Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 11:

Yesterday, we'd spent the whole day out and about. Buying potions, health and mana. Upgrading our outfits... armors... things and weapons to as high tier as we could. I'd borrowed a dress from Merritt for the day, everyone else wearing regular clothing that they'd all brought with them from wherever they were all from. I was the only one who hadn't thought to do that, apparently. The others had also gone to talk to the various trainers, asking for any information that might help us in our fight.

I, however, had accompanied Merritt around the castle, aiding in solving disputes between some of the nobles and the advisers. After we'd all reconvened, I'd sent a letter to Zevran. Let him know what had been going on, that I would be adding a manmade dragon to my list of monsters I will have fought by the next time we were in touch.

Today... Well, we were supposed to go collect our things from the blacksmith and seamstress, then fight Serpentra. So, tell me why I'd woken up in the middle of a field. Sky pitch black. Dead elves all around me.

"Ana?" A soft, melodic voice called my name, and I looked around. Trying to see through the darkness around me.

A figure encased in a white light approached, the brightness of it hurting my eyes. Aedethali, only... not. She looked like an angel, dressed in all white, the glow coming from her.

"Where... are we?"

She tilted her head, her confusion lasting only a moment before understanding chased it away. "Of course. We're in Arendel." Where the elves were from? "Have I died yet, in your time?"

"Wh-What?!" I choked out, rising to my knees. Struggling to do even that much, I felt so weak and tired. "No!"

A soft smile as she reached me. "Be still." Sitting in front of me, a hand on top of my head. "I will soon die, in your time, I'm sure. It will happen, whether you want it to or not."

"I definitely don't want it to!"

The smile grew. "I know. But it is for a higher purpose. I will come back. Different than before, yet still me. I am still me."

The confidence in her words, the assurance that she would be okay, had me speechless. I wasn't sure what I would say, even if I could speak. There were no words. She was telling me to let her die, that it wouldn't really be the end of her.

"Have..." Hesitation, now. "Zofya and Zethial..."

I lowered my head, my hands clenching into tight fists. "They're dead."

"They will be back, much the same as me. Different, but themselves."

"They..." My head whipped back up, and I stared at her with wide eyes.

"He will have a harder time than her, coming to terms with what he will be upon returning. They will need support." Earnestly, she reached out and grasped my hands. Leaned her face close enough to mine to kiss. "Please, help them. If you and the others aren't there for them..."

I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that we were surrounded by corpses.

"Elreid did this." Pulling back, releasing me, she motioned toward the scene around us.

"What...?" I was horrified. There had to be dozens of bodies.

"Without the others to help them, to bring them back from the brink, they're claimed by the darkness in their hearts."

"Does... Does she die, too?"

"No." The smile was back, this time so, so sad. "She accepted a deal with the Spirit of Death. She wanted to protect everyone, was tired of losing people. Felt her efforts were in vain and wanted to be stronger. Strong enough for anything. She didn't account for the darkness welling up inside her, slowly overtaking her from within. Turning her into a mindless weapon."

"A weapon for who?"

She looked away, staring off into the distance. A faraway glint in her eyes. "Feder."

Who was that...? It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"You and the others cannot allow this future to occur." Her gaze swung back to me, searching for something.

"But, if I'm here right now, doesn't that mean nothing changed?"

A trilling laugh. "No, no. It means that you've visited an alternate future, is all. Time flows in all directions, leaks into other universes. Otherwise, how would you be able to change anything at all? You would have no memory of the future happening, because it wouldn't have happened."

That... made sense, I guess.

"Is there anything else you can tell me? The more I know... the more I can do."

She stood, dusting herself off. Opened her mouth, but another voice cut her off.

"Aedethali? Are you with someone?"

Another elf, unfamiliar yet I could have sworn I'd seen her before, stepped out of the darkness.

"Meriendel, hello. I am." A gesture toward me. "My friend, Anastasia."

The newcomer looked at me with closed eyes, a smile on her lips. "I know you."

"She's from the past, in another timeline."

"Ah, of course. When we'd last spoken, you were going to talk to the elven queen. I was wondering how you could be here, yet there at the same time."

I was pretty popular, it would seem.

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but are you-"

"Blind? Yes. I see other worlds, though. The future, as well."

"I can relate to that. Seeing the future, I mean."

A sound akin to rushing water drowned out everything, making me cover my ears. It was coming from inside me, inside my head.

As suddenly as it had started, it was over. I slowly straightened, finding myself still kneeling. This time, though, it was a familiar clearing with a bonfire in the middle. Sun low in the sky. Goblins everywhere, staring at me. I was at Marissa's Dryspring, surrounded by the goblins we'd helped. Liberating them from a ghost hobgoblin that had been controlling them.

I quickly got to my feet, barely bowing my head at them, before sprinting away. Back toward the city.

When I got there, no one was home.

"Where are you guys?" I asked, tapping into the mental link.

Silence, then.

"Ana?! Where have you been?! We're fighting, and..."

"Don't come!" Alina interrupted Illaria, sounding panicked as hell.

Various chimes of agreement, all that I should stay away. I wasn't about, of course not! I would die fighting with them, if that's what it came down to. Not that I wanted to. I wanted to make sure they were all-

The world shifted, like it was melting away.

The sky was brighter, the sun higher in the sky. I'd finally managed it, finally sent myself back in time. Not the first time ever, but it was for Lagendia. That must mean I was getting the hang of it, right?

Still, no one was home, but I couldn't be too far behind them.

"Alina?" I sent a private message, running toward the blacksmithy to grab my weapons. Then to the seamstress to get my clothes. I would be useless to them without protection.

"Ana? I was wondering where you were. Why didn't you reply to anyone's messages?"

"Guess they don't work with time travel." My tone was short, and it wasn't my intention, but I needed to know where they all were. "Where are you guys?"

"We're..." There was silence for a moment or two, where my anxiety started rising. "fighting Serpentra. Where-" Another stretch of it. "are you?"

"I'm on my way, from Saints Haven. I just wanted to make sure you guys were still okay."

She didn't say anything else after that, not until I was on the boat heading toward the island where General Douglas's man, the only one who'd lived from the last ship sent out, had said the serpent was using as a home base.

"Don't come! Please, Ana!"

My hands balled into fists. "I'm already here." A white lie, but she didn't need to know that.

"Leave! Get away! Tell the general it's a lost cause!" Merritt was in my head now, screaming.

The robot girl must've said something aloud to the others, or at least her.

"Not a chance. We can do this."

Aedethali had said she'd died during this fight, but she hadn't said anyone else had. If I could help keep everyone else alive, I had to join the fray.

Taking a deep breath, I called the shadows to me, cloaking myself in invisibility. And ran, as quick as my feet could carry me, toward the center of the island.

When I reached them, I paused a moment to take in the scene. Merritt was crouched over Illaria, healing her. Liam and Elreid defending them. Dawn was yelling and racing toward the beast, on the offensive. Alina had summoned her cute little robot ducks, along with her turrets. Black Opal and Aedethali were attacking from a distance. Him throwing knives, her firing arrow after arrow. And the damn thing didn't look any worse for wear, while they all looked exhausted. They must've been here for over three hours, by now. The fact that they were in such a state and the serpent was looking fresh was a very bad sign.

It was definitely going to be a struggle, killing this thing. I swallowed, closing my eyes and centering myself. When I opened them again, I saw things. Specific parts of its hide glowed a dull purple, and I instinctively knew they were weak points. I didn't stop to question why or how I was seeing them, taking it as a blessing from Lagendia's Goddess. She'd already given us so much, by allowing my time traveling power to function properly today, and the day Zofya died. How we were able to save everyone else. And now this?

Something pricked at the back of my mind, like I'd forgotten something and my brain was trying so hard to remember it. I shook it off as I made a round, going to each and every one of my companions. Brushing a hand across a shoulder, an arm. The back of a hand, a cheek. Giving healing energy to everyone, before throwing myself into the fight, pulling Vigil out. Sinking it deep into one of the weak points, slicing downward. Watched as the beast reared backward, confused screeches filling the air. No one, that it could see anyway, was near it. Well, to be fair, everyone looked confused. But no one stopped, continuing their assault. Illaria back on her feet, sending out black holes. Slowing it down a little.

I mentally connected to the others, showing them the weak points the Voices of the Well were pointing out to me as I ran around behind the beast.

"Ana?" Several voices filtered through.

"I'm here. Focus your attacks where I showed you guys."

"Oh my goddess, I forgot you can turn invisible." It sounded like Alina wanted to facepalm. Probably would have, if we weren't in such a dangerous situation.

Had she ever seen me do it? Had I told her? I filed it away, to ask about later.

Serpentra lashed out, swiping at Dawn as she launched herself into the air, aiming to punch its beak. A clawed hand slapped her to the ground and while its attention was on her, an arrow sank into one of its eyes. Aedethali ran forward, helping the bunny girl to her feet.

After recovering rather quickly, too quickly for my liking, from the wound, it dove headfirst toward the two of them. Aedethali pushed Dawn behind her and took the attack. The beak pierced her middle, coming out the other side of her. Just like Geraint.

"Noooo!" Dawn shrieked, catching her when she collapsed.

Everyone gathered around them, Merritt attempting to heal enough of the damage to save her life. I couldn't hear what was being said, only saw moving lips for a moment before returning my attention back to the serpent.

Letting the invisibility go, I shouted as loud as I could. "Oi! Over here, you overgrown lizard!"

Thankfully, it turned to me, finding me the weaker of the two options I'm sure, and I stuck my tongue out at it. It let out a scream of fury, like it knew I was mocking it. How smart was this thing, really? Obviously smart enough to not be caught, to be able to deal with every plan they'd tried. And this place resembled the nest that Geraint had made in the basement, the energy the same. It really was a laboratory-bred dragon.

The tail swept out, trying to knock me away, but I managed to wrap myself around it. So, now I was just getting flung around every which way, while it tried to get me off it. I climbed my way up along to its back. Continued to its neck. The whole ordeal probably only took a couple of minutes, but it felt like eternity was passing.

I finally reached my destination, slashing Vigil downward into the hide, when shouting reached my ears. Aedethali was standing tall, arrow nocked. Ready to let it fly, just waiting for an opening. Dawn was trying to get her to retreat, Merritt saying the elf needed to let her do her job and heal her. She gave them a soft smile before rapid firing toward the serpent's face. More than a few arrows finding their way into its good eye.

Blind, it reached out at where the three of them had been. Just before the claws raked across Dawn's body, the elf jumped in front of her. Again, taking the blow.

It was enough of a distraction for me to cut through a section of the hide, prying it up as far as Vigil and my hands could manage. After taking a deep breath, I shoved my hands inside. Lit them up with electricity.

It screamed and thrashed, trying so hard to shake me. Trying so hard to escape the pain. Even after it fell, I didn't stop. I wanted to make damn fucking sure this thing was dead. Dead and gone, never to return. I didn't care that fifty years ago, they hadn't managed to kill it, had only sealed it away somewhere. It would be dead, for what happened today.

It didn't matter that she would come back one day. It had to pay for this.

Several minutes passed, where nothing happened. Where I kept the magic going.

Ana. Anastasia. The others are still alive, they need you. Relax. Breathe.

The spirit's voice in my head snapped me out of my haze, and I realized it really was dead. There wasn't any reason for me to keep it up. I hopped down, staggering on my feet from the amount of energy I'd poured into that.

Looking toward the others, I saw that Aedethali wasn't dead. Not yet. She was hanging on by a thread, broken whispers reaching me the closer I got to them.

"Zethial... wouldn't have wanted..." She was cupping Dawn's cheek, smiling weakly. "you to die."

"That... You shouldn't..." Choked sobs, clutching the elf's hand.

As gently as I could, I maneuvered my way through everyone gathered around, kneeling opposite Dawn.

"Aede... I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, when the fighting first started, but I have good news."

It took a moment, but her eyes eventually moved over to me. It sent a pain through my chest, thinking that it had taken all her effort to manage that much.

"I saw you, in the future. You said that you come back, better than ever. I don't know how, I didn't ask. But you come back."

Her smile brightened, surprising me with how happy and big it was, focusing on the other girl again. "You... hear that? Don't... cry... Dawn. I'll see you..."

A minute, two, four passed, but it was clear she wouldn't be finishing her sentence.

"She'll see us soon." Dawn carefully rested Aedethali's hand on the elf's chest, then wiped the tears from her eyes. "We should get her to Ithilien before we go see the general."

"Dawn..." Elreid touched her shoulder.

"I'm..." She looked to me, searching my face for any sign of lying. "You're sure? You weren't just saying that?"

"That's where I was this morning, honest. I saw her and another elf, Meriendel. She..." I glanced around at everyone. "told me that Zofya and Zethial come back, too. They'll be... different, but she didn't explain how. Just that even though they'll be different, they'll still be themselves, and that we shouldn't forget that."

I'd decided in the moment to keep Elreid's becoming a monster a secret. For now. We could dead with that later. This was enough to dump on everyone, all at once.

"Zeth..." The sobbing started over again, the others joining her. Happy tears, this time.

It was a little bizarre, the scene before me. Everyone crying from happiness, while Aedethali lay dead in the midst of us. An outsider would think we'd lost our minds or something, but she'd be back. They all would. And we'd be ready to accept them.