"I'm alive."

Ellyrie lifted her head, just this simple motion was already a labour. They were on top of a hill amidst a vast sea of green as far as the eye could see. "Where are we?"

"The eastern Landsea." Melthaine wiped her face of her tears. "I didn't have time to think or consider a place, I merely reached out to the farthest place on the old road."

She nodded to her left. Close to them was an arch of stone, fully overgrown with moss. It was the only structure Ellyrie could see anywhere upon the hill. She tried to rise up, but no matter how much she strained her muscles, she could not move.

"Please, don't." Melthaine laid a hand on her chest, a pained look on her face. "I, simply patching you together from the state you were in took all I had left, and this damn, useless body." she clenched her hands. "Has nothing left. Another spell and I will turn to dust."

"They're gone." Ellyrie stared off into the distance, but all she saw were Aeneya´s fear-filled eyes. "All gone."

"Not all." Melthaine sighed and looked up into the open sky. "Fiona and Mellador are still free, they should have made it out. One day we may meet them again."

"One day?" Ellyrie struggled once more, managing to claw herself into a sitting position. "We need to seek them out now."

"And return to the empire?" Melthaine shook her head. "El, you are a wreck, I am at my limit, Mellador is a cripple. It took my all to save you from yourself, but I will not let you throw yourself into danger like that again." She crossed her arms. "We are heading east. Home."

Ellyrie opened her mouth, but said nothing. How could she? All of this had been her fault. She laid her hands upon her head and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Melthaine skirted up behind her and laid her arms around Ellyrie´s shoulders. Ellyrie could hear, feel her heartbeat, her shared sorrow.

"I did not get to spend much time with them, not anywhere as long as you did, of course." Melthaine had lowered her voice and rested her head on Ellyrie´s shoulder. "But all of them were good to me, to each other. They did not deserve what happened to them."

"It was all my fault." Ellyrie´s voice was broken. "I was their captain, and I lead them to die. And I'm still here. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be living."

"They followed you, because they thought it was the right thing to do." Melthaine tightened her embrace. "They died fighting, died standing. And you are still here, able to continue fighting when they no longer can. You should live, you need to. For them."

They sat in silence, the sun shining down on them. Ellyrie´s body was slowly regaining it´s strength, and with Melthaine´s help she managed to struggle onto her feet.

Then the arch began to glow.

"How in the heavens?" Melthaine gasped, taking a few steps back. "How can anyone operate them anymore? It was meant to be have been forgotten!"

Out of the light stepped three figures, each making Ellyrie´s heart sink further.

A tall woman in a fine black suit, long white hair and malicious red eyes that stared at them with a morbid curiousity. A fox woman in long flowing robes and hunger in her eyes.

And a short woman in red, long silver hair, and a scarred body.

Ellyrie´s eyes met with Demadara´s, and both stood frozen in place for a moment. She did not bother trying to reach for her blade. They had killed the circle, even in her best condition, how could she hope to compare?

"Fate is a fickle thing, isn't it?" Demadara finally spoke, stepping forward. "You were the one trying to chase us, weren't you?"

"And you were the one who killed the circle and burned down Rean." Ellyrie pressed her lips together.

Demadara shrugged. "They had what I needed, or were in the way of it. You did give me quite the worry though." Ellyrie saw a flash of metal in Demadara´s left sleeve and stepped back.

"That does not belong to you!" Melthaine stepped between them, her eyes pinned on the Heart at Demadara´s side. "You, you-" Her eyes widened and she stumbled backwards against Ellyrie, holding a hand against her mouth. "You cannot be."

As their bodies touched, Ellyrie could feel their bond. See what she saw. And the terror that had gripped Melthaine took over her as well.

Demadara´s body was covered in a bright silver light, burning wings sprouting from her back. But beyond the spectacle, the strength inherent, it was wrong. Ellyrie blinked over and over again, but the feeling in her chest stayed the same. Yes, she was still human, but also something else, a touch of something more.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ellyrie looked over Demadara´s shoulder, expecting to see that abominable figure. Those dead eyes. But no one was there.

"So you too, huh?" Demadara scoffed and shook her head. "Well, at least you can't vanish on the spot, or cut me into pieces in the blink of an eye. So you are going to answer me some questions I've been having."

Demadara stepped forward and laid her hand on Melthaine´s shoulder, pulling her away from Ellyrie. With their bond disrupted, she longer saw the manifestation around the woman, struggling to reach for her blade, only to feel a set of long, clawlike nails run across her neck.

"You have a beautiful face." Timae purred into her ear. "I would love to wear it, perhaps my lord will finally look at me the way she just did you. So please, go for it. Give me a reason."

Ellyrie froze, cold sweat running down her body as she watched Melthaine struggle against Demadara. "Let me go you disgusting creature, usurper, grave robber!"

She went silent when Demadara laid the edge of her knife at her throat, continuing to stare up at her in disgust.

"After you've answered my questions. You know what the heart is, don't you? What's in it. Their name. Tell me."

Melthaine shook her head, and a light trickle of blood ran down her neck.

"You're really of no use to me if you don't talk, you know." Demadara´s voice remained calm, ignoring the snickering of Parsae behind her. "Out with it."

"It is not a heart, it is an eye!" Melthaine finally erupted, clenching her teeth. "The first eye of the sky, bearing the essence of Entu, first of the eldest." She stared at the jewel, breathing heavily, tears streamed down her eyes. "It and it´s sister were entrusted to me and my siblings."

Her hands were trembling. "Until the day, that their strength was once more needed."

"Well it is now." Demadara relaxed her grip and leaned her head to the side. "How do I use it properly. It's not terribly convenient this way."

Even disconnected Ellyrie could feel the fuming, seething rage building up in Melthaine. "No torment on this world could be enough for you, monster." Her knuckles turned white. "Entu and Rana saved this world, this very star from destruction! Were it not for them there would be nothing, nothing but ice, ash and the laughter of that monster who made you. And you, you DARE using it for your personal convenience?"

She struck out, hitting Demadara in the chest. She didn't budge, or show a reaction.

"Yes. That is my plan." She ignored the second, third, fourth hit that Melthaine delivered against her stomach. Finally she sighed. "Here. This is how you do it." She delivered a blow to Melthaine´s core, punching the air out of her lungs. The woman collapsed in on herself and fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Demadara locked eyes with Ellyrie and shrugged. "I have the feeling you'd mind if I cut her arm off to loosen her tongue." She gave one look down on Melthaine, and shook her head. "Though that'd likely not work. Not on her kind. Not many are that resilient, you've picked a good partner."

As she spoke Melthaine pushed back up on her feet, staggering forward towards Demadara. "Thief, monster, abomination." She wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth. "You may not have it, it is not yours to use."

Demadara delivered a blow to the side of her neck, and Melthaine fell to the ground, lifeless.

Ellyrie wanted to scream, but the moment her muscles tensed she felt Timae´s nails scrape across her neck.

"She's not dead. Give her a few hours." Demadara stepped over Melthaine and towards Ellyrie, until they stood face to face. "Everything tells me to just slit you and her throat and be done with it. Not leave any loose ends."

Ellyrie closed her eyes. This was where she would end? Far from home, further from her friends. But at least she would be able to meet them soon. She awaited the feeling of metal on her neck.

A feeling that never came.

She opened her eyes again, looking into those of Demadara.

"You looked at me, and you saw someone." Demadara spoke in a quiet tone, one hand resting on the jewel. "Not something to pity. Maybe." She broke eye contact, looking down on the ground. "Had things been different, all those years back." She shook her head. "No matter. You gave me what I wanted, I owe you for letting me leave back at the academies, and you've a pretty face."

She turned on the spot, not seeing how Ellyrie´s face had gone red. "We're done here, ladies. Let's move."

Timae let go of Ellyrie, hurrying to Demadara´s side. Parsae stared at Ellyrie, her hands clenched. "You saw something in her, didn't you?"

Ellyrie nodded, and Parsae´s face turned even paler. "So you know. And that girl." Her lips narrowed as she looked down at Melthaine. "To know these things, she would have to be ancient, like-."

Parsae´s eyes widened, she grasped a crystal from her pocket. "I can't let you two live I'm afraid."

She took a step towards them, stopping as she felt a hand on her throat.

"My lord has decided that they live." Timae´s nails dug into her flesh, letting blood trail down her fingers. "So they will live."

Parsae stood still. "If we let them go, we are giving an enemy room to grow that we may not be able to handle, furball!"

The rest of her words became a gargled mess as Timae´s nails dug in deeper. "My lord has decided. They live."

Parsae dropped the crystal, and Timae pulled her hand back, instead grasping onto Parsae´s arm and pulling the woman along, following Demadara.

Ellyrie watched them leave, and after being certain that they did not suddenly change their minds, hurried to Melthaine´s side.

She was still breathing and stable. Ellyrie let out a sigh of relief and laid down at her side, her body could do no more. She continued to stare as the three figures became smaller and smaller, melting into the horizon.

Even from this far, she unsettled Ellyrie.

Fate was fickle, but for now all she could do was thank it.