Chapter -107: Don't Think Twice

"This would be the first time I'd leave my city home. I admit, I was nervous at the time. But I strutted through that barrier pretending I had the confidence and experience necessary to make it."

"Ghh...!" Auris shivered the moment she passed through the barrier, as the air was choking her with it's filth while the cold gripped onto her skin, despite all her clothes.

"What a foul land this was. I was consuming mud with every breath and all the rotten germs in the air wanted to take residence within my body. And yet..."

She looked up into the sky and saw a dark blue sky blanketed with glittering stars. And in the middle of it all the moon made it's slow flight over the planet.

"I got to see the moon, the true moon, one no longer fouled by the illusion of cleanliness from father's barrier. The dirt in the air made the moon glow with luminescence that stunned my still heart."

"...!" Auris' mouth was agape but went quiet when she felt her sister waddle on up beside her.

"Beautiful ain't it?" She said with snideness in her tone.

Auris squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment and let out a stutter of, "I-It's just a rock in the sky. Don't distract me with such frivolties when you're on a time limit, sister."

She then continued onward as the vanguard of their little group, trekking towards the first and hopefully only Tribe they'd need to seek aid from: Tanglefae.

"I saw the barren lands spread in front of me and wondered just how my sister could ever adore this world. It had been cleansed of beauty and the foul, repugnant Rot Walkers stomped out anything that tried to take its place."

The three were only a quarter of the way to their destination when Temporis' body started acting up again. The demon had delved in deeper, and now was forcing a slight yellow tint to manifest in her irises.

Temporis' nose bled and Auris' heart wept. Sarajin continued to remain by the side of the one he loved, but Temporis now brushed his caring hand off in a forceful manner before moving along as normal.

Auris' emotions were veering towards jealousy and scorn, but she stilled her heavily beating heart to focus on the matter at hand.

Temporis kept to her own pace behind her sister and away from Sarajin, closing her eyes and leaving no expression left to chance.

Her head was already plagued by the echoes of the demon's temptations but now had a second resident in the form of both her father and Sarajin's confessions.

And she kept wondering "Why?" in a mildly bitter tone, "...Father finally said he loved me. And Sarajin too..."

She had always known Sarajin leaned that way but assumed he'd remain too shy to ever admit it to anyone. That was her hope, because...

"What am I supposed to say?" Temporis' eyes closed harder and she leaned down with a sigh, "Get a grip, Temporis. He doesn't know I was listening in, I could just ignore it and everything will be fine."

"..." Her heart briefly tensed up and left her shuddering, "...We're just really good friends. That's all our relationship should amount to."

"After all, how could someone from the sky ever love a broken bird..." The demon taunted her with her own voice, causing her to sway her consciousness in his direction with her fists taut and face irritated.

"Oh real mature, asshole!"

"Not so fun when you're on the receiving end, is it?" "D." widened his teeth into a grin, which had grown in size since last time.

"Clock's ticking, little girl. You should make your peace while you still can. Of course, you could just keep these wild emotions of yours stewing within. It will make for a nice bath, to say the least. Heh heh heh!"

Temporis widened her eyes in a huff, finding that she couldn't enjoy the sanctity of her mind anymore.

And that was when it hit her just how messed up this all was. She had always been one to speak out no matter the circumstances, for better or for worse.

But now she was being forced to retreat into her own thoughts just to say what she needed to? And over what? Love confessions?

"When did I start being dishonest with myself?"

She closed her eyes and took a look back at herself five years ago.

Following her self-imposed exile she wandered the broken up lands for a while on her own. The way it had been shifted around made it difficult for her to find her way anywhere. She forced herself to keep walking and never stopped, just so long as she got away from Sancturia, nothing else mattered.

But that left her feet sore and body hungering for food. She could keep the Rot Walkers away with her Drive but eventually, her body had enough and she was forced to take residence atop a stone spire where no Rot Walker could reach her.

"I sat up there for three whole days while the Rot Walkers circled the base of the spire. I had honestly thought that would be the end of me...It was the first time I wondered why I was even born."

"...Then somehow, Sarajin found me."

"T-Temporis...?!" Sarajin shouted in a panic as he landed by her side, finding her flat on her back with her body looking famished.

"Sarajin?! Took you long enough! I've been waiting for days now!"

"...I didn't want him to know how bad of a shape I was in. I couldn't move my legs or get up, could barely keep my eyes open..."

"But Sarajin saw right through my bravado and went to painstaking efforts to make sure I got some food and water in me."

"I despised the taste of vegetables but wolfed them down for my own good. I couldn't even think straight at that point, I was a beast driven mad with hunger."

"Eventually, I was in a healthy enough state of mind that I could talk with Sarajin. We told each other everything that happened following the black beast's descent and at the end of it all he hit me with the hardest blow to my heart."

"Temporis, come home with me." He said with sincere worry.

"...He offered me a roof under my head, a family, and all the food I could ever want...And I brushed it all off without hesitation."

Temporis stood up from her spot with renewed energy and propped her hands on her hips, "Thanks but no thanks, Sarajin! This is an opportunity for me to learn to live on my own! And I got all the freedom I could ever ask for out here!"

"I just wanted to live life my own way without any chains to hold me to the ground."

Sarajin looked at her like she was crazy and then stood up with a smile to say, "You sure?"

"Positive!" I lied out loud, "Buuuuut, I wouldn't be opposed to you coming and feeding me more often! Just don't get in the habit of stuffing vegetables into my mouth again, got it?"

"And like the gullible, lovable idiot he is, he accepted right away despite the inconvenience it would mean for him."

"..." Temporis slowly opened her eyes with this drawn out realization coming forth. Her mind started flashing through time to the present, with most of the memories she has putting Sarajin at her side.

And even now, she could look over her shoulder and see him walking by her side through thick and thin, even against these seemingly impossible odds...

"...He's loved me all this time, hasn't he?"

Her expression twisted with confusion as the words echoed in her mind, "How could anyone love me?"

She then immediately snapped back with, "Cut it out already, demon!"

"That one wasn't me." "D." cackled with scathing delight.

"...!" Temporis shook her head and looked away from Sarajin, her heart beating faster as her body felt the demon's will invading deeper inside.

And from there, a stray thought manifested fully inside of her clouded mind, "Have I been a burden?"

This negative was luring in Rot Walkers to their location. Auris stopped and brandished her hand out as the beasts circled around them.

"So...these are the Rot Walkers father spoke of in his meetings," She said, scorning their very existence with her fierce voice, "How utterly vile."

Auris then summoned her gilded sword in hand and then a short shield in the other. She sliced down at the ground and shook up some dust from her feet, standing in opposition of the surrounding enemies with unyielding resolve.

"Sarajin Stratos! Make sure none of them touch my sister." She asserted like the commander of an army would.

"Should you fight them alone?" Sarajin worried.

"They won't stand a chance." Auris ignited her blade with a sparkling, aquamarine aura and grinned.

"It was as though a switch was flipped whenever I entered the battlefield. My blood ran rapidly through my body like a river as I leaped into the fray and rended those foul beasts asunder."

"Even these undying hordes had to take pause as I cleaved them so deeply that it scarred the ground beneath them a thousand feet below."

"It was a dance, a bloody and beautiful dance, where I enjoyed myself to the fullest, burning with determination to keep my sister safe and soak in the thrill of seeing my enemies slain."

Sarajin and Temporis watched Auris as her movements swept across the battlefield like a glistening blur. Each attack was precise and decisive, and would have killed any mortal man before they could blink.

Her shield was raised only to repel the foul, odorous rot that spewed from the beast's wounds or bisect their heads.

Sarajin's eyes were wide with awe and he murmured, "She makes it look easy."

"That's my sister for ya." Temporis said with pride and perhaps, a tinge of envy.

"If I was strong, like you, would this have happened?"

Auris had seemingly cleaned the herd in less than a minute, giving them plenty of time to press on before they pulled themselves together.

But she suddenly spun around and widened her eyes, piercing through Sarajin and Temporis to behold one last enemy ready to leap towards them.

She grit her teeth and slammed down on her Drive bracelet, causing a lithe, bipedal figure with a draconic head and a shield and lance to manifest behind her, made of aura.

"DUCK!" She shouted as her aura flared up from her feet like a veil of heat.

Sarajin grabbed hold of Temporis and ducked down as the beast lunged at them, only to smash head-first into a wall of aura.

Another wall appeared behind them as the first one went down. Then, faster than the eye could blink, Auris had closed the gap and spread her sword through the beast to pin them to the wall as a grotesque splatter.

"Stay. DOWN!" She roared as she ripped her blade from the rotting flesh and cast the mildew liquid aside.

Then she repelled back onto the ground by kicking the wall hundreds of feet away. And upon landing behind the two she glanced over her shoulder, dispelled the draconic figure and remarked, "We can't stop moving. Pick up the pace."

"It was a well-timed distraction to keep my mind off of what my fated role in this tragedy was to be. And soon after this encounter, we made it to the den of trees."

"Despite it being so late the forest itself was awake and splendorous. Temporis spoke much of this land but words paled in comparison to what the eyes could see."

"I had been denied the sight of these colors and scents for so long and just the mere act of stepping foot into the forest overwhelmed my sheltered mind, yet strengthened the denial of my heart's true feelings..."

"We scoured the forest for any aid we could get. The leader of Tanglefae heard our plight and provided us with an herb gel that, when applied to Temporis' skin, would help ease her mind. But unfortunately, nothing could be done to expel the demon."

"We had bought ourselves some time, at the very least, and used that to make our way to the Titan of this land. I had expected a foul, twisted and abhorrent entity from the way my father spurned their existence..."

"But the creature that lorded over this forest was impressive, towering over the trees with a warm, motherly air."

"I was the one who was feared by it, for I was cursed to the bone. I was only allowed to look upon it for a little while before I was asked to leave the forest behind, never to return."

"Sarajin and Temporis returned to me some time later, no closer to her safety than we were upon entering. The Titan could only offer a stronger dose of the gel the leader had provided. More time had been put on the clock, but for what use...?"

"We immediately made our way to Aquamoria, where the cold air was made worse by the presence of sea water nearby. I shivered and grappled with the environment while admiring the beauty of the sea at night in silence."

"There weren't too many people up at this hour save for a few daring fishermen. I had been told that these people were 'savages', yet they greeted me like a familiar face and held no scorn in their eyes. "

"Was my father's notions of the land born of ignorance, or blinding hatred? I found myself slowly questioning the nature of his ideals when presented with the truth laid bare before my eyes."

"It took some time but Sarajin was able to call upon the Titan of these lands to come and help us. He offered Temporis shelter within its own body, where it's waters were said to heal any damage."

"But even after an hour of drifting within those waters, my sister emerged only free of the yellow in her eyes for a few brief seconds. It was too risky to allow her to remain in there, lest the demon lash out and control the Titan too."

"We kept moving onward to our next destination far to the south. Having to pass by Oreore for now, we made our way to Pulsa Minoria."

"I wouldn't stop walking, wouldn't stop thinking, nor would I stop breathing until my sister was safe. But her symptoms were steadily getting worse, and I found despair in the possibility that all we were doing was delaying the inevitable...A fact my heart could not bear to accept."

"The scientists of Pulsa Minoria were still awake at this hour, thanks to a device that keeps their brain active should it show signs of fatigue. It was Valic who approached us in our desperate hour and offered his aid, citing that he would not pass down someone in pain."

"He took my sister under a device designed to scan her brain's electrical frequencies. There would be a way to disrupt the brain activity perhaps long enough to extract the parasites...But there was a major risk of causing Temporis permanent brain damage."

"I lashed out in refusal of the idea and dragged my sister out of the city without a second thought, while Sarajin was left behind to clean up after my disgraceful behavior..."

"We were forced to stop and take a breather as Temporis' headaches worsened, causing more blood to leak out of her nose. I mended her with my aura and kept her close to my chest, feeling her tears being forced out of her eyes."

"I started shaking with a feeling of immense powerlessness, wondering if I should just end her suffering now than carry forth on a dim hope..."

"But I persisted, taking her towards the holy walls of Caimanabel. We were refused by the priests on the outside, who decried Temporis as too cursed to be accepted inside their walls..."

"I should have suspected something was off at that moment but instead I sprung to the call of my rage and impaled one of the priests through the side of their robe to threaten them."

"Before I could draw blood from this man I looked at my reflection in his fear-driven eyes and saw only a beast looking back."

"We were wasting our time. We had to keep moving..."

"But that was a benefit only I had on my side. They were still pure...still human. They had to stop and rest their legs and stomachs."

"Sarajin had to force me to stop and sit down with his voice, and thus led to an awkward, silent meal..."

"We were now dragging ourselves forward with barely any progress being made, as the interruptions grew more frequent. I tried to speed up, but it meant little good..."

"When we arrived at the twin peaks of fire and ice my sister's face was starting to show signs of the demon's black goop breaking through."

"Sarajin hastily flew to the top of the mountain to seek the aid of the Titans."

"He had been very quiet throughout this trip and his strength was showing through his smile. He was still holding out for hope even after so many failures. 'How?' I wondered, could he still have this much resolve, when I, an Aurian Sage, feel ready to crumble to dust upon the ground."

"He was a far stronger soul than I, and it was that strength that was helping my sister keep holding on tightly to her life."

"But even that strength of resolve was not yet capable of budging a Titan's will. Sarajin was flung off the mountain by the Titan of Fire. He had punched the Titan across the face because they said 'Nothing you can do, kid. Just kill her and get it over with.'"

"The Titan hadn't taken kindly to being challenged..."

"We were running out of obvious options. It was too risky to approach Obscura again, as it would give the demon a better chance to further it's grip..."

"So we made our way to the last of two options, as dawn rose to greet us over the horizon. It was the longest hours of my life, and even something as pretty as the sunrise was tainted..."

"Sarajin once more went alone to his home to consult his Twinbeak, who would probably be more agreeable to his plight."

"Thus, leaving us alone..."

Temporis watched Sarajin become a blip in the sky and eventually disappear entirely. Her tough, gritty smile then began to subside as she turned and paced a few steps away.

She grabbed the side of her head and felt the black goop wiggling against her palm, as the demon's laughter echoed in her mind.

"Soon enough I'll win," They said with unfortunately, reasonable confidence, "They've delayed your end, but it can't be stopped. I am always inevitable."

"Shut up already!" She swung her arm down as she screamed, frightening her sister into turning around to check on her.

Temporis cocked her head over her shoulder and forced a smile, "This demon's got a nagging problem, sis."

Auris saw her eyes watering and bit her lower lip. When Temporis tried to turn away she grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to look her way.

"Why do you keep forcing yourself to act like nothing's wrong?!" She said, staring into the tiny bits of black sclera growing in Temporis' eyes.

Temporis grabbed hold of her sister's wrist and threw it off with great effort, "I'm not giving up!"

"It's not about giving up..." Auris grit her teeth and shouted, "You're just hurting yourself more by ignoring the pain!"

"This is just how I handle things, Auris," Temporis started to turn away while making a snide comment of, "It's no different from how you trained your body to handle pain in the heat of battle."

"Damn it, listen to yourself!" Auris shouted louder, "You know nothing about the pain you're causing me with your words!"

When Temporis turned her head aside Auris already had drawn her blade across the front of her face, where it remained trembling in her grip.

Auris grit her teeth and pressed the edge of the blade so it'd slide down to Temporis' neck, "I...I will not bear to see you robbed of your identity and made a meat puppet of that monster! I-I just wish you'd give up already so I could finish this, and stop feeling this agony!"

"...Neither you NOR Sarajin can kill me." Temporis said with her eyes steeled with determination, as she slid carefully across her sister's blade and put her neck at the tip.

"So do it, Auris. Get it out of the way if you think I'm suffering!"

Auris craned her head back with a tired and tense scowl, "You're horrible...!"

She swung her sword down to the ground and let out a pained gasp, still keeping her eyes burrowed into her sister's stoic expression.

"I get it, I get it...! The 'savages', our people, you were right about it all! And I had been blind to it all over foolish Aurian pride!" Auris grit her teeth and growled with deep, intense anger, "But do you not see how cruel this is? That I am finally able to open my eyes to the overwhelming beauty of the world...Mere hours before I will no longer be able to share it with my sister!"

Temporis' expression staggered with a stutter in her voice, "A-Auris, I..."

"My destiny was decided when I was born! Everything was given to me, and the rest I could take with ease...!" Auris gasped out in pain, "But when I see the bond you and Sarajin share I realize everything is worth NOTHING!"

"I will...NEVER be able to have what you have," Auris looked at her sister's face with tearful eyes and laid her heart bare in that moment, "I wish you had just accepted death before we ever left those walls, for curse my jealous heart I wanted nothing more to strike you down the moment he said 'I love you'!"

Those tears began to run down her rosy cheeks as her words became a jumbled mess of pained guilt, "But how can I bring myself to kill my only sister now, while she marches on one final journey through the lands she built precious memories upon..."

The weight of Auris' voice left Temporis trembling and grabbing hold of her arm to make it stop. She bit her lower lip and muttered, "You...were jealous of me?"

In this tense moment all Temporis could do was crack a chuckle and remark, "I guess there's a lot of stuff that should've been said sooner, huh? Ha ha..."

They would have to put their problems aside for now though, as Sarajin returned to them with disappointing news...

"Twinbeak doesn't believe there's anything in this world that can save Temporis in time." He said, his optimism wavering.

Temporis walked up to him and nudged his face up with her bare knuckles, giving him her best smile like nothing had been going on, "We still haven't tried Oreore! I doubt that bird brain knows EVERYTHING!"

She started to walk past him with her hands behind her head, leaving Auris shaken at the confidence she put on display.

"Honesty...That was always my sister's strength, and my weakness. I will never not look back at this day and ask myself how differently things would have gone down had I been more open with myself earlier..."

"There was only one place left. We would find our answer, either in life, or her death..."

"The ravine was hollow this early in the morning with very few people to speak of up and working. Sarajin guided us to Ezekiel, the person he trusted the most, and awoke him from slumber with a few knocks on his door..."

"We explained to him and his mother our predicament and after all the detours and troubles we endured, it seemed here, we may finally have found a small ray of hope..."

"Sorry, I don't think we've got anything that can help her condition." Lianne remarked.

"Now hol' up mum," Ezekiel chimed in with a quick couple snaps of his fingers, "Ain't there a material that we use to help hold back infections and illness until a cure can be found?"

"Ya mean Chronostone?" Lianne raised her brows and then crossed her arms, "That ain't gonna work against a parasite in the brain."

"No, but it CAN keep Temporis safe and give Sarajin and her sister more time to figure out a way to safely extract the parasite."

"I've never heard of Chronostone before," Auris remarked, "It...doesn't damage the brain, does it?"

"Nah, from what I recall pop telling me it like...Freezes a person entirely at that point in time. So that monster's consciousness will be stuck too."

"..." Sarajin was tensing up with his fists at his side.

Lianne pointed out, "Ya don't have much other choice at this point, do ya?"

"Just think about it, Sarajin," Temporis spoke up, "I'll be safe and sound and you'll be free to explore places like Caimanabel or heck, you could even go out and check all the ruins here!"

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sarajin wondered with hesitation in his voice.

"Sarajin," Temporis said in a reserved tone, "Why would I hesitate to keep a demon from taking over my body, c'mon man, think!"

"There's no reason for you to hesitate either, yeah?" Temporis smiled, "I mean this isn't too much of a favor to ask of a friend, yeah?"

"..." Sarajin took a dreadfully long time to smile and nod before looking at Ezekiel.

"W-Where do we have to go to get it?"

"Chronostone can be found in the caves far out to the east," Ezekiel headed out the door and rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders, "Come, I'll get us there as quick as I can!"

He then rose part of the ground up with enough room for the four of them to stand atop of and they rode off out of the ravine towards their destination.

Temporis sat down and relaxed the best way she could manage by looking up at the sky.

She let out a deep and tired sigh, forcing herself not to exert a grunt when the demon continued to oppress itself on her skin. She could feel it's mass crawling up her feet and hands from the tips, and her vision was starting to get hazy with black fog.

"Hmmm, this is really how it's going to end, isn't it?" The demon said with it's taunting voice, "How ironic that all they can do for you is stall for time."

It's grin was now as wide as she was tall, it's chill creeping up her back, "They'll never find a solution. But honestly, that is a victory in itself for me..."

"I will continue to live on, while the people you care about the most writhe in desperation and despair in the vain hopes of saving your life."

"Meanwhile I WILL endure, as they turn to dust in the wind."

"D." wormed themselves around to the front of Temporis' consciousness and whispered, "Of course, it doesn't HAVE to end this way. We're not so different, you and I."

"I am nothing like you, don't make me laugh!" Temporis retorted.

"Nonsense. We adore freedom, gluttonous for it in fact! We were not born to be chained down and made lesser. We hold domain over infinity and eternity! ...Do you, Temporis Aurora, really wish to sacrifice your freedom for these...lesser beings?"

"Are their views really worth your attention, when one spurns you with jealousy, and the other is encumbered by his lust for you?"

"Face! The! Facts! NO ONE...will understand you deeper than I have. So accept me, and together, we can retain our freedom, unshackled by those who envy us!"

"You know what?" Temporis closed her eyes and admitted in a blunt but honest tone, "You're totally right. Sarajin's too kind for his own good. And sis? She's foul-tempered, rude, and annoying!"

"Yessss, now you are-"

"BUT!" Temporis turned around and stunned "D." with a fierce look in her eyes, "I'm proud to call them my friends and family!"

Enraged, the demon snarled his teeth and retreated into the thick black mass that coated the walls of her mind, "Pride in anything is arrogance! You may accept their hatred but that doesn't make you immune to it's pain! I have seen your heart for what it is, little girl!"

"Yeah? My heart sucks, and I ain't about to tell you otherwise! It's guided me to do reckless and questionable things with my voice but despite that, it's housed the kindness of all the friends I've made throughout my life!"

"Cause somehow, I've been blessed with great friends who can stomach my selfishness!" A powerful light began to glow around her conscious being, burning some of the mass away from her mind and causing it to retreat off her hands and feet on the outside.

"So my life's not been worthless! Even if they aren't all here right now, I know they care for me, warts and all! So I won't give up until you've lost, bitch!"

"Friendship? Love? Bah! There's no strength in them! Positivity is a temporary bandage for a bleeding heart. But hatred and anger give you STRENGTH, and I am that power made manifest!" The demon regained its foothold in her mind and latched on harder than before, "So struggle...squirm! Now, a thousand years later, onward to eternity I don't CARE, I will be here in your mind...ready to claim it as my own! And there is NOTHING you can do...Because you. Are. WEAK."

Temporis took a deep breath and thought long and hard. So deep that even this demon could not reach her, "...Sarajin, I'll never understand why you fell in love with me. I'm not the strongest. I'm not the smartest. I'm not the most courageous, or the wisest. But...!"

She widened her eyes to glare at the demon straight-on and declare, "There IS something that only I can do!"

"Something only you can do?" "D." was curious, and inched ever closer.

"Yeah, want to take a guess? Or why don't you just look deep inside me to find the answer. Go on," Temporis flashed a smug smirk, "I'll be waiting."

The demon went quiet with his usual grin presented with cockiness. But after a long silence, the demon's mass quivered and his grin temporarily went into retreat. It returned, sliding more towards one side of its mass as he chuckled weakly.

"You're bluffing."

"I dare ya to look me in the eyes and say that again, buster!"

"D." had bathed black in the infinite darkness of the abyss. But in her gleaming eyes was where he found fear, his own fear, staring him back.

"T-There's no way...! You lie!"

"Wrong! I can do this! And I will," She then brandished her finger out and declared, "AND...since you've been so generous with putting so much of your will inside of me, I bet this'll take you out of the picture as well!"

"GHHHH...! I-I won't let you do this...! You're insane!"

"Then you better try harder to make me bend to your will, cause time's running out for you!"

She was snapped awake by the sudden stop of their ride, as they had made it to their destination.

Temporis' heart was racing as she was helped off the stone by Sarajin. She took one last look into his eyes and saw a clear and present doubt in what he was doing.

"After what happened to Justek? Yeah, there's no way he's going to let me go." Temporis slowly drew her hand away from his and together, one last time, they walked side-by-side to the cavern's mouth.

She closed her eyes and kept on smiling while "D." battered around the edges of her mind to make her break, shrieking like a dying child.

"This world needs Sarajin Stratos. It never needed a Temporis Aurora..." She craned her head back towards the sky and her smile got wider, as she imagined the faces of all the people and friends she met over these last few years, "Still, I guess it wasn't a bad time overall. Had a lot of fun along the way."

She stopped at the edge of the cavern as she could feel her sister's gaze eyeing her from behind. Sarajin and Ezekiel stopped heading down the stairs and looked back at her.

"You coming?" Sarajin remarked.

"You go on ahead! I wanna talk with my sis real quick." Temporis waved the back of her fingers out towards them.

"Might as well head down, we gotta mine the stone first." Ezekiel remarked to be the mediator in this tense atmosphere.

Sarajin slowly turned away, and Temporis knew that he felt something was off. She wished she could have said something, but doing so might risk what she had planned...

Then there was quiet, punctuated by Auris' advance.

Temporis chuckled and then put her hands behind her head, wondering aloud as she looked up towards the sky, "Hey Auris, do you wanna know something?"

"W-What?" Auris asked, puzzled and tensing up on the spot as her sister turned around to look at her.

"Truth be told...I was jealous of you first!" She said with a grinning chuckle.

"...Why?" Auris murmured.

"You were always the stronger one. Dad loved you more. You had a better body..." Temporis shook her head, not wanting to continue directly off that silly note, "I think the thing I always envied the most was the way your hair shines under the light."

"When you stand tall under the sun and your hair shimmers with radiance it's like I'm looking at a goddess. You're someone any stranger could rely on in their toughest hour. Your beauty, your strength could inspire confidence in those stuck in the deepest of despair."

"If I had even a fraction of what you have, well, I bet we wouldn't be here having this conversation for one, heh heh heh..."

"My heart stirred with unease as she spoke. I knew something was wrong, but she had disarmed me with earnest praise and a honeyed voice that I...Just stood there and let her have her way with me."

Temporis leaped forward and wrapped her arms around her sister and held her tight in a hug, beaming her brightest smile as she snuggled her head against her soft chest.

"I love you, big sis," She then whispered under her breath, "Please take good care of Sarajin for me."

"My heart was stung by a bitter cold and as she pulled away, I tried to reach out..."

In the blink of an eye, Temporis froze Auris in time and took a deep breath in, "...Guess there's only one thing left to do now."

She turned and made her way into the cavern with her hands behind her head and her smile as wide as ever.

"D." continued to flail around inside her mind, smashing apart vulnerable segments and causing Temporis' nose to bleed profusely.

She calmly wiped it off on her sleeve and chuckled, "Shit...! At this rate I might not have enough strength to deal with him too..."

Her legs were wobbling at the knees and by the time she made it to the bottom of the steps, she tumbled over flat on her face.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" The demon screeched, "I WILL NOT END HERE!"

Temporis dug her fingertips into the ground and dragged herself up panting and hung over in pain. Her eyes had been fully consumed in the demon's filth but the light in her gaze refused to die.

"You...ruined my friend Justek's life...!" Temporis smashed her foot forward and marched towards Sarajin and Ezekiel, who had excavated enough of a black and gold stone to cover her body.

"One way or another...You lose, you demon!" Temporis then grit her teeth and started concentrating heavily on the power of her Drive, relying on her body to stumble it's way to the final steps, "Hurry up you two, he's really having a go at me!"

"Shit...!" Ezekiel shouted with gritted teeth, "Sounds like it's now or never, brother!"

Sarajin stared at her aghast but forced himself to grab hold of his half of the Chronostone and push it in sync with Ezekiel's half.

Temporis marched towards the stone even if it meant dragging her toes along the ground.

Her nose ruptured with blood and she coughed up a little bit of black mass onto her top. She snarled and smiled, thinking deeper and deeper, to the farthest recesses of where the power of Time could take her.

"STOP!"

Temporis heard her sister's voice yelling from the top of the cave. She didn't expect her to break free so soon...But it was too late to do anything about her now.

She stopped in between the Chronostone as it began to meld together with her in the middle. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, clasping both her hands before her chest to prepare the last phase of her plan.

"This world isn't doomed to be ruined forever. I know Sarajin will keep fighting to save it even after I'm gone. And I know that for sure...Because if there's anything I love more than this world...It's his kind heart!"

As she opened her eyes, a silent pink flash erupted out of her body, covering the lone tear that leaked out of her eyes.

"Thank you...for choosing to be my friend."

The light rapidly expanded from her location and soon the world-