She watched from the woods in silence. She had been, for a long time.

It wasn't long before the news about the duel spread throughout the whole city. Everyone knew what was happening - Some were even planning to come watch history unfold before their very own eyes. There were some siding with Dissonance, others pitying Tom and begging their leader to call the whole thing off. Strangely enough, not a single person believed the Lasenbergians could win this fight. Ayala, Palmer, Peija and Ponce all found spots nearby the path and watched intently. Calogero, Steele, Burgess and Sot chose to watch from a distance. Kason, Quawin and Jackson were said to have been avoiding the whole thing in fear of it spiralling into another massive fight, but would want to know the results soon after. King Errett would stand alongside Sapana and Georgie - Having been one of the many to start this struggle, he wanted to be there once it ended. Even The Blade himself was spotted near the outer rims of the woods - None dared chase him away. Whether or not they wanted it, the whole city had its eyes on Dissonance and Tom, and whatever they did here today would go down in history. Now the question was, what would happen?

She did not know, so she watched. She looked into Lasenberg.

"Tom, your life is worth more than the revolution."

The President had been trying to convince his right hand man to back down for the entire day now. The boy, although trembling from fear and already getting sick from the stress, didn't listen to a single word the man was saying.

"Will, look around us!", Tom snapped at him, putting down the bow he had gotten from Sot.

He had been playing around with it for hours now, always too shaky to lay a single proper shot.

"We have nothing left, okay? This is all we can do, so- Just let me do this!"

"Tom, you can still back out-"

"No! No, I can't, I have to-"

"There's still a chance for-"

"There isn't just- Just let me-"

"..Willz, just- I-"

The boy took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing.

"I don't know if I can do this I'm- I'm so fucking scared, and- But there's so much on the line, I- I can't back down, okay? I don't want to back down, I want to stand but... I'm so scared..."

"You're truly set on doing this?"

Will came closer, receiving a rather hesitant nod. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders and forced a smile.

"Then... all I can say is make sure to focus on the future you want. The future you can build with this arrow."

He can almost hear the crowned stranger speak;

"Think about the future you want, think about the things you sacrificed to get here..."

"...I'll stand there. I'll shoot my shot. And I won't miss. Not with everything that's on the line, but..."

The boy turned away for a moment, played around with the arrow in his hand and glanced at Will again;

"Do I shoot Dissonance, Willz, or do I aim for the bright sky?"

The man lowered his head.

"I want you to do whatever your heart says you should do, deep down.", the President responded, his gaze filled with worry and uncertainty.

Whatever happened an hour before sunset would decide the fate of their small nation – But most importantly, it would decide the fate of this innocent kid.

She prayed under her breath as she looked away. Her gaze set on the City of Dissonance.

Georgie had enough of thinking. He had enough of waiting, wondering, and hiding behind a fake façade as his friend tore everything they ever made apart because of his constant lust for power and showing it. He was going to put his foot down – If this truly was to be the last conflict in this ongoing war, he was going to make sure of it. No more final duels, deals, conditions or any more fighting. He was going to make sure Dissonance walked away from that fight and that once he did, they were finally done once and for all. When Sapana left for some time to get King Errett from wherever he was basking in his riches, Georgie finally decided he would speak. And for the first time in this war, he would not speak as Georgie Flores to Dissonance.

He would speak like George used to speak to Clay.

"...Dissonance?", he muttered at some point, but of course, his quiet and tired voice barely got the attention of the man scrambling about and going through every bow he had in his armoury, chucking aside any single one that seemed to have even the smallest defect.

Georgie stood up, raised his voice and narrowed his eyes.

"Dissonance!".

"What?", he snapped, the look in his eyes showing he regretted it.

This was one of the rare times where he would put his mask aside, put down his hood and sometimes even change out of that hoodie of his. Georgie always wished others could see him like this – Maybe then, things would be different.

"I meant.... I... what's up, Georgie? What do you need?"

"...Are you sure you want to go through with this? They surrendered. We could just take the win and let them live. We don't have to fight any longer."

Georgie shivered as he watched Dissonance's eyes turn cold, his gaze burning right through him. He seemed unable to force that iconic fake grin, though.

"I'm going to the duel and I'm going to win it, Georgie. You know this."

The man tried out another bow, and this time, actually seemed satisfied with it. He attached it to his back and began looking for an appropriate arrow. His friend came closer with a frown.

"Whatever happens here we lose, Dissonance. I know you'll get the kid because you never miss... and once he dies, the whole city will be in uproar. I mean, are you really willing to just kill an actual child for your cause, Dissonance? Is that how far this delusion has gone?"

"...It's not a delusion."

Dissonance was still calm, but the twitch in his eye could not be overlooked.

"...The kid's death will show everyone what happens to traitors. Now, If you're done talking, I have a duel to go to."

Dissonance turned, but was stopped by a hand suddenly grabbing his shoulder.

"And if you miss...", Georgie started, his voice quivering.

"I won't. I never do.", Dissonance reassured him.

"If you miss, Clay...", his voice made the other flinch.

"Me and Sap- Me and Nick will lose our best friend. The city will fall into ruin and everyone here will struggle to get by. Do you truly want to put all this on the line for the sake of proving a goddamn point?!"

Dissonance seemed to think about it – His eyes shifted around, he narrowed them for a moment. Then, he pushed the other's hand away.

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"This is the last fight, Georgie. I promise."

He turned around and opened the door to his home, grabbing the black mask he kept right next to the door. He slipped it on, over his eyes and finally lowered it over his mouth. He put his hood over his head, hiding all of his individual features, and leaving only that empty husk everyone else witnessed.

"...Come on, let's get going."

She decided to get his opinion on everything. She knew he'd have something to say.

"...Why would Dissonance take Tom up on his offer? He has nothing to gain here.", she whispered under her breath, biting her nail and watching everything go down from afar.

There was a crowd already gathering at the Primary Path, but Dissonance and Tom were yet to arrive.

"You shouldn't bite your nails. It's not healthy.", he reminded her, as he often did.

"As for him, I've seen that look before.", he replied, his voice hoarse and tired.

"...He's lustful for power. He got a taste of victory and he wants more. However stupid and risky it may be."

The man looked away for a moment, allowing his friend to gather her thoughts.

"If anything happens, can you-"

"No. I'm sorry. Not today."

"Right, well... that's fine."

"I have to go now. Goodbye."

"W-where are you going? Aren't you gonna watch the duel?"

She turned back, puzzled.

"I'm sorry. I have something else to do. Tell me about it once it's done, though."

He waved at her.

"Alright... be safe. You know what the woods are like."

She gave him a smile and waved, too.

"...Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

And with his final words, he left.

She watched as The Blade disappeared into the woods, and then once more looked at the Path.

Finally, everyone was there. It was all about to begin.

When the Lasenbergians arrived, everyone else seemed to already be there. Ayala, Palmer, Peija and Ponce were standing at a large distance from the path, but were close enough to be seen. They all had their eyes focused on the boy – And they all seemed to feel nothing else but pity. Will was behind him, holding onto his shoulder. Fonda and Taza were there too, he could hear their footsteps, but over the pounding of his own heart, they were barely audible. Across from him stood Dissonance, Sapana and Georgie to each of his sides. King Errett showed his face as well - At a distance, standing on a small mound and his empty eyes covered by his sunglasses. Even here, it seemed, he wanted to be above everyone else. Tom could feel his blood boiling just looking at him, but couldn't let himself be distracted. He stood face to face with Dissonance, trying to focus.

"Let me just clarify. If you win and I die, Georgie will grant Lasenberg the independence you yearn for so badly.", Dissonance spoke with such ease it was clear he did not plan on losing.

Tom shifted his feet slightly, squeezed his bow with all his might and narrowed his eyes.

"...And as agreed.", the boy said, his voice far less confident and a stammer at every word.

"If I lose... and I... die…”, the boy swallowed, already feeling faint.

"All Lasenbergians will leave the City of Dissonance and never return. Your land shall be yours once more."

"Sounds fair to me. Get off the path, everyone! It's about to get bloody!", the man shouted out to everyone, forcing Will to step aside.

As he walked away he gave Tom one last nod – The other returned it very hesitantly. The President joined King Errett on his mound, as did most of the fighters.

She watched enemies stand shoulder to shoulder, putting aside their differences and letting history happen before them. She herself felt nervous and bit her fingernails. The Blade had told her it wasn't very healthy, but at a time like this, she cared little for things like that. There was no way she could just stand there and observe in silence.

"Shake hands, please.", Will started, and the two did as they were told.

"Turn your backs to each other."

Once more, they followed.

"Now... I will count ten paces. Once I say the word fire, you may turn around and fire upon each other. Is that clear?"

The two nodded without further comments.

"...One."

So this is it, I guess, Tom thought to himself, taking one step forward. Just ten steps away from what could be my death. Am I ready? He tightened his grip on his bow, his knuckles growing white from the pressure. He could feel his legs trembling, nearly tripping as he tried to take steady steps. It was as if the whole world was watching him – The stress he felt was unbearable. His stomach was turning and he felt like he would throw up any second. There was sweat building up on his forehead, moving down his face and dropping to the ground. Maybe he should have trained more, this was all happening far too quickly... how many steps had it been already?

"...Two."

Right, Tom said to himself as he stepped forward, we have only just begun. Maybe Will was right? Maybe the smarter thing to do here would have been to run as far away as they could while they still had the chance to? He wasn't sure how good of a shot he was, if he were to be honest. He barely had time to train with how quickly the sun went down around this time of the year. Maybe he could have asked Fonda for some help, and he could feel more confident. Maybe he should have tried out some of these arrows before he picked one out blindly. Maybe I should have thought about all that before I actually challenged Dissonance to this duel.

"...Three."

If I die here, will it at least make things better for everyone else?, Tom asked himself, or will it change nothing? Another step, another dark thought. With each one it started to feel like he had less and less time for those – And more and more time to break down. His breathing was only getting more irregular and his hand was trembling, he was sure he would die right then and there. I should have just kept my mouth shut and let us surrender. I'm going to die here, and for what?

"...Four."

I need to stop crying, he convinced himself, I probably look like an idiot right now. But it was true, there were tears already in his eyes that he could not stop. Every emotion he was feeling in that moment was clashing with one another, leaving him broken and torn. Will, Taza and Fonda are all watching me and looking for hope right now, and I'm doing this... I need to get my shit together and figure this out before it's too late.

"...Five."

We're only half-way there and I'm already barely holding on, he noted, this bow is slipping right out of my hands... his steps were irregular and he was close to falling over more than once now, the pounding of his heart muting out any other noise around him. Will showed me how to calm my breathing after that nightmare once, right? I'll just do that. I'll just do as Will taught me and everything will be fine, I'm sure of it.

"...Six."

If I die here I'll leave Will alone in that haze again, he realized, what kind of person does that make me? I'm a horrible person for not being able to stick around and help him find out about the dreams- No, scratch that! I'm not gonna fucking die here, I'm gonna shoot that bastard right in his heart and leave him bleeding out on this path of his!

"...Seven."

I'm not gonna leave Will, Taza or Fonda because I'm their Vice-President and I promised to serve them and our nation. In three steps I'm going to turn around and shoot, and I will not miss. I can't miss, not now, I'm going to hit him.

"...Eight."

but god my hands are shaking so much will I even be able to take a good shot? will I even have a chance at turning around, or will he just shoot before it's even time to?

"...Nine."

wait slow down i can't do this i'm not ready

"Ten paces, fire!"

it hurts

She watched. Just as she had been for what seemed to be months now, she watched. She had been watching for a long, long time. Everyone was watching. And everyone, just as she did, watched Tom be pierced by a single arrow, leaving him falling to the ground. Everyone, just as she did, watched the puddle of blood that formed around him as he struggled to breathe, his three companions running to him instantly. Everyone, just as she did, watched Dissonance lower his weapon, and without a word, walk away. No grin, no laugh, no words. Just silence. But she was not like everyone. She would not let this end here. She would not let him win. She would not stand aside and watch like everyone else did.

Heroes are meant to win, aren't they? This wasn't right. She would fix it.

Everyone watched as she raced from the cover of the woods and onto the Path, pushing past the crowd forming around him. Everyone watched as she forced the President aside, his men stepping away under his command eventually. Everyone watched as she pulled out various supplies and tools from her bag and everyone watched as she did everything she could to save the boy. Everyone asked questions between one another, questions she didn't bother answering right now. Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing? Why are you here? She did not care because it was not the President that asked – And the President understood she was trying to help, so he kept them all away from her. For a long time, she had watched. And it was about time she got involved. That day, everyone who watched said a mysterious woman emerged seemingly out of nowhere in the woods and began doing everything she could to save the dying boy lying below her.

But if you were to ask Tom, he would simply say he watched a beautiful girl with a gentle smile lean over him as his world turned dark.

"Hey, Willz?"

"Yeah, Toms?"

"Where do you think we go when we die?"

"Hopefully as far away from here as fuckin' possible."

"Yeah... hopefully."