The storm that was Kayden and Merdilen blew through the imperial soldiers as if through the falling leaves of a tree.

Kayden could see thousands of images for each soldier –where they’d been, where they’d be. Each strike of the Mimicker, in whatever shape it deemed fit, predicted perfectly the target’s path. All enemy attacks missed, widely dodged by Kayden. He still felt overloaded. But he focused, harder than ever, keeping track of the present instance of every single soldier around him while his Timesight lasted.

Merdilen nearby was wrecking through the imperial ranks too. He Transmutated the world around him masterfully, hacking and slashing around an ever-changing battlefield, distorted to his every whim, sowing chaos among the soldiers.

“They’re still too many!” Merdilen called out to Kayden as he kicked a soldier away. “If these are the ones left behind… the main army the others are facing must be massive!”

Kayden’s eyes widened as he crouched under a swooping sword.

“I need to help them,” he immediately said.

Tham had turned his back on him. Had the others done so on purpose too? It didn’t matter. That betrayal wasn’t enough to break the bond Kayden had built with his friends.

He breathed in deeply.

“You think you can handle this?” Kayden called back to Merdilen. “Keep them busy?”

Merdilen grinned. “My pleasure,” he said, Transmutating a wide ring of rock around him to pure sand into which a bunch of soldiers sank.

“Thanks,” Kayden nodded. He smiled at Merdilen. “Thanks for everything, man. See you soon.”

With that, Kayden dashed away. He tried to hide his panic as he ran, avoiding the imperial soldiers and, soon enough, leaving the army behind. He didn’t dare progress time on himself to move forward this time –he didn’t know how much Unbound air he had left.

Kayden moved forward step after step, his exhaustion kicking in as soon as he was out of immediate danger. Up the mountainside he went. Step after step. He wouldn’t give up. Never again. He’d promised he’d save everyone.

If the imperial army was even slightly stronger, they’d soon kill every last of his friends. If the Libertatum Brotherhood was stronger, they’d soon kill the Everbender. If they didn’t, they’d all die.

It all boiled down to a single question. Was his heart with the Everbender or with the Skyguard?

He forced himself not to think. He’d already decided. He’d save everyone, somehow. He was not asking.

Kayden was running out of breath, exhausted to the brim. The mountaintop and the fortress seemed so far away… He felt as if he’d drop to the ground the moment he stopped. So he didn’t. He pulled out another Unbound air vial from the belt instead.

Thank you, Tham, he thought as he breathed it in, feeling his energy replenish.

“We’re the Skyguard to the end,” Kayden muttered, picking up his pace.

Kayden sprinted forth, up the mountainside, because he knew that, if he didn’t, someone he loved would die. He ran because he didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t make it.

He shouted as he ran, even though there was no one nearby to hear him. He called out the names of his friends, because he knew that, somewhere, somehow, they were counting on him.

Eventually, his breath again started to falter, heavier and heavier. It was getting hard for him to breathe. So, without stopping, he pulled another Unbound air vial from the belt, and downing it, kept moving forward.

Kayden could hear faraway shouts. War cries, getting closer, closer. He unsheathed the Mimicker as he roared, jumping over a tall rock, then leaping from stone to stone, up a peak, and then… straight down into the battlefield.

Hundreds of thousands of imperial troops surrounded the Libertatum Brotherhood’s remaining few thousands in a vast esplanade. Beyond it, on the mountain’s peak, stood high and proud Empire’s Heart, the Everbender’s red fortress. Far in the center of the ring he could see Tham, Haroken, Hassah, Varokan, and the others. They were not fighting. The remaining rebels had their weapons at the ready, holding off, but the imperial army was just standing by in circles around them.

They’re waiting for something, Kayden realized. He leaped onto a tall rock wall to see better, and that’s when he noticed the Everbender wasn’t even there.

The moon was shining upon the armies like a solitary observer. The world was silent with anticipation.

The Everbender was the key, he knew. Just… where was she?

Kayden narrowed his eyes. Something was off about the fortress. Was it vibrating?

Lawbending.

He breathed in sharply. The strongest Lawbenders made the air vibrate around them when pushing their powers to the limit. Could it be…?

Kayden’s eyes widened.

That’s it, he thought, his heartbeat quickening. I need to get there. Now.

He glanced at his friends, standing bravely at the center of the imperial army, then back again at Empire’s Heart. He took a deep breath.

“This is it,” Kayden whispered. “Let’s see how powerful these vials really are.”

He had five left. They wouldn’t last long. But they would for sure raise his power to the skies.

Kayden breathed in the first of the five vials, walked back several steps, and dashed to the edge of the rock wall. Then, he leaped forward, and progressed time on himself.

Instead of appearing down on the ground, he progressed time on himself by barely half a second, then again, then again, then again. Kayden didn’t know how it worked, but it did, and he soared through the sky, stopping himself from falling again and again by progressing time while going up.

“Woohoo!” Kayden couldn’t help but exclaim, crossing the sky above the battlefield with the wind on his face and Time in his hands.

He didn’t dare look down, but he hoped his friends could see him. Not to steal the spotlight. To let them know that he was alive, and he was going to save everyone.

Kayden yelped as he started falling, far over the battlefield and straight towards Empire’s Heart. Maybe he hadn’t really thought this through.

The red fortress approached at perilous speed, and Kayden crossed his arms over his face as he shot towards it.

Even the Mimicker screamed.

Kayden felt as if his body exploded as he crashed through a window, slamming into the ground and skittering through floor tiles at high speed for a long while before eventually stopping.

Everything spun. But he was alive.

“Did you really need to?” an annoyed female voice exclaimed from somewhere.

He groaned as he pushed himself to his feet and carefully opened his eyes.

Empire’s Heart’s throne room was a long, thick hall with banners hanging from all walls, a red carpet leading from the grand gate inwards, and a tall crystal throne featured near the end.

“You were meant to stride in through the front gate,” the blonde and masked woman that was the Everbender scolded, slouching on the crystal throne. “I was still enjoying the show.”

Stolen story; please report.

“Everbender,” Kayden said in a low voice, readying the Mimicker in his hand. “Lauren. I know you’re still in there.”

The Everbender laughed. “I’ve killed so many of your friends you should’ve given up with that by now.” Her face turned serious. “Come on. Kill me.”

Kayden breathed in deeply.

“This world is alive,” he shouted at Lauren, “and it is beautiful! How could you ever become so blind so as to turn your back on that fact? I’m not giving up on you, Lauren. No matter how wicked you become, this world’s light is not turning off. Neither is my light. And neither will yours.”

Kayden could see Lauren was grinning beneath her metallic facemask.

“Still you try to talk me out of this?” Lauren said. “We made a promise. Don’t you remember? ‘We’ll one day meet on opposite sides of the battlefield. I won’t hold back then, and neither will you.’ So let’s go, Kayden. All out.”

Lauren Lerahen unsheathed her rapier, leaping towards Kayden from the crystal throne with such strength it shattered into pieces. Her manic smile said enough.

“If beating you is what it takes to make you listen,” Kayden said, readying the Mimicker, “then I will!”

With his free hand, he pulled out the remaining four Unbound air vials at once, unclogging them and absorbing their contents just as Lauren’s blade pierced through him and thrust him all the way to the end of the hall. Kayden regressed time immediately, his whole body shining blue.

With a roar he dashed towards Lauren, crossing the distance in an instant, hacking at her with the Mimicker at a speed no other sword would endure. Lauren parried every single blow, fast enough so that not even Kayden’s Timesight could predict her paths.

Sparks flew as their swords leaped back and forth, the air vibrating and shaking. Each time Lauren Lawbent Kayden with a negative effect, he regressed time on himself, removing it, and so they continued. This was it. The end. Ever since Kayden was born, ever since Lauren had found him, ever since her family had taken him in, everything had been building up to this fight. And now here they were. Crossing swords at the end of the world.

Lauren thrust her rapier towards Kayden with all her might, Lawbending it all to push him backward through the throne room.

“Why?” Kayden shouted. “The Skylands, the World Energy Factor, the Oath of Megalo… What are you planning, Lauren?”

“You still don’t get it?” Lauren said, starting to rise into the air. “I’ve been waiting your whole journey for this moment! I need your power, Kayden. My final power source!”

The walls of the red fortress that was Empire’s Heart were pulsing rhythmically like invisible war drums. Even the lamps’ fire was keeping the beat. Kayden could hear the battle raging on again outside. Whatever happened now, he knew the world’s fate depended on it.

Even so, Kayden knew that his friends’ lives were in danger right now, no matter what happened with Lauren. Kayden had to act. He had to do something, now. Not just for himself. Not just for his friends, either. For the beautiful world.

Kayden breathed in deeply.

“You’re going down, Everbender,” he whispered. “I don’t know what your plan is, but I won’t let you carry it out. I will get Lauren back. But you’re going down first.”

Kayden raised his free arm towards the sky as if about to grab the moon.

“What?” Lauren shouted. “What do you possibly think you could do?”

“Let’s see how strong this empire you’ve built is,” Kayden said.

And he Timebent. Not himself, not Lauren. Empire’s Heart. The massive red fortress started rumbling, then shaking, as Kayden regressed time. By a minute, then an hour, then several hours.

“What are you doing?!” Lauren shouted, shooting towards Kayden and impaling him with her blade.

He breathed in and simultaneously regressed time on himself, healing. Again and again, lightning-fast, Lauren stabbed him, and time after time he healed. He knew she’d be willing to attack him forever. He’d endure for as long as the Unbound air lasted.

Breathe. Regress time. Breathe. Regress time.

That was all Kayden Almerth, the hero called Timeless, could do.

It wasn’t noticeable at first. But soon, the walls began shifting. The floor started breaking. Kayden kept regressing time, on the fortress and every few seconds on himself.

For a moment he felt like back in the cavern-cell. Except he wasn’t just fighting to survive this time. He was fighting to win. He would save everyone.

The fortress was sliding towards the opposite end of the mountaintop, not because of any change in Kayden’s powers, but because it was going back in time, and the planet was rotating. He grinned as Empire’s Heart cracked off its foundations and Lauren roared in anger.

The air was vibrating hard, so hard it started dizzying Kayden. So much power…

It was then that Lauren started laughing.

“So this is the price to pay,” she said, walking back to her shattered throne as debris fell from the ceiling while everything shook. She turned towards Kayden. “Do you know the Echo?” she asked, and winked.

Kayden’s eyes widened even as he continued Timebending the fortress.

It can’t be.

“Your army will take heart with this, Kayden,” Lauren said. “They’ll probably defeat my terrified forces. The Skyfall Empire may indeed be overthrown. But is this really victory for you, Kayden? Remember. The realm of power. The Oath of Megalo is in the Echo, right? You have come here. Bakor reached the Echo through… what? A massive power outburst?”

Kayden stopped regressing time, breathing heavily.

Lauren smiled. “I win.”

Kayden felt his legs weak. He didn’t know what would happen now. But he feared the worst.

The fortress started slowly leaning to the side. It was off its foundations now. They probably had less than a minute before it toppled down the mountain.

“This fortress is a focus too, you know? Take a look outside,” Lauren then told him. “Though you may not like what you see.”

Kayden stumbled to the half-fallen grand gate and stared at the world beyond.

Indeed, the imperial army seemed to be dwindling on the battlefield below. On the horizon, though…

“You have no idea what you just did,” Lauren’s voice called out behind him, “do you, Kayden?”

The enormous shadows darkening the night couldn’t be anything else. Kayden fell to his knees as he saw the massive landmasses levitating on the horizon, high in the sky. The floating islands he had so much strived to protect.

The Skylands were dropping, falling through the skies so fast Kayden understood nothing was holding them up anymore.

His home. He had failed.

And Lauren laughed. Her shrill laughter cut the sky, the moon, and the stars.

“Now everyone will be forced to know the truth,” she said. “Everyone! The time of lies is over. The Skyborn won’t escape the world any longer!”

Kayden turned to her, horrified.

Lauren grinned. “Give me a minute and I’m out.”

Now what? Kayden thought, wincing.

The red fortress that was Empire’s Heart started sliding over to the mountaintop’s opposite side, and Kayden started falling toward the far end of the hall. The walls cracked and split as its fragments dropped down the mountaintop, and with them Kayden went, grabbing on to a pillar and holding himself together with the last of the Unbound air’s strength.

Then, a flash of lightning, a deafening thunderclap, and Kayden’s vision went black.

The Skylands finished falling, crashing to the ground.

The world shook in the strongest earthquake in Athoren’s history. The Skyfall Empire was down. But the war wasn’t over yet.

Kayden woke up buried alive.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but he could hear faint sizzling from somewhere above. He felt as if the whole rock fortress was pressing down on him, which was probably the case.

Kayden had promised himself he’d never give up again. And so he wouldn’t. He started slowly pushing the rocks away, climbing up the debris through the few open spaces he could find. It was a long time before he reached the surface. He was bleeding from somewhere he was too afraid to locate.

He stepped up on a tall rock, barely alive, exhausted almost to death but fearing that he’d never get up again should he sit down now.

Kayden could see Lauren in the distance. She was standing in front of a tall shining pillar, a crack in the world. Kayden knew what it was. An opening to the Echo. Wasn’t it? The realm of power. He could only see her back, but she seemed about to cross.

No, Kayden thought weakly. I won’t let you go again. I will never let you go again.

“I believe you’re in there somewhere,” he whispered in a raspy voice. It hurt.

Kayden had promised himself he’d never give up again. So he took a step forward. Then another. And another. Step after slow step, he stumbled towards Lauren and the portal among the debris and rock.

The Mimicker was nowhere to be seen, but he knew his friends would find it eventually. His friends. Were they okay? No time to think about that now.

Step after step. Walking hurt. So he ran. He picked up his pace, ignoring the pain and the common sense that told him to stand down. He dashed towards Lauren because he believed she was Lauren still.

She crossed the portal.

Kayden kept running as the energy pillar got thinner and thinner.

“We’re the Skyguard to the end,” he muttered. “And, Lauren… you’re one of us too.”

With that, stumbling forth and on the verge of death, Kayden stepped forth.

Into the Echo. One last adventure. One last fight.

“See you soon, guys,” he whispered weakly, and disappeared.