, so prove it. I'm asking you for something I can't get for myself. Freedom."Jaeyria lunged at Kyren while he was distracted. The two of them went down in a tangle of limbs as her fist connected with his nose. Eiridan winced as he watched the two brawl. Kyren soon had the upper hand.He held Jaeyria's arms above her head and was straddling her. She tried to kick him off or roll, but he didn't budge. She glared at him futilely and then squirmed, trying to get her hands free. "Get off me, you oaf!" she snarled. "And darn it all, release my hands right now."He just laughed with a bemused smirk. "You picked a feisty one, Eiridan," he remarked calmly.Eiridan crossed his arms, looking at the trolls in desperation. Zhiloh blinked back but didn't move to help. With a sigh, he looked back at Kyren. "We're currently at an impasse, Kyren. You have her, and I could drop you right now.""Then do it," Kyren said, laughing hollowly. "I don't think you can, or you would've rescued her by now."Jaeyria fought his grasp and finally got a hand free. She slammed a fist into his gut, taking advantage of his distraction. Wheezing, Kyren rolled off her. Before he could move, she yanked her stylus from her pocket and began drawing runes. Bonds of shadow instantly sprang up around him, tying his wrists and feet to the rocky ground.She stalked over to him and kicked him in the side. "That's for manhandling me!" she yelled. "Didn't anyone teach you how to treat women? Surely someone took the time! Then again, you're probably so arrogant that no one can teach you anything."Eiridan picked up on his next words, but Jaeyria didn't as she continued fuming. "Eiridan did..."He wondered what he'd taught Kyren. Whatever it was, it didn't matter right now. He couldn't let Jaeyria kill Kyren, and from the looks of it, she was planning to. Before he could step in, however, Jaeyria's shadow bonds snapped, and Kyren had her wrists tied by his own bonds. They were much stronger than her Shadow bonds since Darkness always destroyed Shadow.Jaeyria let out a muffled scream as the bonds wrapped around her waist and then her chest, squeezing tighter as they went. She looked at him pleadingly, and he knew what she wanted. Conflicted feelings roared through him. He didn't want to hurt Kyren, but Kyren wasn't going to give him an option. He cared about Kyren, but he loved Jaeyria. He was trying to be a friend to Kyren, but since when did your friend hurt the people you loved?"I don't want to hurt you, Eiridan... I know seeing her hurt is causing distress. So just do it. My energy will eventually come back. You have one minute to figure it out because the barrier is crashing." Kyren watched him closely. "What are you going to do then, Healer? Will you let her die?"Jaeyria's body shook softly with sobs as Kyren's bonds tightened even further. She was starting to look blue, and her aura was going smoky instead of its usual ebony black. A scream tore from her throat, but it was nearly soundless as she lost what little breath she'd had."I didn't want to do this, but fine." Eiridan bowed his head, tears prickling his eyes. He felt the familiar tug of his magic's dark side as he sought it out. This was what he despised about himself. He didn't want to embrace the destruction that countered his healer's side. He was never meant to hurt others, but if it would set them all free, he had to do it. Besides, he couldn't lose Jaeyria. She was everything to him.He felt the magic coursing through his veins as he spoke the words necessary to drain Kyren. "Cujus animam meam ego tollam virutem." From your life to mine, I take your power. Eiridan felt sick as he sucked in the energy he was siphoning off Kyren. As soon as Kyren crumpled to the ground and Jae was freed, Eiridan cut the spell off with a short, "Ilicet." All is over."Come on, Jae. We have to get him through the barrier," Eiridan said, grabbing Kyren's shoulders."What?" she snapped, waving at Kyren. "Why in Castre would we do that? He tried to kill us.""But he didn't exactly succeed.""He was suffocating me.""Kind of." Eiridan began tugging Kyren toward the path that led down toward the faltering barrier.Jaeyria followed with a huff and grabbed Kyren's feet. "Really, Eiridan? You're not going to explain?""I can't," he grunted, wishing Kyren weighed less.Sixty seconds later, everything went haywire. Apparently, Vaxon hadn't been dumb enough to leave out a contingency plan when he created the force-field. As the rest of it blew out, it sent the three of them flying backward with the force of the explosion. No doubt it was meant to explode and kill every Magi in the arena if breached. It was fortunate for them that it was weaker now; it had been delayed in self-destructing, and the explosion was also weaker.Eiridan's head smacked against the hard ground, and he moaned, feeling his blood dripping down his neck, sticky and hot. A rush of heated, damp air blasted over them all as they lay there. Kyren was lying in a heap near Eiridan's feet, and Jaeyria was lying a few feet away, covering her head with her arms.The ground rumbled angrily under them as Eiridan shoved himself off the ground and hastily whispered, "Confervo." Heal. Then he rushed to where Kyren lay on the ground.A gash split his forehead, and Eiridan examined it, brushing his fingertips along the edges. Blood oozed out and coated his fingers, making them slick with the liquid. Jaeyria hobbled over and stared down at Kyren."Just leave him. We need to run while we still can.""Can't do that," Eiridan mumbled, tearing strips off his cloak."Why not?" she snapped. "He tried to kill us.""It wouldn't be right." He wrapped the cloth tightly around Kyren's head, bandaging the wound. He had a feeling he'd need his strength and energy for what they would face in this escape attempt. No sense in wasting it on a non-lethal injury.Jaeyria huffed, but she helped him when he hoisted Kyren off the ground and started moving toward the blasted force-field. A nasty, sulfuric stench was being emitted from the ground near the force-field, and Eiridan coughed, covering his nose as best he could without dropping Kyren."What is that horrible stench?" Jaeyria asked, burying her nose in her shoulder as they continued lugging Kyren toward the ruined barrier."No idea. Probably Vaxon's second contingency plan. You know, just in case the explosion didn't kill everyone. Try not to breathe it in."She nodded and quit talking.Something was slowly creeping into his mind, insinuating itself and forcing his usual gentle demeanor to the side. Eiridan frowned as something began whispering to him to attack his companions. It was almost as though he was suddenly a different person. Spots danced in his vision when he tried to ignore the impulses that he was experiencing. No. He shook his head. No... Not happening. These are friends, not enemies."Oh, my word!" Jaeyria yelled suddenly. "Would you just shut up and move faster? You're so slow!"Eiridan stared at her in alarm. "I wasn't talking, Jae.""Yes, you were. You've been spouting idiocy about saving him since the force-field blew out. How long will it take you to grow a backbone and stop being so nice to everyone?" Jaeyria dropped Kyren's legs and crossed her arms. "Go ahead. Take him with you. I'm leaving, and I'm not going to come back this time."Eiridan heard the voice hissing at him to do strange things. He'd never once snapped at Jaeyria in his life, but he suddenly wanted to. Do it... You know it would feel good... The voice laughed as he fought it.Pain erupted in his head as he tried to ignore the voice. "Jae..." he whispered weakly. "Jae, I can't just... We can't abandon him." His breathing became erratic as he kept fighting the impulses the creature was giving him."It's him or me, Eiridan! In fact, if you won't kill him, I will. He's vulnerable and half-dead anyway," she hissed, stalking up to him. "You're clearly too cowardly to do it yourself." She slapped him. "I don't know what I ever saw in you!"Pain radiated through him as she lashed out. Mingled in with it was an insatiable rage. Slap her back, the creature goaded. Then she'll find out how strong you really are."You're a fool," Jaeyria raged. "Always saving everyone but yourself."Before he could figure out what was going on, she'd shoved him. He stumbled across the blackened line where the barrier had been, falling on his rear end outside the arena. Jaeyria strode over to Kyren and dragged him across the line too with a snarl."When I'm finished with him, you'll wish you'd ended it sooner, you moron," she spat at Eiridan.Eiridan grimaced and got to his feet. The voice was becoming more insistent, and its taunts began to meld with Jaeyria's until he couldn't tell them apart. A scream tore from him as he clutched at his head. "Stop!" he shouted at Jaeyria.The trolls rolled out from behind the boulders and stepped over the barrier hesitantly to watch the fight. Their beady eyes followed Jaeyria as she moved back to Eiridan. They watched with open mouths and wide-eyes as the two former allies continued to argue.Jaeyria grabbed his arm and tugged him toward her until their faces were mere inches apart. "Make me," she hissed."Jaeyria, this isn't you," he snapped, irritability winning out as he began losing ground to the voice."Yes, it is.""No. It's not."The voice pushed him even further toward the brink. Just kill her. She doesn't have the right to disrespect you."I should just get rid of you. You're so annoying! I can't stand the sight of you anymore," Jaeyria growled, her hands finding his throat.With a laugh, the voice shut him into a cage and took over. He watched in abject horror as it slapped Jaeryia, sending her reeling back. She lunged at him, trying to get her hands around his neck again, and the two of them went down, landing hard on Kyren.A grunt came from the third Magi as he was brought rudely awake by the bickering pair. With an annoyed snarl, he shoved them both off him and stood. Brushing off, he flicked his fingers and sent inky strands of darkness toward them. They went flying, and hit the ground hard. Seconds later, both of them were bound to trees a few feet outside of the barrier line. Kyren completed ignored the frightened troll babies as he glared at the pair. "Shut up both of you. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you've got bigger worries than some lovers' tiff. And Eiridan, since when did you hit anyone?"Since some evil beast took over my body, Eiridan thought as he blacked out.

Male 7: Metal Mage Mordzar Malthus

Footsteps echoed down the dark hallway of the dungeons. A radiant light was emitted as the cell door opened up and three silhouettes appeared at the doorway. As they stepped into the room, the dimly lit torches revealed their faces. Sorcerer Oakahs, Prandeen, and Fallowe were sneering at the three occupants. Oakahs was Vaxon's right hand man who played a critical role in capturing the magi for the arena, Prandeen was Vaxon's royal adviser, while the latter of the trio was the head of palace security. What did they want with the prisoners? " Oakahs, what do you want with us?" a male voice croaked.Oakahs, smiling, brushed a strand of blond hair from his narrow right eye." Rest assured Garth, I am not here to harm you." He began. "In fact, I am a bearer of good news-for you." Garth looked up. His haggard look made it impossible to believe that he was once the most respected alchemist in Komesen. He, his wife, and daughter have been stuck here for who knows how long. It felt like forever since the day Vaxon's soldiers had stormed into their house and arrested them. All because his son was training with Mathas to be a metal mage. "You may not believe me, but your son has survived the arena much longer than we thought he would."Oakahs stated. " That is a shame since I bet a couple hundred dragons that he would die in the bloodbath, but I must say I underestimated him." " My brother...is alive?" the third prisoner's dull brown eyes lit up. " For the time being yes, but it is thanks to His Majesty's daughter, the princess Nassia." Fallowe confirmed. "Wait? That brat?! Why is she helping Mordzar!?" the third prisoner, Myra, exclaimed." First of all, I would watch my mouth if I were you." Prandeen chimed in. " It is the princess you are talking about. Second, Mordzar was one of the chosen few that has the potential to turn and if he survives the games, you would be absolved of all your crimes." "Though there is one condition for that to happen." Oakahs added. "Which is?" Garth raised an eyebrow. " Your son would have to swear loyalty to Vaxon and obey his every wish." Oakahs posited. "If he does use his brain and do as we say, I might even try to convince Vaxon to let him wed Nassia. Imagine the position your household would get with that kind of connection." Before his father could speak, Mordzar had already came to. Breathing hard, he had found himself on the peripheral edges of the cave systems and had wondered how he had gotten out. Chances could be that he had snuck out while he was wounded and crawled here somehow, but it doesn't matter now. He lifted his right hand to push back a strand of his long dark hair which had come across his face, he noticed a shiny silver ring on his left index finger. His eyes then grew twice their normal size. He had on the ring he was fighting Savirha to win! Though he vaguely remembered passing out, he could not recall how he got it. Well, it doesn't matter now, he felt reenergized. As he got up, he scanned the skyline and noticed a pink twilight approach. Was I out for that long? He wondered with shock. He looked around himself and noticed that the area around the caves looked abandoned. Throne, I was lucky no one slit my throat as I was sleeping! Mordzar got up and started back to the plains. He recalled a weird vision he had when he was knocked out, one where is parents were involved in! He remembered Oakahs and a couple other of Vaxon's subjects inform his family about his situation. Mordzar was glad that they were still alive, but if he wanted to free them from Vaxon's clutches, he would have to survive the arena first. He remembered something Oakahs had said. What was it again? Your son would have to swear loyalty to Vaxon and obey his every wish, the sorcerer had said. Definitely a huge hell no! If he does use his brain and do as we say, I might even try to convince Vaxon to let him wed Nassia. Imagine the position your household would get with that kind of connection, the wicked man had added. Wed Nassia!? Mordzar was trying hard to keep his food from earlier from leaving his stomach. It took all his willpower not to wretch. It wasn't until Mordzar came to the river that separated the caves form the rest of the arena that he realized he hadn't drunk in a day. Ravenous with thirst, he bent down and started to pool up some of the water. That was refreshing. Mordzar got up and stretched. Mordzar, can you hear me? Startled, Mordzar looked around. "Who goes there?" Mordzar raised his sword.It is time for you to escape from this arena, the voice had said. "Did you not hear me? I asked you to identify yourself!" Mordzar shouted. Suddenly, a thought hit Mordzar like a ball to the face. His thought was confirmed when he saw various magi race to the towering mountains that surrounded the arena. Is this an escape attempt? He wondered. This may be it! Without thinking twice, an elated Mordzar made his way across the river on the tree he had cut earlier in the day and joined the magi. Looks like his rebellion may come sooner than he thought. Mordzar sprinted alongside other magi and scoured the crowd for any familiar faces. As they arrived at the mountainside in the tundra, Mordzar felt a little suspicious. Isn't it a risk for most of the magi to gather in one area instead of spreading out? He noticed flickering of wave energy above the mountain and realized something. The shield! "Does anyone know how to get past the shield?" Mordzar asked. Before anyone could answer, a deep voice rumbled across the arena like thunder." Foolish magi! How dare you try to humiliate me further than you already have! I will punish you all for that!" the voice roared.Mordzar felt a chill take a hold of him. That voice belonged to King Vaxon! Around him, the magi began panicking. So is this an uprising or what?" All of you will die- NOW!!" Vaxon screamed. Not even a second after he said that, the mountains started rumbling and boulders started to rain down on the terrified magi. Mordzar dodged a boulder the size of a cottage. Right when he landed on the ground, the ground separated, revealing a sinkhole. Startled, Mordzar immediately moved back, but noticed a petite, blonde-haired girl , whose name had slipped past his mind ( Ashley?) slip into the crevasse and hold on for dear life on the ledge. Seeing her hand slip, Mordzar rushed over,grabbed her, and hoisted her out of the crevasse. The frightened girl's blue eyes stared into his eyes. Something about her eyes reminded him of cobalt. "Thank you." She whispered. "It's fine, Ashley." He replied. "It's Ashni." She corrected him. "Sorry Ashni, you best get away from here. It looks as if the arena is coming apart." Ashni did not need to be told twice. However, before she could take a step, Kyren had appeared from the shadows. Just as Kyren began to pounce on her as a Liger does to its prey, Mordzar thought a quick phrase and small wall blocked Kyren from getting to his victim. In order to give Ashni more time to escape, Mordzar charged at Kyren and decided to engage him. He desperately tried to land a mark on Kyren, but his opponent proved too nimble for him. Kyren retaliated with his shadow sword and in no time, Mordzar was on his back." Trying to stop us from making our escape I see," Mordzar glared at Kyren. "Well, I will be damned if I let you do that." "Quiet, Mordzar. No one needs to listen to that incessant garbage coming out of your mouth."
Kyren responded as he stood over Mordzar. "Besides, I promised I would come for you to complete the dance and I intend to make good on it." "What is wrong with you? Don't you realize that the magi here, you and me included, have family to go to? We aren't toys that your father and his cronies can play with for their twisted idea of entertainment." Mordzar berated Kyren. "Besides, did you not tell me during that time in the dungeons that Vaxon was also holding your family hostage? I mean, don't you want to see them again?" Kyren's gaze seemed to have softened a little bit. Mordzar thought he was mistaking, but he thought he saw a look a pained look flash through Kyren. It was gone in a flash."You have no idea how much I want to see them." Kyren growled. "Which is why I am fighting these magi." Kyren looked around cautiously and then darkness surrounded him and Mordzar. Kyren then lowered his sword." So you want to kill me privately? Is that it?You want to take your time and gloat?" Mordzar snapped."Mordzar, if I was going to kill you, I would have no need to invest energy to put a shadow shield over us." Kyren pointed. "What you said is correct. I do have my wife and children to think about so I have to put on a show for Vaxon to think I am preventing the magi from escaping otherwise he would harm them."Mordzar sat down, taking it all in."Let me get this straight, you want to help us escape?" Mordzar inquired. "We all want to see our families." "Yes, though I can't save every one of you." Kyren responded. "The bottom line is for me to escape with my own life and hopefully use the cover of my uncle's rebellion to liberate my family from Vaxon. The more of you magi escape, the more help he will have of dethroning Vaxon." " Then, instead of scuffling here, why don't we figure out an escape route?" Mordzar suggested."If only it were that easy, you do realize we have to disable the shield?" "Yes, that was what I was wondering about." " The shield is powered mainly by Wessi and they will hopefully be taken care of by Odahviin, but there is another source that provides back up power for the shield in case it fails." Kyren informed him. " These are called the Four Sisters, four Dilithium crystals hidden in every corner of the arena. If you want to take them out, I suggest you all spread out instead of sitting in one area. I am going to lower my dark shield now, I can't afford to waste more energy. In addition, if you get yourself killed, that is your problem, got it?""Clearly." With the darkness gone, Mordzar saw the sky now has a crimson hue with a blood red moon out. He looked around and noticed some magi were fighting each other!"Impossible! That can't be the Shattered Sight, could it?" Kyren muttered, touching a necklace."The what?" Mordzar asked. "Never mind, just keep your guard up while I 'slay' some Magi." Kyren hollered. That is when a brilliant light flashed and Mordzar fell to the floor, covering his eyes. A few seconds later, he looked up and saw a magi charge at him with a mace. He leapt back and raised his sword. He gasped as he recognized the magi who attacked him. "Asawake! What the hell are you doing?" Mordzar shouted. "What does it look like I am doing? Killing you!" Asawake narrowed his eyes. "Wouldn't it be more productive if you focused on escaping instead of fighting?" Mordzar shouted. He saw creatures known as frost trolls join the fray with their spiked clubs. The gray-green color of the trolls stood out on the freezing tundra. Mira Morder Miran. Clamps clasped Asawake's legs, but he used his mace to break them. Why is he trying to kill me?"He is trying to kill you because he is under the Shattered Sight."Mordzar turned and did a double-take as he noticed Oakahs standing next to him in a bluish hue." The Shattered Sight is a spell that Vaxon devised to make you magi more bloodthirsty and kill each other quicker with no remorse, but it seemsthat Kyren had managed to thwart it with is necklace for the time being." Oakahs grinned.Mordzar ducked a blow from Asawake and leapt over a sinkhole that had appeared out of nowhere. "How did you get in here?" Mordzar snarled while he and Asawake were in a weapon deadlock. "I am not. This is simply a hologram of me that is only visible to you." " If this weird spell was thwarted, then how is Asawake under the influence?" Oakahs laughed. "You seriously know nothing. It is working because I helped Vaxon repair it. Moreover, I overheard your conversation with Kyren." Oakahs added, sneering. "Wha-?" Mordzar began, but the blow from a mace slammed into his shoulder, causing him an immense amount of pain.Damn, why did I let my guard down? He gritted his teeth and held his shoulder. Hopefully, it wasn't broken. "It is all over, Mordzar." He turned and saw Asawake over him, raising his mace. Mordzar tried to counter with his sword, but all he felt was searing pain. No, no, please let it not end now! He desperately thought. Despair was rising inside him along with Asawake's mace until a wolf howl reflected across the cold tundra. He heard Asawake let out a surprised cry as a dark, blue shape pounced on him. Mordzar's heart leapt with joy as he recognized Warwik the Bloodhunter. All around him, he noticed werewolves attacking. The surprising thing was that they weren't attacking the magi, they were actually attacking the trolls and the berserker magi." Hello again, nephew." Warwik grinned at him. Mordzar noticed Asawake, bruised and bloodied, start to crawl away. Then, Mordzar started to feel a special type of rage he never felt before. Asawake will pay for doing this to him."Mordzar, eat this Ginzen bean. It will heal all your wounds." Warwik told him.Mordzar took the bean and wolfed it down. It took a few seconds, but the pain in his shoulder subsided. How convenient it was that his uncle would have a Ginzen bean. He must have seen him injured from the distance. He watched Warwik turn and battle a giant Frost troll along with another werewolf. Wait, was that even a werewolf? He saw that the white wolf stood on all four legs whereas Warwik stood on his hind legs. He then remembered a shapeshifter sage who always turned into a wolf during training. Could that be ..Lilja? Mordzar grimaced every time he saw the troll's pig-like face and beady eyes. Luckily, they were not as smart as they were ugly. As he contemplated joining his uncle, he remembered Asawake and the hate began to flow through him. " Where do you think you are going, traitor?" Mordzar growled as he advanced over a wounded Asawake. "M-Mordzar, please.."Asawake stared over at him with a look of fear. Mordzar stepped on the light mage's arm and applied force. Asawake howled in pain as his arm snapped. " Die!" Mordzar then stabbed Asawake in the back several times until he was satisfied with his death. He kicked the body over and was pleased to see Asawake had a look of shock on his corpse. He scanned the tundra and saw that it was littered with corpses of trolls and a few magi. He saw Kyren trying to hold off a handful of trolls. Deciding to assist him, Mordzar ran over to him, but a troll blocked his path. Mordzar noticed it was the size of a house. It beat its chest and bellowed. "You know, I am glad you don't look into a mirror otherwise you would piss yourself on seeing how ugly you truly are." Mordzar taunted it. It stared at him with a confused look. "Oh right, you are too stupid to figure that out. Never mind!" Mordzar retorted. In its rage, the troll slammed its club on the ground, but it was too slow. Mordzar had leapt back, but right into another troll. "D'arvit!" he swore. Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech tore through the night and the trolls were engulfed in blue ice-fire. Mordzar looked up and saw an icy blue dragon land in front of him where the troll's corpse lay. Shurkan...no..Savirha stared down at him. Mordzar raised his weapon and materialized a shield in his other hand. "Did you think that weak cage could hold me?" Savirha sneered. "No matter, you are going to need me if you are to fly your way out of here." Mordzar could not believe what he was hearing. " Are you actually planning on helping me?" Mordzar asked, incredulously. " Let's just say that I am returning the favor I owe you since you did not kill me when you had the chance so why should I kill you?" Savirha grinned. " Who do you think gave you that ring when you were out cold?" That explained everything. Savirha was right about another thing: he would need her to get over the mountains. " When you are ready, I will fly you over to one of the Sisters and we can start our escape. Father, Odahviin, and others are taking care of the Wessi though it won't be enough." Mordzar gasped. So Shurkan is taking part in the rebellion as they speak! Mordzar heard a yell and turned to see Kyren being held by Telex and Sigel Silverblade. So he got himself captured now? Mordzar watched them take Kyren away, but he noticed Kyren had a smug grin. He looked over at Mordzar and gave him a look that said everything is fine. He noticed Kyren whisper something into Telex's ear and Telex responded with something Mordzar could not hear. It seemed that this was part of his 'show' for Vaxon." Hey Mordzar, this is bad!"He turned to see Evian waving at him. What he saw behind him caused Mordzar's heart rate to double."Evian! What the hell happened to Eris!?" he shouted as he went over Eris's limp form. "I don't know, but she just fainted as we battled trolls!" Mordzar desperately tried to awaken a limp Eris to no avail. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully. Shit...shit..SHIT!He got up and drew his sword as he approached his friend. "M-Mordzar, what are you doing?" a frightened Evian stammered. "You couldn't protect her, no?" Mordzar seethed. "Mordzar, stop! Let me expl"- Evian did not get to finish his sentence as Mordzar waived his hand and a thousand needles embedded themselves in a screaming Evian. Mordzar held his metal sword and used it to replenish the energy he lost as he stared smugly at his handiwork. "Mordzar, there you are!" He snapped out of his thoughts as Warwik appeared next to him. "You should get on your way soon. Vaxon has cast a spell that is causing the arena to self-destruct. If I were you, I would hurry up." He spotted Mordzar look over at Eris." Don't worry, your friend is not dead, her aura is still strong. Just go, I will take care of her for you."" Thanks uncle." Mordzar then saw Warwik signal for Lilja, who was in human form, to come over."I see you chosen a mate already." Mordzar grinned."Oh shut up, you know that's not true." Warwik laughed, playfully smacking Mordzar's back. "Now, go!"Mordzar ran to where Savirha was sitting."About time, let's go already!" Savirha grinned and spread her majestic blue wings. As soon as Mordzar climbed on her back, she flapped her wings and leapt in the air. The feeling of flying still amazed Mordzar though he still had to get used to the takeoff. Many times, he had ridden Shurkan, but unlike Shurkan, Savirha had superior speed and agility."Hang on tight!" she called over to her passenger. Mordzar did not need to be told that as he grabbed onto her ridged back. He looked back and saw Warwik ,holding Eris, conversing with Lilja. Not his mate? Yeah right,Mordzar laughed to himself. I see that the Shattered Sight is still working, though erratically.Mordzar froze. Oakahs's voice continued to echo in his head.In case you are wondering, your friend is a victim of Vaxon's Poison Apple spell. It looks like she is sleeping, but her energy is slowly ebbing away. "How are you in my head??" Mordzar screamed. "Who are you talking to?" Savirha turned her head. That doesn't matter. If you value sleeping beauty's life, then prove your loyalty to the royal family and her life will be saved. Your choice, kiddo. Oakahs cackled.Mordzar sat, frozen in shock as they arrived to a hidden cave near the grottos. How would he prove his loyalty to Vaxon? He didn't know yet, but one thing was clear. He would not let Eris die. Avoiding sliding boulders, Mordzar hurried into the cave and saw a brilliantly glowing lilac crystal in the center."That is the Northern Sister. Let's hurry and destroy it before this cave system vanishes." Savirha warned him.Before any of them could make a move, a pack of hissing Vraals surrounded them. Vraals were lizards with long claws, needles for teeth, and what's more? Their eyes were in their mouth!"Of course they would have this place guarded!" Savirha grumbled. Mordzar touched the ground and spikes erupted, sending the Vraals in a frenzy. As Mordzar distracted the Vraals, Savirha blew ice-fire on the massive crystal. Mordzar had remembered that Vraals were distantly related to Nires so that meant magic couldn't hurt them, but who said it couldn't distract them? One of the Vraals had cornered Mordzar and scratched him across his chest with its 9-inch claws, drawing blood. Gritting in pain, Mordzar retaliated by stabbing his sword into its mouth, puncturing the eye. The Vraal let out an inhuman shriek and backed it away. Mordzar turned his attention to Savirha, who had some Vraals scratching her as she blew her ice-fire. Mordzar attempted to get a few off of her as she attacked the Dilithium Crystal. A few seconds later, the Northern Sister exploded sending the Vraals and Mordzar flying back. Savirha, managed to snatch him in the air as she flew out. Mordzar watched in awe as the Sister's cave started to crumble and wear away, burying the Vraals with it."Who knew they had Vraals hidden in the arena?" Savirha muttered. Mordzar noticed Savirha had cuts all over her body and was bleeding blue Ichor."You should get medical attention."Mordar pointed out her cuts."Not right now, we have a schedule. Let's hope Kyren convinced other magi to stop killing each other and destroy the remaining sisters. Father and the others have their hands full since Vaxon released the Akaba." Mordzar's mouth hung open. He could only imagine what Komesen's citizens would see over the sky. Mordzar noticed that the mountain's size had decreased dramatically and what's more? Mordzar saw that the simmering waves of the shield had disappeared over the tundra and the remaining magi were heading through an opening of a damaged mountain. Mordzar noticed Kyren, visible by his sandy hair, following the rest of the magi out. Looks like the capture ruse had worked. It appears that all four Sisters were destroyed along with many Wessi." We can now improvise!" Savirha grinned as they flew out of the arena. Mordzar smiled as the wind flipped through his hair. It felt really liberating to be out of the arena for once. The moon had returned to its original silver color while the sky had turned from crimson to blue and dotted with stars. The outside world away from the arena was such a beautiful place. Mordzar looked back and saw the further decaying arena. Mordzar felt that a great weight had lifted from him now that most of them were away from that awful place."Look at the palace." Savirha designated to their right. Mordzar turned and gasped. The last time he was here was when he was a kid. The palace, immense as it was, shined a brilliant blue color among the other buildings. How can a place so majestic be inhabited by someone as dark as Vaxon? Flashes of color in the sky caught Mordzar's eyes. He noticed many shapes over the sky and with a sudden chill realized that they belonged to dragons and Akabas. Mordzar could easily distinguish between them since dragon's had more of a sharper color scheme than Akabas. Mordzar scoured the horizon for any sign of Shurkan.Mordzar! Savirha! Are you both out of the arena?Mordzar felt his heart rate speed up in joy upon hearing Shurkan's voice.Yes, father! It so good to hear your voice again! I am sorry for turning against you. Savirha responded in thought-speak.That is a story for another time! Please get Mordzar with the rest of the magi as soon as possible so they can break out their families.Affirmative! With that, Savirha sped toward the palace like an arrow. Where was Shurkan? He wondered. Suddenly, a dark shape appeared out of the darkness and blocked them."Savirha, look out for the Akaba!" Mordzar shouted. The reptilian bird itself started to swoop down on them and that is when Mordzar had a memory of that day in Demarke. He started to fill up with rage as the Akaba flew closer. He materialized crossbow from his shield and fired an arrow at the Akaba. It hit the designated target: its femoral artery. Instead of instant death, the vile beast would get a slow and painful one."Nice shot!" Savirha shouted as the screaming bird plummeted to the ground. Mordzar saw the castle come into and he recognized magi attacking the guards."On the count of three, prepare to jump!"Mordzar did not wait for the third count as he landed in front of the entrance. Two remaining guards looked at him in shock, but before they could react, they were lying down in pools of blood. As Mordzar advanced through the palace, he attacked everything on sight. There was no discrimination between guards, servants, or handmaidens. They all fell victim to a raging Mordzar. His long-waited rebellion is now! In the next room, he came across Prandeen who was sitting down and enjoying a cup of Salyrian wine. Upon seeing Mordzar, Prandeen spit out his drink."How the hell did you"- He did not get to finish his sentence. After a few phrases, a strap held Prandeen in place. " Please stop!" Prandeen begged, tears rolling down his eyes. " Die very slowly, the only death you deserve!" Mordar growled. Mira Morder Joharis. The scream that Prandeen emitted as a thousand needles impaled him was far from human. Mordzar knew the palace from the times he spent here a kid so he made his way toward the dungeons. He came across Kyren battling palace guards. His bloodlust still in play, Mordzar used spikes to impale the guards. "Nice to see you again." Mordzar grinned at Kyren. " Leave, Mordzar." He answered. " I need to rescue my family." "I doubt it would be that easy, Oakahs knows what we are up to since he heard us converse in the shadow shield." Kyren's eyes widened. " What? How?" " I have my ways you know, you know." Both magi turned to see Oakahs come around the corner. He sneered as he saw Kyren."Yes, Kyren, I know everything about your plan with Jahad as well as letting magi capture you. I am going to let your father know." The sorcerer laughed.Mordzar and Kyren both charged him, but Oakahs waved his hand and both of them flew back."Give up, none of you are fit to stop me!" Oakahs asserted.Mordzar, his blood boiling again as he remembered Jarrod's death at Oakahs's hands, sent metal shards flying to Oakahs, who easily dodged them. Oakahs raised his hand and started muttering something, but a shadow pendulum appeared out of nowhere and sliced the sorcerer's hand off. Oakahs screamed out in pain and turned to Kyren, but Kyren was already down in the dungeons. Oakahs, trying to go after him, fell on the stairs. Mordzar was over him like a hawk. It was like that night in Demarke, but positions switched." Looking to avenge those peasants from Demarke?" Oakahs sneered. " It seems the erratic effects of the bastardized Shattered Sight has taken ahold of you as well!"Mordzar felt as if an arrow had entered his heart. The sorcerer had a point. That explains his brutal murders of Evian. Asawake, and Prandeen. Before he could question Oakahs, he heard footsteps on the stairs. He turned and his heart leapt when he recognized his family! Mom, dad, and Myra! They must have been freed! "Mordzar!" They shouted as they surrounded him and hugged him. "Mordzar! Am I glad to see you!"His father exclaimed. "Listen, I need you to do me a favor." He showed Mordzar a green metalloid object. Mordzar gasped as he recognized it. Alkali metalloids, when combined with water, can cause amassive explosions. "It is the alchemists' latest creation. I need you to take it to the moat and use it to blow this place up." His father commanded him. "Uh..dad..I can't.." Mordzar began, his eyes tearing up. "Why not?" his mother asked. "Because of Eris." He whispered "Who?" Myra asked. Garth Malthus went over and embraced Mordzar. "Son, tell me anything." Mordzar started choking up, tears streaming down his eyes. "Son?" his father asked. "All hail the king!" Mordzar whispered. He impaled his father with his sword, drawing gasps from Myra and Dawna. As Mordzar pulled out his sword, Garth slumped to the floor. "Looks like you made your choice, Mordzar."Oakahs chuckled.

Male 8: Lightning Mage Kalix Leanour

Kalix stepped out of the cave, the sunlight hitting his face a welcome sensation. For a moment, he stood silently, wondering what to do next. His thoughts flitted to Vala, and the ring on his hand seemed to tighten around his finger. Maybe she's still here.The thought had just crossed his mind when he heard his name being shouted and he turned, startled. Running full tilt, hair blowing wildly behind her, was Vala. He barely had time to register her and then arms were wrapped tightly around his torso. He stumbled at the sudden force, and it took him a moment to return the hug. She's alive. Relief crashed over him like a tsunami on a beach, but even as he hugged Vala, discreetly checking for any injury, uncertainty gnawed at him. Suspicion and worry, which had always been his second nature, had morphed into a smothering uncertainty about everything and everyone as soon as he'd woken up in the castle. Now, it threatened to overwhelm him."What were you thinking?" Kalix was jerked back to awareness by his sister's voice, and he stared at her, surprised by her sudden intense anger. "You left me! You abandoned me without any warning!" she said, and guilt tore through Kalix. It was made worse by her next words. "I didn't even know if you were alive."Kalix looked at the ground, unable to look Vala in the eye. Her words repeated in his head. I didn't even know if you were even alive. That's not fair, he thought. I didn't want to leave. Anger poked through the guilt, but he pushed it down. It didn't matter if he had wanted to leave or not, he had, and he couldn't change that."I'm sorry that you were worried," he said after a moment, glancing back up at his sister. Vala looked less than pleased at his response, stepping away and crossing her arms. Irritation bubbled up in him at her actions. One mistake, and she's going to hold it against me forever.Now is the time for escape. An unfamiliar voice resonated through Kalix's head, a heavy presence pressing against his mind, and he tensed.You must get past the mountains to do so. Kalix frowned in confusion, but the message wasn't over. Good luck. He looked over at Vala, who looked as startled as he was.Kaliiiix. A singsong voice sounded inside his head, much different from the rough, unknown baritone of before. This voice was familiar, bubbly and far too cheerful.Nassia?You can hear me!What are you doing?There was a fleeting feeling of amusement, and Kalix assumed she was giggling wherever she was. Annoyance flared through Kalix, and he hoped Nassia couldn't tell. What do you want? I don't like your sister; she called me a brat. But, I like you. You're really hot. So I have an offer. You're sister's been cursed with a numbing spell that will slowly paralyze her and leave her defenseless. But I can save her. Kill the shield wizard girl and I'll convince Daddy to save your sister.Kalix sucked in a breath at Nassia's words, glancing over at his sister. Her eyes were bright with dozens of emotions, her cheeks flushed with anger. She looked so alive. You want me to kill Eriswen? Why?He got the feeling that Nassia was pouting as she answered, her thoughts holding a petulant edge. She refused to give me her pet dragon. And she tried to kill Daddy. The last words were like an afterthought, and Kalix had to quickly cut off his thoughts before Nassia could hear them.I see. If I... get rid of her, you'll save Vala?Yes, yes. I'll save her. Just for you.I'll do it. Simply thinking his answer made Kalix's stomach turn, but he tried to keep his thoughts pleasant. Where is she?There was a moment of silence, and then She's with the griffins, but I think she's going to move soon. Anger flashed across their mental link, and Kalix tilted his head to the side. She-Kalix cut her off, trying to end their conversation as quickly as possible. Thank you for warning me.There was another feeling of bright laughter, and then I really hope you don't disappoint me! That would just be awful! Then her voice disappeared, and his mind instantly felt a little lighter."Kalix! Kalix Leanour!" He looked over to his sister, who had an exasperated expression on her face."We need to go to the griffins," he told her, and Vala gaped at him. Her mouth opened, and arguments spilled from her, grating on Kalix's nerves as he answered her questions brusquely. She's so impatient. Why can't she just trust me?"What is wrong with you?"Kalix turned to face her, his expression souring. "Nothing is wrong with me Vala. I'm trying to get out alive. Unless you want to stay in this damned cage." He spat the word cage out like it was poison, feeling only a small measure of guilt for using his sister's fear against her. She's too stubborn to listen to anything else.Vala stared at him hard, and he could see the angry reluctance in her as she finally agreed to go. He nodded and then began to walk swiftly in the direction he thought the griffins were at. As he walked, he could see others walking behind them out of the corner of his eye. None of them tried to make contact, and for that he was grateful.He kept an eye out for Eriswen though, searching for the signature silver blonde hair. Even as he looked, his conscience tugged at him. Agitation filled him at the thought of killing the quiet girl, the very idea going against every moral code he had. But he couldn't let Vala die either. Vala or Eriswen, that was the choice Nassia was forcing him to make, and he hated her for it. He hated her and her father, and to some extent, Eriswen as well. Why did you have to try and kill Vaxon? he berated her silently. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he blinked rapidly. Stopping abruptly, he squinted, shading his eyes. Sure enough, less than a half mile away, was one of the griffins. The rest of the herd was farther away, mere brown and gold dots in the distance."Are they here?" Vala's voice broke his train of thought."One of them is right over there; the rest are a little ways away." Kalix pointed towards him, and stopped Vala when she started towards it. "Let me talk to him first," he pleaded, some of his worry bleeding into his tone. Again, there was a moment of hesitation before Vala agreed. It made something foreign and angry flare up in him, unsettling him further. He didn't comment on it though, instead walking down to the griffin. When he was only a few feet away, the griffin turned to look at him. Dark eyes met his, and Kalix recognized him as the one who had helped him before."Lightning mage. I did not think I would see you again," he said, his words low and throaty.Kalix managed a strained smile in return, mistrust crawling across his neck at the griffin's intense stare. "I need your help, again," he replied."I cannot cure your current affliction lightning mage.""My current affliction? What are you talking about?" Kalix asked, thrown by the unexpected words."You have been cursed with the Shattered Sight."All other thoughts flew from Kalix's mind at the words, tendrils of agitation weaving through him at the name. It was an old spell, one that poisoned people's perceptions and made them see enemies that didn't exist in everyone. It hadn't been used by anyone in years. He's lying."You're lying."The griffin shook his head slowly. "I am sorry lightning mage.""What do you know about spells? How do you know I've been affected?" he demanded."I may not have magic flowing through my veins as you do, but I can still sense its presence. Spells have a certain... scent, to them. Shattered Sight is especially distinct."Kalix remained silent, trying to digest the griffin's words. Why didn't Nassia tell me about this? Then he shook his head. Since when did he depend on Nassia for information?"Why did you come to me?"The question brought Kalix back to the present, and he rubbed a hand across his eyes. Now was not the time for distractions. "My sister and I have a chance to escape this place. I thought you could help us by getting us over the mountains. And since you're not technically magical, I thought you might be able to fly us through the magical barrier."There were several minutes of quiet, and then the griffin answered. "I can fly past the barrier, but I will be shot down by the Hissite as soon I get past it." There was a hard note to his voice, pain and guilt layered heavily in his tone. Kalix didn't ask who he had lost.Instead, he nodded. "What if we got rid of the Hissite? Could you get us out then?" he asked, tone tinged with desperation.More silence. Then a quiet, "I can try."Kalix released the breath he'd been holding, relaxing minutely. "Thank you... uh," he stopped, realizing he didn't know the griffin's name."Taini."He nodded. "Thank you Taini." The words were genuine, but misgivings wormed their way into his mind. Suspicion about Taini's motives flitted through his mind, and he wondered how much of it was the spell, and how much was him.Shaking his head, Kalix pushed the thoughts away, instead calling for his sister. He listened silently as Taini explained about the spell Vaxon had cast on all of them, watching as the implications of the griffin's words sunk in. it made his chest ache. He couldn't protect her from anything, not without selling his soul to the devil. And he hadn't told her about the numbing spell either. Or Eriswen. Shame filled him as he thought of the shield wizard, and he forced himself to focus on Vala. She had sick expression on her face, but hints of something that might have been happiness was also visible.Why would she be happy? His eyes narrowed as theories began flying through his head, all ridiculous but compelling in the worst of ways.Maybe she's looking for a reason to leave me behind, just like I did with her. Kalix scoffed internally as soon as the thought crossed his mind. That was not Vala. But he couldn't help the sinister thoughts from snaking through his mind."There isn't a way to reverse or mitigate the spell, is there?" he asked, trying to distract himself from his thoughts."Vaxon would have to stop it, or a Healing Wizard would need to perform a cleansing spell. It would have to be performed by a very powerful one," Taini told him. Kalix turned the words over in his head, mulling over them and searching for a solution. But before he could think of one, Vala spoke."What about phoenixes?""What do the phoenixes have to do with the spell?""Phoenix tears. They're one of the purest substances to exist because when phoenixes die their bodies burst into Derrida fire, fire that burns away all imperfections so that a new life can be created." Vala's voice was full of a new-found excitement, growing louder as she continued. "Maybe we can get one of the phoenixes to help us; I know one of them. Sort of. Maybe-"Her words died off as the world suddenly went black. What's going on? Vala was calling for him in the dark, and Kalix reached out in the darkness, searching for her. After a few moments, his hands found his sister's, and he squeezed them slightly in reassurance."We could use some light now," he told her, and fire flared into existence. It was brilliant against the black backdrop, almost blindingly so. He squinted before looking at his sister and attempting a smile."It seems the mad king has found another barrier to stop you from leaving." Taini's voice broke the silence, solemn and foreboding."Good thing I'm here then," Vala said faux cheerfully. Kalix nodded and then cleared his throat."You had a good idea with the phoenixes. We should go to them." He told her before turning to the griffin. "Taini, can you find them?"The winged beast nodded, and Kalix quickly got to work. With Taini's permission, he fashioned a makeshift harness in the light of his sister's fire, to hold him and Vala in. He then guided her into the harness before settling in himself. Then Taini took off, and Kalix clutched at the ropes. His breath came in stunted gasps, and he struggled to stay calm. It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon. He repeated the mantra in his head in an attempt to quell his fear. It didn't work, and Kalix's hold on the rough cords tightened until his hands were rubbed raw. In front of him, Vala seemed to have no such fears, and Kalix could see her shoulders shake with unrestrained laughter.In that moment, Kalix hated her.He hated how she seemed unaffected by the worst circumstances, how she could still laugh and smile and act like things were fine. He hated how she was so confident about herself, how she was fearless in almost every aspect. He hated how she had been the one to think of the phoenix tears. Jealousy ate at his conscience and warred with his sense of familial love and loyalty. And for the briefest of seconds, Kalix wanted to shake his sister, to push her off of Taini. His hand twitched, moving forward. Just a little push. The thought jolted Kalix, and shame, hot and thick, filled him. What was he thinking? Vala was his sister. His sister. This spell is turning me into a monster. Or was he already a monster, and the spell simply the catalyst?The movement underneath Kalix changed abruptly, and he realized Taini was now preparing for landing. The landscape shifted as he flew lower, the blackness giving way to sunlight. Shapes were visible below them, and they solidified slowly into phoenixes. As Taini made to land, one of them let out a squawk that made Kalix clap his hands to his ears and Taini flinch.The phoenix flapped its wings once before launching itself into the air and flying straight at them, forcing Taini to twist swiftly to avoid the oncoming attack. The sudden movement made Kalix grip the ropes even harder, his skin rubbing roughly on the cords. The phoenix dived towards them again, and he cursed. Lightning. Green sparks appeared, but Vala quickly laid her hand over them. "Wait, let me try something," she said, and Kalix stared at her for a moment. Anger and jealousy still twisted inside him, but he fought to keep it pushed down, far enough that he couldn't feel it anymore. He looked at the lightning in his hands, pulsing with energy and magic, and then he let it fade away. Silently, he watched as Vala created a phoenix made of fire, and he felt a sharp spike of envy. He listened as his sister communicated with the phoenix by manipulating the fire in her hands. He flinched in surprise when the phoenix moved, flying a slow circle around their heads. "You remember me." Vala's voice was a mixture of awed and wistful. The phoenix just stared at her, dark eyes glinting. "Vala," he said warningly. They needed to hurry, if they were going to make it out of this place. Vala flapped her hand at him; the action made anger flare up in him, but he stayed silent. His sister spoke again, her voice quiet and soothing. It reminded Kalix of their mother's voice, when she would tell them a story before bed. He watched as the phoenix looked at her, its head tilting, before a single tear slid down its cheek. He's going to help us, he realized. He fumbled with the bag he'd attached to his hip, forgotten until now. He rifled through it until he found the object he was looking for. "Take this," he muttered, shoving a wooden cup into his sister's hands. Vala took the cup slowly, her eyes still fixed on the bird before them as she collected the tears. They made a faint thudding noise as they pooled in the cup, loud in the silence. Then Vala pulled away. "Thank you," she whispered, and the phoenix nodded. She slid off of Taini's back, and Kalix did the same. He watched as Vala took a drink, and the cup was being handed to him. He stared at the water for a moment, noting there were only a few drops left. He wondered if it would be enough. His skin tingled with something he couldn't identify as he stared at the droplets. Then, before he could change his mind, he tilted the cup and drank the rest of the liquid. The tears were tasteless, but it burned as it went down, like potent whiskey. Kalix coughed, dropping the cup. Abruptly, agony spread throughout his body and his legs turned to jelly. He fell to the ground hard, unable to move his arms to break his fall, and pain slithered up his arms. The entire world narrowed to the sensation of being burned from the inside out, blood rushing too fast and the smell of fresh grass. His limbs flailed without permission, and involuntary noises of pain left his mouth. Then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The world widened again, and he could Vala sitting over him, concern written over her face. She reached for him, but Kalix batted her hand away.His mind had cleared, but there was still an irritation underneath his skin, an unnatural feeling of blood lust that fought with the part of his mind that had cleared. Memories of the last hour filled his mind, and he could feel bile rising in his throat. Shame replaced the unnatural anger, and he looked away from his sister. I wanted to kill her. Beside him, he could feel Vala's worried gaze, and a wave of self-loathing crashed over him. He didn't deserve her concern. After a moment, Kalix forced himself to look up at her, half expecting her to know what he'd been thinking and scream at him. Or worse, look at him the way she'd looked at Vaxon- with fear and hate. Instead, Vala smiled widely at him, relief clearly written across her face. She pulled him from the ground, ignoring his protests. "We should leave now, Mages."Kalix nodded at once, eager to leave. Vala hesitated, and he noticed her glance towards the phoenix. He didn't say anything when she left, just sat on the ground, staring into the distance dully. Red and gold phoenixes stood out against the backdrop of green and brown trees, like someone had splattered red paint on a green canvas. He closed his eyes, trying to find some measure of calm. He ran his fingers over the small, wooden cup he'd discarded earlier, turning it over in his hands. A fine piece of wood peeled off as he touched it, falling to the ground slowly, and Kalix could suddenly see himself and Vala on Taini. Right before the phoenix appeared, when he'd wanted to push her off. To see her fall, fall until she was nothing more than another dot among millions of dots to be seen from the sky. To watch as she hit the ground, to hear the sound of bones breaking and blood spilling from cracked skin. Kalix's eyes flew open, bile rising up his throat once more. It didn't work. He looked towards his sister, but something kept him from telling her what was wrong. "Tell me when Vala gets back," he told Taini, ignoring the griffin's piercing stare and walking aimlessly towards a small cluster of trees a few feet ahead. Lost in his thoughts, Kalix stumbled over a tree root, and would have fallen if not for the soft hands that caught him. "Thank y-" his words died away as he realized just who he had stumbled across. Eriswen. His thoughts flashed to Nassia's message, her task a sudden, unavoidable thing. Kalix stared at the girl across from him, unable to move. Across from him, Eriswen had an uncertain expression, like she wasn't sure if she should be worried or not. Kill the shield wizard girl and I'll convince Daddy to save your sister."I'm sorry," he muttered quietly, and Eriswen shrugged slightly, lifting a small shoulder. "Don't worry about it, lots of people trip," she told him, and the words were almost cheerful, accompanied by a slight smile. Kill the shield wizard girl. Nassia's words reverberated in his head, a never ending loop. Who do I choose to save? Because really, that had been the question all along, hadn't it? Not whether he could let Vala die, or whether he could kill someone he'd known for years, or even if he should. No, it was about choosing someone to save. Eriswen, Vala, or himself. Vala. "I'm sorry," he told Eriswen again, and she looked confused. She started to say something, but Kalix tuned it out, instead inhaling deeply. Then he swung his fist, hitting her temple hard. Eriswen fell to the ground with a soft thud, silvery blonde hair tangling beneath her. Leaning down, Kalix quickly checked to make sure she was unconscious. Then he slowly pulled the sword hanging from his hip. For a long moment, he just stared at Eriswen's still body. I'm a coward. Gritting his teeth, Kalix brought the sword down quickly, piercing Eriswen's heart. Blood immediately pooled around her chest, staining her clothes and the ground around her. As he tugged the sword from her chest, blood and flesh clung to the blade, and Kalix looked away quickly. Turning away from the still warm corpse, he wiped his sword on the grass until it was clean, staining the ground an ugly red-brown.I'm sorry. Kalix shoved the sword back into its sheath and then turned, walking away from Eriswen. I killed her. She helped me, and then I killed her.Guilt threatened to overwhelm him, and he shook his head, breaking into a run as he headed towards Vala and Taini. He arrived to see chaos. Taini was enclosed in a cage of darkness, Vala's phoenix a few feet away, similarly contained. For a single moment, Kalix was confused. Then he spotted Kyren, and he cursed. Vala was standing a few feet away from Kyren, her entire body swaying with obvious exhaustion. Sheets of darkness surrounded her, a single tendril wrapping around her throat like a noose. Rage, like nothing Kalix had ever felt rolled through him, the emotion taking over his body and smearing his vision with red. Lightning. A bolt of lightning formed in his hand, bright white and crackling loudly. Kalix threw the bolt straight at Kyren's back, feeling a sense of cold satisfaction when he hit his target. The darkness surrounding Vala disappeared, and she fell to the ground. For the briefest moment, Kalix saw Eriswen falling to the ground, hair splaying around her shoulders, blood pooling around her. "Coming to the rescue again?" A harsh, mocking voice brought his attention back to the present, and Kalix looked up to see Kyren advancing on him. "Go to hell," he snapped, and Kyren's face stretched into a bitter smile. "I already am." Kalix didn't answer, instead unsheathing his sword again. Kyren raised an eyebrow at his actions, but shrugged carelessly and pulled out his own sword. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, Kalix's nerves fraying as waited, tensed, for the other to make the first move. "Are you always this frightened?" Kyren's tone was derisive, and his eyes narrowed. Kalix opened his mouth to retort, but Kyren chose that moment to strike. Kalix twisted to avoid the steel and quickly delivered his own blow. The dark mage deflected it easily, and Kalix cursed. His thoughts came too quickly, blurring together and only adding to the pent up rage inside of him. Kyren's blade came down again, this time grazing his arm. The sight of the crimson liquid dripping down his arm sent the last vestiges of rational thought from his mind, and Kalix gave in to the haze of anger. He became lost in a sea of emotion, and a monster took his place. Hands that were not his wielded the sword wildly, slashing and jabbing without a thought for his own safety. Blood lust returned full force, and adrenaline pumped through his veins, giving a heady rush of euphoria. Kyren's sword came down again, and Kalix raised his to meet it. Metal hit metal, and Kalix twisted his sword in an attempt to untangle it from Kyren's, but he only succeeded in dropping his. Kyren stalked towards him again, a grim expression on his face. Kalix felt his features contort into a snarl, and lightning crackled in his hand. Before he could use it, Kyren slumped forward, and Kalix stared at him in confusion. His eyes flicked upward, catching sight of Taini, and he realized it had been the griffin who had knocked Kyren out. Stupid animal. He was my fight. The thought was unexpected, but he felt no guilt at it. Instead, a promise of retribution for the beast, and feeling of victory at the sight of his enemy on the ground. He raised his sword, lips upturned in a mockery of a smile when a voice echoed around him."Stop!" The word was laced with fear and desperation. The voice, so familiar he could have recognized it in his sleep. Kalix paused, blinking as he fought the fog of anger that had consumed his mind. Frozen in place, he looked over at his sister. As soon as he saw her, the monster disappeared, and Kalix returned. Hesitation made the sword in his arms heavy, and he said slowly, "He's here to kill us. He would have killed you, and me.""He didn't want to. He had a wife, and kids Kalix. He just wants to protect his family. Just like you."Just like you. The words made him want to laugh at the bitter irony of it all, but he just shook his head. "Fine. I'll let him live.""Thank you."Kalix didn't answer. Some part of him shut down, and he moved numbly as he helped Vala onto Taini before getting on himself. Vala's voice sounded again; she wanted to bring Kyren. I can't do this now. He put up a token protest, his head aching, before he finally relented. Kyren was soon placed on the phoenix's back, and they were soon headed towards the mountains.

Male 9: Air Mage Morrow Endelen

No entry

Male 11: Gravity Mage Jaxon Steele 

The ring is on my finger and not doing much to restore my energy. My body still sets in convulsions. That stupid dragon...

A small metallic box appears in front of me. With great suspicion, my fingers graze over the latch. It pops open and reveals a note inside.

"You've managed to impress me, even if you did give my gift to that girl."

I can feel my irritation slightly rising. Without finishing the note, I know it's from Nassia. Not only did she miss Lora healing me, but she miraculously missed the part where 'that girl' is my sister.

My focus returns to the letter.

"If you weren't so darn cute, I probably would've had you killed for that stunt. So lucky you that you have the face you do."

She has no manners...

"I've discovered that Daddy is putting a spell on Lydora. It's going to slowly kill her from the inside out."

A huge lump forms in my throat. Lydora...dying. She's too young. She's too innocent and pure. If either of us deserve to have that spell on us, it's me. She has a more life to live. She has her family to go back to. And if she's lucky, maybe Leo.

And Darian...she could go back to her father. Or maybe Lora's family would even be willing to take her in. After all, we live in the same place now since the move.

With great hesitation, I continue on with Nassia's letter.

"You can stop it, though. You must prove your loyalty to us. Trying to kill Kyren was a good start."

Do I have to actually kill him this time? I don't know that I could do that. Killing someone is a weight that never leaves. If I don't directly kill Kyren, I would indirectly be killing my poor little sister.

The letter finishes with her initial.

It feels as if someone has taken an important part of me away. Like a lung or something. The thought of Lora dying because of me makes breathing hard. She doesn't deserve this. She has done nothing wrong. I've done enough wrong in my lifetime to make up for the both of us.

This is horrible, but I was counting on her to heal me. There's no way that I would ever allow her to do that now. She shouldn't use too much energy. It'll probably kill her faster if she does.

My eyes glance over the evil dragon. Their bones have healing powers to them...if only their skin were easier to get through...

The ring on my finger comes to my mind. Maybe I have enough energy from this thing...

My mind clears and the sounds of ripping flesh fills my ears. I stretch my glowing arms out and swipe them quickly in opposite directions.

The body of the dragon heaves upward to the cave roof before ripping completely in half. A captivating blue blood sprays all over the walls and me. If it weren't so gross and still warm, it might be oddly pretty.

My energy is dwindling fast so I crawl over the bleeding and dismembered body of the dragon. There's a piece of bone laying on the floor and I hold it in my hand.

With my free hand, I use my fingers and swirl them in an upwards motion before swiftly pushing my hand down to meet the other.

A smile of satisfaction comes to me when my hands separate to reveal the bone crushed into a fine powder. This gravity stuff is pretty convenient.

Before my levels drain completely, I dump the powder into my canteen and shake it vigorously. After I feel that the bone is adequately mixed, I uncap the container and drink the contents without thinking too much in to what I'm doing.

There's no taste. Just an odd pain that branches out all over my tongue for a brief instant. I can feel the muscles in tongue contract.

Once it's all down, a long sigh leaves me. That was a pain that I'd be completely fine with never experiencing again. It felt like little electrical feet dancing all over my tongue. Not pleasant...

I guess maybe drinking the bone matter of an electrical dragon wasn't my smartest move ever. Not my dumbest, though, either.

The effects are unfortunately not coming immediately. I feel a little stronger, despite the weird shock infused drink I concocted...Seriously, how does that even work? How is this working?

It's time to find Lora and Leo. Hopefully, anyway. Hopefully I'll be finding the both of them in one piece and alive. I can only assume that Lora's alive since Nassia gave me that letter. Leo is the one I don't know about.

I don't walk far away from my cave before seeing them ahead of me. As long as my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, they are hand in hand.

Good, I think. She'll need someone to support her when I turn into a killer to save her.

The thought hurts. Killing people isn't exactly on a list of things I take pleasure in. I'll do it, though, if it means I can save Lora.

The worst part may not even be the killing. It just might be the part where Lora refuses to look at me the same. It might be the part where Darian questions everything about who I am.

The part with Darian matters a little less since there's a good chance I'll die making sure Lora lives. So much for my own self-preservation. Why'd Dar have to go changing me and making me a softer person? It's very inconvenient at the moment.

Lora grabs Leo's arm and starts to run to me. She thinks she can heal me. She thinks she has enough power left. I wish that were true.

She places her thin little body beside me in preparation to fix me. "Don't do it, Lora."

She gives a stubborn, yet offended look. This is the moment I decide telling her about my letter would be bad. She would go in denial about. She's young. She thinks she's invincible.

"Don't tell me I can't," her voice challenged me.

"Seriously," I place a heavy hand on her shoulder. The stupid effects of the lightening are still weighing pretty heavily on me.

"You're hurt and—"

I cut her off, feeling a little guilty. "No, I'll be fine. I, uh, drank the bone of my dragon for healing."

Her face takes on a look of pure disgust. I can't blame her. It isn't the most appetizing idea out there.

"I'm sorry...you what?" Leo makes his way beside Lora. I don't miss the grin she's trying so hard to fight back.

"Yeah, they have healing powers. It wasn't the best, but whatever." I nonchalantly toss my hand as if it was no big deal. It was, by the way.

"Yeah, hi." Lora glares at me, clearly offended that I didn't trust her to heal me.

Not knowing how to respond, I say, "Hi..."

"I could've healed you, you doof."

In response, I shake my head and let my hair that's grown too long for my liking cover my eyes. I blow upward and the pieces shift so I can see Lora better.

"I can't rely on forever. It isn't fair for you."

Before Lora has a chance to respond, Jahad's voice reverberates in my head. He's saying that now is our time to escape.

An escape, huh? That would've been better information a few days ago. Jahad is only one person, though. I can't put too much weight on his shoulders. The fact that he's even found a way to help is incredible enough.

"Did you hear that?" Leo says to Lora.

Her hand is clasped around his so tightly that her knuckles are fading to white. I'm assuming she doesn't deal with mind messages much...After the griffin situation, I've grown rather accustomed to the idea.

"Parts. Did you get the whole thing?"

She seems to be asking either one of us so I nod my head and say, "This is it. This is the rebellion."

There is the sound of large, flapping wings overhead. It's a dragon. She flies into the mountain tops and cries out. She's dead. Likely a work of Vaxon.

"Do you think that the dragon was to disable the shield?" Lora asks.

With irritation bubbling inside me, I say, "More than likely. Vaxon is cruel, but I don't foresee him killing a dragon for no reason. After all, it could've been pitted against us if it were loyal to Vaxon."

"Shall we go to the barrier and find our way out?" Leo asks us

I take a quick check on Lora. That letter has me scared out of my wits. I don't want to risk pushing her past her limits. "You good to go on?"

She rolls her eyes in her typical teenage fashion and says, "What else have I got to do?"

The group of us make our way over the river and travel to about the middle of this place. I explain to them that the middle of anything is usually the weakest point. With any luck, this barrier will be the weakest in the middle as well.

Lora stays silent. I can hear her take gulps from Leo's canteen. Hopefully staying hydrated will lessen the effects of Vaxon's spell. Though I'm not exactly sure how this spell works.

As we continue to walk, I hear something drop and nervously look back at Lora, scared of what I might find. Relief fills me when I see her pick up her wand.

She's still okay.

Lora drops her item a lot. My guess is that she's twirling it like a baton. Every time she drops it gives me a chance to look at her and make sure everything seems to be in check.

The next time I look back, I see her poking Leo with the wand. This isn't exactly in her character. Is the spell getting to her head?

"Would you stop poking me with that dumb thing?" Leo's tone isn't happy. I don't blame him. Being repeatedly poked with that would quickly lose its charm.

"Sorry," Lora answers.

I clear my head and listen to them talk. Their conversations usually leave me feeling happy for Lora.

"What's with you, anyway?" Leo asks. "You've been acting strange."

So maybe this won't make me feel quite as happy as I had thought.

"I've been feeling a little strange too. It's probably because I've been stuck here for too long. Maybe dementia, or something."

My heart breaks. Not dementia...just some stupid spell put there by Vaxon. I look back at the little couple. She's too young for this.

"Well," Leo holds her waist. "Try and relax a bit. Okay?"

It's weird to see someone touching her like that. They're so young. But it gives me hope that Lora will have someone. Leo seems to treat her well.

There are several firebirds grazing in the ash lands ahead,

"Wait here." I hold my hand to stop them "There's a Phoenix up ahead. I'm going to get her to help us."

I leave them alone to do whatever. Nassia also taught me how to communicate with phoenixes. She gave me brief lessons on their language. I don't know a lot, but enough.

Approaching one, the memory of all the language seems to sit on my tongue. Words roll off my tongue.

I ask her to help us disable the magic shield. Thankfully, this bird is kind to me and agrees. She must be a youngling to be so ready and naïve.

The phoenix walks behind me proudly as I return to my sister and Leo. Does he notice how her skin is getting paler every minute. Maybe I'm overreacting...

"She's agreed to help us," I say. "But we have to get to the barrier first." I find Lora's eyes. They don't hold as much vibrancy as they once did. "Lora, are you okay to do some climbing?"

"Yes," she says with attitude.

I raise my hands defensively. "Just checking, snappy." I know I should be more understanding with her instead of snapping back.

"Whatever."

"Guys, c'mon," Leo prompts. "We best do this while we have daylight on our side."

Taking the lead, my hands grab some rocks jutting out of the mountain face. I know the shield is located somewhere up top. There is no way to know what to expect.

The three of us begin climbing the dangerous face of a mountain. The barrier is located somewhere towards the top. My assumption is that everything turns flat at some point.

I hear Lora begin to cough. It sounds like the painful type. The type that people sometimes die from. Climbing makes it too difficult to check on her.

I climb faster.

We reach a place that flattens out. There are Wessi creatures located around. They must be behind the barrier. The creatures somehow have the ability to make magic shields. Don't ask how, it's something I've yet to understand.

I hear Leo speak out in shock. "Why is there blood on your face? What did you do?"

"Nothing," Lora replies.

At this point, if anything seems off about her, it tips my emotional scale to heavy panic. She won't die. I won't allow it.

"What did you say?" I ask running to them "Lora, what is this about blood?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

There's red splotches sitting near the corners of her mouth. She was coughing up blood. This is very very bad. I have to tell her. She has to know what's happening to her.

"I have to tell you something."

She looks concerned it hurts me. This isn't the kind of news anyone wants to hear. "What is it?"

"You know what," I give her a smile that I hope is reassuring. "Remind me later."

I can't do it. Telling her that she's dying isn't right. That's a worry she shouldn't have. I'll fix this. Nassia will help me heal her if I can prove my loyalty.

Kyren will die.

Leo looks at me and then Lora with suspicion.

Suddenly, Centauri comes sprinting from our left. He doubles over, hands on knees. What's he doing here?

"Kyren's over here. We're trying to capture him. Are you in?"

This is my chance to kill him. This is the chance I'm going to have to save my sister. "Oh yeah. I'm in."

Centauri leads us to the group of magi. It looks like everyone's here. Kyren stands in the middle, shooting out blasts of his dark magic.

He's no match for the group. Blood seeps out of several of his wounds.

"Stop it! We shouldn't be doing this," Lora yells.

My hands grip her arms tightly. Probably too tightly. But if she doesn't shut up, she will die. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No, it's just—"

She stops speaking and looks to her wand. My eyes wander to my ring. A red glow forms under the black gem and a strange power surges through me. Lora pushes Leo away from angrily.

"What was that for?" he asks defensively.

"Fight me," she says.

His head shakes. "What are you talking about?"

"Fight me. The stronger one will survive. And it won't be you."

As entertaining as it is to watch two people fight, I think this my time to go kill some people. Besides, Kyren has been my project for a couple days at this point.

I run to the group of magi and grip Kyren's shirt and yank him away from the group. No one seems to notice as they fight their allies and loved ones. This is incredible.

My fist meets Kyren's face multiple times. Without a single touch, he knocks me back. It doesn't take much for me to lift myself of the ground and hover above him. My feet land on his shoulders and I grab his head in preparation to snap his neck.

"You don't want to kill me." A cyclone of his darkness surrounds us. "I'm your ticket out of here. Without me, you die."

Not caring about a word he says, I start twisting his head. Kyren uses his magic to replace the oxygen in my body. He straddles my body.

He says nothing and I study his face. He seems to be listening to something. His hands grasp his necklace and he rips it off his neck.

"Of course..." he mumbles, examining it. He drops the item on my chest. "If you were smart, you'd stop fighting me, capture me, and let me help you."

He uses his dark magic to teleport away from me. What was all that with the necklace? Weirdo...

I guess Lydora is my next murder project. Her stubbornness will get her killed.

She looks as if she's about to charge Leo. I grab her arms and whisper, "C'mon sis, don't waste all the fun on him. He's weak enough to deal with later."

Truth is, Leo could easily kill Lora. She isn't as strong as she thinks she is. That's another thing that will get her killed. Her false confidence.

Something sharp sends a burning sensation through my arm. Good. She's willing to fight.

"Since you were never a huge part of my life, it won't be much of a loss to take you out of it," I say.

"Funny," she replies. "I was just thinking the same thing."

A bloodied Kyren steps between us. Did this idiot not learn the first time that I want him dead? I grunt in disapproval.

"Move it, royal scum." My arms cross. I was kind of in the middle of something.

He ignores me, kneels in front of Lora, and puts a shield of darkness around them. I can't hear a thing. He's a very secretive being.

I wonder if he's going to kill her? Less work for me if he does, I suppose. The wall disappears and Kyren runs off like the coward he is.

Lora faces me and I immediately summon the oxygen from her lungs. It will crush her slowly from the inside out. I will win this and I will live!

Leo tackles me to the ground. "I won't let he kill her," he sobs, bringing a knife into my stomach. The pain is so great that I don't feel it. It's a weird sensation for sure. I can, however, feel myself slipping from reality.

Jahad's voice fills my head. "Drop your items. Remove them from your body. Vaxon charmed them to give you shattered sight. You're all going mad."

That...that actually makes sense. The hazy sight of Lora tells me she drops her wand. I remove my ring and am greeted with a completely clear mind. I tried to kill my poor sister! That's the exact thing I was trying to avoid.

Leo sits crying beside me, mumbling that he didn't want to do it. Lydora makes her way to us and Leo backs up. He's probably afraid after all that. He didn't receive his item. He doesn't know what just happened.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't me. It was a spell..." Lora says.

Seconds later, she chants some sort of language that makes no sense to me. As she does, gold erupts in vines from my wound. It matches her skin.

She collapses and I feel mostly fine. She did it again...

I sit up, trying to ignore the pain and pull her into a tight hug.

"You're coughing blood!" Leo exclaims, running to us.

"I know," she says. "I think I'm dying somehow."

"We need to get out of here." I stand, wincing.

My mouth forms a whistle and the phoenix comes flying and lands beside us.

I use the language Nassia taught me and ask the bird if she knows how to break the wall. She doesn't.

"There isn't much of plan," I say returning to my dying sister and Leo. "Wait here, just in case anything goes wrong."

I walk towards the barrier and slowly stretch my hand out towards it.

"Wait," Lora shrieks. I look at her in alarm. "Phoenixes, like, reincarnate, right?"

"Yeah, why?" I ask, with relief that she's okay.

"Convince her to touch the barrier since she won't really die."

I exchange some more foreign words with the bird and she readily flies herself into the barrier. Her body immediately combusts into flames and the sound of electrical energy can be clearly heard.

I flinch and look away. I didn't want her to do that. But it made the most sense...she was a kind bird.

"So it's an electrical field?" Leo asks.

I nod. "And it bounces magic." That basically means that we are still trapped here.

Then an idea hits me. This is an electric shield. My mind instantly travels back to the dragon I fought. We might be able to do this...

"Leo, can you conjure lightning?"

He nods in response. It was kind of a dumb question...he is a conjurer after all.

"Here's the plan," I run to them and reveal a plan that might work to set us free.

The plan is to have Leo conjure lightning, since his lightning isn't directly magic. Lora is going to focus on healing him for protection against the backlash of energy. If this shield is anything like that dragon, Leo will kill himself without Lora's protection. I plant to use my gravity to push the lightning into the barrier.

"Let's do this," Lora states.

"Are you sure," Leo asks her. "You're obviously not completely okay..."

She agrees.

We do everything in my plan and it doesn't take long for the barrier to shatter. The rest of the magi stand in the distance, watching. Many of them rush to us with cheers and shouts.

I grab Kyren who is in bad shape. I hate doing this...

Out of nowhere he stands erect and nods. I follow his gaze to Lora...Great. She healed him again. That's very counterproductive.

"I'm sorry, but if I don't kill you, he'll kill my family. He'll kill Lora."

Kyren smirks. "Oh how the tables have turned. I think this is my cue to say I don't care. That was what you told me, right?"

With rage, I push Kyren ahead of me. "After you. If Vaxon has a plan to kill us, you'll be the first to drop dead."

Maybe he deserves to die maybe he doesn't. Maybe I deserve to die and maybe I don't. One thing I'm sure of though is that Lora deserves to live. I follow closely behind Kyren.

Hopefully this proves my loyalty enough to them, sacrificing Kyren. Hopefully this will heal Lydora. And hopefully, if Kyren dies because of me, I'll soon follow.

Male 12: Water Mage Evian Damini 

He had survived.

By sheer luck, he had landed the sphere of water in the dragon's throat, killing it instantly.

He had survived.

By sheer luck, he had plunged his sword into the beast's stomach, ensuring its death.

He had survived.

By sheer luck, he had slipped the golden Mage Ring onto his finger and felt his energy suddenly return back to him in bountiful waves.

He had survived.

The sunlight that landed on his face as he stepped out of the cave had never felt so good. He blinked to adjust his eyes to its glow, then basked in the warmth for a few seconds. He hadn't spent much time in the caves, but it had felt like an eternity. The feeling of the sun on his face was the best thing he could have felt at that moment.

Other Magi were emerging from their caves, looking just as elated as him. They had survived another danger Vaxon had thrown at them, and they all felt on top of the world. However, Evian noticed that this was not without loss. Four had fallen from their number, left forever to rot in the darkness of the caves. He looked around to see if the girl, his companion from earlier, was one of those who had passed.

For one terrible moment, he didn't see her. In that second, fear flooded his heart, and his breathing slowed. If she was his sister, and she was dead... but then he spotted her, with a ring glittering on her finger, and he could breathe again. He wanted to race towards her, to wrap her in his arms, but that would most likely seem awkward to her. Instead, he walked steadily towards her, a grin ever-present on his face. Once he reached her, he had a hard time not throwing his arms around her. She was so beautiful, and it was in moments like this she looked most like his mother. Instead, he simply spoke three words: "You made it."

The tiniest piece of a smile tugged at her lips, stunning Evian. He had never seen her smile outright before, and when she did, she nearly mirrored his memories of his mother. She has to be your sister! his thoughts screamed. She just has to be!

However, Evian wasn't willing to jump to conclusions. He wouldn't know if it was actually true until he heard her speak. "What do we do now?" he asked her, trying to prompt an answer out of her.

She still didn't answer, but he could tell that she wanted to. What kept her from saying what she wanted to say? Was she mute? Or was she simply feeding herself a lie that speaking would do her no good?

Out of nowhere, a man walked up to the pair. His clothing was that of a palace guard, but Evian didn't know what one of them would be doing inside the arena. The guard sent a curt nod in the girl's direction, then turned to face Evian. "For you, sir," he said, holding out a piece of parchment in my direction. Evian took it from his outstretched hands, and the guard abruptly walked away, seeing that he had done what he needed to do.

Evian peered down at the words on the paper:

Et rebellavit contra Vaxon coepit. Et omnes magos fugam. Si vis ad adiuvándum me expugna rex in occursum meum et campos, in quibus resident Pegasi usus map ante dedi te ducem.

Optimus vota,

Jahad

P.S. Kyren sciat consilium et auxilium nobis. Tamen propter pugnandum pro suis. Si perspiciatis eum occidere conetur.

In disgust, Evian nearly threw the paper away. It's in the Forbidden Tongue, he thought, irritated. I can't read it.

No sooner had he thought those words than the letters on the page rearranged themselves, forming new words, ones that he understood. Now, the letter read:

A rebellion has begun against Vaxon. All the magi will be attempting to escape. If you wish to help me overthrow the king, meet me in the plains where the pegasi reside, using the map I gave you earlier to guide you there.

Best wishes,

Jahad

P.S. Kyren knows about the plan and is helping us. However, he must fight you for his family's sake. If you encounter him, try not to kill him.

Evian's heart leaped. Rebellion! He had been wanting to do something like this ever since he joined the Magi. Finally, he would fight against Vaxon's fury, hopefully ending it once and for all. He didn't know if it was possible, but he was willing to try, willing to die if he died fighting Vaxon.

And Jahad! He was the mysterious person who had sent the map. Evian realized now that he had a very powerful ally. Jahad was close to the king, which would make rebellion much easier. But why would Jahad want to fight against his own brother?

Maybe, Evian reasoned, it's because he actually has a heart, unlike Vaxon.

The girl leaned over his shoulder, trying to read the words on the paper. He watched her squint, as if she couldn't understand the words, and then he realized that only he could see the message. She would have no idea what the message said unless he told her.

He looked into her eyes and spoke in a gentle whisper: "Rebellion."

Her face grew shocked. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth fell slightly open in disbelief. He could almost see the questions dancing through her mind: Rebellion? How is that possible? What's going to happen? And why now, of all times?

But through all the questions, he could see the readiness in her eyes. She wanted to defeat Vaxon, just as much as he did, if not more. She would follow him into the rebellion, he knew.

However, there was no time to waste. He pulled out the now slightly crumpled and wet map Jahad had given him on the first day, squinting to read the small words. At the moment, they were in the northwest corner of the map, meaning they had to go southeast to reach the pegasus fields. Refolding the map, he beckoned to the girl, telling her to follow. She walked behind him, still silently. Together, they walked, leaving the caves behind and marching into a new adventure.

The sun was sinking in the sky, bathing the world in an orange glow. The clouds were lit up in a stunning kaleidoscope of pinks and reds, giving one final show before disappearing into the darkness of the night. It was another one of those moments where Evian was enjoying himself, despite the fact that he was in the arena, possibly about to face danger once again. For he knew that there would be danger. Vaxon would not take a rebellion lightly, especially one including Magi. The king would do everything in his power to stop the uprising, killing everyone who stood in his way. Even Jahad, his own brother, and Kyren, his own son, would be in grave danger from his wrath.

That's why we have to defeat him, Evian reasoned. Even if we must pay a terrible price, we must stop him from taking more innocent lives.

The girl remained silent through all this, as usual. Evian thought that maybe the beauty of the sunset or the fact that they were about to finally rebel against Vaxon would cause her to open up, but she stayed quiet as ever. Evian couldn't bear the silence, so finally, he spoke. "I believe that everyone has a story. This story needs to be told to someone, or else life would be miserable. I also know that telling the story can sometimes be hard. Sometimes, we think that we'll be better off without telling anyone, or we make the excuse that no one will want to listen to our story. When we do that, we're just telling lies to ourselves. There's always someone in the world who would be willing to listen to our story. We just have to tell it to everyone we can, and wait until someone comes along who's willing to listen to everything, even the painful things."

Evian then proceeded to tell her his story. He explained to her about his mother, describing her in great detail. He talked about his life on the run, about the good times and the hard times. He explained how he met Mathas and trained with him, and about his horror the night he was killed. He didn't leave out one detail.

When he was finished, she stood staring at him, amazement in her eyes. "Don't look so amazed," he said softly. "The point of telling someone your story is not so that they can be so shocked at all the things you've done. The point is letting someone sympathize with you."

He turned and began walking again. She ran to catch up with him, this time walking by his side. "And what about you?" he whispered quietly. "What's your story?"

Before she could answer, a dark shape glided down from the sky, landing in front of them. Startled, Evian drew his sword, preparing to strike.

"I would put that away if I were you," a silky voice said. "Steel makes me skittish."

Slowly, Evian sheathed his sword and approached the shape. As he drew closer, he began to be able to make out its form. It was a pegasus. Its majestic wings lay relaxed next to its agile body, and it appeared to be a deep black. However, in the growing darkness of the night, everything looked to be that same color, so he couldn't be sure.

"I have been instructed to find you and bring you to the one who summoned you here," it spoke, referring solely to Evian.

"Jahad?" Evian said, barely daring to raise his voice above a whisper.

"Yes, he is the one," the pegasus continued. "However, I did not know that there would be another with you."

His eyes were on the girl, staring daggers at her. Evian heard her gulp softly. "She is a friend," he spoke up, "one who wishes to join our rebellion. She is a lightning mage, and uses her magic well. She would be an asset in the fight against Vaxon."

The pegasus nodded. "I see. I will try to carry both of you, but I cannot say it won't be uncomfortable."

He knelt down, allowing the two of them to mount him. With a startling jump, he leaped into the air, unfurling his jet-black wings, which were dark against the starry sky. Evian gripped the pegasus's mane tightly. There was no saddle on him, meaning that they were riding-- flying-- bareback. With every turn, Evian thought he would fall.

Miraculously, however, he didn't, and soon they landed at their destination. It was deep into the meadows, and the high peaks of mountains loomed overhead. Waiting for them was Jahad. He stood up tall, and purpose shone in his eyes. Evian knew that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "Welcome, Evian," he said, smiling.

Evian knelt before him. "My lord--"

"Do not address me as you would a king," Jahad cut in, "for that is my brother's title. I am not like my brother. I am something much more important at the moment: a friend."

Evian smiled. He liked this man. "Thank you, sir. What's your plan for the rebellion?"

Jahad's face grew more serious. "The first step is getting you out of this arena."

"How are we going to do that?" Evian inquired.

"The first step is to travel over this mountain range--" he gestured to the mountains behind him-- "and to the place where the magical border stands. There, you should find that the barrier has been lowered by the dragon Odahviin. Then you will escape, and I will give you further instructions."

"What happens if the barrier hasn't been lowered?" Evian asked.

"That is a highly unlikely possibility. If that does happen, I have no answer to give to you on what to do. The best thing to do would be to wait."

Evian nodded. "How are we to get over the mountains? Are the pegasi going to fly us?"

Jahad shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, they have only agreed to bring you to me. They will not be the ones flying you over the mountains. You will have to climb. It will be difficult, but it is a must."

Sighing, Evian agreed. "We'll try."

Jahad shook his head again. "You cannot simply try. To get across these mountains, you will have to work at it with everything you have. If you just try, you will not even make it halfway across. So you must either do it with everything you have, or you must not do it at all. There is no 'try'."

Evian nodded again. "Then we will do it to the best of our abilities, sir."

Smiling, Jahad tossed him a rope. "For your companion. There is one for you in the supply pack."

He pulled it out, then tossed the other one to the girl. "We should get going," he told her. "We don't want to waste time."
She nodded, and they set off towards the mountains.

Jahad wasn't lying when he told them it would be hard.

The mountains were more like cliffs, they were so steep. There were scarcely any handholds, so they had to use the ropes for climbing, not just support. The mountains were also home to many strange creatures, ones that Evian had never seen before. One looked like a giant bat with a wolf's face, while another seemed to be an enormous scorpion with the face of a man. They were frightening, to say the least, and Evian tried to avoid looking at them.

They had been climbing for at least two hours, and his arms were starting to refuse to move. Somehow, however, it didn't seem like they had covered any ground at all. Every mountain looked the same: bare, gray, snow-capped, and steep. The air was thin, and at times, a breath seemed like a rare luxury.

The girl didn't seem to be doing much better, Evian noticed. Her face was pale, and her limbs were visibly shaking. He wanted to do something to help her, but he didn't know if that would aggravate her. She seemed to be the kind of person who didn't want to accept help, even when it was obvious she needed it.

Suddenly, they reached the top of one of the cliffs, and they saw a welcoming sight. The ground in front of them was completely flat. The mountains stopped abruptly. Best of all, in the distance, they could see a shimmering wall of magic, which they both assumed to be the barrier.

The barrier was, for lack of a better term, stunning. It seemed to be alive with color, and it lit up the night sky with its brilliance. It didn't seem to be completely solid, and yet at the same time it seemed unbreakable. Evian never wanted to take his eyes off it.

Then, something else drew his attention. Darkness seemed to be clustering together in a spot in front of the barrier. The darkness morphed, slowly changing into the form of a man. The form solidified, its features becoming real and not made of darkness. Evian could now see fully who it was. Kyren.

Evian remembered Jahad's words in the letter: Kyren knows about the plan and is helping us. However, he must fight you for his family's sake. If you encounter him, try not to kill him. Evian knew from this warning that Kyren wouldn't go down without a fight, and he was surely a formidable enemy. He looked over to the girl. She was staring Kyren down fiercely. There was deep hatred in her eyes.

Kyren began to walk towards them, arrogance in his step. When he finally spoke, it was to the girl, not Evian. "We meet again, lightning girl," he said confidently.

They've met each other? Evian wondered. When?

Before he had time to wonder further, Kyren was on them, attacking them with such ferocity that it was hard to focus. However, Evian knew that they had the upper hand. It was two against one, and both of their elements were powerful. As quickly as Kyren had attacked them, they attacked back. Evian drew his sword, holding it in one hand and directing his magic with the other. The girl stood beside him, drawing ferocity into every bolt of lightning she called down from the sky.

Suddenly, she stopped fighting, staring at Evian like he was a giant wolf-headed bat. What was wrong? Had he hurt her, or made a mistake while fighting?

Her face suddenly morphed from fright into anger. Without warning, she had called down lightning from the sky, nearly burning him. What was she doing?

Then, something strange happened. Her face rippled, as if it was water that someone had dropped a stone into. Her features distorted. She grew taller and stockier, and her hair shortened. When the transformation was complete, the person standing there was not a girl, but a man. It wasn't the girl he had been traveling with, but his father.

His father. All he had in his mind regarding him were flashes, memories of things he did and the feelings that it gave Evian. The thing he remembered most about his father was the day that he had left. He had just grabbed a small bag of supplies and left, walking out the door as if he was demon-possessed. He remembered his mother's tears, and her pleading cries. Matheu, come back! Where are you going? What about our son? What about me? Come back! Matheu!

But he had not heeded, just walked away as if his ears were filled with candlewax. He left his wife and child alone, not even giving them anything to live on. Deep anger stirred in his heart. "You left us!" he shouted. "You just walked away, like you didn't even care! I hate you!"

With that, he flung himself at his father, sending wave after wave of water crashing over him. He retaliated with a lightning bolt, flung down from the heavens, nearly striking Evian. He jumped out of the way quickly, but a thought entered his mind that he couldn't shake.

Wait a minute, he thought. My father wasn't a lightning mage. He wasn't even a mage, but a shadow sage. How is he shooting lightning at me?

He didn't have any more time to ponder that thought, however, because another bolt of lightning was flying at him. This one he saw too late. He attempted to dive out of the way, but the bolt hit him square in the chest. Sparks danced across his vision, and all he could think about was the pain... Pain... Pain...

Then blackness overtook his vision, and he drifted off into the dark world of unconsciousness.

Male 14: Warrior Sage Telex Silverblade

Telex fell into warm water. Air, confusion, and a splash hit him. His mind clouded and he felt hate. He wanted to get out of that water and kill something, he wanted to see the blood of evil spilled on the ground. He sank, struggling with the hateful feeling, the feeling of a madness strong enough to touch. He kicked in the water, towards the surface, and the feeling began to pass. He reached the surface, gasping, and blinking water out of his eyes as he held his hand up.

"I got it." He laughed hysterically. "I actually got it."

He held a large stylus in his hands. His name engraved on the side of the stone. His smile fell when he noticed the large face of the Coal Dragon glaring down at him with murder in its eyes.

"Hi?"

A blast of fire a smoke crashed down towards him and Telex dove farther under the water. The temperature grew, and he realized that the dragon intended to boil him.

Not the death he'd envisioned.

Telex swam as fast as he could, reaching for anything he could hoist himself up on. His fingers bashed against a hard surface and he winced as he pulled himself up onto ground. The dragon stood fifteen feet across from him.

"Do you think that you can get away simply because you have stolen the stylus? You mortals are fools."

Telex froze, not comprehending for a moment that he could understand the black dragon. When it did register, his first feeling was disappointment. The mystery about these dragons was that they spoke a language that no one can speak. The Coal Dragon had just spoken to him in the Monk's Mouth, that may be mysterious to some, but Telex knew the forbidden tongue.

"I'd rather not fight." He replied in the same mouth.

This time, the dragon was speechless.

Telex stepped forward. "What has Vaxon offered you?"

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "I have been his slave since I was a hatchling, if you expect me to allow you to escape, you're a fool."

"What's your name?" Telex asked.

"Ataris of the Eternal Flame if you must know." The dragon rumbled.

"Ataris, please. I must also get out of here, perhaps if we came to an agreement-"

"There can be no agreements!" The dragon roared.

Telex held his hands up. "Fine. Are you saying that you're too weak to stand up to Vaxon?"

A furious look crossed the dragon's face. "You dare?!"

"I'm just saying that if we team up, we could beat Vaxon!" Telex shouted, dodging flames.

"I can get out of here myself!" Ataris roared.

"I'm sure you can, but if you kill me, you'd be pleasing Vaxon!"

Ataris stopped for a moment.

"Vaxon wants me dead, imagine the possibility of making him angry as you escape by helping me!" Telex gasped.

Red eyes bore into Telex. "I will help you as long as you don't get in my way mortal. And remember it's not for you."

"Yes, of course." Telex nodded. He inwardly sighed in relief, he'd almost become a burnt crisp.

"Now is the time for escape."

Telex jolted, it was Jahad's voice, but the man was not in sight. "Did you hear that Ataris?"

"Hear what?" Ataris asked, he began to walk out of the cave.

"Um, nothing. How do we get out of the arena?"

"We must get over the mountains and pass the barrier." Ataris nodded. "The mountains will be hard for you to climb." The dragon gave Telex's body a judging look. "But once we get up there we'll have to find a way to break the barrier, it's being energized by Wessi herds."

"How do you know all this?" Telex asked.

"I'm a dragon, I know everything." Ataris scoffed.

"How will we get there?"

"Simple, we travel to the other end of the arena, I'll fly over you and you can find whatever supplies you might need on the way." Ataris shrugged.

Telex didn't dare to question that he was travelling on foot instead of Ataris's back, and agreed.

"Oh, and I give you permission to address me as "Your Highness" if you'd like." Ataris held up his nose.

"Is that an offer or a request?" Telex asked, eyebrow raised.

"A demand, to be honest." Ataris looked annoyingly prideful. Telex was feeling his respect and awe for the Coal Dragon race quickly draining.

"And since you haven't asked, my name is Telex Silverblade." Telex offered as they exited the cave.

"I didn't ask because I already knew." Ataris sniffed.

"No you didn't."

"Are you questioning the power of dragons?!"

Telex's face scrunched up. "No, but I've studied your race and Coal Dragons don't read minds, auras, or get into the minds of... well anything really. Your race is more into collecting valuables, looking fabulous, and other talents that would take too long to describe."

Ataris ignored this. "Telex... I don't like your name, it's boring. I'll call you..." Ataris pondered for a moment. "Fool. Yes, that is the perfect name for you."

The dragon looked smug and satisficed despite the look of shock on Telex's face. They reached the clearing where the bridges began and Telex asked one more question before Ataris took off.

"How do we break the barrier?"

Ataris looked annoyed. "I will fly over it and you will figure your own way out Fool." He took off and left Telex standing alone. "Don't keep me waiting! Move if you want me to help you!" Ataris shouted before disappearing.

That was the most obnoxious, annoying and prideful dragon Telex had ever met. Though he hadn't met any ancients before.

He crossed the bridge and went turned right. If he went left, he would meet up with Sporkians, Archnes, and Elves. If there was any supplies, it wouldn't be lying around, it would be hidden somewhere. So he didn't go straight.

He felt confused, if the arena was surrounded by the barrier on top of the mountains surrounding the arena, why didn't they climb the closet one? Why did they have to go across to the other side of the arena?

Stupid dragon.

Telex jogged for half an hour before finding himself shivering with cold. Snowflakes drifted around him and he gritted his teeth.

He took out his stylus and drew a rune in the air. He smiled as his body grew a thick coat of fur-like hair. Telex loved being a warrior, generative skill were always useful, and this stylus was amazingly powerful. Now all he needed to do was find Sigel and-

He froze for a second, his heart sinking deep into his chest. He would never meet up with Sigel, he had killed him. His brother who he'd promised to get along with.

How had it come to this? Sigel and Telex had always been the perfect team.

"Telex."

He froze at the female voice. It whistled through the wind. Calling him.

He made his way towards the voice, it was coming from a cave in the snow. He was an idiot for doing this, it could be a trap.

He walked into the cave and Nassia's figure stood before him, an illusion. Vaxon stood next to her, looking board.

"I've got better things to do, so hurry up." Vaxon sighed.

Telex glared at them. "Why did you call me?"

Nassia grinned. "I want you to win. Daddy says that you might be able to stay alive with me if you prove your loyalty to him."

Telex gave a nasty smirk. "And what if I don't want to?"

Vaxon looked displeased. "This is your situation. You have currently been cursed with the Death Attachment. All of the creatures in the arena have been order to kill anyone who tries to escape, but they will all try to kill you, regardless. They will seek you out wherever you go in the arena. Your brother will be able to save you if he proves his loyalty to me-"

"Sigel's dead." Telex replied.

"Don't interrupt me!" Vaxon snapped. "I just spoke to him and I can assure you, he is alive."

Sigel was alive?

"I have a feeling that he will." Vaxon continued. "You can save yourself by allowing him to prove his loyalty to me, or you can prove your loyalty to me. If Sigel proves his loyalty first, then I will cast a slave spell on him, and he will serve me forever. If you prove your loyalty first, then I will not cast the spell on either of you, and the Death Attachment will be broken."

Vaxon narrowed his eyes. "And when I say loyalty, I mean that you shall stay loyal to me despite the other Magi."

Telex returned the glare. "Sigel would never do something like that, not even for me."

Vaxon raised an eyebrow. "Well he's done it before. You do remember the Nixie girl?"

Myla? Telex's eyes widened. "I did it for you." He remember Sigel saying that.

"Don't act so surprised. You did realize that your energy was being depleted faster than anyone else's?" Vaxon said this more as a statement.

Telex ignored Vaxon. He couldn't allow Sigel to serve the tyrant for life.

"What do I need to do?"

Vaxon smiled a cruel smile. "My son has become a bit attached to some of the Magi of the arena, or at least, weak around them." He scoffed. "Your job will to be to dispose of them. Kill the air mage Aelia Zephyr, the healer wizard Lydora, and that stupid woman who he refuses to kill... Verna Ningha Ankundinov, the conjurer wizard. Tie their medallions to the leg of an Eegal, and you shall prove your loyalty to me."

Telex felt his insides turn to stone. He had to kill two innocent girls, and a pregnant woman.

This was wrong, so wrong. And yet, it had to be done.

"I'll need some kind of weapon-"

"All taken care of!" Nassia chirped. "That bag has your belongings in it, most all the stuff you had when we caught you!"

She pointed to his old rucksack, and he tried not to dance with glee when he spotted his whip. He'd missed that weapon.

"Remember, if your brother proves his loyalty first, he will be my slave." Vaxon reminded. "Oh, and one more thing. I commanded Sigel to do this, but I'll tell you the same thing if something happens to him. Bring Kyren to me, I don't care when, but don't come to me without him."

Vaxon and Nassia disappeared, with two last words echoing. "Good luck!"

He didn't need Nassia to give him any luck, he could jolly well depend on his own luck. Telex rolled his eyes as he rushed over to his weapons and cradled it.

Yes. He was fully back now. Sigel was alive, he had his whip, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

He was going to get out of there.

***

Telex walked for three hours without anything coming at him. He'd avoided the dark woods, but he needed to refill his water. A small lagoon lay ahead, and he squatted by it to fill his tankard.

A beautiful sound met his ears and he felt a glow light inside him. A hand rose from the water a grasped his. A woman slipped through the blue water and smiled at him. He didn't know who she was, but her presence was soothing as she embraced him. So sweet.

But his senses came alert when the woman screamed and let go of him, black blood spurting from her head. Her face changed from a sweet expression to a horrible sharp-toothed grinned as she fell dead.

"What's wrong with you?! You could've died!"

"KANDI!!" Telex grinned.

Kandi stood, her hair back in a very messing pony-tail and a frown as deep as a canyon on her face. Telex didn't care, he picked her up and swung her around.

"I can't tell how glad I am that you're not dead!" He grinned, but then it faded. "I dropped my water canteen."

"Never mind that. We should get out of here." Kandi started a brisk trot, and Telex ran after her.

"Did you get your ring?" He asked.

"I did. Then I lost it." Kandi sighed. "Did you get a stylus?"

Telex held his up proudly.

"I'm surprised you didn't get eaten by a dragon." Kandi laughed.

"My survival skills aren't that horrible." Telex defended. "I think I was buddies with the dragon I got for two minutes before he took off. Or at least, frenemies..."

They talked and walked, and stopped and ate, and walked and talked some more. This went on for about two more hours before they came to a massive mountain. It was more like a wall, completely straight besides a few crevices.

"We have to go rock-climbing on this?" Telex whined. "They could've at least given us a slopped mountain. Or maybe ropes. Nope ladders, yeah they should've given us ladders, or at least material for making ladders-"

"I will punch your teeth out if you keep talking. Come on!" Kandi groaned.

Telex turned to see that Kandi had created vines for them to climb. "Or we could do that."

"You weren't giving suggestions in the first place so come on!"

Telex was fine with climbing up things... as long as he didn't look down. He climbed the vines until he reached the middle, then he made the mistake of pausing, a gust of wind made him slip for a second before he got his bearings back. He cursed, but they made it to the top, and he fanned a dramatic landing, which was ignored. A rocky plain with no distinct paths lay ahead of them.

"Now what?" Telex asked.

"Now you follow me to the shield. You're very slow Fool."

Kandi screamed at the sudden voice and her eyes flashed with anger, terror and confusion.

"It's okay Kandi, that's Ataris, he's going to help us." Telex soothed.

"I thought you said he left?!" She hissed.

"Mortals. I don't have time for your foolishness. Follow me, I shall lead you through the mountain pass and to the barrier." Ataris took off, and the two humans went after him.

"I was surprised that there weren't any other creatures around besides those Mer." Kandi commented as she gingerly stepped down from a steep rock.

"Not more surprised than I am." Telex replied.

"By the way, you left the Burn It Book with me." Kandi pulled out the leather-bound book and handed it to him.

"How? Never mind." Telex slipped the book into his pack.

"I read it, and there's a lot of creatures in each biome." Kandi started. "There's..." she went on to name creatures and Telex only heard half of what she said.

"Vaxon said they would try to kill me, but we've only seen Mers." Telex mused after a while.

"I'm still surprised Vaxon spoke to you." Kandi commented.

"Kandi, I didn't know whether to tell you this earlier... Sigel's alive." Telex waited for a response.

Kandi didn't look at him. "Well then you must realize that if I see him, I'll kill him." She replied coolly.

Telex didn't respond. What would be the use? They continued on in silence. Struggling through the maze of rocks and streams.

After a while, Kandi froze. "Did you hear that?"

"Why do people ask that? It gets boring. Why don't they ask, "That noise sounded like blank, or I heard something, did you hear it too, or-"

A screech cut Telex off. A horrific and long scream. A silver blur shot at them and Telex push Kandi out of the way.

"Not again!"

An Arachne's legs appeared from over a boulder. The spider was larger than the one they had met yesterday, but it was longer, and more spindly. Yellow and red striped legs pushed the hairless and pink body up, the face had beady yellowish eyes and long clear fangs. Venom dripped out of it mouth, whiter than the first Arachne had.

"RUN!" Kandi screamed.

The monster was faster than the faster that the last Arachne, and instead of shooting spears, it shot acid from its mouth. Rocks melted away from where the gross goo hit them.

They ran through the maze, dodging acid and jets of web until they came to a dead end.

"Now what?" Kandi demanded. The sider giving a scream of enjoyment.

Telex grabbed her hand. "This way!"

There was a crevice, just big enough for them to slip through. Light poured from the other side. They squeezed through it, running sideways. The Arachne tried to stick its head through, but the crevice was too small.

Telex and Kandi popped out through the other side, gasping for air. "Does this mean they're all up here?!"

Telex pointed ahead to some goblins fighting dwarves.

"Go! Go! GO!" Kandi pushed Telex to his right and they began running. The dwarves chasing them with their short legs and axes, as the goblins jumped towards them.

Telex and Kandi ran past boulders, slipping, stumbling and pulling up short as something else slammed onto the ground in front of them.

Huge cloven feet held up a muscled and hairy figure. A Minotaur stood before them, armed with a battle axe and its huge form. More appeared behind him, rings glinting in their noses.

"You're kidding me." Kandi murmured as the dwarves swung their axes and the goblins laughed hysterically. Their green gnarled bodies shaking with laughter, their hands twitching with bloodied knives, pointed ears waggling.

Telex pulled Kandi to the left, where was Ataris? He was supposed to be getting them out of here.

The ground shook as the Minotaur's feet slammed on the ground in pursuit. The smaller creatures behind them. Kandi and Telex pulled themselves up and down boulders, getting farther and closer from their pursuers.

They were beginning to lose the pack again, when they heard a howl. Werewolves sprang from hills of stone above them. Telex felt claws dig into his leg and he cried out, falling, then scrapping against the path.

Kandi yelled and hit his attacker in the face, sending its head cracking back in a yelp of pain. Telex got a grasp on his whip and activated it, giving the wolf a slash before taking off.

"I thought they could only do that on a full moon." Kandi gasped.

"Anything can happen here." Telex replied before another battle cry arose.

Centaurs burst from another part of the mountain maze. They weren't the majestic and proud Centaurs of Castre, but rogues. Eyepatches, mismatching armor and scarred faces made up these muscled nightmares. They couldn't outrun a Centaur, it was impossible.

Kandi pulled Telex down another path, smaller, so only a few enemies could come after them at a time.

"Do we even know where we're going?" Telex shouted.

"Nope!" Kandi yelled back.

Telex almost screamed in aggravation as some frost trolls appeared ahead, forcing them to turn down another path.

A bird screech came and Kandi cried out as she stumbled and fell, griffin claws had scrapped her back. Telex pulled her up as the bird-lion hybrid scratched them with sharp claws. Then Telex had to slam his arm against the side of the wall as he ran, putting out a fire. Phoenixes swarmed down, making the griffins scream in aggravation.

The sage and mage turned down another corner as Cyclopes stormed out, followed by Pegasi. Brute bodies with single eyes roared as winged horses bared their pointed teeth.

"Whoa! Stop!" Telex grabbed Kandi's arm, preventing her from running off a ledge.

There was nowhere to run now. They were trapped. Behind, the creatures were racing down towards them, to the right was perfectly smooth boulder and their left was as open as ahead of them.

They had to fight.

Telex pulled out his whip and positioned himself, Kandi imitating. Flying, the griffins and phoenixes reached them first.

Telex created two rune shields and expanded them, making them surround the flying monsters and bringing them together. The smell of burnt flesh and feathers filled the air as the griffins and phoenixes collided and fell, along with some of his energy.

The Pegasi and Cyclopes were coming down the path towards them.

This is going to be hard. Telex thought as he braced himself. But instead of charging to his death, he found himself ducking from a blast of fire.

He felt his body lift from the ground, far from the monsters who looked up at him and gave cries of anger.

Ataris?

His body flew over and past the rock maze and he found himself being dropped onto a field.

"Fool, I told you to follow me." Ataris remarked disapprovingly as he stood before Telex and Kandi.

"What is he saying?" Kandi asked, and Telex remembered that she didn't speak the Forbidden Tongue.

"Nothing of importance." He replied then turned to Ataris. "We might've followed you if we weren't being chased by crazy creatures."

"I found some useful information." Ataris replied, ignoring the last comment. "Where do you think you are?"

Telex was annoyed by the question. "We just passed the mountains, the barrier will be ahead and once it's down, we can get out."

Ataris shook his head. "Those mountains appeared last night, Vaxon put it up and sent the arena creatures there to stop the Magi. The barrier has been powered down somehow. But once you've got it down and you get up the real mountain, which by the way, makes what you just came from look like a little hill, you'll find another barrier. This one needs some kind of code and is powered by the earth. And did I forget to mention that Kyren is fighting the Magi in front of the first shield?"

Telex almost felt his brain fall out of his head. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"How do you know this?" He asked.

"I know everything." Ataris sniffed.

"Can we walk and talk?" Kandi asked.

***

Telex found himself with three medallions in his hand an hour later. He'd explained their situation to Kandi and they had found the Magi fighting each other. Kyren had stood with his back to the barrier, fighting the Magi who came at him. But Telex noticed that the people that Kyren "attacked" got up again, hardly noticed by the others, none of the Magi were really killing each other. Some were, but not many.

He had given his three targets quick deaths. Apologizing to each of them as they died. He felt guilty as he sought out an Eegal and tied the medallions to its leg. Hoping that Sigel hadn't prove anything yet. Telex hadn't seen his brother anywhere.

His next target was Kyren, he didn't see Kandi anywhere and Ataris had disappeared long ago. Telex created a rune shield and sword, taking deep breaths as he marched towards Kyren. Kyren was busy knocking down another Magi and didn't notice Telex, so he was able to come within ten feet.

"Kyren."

The prince turned and looked half surprised to see him. Telex stood with his shield by his side and his sword in hand, prepared, but not defensive or aggressive. Kyren narrowed his eyes and black tendrils swirled around his hand.

"Wait! Stop! I don't want to fight!" Telex lifted his shield to block a blow. The tendrils ate at his shield like acid, forcing him to drop it.

"I can't let you get out of here." Kyren said, impassive.

"Yes you can." Telex replied. "You want to get out of here to get to your family. Your wife and kids are waiting for you."

Kyren threw another black ball at Telex, who dodged it. "Don't speak like that, you'll never understand what it feels like to love someone with your whole being and be completely helpless to keep them safe."

"You'd be surprised." Telex replied.

Kyren threw more tendrils, his face twisting in anger. "Sigel doesn't count. He would willingly kill for my father. Ashyra is innocent, and so are the children, they never did anything wrong."

"No, I wasn't speaking about Sigel." Telex dodged another tendril, stepping closer to Kyren. "I think I know more about how you feel because I want to get out for the same reason."

He threw off another blow and stood a few feet from Kyren. "I want to get back to my kids. I want to kiss my wife again. I want us to be together again."

The tendrils came to an abrupt halt. "What are you talking about?"

Telex smiled. "I have a family. Only Sigel has ever known besides me."

He stepped closer. "Kyren, if you get out of here, you won't be able to free your family by yourself, I can help you, and you can help me. We can get our families out of this war."

Something strange crossed over Kyren's face. The prince walked over to him and whispered in his ear.

"If you want to team up with me you have to promise to do as I say. Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Telex whispered.

"Fine. I won't go into details but once this shield is down you have to pretend to capture me. Then we'll get out together, stay in one of the caves in the surrounding mountains and discuss what will happen next. Avoid killing the Magi, especially Eiridan, Eriswen, Leo, Aelia and Evian, they know the plan. You understand?"

Telex swallowed. "Yeah. You mean after we get past the mountains and close down the second barrier, right?"

Kyren looked Telex directly in the face. "What are you talking about?"

"The mountains were climbed were artificial, the real mountains are behind this barrier-"

"I know that! What other barrier are you talking about?!" Some kind of realization was coming over Kyren's face.

"There's another barrier that's powered by the earth. It needs to be opened by some kind of spell."

Kyren cursed. "How do you know this?"

"My dragon told me." Telex replied.

A panicked look crossed Kyren's face for a brief moment. "Telex, find a way to break the barrier, the energy coating is dying and it will let down in a few hours, but that will be too long. You have to hurry, go!" Kyren shoved Telex back with a black fist.

Telex stumbled to his feet and headed for the barrier. He didn't know what Kyren was babbling about, but he decided to trust him. What had he got to lose?

Telex walked cautiously over to the shield, it was blue and it seemed to be held up by stone pillars. Each of the pillars were about fifty feet tall and the stood thirty feet apart. Too tall to climb and there didn't seem to be a way through it.

He inspected the edges, but they went harmlessly through the rock. There was no way to get past it. Maybe if he found Kandi, she would be able to dig a hole into the ground with her powers.

"Fool, get over here!"

Telex turned and raced over to Ataris. "Where'd you go?!"

"The shield will power down in one hour. When it does, the pillars will fall and explode, if you want to get out of here alive, get whatever little friends you have and come to me, I'll wait here. If you don't come in time, I'm leaving. Oh, and before you ask, it's because I know everything."

Telex sighed. "I'll be back."

He ran to the fighting, intending to get to Kyren. He saw the arena creatures rushing from the mountain maze. Not something they needed at this moment.

He shouted Kyren's name, but it was drowned out by a deep voice.

Shatter the mind, see the evil

Shatter the gaze, kill the foe

Shatter the soul, destroy the evil

No one is innocent, no one is guilty

Keep the gaze to destroy the evil

"Telex!" Kyren screamed.

Telex ran towards him, a strange feeling clouding his mind.

Kyren grabbed Telex hand. "Don't let go!" Kyren grunted, throwing off a Magi.

The strange feeling disappeared and was replaced by a new one. "Is it at all disturbing that we're holding hands?" Telex asked.

"They cast the spell of shattered sight." Kyren replied.

Telex didn't understand how that justified the fact that they were holding hands.

"Kyren, the shield will let down in an hour, and when it does, those pillars are going to explode!"

Kyren looked at him, his face had fallen.

"But we can get out-"

A huge crack interrupted him and sent the two men flying. The sound was the earth opening. Kyren scrambled to his hands and knees, the earth was shaking too hard to stand.

When the dust and shaking subsided, Telex and Kyren stood.

"What was that?" Telex gasped.

"Something I was afraid was going to happen."

Below them, lay a huge fissure. It was completely still and silent for a moment, then tentacles slithered out of the crack. Huge monsters crawled out of the earth, creatures who Telex had never seen before. They were horrible, not one alike, and all with death written on their hideous faces.

Telex felt that strange feeling come over him, and he recalled feeling it when he was in the cave earlier. Kyren grabbed his hand again, this time whispering word under his breath.

"How do we get out of here?" Kyren asked, letting go of Telex.

"We go to my dragon." Telex gestured behind him. "And we take any allies."

"We can't do that. They'll be under the shattered sight." Kyren shook his head. "It will also affect the arena creatures."

"Then we have to go now."

Kyren thought for a moment. "Get your dragon and try to find me. I need to find someone."

Telex felt exasperated. "Well hurry up and don't get killed!"

He ran to Ataris. "Fly over the battle. We need to get some people."

He climbed onto the dragon's back and they took off. The Magi were fighting each other, creatures, and monsters. Ataris flew high enough to avoid the monsters, but low enough to see the people.

Telex spotted a woman in the jaws of a monster, the upper half of her body dangled as the hideous thing slurped the rest of her.

She had brown hair in a mess pony-tail.

"KANDI!! No! Ataris we have to get Kandi!" Telex screamed.

The dragon ignored him, and Telex knew that she was already gone. Why did this have to happen? He should've stayed near her, he should've protected his last friend.

Tears stung Telex's eyes, but he wiped them away. He didn't have time to weep.

Then he saw Kyren, he was fighting Sigel.

"What the?! Ataris, get those two, we need them! And the girl!" Telex noticed that Chiara was standing a little way from the fight.

Ataris swooped down and grabbed the fighting men with his claws, holding them as he picked up Chiara in his teeth, handing her to Telex.

They took off. Out of the arena, and away from the battle. They flew towards huge mountains. As Ataris flew they heard an explosion from behind. The arena was falling to pieces behind them, but they kept on, flying over the unclimbable mountains and to the second barrier.

"You can't fly over this unless you're a dragon." Ataris informed as they landed.

Kyren and Sigel stood upright, and Kyren mouthed "plan" to Telex.

"You're our prisoner!" Telex exclaimed. "Don't try anything!"

Kyren held his hands up and Sigel looked confused.

"How did you capture him!?" A different voice came from ahead of them. Jaeyria Lightwood and Eiridan Stormblessed stood before them.

"Are you questioning our motives?!" Ataris asked aghast.

Telex grabbed Kyren, and whispered. "Are they with us?"

Kyren nodded.

"Okay prisoner, Ataris is going to watch you, so don't try anything funny." Telex gestured to the dragon and walked to Sigel.

"Any idea how to get out of here? And by the way, we need Jaeyria and Eiridan."

Sigel nodded and turned to the others. "I can let down the barrier, on the condition that you two come with us." He pointed to Jae and Eiridan.

They exchanged glances. Jaeyria mistrustful and Eiridan smiling. "We'll come with you." The latter said.

Sigel looked at Chiara who threw him a pack. "I'll be back."

They waited for half-an-hour before the shield disappeared and Sigel returned. Then they mounted Ataris. Telex in front, Sigel in the back, and Kyren in one of the dragon's claws.

Telex didn't know where they were going or what they were going to do, but he relished in this moment.

He was free again.

Male 15: Plant Mage Sigel Silverblade

Extension

Male 16: Conjurer Wizard Leovaratten Maverson 

  I cursed myself as I left the woods. I'd lost the wand. I was lucky to still have my life. All because tried to sweet talk a Dragon. Stupid. Walking hurt, but I did it anyways. I had to find Lydora and Jaxon. But, mostly Lydora.

Then, a thought comes to me, it mforces itself in unnaturally. I know it isn't mine.

Now is the time for escape.

Jahad is behind it. It doesn't say his name, doesn't speak in his voice, but I know it's from him. I'm surprised, and I at first think it must be a trap. Vaxon wants to know who is loyal. But then, I consider Jahad. I'd only spoken to him once, but even then something about his eyes had bothered me. I realize now that it was rebellion. The spark was there, it was so faint it was almost indiscernible, but it was there.

I made up my mind, I would leave. I would find Lydora and Jaxon, and we would escape. Then, I saw a small, white piece of paper. It was rolled up like a scroll.

I winced as I crouched down to pick it up. I unrolled it slowly, careful not to get blood on it. Jahad has sent me information.

If the note is believable, then he is breaking us out, and Kyren is in on it.

**

She is waiting for me as I leave the woods. She sees me, too and begins to sprint towards me. My legs give out as she approaches, but her arms reach out and catch me, gently lowering to the ground with me.

"Lora..." The words come out weakly.

"What happened? Where's your wand?" Her tone is frantic, but the sound of her voice is soothing after hearing Avaritia's.

"The Dragon. It got to me before I could get to it." I admit.

I hear a sharp intake of breath from her. Perhaps I'm more injured than I realize, or perhaps she's annoyed with me. She got her wand. Easily from the looks of it. "I'm going to roll you onto your stomach, okay?" I nodded in response.

She began to speak a spell, and I felt life moving through me. The burned skin on my back renewed. Something fell into place in my ribs. I sat up. She was still speaking. "You can stop. I'm good now." She opens her eyes in surprise, and I grinned at her.

She looked at her wand in amazement. "Okay, you probably don't want to hear this, but this thing is amazing."

I totally wanted to hear that. Who knew when we'd need more healing? "Thanks for healing me. Again." I added.

"Anytime, Leo." She stands and begins to lead the way on our hunt for Jaxon. I remember suddenly that he's her brother. It's kind of a strange revelation. I knew them both for years, yet I never noticed the similarities until they were side by side. As we walk, I study Lydora. I can't help comparing her to Nassia, the only other girl I know who is my age.

Nassia's whole life revolves around a facade. She's shallow, vain, and acts older than she is. Lydora is much simpler. She's kinder, honest, and in my opinion, prettier. Nassia was only pretty in the technical sense.

Suddenly, Lydora fell, a sob escaping her. "What's wrong?" I asked.

She didn't answer. I panicked, then I moved with her, hesitating for just a moment before wrapping my arms around her. "Well, whatever it is, I'm right here." I lowered my voice a whisper. "Always."

"Okay." She said, pulling herself together. "I'm okay." It amazed me that she could do that. Break and then stand tall, stitch herself back together so easily. Sometimes it feels like I'm always broken, and even Lydora's magic can't fix me.

"We need to find Jaxon," I said. She could probably use a subject change.

"Leo, wait." Her voice calls out to me, and I feel my heart leap.

"What is it?" I asked, gently touching her arm.

"We've been through a lot," She begins, but I'm not listening to her anymore. I'm watching her mouth move, noticing the way her eyes catch the sunlight, the way her cheekbones are arched perfectly. I'm thinking about her heart, the trust she has, the attraction I feel with her. And that's when I knew. I wanted to kiss her.

But I didn't know how. I hadn't exactly kissed anyone before. Did I ask? Did I go for it? What if she didn't respond? Asking seemed the most gentlemanly thing to me.

"May I kiss you, Lora?"

A small grin flickers over her features, her eyes light up in a manner that says, 'I thought you'd never ask', then she gives a small nod.

I step closer to her, moving my hands to her back, and then I press my lips to hers.

My brother once described kissing a girl as being 'a magic far better than the kind we can do'. I agreed. The kiss felt like bliss. Lydora's lips were soft and firm at the same time. They fit perfectly against mine, and in that moment I didn't care about the fact that we were locked in a war we probably wouldn't win. She was my world.

And then we pulled away, she looked down, a pinkness spreading over her cheeks. My own face felt hot, and I struggled to look at her. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but didn't want to hear the answer.

She began to walk away. I quickly followed

****

The scene came into sharp focus, as my head cleared. I could see everything, but my eyes focused on Lydora. She was crouched over Jaxon, the fading light illuminated her silhouette and made the features of her face visible. Her eyes were closed, but I could tell that she was in pain from the set of her face. It was twisted into a grimace, her arms were straight. She pressed the palms of her hands into Jaxon's chest. I could see her magic moving over him.

It wasn't easy to spot- healing magic never was. It operated on a higher plane than mine or most of the others, or maybe a much smaller one. I could never be sure, I didn't know a lot about the way magic worked aside from what I'd found in libraries. Those books were generally very vague, and most had been destroyed regardless. But, it was there. I could feel it moving beneath Jaxon's skin, the static of it filled the air.

But, Lydora didn't have my attention for long. The darkness was rushing towards her at a frantic pace, eating up the ground, so the only thing past her I could see was the creator himself.

Then something within me switched. I couldn't allow the darkness to touch Lydora. I couldn't let Kyren take her from me, couldn't let his darkness overcome her light. I didn't hesitate or even think. I didn't allow the doubt racing through my veins smother the power set into my bones. Never considered the impossibility of what I had to do, that I had never created pure light before, but fire wouldn't work from here. All I knew, was that my best friend was about to be overcome.

"Winesa gipentres!" The words burst from my lips of their own accord, breaking through the vortex of battle. Defeat the darkness!

Rays of light seemed to burst from the tips of my fingers, they moved through the air, the blue hue casting the ground into a strange, watery color. They were too slow, draining too much energy, not good enough.

I wasn't good enough. I hadn't been able to save my family, and I wouldn't be able to save Lydora. My throat felt like it was crammed with cotton, I was pushing my magic so hard I couldn't find the strength to draw breath. My knees buckled. My vision became murky, fading in and out of focus.

And then the darkness touched Lydora. Anguish swept over my body. A hopelessness that was all too familiar, and I knew, I couldn't do anything.

Then it happened. Something woke up within me. To most, it would have felt like a fire that burned a little too quickly, crisping your skin, charring your bones. But to me, it was magic. It was a pit, deep in my stomach that had been opened. Magic was what burned me, more power than I had ever known I could posses, woken up.

My mind cleared, and I realized I was kneeling on the ground, that the light was moving slower than ever. I pulled my magic together, it was like pouring fuel on a fire. I watched as the light opened up, racing across the ground, moving much faster than Kyren's darkness.

But it hurt. The light was pulling something from me and I wasn't able to be without its absence. I could feel my muscles pull taught as I forced the magic away from me. I knew it was going towards Lydora though, so somehow, I felt it was worth it.

The light collided with the darkness, the heavy black melding with the lighter blue. It seemed to grapple with it, both encasing Lydora and Jaxon. I could feel the weight of the darkness through the light. It was pushing hard, warring with me viciously. I pushed harder.

The light seemed to jab at the darkness, which shuddered invisibly, and inched backwards before hitting back. This time, I was ready. Pushing hard, the light refused to retreat. Or rather, I refused to let it.

The battle was now one of will. Kyren and I were locked in, and I knew he had the advantage. My muscles grew fatigued, my head pounded. I pushed harder.

I could see now that my light was gaining ground, pushing hard now so that it was close to Kyren. He was most likely allowing this, if what Jahad said was true, which believed it was. Then, I felt something give. The darkness relinquished its grip.

I released the light, and pain crashed over me like a tidal wave. I struggled for breath, but it wouldn't come. Panic filled me, but I was too weak to even react. My knees hit the ground, and the impact knocked the breath back into me. I sputtered weakly, and then coughed into my hand. Blood came out, splattered into my palm. It was far too red for my liking, enchanced by the fact that my skin was at least two shades paler than I'd ever seen it. The red of it made me dizzy, and I could feel my senses fading, but just before they did so, Lydora's frantic face came into view.

"Leo!" She grabbed the front of my shirt. I coughed again.

"I'm not meant to be a light mage." I whispered weakly, and then my senses were gone.

***

There was a warmth that filled me, similar to that of a hot drink. But, everything hurt. I couldn't breathe, my heart wasn't beating. It was a brief moment that felt like an eternity. I was alive, but my body wasn't working. I could feel something ebbing away, as I teetered between life and death.

My lungs worked first. They rose in my chest, up and down, forcing air into my body. My heart followed suit. Then, I felt my eyes open, and Lydora came into view.

She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, her dark curls framed her face like a halo. I noticed her eyes, they were filled with panic. Why was she worried? I tried to reach out to touch her, but she pushed my arm to the ground.

"It's okay, you're okay." Her voice came in a flow of calm, and I noticed for the first time that her hand was resting on my chest, the warmth was flowing from it.

***

The pain had receded to a dull ache, a subtle sense of fatigue. I ignored it. Lydora and Jaxon kept casting me worried glances. They could tell I was hurting- Lydora hadn't been able to completely restore my body.

I refused to acknowledge them, concerning myself only with keeping up with them and Kyren, who had been 'captured'. He put on an act of having depleted his power, and walked under Jaxon's threat of a lightning strike.

We hadn't run into any other Magi on our trek, but I doubted that would last. As we approached the mountain, I could see evidence that others had come before us. Jaxon urged me to pick up the pace. We came up, over the hill, and there it was. The Wessi herd. I could see the beasts, but not the shield. It stretched high, invisibly blocking is from touching the beasts.

We needed a way to escape, and an idea popped into my mind. The shield was anti magic. We needed to overload it with so much magic, it couldn't handle it, shorting it out, in a manner. This posed another problem. The shield was huge, even with all of our magic combined, we couldn't pull it down for more than a second or two. Luckily, that was just enough time for the Ashotas to leap through- the natural enemies of the Wessi, giant winged wolves, with a hunters disposition.

I had long since last the map that Jahad has given me before we'd been released into the grounds, but I felt positive that there was a herd of them near here. "I have an idea."

***

The Ashoti had been easy enough to find, circling the edge of the valley. Prowling for an opportunity to reach the Wessi. I turned to Lydora, stepping closer to her. "I'm going to need your every."

She nodded breathlessly, reaching out her hand to clasp my wrist. I could feel it spreading from her to me, spurred by the wand held in her other hand.

"Tres tidai quoy evaper soung." Tidal wave cover the ground.

Water began to form, spreading over the ground, emanating a blue light. It moved quickly, spreading over the valley, quickly soaking the Ashoti's paws, causing them to rise. They turned their massive snouts in my direction, and I felt fear. But then, something else grabbed their attention.

The shield began to make a popping noise. I conjured more water, and it began to crackle. My power was hurting me now, and just when I thought that I couldn't hold it any longer, the shield cracked. It wavered for just a moment and then disappeared. The Ashoti wasted no time. They flew threw, and I released the water, looking back to see Lydora looking quite pale at the sight of the Ashoti attacking the Wessi.

"Come on," I said. "As soon as the Ashoti eat, we're free." 

Male 17: Light Mage Aswake Coveni 

  Asawake's body started to stir. It had only been a few minutes since he had lost consciousness, but had felt like an eternity. His eyes flew open, and he stared at the cave roof.

Where am I, and why am I here? All of my thoughts are jumbled or clouded. I can't remember anything. Asawake sat up, and immediately felt a pain in almost every part of his body. His head was bursting with pain, and so he grabbed the sides of his head to quell the pain.

"Ah, good. You are awake," a feminine voice said from behind him. Turning around, he faced an ebony black dragon. Ver... Verina. That is her name.

"You are probably suffering from a slight amnesia. Most people do after they face the tenebris exhaurire. Those that survive it anyway. Don't worry it will go away in a moment."

He could see three drakkon silhouettes behind the dragon near the wall. There was also a podium with a ring floating above it. The ring had a strange pull on Asawake's body. Something like a cloud lifted off of Asawake's mind.

My mind is clearer. I can remember everything. Where I am, why I am here, and who put me here. "Thank you, mulier. I am sure you have decided on your choice." Asawake said bowing to the dragon. It was custom to bow before dragons as they are the superior creatures.

"Yes. Your fight with my children was admirable. I have decided that you are worthy of the ring" Verina said bowing her head to the ground. Her children followed suit. They all stood back up, and Verina moved to the side. Asawake walked towards the podium, and turned towards the drakkon.

"You all fought valiantly. I would not like to face you in a real fight." Asawake said bowing once more. He stood up at Verina's voice.

"You knew they weren't trying. You are more observant than I had been told. You are still allowed to take the ring, if you want it."

Asawake looked at the ring suspended in the air. This ring is supposed to strengthen my magic. I have never seen this metal, but it looks like it is giving off light. There are markings etched into the metal, but I can't tell what they are. And there is still that uncanny pull towards it. Asawake reached forward, and wrapped his hand around the ring. He slipped the ring onto his finger, and suddenly felt a change.

Destruction. Death. Pure rage. Everything I am usually able to keep in the recesses of my mind. All of it unleashed into my body at once. Asawake had become little more than an animal. His mind was clouded, and he couldn't judge good from bad. Anything he saw was evil, needing destruction. This didn't keep him from seeing when something was too strong for him to take alone.

"Asawake, are you okay?" Verina asked. Asawake looked towards the dragon, but didn't answer her. He looked around the room, and saw three more creatures. There was an exit right behind them. He ran towards the three drakkon, but they didn't attack him. He jumped towards the bigger one, and hit him with his shoulder. Mond fell to the ground, and Asawake flipped over the body. He hit the floor, and ran up the tunnel.

He reached the surface a moment later. A mage walked out of one of the caves a few yards away. Morrow hadn't noticed Asawake yet, and he didn't carry a weapon. Asawake pulled his sword from the sheath, and barreled towards the air mage. Asawake swung his sword at the mage, and it connected with Morrow's right shoulder.

The sword had left a nasty gash on Morrow's right shoulder, and Morrow started to run away, holding his arm. Asawake slipped the sword back into the sheath, and watched Morrow run. The boy thinks he can escape me. Ha! "The chase is the best part of the hunt!" Asawake yelled out pulling his bow from his back. He strung the bow, and pulled an arrow from the quiver. He nocked the arrow, and pulled the string back. The tip of their arrow started to glow with mystical energies. Asawake took sight, and let the arrow loose. The arrow flew straight for the running mage, lodging exactly in the back of his knee.

The force of the arrow, and the pain in his knee, forced Morrow to the ground. Asawake ran towards the mage, putting his bow back over his back. He pulled the yari out this time, and started spinning the spear in between his hands. The air was making a whistling noise as it moved around the spinning spear.

Asawake walked upside the screaming mage. "Haha. I could easily leave you here to die in anguish." Asawake said pulling the arrow from Morrow's knee. Morrow yelled out in pain. "But your constant screaming will attract beasts. So I will end you swiftly." Asawake said bringing the spear. point into the mage's throat. Morrow's body started to convulse, and his screaming stopped. Asawake twisted the spear a few times, and then pulled it back out. Morrow's body stopped convulsing, and his eyes glazed over. Asawake started to walk away, but a bright light shone through his mind.

-I can think properly. What happened while my mind wasn't mine?- Asawake looked at his yari, and the arrow he held in his hands. Blood poured off of the weapons onto the ground below. There was blood on his hands from holding the weapons, and on his feet. What did I do? Did I kill someone?

Asawake turned around, and Morrow's body was still pouring blood out of the wounds. There was already a small pack of wolves that had somehow gotten across the river. They had been brought by the smell of the blood.

I can't leave him here to be eaten. Asawake pulled his bow off of his shoulder, and pulled a new arrow from the quiver. Taking aim, he fired the arrow. As it flew towards the pack alpha, three more arrows flew over Asawake's head. His arrow slammed into the alpha's right eye, and the large wolf fell to the side. The other three hit the three of the remaining wolves. The other two ran off, but they were intercepted by another two arrows.

Asawake turned around, and there were four drakkon standing there. The one in the front was holding a bow, and Asawake saw Mond, Luna, and Phoebe behind it.

"Hello, drakkone. And if I do ask, who are you?" Asawake asked the bow wielding drakkon.

Haha. Of course you don't recognize me in this form. I am Verina. The voice was in Asawake's mind. The feminine voice was Verina's though.

"Ugh. What's with everything messing with my mind? I might lose my mind if another thing probes my mind." Asawake said closing his eyes to meditate.

Asawake opened his eyes, and he was sitting in one of the ethereal planes. A man spoke from the edges of the plane, away from sight. Asawake. I have to hurry, and I don't know who your allegiance is to. But there will be an uprising against Vaxon. The barrier to the arena can be broken down. Be careful of who you trust. Vaxon has people he has manipulated or tricked into helping him. Oh, and Kyren... Asawake was jerked into the real world with a blade to his neck.

"Thought you could escape from me, did you? You and all those other magi." The voice was obviously feminine. Asawake didn't dare to turn around, but he could see the drakkon fighting creatures at the cave entrances. The creatures were simmering like apparitions as they moved through the light.

"Zentra. Why do you even try?" Asawake asked out loud. The blade moved away from his neck for a second, but was back again in a second.

"You were very unwise meditating out in the open. I bet it was that stupid rebellion message. Ha! Like any of the magi could lead a rebellion. Or at least there won't be any after I eliminate you and Mordzar."

The blade started to cut into the skin when something came from behind. Asawake could hear a blade cutting through the wind. A second later, Zentra's head fell to the ground, and rolled a few feet away. The apparitions dissolved to smoke, and Zentra's body fell with a thud to the ground behind Asawake.

"Hey, Asawake. How come you let her get a drop on you?" another feminine voice said. This one Asawake hadn't heard in a long time, and the magi behind it was a friend.

Asawake turned around, and saw two friendly faces. Eriswen Faervel and Mordzar Malthus. Mordzar had a ring around his finger, and Eriswen carried a wand. "So you guys beat the Ancients, and got your magic item as well." Asawake said fingering his ring.

"Yeah we did. Now are we going to deal with these drakkon, or what?" Mordzar asked sarcastically. He was wielding his scythe, which was running with blood. Asawake looked over at Verina, and saw that the drakkon were ready to fight.

"No, no. They are friends!" Asawake yelled to both groups. "Now, Verina. What is your plan? You were going somewhere, were you not?" Asawake asked.

"Oh yes. My children and I were heading up the cliff. We are supposed to meet a friend up there," she said pointing up the cliff wall. "Now, if you will excuse us, we will get on with that."

The drakkon ran towards the wall at an alarming speed. They reached the cliff wall in less than thirty seconds. "How are they going to get up? Drakkon don't have wings." Mordzar said. As if to answer his question, the four drakkon smashed their claws into the stone wall. Their claws sunk into the stone allowing for a hold onto the wall. They kept doing this until they reached the top. The three drakkon walked away from the edge, but Verina stayed for a moment. She yelled back down the cliff towards Asawake.

"You are a good warrior, Asawake. I hope we meet again." And then she was gone.

Asawake turned to his new companions. "Ok then. Let's find us a way across this barrier, shall we? Eriswen, could you possibly get us across using your shields?"

"Yeah. Give me a second," she said. She started to chant a few words under her breath, and a bridge formed across the river.

"Thanks. And I think I know how we can get past the shield. Follow me." Asawake said turning away. He ran across the bridge, and kept heading east.

*****

"Asawake, where are we going? We should be heading towards the mountains." Eriswen asked. The group had ran nonstop, and had just taken a break.

"We are going to the Griffin Cliffs. They should help us get to the top of the mountains faster. I would say we are in the valley, probably close to that old castle. From there it is only an hours run." Asawake said before looking up to the sky. "It's about an hour till midday, so we could be over the mountains by early evening."

"Ok then let's go." Eriswen said standing up. Something flashed to the right of the group in the woods, and then a short arrow grazed Eriswen's shoulder. The arrow landed right in front of Asawake foot.

"Eris!" Mordzar yelled. "Asawake, do you see who did this?" Mordzar was checking the wound to see how fatal it was.

"No. Whoever it was ran off after shooting. I want you to get Eriswen to Griffin." Asawake said picking up the arrow. -This isn't a normal arrow. Too short. I could be looking for a crossbow. And it looks like the tip is poisoned.- "Mordzar. I think there is some form of poison on the arrow. Either slow acting or a paralysis considering she isn't dead yet. I need you to get her to the griffins as soon as possible."

"What are you going to do? That person has a head start on you." Mordzar said picking Eriswen up. "You won't be able to catch him."

"Light's the fastest thing. I've been hoping that means the same for me. And this ring is going to help me test that theory. It could be dangerous, but where would the fun be if I stayed away from the dangerous things." Asawake got ready to run, but this time things looked like they were slowing down. Ok. Let's hope I can keep this up for a while.

*****

It didn't take long to find the archer's trail. Whoever he was didn't know how to move without leaving a trail. Asawake slowed down as he entered the woods. I need to save what energy I have left. There is still a fight to come later at the barrier. The trail was fairly easy to follow, as it lead along the outside of the woods. The trail didn't go deep enough into the woods to get to the darker parts, so light still seeped through the leaves. The light helped to recharge his magic energy.

The trail eventually lead to another portion of the valley. Asawake could see a man walking towards the shore. We were able to cover that much area in such little time. How is that even possible? Asawake slung his bow from his shoulder, and took aim at the man.

A shadowed man was standing in the tree branches above Asawake. He dropped down behind Asawake, and pushed him to the ground. Asawake's bow slid a few feet away, and the man put his foot on top of Asawake's back.

"Haha. I told you we would meet again, Asawake. Now that most of the magi are trying to escape, it would be the perfect time for our fight." Kyren said. He looked toward the archer. "I'll take care of him for you." Shadows started to encircle the man. He started to scream, but the shadows eventually covered even that. The shadows dissipated, and an ebony statue was left in his place.

"One of my father's assassins. No doubt here for either Eriswen or you." Kyren said letting Asawake up. "Now I want a fair fight. Our magics are almost useless because they cancel each other out." Asawake picked up his bow, and slung it back over his shoulder.

The two fighters walked into the valley. Asawake passed by the statue, and could see the royal symbol etched on his cloak. Kyren and Asawake walked in opposite directions until they were almost fifty yards apart. Let's see how well my speed holds up. It is still day, so I should be able to recharge very fast during the fight.

Asawake watched things start to slow down again. He ran towards Kyren, and the fight began. Asawake was running faster than anything had before.

"Kyren, you might as well give up. I will always be faster," Asawake said as he punched Kyren in the face. Kyren fell back a step, but regained his footing. "I'll always be stronger," Asawake said picking Kyren up over his head. Asawake slammed Kyren into the ground, and ran off again. Kyren stood back up like nothing had even happened. "This is what happens to you when you are running for half your life!" Asawake pulled his sword from the sheath, and swung at Kyren. Faster than even Asawake could see, Kyren's sword was in his hands. He blocked the sword, and with a swift kick knocked Asawake to the ground.

"I know what you are capable of now. I'll always be faster than you, Asawake." Kyren said dashing off. Asawake started to stand up, but something hit him in the face and knocked him down again. "I'll always be stronger than you," Kyren said. He grabbed Asawake's leg and slung him up and back against the ground.

Asawake stood up, and was a little wobbly at first. Ok then. I'm not the only one who is able to do that. "Light and darkness are equals. That is why our magic doesn't work against each other. And that is why you are as fast as me."

"Yes, but this is a fight. Not a time for talking!" Kyren yelled rushing at Asawake. Ok, then. That's how you want to play. Let's fight!

And so they fought. The sound of steel on steel sounded throughout the valley. Anyone that would try to watch only saw sparks flying from the swords hitting each other. Neither warrior slowed down. Neither one stumbled, or faltered at all. But it was getting late. Soon Asawake wouldn't be able to use the sunlight to his advantage. He had to end this now.

Asawake kept blocking Kyren's sword, but he moved his other hand to grab the yari. Placing his hand around the staff, he swung the yari off of his back. In one swift movement, he swept it at Kyren's feet. The darkness mage tripped over the staff, and fell to the ground. Asawake slowed to a stop a few yards away from where Kyren fell. Kyren was already starting to get up. Let's finish this. Vaxon has brought so much pain, and his son is no different.

Asawake threw his sword and yari to the ground, and brought out his bow. Asawake planted his feet against the ground, and ran towards Kyren again. A few feet from Kyren, Asawake planted his feet and jumped into the air. Turning in midair, he brought the arrow to aim at Kyren's chest. Asawake saw the mage smile, but he had already released the arrow.

Shadows twisted around Kyren, and then the arrow cut straight through the shadows. What? Where did he go?

Someone above Asawake smashed their feet into his back, and he went smashing into the ground. "Stay down if you want to live!" Kyren hissed into his ear. Darkness started to surround the area that they were in. Kyren stepped off of Asawake, and walked over to his sword. "We can talk now without my father noticing. You put up a good fight," he said cracking his knuckles.

"Ugh. Why did you have to beat me up so much if you weren't going to kill me?" Every part of Asawake's body was aching, and several places had cuts and bruises.

"My uncle must not have gotten to that part with you. I want to help the rebellion. My father has my family, and will kill them if it looks like I am helping you. But if you were to capture me, then that would be a different story. And imagine what he would think if I was captured by the man he has tried to kill for so many years. He has hunted you himself, you know?"

"So what? I have to make it look like I beat you in a fair fight. Then pretend to be knocked out." Asawake said. He had stood up by now, and picked up his weapons.

"That won't work. My father must see it. Just hit me hard enough, and I will force myself to lose consciousness." Kyren said as he got ready to fight again. Asawake raised his sword and yari ready to make it look real.

The darkness fell, and the two warriors went at it again. Their swords collided, and Asawake swung his yari at Kyren's feet again. Kyren jumped over the staff, but he jumped into a side spin kick by Asawake. Kyren slid a few feet, and rushed at Asawake. Kyren looked like he was getting madder and madder as this processed. Asawake side stepped Kyren, and brought the yari on the back of his neck. Spinning around, he brought the pommel of the sword into the side of Kyren's head.

Kyren crumbled to the ground, and Asawake made it look like he was tired from the fight. Asawake collected Kyren's sword, and picked up the mage. Asawake slung Kyren over his shoulder, and moved his yari into his hand. In case of an attack, he would already be prepared. Using what was left of his reserves, he ran the few miles to the cliffs. He didn't notice the fog rolling in through the woods, or even the shapes moving through it.

*****

"Eriswen. Mordzar. It's good to see you two." Asawake said when he reached the cliffs. The whole herd was already gone. Eriswen was already moving around, so at least the poison wasn't deadly. Asawake turned towards Endir. "Endir, we need help over the mountains. We are going to attack the barrier."

"No need Asawake. The barrier fell a few minutes ago. Didn't you hear the explosion, or notice that allthe herd was gone?" Endir said. "My son and I can give you four a ride," he said eyeing Kyren. He didn't look to happy about giving Kyren a ride, though.

"Thank you." Asawake said. Then something attracted his attention. "Everyone quiet!" He started to look down at the fog which was rolling across the valley at a speed to fast to be natural. There were no noises coming from within the fog. The fog was just reaching Mermaid Cove, and soon covered it completely.

"What is it? Is something out there?" Eriswen asked.

"No, it's the quiet. We should be able to hear the mermaids, and the pegasi. But there are no noises coming from anywhere..." A scream cut him off. The sound had come from the cove. "Eriswen. Mordzar. Get on to Trino. Now!" Asawake yelled pointing towards the younger of the two griffins. Asawake picked Kyren's limp body, and slung him over Endir's back. The first of the creatures started their journey up the hill towards the magi and the griffins. It held a sword by it's side, and walked with a limp. The things flesh was starting to rot off of the bones.

"Asawake, what is that thing?" Mordzar asked. He looked like he was going to jump off, and attack the thing.

"Stay on! They are called draugr, and they are already dead. They can't be killed without burning them to ashes. There are always hordes of these things, but they don't normally come out into the open area. Vaxon must be behind this. Endir, Trino! Go! Now!" Asawake yelled.

*****
As the griffins flew towards the mountains north of the cliffs, three shadows appeared on the cliff top. One of the shadows went to direct the draugr back down the hillside. The other two stayed and watched the griffins disappear over the mountain tops. "Captain, follow them! Don't loose sight of them for one moment! They will soon lead us to the rest of the magi," the female said. The second shadow flew into the air, and flew after the griffins.

"How do my plans go, Vasnki?" a male voice asked from behind the female shadow. She turned around to face the image floating in the air.

"They go as planned. The barrier fell, but most of the rebelling creatures were killed in the explosion. I don't know of the rest of the magi as my task was to watch the boy. He and two other magi flew off, and they had Kyren with them. He looked like he was unconscious, and I couldn't feel any movements from him."

"Good. Did you have one of your shades follow them?" The man asked.

"Yes, master. He is the best tracker I have, and I hope he won't let us down. And about our agreement."

"You still get the boy, or his body if he dies. As long as your torture is enough to satisfy my anger against him."

"It will, Master Vaxon. Don't worry about that!"