Author's note

I couldn't find a place to split the chapter - so the final chapter will be a 5279 words monster.

This is the final chapter. Remember to criticize the heck out of me - You will gain nothing from not doing this, but at the very least you'll have a shot at reading better novels in the future if you hit me up with every single point you felt was odd, bad or plain horrible. I'm not soft skinned, give me all you've got so I can rewrite this into an actually good piece of fiction.

Oh, and I'm perfectly aware I butchered "Show don't tell" and grammar, thought you are still extremely welcome to tell me this once more, if you feel like it!

That's it. Enjoy the final chapter, it's been fun having you all along.

Word count

This chapter: 5279

Total: 50351

NaNoWriMo target for NaNoWriMo: 50000 words ✓

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The wind whipped by the broom as they shot through the air, passing over the city and beyond the forest. “Where are we headed?” Aitken yelled.

“Huh?” Melusina responded.

“I said: Where are we headed?” He repeated, slower and louder than before.

“To the swarmp beyond hope” she yelled back.

Indeed, after a while of flying, a dense forest appeared in the distance - the leaves were as dark as a moonless midnight, the faint sun was completely blocked out, and the vast area was flooded by dark-green water. The trees crooked and twisted around, appearing like their only wish would be to snatch up and consume any who venture close to them.

“We will have to go by foot, I can’t land through the trees” Melusina yelled as she turned the broom downwards.

They landed at what seemed an artificial entrance to the swamp - tree had been cleared and a wide wooden bridge had been raised. Far in the distance a town of sorts could be seen. The town was placed on top of the watery swamp, with several large wooden stakes holding each and every house a man’s height above the water. The crude wooden houses had already sunk in several places, making the houses look like they were about to fall into the swamp, forever lost to time.

“So this bridge, where ten men could stand shoulder to shoulder, is going to be the place of our final battle? Shouldn’t we have picked somewhere… more tactically advantageous?” Aikten asked.

Rosedriah smiled. “This is home. Can’t you feel it, in the air?”

Aitken took a deep breath. “N-... Wait, magic? Lots of it.”

“Indeed” Melusina said. “There’s a reason this swamp is the birthplace of most witches. The magic is strong here, we will take on the paladins with our full force, risking our very existence…”

“And after the massacre, they will be cocky enough come.” Rosedriah chirped in.

Aitken looked at the trees next to the path, men and women, witches, acolytes and demons were working together. “Faster! They will be here soon, we have no time to waste.” Glinda yelled.

“Glinda, I got the last two. How can we help?” Melusina yelled.

Glinda eyed the three up and down. “Hop on your broom and help us out. The other two of you can go to the white witch in town, she will fix you up before fighting. You look like you need that and we will need every ounce of your strength.”

Aitken nodded and headed for town with Rosedriah. On the way to town Cepath and Flasor were moving logs.

“What’s that for?” Aitken asked.

“Aitken? You look pretty battered… Broken tail? How’re you going to fight like that?” Flasor asked.

“I have no choice… But there’s a white witch that may be able to fix me up.” He shrugged.

“if not, then let’s just hope the traps will do the fighting for us. Glinda is thorough with the preparations.” Flasor said.

“That sounds a bit optimistic” Cepath replied.

“Well, they’ve got a lot of fighters, I sure wouldn’t want to fight all of them without a few tricks up our sleeve.” Flasor said.

“Right, so let’s get them their logs so they can make those tricks.” Cepath said as he walked down the wooden bridge.

Aitken looked at Rosedriah. “We should get going too.”

“Welcome. Let’s get that tail fixed, shall we?” A hunched and wrinkled woman said. She had a large nose and warts in her face, her cane tapped multiple times as her tiny steps led her over to Aitken.

“Uhm… Well, can you fix it?”

She pulled up the tail. “Hmm I see the problem… No, there’s… and there… “ She moved her hand over the tail, feeling the bones.

“Hmmm.. Missing fingers, missing part of tail - which is also damaged in most of the joints… Missing part of the wing, cut horn… Well, at least your toes are still intact.”

“So what can you do?”

“I could fix it, but it’ll take a while… Quite a while.”

“We have maybe a day.”

“Hmmmm.. I’ll try to do it, we need all the manpower we can get. Here, drink this, this and this… I’ll rub this on there, then I’ll throw spells and put this and this seal on there.” She found several huge flasks, each containing liquid equivalent to an entire jug, as well as several gems, stones, papers and salves.

“I’ll try my best, your limbs should be recovered tomorrow.”

“You can do that?” Aitken said, frowning. “Well, I can… Today. There’s a small sacrifice I’ll have to make, otherwise the magic won’t be strong enough… It’s of no consequence to you, however.”

She started her complicated rituals, application of salve, chanting and generally putting gems, stones and other effects on Aitken.

In between two rituals the white witch looks at Rosedriah. “You can stay the night, in the bed right over there.” she pointed at a bed only separated from Aitken’s by a table.

After several more hours of chanting and rituals, the white witch walked off. “It’s done. I’m out of magic for now. We will wait and see till tomorrow if it worked.”

Rosedriah and Aitken stared at each other for a moment in silence. “You think we have a chance tomorrow?” Rosedriah asked.

“Yes, with all the preparations they’re doing, it has to work.”

Rosedriah sighed. “I wouldn’t be so sure, it looks like the cult took a heavy blow at the black sabbath.”

“But we will simply have to use what we have to the best of our abilities.”

Rosedriah nodded. “Yes, I hope it works out. Let’s get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.”

Aitken nodded quietly, and Rosedriah put herself on the bed next to Aitken, still wearing her dress.

“Time to get up.” The white witch announced.

Aitken looked around groggy eyed. “Huh? Where’s-”

“She’s already out there. You should go as well, the paladins have been spotted on the horizon.”

“Ah!” Aitken yelled, as he sat up. He looked at his hand, which had grown the fingers back. “Wh-.. How is this possible?”

“With all my skills, I can make a few limbs grow back overnight. You haven’t ever seen a witch without her limbs, but you really don’t think none of them had ever lost one in a fight, did you?”

“Ah... that... I hadn’t thought of it.”

“Glinda Hart of nightmares is a hardened veteran from before the twenty first black sabbath, even if she doesn’t look like it. She lost an eye and an arm that day, before escaping… Well, no matter. You have preparations to do, Aitken of words and flames.”

Aitken flinched before nodding. “Right. I’ll get going. Thank you for your help.”

“Hold up, youngster. Your battle armour and a silver blade as well as a shield is ready for you right in here.” She opened a door, and Aitken entered.

Indeed, his black armour was fully restored and waiting for him. A shiny silvery long blade was ready for him, not unlike the swords some witches had. A large shield, almost covering himself from top to toe was ready as well. Aitken wriggled his tail and put on the equipment. “I am ready.”

He walked outside, to see imps and acolytes in full metal armour, carrying large shields and long spears.

Glinda hart was standing in front of them, facing the crowd. “Witches, demons and followers, the paladin fanatics have come knocking on our door, seeking to destroy our very cradle of existence. What’s worse, even if we decided run, their new plague will find us and kill us. We are standing at the end of the line, we have two options; Win or perish. Defeat would mean there will be only death and destruction, not only on us, but everything and everyone we hold dear and everyone we have ever encountered.”

She took a deep breath to let the line sink in.

“But today, we will not lose. They have come knocking on our door - our home. In our home, nobody, not even the wrath of a mad half-angel and his brainwashed fanatic followers can intimidate us, which means there’s no way they can win a fight against us!” She raised an arm with a large silver blade in it. “Today, we will show the world we are not going to lay down and die. Today, we will show the world what it means to assault and kill witches on the black sabbath.”

She picked up her voice for the last few lines. “For our existence, For the fallen at the black sabbaths and for our future, let’s send them all to damnation!”

The crowd roared and those who had spears slammed them into their shields.

Aitken felt his spirit lift a bit, but looked at the path out of the swamp - nothing short of ‘overwhelming army’ would describe the sight. An army - at least three to one stood before them, and in the front was a one-winged angel with a flaming sword.

Across the bridge, out on the open green in front of the swamp, Ramiel held his flaming sword high, his speech was almost done.

“So I tell you this, today we will destroy the very root of evil! For the light!”

The army cheered and walked towards the forest, maintaining the battle formation.

They reached the entrance to the swamp.

“Stop” Ramiel yelled, and the army stopped.

An armoured man walked up to Ramiel. “Sire, we can simply charge them. They stand no chance against our might.”

He looked at the man. “Do not underestimate the power of the darkness. We will play it safe, we will smoke them out.”

“Light the arrows” Ramiel yelled.

a full formation of archers lit their arrows on fire.

“Burn the witches! Fire!”

A hundred flaming arrows darted towards the swamp.

“Do not worry, the recent rain means there’s no way they can light it on fire” Glinda howled.

Indeed, the arrows rained fire onto the swamp, but no trees were lit on fire.

Instead, several smaller fires started over the water.

“It is the will o’ the wisps. They have answered our call. They can’t hope to best us!” Maura yelled.

The army of the cult slammed their shields and weapons together.

“Sire, it has been raining, we can’t light it on fire.”

“Thank you, I can see this.” Ramiel answered the armoured man. “Archers, shoot for the unshielded witches. Paladins, move out”

Arrows rained over the town in the swamp, yet the witches hid under shields from nearby demons - this was already planned. As such, very few casualties were sustained.

“Shoot back, witches!”

Magic in all the colours of the rainbows rained down upon the archers, who scrambled for cover.

“Attack!” Ramiel yelled, and an overwhelming force of paladins and trainees, holy warriors and pilgrims ran onto the bridge.

“Phalanx formation, imps on shoulders” Glinda yelled.

A formation of warriors with large shields and spears lined up at the end of the bridge, each had a second set of shield and spears on top due to imps on their shoulders, shielding their heads from arrows, and providing a second set of deadly spears.

Around a quarter of the paladin army fit on the long bridge, and they reached the wall of spears, resulting in the blood of paladins seeping down onto the bridge, and into the water itself.

“Traps!” Glinda howled.

Large logs flew down sideways, slamming paladins from the bridge into the swamp, the logs got cut down along the way to crush those who fell into the swamp.

“Those who dodged, stand and fight! use the holy blades to crush those wi-”

BOOM!

The entire entrance piece of the bridge blew up in a large explosion, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

“Why did it go off early?!” Glinda howled.

“A fallen warrior must have crushed a vial. In any case, we have wiped over a quarter of their fighters. They should be beaten back for now.” A demon answered.

Glinda hesitated. “Prepare for the next assault, this will be a dragged out battle.”

The warriors of darkness turned their backs on the paladins and went to prepare more traps.

On the other side of the swamp, Ramiel yelled. “We will make a way to cross the water. Start chopping down wood.. Archers, prepare for raining death.”

Ramiel himself drew a bow, and the arrow glowed golden. “Glinda, don’t turn your back on the enemy… Fire!”

A rain of arrows flew towards the disorganized witches and demons. They scrambled for shields or cover.

A glowing golden arrow made its way towards Glinda, who put up a hand and shot a bolt of pure darkness.

She smirked. “You can’t possibly hope to get me with something as simple as an arr-”

The golden arrow flew past the bolt of darkness, and directly into Glinda’s right upper chest. The rest of her sentence was a cough of blood.

“Glinda!” Rosedriah yelled, as she ran towards her.

“Return fire, do not become disorganized. Get those shields up!” Aitken howled with the full power of his lungs.

For a moment, the entire army of darkness was frozen, staring at Glinda, but Aitken’s words reached them, and they grasped for their shields, and returned a stream of magic appearing like rainbows.

“I messed up.” Glinda said with blood seeping out of her mouth, as Rosedriah held her.

“Let’s bring her to the white witch, an arrow to the lung is not necessarily fatal.” Cepath said.

He, Flasor and Rosedriah carried the wounded Glinda hart into the hut of the white witch.

“Do not worry, I will take care of her.” The white witch responded.

“Their leader is down, push the momentum. Destroy the heretics!” Ramiel yelled.

This time, Ramiel and the remaining top tier paladins rushed through the swamp water, right behind a lot of eager trainees.

“Stab them in the water, before they crawl onto the bridge” Aitken commanded.

The swamp ran red from trainee blood, yet Ramiel approached the bridge fast.

“Push through.” He calmly said to the remaining elite paladins. Swords glowed, and the first line of warriors on the bridge was cleaved down, and the elite paladins crawled up the bridge.

“Witches, attack!” Aitken yelled as he himself jumped into the fray. He came face to face with a paladin carrying a large axe and a bastard sword. “I am Esteban the relentless, fourth strongest paladin. Die, talking demon!”

Aitken dodged a powerful blow from both hands. The blow made a hole in the wooden bridge.

Aitken wrapped his tail around Esteban’s arm, and used the momentum from the brute lifting his arms to fling himself upwards. With a little help from flapping the wings, Aitken slammed his sword down into the helmet of the warrior.

Clong!

“Heh, puny demon!”

Aitken leapt backwards as another part of the bridge was smashed to pieces.

A glint appeared in Aitken’s eye, as he dashed around the warrior.

Smash

Another piece of bridge was trashed.

Aitken smirked as he ran towards another spot.

Aitken heard a sound from behind, and he turned his head as the glowing blade of a paladin thundered towards his back.

Ding

Rosedriah had arrived, putting up her silvery sword in his defence. “I told you not to die, Aitken. I wasn’t kidding.” she said with grit teeth, as she pushed the paladin back.

Aitken turned around as a pair of large weapons flew towards him from Esteban. Aitken leapt sideways, landing on the stomach and the weapons trashed down onto the bridge. Esteban smiled and lifted his weapons again, as Aitken was getting up.

Crack crack…

The segment of bridge collapsed under Esteban, and he fell into the swamp he himself had smashed a hole for.

Aitken slit his left hand with his sword and pointed down at Esteban.

As Aitken gathered energy, he felt the energy of the area.

Like the exhaust of a rocket, Esteban was grilled by a jet of flames and a lot of steam. Aitken turned around and saw Rosedriah delivering the final blow to the paladin who had tried to backstab Aitken.

“Rose, glad you’re here.” Aitken said, and she nodded in response. “Let’s go for the big fish.”

Aitken and Rosedriah hurried behind their own lines, scouting for problematic areas. They saw a paladin with glowing sword, chopping down an imp and a reanimated paladin in one swoop.

“Aitken!” Cepath yelled.

“Cepath, we’re hunting the twelve! On me!”

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Cepath hurried towards Aitken and Rosedriah.

The voice of Serafine echoed throughout the arena. “Aitken, I’ve got Akane. Face me or she dies!”

Aitken’s face twisted. “Take down this guy, I have to go!” Aitken said to Cepath and Rosedriah as he ran towards the back of the town.

“Aitken, why’re you all the way back here with the rangers?” Flasor’s eyes grew wide.

“Flasor, I need you. It’s Serafine… She’s threatening Akane.”

“Akane?” Flasor asked as he hurried along.

“I honestly have no idea how she knew Akane is related to me.” Aitken responded as he arrived in front of a large hut, just outside the battlefield. “But she might just think it’s our trump card she’s destroying.”

An old and wrinkled woman with toxic green skin and a large wart on the oversized nose waited for Aitken in front of the town hall. Next to her stood a reanimated paladin with a sword pressed firmly against the chained Akane’s throat.

“Serafine, we need you to crush the church of light, we are not your enemies.”

Serafine laughed “He - he - heeh. I never had any intentions of dancing after your pipe. You will fight me, or your sister will be lost to the grim reaper.”

“I’ve got a church to fight, can’t you take your aggressions out on those?”

Serafine laughed menacingly. “I’m no ally of yours.”

Aitken grit his teeth. “Traitor. Then come at me, I have precious little time to waste on you.”

“Now, now, don’t be in such a hurry. The main guest didn’t arrive yet.”

Aitken frowned. He looked towards the battle and saw a one-winged angel leaving a trail of blood and corpses in his wake.

“He’s coming here?” Aitken’s eyes grew wide.

“Of course, he wishes to save his damsel in distress” Serafine cackled.

Ramiel stopped ten steps away from Serafine.

“You heretics dare to threaten her in this manner?” Ramiel almost spat out with disgust.

“Two leaders, both seeking the life of a girl. Can they unite despite their differences?” Serafine said.

Aitken looked over at Ramiel, and Ramiel looked at him.

“Why would a kidnapper wish for her not to die?” Ramiel asked.

“Can’t you feel it in his soul? In life, he was her older brother.” The witch smirked.

Akane’s eyes grew wide.

“Liar.” Ramiel said, as he charged towards her, with the sword glowing.

Aitken dashed towards Serafine as well.

“Kill her.” Serafine commanded the undead

At the same time, Aitken sent his blade flying and Ramiel sent a shockwave of light. Aitken’s blade penetrated the skull of the undead, It loosened it’s grip before getting turned to dust by Ramiel’s blast.

Ramiel quickly rushed to Akane and cut her free.

“Ramiel.” She said.

As Aitken approached, Ramiel pointed his sword. The sword glowed, and the air rippled as another blast of light flew towards Aitken.

I can’t make it in time to dodge!

He threw himself sideways, but the bolt arrived faster.

A blast of fire struck Aitken in the side, while the fire didn’t touch him, the inertia was similar to a friendly push - just out of harm’s way.

Flasor nodded as Aitken looked back. “I’ve got your back.”

Ramiel shifted where he pointed his sword, and he now aimed at Flasor.

Aitken looked at Ramiel, there was no way he could reach Ramiel in time by foot to save Flasor. He looked at his only real weapon - his claws.

Sigh.

Who needs a little finger anyway?

Aitken clawed his own little finger off in an instant and tossed it at Ramiel.

Ramiel was struck in the face by a severed imp-little finger. Confusion showed on his face in that brief moment...

A fireball shot out of the severed finger, resulting in a large explosion, pushing Ramiel backwards.

“Get back, Flasor!” Aitken yelled.

“You’re self-detonating your limbs? Crazy imp!” Ramiel yelled.

A bolt of shadow was shot at Aitken, and he narrowly dodged.

“You really are an interesting one.” Serafine said. “I didn’t even hit you.”

Aitken dashed towards Serafine. “Traitor!”

Serafine pointed her index finger at Aitken, and darkness gathered in front of it.

Aitken flapped his wings with all his might.

The bolt flew towards him.

Aitken changed his direction with the wings - he barrel rolled mid-air, dodging the bolt.

“Die, witch!” Aitken yelled as he clawed her relentlessly, slamming into her. She fell to the ground and he kept on clawing her.

“I’ve got you now!” Ramiel yelled as he pointed his sword at Serafine and Aitken.

Aitken looked behind him, preparing to try to dodge in time from a sitting position.

The sword glowed and as the bolt started appearing, Akane kicked the blade. The bolt rippled through the air and made a hole through the bridge next to Aitken.

“Akane…” Aitken said, as he jumped to his feet in anticipating of a second bolt soon to come.

“Akane?!” Ramiel said.

“Ramiel. I’ve heard you are responsible for the plague.” She said.

“It’s specifically made to kill all evil. You of everyone should understand!”

“My family died to the plague. I was told the cult of darkness made it… But i heard differently as well. At first I didn’t believe that the church of light would do such a thing… But now, with confirmation this demon is the reincarnation of my brother Aitken...”

Ramiels eyes shot up. “You’re from Dragonsbreath? You’re a cultist… No, Akane…” he backed off slowly. “It can’t be… You can’t be.”

“You are all demons! Every one of you!” A golden glowing, semi-transparent wing shot out of the back of Ramiel, replacing the missing wing. His eyes shifted character. “I’ll smite them all and get you back, Akane. They have brainwashed you.”

He lifted his sword.

Woosh!

Aitken ran forwards as a lighting-fast blade came from behind.

Ramiel looked over at Flasor.

Cepath started running towards Flasor.

“No, Flasor! dodge!”

Splosh.

Cepath had thrown himself into Flasor, knocking him to the ground. In return, Cepath was cut in two.

“I’m coming home, Ieleasa” Cepath said, before his eyes turned matte.

“No! Cepath!” Aitken howled with fury in his voice as he darted towards Ramiel.

Ramiel’s sword glowed, and a bolt flew towards Aitken.

Aitken narrowly dodged the bolt, but approached Ramiel fast.

“Aitken!” Rosedriah said as she threw her sword.

Aitken grabbed it and rammed into Ramiel’s sword.

Ding!

“Aitken!” Rosedriah yelled a second time, from the other side. An identical, but cracked sword came flying.

“Finish it!”

Aitken grabbed the sword and immediately stabbed it into Ramiel, who dodged sideways receiving the sword through the lower part of the shoulder.

Ramiel smiled, as his sword glowed and it slowly melted through Aitken’s borrowed blade.

Splosh.

Aitken looked at a sword pointing through his chest.

I’m already dead.

“Aitken!”

Aitken neither felt, nor heard any more. He put his claws onto Ramiel’s shoulders and pushed himself all the way in.

Aitken mouthed a word. “Die”

The hole in his chest started leaking purple flames.

Ramiels face was painted with horror as he tried to pull away, but the claws were fixed in his shoulders.

“Crazy bastard!” Ramiel howled as a column of purple flames shot into the stratosphere, engulfing both of them.

Rosedriah looked at the charred remains, and tears streamed down her face.

Tunnel visioned, she staggered towards Aitken’s ashes.

A howl of frustration came from elsewhere. “Time can’t be changed! It’s impossible! Everything already happened, no matter what I do.”

Rosedriah put her hand into the ashes. She felt a pendant.

“No!” the voice that had complained before yelled. “It’s not stable! Don’t!”

“Command… Summon.”

A puffy blue wave shot out from Rosedriah, swallowing up everybody in the vicinity.

They each saw a large purple eye, before being ejected at random into pictures floating in the air.

Rosedriah opened her eyes. She looked down on the corpse in front of her. It was the corpse of Aitken - his human corpse. “I should keep this from decaying. It’s still fresh… Then I will save him... this time.” “Soulbinding!” dark air swirled around the corpse, and a wail from a lost soul was heard. “I cast you into the body of an Imp from Damnation.”

She shot the soul into her pendant. “You’ll be back here again soon, Aitken.”

Flasor opened his eyes and stared around. “This is… Damnation? When did I get here… Or rather, when is now?”

He looked around.

“There’s no black potatoes here… Am I early?”

He looked at the half potato he had recovered from when Aitken first allied with Rosedriah. “I’ll plant this… It must be time travel, otherwise Rosedriah couldn’t be there twice… I wonder if I’m before Aitken… I wonder if I could upset the balance of the world by telling him my name before he met me?”

Flasor sighed, and kneeled down, planting the lone half potato.

“I will call myself a different name… Hmm...‘Ate’thu’kohl’laad… This way, I can meet him despite coming from his future. I will have to see every single imp hatchling from now on, but I’m sure I will recognize him when I see him…”

What Flasor didn’t know about was the many, many centuries he would have to wait for that one day to come.

A demon looked down himself. “I’m no imp… And I’m not possessed by a human any longer… Now, this is damnation… I will finally, finally get to live my life the way I wanted to… I’ll become the first king of all demons.”

He looked around at the barren black soil, with nothing in sight as far as the eye reached, and smirked.

Rosedriah stood frozen as she looked at the swamp. “I’m unaffected…?” She looked over at the sobbing Akane, pondering what to do.

She stepped towards Akane, and put her hands on Akane’s shoulders. “We will get your brother back.”

Akane looked up at Rosedriah.”My brother is dead. My fiance is dead. My entire family is dead… I’ve got nothing left.”

“We will get him back.” Rosedriah said, looking into Akane’s eyes.

“You can’t bring back the dead. Everybody knows that. Don’t try to comfort me, we were enemies until a moment ago.”

Rosedriah stared at Akane, silently.

“I know where his corpse is. It’s well preserved due to a spell. I can make this work.”

Akane shook her head gently. “It’s impossible.”

“Watch me.” Rosedriah said as she turned around and walked towards the forest in which Aitken’s body was located.

Akane looked up at Rosedriah, and silently tagged along, tears still running down her cheeks.

“It’s funny, how your mortal enemy suddenly becomes a friend, perhaps even family.” Rosedriah said.

Akane sniffed once and nodded from behind Rosedriah.

“Here we are. The forest… It’s almost poetic. From the ashes of your home, Aitken will stand once more.”

“How can you be so confident? Resurrecting the dead - necromancy - will not bring him back. He will be a hollow shell, forever tied to this reality. It would be better to let his soul into the afterlife… And hope the light will guide him.”

Rosedriah shook her head. “We… I… Still need him. He’s coming back, the costs be damned.”

Rosedriah pointed. “There’s the corpse.”

Aitken’s body laid on the spot he was put in the first place. He looked peaceful, as if he was merely sleeping.

“It’s time to wake him up.” Rosedriah said.

Akane stood next to her and stared at the corpse.

Rosedriah fiddled with her pendant with one hand, grabbing her needle with the other.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab.

The blood seeped down Rosedriah’s side.

“Arise, Aitken.”

The well-preserved corpse moved a finger. Then another, then got to its knees and stood up.

“Aitk-”

“Uuuuuaaaahhhh..” An unearthly moan was let out from Aitken’s corpse.

“I told you, you shackled my brother to his corpse. Let him rest in peace, can’t you see it’s hurting him?”

“Command: Free will!”

… “This has to work.”

“Command: Free!” “Command: do as you like! … Command: Be Aitken.”

The corpse let out a second unearthly moan.

“Aitken is dead and gone, at least give my brother peace.” Akane said persistently, seeming resigned to having lost her last remaining family, right after getting him back.

“It has to work!” Rosedriah stabbed herself several more times, blood flying everywhere. “Free will! Resurrection! Live! Be Aitken!”

“Please…” Rosedriah’s eyes filled with tears. “Come back…”

Akane stared into the ground. “I told you, It’s impossible… No amount of stabbing will change this.”

Tiny specks of blood flew everywhere as Rosedriah violently stabbed herself. “Come on!”

A speck hit Aitken’s mouth, and his eyes changed character.

“Rose, stop i- iiiiuuuaaaaahhhhhh.”

Rosedriah and Akane both looked at Aitken in shock.

“It’s your blood…” Akane said, with her jaw hanging down.

Rosedriah looked at the needle, then went over and wiped it in Aitken’s mouth, dripping blood onto his tongue.

He squeezed his eyes together and opened them. “Rose… Akane…” He looked down himself. “What’s going on?”

“You… You’re back” Rosedriah said, eyes filling with tears once more - this time not from sadness.

“I… I’ve been gone? Did everyone survive the fight with Ramiel? What about Cepath?”

“Cepath is dead… I honestly don’t know about Flasor, I was sent back in time… But I’m here now, with you… The past can’t be changed, but the future is endless.”

“Rose.. I-... “ His eyes grew a bit more matte. “I’m… I have this… urge… for blood.”

Rosedriah’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You can feel that?”

“I…” His eyes were fixed on Rosedriah’s bloody dress.

With almost animalistic desire, Aitken pulled up her dress and put his mouth to her side - at the stream of blood.

“Aitken…”

A glow in Aitken’s eyes changed his eye color permanently.

He stopped and lowered Rosedriah’s dress again.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter. You are back now.” She smiled.

She looked into his crimson eyes.

“I guess this is the price for defying death… You will be forced to drink my blood - the seat of my powers…” Rosedriah said. “But this way, we can be together.”

Aitken nodded, and moved closer to Rosedriah’s face.

She pulled her head backwards a little bit. “Aitken..?”

He gently slid his hand down the backside of her head, whispering “I’m not a demon anymore, Rose.”

A slight blush sprung forth in Rosedriah’s face, as Aitken’s head moved closer still.

Their lips connected, in what felt like an eternity.

“I’ve loved you for a long time, now.” Aitken said.

Rosedriah’s blush grew stronger. “M-me too”

At this time neither of the two knew, but a few years down the line they would be standing in the largest church in the kingdom - with a priest of light in front of them. Attending, would be the two founders of the unified organization for magic and religion - an organization made from the fusion of the church of light and cult of darkness, with the purpose of equality for everyone. Grand paladin Akane and Grand witch Glinda would congratulate the hero Aitken on his wedding with the Heroine Rosedriah.

The end

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