Twisting his head to look back at Elwin, Erlan couldn’t help but think this would be the last time. He wanted to turn around and run back. He said, “Should we-,” only to be cut short.

“This is war. We follow orders. He trusted you to keep the survivors under Pharom's command safe, or do you think you have a better chance than him facing a god?”

Shalendra never minced her words. As the former lead hunter in their clan before joining Elwin, he couldn’t refute her words, so he said, “I know. Penelo would kill me if I did something stupid enough to get me killed.”

Cailu chuckled and said, “With the undead running about, she may have to.”

“That’s enough, all of you. I'm going to report to General Aienik. The rest of you keep those shadow beasts off our flank,” said Alea, a stern glare leveled at her companions.

The warriors were grateful for the extra bodies filling the ranks for the fallen, but morale plummeted when they realized less than seventy out of two hundred returned. Between the hesitation and the shock on their faces, Erlan couldn’t help but notice.

Shalendra raised her weapon and said, “Don’t you dare give up now. If you jeopardize our formation because of cowardice, I will cut you down myself.”

Anger and determination flooded the warriors who heard her declaration, which fueled the strikes raining down on the undead. She nodded, turned to Erlan, and said, “Now it’s our turn.”

Taking point, Shalendra cut a path through the undead with Erlan and Cailu on either side in a triangle formation. Bellatala, the ace archer and survivor from Pharom's group, stood next to Alea in the back, offering ranged support. A bright flash caught his attention where he last saw Elwin, but he soon forgot about it.

Focused on what was in front of him, Erlan watched Shalendra cut an undead in half, grab its arm, and throw it at the nearby shadow beast, forcing it to swipe the mutilated corpse out of the air. She focused on the creature's arm, moved in, and cut it off at the elbow. Darting in, Erlan swung low as Cailu aimed for the head. Quick on her feet, Shalendra finished it with a thrust into their chest and a hard slice cleaving the head off.

That is when everything fell apart. The mental presence he felt from Elwin was there one moment and gone the next. That was the only warning Erlan received before everyone’s weapons dimmed. Silvertree’s blessing no longer had a conduit to flow through. That could only mean one thing.

Elwin lost.

Dead.

The undead became harder to kill and the attacks that used to pierce the veil of shadows no longer could. Communication from the chain of command fell apart next after losing their mental connection. Another gift that linked them to Elwin.

Faced against another shadow beast amidst a panicking army formation, Shalendra remained focused. Put on the defensive, she had to guess where to strike. This is when a second beast who sliced open two warriors to reach her position came for her. Closest to the beast, Cailu moved to intercept.

Sword knocked out of Cailu's grip; Erlan blinked in confusion.

His body collapsed to the ground, head rolling away, lost in the crowd of moving feet. He watched another friend die in front of him. Shalendra cried out, sword flailing back and forth between the two beasts. Erlan wanted to help but he was the only one keeping the undead off her back.

Knocked to the side, he could do nothing as the beast jumped on top and sliced open her chest. Saying sorry to Penelo in his thoughts, Erlan dove into the shadow beast. His last ditched effort gave her a few moments. Long enough for it to batter him away, claws digging into his shoulder.

The largest flash of light he had ever seen burst across the battlefield, transforming into a shower of light-infused rain. Both undead and shadow beast alike cried out in pain. Skin bubbling everywhere the rain touched. Everyone else stood there in amazement. Open wounds closed within moments. Shalendra stood up, hand placed over the fresh scars that ran across her chest.

Listen to me now. Take a piece of me and infuse it into your very being. Grasp the power you now wield and shatter the darkness with your light. Future generations will inherit your power and carry the mantle of responsibility to defend against the darkness.

Did Silvertree speak into his mind? What did they mean? Power? That made no sense to him. Focused on her hand, Shalendra laughed when a small flame erupted in her palm. It grew, becoming more unstable. Curious, he said, “Try throwing it.” Giggling, she did just that.

The closest shadow beast still writhing on the ground burst into flames after the spell hit it.

If she could control fire, what other possibilities were there?

...

At the same time Erlan had been rushing back with the survivors, Caeda still fought on the front lines. Vanima and her team dispatched the bone horror and faced a group of elves outfitted in black armor. Traitors who helped the dark god wipe out fellow elves.

She wanted to scream when the squad Darunia sent to assist fell, one after the other. Her only consolidation was the traitor's demise when the leader retreated. Caeda's confusion over Vanima's disappearance grew when her blades dimmed while Daruinia’s mental communication cut off mid-sentence.

No longer in a position to think about anyone else, Caeda fought for her life. The call went out to retreat and merge with General Flaryn. The rampaging shadow beasts decimated several squads amidst the flailing undead.

Twin swords deflecting undead clawing the air while dodging several shadow beasts. There wasn’t much else she could do.

“Sinaht, no!”

“Verrona, he's dead. Come back!”

Her words fell on dead ears. Two more under her command fell. That left Lordan, Respen, and Dirue, who still fought by her side after their squad leader died, saving them against a shadow beast. After they joined forces with Flaryn, a giant flash of light followed by light-infused rain shifted the flow of battle in the elves' favor.

When Silvertree sent his departing message, Caeda felt a bubble of energy grow till it burst in her chest. Feeling the desire to release it, she clenched her fist and yanked it up. Several spikes of dirt shot out of the ground, impaling the undead nearby.

They could do nothing but claw at the dirt and flail around helplessly.

Laughing, Caeda reveled in her new power.

…

Tarred fared little better than his daughter during the brief time between the flash of light near the left flank and the moment their lives changed.

Still reveling in the pride he felt for his daughter after Elwin spoke into his mind, Tarred focused on guiding those with bows toward the shadow beasts in his zone of influence. Far in the back, he had yet to draw his blade, but that wouldn’t last. When the warrior nearby didn’t react to his warning, when a shadow beast jumped them from the side, he panicked.

That's when he noticed the soft white glow that gave their weapons the boost they needed to fight the dark gods' forces had vanished.

Turning to the archers, he said, “Draw your blades. We fight for our lives. There’s nowhere to retreat.” Following his advice, Tarred prepared to do the same. His eyes passed over Darunia's force, who was in the process of retreating toward his position.

“Good luck, Caeda. If anyone can find a way out of this, it would be you. Everyone thought I was putting too much pressure on you because you were my daughter, but that was far from the truth. No one could ever tell you what to do. Least of all me.”

The undead trampled over the dead as they closed in on Tarred’s position. Mentally preparing for his last stand, Tarred bellowed a war cry and rushed into the gap the undead had made.

Without the blessing of the light, he knew he would need to exert more effort with each strike. The expert swordsman struck with precision and power, aiming to disable them long enough to finish the job. Hope twinkled in the back of his mind, but the shadow beast shattered it along with his sword arm when it jumped him and bit down on his arm.

Crying out in pain, Tarred used his free hand and jammed his fingers where he thought its eyes might be. The soft popping sound followed by a squelch as he slid deeper inside gave him a small modicum of satisfaction. When it cried out in pain, he yanked his arm out and a warrior behind him pulled him back. Clutching his mangled arm to his chest, he could only watch as others rushed in and tried to kill it.

After two of them had died, a bright light exploded over the battlefield, followed by a shower of wet light. All the shadow beasts let out howls of pain. The undead cried out louder than before, but other than that, they didn't react.

Tarred noticed his arm, which was the next miracle. Perfectly healed. Not only that, but everyone else received similar treatment. Hearing what he could only guess to be Silvertree speaking in his mind, a new well of power became known to him. He didn’t know how to wield this gift, so he looked up to the sky and wished he could summon a storm and strike down his foes.

He always enjoyed watching the thunderstorms during his childhood. When clouds appeared out of thin air building up directly over him, he said, “I wonder.” Focused on willing them to shift over to the undead hoard, they moved. Thrilled at the possibility, he felt compelled to raise his hand, clench his fist, and yank it down as he said, “Strike down my foes!”

Several lightning strikes blasted into the undead, the closest being the shadow beast who had nearly killed him. The force caused the warriors who were fighting it to be blasted back. Glaring up at him, one of them said, “You could have killed us. That was you right? Wait, how did you do that?”

Laughing, Tarred said, “You heard the voice in your head just now, right? We were all gifted with power. This is my gift. Feel the energy inside you and tap into it.”

It was going to be alright. They would survive this. There was no other option.

...

Forced to leave Elwin’s body behind with the few surviving wolves staying back to guard it, Vanima took her team and positioned them to cut off the enemy's escape back into town.

Have you all figured out what you can do with Silvertree’s gift?

Despite losing her eyes even after the light-tinted rain healed them, Saida looked at Vanima and said, “I can sense where everything is and feel like I can travel between the shadows like the shadow reaper. Some of the dark lord's power must have mutated when Silvertree gave his gift. Before any of you ask, no, I don’t feel that god's presence in my head.”

Fariane suddenly appeared behind Saida, who only turned her head to look behind casually, and said, “I appear to have a knack for appearing in a place I can see, but I don’t think I can go very far. Besides this cool trick, I can still use my eye to know what the enemy is about to do.”

Penelo held out her hand, a ball of air swirling in her palm. She lost control and sent it flying directly into her foot. Crying out in pain, she reached down to see the damage when a soft glow enveloped her hand. She could feel the pain vanish as if it had never happened. Confused, she said, “I guess I can mess with the wind and heal.”

That was…informative. Saida and Fariane will use their mobility to move about and eliminate anything that tries to reach town. Penelo, until you can use the wind without hurting yourself, try to focus on healing anyone who needs it. Asena, can you watch over Penelo?

Wolf!

You can count on me!

Vanima huffed and moved forward, closer to the back of the undead hoard. Elemental explosions erupted across the battlefield. Fire, ice, wind, and earth tore into the undead, along with lightning strikes from above. The attacks were uncoordinated and just as likely to hit a friend as a foe. Hopefully, Penelo wasn’t the only one capable of healing.

The undead never retreated. That left the shadow beasts that still held on to enough sense to know when it was best to regroup back in town. The only obstacles stopping them were three elves and two wolves. Vanima still had the power she received from Silvertree, but she could feel her body aging once more. When she ran out, there would be no more.

Wait a little bit longer, my love. I will join you soon.

Vanima moved forward as Fariane and Saida flanked her with weapons drawn. A few shadow beasts tried to run around, only to have two swords arcing through their necks after the two elves teleported behind them. Letting out an empowered howl, Vanima knocked down three beasts who charged at her.

Saida blinked in and out around them, striking the beasts down in a single blow. Nothing could hide in the shadows now that she could manipulate them.

A beast tried leaping over Vanima. Halfway to escaping, an invisible force cut it in half. Avoiding the mess the body made as it fell, Vanima looked behind her.

To her surprise, Penelo stood there, sword drawn as if she had just cut an arc through the air. Shrugging, she quickly said, “I had a tough time controlling the air in my hand, so I tried applying it to my blade like Silvertree’s blessing had. I figured it was worth a shot and tried imaging the blade reaching it when they jumped, and it worked.”

Good job. Try not to hit one of us.

The next wave of escaping shadow beasts was closing the distance, so they continued fighting. Saida and Fariane teleported from one to another while Vanima used her force growl to push them back. Penelo, who never moved from her spot next to Asena, cut any that survived the deadly trio.

Between the barrage of elemental attacks from the army decimating the remaining horde and Vanima's team blocking off the retreat, none of the horde outside the town walls survived. Though the cost of this minor victory was high, leaving the dark lord unchecked would have made it worse. That did little to comfort those who survived.

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Even Silvertree, an immortal being, was gone. A sacrifice for the rest of us. A chance at a better future. Knowing they deprived their immortal counterpart of the kill they so desperately sought after for several millennia. Killing his followers and any mortal body he inhabited would be our only option if we wanted to keep the darkness back.

At least for now.

...

When the dust had settled, and the survivors began gathering their fallen, Vanima guided her team to where the generals met. Saida carried Ievis in her arms. Penelo held Elwin’s body close to her chest. His fur was wet with new tears. Everyone who noticed stopped what they were doing to salute their fallen commander.

Generals Darn, Aienik, Flaryn, and Darunia stood together, lost in conversation when Vanima arrived. Noticing first, Darn raised his hand to silence the others. His expression hardened when he noticed Elwin.

Greetings generals. As you can see, I have taken over responsibility for this army. Any objections?

They did not offer any.

Good. Much has happened. While you all held off the bulk of the horde, the rest of us faced the dark lord and his most elite forces. Elwin fell to a new abomination while assisting Silvertree.

At this revelation, Vanima could see the fear in their eyes.

Be at peace. Silvertree destroyed it before they sacrificed themselves. The responsibility of defending this land and our people falls to the elves now. I will see this through to the end.

Flaryn coughed and said, “Dirra and Qildor sent scouts out to monitor the town until we are ready to move.”

“Cargwyn is organizing meals to help feed the survivors,” said General Aienik.

Darunia followed up and said, “I tasked one of my warriors who can heal using their new gift to find others like themselves to create a new unit responsible for taking care of our injured in the future.”

Good. You can handle all of that. I noticed some strong offensive abilities during the fight. So, I want you to find those who can destroy the town wall quickly to help with our assault. When the wall goes down, I will lead my team in to hunt down the god and his black knight. Pick our elite members under your command who can control their new power to go in with us to watch our backs.

Darunia placed a hand on Aienik’s shoulder and grinned. “We already thought of a way to take care of that wall. He can form giant mounds of dirt and harden them. I will use my fire to set them ablaze. Aienik has an officer who can grip it with an invisible force of some kind and hurl it at the wall.”

“That is correct,” said General Aienik. “I watched them catch a leaping shadow beast in the air, crush them, and hurl the corpse at another. It was a sight to see.”

“I have an officer who can call down lighting. He would be useful for attacking anyone on top of the wall. I believe you are familiar with him. Officer Tarred,” said General Flaryn.

Excellent. I need to talk with my team. Gather your forces and meet me near the wall when you are ready. Don’t take too long. It’s not over yet.

All four saluted and turned back to their discussion. Vanima noticed Tarred talking to Caeda. It warmed her heart to know they both survived. She then guided her companions toward the others who had followed Elwin.

Erlan stood up when he noticed Penelo, who crashed into his chest after placing Elwin's body on the ground. Shalendra saluted. Focused on preparing a meal, Alea only nodded briefly. Fariane walked over and sat down, whereas Saida just teleported and sat.

Tilting her head, Shalendra said, “Fancy trick. How do you see with your eyes,” waving her hands around her face, “like that?”

Looking directly at Shalendra, Saida said, “I don’t see like you do. Just perceive what is around me through my gift. My ears help me with the rest.”

Fariane looked over to where Cailu’s body lay, a piece of cloth covering his neck. Erlan noticed and said, “Shadow beast killed him. He stepped in to save Shalendra. If it weren’t for Silvertree’s sacrifice, both of us would be dead along with him.”

Bowing her head, Saida said, “Ievis saved me.”

She didn’t elaborate.

Rest up. We have a dark lord to take care of.

…

Sitting near where Elwin died, Vanima watched the select few chosen from the army for the final attack approach. Generals Aienik and Darunia led the procession with officers Tarred and Maiele, leaving Darn and Flaryn behind to watch over the rest. They would go after the dark lord if this failed.

Half a dozen teams of four marched behind them. Crowding the streets with warriors who had a loose grasp over the devastating power at their fingertips would only cause accidents. There was a suggestion they should use long-range attacks using their gifts to destroy the town. If this was anything but a god walking around in an elf body, she would have considered it. No. She had to guarantee this plague never left this town ever again. Even if it killed her.

Waving her over, Vanima nodded to Darunia and joined the small group for one last meeting.

Report general.

“Yes, commander.” Pointing at each in kind, Darunia introduced the six team leaders who were joining Vanima during the assault inside the town. She recognized Caeda, who was fighting on the front lines near her position when she faced the black knight.

“I have tasked our strongest close combat team, led by Caeda and Bellatala, the ace archer who survived the bone horror massacre on the left flank.” Each elf stepped forward in acknowledgment. “They will guard your backs as you clear a path and eventually face off against the dark lord.”

And the other four teams?

“They will focus on searching for anyone hiding, be they friend or foe, so you can focus on the mission.”

Good. You may begin. Dismissed.

Everyone saluted Vanima and moved into position.

Among friends once more, along with Caeda and Bellatala's team nearby, Vanima waited.

Dirt began forming in the air till they were the size of a full-grown bear. By the time they hardened, Aienik gave Darunia the signal to light it up so Maiele could grasp it with her invisible hand and throw the flaming rock into the wall. Slow at first, their teamwork and proficiency increased until a steady stream hammered against the town’s wall.

All the while, Tarred focused on forming thunderclouds over the wall. When he maxed out his ability to expand the unnatural storm, he raised his hand, clenched his fist, and yanked it down while he said, “Strike down my foes!”

Off to the side, Vanima heard Caeda.

“Father, you old fool. That was so lame.”

The lightning storm that thundered across the battlefield rained down death for what felt like an eternity. When Tarred collapsed, the storm fizzled out, leaving the clouds behind. The barrage from the two generals halted at the same time.

It’s time. Follow me.

Leading the charge, Vanima placed Saida and Fariane next to her, with Penelo and Asena in the middle. Shalendra, Erlan, and Alea guarded their rear. Caeda and Bellatala led their team close behind, with the other four teams further back. The outer perimeter lay in shambles. On closer inspection, shattered rocks from the barrage littered the ground with burn marks spread out from Tarred's lightning storm.

Alea, you mentioned how you can imbue your arrows with air. Think you can blast a path through the debris?

Already pulling out her bow, she turned to Bellatala and said, “Join me. If anyone can hit the same target as me with power and precision, it would be you.”

“With pleasure.”

Aiming at the center of the debris where the front gate should have been, they set their arrows, pulled back as they imbued them with air and the other fire, and let loose. The projectiles sunk into the same mound of dirt, sending a shockwave of fiery wind in all directions, leaving a path for them to enter.

I can’t promise everyone will make it out once we enter but know this. The only way the dark lord leaves is if you die, including me. Anyone looking for inspiration can ask the dead. I only care about the results.

Entering the town properly, Vanima ordered the support groups to spread along the wall. Piles of corpses everywhere. Evidence of being blasted by the onslaught that took down the wall, but not all.

Leaning down, Fariane said, “We aren’t alone.”

“Hiding among the dead,” said Saida as she unsheathed her weapon.

Listen up. The enemy are cowards who hide instead of facing up head-on. Watch our backs and show no mercy, for they will show you none in kind.

Shalendra moved up with Alea and said, “Can I?”

You may.

She watched Saida point out where the enemy hid, then turned to Alea and said, “Let's try out that attack we were discussing on the way here.”

“With pleasure,” was Alea's only response.

Tossing six arrows into the air, Alea used her gift to catch them and point each in a different direction. A feat of concentration. Flames coated Shalendra’s hands as she wove fire into the arrows floating in the air. She then concentrated until the heat turned the flames blue. A color that was never seen from a fire up till now.

Holding hands, they released the projectiles that exploded into each pile in the blink of an eye. Chunks of undead flew everywhere and the shadow beasts hidden under cried out in pain.

Move out. Bellatala, shoot anything that chases after us. Caeda, keep them safe.

A chorus of, “Yes, Commander,” trailed behind Vanima.

Any pretense of hiding abandoned, undead, and shadow beasts alike burst from abandoned buildings on all sides. Elemental explosions tore into the enemy before they could get close enough to do any damage.

Saida teamed up with Fariane to guide them through the winding streets, their gifts following a trail toward the dark lord. A concentration of shadows so dense it was visible to Saida and the origin that all tethers of dark energy connected to which were visible to Fariane’s eye.

Giant fists made of water punched anything that got too close to Penelo. Erlan’s sole focus was protecting the girl who chose him. No pushover herself, Penelo cut arcs of deadly air that bisected anything caught in its path. Shalendra and Alea stood on either side of the couple, firing off precise explosive missiles imbued with either fire or air with pinpoint accuracy.

A combination of fire and electric arrows protected their rear, along with an elf that shaped ice into daggers before throwing them and another who mimicked Penelo’s air strikes with their blade. They were free to wreak havoc because of Caeda and her team's protection. Earth spikes, balls of swirling water, wind that shoved enemies into each other, and one elf crazy enough to slam their hand into a shadow beast's head, causing it to burst into flames.

No longer the strongest, Vanima let her friends and fellow warriors do the heavy lifting. She would save her strength for the dark lord. A presence felt coming from inside the largest structure nestled in the back of town.

A row of bone horrors stood guard with a brand-new shadow reaper among them.

Spread out. Support groups keep our backs safe. Everyone else, let’s end this.

Appearing next to Saida, Fariane said, “With me, we are the only two who can keep up with a shadow reaper.”

Grim-faced, she said, “Agreed.”

In a voice that could only be Feno, the black knight, the Shadow reaper stood up on its hind legs and said, “I have failed my master for the last time. He gave me this new body and ordered me to end your lives so that I may redeem myself.”

Roaring in pain, Feno leaped into the air, sending Fariane and Saida flying, swords bloody from piercing the dark knight. Shalendra and Alea targeted the bone horrors along with Penelo, who bounced between healing and sending windblade attacks, all the while protected by Erlan who smashed anything who got close.

Again, Vanima only watched. Not yet her time to act.

She instead focused on the fight between Feno, Saida, and Fariane. In tune with the shadows, Saida teleported along with Feno. Never wasting a moment between attacks. Leaning into her ability to see the near future, Fariane stopped every surprise strike each time Feno transformed his limbs into bone swords aimed at her and Saida. How she deflected the powerful strikes without losing a limb astounded Vanima.

One after another, the bone horrors fell. Speed and deadly force crushed under the elemental might of her companions.

I have a plan.

After listening to Vanima, everyone got into position.

Teleporting to a specific spot, Saida lured Feno into attacking her. Erlan used his water fist to smash into the knight's face when they appeared. Slamming into the building behind him, Shalendra and Alea let loose their enlarged fire missile, piercing the knight's chest before they could teleport.

“No!”

Fariane appeared a moment before Feno, taking the bone sword thrust in the gut as she shoved Saida aside. The elf vanished into a shadow and drove her sword into Feno’s neck, twisted her blade, and shoved it up into his skull.

Fariane slid off the bone limb. Penelo rushed to her side to heal. Erlan gripped the mutated knight with his water hand and tossed him. Still visibly angry, Saida teleported and continued to strike at the knight, who refused to die.

Shalendra ran over, a blue flame building in her hand. Shoving her hand into Feno’s chest where her last projectile entered, she let her gift explode. Screaming in pain, the valiant warrior fell back. A stump was all that remained. The explosion took her hand.

The elf who turned traitor and became a knight, then a mutated beast, died. Chest exploding from the inside, his god cut off his lifeline to the power fueling his gifts. Unable to heal, Feno could do nothing.

“Master. Why?”

Despite the heavy loss of blood, Fariane stood next to Saida. Alea fussed over an annoyed Shalendra, who stared at the stump where her hand used to be. They didn’t come out unscathed, but everyone survived. This proved Silvertree didn’t make the wrong choice. They could do this.

This is it, my friends. The dark lord awaits. Let’s not keep a god waiting.

Vanima urged her companions toward the large, closed double doors and for Saida and Bellatala to keep any reinforcements from interfering. Not wanting to risk an ambush, Erlan poured his energy into one powerful water fist and smashed it into the center, shattering the wood.

Teleporting in time to shove the young elf out of the way, Saida said, “Get down!” Reacting before Saida moved, Fariane appeared, sword drawn in the process of slashing up at an angle deflecting the ball of dark energy that emerged from the darkness within.

Mouth agape at the sight before her. Vanima's shock turned into outrage.

How dare you take his form!

No longer satisfied with the mortal body he stole; the dark lord mutated it until it became a perfect mirror image of Elwin. Even the part of his ear he lost during his last fight.

Holding on to his ability to speak, the dark lord lifted his paw, licked it, and said, “Who better to kill you than your lover?”

Shouting with rage, Saida teleported behind the dark lord, who vanished, causing her to lose her balance. Once again Fariane was there deflecting the bone sword aimed at Saida's back.

And thus, the fight had begun.

Tossed to the ground from the force she had to parry, Fariane couldn’t stop the dark lord from tapping into the mutated portion of his power inside Saida and thrust his will on her. Instead of getting up, Fariane just laughed, which caught the god off guard.

Gripping her sword, Saida spat out blood with gritted teeth, and said, “Get out of my head! You aren’t welcome.”

And just like that, the newly minted shadow user vanished, sword sinking into the dark lord's side. As he struggled to connect with his shadow, his ability to teleport became delayed. Rejoining her sister-in-arms, Fariane continued being Saida’s shield.

Huddled between the fight against the dark lord and the two support groups fending off the undead and shadow beats trying to reach them, was Penelo, who stood by to heal anyone she could with Erlan and Asena by her side. Preoccupied with the shadow beasts leaping out of the building, Alea and Shalendra used ranged attacks pelting them with balls of fire and air.

Trapped in the moment, stuck in the middle of the chaos occurring all around her, Vanima hesitated. A wall of shadows split the party in half, leaving the dark lord alone with Alea, Shalendra, Vanima, and Saida, who used the same shadow to teleport.

The few precious moments Saida could give allowed Shalendra and Alea to put everything they had into combining their abilities. It did not go unnoticed.

Appearing behind them, they leaped to the side as they let their gift release point blank. Interfering with his shadow, Saida had to watch her friends vanish within. A vortex of fire whipping around. Shadows blasted outward, dispersing the flames, leaving a furless, heavily burned-up god masquerading as Elwin standing over two charred corpses. Another death and sacrifice to defeat the dark lord.

No longer separated by the wall of shadows, Fariane returned to the fight with Saida.

This ends now.

All eyes fell on Vanima, who glowed brightly, eyes locked on her lover's face, wishing the dark lord had chosen any face but his. Moving fast enough that the muscles in her legs tore. Bones cracking under the pressure. Pain meant nothing to the rage she felt.

“Saida, hold him there!”

As Fariane shouted and stabbed her sword down into the dark lord's paw, a blast of shadows tossed her to the side. Doing her part, Saida thrust her blade into the ground where the shadows pooled. Laughing as she too flew backward from the grotesque dark lord still recovering from the last attack.

Teeth clamping down on the god's throat, Vanima whipped her body around, using the speed she accumulated to rip the Elwin imposter's neck out. Unable to move, she could only growl, blood dripping from her mouth.

Drawing her sword, Penelo slashed the air several times, cutting deep gouges in the dark lord's fur. Following her lead, Erlan used his water fist to grab the God’s head before he could finish healing and squeezed.

A barrage of elemental attacks crashed into the dark lord from Bellatala and her group. Vanima could only watch next to Penelo, who started working on her legs. Saida and Fariane stood guard nearby, leaving the fight to the ranged group. When the heavily injured god appeared in front of Bellatala, he tried to use the failing mortal body to roar.

“Not so fast!”

Earthen spikes sprung from the ground impaling the dark lord, ending the shadow blast resulting in an explosion that left little behind.

The only parting words left by the dark god spoken in everyone’s mind.

This isn’t the last you will see of me. I shall return after all of you are dead and forgotten. Then I shall have my revenge.

Wishing she could abandon everyone and take Elwin back to the forest, their home, but knew there would be time for that later.

Fariane, find the generals outside and tell them the news. Saida, I need you to lead those who can still fight to finish clearing out the town.

“Is it over? Did we do it?”

Erlan placed his hand on Penelo’s shoulder, pulled her in, and said, “Yes, it's over. We can go home and tell our people they don’t have to fear any longer.”

Laying down, feeling the weight of her true age pressing down on her, Vanima stopped responding when the two young elves engaged with her. Asena sat next to her in silence. Time passed for the weary elf inside a wolf’s body.

Saida appeared before her, hand sifting through her fur in a soothing motion. Leaning down, she said, “It's done.” The new leader of the Shadow Breakers joined Saida's side, bent down, and lifted Vanima in her arms. When she didn’t resist being handled, Fariane looked at the others and said, “Move out. There is nothing left for us here.”