Note: Elba in the comic has a waning moon as her symbol. But this is more TV show based for the characters.

Chapter Seven

"You asshole!" Will gasped, spitting murky, foul tasting water out her mouth, scrambling to shore. "I'm just so damn done with you!" she yelled, ready to start the next round of bickering. She just didn't understand that man. One minute they were getting along, dealing overall well with these bizarre magical issues, and the next he was shoving her in a damn dirty cave pond?

Her clothes and hair were soaked. How did he expect her to dry them while locked in endless magical tasks with him?

On the dry ground, she panicked, reflexively reaching for her phone. "If my phone is broken, I'm making you come to Earth and working until you can buy me a new one," she yelled again, pulling it out and powering it on. It turned on, just announcing water in the charging port.

"Wait," Will said, looking at her hands.

Her hands.

There was the swish of water behind her and she turned, seeing Phobos as Phobos.

He was walking to the water's end, dark robes clinging to his form. A form she unfortunately knew far too well now.

Focusing on the good, she pocketed her phone and jumped on him as he was almost free of the water, making him stumble back as he caught her, arms around his neck, water echoing in the cave.

"We are back to normal!" she cried, elated, kissing his cheek without thinking, as she was in tears from her relief. "Thank all the elder gods!" She couldn't express how happy she was to be herself. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Phobos, flustered by the onslaught of contact, grabbed the happy woman by the waist and stepped fully from the water, where he tried to push her away, only she was still clinging to him, celebrating, fit body pressed to him tightly.

Being in her body was bothersome for the prince, as it had made him hyper aware of how appealing she was to him on a baser level. It was easy to focus on her stubbornly arguing with him over, well, everything. Focus on her jabs at his defeat and her need to point out she was the superior fighter between the two.

Yet, from the moment the Keeper flew at him, dark eyes flashing with pure power, face inches from his, he felt something.

He had reasoned it away by acknowledging he had been imprisoned for years without physical companionship. It wasn't a bother during that time, as he didn't recall any longing for those baser acts. But, seeing his growing attraction to the redhead, that had to be the root cause, right? As he wasn't just interested in the fierce-some creature that hurled lightning from her fingertips just like him, but also the human woman pressed against him right now. Clinging to him in her joy, wet body rubbing against him, warm lips to his cheek.

The fact his hands pulled her hips closer, while he debated how alone they were, isolated in the forge, showed how she was making her way deeper under his skin. As he was making more and more choices with her in mind, and not just his own comfort and self-preservation.

It was one thing to trust her enough to escape, to make a plan to free himself and keep that freedom long term. It was another thing to trust one of the key players behind his greatest defeat, ah, like that.

But, as she clung to him, he wondered would that be unwanted on her end, as she had become so playful and bright in the last few hours.

How long have they been trapped?

They were only on the third task. The first took longer than he cared to admit for how simple the answer was. The second took two, maybe three, from the battle to the return journey. And the trek through the jungle was not too long, maybe an hour, as the wisp took them right to the gate.

Was the forge really this potent? That after a few hours he would be so accepting of her company? That he started to enjoy her refusal to follow him without good reason, as he was growing to savor their back and forth.

It had to be a symptom of his years of isolation and the forge using that to foster trust on a deeper level.

Because there was no other conceivable reason he would want her, the Light of Infinity, Keeper of the Heart of Magic, the greatest thorn in his side for anything more than a tool for his escape.

So, why not push her away with veritable force? Not a weak, almost fake, attempt she didn't even notice? Why not demand she let him go? To never touch him and… how dare she press her shapely body and soft lips to his heating skin?

Why did he pull her closer and lean into her wet heat?

What was this?

Again, he wondered how alone they were. Was there danger here? Would she object to a different… task with him? Maybe if he just got it out of his system, he would stop the spread of her under his skin.

"Phobos," Wilhelmina gently called, warm lips near his ear, hot breath on its shell, making him suppressed a shiver down his spine. "Your hair is… glowing," she finished, arms now around his shoulders so she could lean over him to look at the full length of his hair.

She pulled back, pulling a wet strand over his shoulder to look at it closer. Phobos was ready to point out he didn't glow until he saw she wasn't lying. Confused as well, he touched the section. There was a white glow emitting from the strands.

"The Heart is glowing as well," Phobos said, seeing the pink jewel glitter at her wet neck.

Actually, there was a light pink glow at the center of her chest as well, glowing similarly to the surrounding wisp.

Will pulled away, noticing the prince's stare. She resisted the urge to cross her arms as he tried nothing funny while in her body, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt and looked down. Confused, she touched the pink glow near her beating heart. Looking up, she saw a red glow near Phobos'.

"Okay, am I crazy, or can we see our… souls?" she asked, reaching out and touching the red glow on his chest. It was odd the red didn't match the rest of his 'glow', while Will only emitted a soft pink that matched the Heart of Kandrakar.

Phobos looked at her hand and she snatched it away, realizing she had been touching him a lot. She was getting too use to him. He wasn't feeling like a threat anymore. Just like a grumpy buddy she hadn't seen in a while.

Will was still worried about the true meaning of her wording of the 'oath'. There was no way an ancient tomb fueled by some hidden magical force on Metamoor knew Earth slang. Right?

Maybe they just literally needed to shoot lightning at each other again?

She glanced at him, wet strands falling across his chiselled face, blue eyes deep as they peered down at her, unreadable and hard.

There was a strange skip of her heart as they held each other's gaze.

She had to remember they were trapped with each other. That once outside, no matter how friendly they became with each other, she had a job to finish. That his fate was in Elyon's hands and Will doubted telling her a few stories about how Phobos didn't let her die and actually came and saved her were enough to… what?

Free him? Give him another pardon? Prince Phobos had already squandered his chance at a pardon years ago when he broke his vow to her. Why would anyone trust him with another one? Especially her? He already betrayed her once after months on Earth with her. Why even think of giving him another chance after a few hours of them getting along half the time?

Was it the forge? Was it working?

Will did not know if that was good or bad.

But she knew she wouldn't be able to fight him like before. There was a deep sense of sadness she held for him now. He was just so stupid, pushing everyone away who could help him. His parents, his kingdom, his sister, the freaking wisp, and even her.

His sense of distrust was deep, and the forge was digging at him, she saw. This task was about him. She knew that without a doubt.

Because it wasn't a coincidence that she was in his body when they were near the wisp, so she could show him they were living creatures that responded to kindness. That they were at a magic gate where an elder god guarded. A creature that has been around since the creation of the universe, just like the Oracle had described about him. About Phobos.

Will has spent years dealing with issues in the magical universe and her 'fate' and 'destiny' senses were tingling. Unfortunately, she was thinking they were meant to be here, in this cave, together. That there was something here for him. That he needed her support for. Even if he would deny it, she saw how he dropped his guard around her. Felt him embrace her back when she was celebrating their return to their bodies.

So what was here?

Will broke their stare, looking away as she tucked her hair behind her ear and gasped, now noting the newly lit cave.

"Oh, yeah, I totally believe this is a magic gate," she said in awe.

The underground cavern was larger than they originally thought. The almost iridescence, mineral encrusted walls wrapped around the wide expanse of water, with them standing on a small rocky island at the edge. Jagged crystal stalactites and stalagmites littered the natural void, some glowing in a soft pink and other's white. Magic glittered weakly off each and, Will wondered, if she could see the wisp because it was a gate or because she had been in Phobos' body. Either way, she could now see the little lights playfully darting around the jutting spikes. Moving like moths to flames, more interested in the revived crystals than them.

The water, which should be clear considering it was an underground spring, was dingy, like there was a constant displacement of mud in its depths.

In front of them was a set of marble steps. With the section, from where they stood, to about a fifth of the way in, destroyed. The white and gray stone steps led up to a platform against the opposite wall, where they could see a large, white door beyond an ornamental altar. It was closed with etching that were too hard to make out from the distance. At the top of the door, glowing the brightest of any magic, was a round crest with a waning crescent.

"New opportunities," Phobos suddenly said, unable to look away from the glowing moon.

Will looked at him and asked, "What?"

"The phase of the moon," he explained, not sure why it felt important.

Will gave a crooked smile, growing nervous at Phobos' almost enthralled stare. "Didn't know you were into astrology."

"Astrology is important to magic. As, depending on the magic you call on with advance spell-casting, the position of the moons, stars, and suns can altar it," he explained, still not looking away.

Will let out a breath she was holding. Why was she so unsettled seeing the familiar-looking moon symbol? It felt ominous, like an all-seeing eye staring down at her, judging her for every sin she will ever make. There was a warning in her chest to keep her distance. That she wasn't welcomed here, even if her magic glowed around her.

Needing to look away, she looked at the altar underneath it and saw a glint of metal.

"There is something up there," Will said, finding the metal out of place. She touched the Heart, disappointed to find she still could not transform. So she stepped into the water, towards the edge of the stairs. The water was waist high, so she held her phone above the water until she could step on the debris at the base of the staircase.

It was too high for her to jump and grab the edge, and whatever had destroyed it had cut it cleanly, where she had nothing to grip and climb. If she had more land to run on, she could have made it with a burst of speed and a jump, but the section of broken marble was too small for such action.

"Come on," Will called, waving the prince over, needing his help.

Phobos, surprised at her new enthusiasm considering he had to drag her here to begin with, followed.

His glowing hair was bizarre, but he could only figure it had something to do with his connection to magic as a member of the Metamoor royal line. But the sight of the waning moon spoke to something deep in him. Something he never felt stir before.

Will waited as he joined her and then grabbed his hands, making him cup them as she explained, "I need a bit of leverage here. Put your hands like this and when I step on them, launch me up. I will reach down and pull you up after." Then, unable not to tease a little, added, "Or I can toss you in the air like a rag-doll if you want. Prince's choice, my liege."

Phobos raised a brow. "You are in better spirits than the start of this task," he pointed out.

Will smiled, ignoring the weight in her gut, and shrugged. "Just glad to be me. Next time I am that close to the boys I-" she stopped, realizing what she was saying just as Phobos tilted his head to the side.

"Next time?" he asked, sounding curious, eyes holding hers with an odd calmness.

Will gulped, ears red as she waved her hands in her panic. "No! No next time! Never a next time!" He opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly yelled. "Shut up!"

Phobos sighed, rolling his eyes, and said, "I do not understand you, Wilhelmina." And simply waited with his hands out like she had positioned them.

The sound of her name shocked her enough that she calmed down, realizing he wasn't taking the chance to tease her back.

She mumbled a 'sorry' and backed away. With a few quick steps, she was hopping on his hand and he launched her up. Luckily, it wasn't far up, as Phobos wasn't stronger than his wiry frame and average muscles implied. Will grabbed the edge and pulled herself up. The stairs were wide, so it wasn't too uncomfortable as she laid and reached down with one hand. Between him being tall with long arms, and her using her other hand to brace herself as she leaned over, she could reach him.

Her strength always impressed Phobos, even with him annoyed at her keeping more traces of magic than him. She pulled him up with ease as he stepped along the flat edge in his ascent. Once on the staircase, they stood, glancing at each other before walking forward.

"What is that?" she questioned. "You see? In the center?" Will pointed, as they got closer, able to see what was slowly coming into view, trying to show Phobos. Only he seemed more interested in the moon, moving like it drew him to it. Just like the wisp to the magic infused rocks.

"Phobos, are you," she started, only to stop. Not sure what to ask as he looked just as confused as she was by his behavior.

So Will noticed the sword first.

Long and gleaming in the light of the magic, leather on the hilt still soft and rich, like it hadn't been sitting in a cave for who knows how long.

Will stopped, a surge of fear overtaking her.

Phobos stopped with her, confused at the look on her face.

The silver metal of the sword was glowing pink.

Pink with the magic of Xin Jing.

Will jumped, not expecting the hand on her shoulder, and even less prepared for the abnormally soft expression on the prince's face.

"I'm fine," she answered his unspoken question, forcing herself to continue. His hand dropped away and he followed.

Now, at the top, they could see what was sitting on the altar.

An enormous set of bones laid on top on a slab of white marble, raised higher and surrounded by four pillars, etched with murals of planet and moons. The light from the moon symbol was the same as pure moonlight, lighting the bones in a natural, pale hue. Creating an eerie beauty that made them ache in unexplained sorrow.

The bones were from a horse. A massive one, with hooves of gold and bones of ivory.

"A fucking unicorn?" Will said in disbelief, seeing the white horn in the center of the skull. "They exist?"

"Existed," Phobos clarified. "This is the first time I've even seen proof," he admitted.

"Um, you see the sword too, right?" Will asked, chill down her spine, needing him to acknowledge what was before them.

"Yes, I do," Phobos said, bothered by the sight as well.

The cracked skull of the massive beast had the pink glowing sword piercing through it from above and slightly behind. Impaling it into the ground, through the section that held its brain, the undeniable cause of its death.

"The horn is intact," Phobos said, confused. "Why kill it if not to take it?" He stepped forward, to the edge of the altar, eyeing the pink glow.

"Aren't unicorns… peaceful?" Will asked as she walked with Phobos, not wanting to leave his side as they neared the glowing moon. "Who would just kill one for the shit of it?"

"I do not know," he said, noticing her nervous behavior as she stayed glued to his side. She kept glancing up at the moon symbol. Where it drew him, filling him with an overwhelming sense of peace, she looked ready to run. One of her hands reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his robe as she moved in a way that looked like she was trying to hide behind him.

"Why sully a gate like this?" he asked out loud. "The blood of a slain elder god has corrupted it. No other god has ventured here. The wisp have been trapped as long as its been dead." Phobos glanced back at the Keeper, wondering what she was feeling from this hallowed place to react like this. "Some magic flows, but as a trickle, not a waterfall. There is not enough magic here to break free of the forge," he ended, disappointed.

Will, huddled behind Phobos, the white moon glaring down at her, was not thinking about the fact they were trapped, as she looked at his still glowing hair. The same white as the moon.

"Phobos," she said gently, "I've been thinking."

He turned to look at her, her hand still holding on to the black silk.

"A rare occurrence," he joked, and Will, despite her nervousness, smiled at him, appreciating his attempt to lighten her mood.

"I don't think I was trapped in here with you by accident," she said. "I had to accept a long time ago that my life is predestined, as the holder of Xin Jing's power. Just like the Oracle with N'Ghala's. Just like…" she stopped, looking at the symbol. "I know that crest, Phobos. It's Elba's. The nymph of the moon." Will looked at him. "This place is connected to her. To… you."

Before he could complain, she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, pressing his hand to the horn.

Because she knew.

She knew.

There was a reason Elba was glaring down at her while calling Phobos. The same reason the sword glowed with Xin Jing's magic. The same reason the wisp followed Phobos. Why the Oracle couldn't reveal his origin. Why she was sent by Xin Jing to accompany the prince here.

Will was here to right a wrong of her kingdom.

There was a sin committed here, and Will needed to atone for it.

The horn glowed, the same as his hair and the moon.

The Heart glowed brighter, a sad song flowing from it.

Phobos snatched his hand back, as the feeling was filling him with memories that weren't his. That made no sense. Memories of magic and planets. Of cold, distance moons and the endless voids of space. Of eons of existing and watching and waiting.

And of Elba.

Mother of all celestial bodies.

Phobos looked around, head spinning. "I… know this place." He looked at the sword. "I met death here," he said, reaching out and touching the sword's hilt.

Like a flash of warning, the glow of the room turned crimson. The pink around Will flared brighter, pushing the red away, but Phobos was engulfed, all the white on him fading.

The moon pulsed, a beam of white moonlight piercing through the red and illuminating the dry bones. The light grew stronger and stronger in intensity until it forced them both to look away. Will didn't object as Phobos raised an arm to shield her from the light, his face dropping near her's. After a moment, the light faded and they looked up, shocked at what they saw.

Before them rested the slightly transparent image of the once living beast, settled on top of the grand altar. It was pure white, with long silver hair that tumbled from it in thick braids along its mane and tail. The shaggy, silver fur on its legs engulfed its golden hooves as it rested comfortably on the cool marble. The horn on its head was the same as they viewed, only it had a constant glow of magic to it.

It looked as if the unicorn had not moved in years, as plants grew at the base of its body, vines wrapped around it, black roses growing. The flowers shifted, taking a female shape as they reached up towards the elder god. It leaned down, angling its ear to listen to the small creature for a moment. Only to repeat the action with another and then another.

Will gasped, looking into its eyes as it looked up, viewing something beyond her.

Icy blue.

Will turned, looking into the same set on the man next to her.

Before Will could question him, the unicorn shifted, lifting its massive head up more to look at the entrance, which it could see clearly from its size. It snorted, irritated.

Will and Phobos turned around.

"Oh, no," Will called, dread filling her as the last piece of the puzzle revealed itself.

At the edge of the pool stood a tall woman, pale with long dark hair, and dressed for travel with a cloak, bag, and sword. The woman removed her cloak and bag, sitting them down. She tried to step into the stairs, but a force field stopped her. Frowning, she looked up at the unicorn. She made a show of walking her sword to place on the ground at the side and return to the center. Still, she was blocked entry.

She chuckled. "I see. No trust, dear elder god? Very well." She dropped her glamour, skin aging, black hair graying at its edges. "See? Nothing hidden. I am unarmed. My magic is nothing compared to yours."

The force field stayed.

She knelled down. "Elder god, I seek an audience. I act on behalf of the Light of Meridian." She said, pulling out a small metal crest that glowed with yellow magic. Magic from the Heart of Meridian.

The unicorn snorted, ears folding back, eyes distrustful.

Seeing she was getting nowhere, she lifted her hand and touched her chest. Her soul became visible, glowing pink.

"I am the chosen one of Xin Jing. I serve a nymph, like you."

This time, the force field dropped.

She stood and ascended up the stairs to the altar.

Will couldn't help it. She feared this woman.

She had gone after everyone Will loved. Enslaved Matt, toyed with her family, tried to kill her friends. Had killed a living clone of Will, who she absorbed in her last moments, letting her experience the pain of her death.

So now, inside of Will, was that girl that was both given life and slain all in the same day. All because of the dark-haired woman nearing her.

Phobos wrapped an arm around the Keeper as she moved closer to him, her brown eyes fixated on the phantom before them. He remembered the ghost well enough. Seeing her here was worrying in ways he couldn't describe. Phobos, to his displeasure, was often lumped in with this woman in terms of risk and threat. Yet, the depth to which she was willing to go, all in the pursuit of universal peace, was far lower than anything he would do.

Spending years in servitude, scheming in the dark, lying at every turn, even to her bed partners.

There were rules to magical wars that even he followed. He fought the Guardians, not involving their families or lives on Earth, even after spending months there.

As that was pathetic in his eyes. If he needed to defeat his enemies by dangling their families before them, and not in a display of his magical prowess and tactical skill, then he would be the pitiable creature the Keeper thought he was indeed.

With another bow, the older woman smiled sweetly. "I have been sent on a quest. Well, the great mage has. But my dear friend has passed and I feel I must uphold her duties," she clarified, sounding heartbroken. "So here I am, seeking a soul for the queen."

She looked around, eyeing the countless wisp floating near them. "I came to the right place."

"My name is Nerissa," she greeted, still smiling, doing her best to look small and nonthreatening as she inched closer. Only there was another shield between her and the unicorn. She seemed unbothered as she spoke. "It took longer than I care to admit finding this gate." Then she added, with a chuckle, "And your name."

At that, the unicorn snorted, looking bothered, tossing its shimmering mane. Its limbs pulled at the black roses around it. The whisperers reached out to calm it, countless small hands petting its brilliant fur.

"You were created by the nymph, Elba. The moon of mars given flesh and blood as a reward of your service to her," she said, smile twisting into something harsher. "Elder God Phobos."

The unicorn whinnied at the name, blue eyes flashing, horn glowing as it realized the danger before it.

Too late.

Unnoticed to all, the once discarded sword had circled behind the elder god. It glowed pink as it sprang forward, shattering the shield, striking its target with destructive force. There was a sickening crunch of metal piercing flesh and bone. Then a thunderous crack, that echoed in the enchanted cavern, as the sword impaled into the stone altar. Pinning tender flesh to unyielding marble.

A short lived, high-pitched whinny followed that was quickly drowned out in a bubbling gurgle of warm, gold blood.

And a sad, remorseful voice whispering out, "I'm sorry."