Fiona was out of questions, she was feeling a little nervous after what happened. She is usually quite composed, but now she was feeling a little confused inside. Like something that she created with great effort, suddenly fell to the ground.

They passed the gardener with that silence, Winston was thinking about talking about something, but he couldn't fix his mind on anything.

"Why are you with Mr Lee?" Something unexpected comes out of his mouth. He didn't want to say that out loud, but when you think about something for a very long time, it becomes a crucial question for you, and somehow it finds a way to get it answered.

Fiona was silent and shocked, and Winston felt even more embarrassed, he quickly said,

"I am sorry, you don't need to answer that. I don't know, what was I thinking?"

Fiona didn't say anything but kept walking, awkward silence started walking with them,

"You don't have to say sorry. It's the usual question that would come to anyone's mind seeing the age gap that my husband and I share" Fiona spoke looking at Winston, her eyes looking deep and dark like they had been holding thousands of secrets inside them.

"You probably think that I am a gold digger, who is using her beauty to win an old man" she continued, this time her eyes were looking even deeper.

"No, I didn't think that. I have seen such a woman, and I know that you are not one of them" Winston said instantly, to clear the misunderstanding that she has about him.

She just smiled innocently looking at him, and their eyes met and stayed that way for a few seconds. Until they came to their senses and pulled it away.

They kept walking for a few more seconds in silence and this time with a very soft smile on their faces.

"In this world, everyone thinks that women need a man to protect them. People are still scared of independent women, who can protect themselves, who don't need a man. And sometimes it's better if you just go with what the world wants from you, so they could stop staring at you for a while" Fiona said While taking her step on wet grass.

Winston stopped and looked at her again, she also stopped, this time there was no awkwardness between them. No embarrassment. They were looking at each other without any guilt, like a man looking at a woman, like a woman looking at a man.

"Life is too short to live being scared of what others will think. You know this is a habit. Once you let them control you, they just gonna move ahead and slowly take more of you, until there is no more, you left in you"

Winston said looking at her eyes, this time to dive deeper into them. And she also let him dive without being shy or guilty.

***

Winston and Frank are out in the forest thinking and walking.

"So that is it?" Winston said.

"Yeah, pretty much" Frank replied

They kept walking in silence for a while,

"So there is no secret," Winston said

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Nope. You just have to be focused and believe in yourself enough to have control over any element" Frank said.

"Hmm, that's bull shit," Winston said with an annoying voice.

"No, it's not. Look you already have enough power and control over the element, it's just you didn't have any reason to unlock it. So look into yourself and see why you are doing this and why you need to unlock it" Frank said, trying to make Winston understand.

Winston felt irritated by this idea, he was about to say something but suddenly the light appeared in the middle of the trees. Both of them stopped.

A portal opens, and Lanark steps out of it. Frank and Winston stood in their places, shocked to see him here. Winston didn't see him before, but somehow he managed to understand that he was Lanark.

"You little son of bitch. I always knew that you will go against me, the day you will get a chance" Lanark said looking at Frank as he stepped out of the portal.

Frank stays in his place, and said, looking at Lanark,

"Well, that's something I learn from you. I must give you credit for that"

"Oh, classic Frank. I should have killed you earlier. Well, it's not that late yet" Lanark said, stepping a foot forward. He moved his eyes to Winston and continued,

"Hmmh, when I heard about you, I thought I finally found a worthy opponent"

Winston gave him an angry stare,

"But look at you. I think killing you would be the most shameful act of my life. But I think I will have to live with that shame" he continued.

Both of them were looking at Lanark and Lanark step forward,

"I don't think I will even need my magic to kill both of you," he said and started walking towards them.

Lanark hit a punch to both of them before they could understand. Both of them fall on the ground to different sides.

"Come on, don't make it too easy for me," Lanark said, looking at them smiling.

Both of them get up from the ground and run towards Lanark to hit him, but before they could reach him, he jumped in the air and hit them with a kick. They again fall to the ground. Lanark started laughing, Frank and Winston looked at each other and got up again.

Winston opens the portal and attacks him from different sides. He managed to give him some punch and kick, but Lanark was too smart, he also used the portal to confuse Winston and injure Winston and Frank very badly.

The same thing happens again a couple of times. Lanark was too strong for both of them, and they also realised it.

"So tell me, how you wanna die, burning or drowning into the water," Lanark said while both of them struggled to stand up on their feet.

"How about, I will show you how I recently mastered the water element," he continued.

Winston and Frank were on the ground struggling with pain, they looked at each other. It's like a moment for them when they see death coming to take them again.

Lanark opened the portal, and on the other side there was a river flowing, and as Lanark opened the portal the water started flowing into the forest from the portal.

Lanark laughed out loudly and pushed the portal towards them to throw them into the river.

Both of them went inside the portal and started floating into the water. Lanark followed them inside. He stands on water, and said,

"With your feather, I will take control of the earth element. And then It's Boris who is next. And after killing Boris and taking his feather no one can stop me from being the devil"

He starts creating waves in the water. And in those waves, Frank and Winston start struggling for their breaths. Winston tried to open the portal for him and Frank to escape, but Lanark threw both of them away with the wave of water.

Finally, Lanark made a sword from the water, a big sword. And he throws it at Winston. The sword comes swinging tearing through the air at Winston. He felt that it was over, and this was the last moment for him.

He looked at Frank, he was struggling with the wave of water and looking at Winston for help helplessly. Winston looked at him with the same helplessness. He was feeling disappointed with himself, and a sword came closer to Winston.

And in that helpless moment, he just closed his eyes and got ready to face his fate. And as the sword is about to cut his neck, it stops.

Something was happening, the waves that were holding Winston started losing their grip over him, and he started floating into the air.