We all wake up, bright and early as usual, and find, surprisingly, that we don't have anything to do. Cass' blade is crafted and she's become skilled at wielding it. Rolly's injuries are fading, and he's battle-ready. Shawn is still sick, but we can't do anything to change that. So we review our strategy to break into U.T. We train a bit. But really, we have nothing to do. That never happens! So maybe it's out of boredom that Cass asks a question.

"Wrive? Could you make another cathtonite sword?" I look at her, surprised.

"No. I don't have any cathtonite."

"You didn't have the materials to make your sword, either, but you pulled that out of thin air." I slowly nod, understanding her plan. Another blade would be very helpful, and I could make this one any way I want.

"Great idea!" I exclaim. "I'll try to make one." The idea of another weapon is exciting. This could double, even triple our chances of taking down Knor! I close my eyes and focus on a cathtonite sword. Not like Cass', but a regular sword, only with a cathtonite blade. The black nothingness slowly turns white, and I'm in the vast white of Nothing Land. I picture the cathtonite sword, can see it clearly in my mind. And now the dust begins to fly. Tiny black specks appear and grow and fly, all to the sky. They become a cluster, and then begin to form a sword. But then, for the first time, something goes wrong. There's a flash, and the ground shakes. My concentration begins to fade, and the sword in the sky starts to break apart. I renew my focus, but I'm aware of the things around me. Black dust swirls angrily. The ground quakes, and the unfinished sword in the sky shakes and almost crumbles. And the strain! The strain on my mind, it's a headache. My head is pounding to the point of pain. Nothing Land begins to darken, turning grey. I pour everything I have into the thought of a cathtonite sword, and for a moment, Nothing Land becomes white again. Then, everything turns black with a flash.

My head hurts bad. I know my eyes are closed, but I can't seem to open them. One thought echoes around in my head.

Not cathtonite. Many a thing you can bring forth, but not cathtonite. I finally manage to open my eyes. I'm sweating, and my head still hurts. I'm back in our base, back in reality. Good. Cass, who apparently left, approaches me. She frowns at my empty hands.

"Why isn't there a sword?"

"I can't do cathtonite, Cass," I pant.

"Yes you can, Wrive! I know you can-" I look Cass in the eye.

"Not cathtonite," I say firmly. Cass sighs, but understands. As she goes to report to the others, I collapse, exhausted. My head hurts in the real world. But how? I was just outside of reality. If I cut myself in Nothing Land, would I be cut in reality? I ponder my impossible talent's mysterious qualities as the sun journeys across the sky. It's nearly noon. And then clouds cover the sun, and the world turns cloudy and grey. It's almost dark. It's always dark when bad things happen.

I hear a scream first. It sounds like one of the girls, but when I rush to the source of the noise, it's Person. He has good reason for panic, too. Because not far away stands a Dusk Walker, complete with his/her hooded cloak. Behind the lead Dusk Walker stands another. And next to that one, another. And another, and another, and... Cass stands next to me, petrified.

"They're everywhere," she whispers. The army of Dusk Walkers makes no move, and neither do any of my friends. And then, completely in sync, all the Dusk Walkers lift one hand each, pointing at us. Red smoke appears all around us, and we dive as the first blast hits.

***

"My lord is using too much power in his most vulnerable time," a cloaked figure whispers.

"Yes," another voice says. "But after this, he will have no reason to worry. Those children couldn't survive what we've sent if we gave them each a hundred lives."

"No one could," the first figure adds quietly. Eerie silence hovers in the halls of Ultra Tech. No one roams its halls. Its cages are empty, due to Wrive and his friends' first rescue. The only thing of any interest in the building is in the one room Wrive has never entered. In the Portal Room. The portal to Knor's realm hums quietly, giving off a slight glow. It's still safe. Knor is safe. Knor's plans are safe. And thus, no one is safe.

***

We've fought before. But never have we battled so many. Our first move is to retreat into the forest, with the Dusk Walker army advancing slowly. We huddle quickly.

"We have to split up," Tarna orders. "They can hit us in numbers easier. Mostly, try and hide. Take out any Walkers when possible. This is our last stand, guys. You ready?" We all nod, although none of us are. And so, we all dash in different directions. The Dusk Army invades the forest, and the war begins.

In a war, attacking and being attacked is not the bad part. In fact, I'd prefer that. The worst part of this war is waiting. I've climbed a tree and now sit high in its leaves. Nothing makes a sound. Nothing moves. The world seems to be holding its breath, waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I nearly gasp when the Walkers appear. There must be a dozen in the group below me, although the army contains easily over a hundred. I decide on a strategy and make my move.

"Hey, Walkers! Up here!" The Walkers all whirl to face me, pointing at me. Red smoke appears around me, and I dive as the smoke erupts into a magic blast. I stay hidden, hoping my plan will work. The Walkers scan the trees, looking for me. They warily continue through the forest, satisfied that I've been blasted to smithereens. That's a mistake. I follow them from above, gradually getting lower. Finally, I arrive in some bushes.

"Let's do this," I whisper.

***

The Dusk Walker looks around. No sign of the boy, or any other children. Then there's a crack, and all the Walkers point at the noise, creating a wall of smoke, which lights up with the mini explosion. But there was nothing there. The Walker is too late to do anything as Wrive hits him with the handle of his sword, knocking him out cold.

***

I dance around the Walkers, taking a few by surprise. I block one thrust, and then jump another. I land and kick firmly, hitting a Walker. I duck another swing and then defend from four Walkers at once, all attacking with their swords. I allow shadows to travel through me and I stand up straight as rays of darkness blast the remaining Walkers. I smile, looking around at my unconscious handiwork. But this is only one small victory. There's a war to be fought. I allow my sword to dissolve in my hand as I walk away, not looking back.

All day, the forest is filled with sounds. The sound of sword against sword, the sound of running feet, the sound of leaves being rustled as I lie in wait of more Walkers. I have no way of knowing how the others are doing, if they're okay. But I trust in their abilities. I'm sure anyone Rolly meets is stunned, and the Walkers haven't seen Cass' new blade before. Still, there's only one of me against many of them at a time. I got cut on my left arm. A long wound, but not a deep one. My feet are tired of running, and my energy is rapidly fading. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. It's night now, with the moon just now entering the sky. I'm at the edge of the forest, near our base, when some instinct tells me there's danger. Immiditely, a red smoke appears around me. I leap, narrowly avoiding the blast. In the moonlight, I can see a Dusk Walker not far away. I freeze, completely and utterly. Not because of the Walker, but because of what he has in his arms. Shawn. Shawn's frail body spasms as he coughs.

"Put him down," I command, my voice trembling. Surprisingly, the Walker obeys. He gently sets Shawn on the ground.

"Now move aside," I continue. At this, the Walker shakes his head. "Move aside," I repeat, anger in my voice. The Walker doesn't move. I begin towards him, my sword materializing in my hand. The Walker draws his blade as well: a long, scythe-like sword. I begin my assault with a rain of blows, each one stronger than usual, fuelled by anger. This Walker, though, is surprisingly good with his blade, and blocks all of my hits. He swings hard and I block, locking us in a match of strength. The Walker pushes, and I try to push back, although I'm gradually being pushed down. Then the Walker's leg shoots out, kicking me to the ground. He puts his foot on me firmly, holding me down. And then he points, and I can't dive out of the way. I can't move as red smoke surrounds me. And the magic blast hits me. In that red fog, there is only pain. Searing pain, tearing at me everywhere the fog is. It burns, and I scream, because there is only red and pain, the only two things. The red is gone a second later, and so is the pain. But the memory of it is horrible, still here, and I jump to my feet with a battle cry.

I thrust and chop in the moonlight, the Walker skillfully blocking and dodging. I'm filled with rage, swinging again and again. Whether this rage helps or hurts, I don't know. The swordfight carries on for a while, with clashing of swords, kicks, blasts of shadows, and red fog flying everywhere. Eventually, I jump over a swing of the Walker's sword and I blast shadows at my enemy. He's thrown back and hits the ground on his back, and I continue to blast him with beams of shadow. I walk forward slowly, letting the pain sink in. I twirl my sword in my hand, and then I stop the stream of shadow. I raise my sword to finish it, and then, slowly, I realize what I'm doing. I'm panting hard, sweating too. Now in control of my temper, I sheath my sword. The Dusk Walker's hood shifts, and I know he's looking at me, puzzled at why I didn't finish him.

"Get out of here," I command darkly. "And don't ever think about coming back." The Walker lays on the ground a moment longer, and then red smoke surrounds him, and he disappears. I fall to my knees, exhausted, and crawl over to Shawn. I collapse at his side, and don't move, even when the rain starts.

The others find us later, and I know we've won the war. Everyone has a few injuries, but nothing too bad. We watch as the rain pours out of the dark sky, and watch the trees as a few fires started by the Walkers die.

"That was horrible," Cass whispers to me as we sit together, watching the fires die.

"But it's over now. It's all over now," I comfort her. She takes a deep breath and rests her head on my shoulder.

"I know." My hand finds hers in the wet grass and I take it. Although the Walkers burned and hurt, and we just faced a horrible war, somehow Cass makes it better. Suddenly, the rain doesn't seem so bad.

***

Our heroes have struggled through the Dusk. This is cause for celebration, but it is not over. For the darkest hour is after Dusk. After Dusk comes night, in which little light survives.
<Four days until the end of the world>