Chapter 7

The Canyon

The trip had been smooth going up until the very end, when they crashed the ship in the Seaman’s Trough. Terrill was surprised by that, if he was honest. With only three of them manning a naval ship, and only one of them having even the remotest of experiences to pilot it, he had expected them run afoul of a reef or perhaps just run in with the Invarian navy en route to their destination. None of those things had happened, however, and on the fourth day of their journey southward, they had spied two things that made them sure of their destination.

The first was the jagged rocks that marked the Seaman’s Trough, the easiest way to reach the O’Della Canyon. Unfortunately, it was also where they knew their ship would be torn to pieces. In expectation of it, that was the smallest of concerns.

The second noticeable thing was the growing shadow to the north, like a dome of black that was enveloping the middle of Gladius. To this, Krysta had clutched at her chest, her lips quivering, while Walter carefully steered them to the perilous trench.

“So much anger, sadness, reluctance… It’s just like fifteen years ago.”

“Humanity never learns,” Walter breathed, leaning on the wheel as the tides began to suck them into the Trough, nowhere to go but down. Up to that point, they had avoided all manner of sea traps, the ice floes vanishing and the whirlpools with them. Invaria had been freed of their troubles, but the war’s intention in laying claim to the Wind Fortress continued. They would need more than a restoration of water to end this. “It’s a wonder we haven’t killed ourselves off yet with how much pointless fighting and wars we commit.”

“Isn’t that the reason Crea split the world?” Terrill said. The rush of the waterfalls was heightened, and he jumped from the crow’s nest to the deck, preparing to jump ship to the lowest level of the ravine. Krysta was at his side, her cheeks puffed with the resistance to vomiting. “To stop endless wars by removing magic. Perfect fodder for the Fiends to start a war, really.”

“Yes, they know well how to stoke the flames of hatred.” Walter’s comment admittedly scared Terrill, as the man let go of his wheel to join them. He had been silent much of the trip, outside of issuing orders or asking for the food below deck, but his thirst for vengeance had only grown. Had it not been dwarfed by the growing shadow of war, Terrill would have believed that lust was giving rise to another shadow. He had to wonder the man’s purpose in accompanying them, but Terrill remained convinced he had to be grateful for all the help he could get.

The ship rocked with the turbulent waters, grating against the rock face. The trio was forced to hold on to each other as they shook, and when the ship tilted just close enough to the rocks, they leapt for it. Walter nearly slid on the slick surface of the rocks, but Terrill held on and pulled him up. The ship was torn apart by the rapids and brought down beneath the Trough to join the other masses of driftwood.

“Nearly took a tumble there, friend,” Terrill said, chuckling at his own clever retort to Walter’s situation. The man laughed with him, clapping him on the shoulder in thanks for the save and the reminder of their very first meeting in this exact location.

The only one not recalling that memory was Krysta, who stared down the rows of rock with narrowed eyes. She was sprayed with seawater, but was impervious to letting it break her attention. Terrill was splashed by the same waters, his hair dripping as he approached Krysta and put a hand on her. She jumped at the contact.

“You sense it, don’t you? The Lifeblood?” Her nod was slow, and she pointed forward to a crevice, concealed by the night’s darkness and the constantly spraying mist. To anyone on a ship or the upper levels, it might have looked like jutting rock, but from here, Terrill could see it for what it was: a passage inwards. “Looks like we found our way in. No time to waste.”

Walter grunted with agreement, choosing to take the lead of the three of them. Perhaps it was his own attunement to the wind, but he could sense the location of the crevice just as well as Krysta could, and was the first to slip inside without issue, his spear clanking along the rocky walls. Terrill made sure to let Krysta go next, a better guide if Walter’s instincts were to fail him, while he took up the rear. Before sliding in he looked out, remembering how he’d first seen Alexander here, the man keeping a close watch upon him as he traipsed through Adversa.

Part of him wondered when the man would deem it necessary to intervene again in order to restore the flow. The other part refocused on the task ahead. He plunged into the darkness of the cavern.

Droplets of water fell upon him soon as he entered, and by Krysta’s light, Terrill could see the stalactites dripping down on them, remnants of the sea lingering in the natural construct. Those remnants soon faded as their steps changed from padding on stone to a more metallic, yet familiar, base. Bathed in the glow, Terrill could see the strange metallic substance he had noticed in Tarkinder and the Luster Mines. While it wasn’t the same at the Sanctuary, Terrill felt certain he could have located it there if they’d been underground. It was as sure a sign as ever that they were on track to the Lifeblood, and his companions knew it. Walter even grinned at the thought of it.

For a man who had cared little for the war or their own struggle, focusing entirely on his own, he looked too happy to be approaching their next destination. It reminded Terrill of Floyd’s constant burning desire to protect Torry, no matter the cost, even if the boy had curbed it enough to remain behind in Sheeris and do his part. He hoped they were both okay, but his worry of them, which had been a constant itch on their travel, made his mind turn to other, less pleasant, thoughts.

The path turned upward, and the air was warmer than Terrill had expected it to be after the cold trench of the Trough. At the same time, it was quite a bit staler, as if these passages hadn’t been exposed to true, fresh air in some time, no matter which Lifeblood waited at the end of it. The solace Terrill got from it was that it was a straight path, and his companions could sense the way forward with a precision that kept them constantly on the move.

He hoped they weren’t wasting time on a fruitless chase.

Krysta saw his thoughts flit over his face, and she put a hand to his back in concern. Walter noticed it, his lips turning downward with his harsh expression, reliving some memory behind his eyes while he watched. It didn’t take long for him turn his good eye back on the road ahead while Krysta offered up some water to Terrill.

“What’s on your mind this time, Terrill?” she asked, louder than intended in the enclosed space. He turned to answer her, finding they were very close in the cramped passage. Too close, if he was honest, and his words got stuck in his throat. “Hm?”

“It’s not much,” he said, trying to pass it off with a laugh, but the girl was unrelenting, her face peering closer than he was comfortable with. “Just a momentary doubt. I’m worried about Torry and Floyd.”

“They’ll be fine,” she said. Her hands folded together, clasped as if in prayer. “Floyd has a way of getting out of any situation, and Torry’s smart enough to know how to handle anything. We’ll have to trust them to keep their promise.”

“Assuming we can even manage it,” Terrill said, barely more than a breath, but audible enough that Walter stopped upon hearing him. The three bumped up against each other, Terrill finding himself pressing into Krysta before Walter continued on. She followed, but her forlorn expression asked the question of what made him voice that aloud in the first place. “We’ve been going straight at the Lifebloods ever since Invaria, but there’s no guarantee of what we’ll find, or if we’ll be able to stop anything. I feel like…each Lifeblood we free is just buying time, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be successful even if we find something from myth and legends.”

“Terrill, you know that’s not true,” Krysta said, reaching back to take his hand in hers. It felt warm, a far cry from her usually cool skin, and Terrill felt his fingers rubbing over it, drawing comfort from it. “Look at how much you’ve done already. You’ve fought Fiends and freed Lifebloods, stopped pirates.”

“But what did I do along the way?” The path leveled out at his question, and the three were soon deposited in an intersection. Walter sniffed at the air, like some kind of dog, but sensed nothing in the realm of the Lifeblood, his eyes drawn to a different path from the distracted Krysta. “I failed to stop the war and…I shouldn’t have been here. Maybe I’m just trying so hard for my own self-gratification, believing that being here meant I was supposed to actually do something here, but I’ve only made things worse.”

“But if you weren’t here, we wouldn’t have met,” Krysta pointed out, offering a smile to him. She dropped it soon as it was formed. “Though, I suppose you might think that’s for the better. If we hadn’t met, you wouldn’t have…”

“There are no guarantees in life,” Walter said. No longer knowing the way to go, the older man leaned against one of the walls, still staring down the hall like he could feel fresh air. If Terrill strained, he could have felt the draft, too, but he was too taken aback by Walter’s out-of-nowhere encouragement. Or that’s what Terrill thought it was. “You can walk out your door and trip over a rock to your death. Or perhaps you can wind up in another world where every action you take could lead to ruin. In this world, there’s no telling what’s waiting on the other side of that door of possibilities you open.

“But what was it you said, Terrill? There are still things you can do. If the Fiends want so terribly to stop you, then each action you take has merit and meaning. Focus on that, and I think everything will inevitably fall into place.”

He was right, of course, and Terrill knew it. He wanted to thank the man for his words of encouragement, finding the strength to continue on without knowing the end result. His convictions and desire to protect people, if anything, could be trusted. Krysta, too, trusted in them, her frown wiped away and replaced with a grin.

“Well, then, we’re heading this way, I think!” Krysta pointed opposite of Walter’s attention, spinning around to lead the way. Terrill watched her go, glad to see her in higher spirits, but questioning if she really was. Her current chipper attitude was more than she usually displayed, and something about the way she spoke showed a reservation on their meeting, as though reflecting on her own mistake. Terrill sped up to take her hand again without warning.

“Krysta, Walter’s right. It’s okay for us to make mistakes, you know, and I don’t want to consider it a mistake that you found me in the forest.”

“That’s kind of you to say.” She beamed at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes, too conflicted by the same hidden pain he’d seen rise up over and over. Terrill wasn’t sure what to say, though he wanted to reach out for her face and wipe away the tears he knew she held back. She just removed her hand from his, and continued on. He didn’t pursue her any further.

Terrill turned inwards, instead, his feet continuing to beat along the path. The air felt a subtle change, and there was a breeze, short and light at first in the hallway, but gaining in resistance as they continued. It reminded him of Winifred’s wind, of how he promised to save her despite having no idea how. In that, Walter’s words remained true, telling him there were things he could do. There were people he could save, right down to Atrum, no matter what his insane friend thought he could manage.

Terrill’s fist tightened. Perhaps it was a long road home, but Terrill had to believe he could do it. If there was the slimmest chance of success, it was still a chance to save his best friend. If that saved more people along the way, the better it was.

Staring at her back, Terrill hoped he could save Krysta from her pain, too. Walter, as well.

Only as he came to this conviction did Terrill realize they had barely inched forward, the wind keeping them held in place. Three corridors of the same twisting metallic structure spread out from where they stood, but they couldn’t proceed down the one in front of them. Terrill called back with, “Walter, you’ve used your winds to cancel out the cyclones before. How about now?”

“I don’t think so in this case,” the hunter called forward. “Usually, those winds have emanated from a very specific source, but here it’s as if its pooling from many to create an impassable gale. It’s like a defense mechanism to prevent us going any further.”

“Then what do we do? We can’t afford to wait around!” Krysta shouted over the winds. In answer, Walter pointed to one of the passages.

“There’s fresh air this way. I’m not sure where it will lead us, but it should take us to the surface, where we can regain our bearings.” It was quickly decided upon as the best course of action, and the trio diverted down said hall, once more crawling upwards when it turned to stone. Walter stayed the course, and after some time, the three came to a wall with a crack in it that let the fresh air inside. Terrill didn’t bother with finding another path; he pressed his hands to the wall and with a flow of magic, broke it down to allow them to take their first steps into the O’Della Canyon.

The first thing he noticed was the beating sun, indicating their passage of time whilst inside the underground passage. Then, Terrill noticed their height, and the thin ledge they had emerged upon.

“Well, this is a predicament…” Terrill said, gripping to both of his companions. Once he ensured none of them would fall, he took better stock of the canyon they were facing.

It was wider than he had imagined, with an impossibly deep floor that would mean certain death if they fell to it. Naturally, it was made of earth, red and orange in color and bleached by the sun, with a serenity that the shadow had not yet touched, though Terrill could swear to feel it prickling the back of his neck. On the other side was a mist that was neither natural nor inviting, but was doubtlessly their destination.

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“What now?” Krysta asked, clutching a hand to her chest. Terrill wondered if she could feel whatever darkness was upon the closest Lifeblood, but she gave no violent reaction like the past. Terrill was grateful, whatever the reason was for it.

“There’s no way to cross the canyon. Any attempts to build a bridge have failed in the past,” Walter explained. Terrill would have kicked at a loose stone if it wasn’t at their peril. His companion, on the other hand, had a different idea, leaning just enough to offer a smirk. “Then again, Valorda isn’t known for its magic, so maybe they just didn’t have an expert Earth Magic user to get them to the other side.”

“I can’t lift an entire canyon, Walter!”

“We don’t need a canyon, friend. Just a…head start. Krysta can create alternate steps, and if that fog is any kind of wind defense, then I might be able to get us through. It’s either that or a long climb down to the bottom and a long-”

“Okay, I get it!” Terrill rolled his eyes at Walter’s insistence on their method, but a glance up and behind them confirmed the darkening skies. The shadows were not mere wisps anymore, and any time wasted was the time it would take for Atrum’s plan to become reality.

Sucking in a breath, Terrill let go of both his companions and touched the ground at their feet. He closed his eyes and felt every vein of the earth stretching out from him. It wasn’t a leap to say that he could feel the very ether of Adversa that manifested as earth, all of it under his control, or at least as much as his energy could muster. Hoping to conserve it for the road ahead, Terrill found specific points to focus on, each equidistant and matching with other pillars throughout the canyon that could get them enough height to cross.

He funneled that energy, pouring it to each spot far away, just as Torry had taught him. The ground shook, and Krysta and Walter held to each other from the tremors. Cracking earth resounded throughout the canyon, and with every plume of stone that arose, the canyon shuddered. A gasp from Krysta indicated something was happening on the other side, but Terrill kept his focus until, at last, all of the pillars, both horizontal and vertical, had been formed. He dropped to a knee, supported by Walter with a savage grin on his lips.

“Maybe there’s a bridge across O’Della, after all.” Terrill couldn’t spare a grunt at his joke. His limbs felt heavier after their newest exertion, but his energy was rapidly restoring itself in all the earth of the canyon. He knew there was no reason to be surprised; magic restoration through his element was easy enough, but he was just taking in the energy of souls. In no time, he was ready to go, taking Krysta’s hand while Walter held them both from behind. “We’ll need the extra wind power.”

“Do your thing.”

The three crouched, and with some delay in timing, they leapt together for the first pillar. Krysta pointed downwards, her honeycomb shield reflecting the sunlight as they touched down upon it for a mere moment. They were bounding off soon after to the first of the pillars. Uncontrollable as they were, Walter still sent pockets of wind behind them to help them cross the gaps they could not reach, Krysta supporting them where that failed. With that combined power, the trio reached the horizontal pillar that climbed upwards before the sun had barely moved in the sky. After a simple climb, they found themselves standing before the mist. Terrill attempted to peer inside.

While the fog would roll aside for a moment on its own, the veil was self-restoring, providing only glimpses at the barren land that lay to the south. There was something large, concealed by the fog, but Terrill could glean no further details and stopped trying when Walter stepped up. His hand reached out, touching the fog and then pulling away within an instant.

“Not fog, but a wall of wind…” Looking over his hand, Terrill could see there was a minor cut upon it. Walter didn’t mind, his eye roving over the wall, trying to discern its rotation, as he had with Winifred’s attacks. “Well, this at least might have a single source. Or I can make a path, though I can’t promise it will hold for long.”

“A second’s all we need.” Walter nodded and once more put his hand to the wall. He didn’t mind the pain, with not even a grunt leaving him before the air pressure increased. Terrill felt like his ears were about to pop from the colliding air currents until Walter’s cancellation went through, and a circular “door” appeared where the wall once was. His face strained from holding it, and Terrill hopped on through, pulling on Krysta and bringing Walter inside before the wind wall could close up and resume its protection around them. Now that they were on the inside, Terrill thought he could hear the various rotations of wind.

The wall behind them, Terrill looked for the shape he’d seen, and it wasn’t hard to find it. Though dead rocks and grass peppered the area, along with holes that led to the tunnel they were once in, the starring feature of this abandoned land was the black building of ancient metal that was embedded in the ground at a rather strange angle. Before he knew it, Terrill was walking towards it, taking in every detail that he could. It hadn’t been a long shot yet. The Wind Fortress existed. The Lifeblood of Wind was here. There was still something he could do!

“Terrill!” Krysta’s shout alerted him to the danger, and in a swift movement, he drew his sword and blocked the incoming attack before he could set eyes upon his assailant. When he did, he almost dropped his guard.

“Charles…” he breathed. The man’s face was not exposed to him, covered up by his twisted black mask, but the blade remained familiar and their encounter in Invaria had not been forgotten. “Still playing their puppet?!”

Terrill put the brunt of his strength behind throwing Charles off and pushing himself away from the Phantom Knight. Krysta ran to his side, summoning her rapier as the knight stared at Terrill with murderous intent. There was little doubt as to why he was waiting here. For that, Terrill grinned; Atrum really didn’t want him to get close. Charles didn’t say anything, only drawing his other blade, but Terrill knew that to be the case. Krysta tugged on Terrill’s arm.

“Terrill…” she whispered, distracted by something while he looked Charles over. The man’s armor appeared to be damaged around his chest area, as though something had struck him but not followed through.

“Don’t worry. I’ll drag him home as well.”

“No. Look.” He didn’t want to, not with the Phantom Knight staring them down and ready to kill, but Krysta was insistent, so he looked back and his heart dropped at what he saw.

Walter’s spear was out, trails of wind wafting off his body as a storm began to whirl on his figure. The wind wall wavered just a little in response, but held steady as the hunter finally faced his tracked-down quarry. His grin was unsightly, all of his teeth showing while a feral growl escaped through them. It was just like in Invaria, and Terrill could see the man’s eyes go white with rage. He stepped forward. They didn’t have time for this.

“Walter, not now. We have to get inside the Fortress. We only fight Charles as long as we need to. Krysta, can you find a way-”

“No. He’s mine to kill.” Terrill wasn’t sure if he was absent of emotion or over-emotional. In the end, that didn’t matter, because Walter wasn’t going to listen. Not as far gone as he was. “It’s the only reason I’ve come this far!”

He jetted from the ground, his wind carrying him into the air. Its jagged pressure rolled across Terrill before he could stop the man, causing him to fall into Krysta. She called his name, but he was past listening as he brought his spear soaring down with an anguished cry. The spear was blocked by the silent knight, who threw him off. Charles had no time to spare for this man, one of his swords swinging out to him. Walter blocked, pushed back towards the deadened fortress while Charles ran at Terrill. The Guardian spun his sword around and blocked the blow before creating a stone pillar that collided with the dented part of the armor and tossed him into the air.

“His movements are pretty sloppy compared to when we were in Dimidia. Guess it’s not the same when you’re controlling another body, is it, Atrum?!” Terrill called. He shared a look with Krysta and, using his new pillar, Terrill launched himself to the air, Krysta’s shield protecting him. Soon as he reached Charles, the man’s eyes flashed red and his blades swung out, only to grate against the grid of protection. Terrill whirled around. With a kick, he collided with the broken armor, sending Charles down to the ground. “Thought you were better than this, Charles! Or are you really so weak in both body and mind?”

“I’ll take either!” Walter had bounded forward, Terrill grimacing at the man’s unrestrained actions. His grinning was replaced with grim purpose to do what he wished, and the anger that consumed him. Once more, his windy aura buffeted Terrill and sent him falling to the ground. He managed to right himself, but Walter was already at his foe, bringing his spear to the exposed spot on his chest. “How fortuitous that he would be here! He who would slaughter my family, my friends! Tell me, cretin, do you even remember the name of Taro?! Do you even care for your sins?!”

“Walter, stop!” Krysta’s warning was not unfounded. It wasn’t because of his nigh unstoppable rage, either, but because of the shadow coalescing at Charles’s exposed chest. With a snap, Krysta reacted with instinct, putting a barrier between Walter and the knight he aimed to kill. The spear rebounded, and moments later the darkness fired. Walter was consumed and Terrill leapt to his rescue as the older man was tossed away, his body protected by the shield. Walter wouldn’t have it, pushing Terrill as he landed upon the ground.

“Don’t interfere, Krysta! He’s mine! You get in my way anymore, and I’ll kill you, too!”

“Don’t be a child!” Terrill shouted, running through his ragged winds to grab hold of Walter’s shirt. “There’s no time for this or your petty vendetta. He’s here to kill us by order of Atrum, so think of what that means!”

“It means I can finally kill him!” Walter tried to push Terrill aside, but he held fast. “Move, Terrill, or do you wish me to run you through, as well.”

“I want you to think for just a second. Is now really the time to resolve your issues with him?”

“No time is better!” No time was what there was indeed, for Charles was back on his feet and dashing in silence for the pair of them. Krysta intervened, her rapier shining and sending slashes of light. He avoided each of them until he leapt over Krysta to bring his swords spinning upon Terrill. The Guardian blocked the blow, forced to let go of Walter.

With his freedom, the hunter’s spear finally found his target with a yell that shivered Terrill’s soul. It pierced Charles’s helmet but missed his head with the hunter’s shaky, hesitant grip, breaking away pieces of it to reveal the face beneath. The familiar beard was exposed, along with his wrinkled and scarred face, but what stood out to Terrill the most was that his eyes were not his own, but a gleaming red. As they flashed, his blade beamed with black shadows.

Walter refused to relent.

“Not good!” Terrill muttered, but was forced to take action all the same. Before the blade could cut into any of them, Terrill stomped backwards, forcing a shield up and pushing Walter back. The blade cut through the shield with minimal effort and Terrill turned to face the knight. With his face now in the open and his armor damaged, Charles didn’t seem like himself, and the longer Terrill looked, the more he could see it. “Strings…”

“Out…of my…way…” Walter growled. Terrill rolled his eyes at the man’s insistence. He had no time to babysit Walter’s rage while being the target of attack. His eyes flicked to Krysta, and she got the message to buy him a fraction of time as he whirled around and sunk his stone fist into Walter’s stomach. The man gagged, crumpling to the ground.

“Take a nap, Walter. If you can’t work with us, then stay out of this. I’ll deal with you later.” Terrill paid no further heed to Walter, and slashed his sword out in an attack that passed through Krysta’s shield in time to clang against the knight’s blades. Having bought himself some time, Terrill looked at the man, pushing and hoping for Charles to remember him. He also searched for the strings again, finally seeing where the shadow was loosest: the spot of his damaged armor. “Krysta, combo attack on the armor! Let’s cut him loose!”

“Yes. I’ll enchant your blade with light!” Krysta backed against Terrill, and he found his sword shining with her pure light. Once that was done, he threw Charles’s swords off and spun around to stab right for his chest. The darkness around him increased in volume, however, and before Terrill knew it, he was rebuffed, but unharmed, by the shadows.

They flowed outward around him, a defensive move to protect Atrum’s pawn from being severed. The ground shook, and the shadows grew. Behind Terrill he could even see them laying around Walter as the man recovered from the blow to his gut. It was Krysta’s turn to drop, clasping at her chest as the darkness took effect. The light from Terrill’s blade flickered, as well. The knight took a step forward, each one flaring with shadows that threatened to consume him. There was no way to pierce the darkness. The ground rumbled again.

“Terr…ill…” Charles’s distorted voice from the shadows gave Terrill pause. All sound vanished as the wind wall suddenly dropped. Krysta was out of commission, too, heaving at the despair she felt from the Lifeblood, but Terrill hesitated against the knight speaking to him. “End…it…”

“What…? What are you saying, Charles? Or are you Atrum in some kind of trick?” Another step caused another rumble and a green glow permeated the already brightened sky.

“I…” Whatever Charles would have said never came to pass as his body shook. His blade of shadows extended, wreathed in the darkness that Terrill once felt, burning across the land. He lifted his sword to block, and then he heard a hiss to the side.

A scream followed it.

“Atrum! Let them go!” Terrill knew that voice, and he allowed himself to look away to see the boy running at the pair. It had to have surprised Charles, or Atrum, or whoever was inside controlling him, because he turned his head, taking his attention away.

It was Lumen, his blade shining with light.

“Lumen?!” Terrill shouted, recognizing the blond hair and regal stature from their adventures in Dimidia. Yet he couldn’t take his time to revel in it as Charles moved to attack Lumen, instead, a snarl on his lips.

“Don’t interfere, Lumen!” His blades of shadows swung up, and Terrill sprang into action. He could see Lumen’s trajectory for the very exposed spot on Charles’s chest, and the Guardian knew who had caused it to dent in the first place. The plan of action was clear.

Terrill launched forward, his blade interceding between Chosen One and Guardian. Lumen was saved, and the flecks of shadow that came off the blades floated to Terrill’s skin. They did not burn.

Lumen finished his strike, his blade of light shining as it pierced the coat of shadows around Charles. The man screamed, but the distortion that it sounded with told Terrill that it wasn’t Charles being wounded, but rather the one inside. One by one, the strings that formed the darkness were snapped until Lumen stopped just short of Charles’s abdomen. The man recoiled, groaning and grunting, his voice cutting in and out between distortion and lucidity. Terrill reached out as the man looked up, confusion scrawled on his face, mixed with disdain.

“I couldn’t get all of them…Atrum’s strings,” Lumen spat, whipping his blade out.

Terrill laughed. “Then, we’ll have to try again.”

They had no such chance. They’d barely taken a step when a monolith erupted from the ground, cutting off their access to the man. Lumen tripped backwards, but Terrill held him steady before he pressed against the stone and broke it apart. Once he had, he saw who had arrived, gripping a now unconscious Charles in his arms.

“It’s been a while, hero. But I’m afraid I can’t stay long.”

“Clay…” Terrill growled. The man chortled, his brown beard swaying with the wind. The shadows were dying down, and the wall of wind started to resume, but Terrill kept his eyes on the Fiend that had come to collect their pawn. “So, Atrum can’t even be bothered to collect his pawn, himself?”

“The king never puts himself in peril.” Clay’s toothy grin made Terrill’s skin crawl, and stones began to rise from around the Fiend. “Though, you’ve certainly damaged his pawn enough. I doubt he’ll ever be of full use, but it never hurts to have a backup. Be seeing you, hero.”

“Come back here!” Walter’s cry came from nowhere, but he was too late, tearing through empty space as Clay vanished with Charles as soon as he’d appeared. The hunter gave a cry of tortured anguish, kicking a stone that struck the Wind Fortress.

Terrill deflated a moment, relieved that they were saved but irked at their failure to snap Atrum’s strings of shadow. At that reminder, Terrill turned to Krysta and ran for her. She was attempting to stand, and he helped her the rest of the way, allowing her to rest on his shoulder. Her body was as cool as usual, and she didn’t bother explaining what had happened. There was no need to.

“It looks like…you found your friend…” she said, her energy rejuvenating with every step. Walter heard her, and his tension melted, his eye falling upon Lumen as each observed the boy that had appeared. “You’re Lumen.”

“Yes,” the royal responded with all of the dignity expected. Terrill laughed again, drawing the boy’s attention to him. “It seems you’ve been on some adventures, Terrill.”

“No more than you, Lumen. Wild ride, huh?” The hand not wrapped around Krysta reached out, clasping that of the Chosen One. “Looks like you’ve been on some adventures, yourself. I take it we both came here for the same reason?”

“The Wind Fortress? Yes. Wait until you see what’s inside. I think we might have a chance to stop this war!” With his words, the humming increased, and Terrill watched as a door opened wide, the panel sliding back to reveal green lights stretching inward. In that instant, all of Terrill’s doubts were blown away.