CL: Hey y'all. I'm new to the whole study series fanfics but I am a fan. SO, please review. Nothing too harsh. Constructive criticism accepted. No flaming please. That's just mean. Because if you do flame me, I'll tell you to shove it up your ass. Aww, I'm so mean. Oh well. Hahaha! I'm not that mean. I'm actually quite nice. Anyway, please do enjoy my story.

I could see the battle before me. I urged Kiki, my Sandseed horse to run faster. Metal striking against metal rang in my ears. I scanned the field for someone.

Valek.

He was fighting hard. Four men against him, yet he had the grace of a dancer. He easily blocked their blows and managed to defeat them. I was still far from him.

"Valek!" I yelled out his name. He saw me, smiled that cocky, crooked smile of his and disappeared deeper into the mess of soldiers.

I quickly got of my horse. I couldn't let this happen. I wouldn't let it happen.

For days I had this horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen. And I vowed that I wouldn't let it happen.

I ran into the destruction before me trying to find him. I didn't notice the fights. I didn't notice the men and women getting killed. It had seemed that they hadn't noticed me either.

I ran and ran. Desperation and adrenaline fueled me. I had reached a clearing.

"Valek!" I screamed.

"He's not here," a voice said to me from behind. The next thing I knew, I had a knife on my throat. I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't think straight.

Suddenly, the knife fell. I heard a body slump to the ground.

I turned around to see Valek's ice blue eyes staring at me. The corners of his mouth lifted up to a smile. "Love, you really should be more careful."

"Valek, we need to get out of here. You need to get out of here," I told him, desperation tingling in my voice.

He held me in his arms. "Yelena, we're in the middle of a battle. I can't just leave my men. Besides, I told you before, I always win. Always."

Somehow his words did not bring the reassurance that I needed.

Of course, the inevitable had to happen. We were ambushed. Valek and I fought off as much as we could.

Time slowed down as I heard my biggest fears come to reality. The sound of flesh being pierced sent ripples down my spine. I was in pain. I couldn't look, but I knew I had to. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Valek fall. A sword had been plunged into his abdomen. I screamed his name. Somehow, I had managed to push back our enemies with my power. I quickly created a magical barrier.

I knelt by my heart mate and checked his injury. I knew it was serious. I tried to heal it, but to no avail. Tears were running down my eyes. I couldn't, I wouldn't let Valek die.

"Yelena," Valek's voice was hoarse. He was beginning to gasp for air.

"No, Valek, don't, just lower your guard down. Please Valek."

"Yelena," he continued, "you can't heal me. Magic doesn't affect me."

"Don't say that!" I was screaming now. "I can't let you go Valek." I attempted once more to heal his wound. Nothing happened.

"It has been a pleasure serving you, my love." His voice was getting weaker now.

"Valek, please," I begged.

"I love you, Yelena. With all my heart. With all my soul."

"Valek!"

My whole body was shaking.

"Yelena! Yelena!" I was being called from somewhere faraway, but I couldn't respond. Tears were now flowing freely from my eyes.

"Yelena, wake up."

The world around me melted as the shaking continued. I was still sobbing uncontrollably. I opened my eyes and found myself on my bed in the cottage I shared with Valek in the Featherstone lands. Home.

It took me a while to realize that it was Valek who had been shaking me and telling me to wake up. As soon as did, I clung to him like a lost child who had found a parent. I didn't want to let him go. I sobbed into his chest. He was alive, but the dream felt so real.

"Shh, love, it's okay," he whispered into my ear. I had calmed down a little. "I'm here, you're safe."

It took me a long time to fully accept that it was all just a dream.

Valek was about to pull away from me when I protested. I couldn't let him go just yet.

"Yelena, I'm just going to get you a glass of water," he explained to me.

"Please hurry."

And he did. He was back in no time. He handed me the glass and I drank it up. I was still hiccupping from my earlier crying fit. Valek sat next to me. He held my hand.

"What's wrong love? You were thrashing around in your sleep and calling me," Valek asked.

"Valek, I love you," I simply said.

"I love you too," he replied. "What's wrong?" he asked me again.

"I can't let you die. I won't be able to handle it. I can't heal you Valek! You're impervious to magic. And even if I did manage to let you stay with your soul, you wouldn't want to live. You would hate life and you would somehow manage to die and be separated from me. I can't, I—"

Valek cut me off, "Yelena, I'm not going to die." It was a simple statement, but powerful enough to make me speechless. Then he smirked cockily at me, "Besides, I told you before, I always win. Always."

I faked a smile. That's exactly what he told me in my dream. Yes, that was supposed to make me feel better.

"Go back to sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."

And he was.

"Do you know why I don't tolerate failure? Because it's failure," a man with dark long hair said. He twirled a knife in his hands.

"I'm sorry Orpheus. I shall not fail you again," replied another.

"Of course you won't fail me again Reed," Orpheus said very calmly. "You won't fail me again because you will be reassigned."

"No, please don't reassign me!" Reed begged. "I'll accomplish the goal. I will kill the Soulfinder."

"You won't kill the Soulfinder until you kill the Ghost Warrior. I'm sure you can't do that."

Silence.

"I'm sorry Reed. You were a good follower. Unfortunately, you failed me. I can't let you live on."

In one swift movement, Orpheus sliced Reed's throat.

"You bastard!" Reed cursed, blood gushing from his neck. Choking noises were heard.

Silence.

"Sergei," Orpheus called.

"Yes sir?" Sergei asked.

"Clean this up."

CL: Oh so how did you like that? Please review. Sorry about the whole shoving up ass comment. A boy broke up with me. So I enjoy bitchy comments from time to time. It's a great feeling.

:D Seriously though, please review.