"This world is heartless, cruel, and unforgiving." I could hear Zach talking to me, despite being out of earshot. "I was supposed to be the hero! The main character! But this is not just a game. This isn't some fantasy world. This isn't it. This isn't what I wanted. I ... Hate it." He kept talking, and I couldn't help but get distracted, overstepping one of my attacks and being hit on my left side, forcing me to turn my head but it was too late and I was already smacked into the cliffside once again.

The lich came in for another attack, but I parried it with both weapons. I held onto my weapons but he pushed me deeper into the side of the plateau, causing a small crater to form.

Fear. The fear returned. The Lich stopped to turn around. I sliced at his back but he moved away quickly. We both stopped for a moment. The crippling fear, and waves of heat I had felt when the Lich first arrived returned. Zach had gotten to his feet. His yellow aura erupting around him. His eyes glowing a deep gold.

"I hate it!" He shouted. "I hate it all! This world is a curse! And I won't stand for it!" He put his hand up, and dark clouds formed all around us, darkening the battlefield. The lich charged him, trying to put a stop to Zach's newfound elemental surge. "I hate this! I hate it! I'll kill you, everyone! This is not what I wanted! So I'll..." He paused, looking down as the Lich came closer to him. "I'll use everything..." The magical energy exploded around us. I put my hand in front of my face to block my one good eye from being damaged by debris.

Incredible. I thought. Zach outstretched his hand fully, and lightning struck him. A loud crack followed by wind in my eyes and the Lich had been thrown back away from Zach.

"Come to me." Zach said, his voice raspy and changing from his large magical aura spitting out lightning bolts everywhere. "Galant! The Swordspear!" He shouted as another lightning bolt shot down from the sky. It struck Zach with a greater force as the Lich charged him once more. Zach grasped a handle, that quickly turned into a large two handed spear. It was a swordspear just like he had said.

"Levin." Zach spat pointing the blade at the charging lich. Screams of terror and pain exploded from the Lich as a large yellow lightning bolt crashed down upon him. He screamed out, attempting to attack Zach again, but he disappeared.

"So fast!" The lich shouted. I looked to my right, Zach was there. He outstretched his hand, having his blade lay upon his shoulder pad. I grabbed it, feeling no pain from his immensely powerful radiating aura. He looked at me, his eyes were completely gold, including the whites.

"Let's finish this." He said. "Combo move."

"Now is our best chance at trying it out. We've never really been able to do it before." I said, cracking my neck and gripping both my weapons.

"Get ready. I want to hurt him a little bit more." Zach's voice was raspy and almost demonic in tone. He disappeared again, before I realized he reappeared at the Lich's location. He immediately started assaulting the lich with his weapon, striking him multiple times rapidly before the Lich could retaliate.. I gripped both weapons once again as the magical energy coursed through my veins. I shouted, expelling some of the energy outwards before joining the onslaught.

This is the power of a relic. I thought whilst walking to where Zach was fighting. That's incredible. His magical energy is through the roof, higher than even the Lich's now. I joined the fight, together we slashed and parried and attacked the Lich. I grabbed a few catalysts and crushed them while looking at Zach. We both backed off, jumping away from the Lich as he tried to regain his balance. He was bloody and terribly angry.

"You ignorant cunts!" He shouted, his white aura bursting from his anger. "I'll kill you a-!"

"Return." I said angrily as chains came up from the ground holding him in place again.

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"You think this will work twice! You're a fucking idiot!" He shouted attempting to get free of my chains.

"Now." Zach and I both said in unison. "We summon two elements as one. The rain and the storm. Lightning and Ice. We cast our elemental power together!" Zach and I channeled our energy just as the Lich was breaking free.

"Combo Move! Frostshock!" I dropped my weapons to cast the spell and they stayed there floating in the air. Zach did the same. A wave of a large amount of lightning energy expelled forward, surrounded by seven frostbolts. The energy waves met as Zach and I moved closer, matching our magical energy.

The lich cried out in pure agony as our spell hit him with full force. He tried everything he could but the pure amount of magic energy we released was enough to completely obliterate his top half. The energy beam expelled out into the forest destroying trees and other wildlife. Zach and I both backed off from the spell as the Lich's lifeless half of a corpse laid out in front of us.

"Pity." Zach scoffed. "I wanted him to suffer longer." Zach moved towards the lifeless corpse, kicking it once to make sure he was dead. He sighed and turned off his magical aura, putting Galant, his weapon, behind his back.

"Zach." I mentioned. "That was incredible."

"A relic activation is quite a sight to behold." Zach scoffed. "We need to go home. Our task is done. Let's get the others and-" We both stopped and turned to look behind us.

Kayden, lay with Tye on his lap, weeping. He cried out in agony, loudly. It was dramatic, but he was hurt.

"Please don't go." He said. "Please!" He exclaimed, the grass burned around him. "Please come back!" Zach calmed down, returning to his natural state. I sheathed both my weapons as we both went to try and console him.

"It's my fault." He said as we arrived. "If only I was stronger..." I connected with his pain.

"Kayden," Zach began.

"No!" He snapped back through tears. "Don't say anything..." He trailed off. "Just let me say goodbye." We nodded, walking a few feet away. Zach went off to go find Julie and Stephanie while I stayed with Kayden.

"When the sun sets and darkness falls" Kayden started to sing through his tears.

"I'll be by your side. Through fire and flames. I'll be by your side. There's nothing you can say to make me drift away. Nothing you can do. I'll always come back to you." He cried out, holding Tye's lifeless body in his arms. I couldn't help but cry silently, facing away from the duo. Kayden cried out for his lost friend.

"Please wake up.." he said quietly. "I can't do this without you. The party was everything because of you Tylie." He grieved and mourned and begged. I couldn't bear to listen as my heart broke. "We were supposed to make it back together. We were supposed to go home together. You said we would always stay together." He wept for awhile longer, and I was reminded of Jake.

I wonder if that Lich was lying about Jake. I thought. There's no way he could have died too... unless the old man had killed both of us. But then why wouldn't he have blown Jake away with me? I got lost in my thoughts as Kayden continued hugging Tye. I comforted him in the best way I could, trying to get him to cheer up, but there was nothing I could say or do.

Hours passed with the three of us, well ... now the two of us. Kayden had stopped crying, and we were waiting for Zach to return with Julie and Stephanie. I was lost in my thoughts as the sun set, wondering where we would go after this.

"Are you leaving?" I asked Kayden.

"What?"

"The party."

"I... I don't know." He looked down. "I really don't know." He shook his head. "What about you? What will you do next?" The question got me, but I really wasn't sure.

"Hunt down Malphas." I said. "I want to see if Jake is really here."

"Jake. Was he your friend from Earth?" Kayden asked, I nodded.

"I hope you find him." He reassured me, and I thanked him.

Zach soon arrived back, still looking grim. He told us that everyone was back in the barn, and Kayden carried Tye all the way back, Zach and I slowly pacing behind him.

"Do you want me to-"

"No!" Kayden snapped at me. "I can carry her..." He said, breathing hard and obviously struggling. He was carrying her bridal style. His arms were shaking and his pace was slow.

Eventually, we arrived back at the barn, where Stephanie had slowly recovered from expelling all of her energy and Julie was sleeping inside of the caravan while Grayson was keeping an eye on her. I was tired, we all were.

"Let's get going." Zach said, taking up the leadership role. "We should get back to Crosta." Kayden, still carrying Tye, got into the caravan with all of us. Grayson transformed in a puff of smoke and headed out of the barn, dragging all of us along.

"I want to give her a proper burial when we get back." Kayden said to me.

"We can do that." I said. "I promise."

We travelled for the rest of the night, and even though our quest was completed, and I had learned about the first lord of Terror. I felt empty inside, and blamed myself.

If only I had been stronger, Tye wouldn't have had to die. I blamed myself for everything. It was all my fault. I should have died. Not her...

Not her...