A/N- Guess who's back? :P

Chapter 19 – Light

Mairon

Energy pulsed through his body, waves of heat and flame rolling off of his skin, begging to cause destruction. Nothing that has been worth making has been made without first destroying what came before it. The fires of liberation shall purify the world of men. Those who believe in order shall join me, or perish.

He curled his fingers into a fist, causing the tree around him to slowly turn black and begin to rot. The home of the first rider crumbled around him, lighting the forest aflame. Only the presence of Melkor's strength holding Mairon together prevented the magic from engulfing himself and reducing his essence into the void. Pain seared through every fiber of his being, yet his willpower held strong under the pressure. A dense magic filled the air as the fires spread, lust for purification filling his heart. He felt the presence of two luminous beings approach, their light seemed to burn his eyes, as if their aura was similar to celestial objects. He recognized one of them. The other, unfamiliar to him, seemed to be circling around, attempting to catch him by surprise, no doubt. Such a simplistic plan, Arucane. It is folly.

Melkor beat his mighty wings, causing the flames to die out, and the trees to crumble into dust, black smoke filling the skies as the ground became barren and flat. You cannot trust your senses now, fool. Mairon jumped down, gliding from the remains of Vrael's tree, landing softly on the ground. His skin was still aflame, shrouded in shadow and darkness. Melkor hovered above him, each beat of his wings spreading more soot and ash into the air. A sadistic smile grew upon Mairon's face as he turned around, directing all his senses towards the unfamiliar presence, avoiding a confrontation with Arucane. Your foolish gamble will cost this being their life. Beginning with a slow run, he let his body adjust to the new power that he felt, and took a deep breath as it coursed through a burst of speed, he lunged from within the ash, taking the elf woman by surprise. She sidestepped his lunge, clashing her sword with his with a mighty swing that cause the ash to swirl around them. Impressive.

"Who are you!?"

"My name is Loivissa. You have betrayed all of Alagaesia with your crimes, Mairon. There is no curse in the Ancient Language to describe such treachery. Yet, the queen is willing to spare you your life. Forfeit your power and leave Du Weldenvarden or face the consequences."

Mairon laughed, blasting the elf with a torrent of flame. She dived out of the way, dispersing the smoke around her as she created a whirlwind to clear the ash. "He cannot save you, elf." Swords clashed again as he effortlessly moved faster than she was capable of. Her offense was met with quick parries and quick lunges which she needed all her strength to avoid. They danced, smoke swirling around them as the speed escalated. The elf warrior glanced up, towards Melkor in the distance, who roared, spewing fire out of his mouth, towards the skies above. The flames were a deep orange, and shrouded in smoke. The Dragon began to beat his wings, pushing Loivissa backwards. Mairon launched a mental attack to overwhelm her senses as she was momentarily distracted. He felt the torrent of dark magic, unbridled and chaotic, flow through him as he attempted to curb it to his will. The elf warriors eyes widened as she saw his Gedwey Ignasia glow a fiery orange, as the mental attack debilitated her. As Mairon continued his relentless assault, he felt her willpower grow weaker and weaker as her defenses, mental and physical, began to shatter. He lunged forward, jumping and bringing his blade down as she barely managed to roll aside.

"You do not understand the power that I have witnessed. Neither you nor Arucane can withstand me, nor the might of Melkor. Together, you will submit to us."

Eragon

He ran through the smoke, as Loivissa and Mairon fought in front of him. He had hoped that he could have taken Mairon head on even before she would have the opportunity to catch him off guard, but the situation had been reversed. Some quick thinking had to be done. Melkor is the main source of Mairons stability. Without a dragon tethering his will, he will quickly lose control of the darkness. Then, I can either counter it myself, or…

He hoped the other option would not be the only solution. If it came down to it, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make, but there was hope yet of a future where he could see peace. A future where he was no longer the Shadeslayer, the Kingsbane, the mighty Eragon. Where he could live in peace among the people, and belong to Alagaesia once more.

His thoughts flew past, as his instincts kicked in. This kind of contemplation had no place in a battle. Rushing forward, he quickly boosted himself off the ground into the air. Bringing down Brisingr onto Melkors tail, he barely managed to slice it as the dragon quickly swung around, blasting fire onto him. Ducking into a roll, he landed on the ash, swirling it around him as he threw the blue sword into Melkors wings. It traveled through the air like a whistling bird, ripping through the soft flesh of the wing and releasing black blood, which burnt the soil. The dragon screeched out in agony as Eragon climbed onto his tail, running forward and using magic to weigh the wings down. If he flies now, I am as good as dead.

Using the spikes on the dragons back as leverage, he pushed himself onto the wings, and pulled out Brisingr. I hope Loivissa can hold out for a bit longer.

Arya

She felt the burning in her throat, her arms, in her mind. The power of the darkness that could not be controlled. She saw Mairon take a deep breath, infusing his sword with a portion of his darkness. Scrambling backwards, she used Tamerlain as a barrier between her and the fire. The magic within the sword protected her slightly from the sheer brute strength of his blows. But it could not hold much longer. The sword was disguised as well, but if he broke it, the spell would break as well. There would be no denying that the sword was Arya's. Arucane, where are you?

Mairon brought his sword down in a brutal arc, rippling the air. The sound of the swords clashing reverberated around the entire forest, seemingly shaking the molecules in the air itself. She could no longer sense Firnen and the spellcasters in the skies. Only darkness engulfed her senses. So much power. She saw Melkor in the distance, writhing and shrieking in pain. He's here.

She defended herself as well as she could, Tamerlain only barely withstanding the relentless assault as she continued to back away. She felt Mairons presence in her mind, along with something else, overwhelming and absolute.

"There is no escape.

There is no victory.

There is no life, in the void.

Only Death."

Fear gripped her senses as her sword began to crack with each blow, time running out.

Melkor screeched in the distance, a sudden and large thud was heard as the dragon collapsed onto the scorched Earth, releasing a burst of dark magic which only suffocated her further.

Until she felt it.

Light…

Mairon brought his sword up in a final motion, as her vision blurred, consciousness fading from the assault. Hope filled her heart as she let herself collapse. There was a figure in the distance, moving towards them.

Eragon…?

Her mind was playing tricks on her. She knew that it was Arucane, but her heart longed for her love to return to her. To be here, at the end of it all.

She only felt warmth envelop her soul as a shining white light blinded her, illuminating the forest with a shine akin to the sun itself. The light of the gods themselves.

A/N- Sorry for that long hiatus, here's an okay chapter to hold you over until I get back into the flow of writing, I appreciate any feedback as I try to get back into this story and try to do my best to restart it from where I left off. :)

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