"Slow down, Gwyneth!" Elric scolded.

Gwyneth had called the rest of her friends to her chambers after Ares had disappeared. Aston didn't embark on his quest alone when they thought him the savior, so she would not either.

"Aston did what now?" Cetri's eyes were the size of saucers as they were glued to a frantic Gwyneth.

"He turned into Ares and disappeared!" Gwyneth blubbered as tears poured out. "And I have magic!" A small flower grew from her palm.

"That's earth magic, isn't it?" Elric asked. "We always knew you were attuned to earth—" A gust of wind knocked him out of his seat. "Noted."

"I don't understand." Isla shook her head. "How did he just... turn into Ares?!"

"I don't know!" Gwyneth shouted, flinging her hands up in exasperation. "He barged into my room complaining about pain. When I reached out to touch him, I was knocked back by some strange force, and when I looked up at him, he looked just like Ares!"

"This isn't like... some sort of sick practical joke, right?" Cetri asked, crossing her arms in the process. She wouldn't put it past Aston to give everyone a fright like this.

"And it's a coincidence that I woke up with magic at the same time?! I think not!" Gwyneth was speaking louder and faster than she usually was, catching everyone off guard. No one had ever seen her this panicked before.

"Did he say anything to you?" Elric asked, hoping there might be a clue as to what on Halcyone was happening now.

"He mentioned that Aston was his 'vessel', and something about me being 'light's inheritor'?"

"Light and dark..." Isla trailed off. "They're both elements, yet when we think about the elements it's always the four Elemental Spirits that come to mind. There aren't any Elemental Spirits for light and dark, right?"

"I don't know what to think anymore." Gwyneth clenched her fists. "So much of what we know has been tested time and time again. We thought Aston was the savior all this time! We didn't even know about this 'Ares' until we came to Zetheria! A-And now it's my duty to kill him. To kill my best friend that got caught up in all of this through no fault of his own, no doubt."

"What if there was a way to separate the two?" Cetri asked. "Or kill Ares without killing Aston?"

"How could you separate souls?!" Isla gawked. "That's like... trying to separate your heart from your body!"

"Not really. Cause both would die without each other. In this case, only one soul would die, right?"

"But how would you even go about removing a soul? It's not like they have surgeries for that!"

"Hold on, Cetri might be onto something..." Elric looked lost in thought as if he were seriously debating this ridiculous notion.

"You can't be serious!" Gwyneth sighed, getting a little tired of the impossible what-ifs her friends were entertaining.

"It might not be possible to remove a soul, but what about suppressing it?" Elric offered. "Ares would have had to have been suppressed all this time for Aston — as well as us — not to notice. And he must be doing the same to Aston's soul as we speak."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"And where would we even find such information?" Gwyneth asked. "As far as I'm aware, nothing remotely similar has ever been recorded."

"The Fae..." Isla spoke so quietly she could barely be heard.

"No." Gwyneth clenched her fists. "They already lied to us once before! And they tried to kill you, remember?"

"Because I broke their sacred law. I'm sure your father would be just as quick to execute someone should such a law in Aeceria exist." She spoke casually, as if nearly being executed was natural.

"That still doesn't mean we can trust them! They sent Notus to kill us!"

"Yeah. That guy stunk." Cetri crossed her arms nodding in agreement.

"They might not help us, but what if there was something in it for them?" Elric asked.

"How would any of this benefit them?" Gwyneth asked incredulously, feeling like everyone around her was losing their minds. First, they wanted surgery for souls, now they wanted to trust the Fae! What was next, actually eating the unicorn they had long since abandoned in the forest?

"They must have known that you were the savior all along. And the truth about Aston," Elric explained. "They sensed Aston's magic right away. And one could even assume that they favored Aston, considering the special treatment he was given. Who's to say Ares doesn't mean something to them?"

"They also gave me special treatment as well, don't forget."

"But they also kept you isolated compared to the rest of us, right?" Isla asked. "Almost like there was something they didn't want you finding out."

"That I'm the savior, no doubt..." Gwyneth sighed.

"What do you say? Should we consult the Fae?" Elric asked.

"Sounds like the only lead we've got anyway." Cetri shrugged.

"I'm still not entirely convinced." Gwyneth fiddled with her fingers anxiously. "I'm not eager to return to Losufea after that happened last time. And realistically, I don't think they'd have any way to separate Aston and Ares' souls. Quite simply, I don't like this plan."

"As you wish." Elric nodded, respecting his princess' concerns though not entirely agreeing. "Perhaps we should explore other options then. Regardless, don't you think it's about time we went back for that sword?"

"What sword?" Cetri's head quickly turned from person to person.

"Oh! The one Aston tried to...." Isla trailed off. "It suddenly makes sense why it tried to kill him..."

"WHAT! Why are we going after swords that kill people?!" Cetri gawked. "I mean, I know swords are for killing other people... But this is a little too literal!"

"Only those who are worthy can pull this specific sword," Gwyneth explained. "And if I'm the savior..."

"Let's do it," Isla said firmly. "If Ares shows up, we'll need a way of protecting ourselves. Don't forget that he has all of Aston's magic."

"Or more correctly, Aston was borrowing all of his..." Elric corrected.

"We'll go." Gwyneth agreed.

---

Gwyneth left a letter on her desk explaining that she and the others — including Aston — had something they needed to take care of. She wouldn't know how long they would be gone but begged the king and queen not to worry.

This was a time for celebration in her kingdom — she couldn't ruin it by revealing all she had come to learn this morning. Not to mention how much fear she would bring her kingdom and her parents.

Not wanting to catch the attention of the guards, she cast a spell rendering her and those around her invisible. It took several attempts to get right, and what was more was that she could only hold the spell for so long, needing to save it for whenever the guards were around. She nearly collapsed from exhaustion once they were out of the castle.

"I feel bad all those times we asked Aston to use magic..." Gwyneth panted. She was bent over with her palms on her knees gasping for air.

"He was probably used to it." Isla offered her a reassuring smile that Gwyneth couldn't see due to her position.

"Stand up straight, Gwyneth. You'll breathe better that way." Elric gently grabbed Gwyneth's shoulders urging her upright. A sharp pain stung her lungs as the air flowed through.

"No." Gwyneth shrugged him off. "At least when I die, I'll be closer to the ground in this position." She went back to bending over.

"You can't die, princess. We need you." Cetri clamped her shoulder only causing the princess more pain. "Now, what are the chances of you replicating a horse?"

"Zero." Gwyneth blanched, eyes wide, feeling like her heart would stop beating if she was forced to use magic one more time.

"There's no way we can borrow a horse, let alone four, without anyone noticing. Walking it is." Elric took a few steps before turning around and waiting for the others to follow.

Once Gwyneth was certain she wouldn't die from exhaustion, she followed.

Very slowly.