A year passed. It was the greatest time of Padomme's life. Her joy for teaching was amplified by intertwining the teachings of Wuyong. Her studies had left a crucial part out of her path, passion. She no longer restrained herself when it came to her feelings. Which is why one night she had to get something off her chest.

"Wuyong?" She asked to the dark room. Most villages knew of the wandering monks that spread the Jeskai Way to the poor and underprivileged. As such they often provided lodgings for them during their stays. Most villages were very poor so often they spent their nights in small huts constructed just for them.

"Yes, Master Padomme?" The dark responded.

"A long time ago I realized I had no interest in the romantic arts. I desired no mate or spouse. This is just part of who I am. But I do love you Wuyong and I don't want to spend any of my life without you at my side."

The room glowed a soft orange from the efreet's body. Wuyong had sat down next to her and embraced her. "I couldn't imagine myself anywhere but with you. We are not married, we are not 'lovers' we are-"

"We are in love." Padomme finished. She pressed her forehead against his.

A year passed. It was the busiest time of Wuyong's life. He toiled at teh border between Atarka and Ojutai. He knew attacking over and over again wouldn't get him what he wanted. It would take a plan. Many times he thought of giving up but each time his fire was renewed when he met Padomme. The two would meet, each with an entourage of clanmates. In the end each time only they remained. Wuyong didn't kill her, because he wanted her to watch Atarka eat her precious dragons. That's what he told himself at least. He didn't finish her off in any fight because he couldn't bring himself to. He knew she was the same because the fights she won he too escaped.

"Wuyong?" An Atarka efreet asked.

"Yes friend." He responded.

"I have word from Ayagor. The dragons have take interest in your campaign. They fly to us as we speak."

"Then we will have our feast soon. Thank you."

The crashing of hooves woke the monks from their sleep. The sun was high already and the air stank of burning wood and flesh.

"Mardu!" They both exclaimed as they bolted from their bed. They were out of the hut in seconds. The village was a disaster of broken homes and stampeding Mardu. Their horse riders crashed through the town, breaking and burning what they could find. Following them was a herd of orcs and goblins on foot. They stole all goods they could find and even villagers.

Padomme touched her forehead to Wuyong's and flew into the fray. She spun and kicked an orc from his mount. "Take care of the foot soldiers!"

Wuyong nodded and jumped the opposite way at the incoming Mardu. Fire exploded from the direction and Padomme returned to her task. She flew at top speed to keep up with the horses. All the while she summoned water spells to douse the burning huts. 'This is useless they burn them faster than I can fight the fires.' She observed.

She put everything she had into preparing a spell and flying faster. She soon reached the beginning of the horde and landed violently in front of it. There was a massive orc at the head. She closed her eyes. Everything vanished for a moment in her mind. She experienced every joy the last year had brought again. It inspired her. Helping her people. Spreading her doctrine. Leading the man she loved, despite every reason why that didn't make sense, down the path to enlightenment. She found it. She found the part of her mind that told her she'd finally found it. She opened her eyes and took a fighting stance at the incoming horde. Her palm flared like the eye of a waking dragon. Then all was calm.

White light had decimated the horde proper. She limped back through the devastation. She had lost all energy but the horde seemed to have been wiped out. She found Wuyong and went to him. He was facedown in a pile of hordling goblins. She rushed over and flipped him. He was filled with their knives.

"Padomme." he coughed. "I saw what you did. I know what it meant. They had me pinned down I was already dead. Do you know what I thought about?"

"No. Be quiet! No don't be ridiculous. You are going to make it. Do you hear me!?"

"I thought about you. I didn't want to go without speaking to you one last time and feeling that you'd found your path. I didn't want to go without touching you one last time."

"Quiet traitor!" She screamed, "Don't speak like that! Don't speak like that! I'll find a way to help you! I broke through every obstacle in my path. I'll break through this one."

"There aren't now and never were any obstacles between you and the clouds." He whimpered as the light left his body.

She planted her forehead on his and Tarkir melted around her.

Dragons soared over Wuyong's head. Emerald fire met azure ice as the dragons of two clans battled in the sky. He had led them here. He had taught his fighters how to combat the cunning of the Ojutai clan. His passion made all this.

Fire roared from his hands as Wuyong felled monk after monk. He needed to attract more attention to himself. He needed her to see his discipline bear fruit. And so it did. As Wuyong finished off the next wave of monks, one of the dragons of his clan crashed next to him. He fell at the tremors.

Padomme jumped from the fallen behemoth's head. "Heat sense. Leads to pressure points."

Her discipline had matched his passion. She was every bit of him as he was of her. But she was gravely wounded from taking down a dragon.

"Ojutai himself taught me that." She limped to him. "What do you say now Savage?" She was clearly delirious.

"So the puppet knows a trick or two. So be it then." Lava erupted with his syllables. They fought as they had always done but the blows were not met with parries. They found their mark, each had given in to their own passions. She threw her ribbon. A crimson streak tore the scene. It wrapped his arm to his waist and she pulled. He lost his footing and was dragged up as she flew. Higher and higher she flew with all her might. Wuyong pulled all his mana into one final spell. The ritual he's wandered the border for an entire year to make. Lava rose with them in terrible geisers. It hit many Ojutai dragons, and many of his own clan's. He knew Atarka would receive them as meals but he no longer cared.

"Look Padomme!" He shouted up to her, pulling her dagger from his belt. "Look at my passion and my discipline!"

Padomme stopped in the air once she hit an unbelievable height. They soared beyond dragons. She began to turn to face the ground but changed direction instead. She flew with matched force downward at Wuyong and plunged her daggers into his eyes.

"Padomme!" He screamed as his vision disappeared. "NO!" In his rage he plunged the dagger he had taken from their first fight deep into her stomach. He felt her heat leave her body, certain that neither of them would ever see that the lava had spelled her name across the entire border of their lands.

Wuyong fell from that great height. Down towards a land that was not Tarkir.