Mia awoke with a mild start as she realized that she was no longer in the presence of Luna. She looked around at her surroundings; she was in her room, in her own bed. To prove the point, she saw her trunk, her dresser, her bookcase, and her nightstand. She arose, still clad in her robes, and advanced to her window and peered out. Gloom was hanging over the town of Imil now, a dark and overcast day. It seemed to intensify the fears of the townsfolk as well as their sorrows; the atmosphere was so somber, not a smile was to be seen in the entire town. The skies appeared to invite rain; the heavens themselves looked as though they were prepared to shed tears onto the mortal earth below. She sighed, and looked to her mirror where she straightened her hair and clothing, and she stepped out in to the main room. Sheba was cooking a broth idly, while Isaac was nowhere to be seen. She greeted Sheba quickly and looked outside from the door; there was a scraping sound along the other side of the house, and she went to investigate. She found Isaac, sitting on a barrel, sharpening his sword with a large flint rock.

"Morning, Mia." Isaac said, not turning his attention from his work. Mia examined Isaac's blade. The sword's edge was shining brightly against the rest of the blade; it was clear the squire was either sharpening absent- mindedly, or single-mindedly. Sparks jumped from both the rock and the blade with each stroke of the rock.

"Isaac. . . I think your blade is sharpened enough. . ." Isaac turned his head to look at his sword, and he glanced at the edges of his sword with awe. He put his rock down and held the sword forward. Making sure nothing was in his range, he swung the sword forward, its speed much greater than before. The squire could feel the air splitting in two as the blade passed through it. It was perfect; its ultimate sharpness. He sheathed it carefully and turned to Mia.

"You were right." Isaac stated. Their eyes locked again, but they kept their distance. Both parties remained silent for several moments. They both appeared to be probing each other's eyes for answers; none were found in either pair. Finally, a fleet of footsteps sounded, and the two Adepts focused on Leo, their new arrival.

"Mia, there's a rumor going around town that some guy is going to fight the Cerberi and their master! I don't know who the fool is, but he's either brave or stupid."

"That would depend on your definition of bravery and stupidity." Isaac replied.

"What do you mean, Isaac?" Leo returned.

"Perhaps the definition of fool would also be needed." Isaac responded.

"You don't mean that. . . " Leo trailed off. "No way."

"Yes. I intend to destroy those beasts and deliver safety to this town. It is time that those fiends faced justice for what they have done."

"Many a warrior that have said that have fallen before them, Isaac. . ." Leo remarked.

"Isaac is no ordinary warrior, Leo. Isaac is a Paladin, and he is one of the best trained fighting forces in the world. If he can't do the job, not even King Picard could." Mia stated.

"Are you putting him above our king?"

"No, it's just that the king was a Luna Knight, not a Sol Paladin; the training and conditioning for Paladins are much tougher than those of the knights. Isaac will be ready."

"Mia, please. . ." Isaac sighed. "I am only able to do what I can, and King Picard is a warrior of the finest caliber. He is not to be taken lightly by any foe."

"What if you fail, Isaac? What then?" Leo asked.

"Then I will be dead." Isaac stated. "I will not surrender until the life force has been purged from my mortal body; for as long as my heart beats and my lungs take in air, I will fight these monsters." Leo soon grew a small smile on his face.

"That's good to know, Isaac. I wish you luck, and may Sol and Luna smile upon you tonight. I pray also that my craftsmanship in that sword will pass its test. Good luck, Sir Isaac." Leo stated, turning away and disappearing to whence he came.

"I do believe," Isaac said, returning his focus to Mia, "that was the first time I have ever been called Sir Isaac. It feels very. . . odd."

"Used to Master Isaac, eh?" Mia smiled, lightly. "You'll be hearing Sir Isaac soon enough. . . if you succeed here, Felix will undoubtedly make you a Paladin on the spot."

"Well, there's more to it than just that, but. . . you're probably right." Isaac said.

"Isaac, Mia. . . lunch is ready." Sheba stated, peering around the corner of the house. Hurry before it gets cold."

"Okay, we're coming." Mia replied. Sheba quickly disappeared and Mia waited for Isaac to put his flint rock back in his pack. "Isaac. . . you don't have to stay here and do this."

"Mia, don't try to talk me out of it, because my mind is made up. I'm going to stop those beasts if it's the last thing I ever do, and that's final." Isaac stated, standing in front of her.

"Then I will fight with you."

"We already agreed on this matter last night. Let's just go get some food and rest up for tonight. It's going to be a tough battle." Mia nodded, and they returned to their awaiting stew of vegetables. It wasn't the best of meals; Mia really made relatively little money as a healer; she only earned as much as she charged; no one in Imil was really considered rich, but everyone seemed to live a fairly comfortable life. Mia was one of the poorest of all in Imil, mostly because she gave money to those who needed it more; Sheba was fully supportive of the measures Mia took. Isaac ate everything he was given and seconds; Mia and Sheba hardly touched their food.

"You two are pretty worried about tonight. . ." Isaac trailed off. ". . .please don't be. We'll beat them, I'm sure of it." Isaac stated, reassuringly.

"You're right, as usual, Isaac." Sheba sighed. "I just hope we really can defeat those beasts."

"Am I talking to a wall?" Isaac asked. "Or am I talking to you, Sheba? We'll win." Suddenly, a knock sounded at Mia's door. The healer quickly opened the door to one of the townspeople.

"Miss Mia, there are rumors going about town that you and the new guy in town are going to be fighting those Cerberi tonight. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is." Mia replied, softly.

"The townspeople are demanding a speech by you and the new guy."

"His name is Isaac, not the new guy." Mia uncharacteristically corrected. "Anyway, I don't think we will be giving a speech."

"The people want to hear you."

"I'll go." Isaac stated, standing from his place. "You and Sheba keep resting and I'll handle your townspeople." The squire said, pushing past her and with the newcomer. Mia nodded, and Isaac and the other man walked into the town square, where the entire population of the town was gathered. They all hushed as the squire entered the square, his sword still strapped to his back. The man led him to the center of the crowd and told him to speak. Isaac shook his head before a small child approached him.

"Are you the hero that's going to save us from the demons?"

"Um. . ."

"Those demons killed my father last night. . . please say you'll help." Isaac paused.

"I will." He said, patting the fatherless son on the head, before turning to the remainder of the crowd. His heart was filled with more resolve than ever. "Citizens of Imil, my name is Isaac, and I will help to destroy the evil which plagues you. I will not rest peacefully until the evil has been defeated, and I will not give up under any circumstance. I want all of you to evacuate the town this evening so that in the event that I should fail, no one else will get hurt. I do not want any of you staying in this town this night, understood?" General mumbling sounded of consensus. "Good. That's all I have to say. Until later, my friends. . ." Isaac stated, walking back to Mia's abode.

*********************************

Silence had became Mia's house since sundown. Hardly a word had been spoken among them all day, and there were even fewer once the sun dipped below the horizon. Isaac stood pensively at a westward facing window, looking out at the stars. He had hardly moved from his position for hours now. Sheba sat at the kitchen table, using a stick of charcoal to draw on a piece of paper. She doodled idly, yet still producing excellent works and heartfelt scenes. Finally, Mia sat a few yards behind Isaac in a chair, reading a book. She occasionally glanced up from her reading to watch Isaac's calm form. She turned to look at her candle, which was melted down to the wick. She snuffed it carefully and closed her book. It was only a matter of time now. . . only a matter of time before she was about to face her greatest opponent; her greatest fear. Mia did find some solace that Isaac and Sheba were there to help, but she shuddered to think of what might happen to them this night if the fates were against them. She picked up her Angelic Ankh and inspected it carefully; if it was damaged in the least, she was going to need a new weapon. Her worries were for naught, as her weapon remained in perfect condition. Mia turned to speak with Isaac, and as she formed her first syllable, Isaac raised his hand to silence her. She paused, as she saw Isaac focus his senses deeply. He didn't say anything for a moment, and as Mia drew breath to speak, Isaac quickly turned and drew his sword.

"They're here." Isaac stated, heading for the door. "In the square; they're searching the buildings for anyone to kill." Sheba quickly tossed the charcoal stick aside and grabbed her own staff from beside her. Mia and Sheba filed single file behind Isaac as he left the house.

"What's the plan, Isaac?" Mia asked.

"You said that there was a figure with them, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's probably their master. They will protect him with all of their might, and even when we get through the hounds, we can expect the summoner to put up an even greater fight. We'll see how they work together before we engage." Isaac said, tapering off as they approached the square. Isaac peered carefully around a building. The hounds were on the far side of the square, their backs turned, as they tore through doors and windows trying to find a suitable meal. In the center of the square, there was a figure, clad in black robes, hovering several inches in the air, a dark fog radiating from beneath the lower section of his cloak. Isaac could see faint movements of one of the sleeves of the figure, and the hounds quickly reacted, stalking off in the direction he dictated. Isaac turned back to Mia and Sheba.

"All right. Those beasts do have a link to their master; it seems as though he is in total and complete control. Perhaps if we can separate the master from the hounds, we can do something."

"That would mean splitting up." Sheba said.

"But, that's far too dangerous." Isaac replied. "We're at one-to-one odds here, although our opponents are much tougher. It's likely that the master will not engage directly unless his hounds are failing. Right now, his hounds are on the other half of the square. Perhaps we can rush with a first strike on the master and take him down before the hounds can react."

"Let's try it." Sheba said.

"Okay, use your most devastating Psynergy, and don't let up." Isaac replied, stepping into the square. Sheba and Mia followed quickly. Isaac began glowing gold, Mia began illuminating blue, and Sheba started pulsing purple. The three Adept's power swelled, catching the attention of the apparition and its beasts. Isaac blasted the fiend with a mighty blast of the Earth's fury with Mother Gaia, sending waves of pure seismic power through the evil demon. Mia summoned the power of Glacier, and thousands of shards of frozen ice lashed at the black clothed figure, and finally Sheba plastered the creature with a well-deserved barrage of Spark Plasma. The black robed figure shrieked horribly at each spell, and by the time Sheba's spell had dissipated, he was fully turned around. The opening where his face would've been showed nothing; save for two glowing red eyes; burning with hatred and lust for destruction. In the end, Isaac and company weren't even sure if they had even injured the creature. The next move it made was to point its arm at the three Adepts; the Cerberi howled and immediately charged for them. Isaac moved in front of his friends and prepped for their defense. The hounds closed within ten yards, and Isaac plastered both of them with Stone Spire, knocking them back several feet.

"Spread out!" Isaac yelled to his allies. They split up and the hounds split to attack as well. The hooded figure remained still and watched intently as one hound followed Mia and Sheba and the other tailed Isaac. The Venus Adept, aware of the hound following him, paid more attention to the hound chasing Mia and Sheba. Isaac summoned his Ragnarok on the hound following them, but it just rocked the hound and diverted his attention to the Venus Adept. Isaac smiled as the other hound joined in hot pursuit. The two dogs weren't gaining much ground on the Venus Adept as he dashed about the square, but Isaac knew he couldn't keep running forever. He turned suddenly and charged one of the hounds with his long sword outstretched. The Cerberus saw the move coming, and made a quick attempt to dodge. However, its sideways leap wasn't quick enough, as Isaac grazed a cut into the demon's right side. The three headed dog howled in pain, and the squire dashed away from the second incoming hound.

The summoner's eyes glowed more fiercely and tightened into slits. It was obvious that it was openly frustrated at its hounds' inefficiency when it came to dealing with the pest that was Isaac. However, it believed that its Cerberi were more than a match for the squire, so it decided to turn its matters elsewhere. . . the two other Adepts that had made its job unnecessarily difficult. The summoner pointed his robed arm at Mia and Sheba and let loose a massive fireball. The Mercury and Jupiter Adepts leapt different ways from the attack, and it exploded into a stone wall, shattering the wall into pieces. Mia rolled away and stood; the bottom of her cape was singed from the attack and she could feel that some of her hair was mildly seared as well. She quickly Plyed it away. Sheba, who had gotten away from the blast completely, decided to let the damned thing have it with a Tornado attack. The sharp winds quickly formed and surrounded the figure, and again it gave off a horrible cry. Immediately after the cutting winds dissipated, a wall of fire blasted toward Sheba. Sheba did her best to dash out of the way, but the edge of the wall clipped her and she yelped in pain. Her right side was now burned, but she remained standing.

Sheba winced as she focused on the creature. The fire wall she had just been hit with hurt her pretty decently, but she knew she couldn't give up. Mia was quickly by her side casting ply on her injuries, and as she was, Sheba let loose a barrage of Shine Plasma. The purple bolts blasted around the floating fiend and exploded in particle blasts of energy. Mia then turned for the attack, and fired off an Ice Missile barrage. The crystallized ice spikes showered upon the hooded figure and it shrieked out, louder than before. Obviously, it was weak against Mia's water based attacks.

Isaac danced away from the first hound as he rounded the opposite end of the square. He had caught glimpse of the rain of ice that shattered upon the floating spirit, but had little time to attack himself. The hounds now worked to surround him; they each approached from both sides. Isaac was caught between two hounds and a house; the only way to go was directly into the center of the square, where the summoner awaited. Luckily, he was preoccupied with Mia and Sheba to really care about the squire behind him. Isaac smiled at the hound in front of him, and shot out his palm, sending an Earthquake before him, knocking the hound off balance. Isaac bolted away and into the relative safety of the open. The figure immediately spun to face him, and Isaac halted.

The specter knew this squire was going to be trouble, so why not use the proven tactic of divide and conquer? The Mercury Adept and the Jupiter Adept were bottled up together on one end of the square, and the Venus Adept on the other end with its Cerberi. The spirit's red eyes narrowed as it summoned some of its power. He focused his power into a wedge shape, keeping Isaac stuck in a quarter of the circular town center with an intense fire wall. Now, the spirit decided to return to its previous engagement. . . that of Mia and Sheba.

Isaac could feel the heat of the flames several yards away from the wall; he turned around to face his opponents. He could no longer use the square as a means of escape; he'd have to fight. The second hound dashed toward Isaac and lashed out at him. The squire dashed left, and then slid past the hound by doing a foot-first slide. Isaac immediately leapt to his feet and ran past the first hound. Now the walls of the houses were at his back, and the hounds in front of him. The first hound turned toward him, and looked at him inquisitively. Then, without warning, shot a massive fireball from the center head's mouth. Isaac's eyes widened, and he leapt left. The fireball missed him, but struck his sword squarely and blasted it into the wooden wall behind him, lodging it in tightly. Isaac now glanced back, seeing the hilt of his weapon jaunting from the wall instead of in his hand. Isaac now was unarmed; not a good thing to be against a pair of three-headed hounds that probably should've been guarding the gates of Hell.

Mia's expression hardened as she rolled away from a fire Psynergy casted by the figure. This wasn't looking good. Not only was Isaac separated from them, but he also had both Cerberi to worry about. Mia looked past the fire wall to see Isaac, fists raised and ready to fight hand to hand. Puzzled, she then saw Isaac's sword jammed into a house. She gasped; Isaac was doomed without some sort of weapon! Then, it hit her. She was holding a staff she wasn't using in this fight against the specter, so why would she need it? Deciding on a gamble, she raised her staff and prepared to throw it like a javelin over the fire wall.

"Hey Isaac! Catch!" Mia shouted at the top of her lungs. Isaac's head turned, and he quickly saw an incoming pole of some sort. His hands caught the projectile, and he realized Mia had just thrown him her Angelic Ankh. Now he stood a chance, and also owed her big time. Isaac, whom had been trained on how to fight with a staff at an exceptional level, held it in an attack position and spun it vertically on his right side to get a feel for it. He then dashed for the nearest hound, and promptly smashed the left head with the staff. He spun it around and nailed the right head with the other end, and then proceeded to jam the rod of the staff into the middle head's nose. He pulled it back and began spinning it vertically, bashing the center head repeatedly, while delivering necessary kicks to the other side heads. Isaac jumped away after a moment, sure he knocked the hound for a loop. The other hound leapt in, and Isaac quickly spun the staff to and fro, bashing each head individually but almost simultaneously several times over. Isaac frowned after he leapt away. The staff was quick and light, but it lacked enough power to make a finishing blow. He needed his sword.

Mia yelped as a Flare Storm struck her square and she struggled to stand back up. The fires of this creature were unusual, even for an Adept creature. She quickly cast Ply Well and prepped her next attack. She now switched to Glacier, which served as an excellent aggravation tool against the summoner. The cold rain of frozen tundra circled and blew around the phantom, and eventually froze around him. For a few brief moments, the creature was frozen within Mia's attack; but it quickly broke loose and prepared its own offense.

Sheba quickly noted the offensive stance of the specter and took a chance by casting Destruct Ray at the beast. Bolts of bright purple death struck down upon the hooded figure and it instantly spun to face Sheba, only to fire off a quick blast of Fireball. The incoming orbs of combustion narrowly missed the agile Sheba, who was forced to shuck and roll to ensure she wasn't in any of the blasts.

Isaac charged back toward the hounds with the Angelic Ankh's handle side pointing at the left Cerberus. The squire used the staff like a lance into the right head of the left dog's mouth. The hound started choking on the staff, and Isaac pushed it forward with all his might in an attempt to strangle one of them to death. The other hound barged for an attack on the 'vulnerable' Isaac and was rewarded with a fierce Clay Spire attack that not only threw it back but also created a stone wall that would have to be traveled around. The strangling head of the first hound was coughing and gagging loudly, trying to force the pole from its mouth. In a few mere moments, the head went limp around the pole, but much to Isaac's disbelief, the other two heads began to snap at him. He dislodged his weapon and flipped it back into his hands and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the other two heads using alternating swings. The second hound had now rounded Isaac's Clay Spire wall and charged for him. Isaac eyed his sword; all he had to do was get past the incoming hound and he could have a chance at getting it. He smiled, and charged toward the hound himself. As he closed within a few yards, he suddenly slammed the pole edge of the staff against the ground and actually vaulted over the hound, staff still in hand. The hound skidded to a halt, confused at the events transpired. Isaac, however made no hesitation to go for his sword.

Sheba quickly casted Ward to take the edge off of the incoming Flare Storm that proved impossible to avoid. The burning Mars flames still hurt a remarkable amount, but the pain was bearable thanks to her increased resistance to all elemental forces. Once the fire cleared, Mia quickly showed up to use Ply while Sheba fired off a blast of Storm Ray. The specter just seemed to shrug off the powerful attack again, and Sheba groaned in silent frustration. This was fruitless! No matter what she hit it with, it wasn't going down!

"Mia, what are we supposed to do to beat this thing?! No matter how much we hit it, it doesn't seem to take any damage!"

"Maybe it's linked to the hounds; maybe they have to fall first!"

"Let's hope Isaac can do it quickly then!" Sheba replied, letting loose a Whirlwind. "I don't know how much longer we're going to last!"

Isaac pulled with all of his strength to dislodge his weapon from the wooden wall, but it had jammed itself in very effectively. He yanked and tugged with Herculean effort, but the sword refused to free itself. Isaac's expression hardened; if he couldn't pull this sword from the wall, the town might as well be doomed. Then he remembered. . . his promise to Mia. He promised her that he'd never give up and would emerge victorious, and that's what he intended to do. He grabbed his weapon and with one final yank, managed to dislodge the weapon from the house; taking the board it was lodged in with it. Isaac kicked the board from his sword and charged the second hound; it spun in time to notice Isaac, but not in time to do anything about it. Isaac promptly relieved the Cerberus from its middle head and then proceeded to eviscerate the other two heads as they howled in pain. The body of the first hound impacted the ground with a sickening thump. Isaac spun to the second dog, whose third head hung dead and limp while the other two remained functioning. Isaac blasted the hound with a Ragnarok strike and while it attempted to recoup from both its massive beatings and the Psynergy spell, he struck. Isaac jammed his sword into the hide of the creature and he leaned into his sword to jam it in further. The two heads howled in pain as he twisted the sword before removing it. As soon as the blade came free of the Cerberus, it gave one final howl, and fell to the ground, lifeless.

The summoner's robed head spun around to view Isaac; the damned Venus Adept had finished off its summoned hounds. The squire was far more dangerous than originally anticipated, but he was currently wearing out the healer and the Jupiter Adept rapidly. A few more attacks would have them both at their knees, allowing it to take on Isaac alone. It decided it was no longer time to play. The specter began glowing an intense red, and fired off a blast of Pyroclasm against Mia and Sheba. The massive attack struck them both, sending them both flying several yards backward and burning them badly.

"Mia! Sheba!" Isaac shouted from behind the fire wall. He wanted to get over to help, but the heat from the fire was intense and impassible. Isaac cursed silently to himself. He needed to get past the fire wall, but no option presented itself. . . except. . . Isaac spun to see that the Clay Spire he had summoned moments earlier still remained up and out of the ground. They sunk back in a moment later, but it still gave Isaac a plan. He grabbed Mia's Ankh and ran toward the wall. Quickly, he cast a Spire attack, but instead of directing it at the summoner, he targeted himself. The rising spire of stone gave him a large amount of height, and with his forward momentum, he sprang from the spire over the wall, and back into the main square. Isaac rolled to the ground when he impacted, and quickly stood. He could feel minor superficial burns on his skin from the rising heat of the flames, but it was nothing that bothered him badly. He immediately dashed to Mia and Sheba, who were just arising from their smoldering experience. Isaac quickly cast Cure on Mia, who was busy healing Sheba with Ply Well.

"Isaac! You're okay!" Sheba exclaimed.

"Yes, but if we don't stop that vile creature none of us will be." Isaac replied, handing Mia's staff back to her and redrawing his sword. "Maybe we need to attack him physically. Mia, Sheba. . . I know you're both tired, but could you give me some cover?"

"Sure thing." Mia smiled.

"You got it." Sheba responded. Isaac frowned inwardly; they were both badly fatigued from this fight; the spirit had taken much out of them. If this didn't work, odds were that this battle wasn't going to last much longer. Isaac signaled to his companions to let loose their offense, and as the rains of Glacier and the winds of Tornado ripped at the beast, Isaac dashed directly for the creature and leapt into the air to meet it. Isaac thrust his sword into the demon's chest and time seemed to stand still. However, the feeling of relief and victory did not flow into Isaac; he passed through the spirit and landed on the ground on his feet. His sword was useless against this abomination. He sheathed it quickly and used Gaia to shake up the monster while he escaped back to Mia and Sheba.

"Now what?" Sheba asked.

"We keep hitting it with Psynergy." Isaac said, casting Ragnarok on the spirit. Exchanges of spells went back and forth for several more minutes; neither side seemed dominant, but the fatigue of the Adepts was becoming more and more obvious. Sheba and Mia were panting heavily, while Isaac's body was exhausted from moving so much. The demon's eyes glowed once more as it fired off a Supernova blast into the group. Mia took cover behind a stone wall, Isaac took the hit directly, and Sheba tried to cast Ward to defend herself. As Isaac rose from being knocked flat on his back, he cast Cure Well on himself and looked over at Sheba. She now lay on her back, much like he had been. Mia approached her at the same time Isaac did. As they closed within two yards of Sheba, she suddenly sat up, and let fly a barrage of Spark Plasma; the spirit seemed to dissipate around the attack, and it disappeared from view. Sheba lay back down quickly and smiled.

"I think I got him." She laughed.

"Are you okay, Sheba?" Isaac asked.

"I'm spent, Isaac. I've nothing left to fight with. . . I tapped into my reserves with that last attack, and now I'm exhausted. I think I'm just going to sleep for awhile. . ." she said, trailing off. Her green eyes closed and Mia checked her vitals carefully.

"She's fine. . . she just lost consciousness. Did we do it?"

"No." Isaac stated. "It's still here." He spun back to see the creature re-form back where Sheba had attacked it.

"How are we supposed to win, Isaac? It's too strong!" Mia asked, desperately.

"Mia. . . we will win. I know we will."

"Do you have a plan?" She asked, as the piercing red eyes of the phantom seemed to touch her soul and turn it ice cold.

"We. . . must share our power."

"What?"

"Neither one of us has the strength left in us to fight another battle like what we just fought. We have one option. . . we must pour both of our Psynergy power together into one attack. It's all or nothing, Mia!" Isaac said. Mia nodded in compliance.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Take my hand, Mia. We must focus together and use our two different powers as one." Mia did as Isaac told, and she began to allow her energy to swell. Isaac's power did the same, and they both began to glow the respective colors of their elements. Together, their power merged, and they each outstretched their free hand; a white energy glowed from both of their palms. "NOW, Mia!" Isaac said, unleashing every drop of power he had into his attack. Mia did the same in the same instant, and the bright blast of white energy lurched forward toward the summoner. The blast was massive, and impossible to avoid. The summoner's red eyes grew wide as the blast encircled its body; its horrible shriek once again sounded through the air and in an instant. . . it was silenced.

Mia and Isaac both dropped to their knees. Isaac let out a breath and began panting extremely heavily, and Mia did the same. Moments later, they caught their breath and were finally able to form words.

"We did it. . ." Isaac said.

"Together. . ." Mia replied. She looked as the fire wall once impeding Isaac's path died down into nothing, and she could hear the villagers returning, shouting, whooping, and celebrating the whole way. It was now over. Finally, after all of these years, she was finally free.