Chapter Three:
Rand regained consciousness on the slopes outside Shayol Ghul. Around him were the last few of his friends that had managed to make one last stand. It was suffocating underneath the bodies of Trollocs, Myrddraal, Draghkar, Darkhounds, Jumara and Cafar. He had never seen Cafar before. No one had, but they should never have been created. He stared around into the eyes of his dead friends.
Perrin, who had died protecting Faile, attacking the enemy with axe and his teeth, like Wolves did.
Mat, who had been killed by an overwhelming number of Trollocs and Darkfriends. Rand had seen him go down, yelling and cursing in the Old Tongue. His ashenderai was sticking out of the corpse of a Myrddraal like a flagpole.
Lan, who had the sword of a Malkieri thrust through him, whilst defending Nynaeve. His last words as he looked into the eyes of his killer were "Isam, my cousin..." Nynaeve had then thrust a dagger through her heart, so she could die with her beloved husband.
Elayne, Egwene and Aviendha had been protecting themselves in a triangle, wielding saidar. But when a Wise One shielded them, they were helpless. Moghedian, who took pleasure in killing them slowly, for what they had done to her, then slaughtered them.
All the rest of his friends lay slain in horrible ways, and they were scattered over the slopes of Paarad Disen.
Painfully, he staggered onto his feet. Callandor was still by his side. His wounds were aching and bleeding like they never had before. "I know that I am dying now." He thought to himself. He made his way down to the centre of Shayol Ghul, right down to the Bore itself, where mad-high flames danced in the lava.
"WELCOME BACK LEWS THERIN. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WON THIS TIME? YOU WILL NEVER WIN AGAINST ME. YOU ARE THE CENTREPIECE OF A SHA'RAH BOARD, AND YOU ARE ALWAYS IN MY POSSESSION."
"Shai'tan, you will never win! There will always be a stalemate at the least between us! You may play Sha'rah with the Creator, with every living thing as the pieces and myself as the Fisher, but you will never win the game! EVER!" Rand shouted back at the voice of the Dark One.
"FOOL! DO YOU THINK THIS IS A MATTER OF PLAYING A GAME AGAINST THE CREATOR? I PLAY ON BOTH SIDES. I WILL ALWAYS WIN, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO; LEWS THERIN TELAMON.THERE IS NEVER HOPE FOR YOU. THERE IS ONLY TWO CHOICES. DEATH OR BECOMING NAE'BLIS ON THE SIDE OF SHAI'TAN."
Rand channelled through Callandor then. Wielding balefire, he channelled everywhere. The lava boiled into smoke. Lighting struck the slopes. Then the roof of Shayol Ghul started to give way. Rand drove the point of Callandor into the ground and murmured "Forgive me." Then the roof collapsed. Rand looked up to see a massive boulder...