There it is! It had put too much weight on its injured leg, making its balance shaky. Kael feinted an overhead swing, making the Thrizon awkwardly dodge to the side, giving him enough time to turn and sprint towards Jason. As he closed the distance, he saw that the chance had come not a moment too soon. Jason was almost there, just a step or two away from the ice wall that sheltered the ice mage. Doubling his effort, Kael put his all into the sprint. Jason was just about to step past the barrier when Kael arrived. Using what was left of his magic and endurance, he swung.

A snap and a crack later, it was done. Kael could hear the ugly thump followed by a wet crunching, snapping noise when the long piece of metal he was wielding smashed into the side of Jason's head. Like a limp doll, Jason's head snapped to the side, quickly followed by his body, before his body crashed sideways into the concrete. There was blood, Kael was sure, but dealing with the consequences of what he had just done would have to wait for later. Right now, there was a second monster to fight. He turned around, trying to spot his foe. "Where are yo... Uargh!" Pain like nothing he had ever felt before slammed into his brain from his chest. He buckled over, coughing and wheezing in the process. Ah, more blood, he thought detachedly, looking at the ground. Then his eyes wandered to the spot he felt the pain coming from. He gasped or tried to at least.

Kael's brain refused to accept the information his eyes were transmitting. The immense pain and his exhausted and malnourished body kept him delirious and lightheaded. He had to be hallucinating. A hand doesn't come out of the chest, right? Wasn't that what arms are for? More pain, if that was even possible, pounded through his body in tandem with a spurt of blood that escaped his chest as the hand withdrew. Suddenly free, his body sank down onto his knees, his legs unable to support his weight any longer. Quickly he slipped backward, not even noticing when his head hit the ground. Now, on his back, a thought came to him. Ah! The Thrizon! There, hunching over him, was the monster that he had been meaning to find, licking his bloody hand while its empty, white eyes looked down at him. Despite his injuries, a shudder went through his body when he saw the beast licking Kael's blood off of its arm. I am going to die. This is where it ends, huh. The realization that he would soon cease to exist somehow helped him calm down a bit. Sounds were coming from all around him. Dulled by his mind, deemed too unimportant to worry about. Ah! Right, how is that girl doing?

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It took an incredible amount of effort for him to turn his head. His endurance was rewarded with an equally fantastical display of magic and fighting prowess. She had, apparently, made good use of the chance Kael gave her. Kael watched as she entwined one spell into another, producing a deadly display of magic. All the while dodging the Thrizon's return attacks with ease. It reminded him of something, but what? Just now, right as it was about to reach her, a sharp spike of ice grew out of the ground rapidly and making the monster impale itself in its attempt to hurt her. When it wanted to pull its body free, it lost its grip when a thin sheet of ice suddenly shimmered into existence below its feet and arms. She used the same trick to quickly get out of the way, gliding over the ice as if she had skates on. Kael had trouble focusing and missed parts of their fight. His vision was slowly dimming. Despite the alluring alternative of simply giving up and accepting his death, Kael clung to life. Not because he thought he would ultimately survive but because he wanted to see the Thrizon dead.

Like Kael, the Thrizon was losing energy, and its actions became sluggish. One unlucky stumble later, its head hit the floor. A second later, its body did the same. Nice! He cheered silently. Finally, it is done, and I can rest. In the last moments before his vision went black, he saw the girl running towards him. She was screaming and crying as she came to a halt next to him. He tried to smile, to reassure her that this was fine. That for all of his failures he was happy to have accomplished something, for the first time in his life, worthwhile. His body became cold, death was coming. His thoughts turned to Lucy as his vision went dark. Maybe, this is for the best. She has a new home, a new life, better to let the bad memories die with me and let her be in peace. Hopefully, this would not cause more trouble for Barbara, he thought. She had already done so much for him, and how had he repaid her? His last few moments were spent thinking about Martin and Andera, the only two people he had the privilege to call friends left in this world. I am happy that I met you two. Thank you.