Epilogue

Matt woke up in bed, wondering if the events that had just taken place were a nightmare. As he rolled over in an attempt to get out of bed, he felt a heavy burning sensation. It was all real.

Yesterday, the attack had destroyed much of Battleon. Many were dead, and the population was in complete shock. They now questioned the leadership of Battleon. They questioned everything. They wondered if they were being lied to about a defensive line along the bridge. They wondered if the world of Lore was doomed. But most of all, they wondered who their attackers were, and if they had a relation with Chris.

But Matt had suffered terribly. He had been burned horribly during the first bombing outside the Guardian tower. He now lay on the top floor. The area was bare, many of the items within the tower had to be removed. The building was largely unstable from the blast. It was lucky to be intact.

Matt had suffered, but he wasn't the worst. He had been on the top floor discussing general strategy to defeat Chris. He had looking out the window and had taken most of the blast. But people on lower floors had suffered far worse, from the blast and the fires.

Matt had still been able to fight. But the worst part, he had a humiliating wound from the fighting. During the fight, he had been fighting a duel against an Assailant. Matt had done well, enough to deserve the man's compliments. But the Assailant upped the ante. He pretended to fall over wounded during the fight. When Matt attempting to finish him with his claymore, he caught the attack with his daggers. While lying on his back, he kicked Matt in the chest, sending him flying. As Matt recoiled from the blow, he slipped, and plummeted down a manhole, down into the sewers.

Matt woke up to see Yulgar weeping, and the other characters of Battleon in tears.

"What happened?"

Yulgar looked up at him. "My apprentice is dead. They killed him. And worse, I gave them asylum. I let them stay in my tavern. It's my fault."

"Yulgar, you'll be fine. We've all had those days. Look, we forgive you."

Matt turned, but everyone was still weeping. "Guys, don't we forgive Yulgar?"

Artix looked up, "That isn't the only problem. Aria is dead."

Matt's face turned pale, and a look of shock enveloped his face. "What?"

Robina spoke, "Yulgar's apprentice found her screaming for help. They had broken her leg and lit the pet shop on fire. He pulled her out of the building, and got some aid from a few soldiers. Two of them carried her here, while a third stayed with him to help him catch his breath. But those bastards, they threw one of those fake healing potions at them. They killed him. It was too late for Aria, anyway. She had inhaled too much smoke, and her body was too weak. She died about a half-an-hour ago…"

Matt's heart was broken. Aria was Aria. She wouldn't hurt anyone. How could they have killed her so mercilessly? How could they end someone else's life like that?

The room was silent for another half-hour. Everyone wept for Aria. She had been murdered, and now everyone felt the loss. In each of their hearts, their was despair, and sorrow, and hatred, and at the very same time, a feeling of mortality. Everyone thought things would go on like this forever. That they'd all be friends and never be separated. Now Aria was gone forever, and everyone felt sorrow. For if anyone deserved death, she deserved it the least.

"How can they do this?" Artix finally spoke up, "These… these butchers, how can they do this without mercy? Why do they show contempt for our lives? Just… just, why?"

Matt regain his own voice, "Will we win? Can we win?"

Aquella butted in, "I don't know, if we do though, will we forgive them? Will we share a world with these sort of people?"

Damani finally spoke his own mind, "Don't look too far ahead. We need some short-term planning before we even begin to think about that kind of stuff. How can we fix our problem?"

Matt finally though about something. He did not mean to change the topic of conversation, but he did and the old conversation came to a stop. "Hey, Warlic. What's going to happen to me? I'll be fine, right."

Warlic's eyes lit up. "Um… whew, I didn't need to be asked that. Okay, I meant to tell you in private, but, do you really want to know now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Matt… there's no easy way to say this. I'll just come out with it. You're going to die."

Matt thought that he had misheard him, "Come again?"

Warlic repeated grimly, "You're going to die."

Matt was hoping this was a cruel joke, "You're… You're kidding, right?"

Ricobabie burst out crying. "Matt… please no… I don't want to lose you."

Matt realized the truth. "Why? Why am I dying?"

Warlic was like the grim reaper, "When you fell into the sewer, your body was covered in bacteria and germs. Now, your skin was burned, leaving it very prone to infection. Your entire body will be overrun with germs in a matter of days. I'm afraid I have no medicine powerful enough to help you. I can only tell you this so you can make peace with whatever gods you choose."

Matt was desperate, "Can you summon a portal to Earth? Maybe we can get some medicine there."

Warlic was stern. "No, time will not work like that. You came here by magical means. Time on Earth, is for the most part, paused until you, Chris, and all your friends return. Time can only pass in short bursts of about 2 or 3 minutes per year until you return. I cannot go to get medicine, for nothing on Terra is in an animated state. Everything is on hold. Now, I'd be more than happy to send you home to restore time. But we'd need Chris to return home as well, and I highly doubt he's willing to defect to save your life."

Matt just plopped down on his sheets. "So this is it, huh?"

Matt had had an eventful day. First he heard with new ears, finding out about Aria's death, and how he'd never been able to say goodbye. Now he was dying.

Everyone in the room was silent. Than Galanoth pointed to the windowsill. "You know, someone left a potion there. I imagine healing potions are commodities right now in Battleon. Somebody might want to claim that."

Artix walked over and picked it up, "It's yours, Matt."

Matt was confused, "What?"

"See, right here? It's labeled."

Sure enough, the bottle was labeled, "To Matt". Matt took the bottle, and peeled off the label. Underneath the adhesive was a folded card. Matt unfolded it and read the message to himself.

Dear Matt,

My name is unknown to you, and my purpose double. But I am a Captain among the Demonic Angels, the unit you fought just a day ago. My men made short work of your army, and burned your city to the ground as we were instructed. Many of my men fought against you Battleonians for a number of reasons. My reasons are personal, but many of my men fought for revenge or for honor. I fight for both of those, but they aren't my motivation. I have wondered to myself, what does a MOSSIL like you think of while he fights? But that is irrelevant. The importance of this letter is, do you want to live? I heard the story of your fight from one of my men. He said you were formidable, and that he barely won. This leaves me interested. So, my question for you. Do you want to live, or do you want to die a slow painful death in bed from a sewage infection? Drink the potion if you would like to go on in life, if now is not your time. But if you think this is a trap, go ahead and die. I don't particular care about the details in your choice. Now, before you discard this bottle, let me ask you something. What do you have to lose by drinking the potion?

Matt could not see any holes in that logic. He opened up the cork, and began to drink the potion. Within minutes, he began to feel a kick of energy. It really was medicine! Matt looked into the bottle, and spied a second note. He began to read it.

Good choice, MOSSIL. You have spared yourself some agony. Now, here is the deal. I want you to stay alive, so one day, you and I can have a civilized conversation so I can find out what goes through your head, and you can see what goes through mine. Then after that, I challenge you to a duel. I want to see what would happen in a fight between us, and who is the better man. I wish you best of luck in survival, for General Chris is not kind to his vanquished foes. I hope you accept my terms, and one day, you and I will settle our differences like men.

Matt finished the note, and began to talk out loud. "You have yourself a deal, Captain."

No one else had seen the note, and they looked at him like he was crazy. Matt laughed, "I'm not going to die! Haha!"

He jumped out of bed, onto his feet, much to everyone's amazement. He began to dance around, and the sorrow began to lift from people's faces in the room. They would not lose him after all.

As Matt pranced around, he sword he saw a shadow in the windowsill. As he looked away, he saw something swoop past the window in the corner of his eye. Matt ran to the window, to see a shady looking figure, dressed in a black cloak, sprint through the alley below. He darted past Guardian tower toward the gate. The Assailant Captain. Matt noticed that he did not wear a facemask, but Matt did not get a good look at his face.

"Well, stranger. You've got yourself a deal. Someday, we'll settle this man to man."

Matt watched as the only worthy foe he every had walked through the gates, back to his home territory. Matt turned to the other leaders of Battleon, and smiled. They began to discuss the fate of Lore once more…