War of Cinders

by Ocaj

Sequel to Eye of the Storm. With the second attack on the Storm Spire defeated, Xadia strikes back, attacking the human kingdoms and besieging Katolis Castle. Rayla, Callum and Ezran all find themselves on different sides of the conflict. After all that has happened, can they still work together to save the world from this destructive war?

10. Out of the ashes

The crackling fire heated the sanctum and filled it with a horrible stench as the bug creature burned away. Callum and Rayla stared at the scene, not sure of what to do. Zeron watched the battered but not broken teens from across the trashed open space, his back to the flames.

No one moved.

Callum was confused. Didn't he just help us? But despite being their saviour, there was no friendliness found in Zeron's face as he sternly looked at them, his hand outstretched, still waiting for them to hand over the gem.

"What do you want the gem for?" Rayla asked while handing the sparkling melon sized emerald to Callum. She wanted to have her hands free in case she had to use her swords, though she didn't like her chances against him.

"Why do you care what I want with it?" Zeron retorted. "Suffice to say that I sought after that object longer than the both of you have been alive. Now hand it over."

Rayla grunted and slowly reached for her swords just as Callum stepped forward quite boldly, despite his many injuries. He hadn't felt this much pain since came back from the dead. Aaravos' spells certainly did a number on him, but even though he didn't think he would stand a chance against Zeron, he felt that he had to step up. "We need this gem to help the sunfire elves. With this, we can fix the sun forge!"

"And then what?" Zeron stepped forward as well, away from the flames and towards the duo. "Do you think the sunfire elves will just throw themselves at your feet for that? That all the animosity will just disappear!?"

"No, of course not!" Rayla yelled. "But it's a good start in bringin' humans and elves together! Why are you being so difficult in this!? Why won't you just let us do our job!?"

Callum watched his girlfriend shout against the dark cloaked dragon mage. The entire situation seemed bizarre to him. They were at the brink of being turned to ashes, then they were saved by the person who had betrayed them, only to be threatened by him yet again. He watched as Zeron stepped closer, still holding out his hand for the object.

"I...need that stone. I need it to get home. Now give it to me!" He said as he took another step and reached for the gem. His stern look turned to one of surprise when he suddenly found the cold tip of a blade pressing against his neck. His eyes swiveled to the right and found Rayla's, looking back at him menacingly.

"You don't want to do this," Zeron hissed. "You don't want to fight me, certainly not in the state you're in." he said, eying her many wounds.

"I don't care." Rayla spat.

"You'll lose…"

"A DON'T CARE! This gem isnea goin' anywhere with ye!" She screamed at him. How dare he!? she thought as she remembered how he had manipulated her dreams, yes, everyone around her, apparently only for his own gain. How dare he!?

"Can't you just wait until… until after we've used it?" Callum asked carefully. Despite Zeron seemingly betraying them yet again, he was less mad and more confused by it. Above all, he was exhausted and hoped this would be resolved without any fighting.

Zeron's eyes narrowed as he looked back to Callum. "And can you absolutely guarantee that the É'Nots Reverof will not lose its power after that, or even shatter, once you've used it?"

"I….don't know?"

"Exactly." Zeron said, looking back to Rayla, who was still holding him at swordpoint. "So give it to me. Do not make me hurt you, again." There was a definite threat in the way he said it. I beat you in your dreams. I could easily do it again here.

But Rayla would not relent. "That's your decision to make. But A'll fight ye till my last breath!"

Being very careful not to startle her, Callum placed his burned hand on her shoulder. He hoped she would look at him, so that she could see the worry in his eyes. When her head didn't turn around, he whispered to her. "Rayla...we can't defeat him."

This made her glance back at him. As she did, Callum was taken aback by how furious she looked. "A don't care! He's a scunner!" She screamed as she turned back to Zeron. "He nearly killed me just ta test me! He betrayed you by givin' you to tha dragon queen!"

Zeron frowned. "Surely, that's not-"

"Shut it! You only do things that take after yer own interest!" Her swordhand trembled ever so slightly as she raged on. "You don't care about anyone but yerself."

A dark look came across Zeron. For a moment, Rayla forgot to breathe. She saw Zeron tense, his hands balling into fists. She thought that he would attack her for sure, and she didn't think she had the energy to fight back this time around. But then, it seemed like Zeron just...deflated. He stepped back, hanging his head, not quite looking at them.

"That's not true. I care very deeply about a lot of people… " His voice sounded soft and tired. When he next looked at them, it looked like he was having trouble holding his emotions in check. "Which is precisely why I need to get home!"

Sensing the shift in the mood, she lowered her sword. "Fine. Then we will give you the gem after we're done with it! But the people of Xadia go first right now!" She made a motion of drawing a line with her sword, underlining her point quite effectively.

Callum stepped forward, trying to stand tall next to his girlfriend. "Fixing the sunforge is really our best shot at making them listen. I know it's also for selfish reasons because of what happened to me," he said, gesturing at grey skin and the grey and white hair, "but if we do this, then they have to at least think about what they are doing to us! We must show the dragon king that the humans want peace!"

"That's not something he wants though…" Zeron said, hanging his head and stepped away. For a moment, everyone was silent. Then Zeron lashed out, kicking a piece of furniture and sending it flying. "Wraaaaaaaah!"

Callum and Rayla took a step back, frightened by the sudden outburst.

Zeron hung his head, not looking at them. "Letting you keep the gemeven for a moment longer feels like a huge risk to me. Someone could steal it, or something could break it, and then the chances of me getting home will wither away like snowflakes in the Breach."

He looked at them, still struggling with his own thoughts on the matter. "On this continent, I only hold allegiance to one person. And she would be extremely disappointed if I did you any more harm." He sighed heavily and put his hand against his forehead. "Very well then, but…" He turned his head, his piercing blue eyes meeting theirs. "I will help you get the sunforge so we can get this over with. You have no idea how long I've sought for a way to get home. I will not let it go out of my sight now."

"That...that would be great!" Callum exclaimed. "We could really use your help getting there!"

Rayla was silent. She didn't like the idea of spending any more time than she had to with Zeron. But, if what he was saying was really true, then she could sympathize. It hadn't been too long ago where her own home had quite literally ghosted her, cutting her off from the only people she could still call family. She nodded and sheathed her swords.

Zeron nodded back and turned around. "Great. Let's go. We'll be there by midnight."

Callum lbinked. "Wait. L-like right now?"

Zeron slowly turned. "Did I stutter?"

Rayla sighed and put Callum's arm across his shoulder. "Right, right, let's go. Looks like this adventure's still far from over." Looking over her beat-up boyfriend, she didn't think they would have the energy to travel far on their own power though. "We need to rest soon. Have you got any ideas for that, dragon?"

"You can rest while we're flying," was the only reply she got.

"Oh..."

-/-/-/-

A few moments later, Rayla and Callum were sitting on the back of Zeron as he flew northwards across Xadia. Rayla had opted to sit behind Callum; he was beyond exhausted and quickly fell asleep. She kept her arms around him, pressing themselves against the scaly backside. It was surprisingly warm, something that she was thankful for.

How are you holding up?

She was startled as she suddenly heard Zeron's deep, dragon voice in her head. The dragon had turned his head, one huge blue, pupil less eye gazing in her direction. "We're good!" She shouted.

There was a rumble akin to laughter. There's no need to shout. I can hear you perfectly fine.

"Oh…Well, Callum fell asleep. He barely survived the battle. I think it will take some time for him to get back to normal." whatever that is, she added quietly in her mind.

And what about you? Aren't you tired?

She shrugged, though she thought the motion wasn't noticeable from where she was sitting. "I'm alright. A bit beat up, but I'll live. Still runnin' off the adrenaline I guess…"

Hmmm….

Silence

Rayla had the idea that she should say something, despite her feelings towards the black dragon. He is helping us after all, if only for his own selfish reasons. But as she looked at Callum, she couldn't help but feel that their reasons for cleansing the sunforge were somewhat similar. I want my Callum back…

"So… you did a good job at squashin' Aaravos? You did better than us in that fight, that's for sure," she said awkwardly, trying to make conversation.

Zeron harrumphed, the sound actually carrying through his telepathy. That compliment is not entirely deserved. His bugform only housed a fraction of his power and it comes with limitations; I was lucky to be able to fight him in this form. Aaravos is a creature that should never be unleashed upon the world again… but that is now your responsibility.

"Yeah, great! Noooo problem!" she replied sarcastically. At least the creature is dead. But how are we going to make sure that Aaravos doesn't come back? She had no answer to the question, but figured this was something that she could discuss with the dragon queen. "I have a question though. Why didn't you change into your dragon form right away?"

Do you recall how the sanctum looked like afterwards?

Rayla closed her eyes, recalling the scene, then smiled to herself. "Yeah, alright. The place was pretty much trashed."

Indeed. Though, I have to admit that much of that happened in the fight before that. Regardless, being a dragon in such a small space is uncomfortable to say the least. I considered it a backup plan.

"Hmmm." She considered his answer while also thinking of what else to ask him. She figured that as things were right now, she could ask him pretty much anything; he would be gone soon, if he was honest about needing the gem. "Well, since we're talkin', care to tell me why you handed Callum over to the dragon queen like that? You know I don't like you, but Callum considered you a friend."

This time, Zeron didn't immediately reply, as if considering his words carefully. The queen is… easily swayed by her emotions. I never thought that Callum would be in any danger while in her captivity, and I thought it likely that when you arrived, some kind of bargain would be made. The queen Zubeia loves happy endings as much as anyone!

This made Rayla smile. "Yeah, she does. But why all the cloak and dagger? Couldn't you just have asked for what you needed?"

I did. I did it in the past, time and time again. But the other dragons did not know where the gem was, and the startouch elves would not talk to me. They only hold their allegiance to the royal family. I had hoped that by offering them Callum, the queen could be persuaded to order the star-touched ones to help me in my plight… but alas.

"You've been tryin' to get home for a long time, then?" She leaned forward as she said this, feeling the breathing motions of Callum against her as he slept. But one hand she put on the back of the dragon. A small gesture of kindness.

... yes, I have.

A long moment of silence passed between them, each contemplating their own thoughts. Eventually, Zeron spoke up again briefly.

I am truly sorry if I was blunt in my methods. I know I hurt you and Callum. I have no real excuse for that. Perhaps I have been gone so long that I was too eager to get home, and was not thinking of the consequences of my actions to others.

"It's alright…" She said softly. It wasn't, not really. But there wasn't anything they could speak of that would make things better. At least she was glad that the end of this adventure was within sight.

Far off in the distance, the large city of Lux Aurea could be seen, softly glimmering in the moonlight. Rayla was amazed how much of the landscape was still visible underneath the light of the moon. Most of it was shades of black and grey, but some bodies of water could still be discerned by their glimiring nature. And of course mountains were easily recognizable. Far, far off to her right she could see the Storm Spire, a thin line rising high above the clouds.

Then something glimmered in the distance. A small speck of light flashed that seemed to be moving towards the Spire. As Zeron carried them ever closer to Lux Aurea, she wondered who that could be...

-/-/-/-

"That's enough!" Ezran screamed, hoping the dragon could hear him. A rumbling laughter answered his cry.

"Alright, alright." Rex Igneous closed his mouth again and the flames disappeared. "I thought it would wake you up a bit. It is also good courtesy to announce our arrival."

"Yes, well, you almost toasted us!" Corvus said as he patted himself, making sure some of the flames that scattered around in the wind didn't accidentally set him on fire.

"Geez, you humans really are a frightful bunch. Hang on! We're going to land."

With a swoop and a dive, the dragon raced towards the outer plateau of the Storm Spire where another arch dragon was already waiting for them in the moonlight. As Rex Igneous landed, he immediately knelt, the humans on his back bowing awkwardly in their seated position as they saw queen Zubeia standing there before them.

"Rise, Rex Igneious. It has been years since you graced our spire with your presence."

"That it has, your majesty, but I haven't forgotten how kind you all were. And please, Zubeia, you don't have to be all official with me."

The dragon queen giggled, a loud rumbling sound that surprised the dragonguard who were standing before her. "Alright, Nousy. It has been a long time. Have you been well?"

The earth arch dragon grinned. "Yeah. I have been sleeping, dreaming. Up until these upstarts woke me." He nudged a shoulder, causing Ezran and Corvus to be jolted where they were seated.

"Ah, yes! King Ezran! I'm glad you were able to find Rex Igneous." Queen Zubeia said gently. "I am a bit confused by your visit though. I thought that you would make your way back to Katolis with all haste. The siege won't last forever…"

"Yeah, that is on me." Rex Igneous said before Ezran could reply. "I figured that if I'm going to pummel some sense into that dumb beast, there should atleast be another arch dragon present to witness the fight. And I'm going to need some help getting everything in order. You know how it is…"

The queen sighed deeply. "Yes I do... " She looked down as Zym came hopping out of the cave excitedly.

"Zym!" Ezran shouted as he let himself slide off the back of Rex Igneous somewhat clumsily. He rushed towards the tiny beast and hugged it tightly. Zym, in turn, gave him many small licks, causing tiny zaps to Ezran's face. "Hey, easy, haha! I wasn't gone that long!"

Rex Igneous lowered his head, his eyes observing the tiny storm dragon. The sudden close presence of the giant earth dragon spooked him, causing him to jolt backwards, but after the initial shock subsided, he became curious.

"Go on Zym! He's a friend!" Ezran said as he guided Zym to Rex Igneous.

This caused Rex to smile. "Well, it's been a long time since I've seen anything this cute! What's his name? Zym?"

"Prince Azymondias." the queen said gently. "But I must admit that the nickname the human king gave him has stuck. The dragon guard uses it as well." She eyed the guards down below, who flinched, unsure if it was a rebuke or not. Only Catlyn grinned, not at all ashamed by the comment.

Rex Igneous gave another smile. Then his giant, stony face turned serious. "My queen, we must end this stupid war against the humans."

The queen nodded without hesitation. "I agree. I have been doing a lot of thinking after king Ezran's last visit, and I think it's time I took a firm stance again."

"That is good to hear. Would you accompany me to Katolis? I will challenge Aureum Umbra for his dominion, but I need you to be present for that."

For some reason, this confused queen Zubeia. "But- Why would you need me?"

The stony dragon said nothing for a moment, but grinned. "I think it's important that the queen is there. It's a requirement for me. Otherwise, Aureum Umbra might not accept defeat if you don't support me."

The queen was very hesitant in accepting Rex Igneous' demand. "But...I'll have to leave the Storm Spire again...and what about Zym?"

"Zym can come with us!" Ezran piped up. "Just like old times, right buddy?"

Zym happily jumped around Ezran, yelping and barking like it was common for young dragons to do.

"See? That's settled then." Rex Igneous said, still grinning.

Queen Zubeia sighed. "Oh, alright then. But I am taking some of the guard with me for protection." Her head swiveled downwards, towards the elves. "Catlyn, Kiyara, I would like you to come with me."

Kiyara knelt down and lowered her head, while Catlyn simply grinned and nodded. "Not a problem!"

"Good. Please climb on and keep Zym safe while we're flying. He can fly on his own, but he is not nearly fast enough to keep up."

"W-wait! We're leaving right now?" Ezran exclaimed as the guards took Zym and climbed on up on the back of the dragon queen.

"Is there a problem little guy?" Rex Igneous rumbled, his head close to the human boy.

"Well, we've been flying for a long time, and I gotta pee!"

The dragon stared perplexed at Ezran, then laughed loudly. "Well, then better go inside and do your thing. Don't worry, we won't leave without you!"

As Ezran rushed in the Storm Spire, he nearly bumped into another elf. "Oops, sorry!" He couldn't really see who it was. Probably one of the guards. Oh gosh, where were the bathrooms again!?

The elf stared at the human king as he disappeared in the hallway, then returned his gaze to the gathering outside. The queen is taking a risk, leaving the Storm Spire for the human lands, even taking her heir with her.

Esoriél waited in the shadows. Ezran returned and quickly climbed on Rex Igneous, and then they were off. The two archdragons shot up into the sky and with great speed they faded into the distance, heading westwards.

"And so, the last pawns have placed themselves on the board…" He looked up at the starry night sky, which held secrets only very few knew about. "But will they be in the right place to weather what's to come? Only time will tell."

Saddened that he could do no more, Esoriél retreated in the Storm Spire, hoping that everyone would be successful in their task. For if they are not, dark times are ahead of us.

-/-/-/-

Lux Aurea was a shell of its former self. The golden city had transformed into a monster infested ruin. Most of its citizens had fled, but not all of them. Some chose to stay and fight for their home. Even adventurers from far away joined the sunfire elves in their plight to drive away the shadow monstrosities that were spawned by the corrupted sunforge. Fighting their way through the city was sure to take days…

...were it not that Zeron was helping them, in dragon form. After quickly communicating with a ragtag band of survivors, they pushed for the sunforge. They did not really try to kill all the shadows in the city but instead focussed on getting to the central spire as quickly as possible.

Zeron did most of the heavy lifting, blasting away the monstrosities with his breath weapon; a stream of blue flames that reduced everything it touched to ashes. The adventurers took care of the stranglers. Rayla wanted to help as well, but Zeron convinced her to stay on his back and take care of Callum, who was saving his energy for the ritual.

Within the hour, they had arrived at a large spire, with the sunforge looming before them. The giant, black orb floated above them, hovering over a lens which was supposed to amplify the forge's magic. However, in its corrupted state it merely radiated angry black and red whisps which floated through the air. Those would letter condense in the monsters that had been plaguing the city.

"Whatever you do, do it quickly," Wina, a heavily scarred and armoured sunfire elf said. "Normally this thing is guarded by a shadow creature, larger than any other!"

"Have you ever gotten close enough to see that creature?" A rugged, bearded human asked. He spoke with a northern accent, possibly originating from Del Bar.

"You don't need to be close to see it, Melkar." A third spoke up. This one was a skywing elf, wearing light armour and a cloak. "It's big and scary enough from a distance."

Zeron crouched down low; the platform barely supported his size. "Get off you two. I'm going to change back."

Rayla nodded and helped her boyfriend. "C'mon Cal. Let's get down."

She helped him slide down the black dragon, with Zeron even using his tail to stabilize Callum, making sure he didn't tumble. As soon as they both stood on the ground, the dragon turned into black mist. The mist was all sucked into a single, humanoid shape.

"That looks awesome," Callum said hoarsely.

Zeron grinned. "I'm sure it does. Well. We're here now. Shall we?"

Rayla looked from her worn and exhausted boyfriend to the giant, blackish ball before them. "This looks dangerous. Can't we at least take a breather? Maybe do this in the morning?"

"Oh, no!" Wina said. "We don't want that thing to spawn anymore monstrosities. Also, the longer we stay here, the more chance we have of getting swarmed. We have to act now!"

Zeron stepped forwards and held out his hand. "Allow me."

Still, Rayla was skeptical. "How can I be sure you don't just run off with the thing? Do you even know what you're supposed to do with it?"

Zeron smiled while raising an eyebrow. "Do you?"

She didn't, and sighed out of resignation. "Fine. Do your thing then." She produced the crystal from a large bag they had found in the sanctum and handed it to him. Zeron's eyes acquired a shine as he held the green gem in his hand, the golden filigree sparkling despite the absence of any proper light source.

"Finally…" he whispered. For a moment, Rayla was afraid that Zeron would turn tail and run, but then he turned to the giant black smokey ball and stretched his arm, lifting the green gem to it.

The gem started to glow and pulse. At first, the smoke that was emitted from the corrupted sunforge was pulled into the gem very slowly, but as a minute had passed it appeared to speed up. Soon, large black tendrils and blotches of the black stuff were all sucked into the gem, which was turning darker.

Zeron had a worried frown on his face as that happened, but still he held up the gem, not willing to break his promise to the two. Rayla, Callum and the three adventurers stood in awe as the first rays of the sun broke through the black layer for the first time in almost a year.

Faster and faster the gem sucked inwards the dark corruption, while the sunforge shone brighter and brighter. With a soft slurping sound the last of the corrupted magic disappeared and they all stood at the plateau, looking at the softly glowing sunforge.

Nobody said anything for a moment. Rayla was the first to break the silence.

"Did it work? I thought it was supposed to be brighter," she said as she stared at the dimly glowing orb. It was definitely prettier in its uncorrupted state, but it wasn't a shiny beacon like she was told about.

"It's night time. Right now the sunforge is supposed to be like this." Wina replied without taking her eyes off the sphere.

"So, is it over?" The skywing elf said, while they were looking around to see if the shadows in the city disappeared.

Zeron looked worried as he studied the now blackened gem. "I doubt it. You still have to banish the shadows down below. But at least, it won't create any new ones. The end of the struggle for your city is in sight."

The three adventurers turned to Zeron, thanking him, but Zeron held up his hand. "Don't thank me, thank them," he said, pointing at Rayla and Callum. "It was their plan. They found the É'Nots Reverof. I'm just along for the ride." He didn't even look up as he said this, still studying the gem.

Rayla paid them no mind, instead focussing on Callum. "Hey, we're here. We can now do the ritual." She desperately wished they could get a good night's rest, but seeing those adventurers fighting the shadows made her realize that they had to get out of here quickly once they were done. Liberatin' the city will have to wait.

A groan escaped Callum's lips as he tried to stand. "I'm ready…"

The sunfire elf looked worried at Callum's state. "Is he alright? He looks almost dead!"

"That's how I feel." Callum answered with a smile.

Wina hesitated, feeling conflicted seeing how this human was most certainly a dark magic user. But he did help us. "You know, I could heal you up a bit? My arcanum allows me to do some limited healing."

"Really? That's great! That's just what we need!" Rayla exclaimed.

But Callum looked doubtful as he stared at the sunforge. "Maybe after I've cleared my corruption. I think I will feel a lot better once the ritual is done anyway."

Rayla swallowed, nodding. The circumstances for this ritual weren't ideal. It was nighttime, the city was haunted by shadows of corruption and Callum was beaten and broken. No, not broken, she reminded herself as she saw his determined face as he took a step towards the sunforge. I just hope he's strong enough to go through with it. "Hey, this ritual… it isn't of the dangerous kind, right?"

Zeron didn't answer immediately, but Wina reacted surprised. "You're attempting a cleansing ritual without knowing what it does? Dragonguard, the cleansing burns away all the corruption. If the corruption has too strong a hold on this human, he will burn away with it.

"What!? Callum! No!"

But Callum just smiled. "Don't worry. I haven't used dark magic as long as Viren. I don't think I'm in any danger," he lied. His eyes crossed Zeron's, who frowned but made no comment. "However...there is one thing I've been wanting to ask you."

Rayla swallowed again, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. "Y-yes?"

Callum looked her in the eyes. "I know you still have your parents in those coins… Runaan as well. If...you want me to release them, I'm willing to do that...right now I mean."

Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Callum...why? Why would you-"

"I'm going to get cleansed anyway. I wasn't willing to worsen my corruption, but since I'm close to being 'me' again, I think that this is the right moment to do it." When he saw her doubt, he added; "I don't think it will worsen my corruption that much."

"Then you clearly don't know the spell Viren used." Zeron replied as he studied the gem for any damage. "Do you even have ingredients on hand?"

"That...I….Oh…." An obvious flaw in his plan. Of course! How could I forget about that!? His mind raced, trying to find a way to solve this problem, but he was interrupted as Rayla closed the distance between them and took his hand.

"Callum...that's very sweet of you. But to think that it would add only a smich of corruption to you...no, I don't want that." Rayla looked in his surprised eyes, and noticed that his face was beginning to go blurry as her eyes started to tear up.

"...are you sure?" He wanted to say that he could fix this, that getting more ingredients wasn't that big of a deal. It's not that he wanted to do dark magic, but he hated seeing her like this. I want to do whatever makes you happy Rayla!

But she nodded, wiping away a tear. "Callum, A want nothin' more than ta see them again. Ta just hold them and hug them and tell them how much I love them. A want ta hear their voices again, My da's sweet soft voice as he's tellin' stories, my ma, singin'. Even Runaan scoldin' me for missing a step." She swallowed, reigning in her emotions. "But they wouldn't forgive me if A asked this of you. A wouldn't forgive myself if A let you do this. Trust me, it's better this way."

There was a long moment of silence as they stared into each other's eyes. Despite his hurry to get on with it and go elsewhere, Zeron said nothing, letting them have their moment. The adventurers that had accompanied them didn't understand the full depth of the conversation, but they recognized a tender moment when they saw one and kept their distance.

Eventually, Callum and Rayla shared a brief kiss and stayed like that, their foreheads touching, staring into each other's eyes. Then, they slowly detached themselves, with Callum just holding her fingers a while longer as he looked at the sunforge looming before him.

"Well...I'd better get on with it huh."

Rayla pulled him back slightly with her fingertips. "Callum, I want you to know… if the ritual doesn't work, I still wanna be with you! I'm not letting you go, no matter what happens!"

By the look on his face, she could tell that this surprised him. But the surprised look was quickly replaced by gratitude. "Same. I love you," He replied.

"I love you…" She clenched her teeth as Callum turned from her and stepped towards the sunforge, sitting down in front of it.

Zeron stepped up, standing beside him. "Do you know the ritual?"

Callum frowned, concentrating. "I've read about it at the Storm Spire. Esoriél gave me a scroll with the information. But I've never cast it of course." He looked up at Zeron. The man with the long, black hair and bright, blue eyes had an unreadable expression on his face. Then, tenderly, he put a hand on Callum's shoulder.

"Then let me help you one last time. Draw the runes. I'll channel the power of the sun arcanum"

Together, they drew runes in the air, with Zeron being the catalyst they required in the absence of a primal sunstone. Then, the sunforge flashed, burning brighter. The others shielded their eyes, but Zeron and Callum couldn't, using their hands to draw the runes instead.

"Are you ready Callum?"

Callum wanted to quip 'no' to ease his nerves, but figured now was not the time. He quickly glanced back to Rayla, who tried her best to look at him despite the intensity of the light. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Here it comes!" Zeron released the spell. Sun arcanum runes glowed in two moving rings around Callum. Then the giant lense started turning, a ray of pure, concentrated sun energy slowly burning a line, heading in his direction.

Zeron stepped back, standing next to Rayla, who looked surprised. "Wha...You're not goin' to help him!?"

But the man shook his head. "He's on his own now."

The line of light came closer. Callum's breathing became rapid as the fear settled in. He looked at his hands, which already had been burned severely. Please don't hurt too much! He felt his body clench as the light came within inches of his body now, but then it stopped as it hit the glowing rings.

Instantly, there was a feeling of searing, hot pain that coursed through his body. He spasmed, his back straightening involuntarily. He let out a gurgled sound as he tried to scream, but couldn't control his muscles enough to do it.

"Somethin's wrong!" Rayla rushed forwards but was stopped by Zeron who grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back.

"Have a little faith. He's got this!" Rayla's continued struggle told him exactly how much faith she had in the ritual right now. She struggled half-heartedly as she tried to keep her sight on Callum.

The corruption on his skin turned a dark purple as the light around him became brighter. Callum felt like his entire body was on fire, both on the inside and out. He struggled to breathe between the convulsions his body was making. He leaned to his left, only to be jolted upright again as his body touched the spell rings.

Then his body started to smoke. Dark, black whisps came off of him, and a wretched smell of rot and sulfur was released in the air. This time Callum did manage to scream. It was a heart wrenching scream full of anguish.

"NO! CALLUM!" She wanted to rush towards him, to drag him away from the sunforge that was eating away at him, but Zeron held her tightly. With no other recourse, she just pressed herself against Zeron in a desperate attempt for comfort, unable to look away from her boyfriend who was now burning.

Zeron clenched his jaw, seemingly not unfamiliar nor unsympathetic with how she was feeling right now. He put his arms around her and held her tenderly as he too watched Callum with a worried expression. Please make it through this lad. This girl of yours needs you.

Moments passed, and as the wisps of smoke grew thicker, the screams subsided as Callum passed in and out of consciousness yet again. He tried to focus, to keep himself together, but he was ill equipped to deal with this sensory overload as every piece of corruption in his being was forced to vacate his body. But he saw glimpses. Glimpses of healthy skin on his arms. Even the second and third degree burns on his lower arms seemed to heal some.

And finally after what seemed like an eternity, the black smoke subsided. The onlookers watched as Callum's hair turned from a dull grey to a shiny brown again. Callum's breathing returned to normal as the pain subsided. The spell lasted for a moment longer as a few leftover wisps of corruption were burned away, but those painful separations were certainly bearable compared to what he was going through just a few moments before.

The spell ended in silence. The arcane rings around Callum disappeared and the lens slowly turned back in place. Rayla untangled herself from Zeron and rushed towards him, only slowing down when she was close. She didn't want to hurt him by accidentally tackling him to the ground. "Callum? Are you alright?"

"Did...did it work?" A very familiar face looked up to her. She looked at those sparkling green eyes and his goofy, somewhat uncertain smile. He's back! "You're back!" Now she did launch herself on him.

"Oomphf!" He remained seated, but barely as his arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly. "It worked! I'm me again!"

The rest of the adventurers cheered and clapped. Zeron just smiled broadly.

"Come, let's get you up. Then we can get out of here. Tomorrow, we'll work on gettin' you home!" Rayla helped him up and took his hand. As they walked back to the group, Callum suddenly stopped and dropped to one knee. Rayla's smile was instantly replaced with a look of concern. "Callum! Are you hurt!? What is-"

"No, nothing is wrong!" He hastily said. "It's just…"

"You can tell me! I can see somethin's wrong! Your face is all red!"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Well, of course it would be! This is hard alright, I…" He struggled to search for words, but then took her hand.

At the edge of the platform, the adventurers just looked confused at the spectacle. The ritual worked, right? So what is going on then? Zeron however had a very surprised look on his face, already recognizing what Callum was about to do.

"Rayla, this...this is me proposing," he managed to blurt out.

"Proposin'? Proposin' to do what?"

Inwardly, Callum groaned. Cultural differences, right! We talked about this, remembed? He swallowed, continuing. "Rayla, I've gotten to know you as my enemy in some super bad situation. But we, together with Ezran, turned that situation around and made it into an incredible adventure. We fought side by side for the peace of this world, and we are still doing that now. And though we nearly died countless times...and I, well...we know what happened to me…" He trailed off for a bit, but then rallied as he saw recognition dawning in the face of his girlfriend.

"Callum, do you mean…?" Her eyes went wide as she gasped.

"Rayla, I love you more than anything. We've nearly lost each other a couple of times already, and I just don't want that to happen again. I don't want to live without you, not ever!" He swallowed. Time for the big question. "Will you marry me?"

"Marry…" Rayla repeated slowly, as if tasting the word. There were a few tense seconds where she didn't move, didn't say a word, trying to grasp the full implications. He...he wants to bind himself to me! To spend the rest of his life with me!

For Callum, it felt like these seconds were the longest of his life as he waited for her reply. When she still hadn't moved, he muttered; "Rayla, I'm...kinda waiting for an answer here."

Then, a broad smile broke on Rayla's face. "Yes….Yes! Yes of course!" She got on her knees and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, more than anythin'!" she said as she kissed him, giving him no chance to reply. Finally, when their kissed finished, she just hugged him and whispered ; "Yes."

Callum let go a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad, and I love you so much! I never want to let go of you ever again!" He said as he intensified the hug. Rayla giggled, but was content to be in his arms.

"So…. what just happened?"

"I think the human boy just asked the elf girl to marry him!"

The adventurers muttered, confused by this turn of events.

"Marry him?" Wina said with disbelief. "They are just kids! They don't even know what they're talking about!"

Their comments irked Zeron, hitting a soft spot. "They know exactly what they are talking about. Do not underestimate them." He said in a deep, rumbling voice.

"B-but they're kids! Surely you can't mean-"

But Zeron shook his head, the gesture silencing the others. "These are not children. They are warriors and heroes. In the past year they have seen more of life than many a person will see in their lifetime. Yes, they are young. But not too young to love." He sighed as he watched them, a single beacon of hope and happiness in the ruins of Lux Aurea. Maybe even more so than the restored sunforge, he thought. Out loud, he said; "Let them have their moment. They've earned it."

Half an hour later, Zeron in his dragonform had set them all down in the adventurers camp, just outside Lux Aurea. Callum was being tended to by Wina, who used her connection to the sun arcanum to heal Callum's wounds. A soft, golden glow spread over his arms as the burns faded away. The process was slow, and Rayla found herself pacing restlessly, waiting for them to be done so she could go back to hugging Callum. As she did, she was approached by Zeron.

"How is he?"

Rayla turned her head to where Wina continued casting her spells. Callum seemed content, though he winced occasionally when she touched a tender spot. "He's fine. He's goin' to be alright." She turned and looked at Zeron. "We're goin' to be alright. Thanks to you, at least partly."

"In all fairness, some of that help was mostly self serving." He deadpanned back to her.

She gave a wry smile. "Figured. So, once we're back in Katolis, you'll cast your spell and head back home?"

"Well, actually, I came to say goodbye. I don't really see a reason not to cast the spell right now."

"Oh?" Rayla was surprised by this. "But...what about Kiyara? You two were close, right? Don't you at least want to say goodbye?" She saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"I don't know… it feels like I'm taking a risk, staying here longer than absolutely needed..."

"Will you come back?"

Zeron frowned. "No. That is highly unlikely."

Taking a step forward, she touched his arm slightly. "Then stay a while. Say goodbye to Kiyara first. She's earned that much, and what is life worth, if not for those moments?"

It looked like Zeron was being torn apart on the inside. His jaw clenched. Then, he relaxed. "You are right, of course. I will go to her first." He stepped back and drew purple sigils in the air.

Rayla blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Checking where she is," he said as he glanced in her direction. "My connection to her allows me to…. What? That's strange…"

"What? What is it?"

Zeron looked confused for a moment. "I expected her to be at the Storm Spire, or at least in that general area. But it seems she's heading towards Katolis… at great speed nonetheless!"

Rayla frowned. "What? Isn't she supposed to be with the dragon queen?" Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Oh, that must mean Ezran did it! He must have found Rex Igneous!"

Zeron gave her a questioning look, after which Rayla quickly filled him on on what Ezran's plan was.

"I see. So they are going to dethrone the Golden Shadow, huh?" He sighed. "Well, it seems that I will be heading there as well then."

She nodded. "Figured as much. Are you leavin' right away?"

"What? Gods no, I'm about as tired as you are! I fought as well you know! No reason to push myself right now if I'm not going to cast the spell today." He stretched and walked off in search of a place to rest.

Rayla called out after him. "Hey Zeron?" He stopped and turned, waiting. "Could you give us a lift to Katolis tomorrow?"

A heavy sigh could be heard. "Sure…"

Rayla smiled and walked back to Callum who was just getting up, the healing spell now finished. He waved his healed arms at her. "Look! They're as good as new again! All pink and natural human skin!"

She smiled at the excited young man. "Well, I've got some more good news; Ezran is heading towards Katolis right now! Well, actually, the dragon queen is, but I think she would only go if Ezran succeeded!"

He grabbed her hands, smiling brightly. "That's great news!"

"Yeah! And, I just secured us a free ride back to Katolis!" she said as she pointed at Zeron, who was getting comfortable, lying against a tree.

"Nice! So when we get there, we can tell them that…. Oh." His face fell as he realized something.

"What? What is it?"

"Well, we won't arrive there before them, so we won't actually be there on time to tell them that we succeeded as well."

Rayla frowned. "I mean, that's true." She thought for a bit. "It's not a problem we can do anything about though. They will just have to convince the elves without knowing we cleansed the sunforge for them."

Callum's face suddenly brightened again. "Oh! Actually, there's one thing we can do! Or at least something I can do."

"Oh, what's that then?"

Callum smiled. "Just leave it to me."

-/-/-/-

Amaya sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was still dark, though light could be seen on the horizon. It was likely an hour at most before daybreak. As she stared at the horizon from the ruined house at the edge of the city, she processed the dream that shook her awake. Never before had she had a dream that had felt so real. Callum was in it, with a wild story about cleansing the sunforge so the sunfire elves wouldn't fight against them any longer.

The katolis general looked next to her. In the dim light of dawn the features of her Xadian counterpart could be seen. Janai was softly snoring, still oblivious to what the day would bring. Amaya sighed softly. They did these nightly excursions as often as they could, hiding within the ruins of the city. The both of them were in charge of patrols, so the chance of being spotted was nearly zero, but still, there was a thrill of excitement.

When they were together, they devised plans to keep the losses of both sides to a minimum. Soldiers would target points that were not defended, only to retreat when the enemy took notice, but was somehow too slow to catch up. Amaya didn't kid herself into thinking that was the only reason she was here. As she softly stroked the face of Janai, she knew she had a fondness for this elf that she hadn't felt before...for anyone.

Then the light of the first rays of the sun hit Amaya's face, shrugging her out of her daze. She shook Janai awake and explained to her what she saw in her dream.

Janai watched softly, trying to keep up with the newly learned sign language. "Wait wait wait, slow down. So, the sunforge is okay again? And Callum was the one who did it?"

Amaya nodded. That's right.

"This is great news! I must report this to the dragon king at once! This may make him reconsider, or at least some of the elven nobles!"

A dragon roar sounded overhead; a deep rumble that was incredibly loud. Neither of them had heard it before. It sounded...challenging.

Something's happening. Go back. I'll see you on the field.

Amaya grabbed her clothes; dark and stealthy ones, making it easier to move in the darkness. Both rushed to get dressed, and as they exited the building, they shared one last look.

"Stay safe, Amaya." Janai said, before turning away.

Amaya however, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a passionate kiss, quick but intense. As they pulled away, she signed something to Janai blush. Smiling back, she turned and headed in the opposite direction, back to Katolis Castle.

Janai stared at her for a bit longer, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Then the urgency of the situation came back and she rushed back to the camp, heading straight for the dragon king.

-/-/-/-

The Xadian camp was in uproar. Just before daybreak, a large force of humans was spotted, heading straight for their position, pinning them against Katolis castle with nowhere else to go. As if that wasn't enough, a naval fleet was spotted to the south, providing possible reïnforcements to the humans.

"How can this be!?" Aureum Umbra roared. Before anyone could answer him, a shadow was cast over him as two large archdragons appeared in the sky, diving towards them. "What!?"

With a thunderous clap, Rex Igneous landed, with queen Zubeia landing behind him a tad more graceful, much to the relief of her passengers. Ezran, Corvus, Catlyn, Kiyara and Zym all hopped off and took a couple of steps backwards. The elves were too stunned by the appearance of the two archdragons to really react to the human prince in their midst. King Aureum Umbra, however, did notice. He stood up straight, snarling at queen Zubeia.

"Why did you come here? I ordered you to stay at the Storm Spire! And why did you bring the dragon prince to the heart of this wretched human realm!?

But the queen seemed unperturbed. "The human king invited him. I trust he has good intentions."

"You trust the humans above your own kind!? They are traitors! Murderers!" The dragon king snarled again, in Ezran's direction. Ezran tried not to flinch, with Corvus stepping in front of him protectively.

Queen Zubeia had enough of the dragon king's attitude however. From day one he had second guessed and belayed all her decisions. Though they made sense at the time, now she had the feeling that they only caused more strife in the long run. We should have been more trusting! She raised her head above his, baring her fangs. "Oh shut up! Most of them have proven time and time again to not be like that. They are far more like our elves than we ever thought possible. And didn't we fight a war to get rid of our own traitorous elf not two centuries ago?"

The dragon king was about to answer, but horns and shouting interrupted his train of thoughts. Behind them on the edge of the camp, three large armies crested the hill, flying the banners of Del Bar, Neolandia and Duren.

The dragon king roared. "They are here to destroy us! Generals! Mobilize our forces! We shall fight to the last breath! We-"

"My king! We don't have to fight!"

"What!?" The dragon's head swiveled downward towards Janai, who came rushing up the hill.

"My king! A miracle happened!" She was nearly out of breath from running here, but she hoped the news would prevent further bloodshed. "They have cleansed the sunforge! We can go back to Lux Aerea again!" As she shouted this to the king, the reaction amongst the elves was instantaneous. The sunfire elves all started talking to each other excitedly. Some started crying. Could it really be true? Did they finally have a home to go back to?

"What!? Who did that?" King Aureum Umbra asked.

"The human prince of Katolis, Callum. And Rayla and Zeron also helped."

The dragon king roared with anger and fury. "Those traitorous scum! I should have never let Rayla back into the dragonguard, and I should never have trusted Zeron! If I find him, I will - "

"Oy, Umbra!" The deep, rumbling voice almost caused the earth to quake. Rex Igneous stepped forwards. "Politics don't suit you. You're really letting all of this go to your head."

Up until that point, the dragon king had ignored the earth archdragon, but now he eyed him with anger, his presence adding to a pile of frustration that was steadily growing."Rex Igneous….are you here to insult me?" the king growled warningly.

"Na, not going to waste time on that. I'm here to challenge you for your dominion." When Rex Igneous had said that, it suddenly became very quiet. The elves were stunned into silence. There hadn't been a challenge like this since Sol Regem was forced to step down!

The human armies in the meantime approached the edge of the camp, but did not attack. Ezran had rushed towards them as fast as his little legs could carry him, shouting that the humans shouldn't attack. Queen Aanya, Viren and king Ahling rode towards him on their horses.

Queen Aanya got to him first. "Ezran! What's going on?"

"You….don't have to….attack!" Ezran said, trying to catch his breath. "See that giant stony dragon there? He's about to fight king Aureum Umbra! If he wins, the elves will retreat!"

"That's...convenient." Viren said, surveying the situation.

"See? It's a good thing we didn't attack straight away!" King Ahling said to Viren, who looked doubtful.

"Perhaps, but let us be on guard. If king Aureum Umbra wins, we might still have to fight. And taking down an archdragon will be tough for all of us. "

Ezran looked at the trio. He was confused why Viren was with them, but Aanya seemed to trust him (or tolerate him at least). "Don't worry. Rex Igneous will beat him to a pulp!"

The current dragon king and Rex Igneous stared at each other. The space around them was vacated, pushing the elves all the way to the edge of their camp. Everyone was watching the two dragons in the centre as they stared at one another.

"Rex Igneous… I will kill you for this treachery!"

But the earth arch dragon didn't seem at all bothered by the threat. "Really? That much of a sore loser huh?"

"You insolent fool! You do not have what it takes to be a king!"

"It's in my name," Rex Igneous deadpanned back. "Are you ready for this or what?"

The dragon king bristled. "Of course I'm ready!"

"Yeah, but, like, are you really sure you're ready?"

"I'M READY YOU PIECE OF DRAGON DUNG!" Aureum Umbra roared. "We will fight to the bitter end! I will strike you down! I will tear you limb for limb! I will-"

"Okay, great, me first." Before Aureum Umbra was done raging, before he even could react, Rex Igneous stept sideways and turned on the spot. He moved fast for a large, stony arch dragon.

At first, Aureum Umbra was confused as to why Rex would make himself vulnerable by showing him his back. Before he could act on this, before he could even finish the thought, the giant mace-like end of Rex Igneous' tail caught up with him. With a resounding crack it connected to Aureum Umbra's skull.

The humans cheered and the elves gasped at the hit. The dragon king seemed frozen for a moment as his head was whipped to the side. The right part of his head was bruised and bleeding. Then the dragon collapsed on the ground. The fight had been over in a split-second.

"Well, I guess that's done now, huh." Queen Aanya quipped.

" ...I expected a slightly more epic fight." Ezran said. He was so happy that Rex Igneous would be taking over, but in his head he had already worked out this amazing fight where the dragons would chase each other across all of Xadia. He shrugged. I should probably be happy with how it ended.

Rex Igneous stood up a little straighter, demanding everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up you idiots! Humans are pretty okay. Some of them suck, most of them don't. So either be friends with them, or leave them be. Got it?"

The elves looked at each other and slowly nodded. Even the nobles didn't object. Lux Aurea had been the prime reason they joined in for the war. With the possibility of returning home now handed to them, they saw no need to throw away the lives of their sons and daughters.

"Good! Now, for my second degree," Rex Igneous now turned to Zym, who was hopping around excitedly, having found his new childhood hero. "My second, and last, decree will be that prince Azymondias will be the next dragon king….when he's old enough. Until such a time, you will just have to deal with queen Zubeia!"

Queen Zubeia let out a sigh of relief. After nine long months she felt like she finally had control over her life back.

"That should stop the dragonmoot from doing something stupid for a time…" Rex Igneous muttered. "Alright, everybody okay now? Good." He yawned. "All this fighting has made me sleepy." He turned to Ezran, who was smiling brightly.

"Thanks for your help, Nousy!"

The dragon smiled kindly at the human boy-king. "Don't mention it. It was fun to have a little bit of adventure. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap for…" he yawned "...let's say, the next hundred years or so… See ya." And with that he spread his wings and flew off, leaving five flabbergasted armies behind him.

-/-/-/-

The days that followed were very busy indeed. Most of the elven army had packed their things and left, though some insisted that they help rebuild Katolis' capital city. Some felt guilty, and some genuinely wanted to help and befriend these humans. Though some humans were still wary of the elves, king Ezran and queen Amaya did everything in their power to make sure things went smoothly. The former king, Aureum Umbra, wandered off as soon as he recovered enough from the blow, quietly muttering that he should never have left his homewoods. He didn't cause any further trouble as he left. The dragon queen and her guards stuck around as well, to help, advice, and sometimes just to talk to the occasional human that wandered nearby. She wanted this peace to last and was willing to put in the effort. While all this was happening, Zym was happily flying around, playing with Ezran when the young king had the time, and otherwise chasing bugs, in turn being chased by Catlyn and Kiyara who did their best to keep the young prince out of trouble.

In short; the following days were blissful and full of music and smiles.

It was during the evening on one of those days that Zeron arrived, carrying Callum and Rayla on his back. Ezran and Callum immediately shared hugs, as did Catlyn and Rayla, all the while the dragon queen congratulated them on their successful mission. News spread of the heroes who not only cleansed the sunforge, but also beat the wicked monster created by the mysterious elven archmage Aaravos. Though there were times where Callum tried to explain that they almost died and that Zeron actually did most of the work, the elves and humans still regarded Callum and Rayla as the romantic heroes of their time. Zeron, for his part, was indifferent about the matter. He didn't care about taking credit for those deeds, instead, he had only one thing on his mind.

And so it was that a couple of elves, a human and one black dragon in human form had gathered on top of a nearby hill underneath the full moon.

"Must you really leave so soon?" Kiyara was trying to hold back tears. She couldn't help but hope to persuade Zeron to stay a bit longer, though she knew in her heart that it was useless.

Zeron carefully stroked her shoulders as he shook his head. "I have others who need me. Others who have been waiting for my return for far too long."

Kiyara just nodded and now started crying in earnest.

A few feet away, Callum, Rayla and Catlyn were watching them, keeping a respectful distance. It was the first time they had seen the stoic Kiyara display this much emotion.

"Wow, they must be really close together." Callum muttered.

Rayla frowned. "Wait, do you think that they are..?" She left the question unfinished as she pointed at them, wiggling her finger between the two.

"No," Catlyn replied. "Not romantically at least. But their bond is deep. They are soulmates."

"So why does Zeron want to leave? Or or or why doesn't he take her with him?" Callum said in a frustrated tone of voice. He couldn't fathom Zeron's reasoning and he hated that their story didn't have a happy end.

"I don't know Callum. I don't think Zeron is someone who doesn't have a good reason for what he does."

Callum looked surprised at Rayla. He hadn't heard her defend Zeron before.

"I mean, maybe where he needs to go is a dangerous place, like some far away volcanic island full of dragons of his kind. Not really the kind of place you'd take a girl, right?"

Callum muttered as he stared back at Zeron who was now hugging Kiyara tightly. "I could make it work."

Catlyn just laughed. I'm sure you would, lover boy. You might have to, with a handfull like Rayla. She didn't utter her thoughts out loud, not wanting to spoil the moment.

Eventually, Zeron let go of Kiyara, giving her one last kiss on the forehead. "Be well, mein vriendin." He then turned and walked towards the rest of the group. "Callum. This is goodbye."

"I figured as much." Callum said as he extended a hand.

Zeron grabbed him by the arm, a more intimate gesture than a simple handshake. "You're a hopeless romantic Callum, and naïve at times. But you do know how to persuade people and give them hope. The people of Katolis are very lucky to have you as their prince."

This made Callum blush. He hadn't been complimented like that before. "Ehrm, thanks?"

Zeron just smiled. "And goodluck with your studies in the arcanum as well. There is more to this world than meets the eye. Never stop being curious. Who knows, perhaps one day we will meet again and you may teach me something!"

Callum smiled back at him. "Yeah. I'd like that."

With a smile and a nod, Zeron released Callums arm and turned to Rayla. "You are by far the most stubborn, distrustful little elf I had the pleasure of meeting."

Rayla cocked a grin. "Likewise, dragon."

He smiled. "Your distrustfulness compensates for your mate's naïvity. And your blades compensate for his magic. You two make an excellent couple." Looking at the both of them, he said; "I really wish you the best of luck with your endeavours, but most of all, with each other."

As he stepped back, he produced the now-black gem from a bag. He took a deep breath, looking at it intently. "It is time."

Holding it out in one hand, he started to mutter an incantation as he drew purple runes in the air.

Callum noted that this spell was a lot more intricate than most others he was aware of. Instead of une rune, this spell apparently required several. He also noted that there were runes of the sun and moon arcanum present as well. "A multi- arcanum spell!? I've never seen something like this!"

"Me neither…" Catlyn said as she crossed her arms, bracing herself for whatever might happen.

After Zeron drew the last rune, the gem started to glow dimly. The look on Zeron's face told him he was worried about this. Apparently it wasn't glowing bright enough. To finish the spell, he drew an oval around the runes, encasing them within. As soon as the opal figure was finished, the gem flashed and started glowing properly. It now levitated upwards from Zeron's hand. As the moonlight shone through the gem, a purple oval shaped hole appeared in the air behind it, as if projected through the gem.

Zeron sighed a sigh of relief. "Finally." The rest of the group watched in amazement as they witnessed this incredible magic. Then, without looking back, or saying anything else, he stepped through the portal and disappeared.

It was silent for a moment. No one was sure what was going to happen next. Then a resounding crack could be heard as the gem suddenly stopped glowing and fell to the ground, dispelling the portal that hung in the air. After a moment Callum walked towards it and turned it over with his boot. A long crack had appeared along the surface of the gem. "Guess he was worried about the gem for a reason." Callum mused. Meanwhile, Catlyn gave Kiyara a quick hug as she tried to compose herself.

"I-I'm alright, really. I just….need to take a walk." Kiyara said as she excused herself.

Catlyn nodded and just let her be.

Rayla stood next to Callum and took his hand. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Me too." Callum said, smiling. "It seems that everything is settling down. The dragon queen is back in charge, we're at peace, Zeron got to go home... Yup, it seems like we all are finally getting our happy ending!"

Rayla giggled. "And what about us?"

He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then realized two things; his question to her at the sunforge, and the conversation with Opili he had when he arrived this afternoon. "Oh! Yeah, about that…"

Rayla immediately looked worried. What now!?

"Nononon, it's not bad!" Callum hastily added. "I still want to spend my life with you! It's just that, well, I talked it over with Opili, and apparently the engagement isn't official until it is announced at the court. Now, as luck would have it, we ARE organising a party next week since the dragon queen is staying with us until then, so that would be the best moment to do that!"

Rayla said nothing for a moment. Then she smiled nervously. "Alright. So...do I need to do anythin'?"

"No, just be there and look pretty I guess." He said as he put his arms around him.

This caused her to giggle. "Alright, I can do that, I think." She didn't stop giggling as he kissed her and tried to push him off. "Not in front of Catlyn!"

Callum looked to where the other elf was standing. She was leaning against the tree, eyes closed. He frowned. He had half expected her to make jokes about them, but then remembered that she probably still hated him, or at least the part of him that was possessed by Claudia. "Right. I think you should talk to her a bit?"

"Yeah, I think so too. See ya in a bit?"

Callum nodded, quickly kissed her again and walked off briskly in search of his brother.

Rayla straightened her clothes a bit and walked towards her friend. "So, any thoughts."

Catlyn opened her eyes and shrugged. "I know it wasn't him when he attacked, but it's still difficult not to feel angry when I see him. It does help that he no longer looks like a creep."

"That's fair…" Rayla said, not really looking at anything. "So, we're engaged now…"

"I've heard. Congratulations!" Catlyn said, giving her a warm smile.

Rayla saw it was a bit forced, but she appreciated the gesture. "Thanks. Now, there is one thing. Callum says it won't be official until they announce it at a party, but I feel like that's missin' a little something… something of Xadian culture?" She leaned forward, a twinkling in her eyes. "Maybe something that's more moonshadow elvish?"

Catlyn's smile slowly turned into a full blown grin. "Ah, I see what you're getting at! Sure, I'll help you with that!"

Rayla grinned to match Catlyn's. "Great! Let's get right on it!"

-/-/-/-

About a week later, on the last day of the stay of the Xadian royal court, there was indeed a great feast held in their honor, to celebrate the peace between the nations. The feast wasn't held inside Katolis Castle, as it was still a bit of a mess because of the siege. Instead, it was held on a large open field just outside the city. All citizens of the Katolis capital were welcome to join the party as well. They had to endure the most these last few months and they were very grateful towards king Ezran for his invitation.

"So, lord Viren. I see that you have returned." Opili walked towards Viren holding a glass of water. As the one who oversaw the party, she wanted to stay sober in case anything went wrong.

Viren looked up at Opili. He still looked corrupted as he didn't bother with glamour spells anymore and had just been in a strained conversation with an elven delegate, probably because of his looks. Still, he maintained an air of neutrality. "It's just Viren now. I am no longer a lord, and we do not hold titles at the Council of Ziard."

"Is that so…" Opili took a sip of her drink as she eyed the elven delegates leave, looking at Viren with a worried expression. "Please tell me you're not making any more enemies. I have a hard enough time as it is accepting that you are a legal representative of Del Bar right now."

"I suppose that comment is well deserved," he said. "My actions in the past have been… exceedingly aggressive, and not always serving the benefit of Katolis." He looked back to the elven delegates. "No, we were discussing delicate matters. The council requires more resources to practice dark magic. We want to strike a deal with Xadia to obtain those legally."

Opili's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You want hunting rights for magical creatures?"

"No, nothing like that!" Viren said hastily. "But those magic creatures die all the time, and whatever isn't eaten by predators just rots and decays. We want permission to have monks just wander around Xadia in solitude, gathering the remains of that which is already dead. This way, we are not harming the creatures of Xadia and we have the capability to better help our own people."

Opili was silent as she took another sip. "It's hard to imagine that you have changed. You've grown...more patient Viren, wiser."

"Only through trial and error…" he muttered as he took a sip of his own drink."

"Hmmmm… and what of your daughter? Is she still missing?"

Viren nodded. "Yes. With the cult of the True Light utterly destroyed she had no more safe haven in Neolandia. Callum informed me of what transpired in the ruins of Elarion. My best guess is that she will try to get to Evenere. Her mother still lives there."

"Do you think that she'll be a threat in the future?" Opili pressed.

"No, I don't." He said, his eyes catching Opili's. "She's utterly alone. Her connection to Aaravos is lost with the destruction of his avatar. She's got next to no ingredients, no followers, her staff was destroyed… How much harm can she do in that state?"

"I hope we don't find out Viren," Opili replied. "For what it's worth; I'm sorry this all happened."

Viren closed his eyes, trying to contain his emotions. It had become more difficult to do lately, now that he was rediscovering his humanity. "It's...fine. It really is. In due time, I'll search for her, try to mend the bridge between us. For now, let us focus on the happy things in life."

Opili smiled at him. "I'm glad you think so. And on that note, I have to prepare a very nervous couple for the next part of the feast. If you'll excuse me…"

"Actually, I'll come with you. I have something to offer to one of them."

"Oh? And what's that?" Opili replied with suspicion in her voice.

Viren frowned, hesitated, then whispered into her ear.

Opili immediately smiled as she heard his plan. "I bet she'll love that! Good idea! Let's go find them!"

A little further away a rather nervous elf dragonguard and human prince were trying to enjoy their drinks and very much not draw the attention of the other guests.

"This is weird…" Rayla said. "I've never been this nervous before! Not even before a fight!"

"Yeah, well, we're basically announcing a lifelong commitment. It's kind of a big deal." Inwardly, Callum was cursing that Opili was the one who insisted on making a big deal about it. He took Rayla's hand and gave it a squeeze. "At least we don't have to do anything ourselves!"

"Uh...yeah...thank the gods for that." Rayla muttered, quickly taking a sip of her drink when Callum looked at her questioningly. Just as he was about to ask what she meant with that, he saw Opili coming towards them, with Viren in tow.

"So, are you two ready for the big announcement?"

Callum swallowed. "S-sure! I'm ready as I'll ever be!"

Rayla fiddled with her outfit. She wore a beautiful light-blue outfit that complimented her hair. It had dresslike parts on her lower half, but they opened up on the front and back. She wore somewhat baggy looking pants underneath, with flat, small shoes that looked both pretty and functional. Thank the gods I don't have to wear heels on the grass! "Yeah, uhm, I think I'm ready!" she said as she checked her belt.

"Great! Now, before I do the announcement, Viren wants to bestow you a gift Rayla."

"A gift? For me?" Rayla was immediately suspicious, and Callum flanked her, taking a protective stance.

"Rayla, remember when you came to me to get your parents back?" Viren said, ignoring the suspicious lokos they gave him.

"Uhm….yeah? You gave me those coins...they're still trapped in there!"

Viren nodded. "When we met back then, I did not want to help you, because my allegiance lied elsewhere. I also couldn't, because I did not know how to undo the spell. That has changed. I have changed…" He looked off into the distance, briefly reflecting on how much indeed has changed for him in his life. I hope that this will be another step towards atonement. If that lengthy road includes sealing the rift between me and my daughter, then perhaps, I can die contently.

He shrugged himself out of it as he saw the people looking at him. More people had become curious about what was about to transpire. "In any event, I am now in a position to help you. The mages of the council helped me reexamine the spell, and we have found a way to undo it. Rayla of Xadia, with your permission, I would like to use dark magic to free the elves from those coins."

A hiss went through the crowd. Some elves had already talked to Viren and knew how they practiced their dark magic (or claimed to), but many did not know. Others, mainly humans, were afraid that a new war would erupt instantly.

"Quiet!" Opili bellowed. "Please respect Del Bar's representative's right of speech!" When the crowd hushed, she gestured for Viren to continue.

"First of all, I want to use dark magic to undo my past mistakes, not cause you any more harm. Second of all, Del Bar uses only the ingredients of creatures that died of natural causes. We do not hunt for them. We do not buy them at the black market. This way, we hope to show our respect for Xadia and all who live within it!"

The crowd murmured their opinions, but Callum could only care for one. He turned to his girlfriend. "Rayla, what do you think?"

But Rayla was too shocked to answer. Her hand instinctively went to a small pouch that she had been carrying underneath her clothes. The coins were with her at all times. She swallowed. More than anything she wanted them back, but she did not want to get on the bad side of Xadia again! It felt like she would be taking a risk. Her eyes went past Callum towards the dragon queen who was watching the event unfold with an unreadable expression on her face. "Q-queen Zubeia? I...I don't know if-"

"Step closer child."

Swallowing again, the trembling Rayla made her way to the dragon queen. The people in front of her parted respectfully. When she was close enough, she knelt, pressing her head against the ground.

"Rise." Rayla did. Before she had a chance to speak, the queen had already lowered her head, bringing them face to face. Her giant eye stared into hers. "I can read your heart, child. I can read your soul. More than anything you want them back." The queen raised her head again, rising above the ground. When she next spoke, it was so in a loud voice so that all could hear. "Xadia detests dark magic because of the insurmountable harm it brings to the creatures we care for. We must walk a long road together before any compromises or agreements can be made on the subject. But…" She now looked back at Rayla. "This is a special circumstance. The representative wants to cast a spell to undo his mistakes, and in doing so will release some of our greatest and most revered warriors. It is in this case and this case only that I, queen Zubeia, will give permission for this act." The queen smiled at Rayla, who looked up with tears streaming down her eyes.

"Thank you so much…!" she whispered.

The queen actually winked at her before settling in a more relaxed position so that the crowd could shift its focus back to Viren.

"Thank you, queen Zubeia." Viren said, bowing. "Rayla, please place the coins on the ground."

Rayla stepped forward. She took out the coins one by one and placed them on the ground reverently. She looked into their faces, only recognizing three of them. "I'll see you soon," she whispered.

"I would like to ask the elves to please form a large circle around the coins." Viren called out. The elves looked confused, suspicious and did not obey.

"And why should we do that, human?" Catlyn called out from her position next to Zym.

"Because these elves were trapped in the heat of the moment. If the first thing they see is a human, things might get... Ugly."

Catlyn thought it over for a bit, then shrugged. "Meh, fair enough. Be back in a bit boy! Don't get into trouble!" She petted Zym and stood in the open space, facing towards the coins. More of her people joined her, including Rayla, who stood next to her.

Callum tapped Rayla on the shoulder, looking awkward. "I want ot stand with you, but I don't know if it's appropriate, or dangerous if a do, so…"

Rayla smiled. "Just stay behind me, okay?" He smiled back gratefully and placed a hand on her shoulder, letting her know he was there.

Seeing that everyone was in position, he slammed his staff in the ground, and started to chant a long incantation. "Uoy no decalp evi hcihw sdnib eseht morf ouy esaeler I" Dark tendrils of dark magic erupted from Viren's glowing staff and spet towards the coins. The coins lifted and glowed an unhealthy red colour. The longer he chanted, the more intense the glow became, until suddenly the coins melted into the silhouettes of six elves.

The crowd around them gasped. Many of the elven delegates looked extremely uncomfortable with this, but the queen had given an order and they would not go against her. The elves in the circle stood fast. They knew that this was the only way to get them back. Rayla steeled herself, trying not to throw up at the display of dark magic.

Viren raised his staff once more and shouted; "Uoy esaeler I!" As the staff came down, the dark magic flashed and dissipated. Six elven figures laid on the ground, groaning and looking around, trying to figure out what happened.

Rayla did not waste another minute. "Ma! Da! Runaan!" She rushed towards them. Two moonshadow elves with short, white hair looked about, weapons at the ready.

"Rayla!?" Her mother briefly hugged her, but still scanned her surroundings. When she spotted Viren, she shoved Rayla behind her. "Lain, he's over there!"

Rayla's father grabbed his two blades and rushed towards him. Rayla immediately understood what Viren was afraid of. "Da, no! You don't understand!"

Viren saw the elf rushing towards him. He figured he could quickly cast one spell to immobilized him...but he didn't. He just locked eyes with the elf and watched him come closer.

"Halt! That's enough!" The booming voice of the dragon queen caused everyone to grab their ears, stopping Lain's attack and causing him to look over to the dragon in confusion.

"Q-queen Zubeia? I don't understand! This is the man who-"

"I am well aware!" She said sternly. "Listen to me, you six. You have been a prisoner for a long time. It will take us time to bring you up to speed and explain to you… why the humans are now our friends." This caused the newly freed elves to look around in surprise. "In the meantime, let this order stand. You will not hurt a single one of them. Is that perfectly clear?"

The elves looked at eachother, then nodded. "Yes," they answered. All but one, because that one was groaning in pain.

"Runaan!" Rayla pushed her way through the other elves to discover her mentor lying on the grass, his arm bleeding profusely as a red ribbon was quickly digging it's way into its flesh. The assassins binding was back in the real world and was now trying to catch up with the time it had lost. Rayla looked around in panic and saw Catlyn standing closeby. "Quick, get Zym!"

Catlyn obeyed. Runaan opened his eyes as he felt Rayla's hands hold his head. "Rayla?"

"Shhhh. We're goin' to help you. Just hold still." Catlyn returned, with Zym hopping excitedly in front of her.

Runaan's eyes widened. "Is that-!?"

"Yes, it's the dragon prince." She gave him a quick smile. "Told you so!" When Runaan groaned in pain instead of replying, she quickly turned to the young dragon. "Zym! Please! You've helped me before! Now help him!"

Zym looked at the binding which was now visibly shrinking, tearing into the flesh beneath. He stuck out his tongue and growled, apparently not fond on what he had to do, but then snapped at the man's arm. His teeth tore into some of the skin, but caught hold of the binding. After some tense pulling and tearing, the binding came loose.

The elves around them stared at the small miracle in amazement. Tiadrin laid her hands on Rayla's shoulders. "Ray… there's so much that I don't understand."

Her father joined her. "I don't understand it either… but I'm so glad to see you again."

A few moments passed in which the other elves approached and tried to answer questions of the confused freed elves. The human part of the crowd kept a respectful distance, continuing their drink and conversation.

Eventually, Opili approached, followed by Callum. The elves parted to let them through, though Rayla's parents and Runaan eyed the humans warily. She looked at Rayla. "I offer you my congratulations Rayla. This must make you very happy."

Rayla wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Yes, yes it does!"

Opili smiled broadly. "I can imagine. You must introduce me to them in a bit. For now though, perhaps it's wise to wait for another feast to make the announcement? Reading the crowd, I think that most people here have other things on their minds."

"Oh? Eh…" She looked at Opili for a second, then past Opili towards Callum. He smiled at her, but she noticed a sadness in his smile. He was so nervous… and he wanted it to happen so badly. She shook her head. "No, no, I want this to happen. Let's just do it, alright?"

"Oh, ehm, of course. Let me just get the crowd's attention!"

As Opili walked away, Callum walked up to her, still keeping his Runaan and her parents. Runaan for his part instantly recognized him.

"Is that the human prince!?"

Rayla sighed. She figured she would get a lot of comments and questions about that. Best to get it over with… "Yeah, he is. Listen, I'll be back in a bit okay? Please don't do anything stupid." Rayla tried to smile as she said this.

Runaan just looked at her. "You're one to talk." He looked back up at the dragon queen, who was still keeping her eye on the freed prisoners. "Fine. We'll have this talk some other time. But don't think you're just going to get away with this!" He said as he gestured at the human next to her.

Rayla simply turned around, dragging Callum with her.

"I don't think he likes me." Callum whispered to her as she dragged him away from the prisoners, towards Opili.

"He'll come around," she lied. "Let's just focus on us for now, alright? This is our moment, and after that, we can hang with my ma and da for a bit."

Callum looked worried for a bit. She was awfully insistent that this announcement would happen tonight. Still, he was glad she wanted to be engaged to him, so he wasn't going to question it.

Opili stood on a raised wooden platform and gestured for the two to join them as the crowd settled down. "Alright, are you ready?"

Rayla breathed in sharply. "Just, give me a second." She took another breath, after which she gave Callum a sly grin which left him confused. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good. Dear people of Katolis, distinguished guests from far away lands. We have an announcement to make! As you well know, it is our tradition to find a suitable mate for those born within the royal line once they have passed the age of fourteen. Due to the chaos in our lands, we were unable to take care of this matter by ourselves." There were some shouts and laughs. Chaos had been an understatement.

Opili smiled, glad the crowd was on her side. "Fortunately, it appears that our beloved prince Callum had taken matters into his own hand. It is my great pride and joy to announce to you that-"

"Wait! Hold up!"

Everybody was startled as Ralya suddenly interrupted Opili. Opili looked shocked at the breach of protocol. Rayla turned to Callum, who had his eyes wide, not sure how to react.

"Alright, I know this is probably not how you guys do it, but before ANYTHIN' can be official, there is first a little moonshadow elf ritual that Callum has to complete." Rayla quickly said as Catlyn hurriedly made her way up the stage, carrying a small box. She handed the box to Rayla with a mock bow, who grinned and in turn handed it to Callum. "Here. This is a gift for you."

Callum opened it. Opili leaned in closer to watch as the rest of the crowd held their breath. Gingerly, Callum pulled out the contents of the box and held it in the air. It was a beautifully crafted dagger. It was simple in it's design, but had the same wavy features as other moonshadow elf weapons.

The young prince smiled at Rayla, trying to hide his confusion. "Thanks Rayla! That looks...great!"

But Rayla smiled back impishly. "Don't thank me yet. Tell me, do you remember our talk about how relationships work for us moonshadow elves?" As she said this she turned to the side. Callum now saw that there was a loop hanging from her belt. Realization slowly dawned to him as he did indeed remember their conversation.

Rayla smiled at him, evilly almost, as she whispered; "Show me how much you want me." And before anyone could react, she did a backflip off the stage, landing on her feet and rushing away from the platform.

Callum grinned. He understood. More than that, he looked forward to the challenge. "Out of the way everyone!" He said as he jumped off as well, less gracefully, but nevertheless sprinting after his girlfriend, soon to be fiancé.

People were quickly making space as Rayla darted left and right, weaving her way between the people. Callum figured she wasn't trying to go out of the party area, so he followed her path and calculated where she might end up. He cut her off as she tried to go around a large group of people and nearly had his arms around her, but she simply jumped out of the way and laughed.

Opili in the meantime headed towards Ezran who was standing next to the banquete. "King Ezran, should we stop this?"

But Ezran just waved her away. "They are doing things their own way, they always have. Let them have some fun!" He said as he grabbed another jelly tart.

After two more close calls with Callum nearly grabbing her, Rayla darted straight through the middle of the feast, trying to get some distance as Callum had been a bit too clever to deduce where she was going. She didn't want this to end too soon; she was enjoying this way too much! The adrenaline burned up the tension she had felt in her body. I haven't felt so alive in a long time!

Callum struggled to keep up though. Rayla had always been the better of the two in the physical department. And she's been tagging me rather roughly every time I miss her! He saw her rushing towards the centre of the feast where the food tables were. She's probably going to leap over them… that'll be my chance.

He slowed to a stop and quickly drew a rune. Just as Rayla put her foot on the table and was about to jump off, Callum let go of his spell. "Aspiro!"

The sudden wind caught Rayla off guard and sent her flying and tumbling along the grassy field. But that wasn't the only thing. The food on the tables was sent flying as well! All the delicious food, prepared with care for the feast, were strewn around, showering the people around the tables. Ezran found himself at the wrong end of the table and was hit with a meat pie, straight to his face.

Some of the people around him looked shocked at the event, but Ezran just smiled and shouted; "Food fight!" He grabbed a handful of pie and threw it at the nearest noble. Several nobles looked confused, then hesitantly joined in as apparently this is what the king wanted. The children and teens present had less reservations. Soon, people all around the party were throwing food at one another, laughing all the while.

In the midst of the chaos stood Opili, trying in vain to calm the people down."But...wait a se-...this...THIS IS NOT TRADITION!"

Viren stared at the chaos from a distance. He stood at the edge of the feast and though he did not wish to partake in the carnage, he had to smile at such childish behaviour. As he watched the crowd contently, he spotted a hooded figure on the other side of the feast. The figure stood out because it avoided any contact with the people around it, and it was slowly heading away from the feast. As the figure passed a torch, Viren swore he could see wisps of white hair peek from underneath the hood. Could it be? He quickly walked away from the feast, following the figure, but keeping his distance until he was sure.

After several minutes had passed, the chase had begun to tire the both of them out, and Callum found that he had to end this quickly, or otherwise he would make a fool of himself. Currently, Rayla was keeping out of his reach by jumping from pole to pole, the various poles holding lanterns and providing light at the feast during this time of night.

Callum figured there was one quick way to end this with Rayla this high up. He extended his arms, his eyes never leaving his target. "Manus, pluma, volantis!"

Just as Rayla jumped from one pole to the next she was suddenly tackled by Callum who had flown up in one sudden burst. They both arced through the air and came down again, with Callum shielding his 'prize' using his wings to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself. As they landed he immediately dispelled his wings, still carefully holding her in his arms. "I've got you now." he said, still breathing hard from all the excitement and effort.

"You certainly do," she replied as she kissed him.

Callum returned the kiss unashamed. Without looking or really needing to, Callum grabbed the dagger from his belt and put it through her loop.

The people around them stared and applauded at the spectacle. "They're engaged!" Catlyn screamed, cheering people on to repeat the sentence.

"Fhew're emgageb!" Ezran shouted, his mouth filled with a jelly tart.

"Thank goodness that's ever…" Opili mumbled as she sat down, waving a hand at the trumpeteers who produced a somewhat confused but cheerful melody at the announcement.

Rayla's parents looked at each other, then at Runaan, all three carrying a shocked expression. "They're engaged!?"

At the edge of the feast queen Zubeia the storm dragon watched contently, feeling the happiness radiating from the spectacle all the way from across the field. "Well done you two. Well done."

-/-/-/-

Where is she? She can't be far… Viren had followed the figure all the way to the castle. At first, he wasn't sure if it was Claudia, but he figured that if it was, then she would be heading to their old dungeon. So, he took a shortcut and went there first, only to discover that the dungeon had been emptied out completely.

Getting nervous now, he made his way up through the castle, growing more and more frustrated in his search. Dread didn't settle in until he found the first body. A guard, young, female, looking like a husk, drained of all her lifeforce. He was certain then that it was her. Claudia was the only one who was capable of using dark magic like that.

But he had lost her trail and the castle was big. He was afraid that if he took any longer, then she might finish with whatever business she had here and slip away. "Claudia where are you!?" He shouted out the window.

No answer.

He sighed heavily and looked about. The castle was deserted. Nearly everyone was at the party, and Viren thought that any guards that were stationed here were probably dead by now. "I should get help…" Just as he was about to leave to inform king Ezran, he spotted something. Faint flashes of light shining through the cracks of the roof of one of the outer towers. A flash of purple, followed by blue, followed by green…

Claudia!

Viren rushed towards the tower and up the stairs. As far as he remembered, there was nothing there but an old attic that the caretakers of the castle used to store old furniture. Halfway up the tower he realized this probably meant that they stored the mirror up there as well. Aaravos!

He redoubled his efforts and arrived at the top of the tower, which was still below the attic. Looking up he could see the flashes of arane light flashing through the cracks of the wood. "Claudia! Whatever you're doing, stop it!" He rushed towards the latter at the end of the tower and pushed open the trapdoor.

The attic was completely dark, safe for the flashes of arcane runes as they swirled through the air. The mirror had been dragged to the centre of the attic and Claudia stood in front of it, hastily drawing runes of the various arcanum. Viren briefly wondered how she was able to do that, until he recognized the artifact she was holding in her hand.

"The heart of a dragon…" There was nothing else to see in this room but the mirror itself. And in it, there was Aaravos, drawing the same runes of the various arcanums, apparently guiding Claudia through some complicated spell.

"Claudia, stop! You don't have to do this!"

She didn't even turn. "I've lost Callum, but Aaravos… He promised he'd help me…. He's all the hope I have left…"

"Claudia...please don't. Let ME help you." Viren slowly walked towards her, but stopped in his tracks as Claudia turned, her finger outstretched, glowing with dark, arcane energy. That wasn't what stopped him though. What stopped him was the face of his daughter. Her hair was completely white and was slowly withering away. Her face showed cracks in places and had a greyish tint to it.

He swallowed. "What have you done, daughter?"

"What I needed to, to survive." Her hand went back to drawing runes, while she kept an eye on her father.

"Please… this can't end well. Think of the people you'll hurt." He inched closer, but Claudia quickly drew a familiar rune. Viren was immediately blown back by an invisible wind. The breath was knocked out of him as he hit the roof. I haven't heard her speak the incantation… is she already that powerful?

"I am, father. Even you abandoned me. So I'm thinking of you." With that, she drew a rune, larger than the others. Aaravos did the same as he mostly ignored Viren's pressense. Once the rune was finished, it disappeared along with the others, though the mirror obtained a faint glow.

When nothing happened, Claudia stuttered. "W-what's going on? Did I make a mistake?"

But Aaravos just smiled reassuringly. He slowly placed a hand in the mirror and nodded towards it.

"Y-you want me to…?"

He nodded again.

"Okay…"

Viren watched as his daughter placed a hand on the mirror. The moment it touched her form blurred and disappeared. In her stead now stood a tall, purpleish elf with long hair and curvy pointed horns. As the elf turned around, Viren could see his blackened eyes.

"Viren, we meet again."

Viren struggled to get to his feet. As he leaned on his staff, he looked around to see what became of his daughter. Then he saw her. She was trapped in the mirror, looking confused and bouncing on the face of the mirror with her fist.

Aaravos half turned. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You break it, you buy it. As for you…" he said as he stepped towards Viren.

Viren's eyes blackened as he pointed his staff at Aaravos. ""Meht dnib le-". Before he could finish his spell, Aaravos waved with his hand. Viren's staff was wrenched out of his grasp and flew towards Aaravos.

"Sorry, but that belongs to me." He continued his advance until he was within an arms reach.

"Wha…" Viren stumbled backwards. He tried to think of a backup plan, but his mind was constantly distracted by Claudia who looked at him desperately. He saw her mouth open to say something, but no sound reached him.

"I think it's time to end this working relationship we have, don't you agree?" Aaravos said with a sinister smile. He placed a hand on Viren's stomach and pushed him against the roof. Viren was surprised by how strong the elf was. He grasped Aaravos' arm, but Claudia's spell had weakened his already old and corrupted body.

Aaravos leaned in to whisper. "Don't struggle. This will all be over soon. Yaced dna hsa…"

Viren gasped for air as he suddenly felt his stomach crumble. He looked down and saw that his midsection was slowly disintegrating into ash. He tried to scream, but couldn't.

Aaravos walked away towards the other end of the roof and drew a rune. With a wave of a wand the roof tore itself apart, giving him a lovely viesty of the feast that was going on outside of the castle. "Hmmm…. Shall I crash the party?" He looked closely, but noticed several dragons there, including the dragon queen. "Perhaps not. Let us gather some strength first. But it would be rude to leave without a farewell gift, wouldn't you say Viren?"

Viren didn't reply. He felt his body falling apart. Using his arms, he tried to crawl towards the mirror. Claudia was now screaming and pounding on the mirror, but to no avail.

"Humans… you are so….predictable." Aaravos laughed and drew an elaborate sunfire rune. "Ignis mollibus lapis!" Aaravos poked his head out of the hole in the roof to see his handiwork take root. Several stones of the tower began to glow brightly and produce purple flames. Aaravos laughed. "That should send a message." He looked over to Viren, who had collapsed a few feet away from the mirror. His legs had vanished into piles of ash. Claudia was on her knees, leaning against the glass of the mirror, looking pleadingly at Aaravos.

"Ah, it looks like you are having a personal moment. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye!" Aaravos drew another purple rune and incanted a spell. "Verba revocandis!" With a flash he disappeared.

Viren opened his eyes. It took effort. His hand reached out towards his daughter in the mirror as strange, purple flames were already rising through the floorboards. Claudia was crying. She looked terrified. "Don't worry…" he muttered, his voice nearly gone. "You're going...to be...okay…" He saw his hand crumble to dust. Nobody heard Claudia's screams as her father disappeared into ashes and flames consumed the tower, leading to its collapse.

-/-/-/-

The feast was still in full swing when they were shook out of their revelries by the sound of a crumbling tower. Everyone watched in horror as purple flames spread along the castle, not burning the timbers but the very stone itself, melting them and turning them into dust. Within moments, the entire castle was ablaze and crumbling.

Callum's heart caught in his throat. "Who...who could have done this?" Ezran stood besides him, his eyes full of tears as his home, the only one he'd ever known, went up in flames. He just sniffled, not sure what he should be doing in a moment like this either as a boy or as a king.

Then Rayla appeared next to them. She grabbed Callum's hand and put her arm around Ezran. "Don't worry," she said with a grim expression on her face. "Whatever happens, whatever's comin' for us now… I'll protect ye."

Soldiers ran around trying to find a way to douse the flames as people quickly searched around to make sure their loved ones were okay.

Queen Zubeia ordered the elves to do whatever they could to help their human friends. "Help each other. Dark times may be ahead, but together, we can be strong." Her voice rumbled across the shaken crowd, heard by all, giving humans and elves a bit of hope. "Let us be an example for the rest of the world. A shining light in a time of darkness. Whatever is after us now, we will face it together!"

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Authors Note

And that's the end of War of Cinders! It's been a tough road, certainly tougher than I expected! I thought that I could finish this beast within 10 weeks, but well, nope, not even close. Regardless, I'm happy with the end result and I hope it satisfies you, the readers, as well.

Concerning the story: I chose not to write out the recapture of Lux Aurea for a specific reason. It wasn't part of the origional plot, and I didn't know that the city was overcome wiht monstrosities until they made it part of their new Tabletop RPG. It would also take too long in this chapter to do it. The retaking of Lux Aerea is probably worth writing a book about on its own. I felt that as is, it would make sense; Callum got his purification, but the city still needs to be taken back from the leftover shadow creatures.

I've tried to stick as much to cannon characters and lore as possible, but ocasionally I had to insert a creation of my own. I am incredibly surprised and delighted that Zeron had been so well received. He was origonally planned to only play a minor part in the series, but his popularity quickly rose, likely because of both his character and his mysterious nature. I did focus on keeping all of his powers within the established laws of the Dragon Prince cannon. Nobody likes a Mary Sue (OP characters). All in all I am very pleased with his role in this serie.

So whats next? Well, in the long run I will write the fourth and final book of this series. I intend to post the first chapter at the start of August. More than that I cannot currently promise.

As for me; it's my wedding tomorrow, so I have some other things to keep me occupied in the next day, and of course for the honeymoon that follows.

Cheers! Thanks for reading and sticking with me thusfar! You have all been a lovely audience! I will see you all soon to conclude this fanfiction work of the Dragon Prince!

Review responses:

Oragonking: He followed his own path, whatever it took. At least our heroes managed to talk some sense into him to make him a little more coöperative!

mdauben: Well, here you go! I hope it didn't disappoint! ^^ Thanks for reading, as always!

Travian ross: Not sure who you mean with "Sarah", but the way to the heart of the dragon must surely be by incredibly tasty jelly tarts!

Gustrubio: Nice on the LotR reference! And they managed to convince Zeron in the end, though it required empathy on both ends.

Rainbowhawk1993: I hope you can appreciate it, as I appreciate all of you loyal readers! ^^ And yeah, that break-up was a long time coming!