“Now, you’re facing me in this game, so I won’t expect you to win,” Korgron said once she finished her chant. The fire had now turned a dark blue. “But I will expect you to make it at least interesting if you really are what you say you are.”

“Of course,” Joan said, her stomach doing another nervous little flip.

“Good. This game is easy enough, we’ll fight as mages. Our capabilities against each other,” Korgron said.

“You’re kidding, right?” Joan asked, struggling to suppress letting out a groan. “You’re the world’s most powerful mage, second only to the chosen in their specific fields of expertise and, sometimes, even above them. There’s no possible way I can have even a fraction of that power. Especially now that you have the crown.”

Korgron nodded. “Obviously not, that’s why it won’t be a test of power. Your story is that you have lifetimes of experience, correct? So that is all that will matter. Now, stare into the fire.”

Joan nodded before looking into the fire. She already had a bad feeling about--

------

Joan was standing in the middle of a strange, purple void. The ground was solid and unmoving, though it made no sound when she tapped it.

Korgron stood a few feet from her, a smug grin on her lips. “Now then, as you can see we aren’t--”

“We’re in the Dream Realm,” Joan said before looking around. “Interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen you use fire as a focus for it before, I wish you’d said this was how you’d do it. You’ve always done it through physical touch, usually hand holding. There was that one time you made that potion, though.”

“Uhhhhh…” Korgron said, the smile vanishing from her face. “You’ve been here before?”

“Yeah, plenty of times,” Joan said before holding out her right hand. It wasn’t truly a realm, just being the term they’d used for it. It had been, as far as she knew, a unique ability of Korgron’s or possibly the crown itself. While six of the weapons were gifted from gods of elements, fire, water, earth, wind, darkness and light, the crown was different. The seventh was gifted by the gods of will, mind, or as they were often called, dreams. So the Dream Realm was the most suitable name they could use for this locale.

“Well, then,” Korgron said before clearing her throat and giving another smug smirk. “If you are familiar with it, I’ll only have to give you a few minutes to acclimate yourself to fighting here. You’ll find you’re no longer limited by your physical body, just your mind. Take your time, I’ll wait.”

Joan nodded before she gave a quick, soft incantation and then five shards of ice as large as her arm formed in the air before flying forward. She didn’t feel even a portion of the drain she normally felt, though the spell was far stronger than one she could have done in the real world.

Then again, this realm wasn’t real, it was more akin to letting one’s mind wander. Coming here in this manner was something only an incredibly powerful mage like Korgron could ever hope to achieve, even when she was the Hero she didn’t think she’d ever managed to do it. Though she supposed she’d never really tried that hard. Korgron had almost always been there to do it for them.

A frown formed on her lips and she wondered if she had ever thanked Korgron for it. “Thank you,” Joan said.

“For what?” Korgron asked.

“Everything,” Joan said.

The demon let out another soft laugh. “Does that mean you’re ready? If those pathetic pieces of ice are the best you can do, you’d best give up now.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Joan said shaking her head and stretching out a little bit. She then reached down to her hip and, sure enough, her swords were there. She stared to draw her demon blade, only to pause. No. Here she could be the Hero again. It was only right she use a proper weapon. She pushed the blade back into its sheath and then gripped the hilt of the sword Searle had given her.

When she pulled it from its sheath, rather than the rather nice, well made blade it had been before, instead it was a shimmering silver blade, with a gem studded hilt and an edge that could have cut the wind itself. The Star.

“Swanfall,” Joan cast once. The blade glowed with a blue light before she swung it. From the blade ice erupted and crashed into the ground, striking it only to continue along the floor in a wave of frozen destruction, coating the area ahead of her in ice. “Oh, that felt good.”

“Uhhhhh…” Korgron said.

Joan held out her left hand then. She couldn’t help it. There was one spell she knew that, in many cases, she would never be able to cast again. Even as the Hero it had exhausted her to the point of near collapse in all but a few situations. A final trump card that had become a personal favorite finisher for her in some of her lives, that Chase had taught her. But now? She quickly did the mental calculations, weaving the arcane symbols in her mind. Two simple words was all it would take.

“Ice age,” Joan said, the familiar words almost rolling off her tongue. The heavens themselves roared for a moment before the sky was filled with millions of shards of ice, each many times her own size. Each one controlled by her will. She then flicked her wrist and the shards flew forward through the air, each directed with all the control and finesse of the world’s greatest archer, with the power and force of the world’s most powerful catapult.

The spell that she had used on multiple occasions to wipe out entire armies of the Demon Lord and the Inferno God.

The shards crashed across the ground, making it rumble and shake beneath their feet, sending shards of ice the size of boulders flying through the air. Within a few moments it was all over and quiet reigned. Even as the Hero that spell had been so exhausting she’d sometimes had to rest for hours after. But here, such things were more than possible. She turned towards Korgron. “Okay, I’m ready. Are you?”

Korgron wasn’t moving, her mouth hung open, her tail limp on the ground and, oddly, the color gone from her face.

“Korgron?” Joan asked again.

The demon finally seemed to snap out of it, her eyes quickly looking between the ice and Joan. She finally cleared her throat. “Well, I suppose that was a, err, little bit impressive.”

“Really?” Joan asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. “You thought so? You thought it was cool?”

“Was that a pun?” Korgron asked.

“Err, sorry,” Joan said. “Not intentional.”

“But if you think a… small thing like that will be enough to impress me, you’re mistaken. Something like that is hardly worthy of me,” Korgron said.

“Oh, I know,” Joan said. “That spell was always more impressive when you cast it, if I can be entirely honest.”

“When I cast it?” Korgron asked.

“Yeah. Or Chase. Oh, Chase’s was amazing. Then there was the next stage of it that Chase used. He could have frozen a god with that power. Though the time requirements to cast it ended up making it impossible for him to ever actually use unless we held everything off long enough. Ice age was really the best we could be expected to do on short notice,” Joan said. “Whenever you’re ready, I think I’m good now.”

Korgron nodded and, to Joan’s surprise, the demon looked nervous. She was certain she was imagining it though. There was no way Korgron could be nervous facing her. As impressive as that spell had been, she knew the demon was capable of far grander displays.

Korgron held out her right hand and began an incantation. Joan frowned, cocking an eye at the display. The spell the demon was intending to use was a light spell, but not a very impressive one. The fact the demon was casting the incantation and making the arcane gestures at all for something so weak was bewildering.

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Joan grinned then and held out her left hand, the palm out and preparing a counterspell. It had to be a trick, something to make her let her guard down. Distract her with a big, splashy spell and then hit her with something when she wasn’t prepared.

Korgron finished the spell and with a thrust of her palm, the air in front of her was torn asunder, beams of piercing light shooting straight at Joan.

Joan flicked her hand to the right, a reflective barrier appearing in front of her, scattering the beams in all directions. She quickly readied herself again, looking left and right for the follow up attack. Unfortunately, Korgron was just standing there. “Well?” Joan asked.

The demon’s eyes narrowed. “It seems I underestimated you. Now that I’m sure you’re ready, I’ll stop holding back.”

“I know,” Joan said.

Korgron started casting her incantation again. Another weaker spell? Once more Joan was able to deflect it with ease, this time bolts of lightning.

“I thought you said you were going to stop holding back?” Joan asked.

“Don’t you dare taunt me, human!” Korgron yelled.

“What?” Joan asked, her eyes going wide. She didn’t understand, why was Korgron getting angry?

Once more the demon sent another spell at her, only for Joan to deflect it with ease. Lightning, ice, wind, earth, it didn’t matter what the demon used. Sure, by the standards of normal people they were incredibly strong and could have wiped out many of the strongest mages.

But this was Korgron. The world’s most powerful archmage and empowered even further by the crown. Why in the world was she holding back so much? Joan started to feel annoyance blossoming inside her. It felt like a lifetime since the two of them had done anything like this, yet now the demon was just toying with her.

Fine. If Korgron wanted to play that way, she’d play her game. She’d make the demon go harder. She lowered her left hand when Korgron readied another blast. Instead of focusing on a counterspell, she focused on one of the more complex spells she knew.

Teleportation. Korgron’s own talent.

Korgron sent a flurry of ice, lightning, fire and rock at her, only for her to utter the small incantation. She disappeared and reappeared directly in front of the demon a moment later, the smug look on the demon’s face changing to one of surprise. Joan held her sword firmly in both hands. “God strike.”

A golden glow formed over her blade and she swung it once at her. True to her expectations, Korgron held out both her hands and a magical barrier formed between the two.

Except the barrier was cleaved through with ease and, with it, Korgron.

Joan’s eyes went wide when the demon stumbled back, her hands moving down to her waist, where the blade had cleaved her in half. There was no wound, though, but the demon looked every bit as surprised as she did.

It finally hit Joan like a wall of stone.

Korgron wasn’t holding back.

This was all Korgron was capable of.

She’d met Korgron, the first time, years in the future. Korgron had been older, more mature and, most importantly, had far more finesse. For all the power she had, she’d often lacked the finesse others could have, as her innate power and the crown allowed her to, more or less, brutally force her way through everything.

This Korgron was still young and untrained, still likely more powerful than most mages could ever dream of being, yet nowhere near as talented or as powerful as she would one day become.

“Korgron, I’m sorry, I--” Joan said.

“DON’T YOU DARE MOCK ME!” Korgron yelled. She held out both hands, gathering her magical power and quickly casting her incantations. “You believe you can match me, human? You believe you’re a better mage than I? You think you can look down on me?”

Joan shook her head. “Wait, no, that isn’t what I--”

She didn’t get a chance to finish before the demon began to, for lack of a better word, hurl her magic at her. Bolts of lightning, shards of ice, blocks of stone larger than her, all pelted Joan with wanton disregard of the environment. She cast them aside with ease, careful to deflect them away and keep an eye out for any more tricks.

As powerful as Korgron was, this raw power was only a fraction of what she would one day be capable of and it was far too easy for her to knock it aside. She didn’t know how long it took before it was over, but eventually the blasts of magic ceased and Korgron was standing there, her face a mask of fury.

“Korgron, please,” Joan said, pleading with her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you were still, I mean, I--”

“Weak?” Korgron asked. “Very well. Then deal with this.” She held up her right hand once more. “Don’t think I’ve failed to notice how you favor ice and water magic. I’ve been trying to be nice, not striking at your weakness. But if you’re going to look down on me in such a way, no longer.”

Fire erupted from the demon’s hands. Joan slashed her sword once, the blade cutting through the flame. Except the instead parted around her, encircling her.

Enveloping her.

Fire on all sides.

------

The Hero pounded on the door, desperately trying to get it to open, but it was no use. Even if he struck it with all of his might, even the Star hitting it, wasn’t enough. It had been sealed by the seven gods. It required all seven of the chosen to open.

But four of them were back there, buying the four of them time. He should have waited back there. He should have. Behind them, though, the fire burned, closing in on them. The avatar of the Inferno God fighting his friends while he and the remaining three chosen were trapped here. Helpless and go forward, helpless to go back.

Destined to fail.

------

“Did… we… buy you… enough time?” Hardwin asked, the burns across his body so severe that even as a chosen he couldn’t hope to survive. Neia’s magic was helpless against the terrible wounds caused by the Avatar.

“I guess you were right, I… really wasn’t strong enough…” Searle said softly, his shield charred and covered in ash.

“Sorry, Hero,” Chase said before coughing up a bit of ash, the shapeshifter’s body oozing a strange, green substance when it tried to reform. “No… tricks this time…”

“Guess… I couldn’t… just take it lying down,” Andreas said, despite the exhausted look on his face, he looked almost peaceful when he finally left.

“You’ll… at least… mourn me, won’t you? Hero?” Neia asked, her once radiant features so charred and disfigured that she was unrecognizable. “I’d… like someone… to…”

“I… really… should have charged you for this…” Thalgren said, giving a good natured grin to her, though making it was obviously painful judging by the way he cringed.

“I’m… happy,” Korgron said, face and even her eyes little more than charred husks. “Even… if I failed… at least… we saved the world… together…”

“No,” Joan said softly, crumbling to her knees, the fires burning around her. She wrapped her arms around herself, her entire body shaking. “Please no. Please please no,” she pleaded, desperately not trying to remember. The smell of burned flesh. The taste of ash in the air. Looking at the bodies of her friends and watching the life pass from them.

Even now, knowing that most of them would be corrupted by the Demon Lord and betray her did little to give her any comfort. Because she had failed all of them so long before. They had given their lives for her, for the world. And she had failed.

She had pushed on, she had let them hold the line. She had let them delay the monsters and demons. So when they came to the final door, the door only all seven of the chosen together could open, it had been impossible to open.

They had failed.

All of their lives cast aside, lost for nothing. Wasted by her mistakes. Dying believing they had saved the world, never knowing that they had all failed.

Joan threw her head back and screamed. She screamed in fury. In hatred. In pain. In sadness. She screamed because she could scream and there were no words for how she felt. There was nothing but remembrance, but suffering, but misery. Nothing but a future she couldn’t allow to come again.

The fires didn’t die, they only seemed to close in on her, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care if she burned, not anymore. She couldn’t lose them again. She couldn’t fail them again. She couldn’t. She…

“What is this?” Korgron asked.

Joan blinked and looked back. Standing amongst the flames, the bodies, the destruction, was Korgron. The rage was no longer on her face, instead there was confusion and sadness.

“I…” Joan said, but couldn’t finish what she was going to say. What could she possible say? What could she ever say to make any of this okay? To make up for what she had done? “I’m sorry.”

Korgron looked around for another moment before she snapped her fingers. Just like that, it was all gone. The fire, the bodies, all of it. The nightmare disappearing at the whims of the ruler of dreams. The demon walked to her and knelt down. “Joan, what was--”

Joan couldn’t stop herself. She tackled the demon, hugging her as tight as she could. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I failed. I failed and I failed and I failed and everyone else paid the price. Over and over and over. I failed and I killed all of you and I watched it all fall apart and I damned the world and everyone. You all gave me every chance, you supported me, you helped me, you fought by me and I failed you over and over,” Joan said, the tears flowing down her face in steady flows now. She gripped the demon’s tunic as tight as she could, afraid of what would happen if she let go. “Please don’t go. Don’t die again. Please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll do better this time. I’ll be worthy. I’ll be better. I don’t care what happens to me. Just please… please. Please don’t leave me again. Please.”

Korgron was silent for a long, long while after that. However, very slowly she reached down and hugged her back. “It’s okay, little hero. Everything is going to be okay now. I promise. None of us will die. We’ll save this world together.”

Joan nodded, a small smile forming on her lips despite the tears. No more mistakes. No more errors. No more failures.

They would save the world. All of them, together.