“Stand back!” Elizabeth yelled as she took a defensive stance with her sword in hand.

“You get any closer and I swear this match won’t go like the last one.” A dark cloaked figure emerged from the bushes.

“I’m not here to fight.” It stepped closer revealing piercing violet eyes hidden under cyan hair from beneath the hood.

“I don’t know what's going on but you were right.” Pulling back the hood, Axel had a worried and remorseful look on his face. His eyes had life to them, he looked nothing like how he did when they first crossed swords.

“You were wrong about one thing though.”he reached into his pocket and pulled out the damaged brooch that was once attached to him. He tossed it on the ground at Elizabeth’s feet. “I would never willingly work for Mimlot.”

Elizabeth looked at him in confusion, her sword was still raised, she wasn’t buying his tactics. “This playing dumb thing that you’re doing got old very fast.”

“And if you think I’ll fall for it a second time, then you’re wrong.”

Axel sighed before unbuckling his sword attached to his back and throwing it on the ground in front of him. He kicked it toward Elizabeth and put his hands in the air. “If I wanted to do something I would’ve by now.”

Elizabeth’s eyes flicked from the discarded items and back to Axel. “I have no reason to betray the Order, or to even follow Mimlot.”

Hesitantly, Elizabeth reached for the brooch, never breaking eye contact with Axel. She examined it closely, and it was damaged terribly. The stone in the middle was scratched up and cracked, shards of it were missing as well. It glowed faintly before dying down.

“When we were fighting, that thing broke, and when it did it was like walking up from a dream.” Axel explained.

Elizabeth stared at Axel watching his face for any trace of a lie, but she found none.

“Everything that happened is a blur but it’s slowly coming back to me.” He continued.

Axel could see the uncertainty in Elizabeth’s eyes, he couldn’t blame her. He would feel the same if he was in her position. Axel kept his hands raised as he took a step toward Elizabeth.

“I didn’t say you can move!” Elizabeth spat sternly as she retook her defensive stance ready to strike.

“I know it’s hard to trust me. Not too long ago I was ordered to capture you and your friend but that was not me!” Axel pleaded.

“I am a Guardian. I was chosen to protect the Realms. Why would I want to hurt it?”

Silence fell over the two of them as she thought about what he said. Elizabeth tightened her grip on the brooch before pelting it on the ground and stabbing her sword through it. Axel’s eyes widened as he watched her pierce the brooch with her blade, shattering what was left of it and burying the tip of her sword in the soft dirt beneath them.

She glared up at him, her hazel eyes piercing through him,“If what you’re saying is true, then Mimlot is even more dangerous than we imagined.”

“Deep down something is telling me that I should trust you.” She began as she pulled her sword from out of the ground and placed it back in its sheath. “But just know.” She picked up his weapon from off the ground and walked it over to Axel before shoving it in his arms. “If I even suspect that you’re lying to me, I won’t hesitate to do to you what you did Katsumi.”

It was fuzzy to him, but he did remember parts of his duel with Katsumi. A wave of guilt washed over him as he thought about it leaving him to only nod in response to Elizabeth. As she let go of his sword, Axel felt the weight of it in his hands, it was heavy. A feeling he never associated with his weapon until now. The guilt of the damage he caused, had become embedded in what he considered an extension of himself. He tightened his grip on the sword before slinging it onto his back and securing it to himself again.

‘There’s no use in dwelling on it, the only thing I can do is make things right.’ He thought to himself.

“The Keeper and I set up camp a little bit away from here, we can talk more there.” Elizabeth turned on her heel and began walking, motioning for Axel to follow.

-

“Where is she?” Greyson yawned as he looked to the path Elizabeth walked down earlier in the night. It had gotten late and she’s been gone for a while. It was quiet, the only noise in the area was the crackling of the campfire and the wind sending a chill through the air. The cold nipped at his nose and the warmth of the fire was starting to lose its effect. If it wasn’t the silence that was killing him, the cold would take him out first.

Greyson wrapped his jacket around himself as he scooted closer to the dying fire in an attempt to capture more of its heat. He looked around in search of any remaining sticks he had collected earlier, when he realized he used them all.

Looking at the last of its flames die out, Greyson went into a panic. “No, no, no!”

As the darkness began to close in on him Greyson frantically fanned the flames in an attempt to revive them, but it did no good as the warmth was quickly replaced with intense cold. Greyson sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You know, I’ve been very calm about this.” Greyson laughed in disbelief.

“And with the day I’ve had, no normal person would be as calm as I am. I’ve been chased, yelled at, threatened- with and without words.” He began to complain. “Not to mention I’ve been pushed through portals, forced to walk up some magic mountain, and on top of that I’ve been called every name in the book by someone who, when I think I finally found middle ground with, just abandon deck, and I’ve taken it, like a champ.”

“But this, I draw the line at some dinky fire going out while I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere!” Greyson took a deep breath before he stood up. “Now I don’t care what it is, mana, magic, or anything in between, but this better be lit and not go out for the rest of the night.” He huffed as he crossed his arms and stared down at the burnt pile of sticks in front of him.

I can’t believe this.” He said with a chuckle in disbelief, before he opened his hand and took a deep breath. Within seconds a red light began to glow from his palm.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

It was small at first, but as he focused his gaze on his hand, it intensified, casting a warm glow around the area. He slowly crouched down to the level of the charred wood and covered it with his glowing hand. This better work, I’m not breaking my vow for nothing.” He grumbled.

Soon, the warmth from his hand slowly began to spread to the sticks and a faint wisp of smoke began to emerge. He took another deep breath and his palm glowed brighter until a small burst of orange came to life.

“Ouch!” He yelped in pain as he pulled his hand away from the heat. He looked down at his burnt hand and back up to the small fire he made.

“It worked….it worked!” A wide grin spread across his face as he watched the flames grow stronger. “ I haven’t done any magic madness in years and I still got it!” He said smugly.

“What happened to “I’m not a keeper anymore” Liar?” Elizabeth emerged from the underbrush nearby with a pile of sticks in her hand. “Does it only apply when it's convenient?” Elizabeth raised a brown at him as she looked at the new fire.

“Well freezing to death wasn’t exactly on my to-do list.” Greyson replied sarcastically.

“Besides, it was bound to happen sooner or later with all this Mimlot stuff going on.”

“Speaking of Mimlot,” Elizabeth began as she dumped the sticks into the fire and looked back at where she came from. Axel emerged from behind Elizabeth, as he did, Greyson’s eyes widened in shock.

“Guardian Beater!” He exclaimed.

“Axel.” Elizabeth corrected as she glared at Greyson.

“He's good, Mimlot was brainwashing him.” She reached into her pocket and tossed the only salvageable piece of the brooch to him. “Was this in your book?”

“What is this? What am I looking at?” He said as he caught it.

“Half of it broke when we fought back at Neburion’s and the other half….” Axel began.

“I crushed it.” Elizabeth interjected. “Even though he’s not controlled by it anymore, we don’t know if Mimlot can track us with it.”

Greyson sighed before he reached for his satchel and rummaged through it until he pulled out the book from earlier. Flipping through the pages, he stopped when he saw an illustration that matched the fragment left behind. He placed it on the drawing to see if it matched.

“Alright, the Siren’s Whisper.” He began to read aloud, Axel and Elizabeth gathered around him.

“Created by Vidia, Goddess of Magic to contain the voice of magic users who used their singing to lure people to their death. Only two were made, a brooch that controls whoever wears it, and another half that when worn can be used to control whoever wears the brooch. No one knows what it looks like as it was quickly confiscated and locked away by the goddess herself when the mortas began to abuse its power.”

“So if we have one half here.” Elizabeth began.

“A fourth of it here.” Greyson corrected, earning a glare from Elizabeth.

“Mimlot has the other.” Axel said. “If Vidia hid it away how did he get it?” He thought out loud.

“Yeah it’s strange. There’s not much information on it to begin with.” Greyson added as he flipped through more pages.

“That’s something we can figure out later. If one half is broken the other is useless, right?” Elizabeth reassured. “For now we have to focus on getting out of here and finding where Mimlot is hiding out.

Elizabeth took a seat by the fire. “Once we get there we can worry about the brooch and its whereabouts. Until then let’s rest up and get ready to leave for Youthaniss. I know you mortals need sleep more than we do.” She looked over at Greyson.

“So we’ll leave in the morning.” Axel and Greyson nodded in agreement as they settled in for the night.

As the night went on, Greyson dozed off to sleep, leaving Elizabeth and Axel awake. The fire crackled softly, casting a warm glow around camp. The two sat quietly watching the fire burn.

“Earlier…” Axel began, breaking the silence. “You said you wouldn’t hesitate to do to me what I did to Katsumi.” His voice was quiet and hesitant.

Taking her gaze away from the fire, she looked over at him. His eyes were filled with sadness and regret as he looked at her. “What did I do to her?” His voice shook as he asked.

“When you went to open Pryeford, Katsumi was there and she tried to stop you.” Elizabeth sighed as she turned to face him before continuing, “You two fought and…when she returned to the Spire she was hurt badly. Put out of commission.”

As she spoke, Axel’s eyes widened in shock. “I don’t….I don’t remember that.” Guilt filled him as he realized just how much damage he has actually done. “Before you left the Spire… how was she?”

“Still recovering, she wasn’t doing so well, Valeria healed her the best she could before she left to find you.”

“Valeria, she’s….” His voice trailed off. “Is she the one that was with Garrow and Yukio?” Elizabeth nodded in response.

“It’s still coming back to me but, I remember seeing them at Pryeford.” Axel looked away sadly. “Just before I went to Neburion, I captured them and brought them to Mimlot.” He clenched his fists, turning his knuckles white.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “Axel, do you remember where you took them?”

He closed his eyes in an attempt to recall the details. “No.” He shook his head. “Everything is coming back to me in fragments…. And the more I remember, the worse that I feel.”

“I hurt the people that were supposed to be my family….on top of that I caused this whole mess..”

“If I had paid more attention, that day at Pryeford this wouldn’t have happened.” Axel sighed as he pushed his bangs from out of his eyes.

“It’s not your fault.” Elizabeth reassured. “When we stop Mimlot we are going to fix all of this and everything will go back to the way it was.”

Elizabeth huffed in disappointment as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the map. “At least we have a map of where he could be hiding, hopefully he has them with him.”

Elizabeth had a worried look on her face as she returned her gaze back to the fire. “I just hope they’re okay.”

“We’ll find them.” Axel said reassuringly. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to help you stop Mimlot. It’s the least I can do after the mess I made.”

Elizabeth nodded at him in agreement as the peaceful silence fell over them again. The fire crackled softly as it chased away the cold mountain air. The remainder of the night passed slowly, the wild day had finally taken its toll on Elizabeth and Axel. Exhaustion had claimed Axel first, causing him to doze off, and eventually fall asleep, leaving Elizabeth wide awake. She looked to the sky, watching the stars twinkle overhead. As she gazed at them her feelings of uncertainty towards the future and her destiny washed away from her.

“It’s way prettier from down here.” She thought to herself. Watching the stars brought her back to her days on Earth when things were simpler. It had been a long time since she gazed at the stars from below. There was something comforting about it, a little escape from the chaos around her. Eventually sleep caught up to her, making her eyelids heavy with every blink. The stars began to blur and fade away as she drifted off to sleep.

Elizabeth awoke to find herself laying on a cot in a cold cell. As she slowly sat up she scanned the room, taking in the dimly lit atmosphere with its only light source being the narrow barred window that let in a sliver of light. The air was damp and thick, filling her nose with the smell of sick. Elizabeth moved to the bars that locked her in and lightly traced her fingers on them. They were thick, and rusted, making the metal leave residue on her fingertips. The space was tiny and suffocating yet familiar to her, she didn’t know from where.

As she tried to rack her brain for any connection to this place, she heard the creaking sound of a door opening. As she watched the door slowly open, her eyes widened at the person who entered. As she watched the man enter, a feeling of anger and hurt began to brew inside of her, that was when she knew exactly where she was. Elizabeth angrily turned away from the door as she heard the door shut.

“I don’t want to see you in my final hours.” She said coldly. Her voice trembled as she said it.

“Elizabeth, listen to me, I had no choice!” He said with desperation laced in his voice. His pleads fell on deaf ears as Elizabeth refused to face him. Silence fell over them until he began again.

“Now is not the time to be stubborn Elizabeth….just look at me, please…”

Elizabeth slowly turned to face the man standing before her, her father. She looked at him with the iciest glare her hazel eyes can make. Her stare pierced through his matching eyes. It was almost like looking in a mirror. She wore a frown identical to his, however hers was filled with more disappointment while his was filled with regret. The damp air became thicker with the tension between them and the blanket of silence cast over them. Her father shifted uncomfortably under her cold glower. He took off his glasses and ran a hand over his black graying hair.

“Elizabeth, I had no choice. The only reason I did it was because…” Elizabeth cut him off.

“No, you had a choice!” She snapped. “You had a choice and as always you chose Charlotte and Stepmother over me!” Tears welled in her eyes as she looked away from her father.

“You were the only one I thought was able to look past the ears and see me for me…..clearly I was wrong.”

His heart broke as we saw his daughter in tears. “Lizzy, you are no monster, this world just isn’t ready for you yet that’s all.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a bracelet. “There’s these people, called keepers, your mother was one of them but she wasn’t from our world. They made this for you to keep you safe and help you escape tomorrow.” He slid it in between the bars of her cell towards her feet.

“If it works, once the trial starts it should take you to where your mother is….where you’ll be safe.”

Elizabeth tuned him out as she reached down and picked the bracelet up. She examined it closely before turning to her father. “Magic? Keepers? Do you even hear yourself right now?!” She pelted the bracelet back at him.

“I’m about to be tried for witchcraft and you’re feeding me stories?!” She yelled in an outraged tone. Her voice echoed through the cell. “There is no such thing as keepers, and magic, and these realms you keep talking about!”

“Mother is dead! There’s no other world that she’s in and after tomorrow the only place I’ll be- if they even permit it-is next to her in the cemetery.” Elizabeth backed away from the bars and began to pace around.

“You need to leave.” She said coldly, not even sparing him a glance.

“Elizabeth…” his voice wavered.

“Leave!” She snapped, turning around to forcefully point at the door.

“Lizzy I know it sounds crazy but please, just trust me this once?” He pleaded with her for the last time.

Elizabeth turned her back to him, refusing to hear anything else he had to say. Silence filled the room, it was quite yet so loud as the tension around them thickened. With a deep sigh, Elizabeth’s father slid the bracelet to her again. “I know you don’t want to hear anything I have to say but, I love you Elizabeth. I never meant to hurt you.” He turned away and walked towards the door, he glanced back at Elizabeth one last time. “Wear the bracelet Elizabeth…please.” He said before exiting the room.

Elizabeth glowered down at the bracelet. She wiped the tears pooling in her eyes and reached down to pick it up again. She examined the gold bangle closely, lightly tracing over the iridescent jewels embedded in it. The longer she held it, warmth began to radiate from the bracelet. Eventually it became hot enough to burn her. Elizabeth winced in pain as she dropped it. When the bracelet hit the floor it, engulfed in flames. Elizabeth staggered back as she watched the fire quickly spread around the room. As the room filled with flames, a faint chanting began to surround her, the sound of “witch” and “monster” became louder as the fire got closer to her. Panic settle in Elizabeth as she had nowhere else to escape the flames.

“Elizabeth.” A muffled voice called out to her.