Terra led the way through the tunnels. The lighting of the torch caused Draugr to stir from their ancient sleep and the screeches from them caused the spiders to scatter. The thought that they would get to the sacred room without a battle was a lost cause.

The small skirmishes didn't take long to finish. The problem was the number of skirmishes they were fighting.

When they finally reached the room, both of Terra and Vilkas were out of breath.

"Didn't we clean this out the time we first came here?" Vilkas asked as he leaned against the door frame.

"Doesn't matter, these places seem to attract all kinds of creatures. Plus, there is an ancient magic here, so every time someone comes back I think it upset the old ones," Terra answered trying to hold the head away from her so that she could get a clean breath of air, well, as clean as one could breathe in a tomb.

"Terra," Vilkas uttered tenderly, "I don't know what came over me but I have to apologize to you about everything that happened. I just lost control …and I never wanted to make you feel self-conscious around me. I am so sorry," Vilkas didn't look up at Terra, his head was down casted and his form looked like a man that had lost everything.

"Vilkas, do understand that it wasn't all your fault," Terra explained, "The head that I am carrying is full of negative energies that this creature used through its life. Now that it is gone there is nothing preventing the energies from escaping and influence those around it. The negative energy latched onto emotions that you probably had never confronted yourself and brought them forward because these emotions could be most damaging to the situation at hand." She glared at the head as she set it down on the ground, "Maybe it was making the beast's side stronger, something akin to self preservation."

"Terra, you know that isn't a …" Vilkas went to continue on but Terra rushed over and gave him a gentle hug.

"Understand right now you do not need that clouding your mind. I forgive you," Terra gently let go of the grieving man before her. She put the witch's head down, wiped her hands on the cloak and then took his head and lifted it so he was looking up at her, "This never happened. If you have feelings for me, you have not said them. If you wish to say them, then you can say them when your mind is clear of the energies from here. This is not a reason to hope you are in my heart, but I will listen to you."

Vilkas stared at Terra, a slow kind smile spread across his face, "Thank you."

"Now, let's do this," Terra tried to hype him up for the battle. She grabbed the head and walked into the room.

In the center of the room stood the sacred flame, Terra took the head before it and waited. Vilkas came beside her and stared at the fire.

"Now that we are here, do you wish to cleanse yourself of the beast?" Terra asked as she held the head near the flame.

"Yes," Vilkas barked.

Terra didn't hesitate to toss the head into the flame and watched it burst into the greenish flame showing that it was a creature of magical power.

"Be ready!" Terra shouted at Vilkas.

As he dropped to the floor, the screech of a creature that wasn't of this realm filled the room, and soon before them was the phantom shaped like that of a massive wolf.

Terra casted a heal spell on Vilkas to make sure that the splitting of the man from beast would not weaken him to the point of failure.

Soon Vilkas let out a bellow and went to take the creature that had been stalking around him. There had been growling from the entity.

Terra watched the start of the fight, but what had caught her eyes and ears was that Vilkas seemed to be conversing with the phantom. Now Terra had not been in tune with her beast as they had not been together long, but the man before her had spent years with his. So the growling that she heard could be something more than just sound. The thought that someone could tear away a piece of themselves that they had lived with made Terra curious to the idea of, was this even a good thing to do or was she damaging them by allowing this tear to happen?

Vilkas turned to her suddenly, "Harbinger, Terra, please give me strength to fulfill the promise of removing myself from the animal I had become."

Terra slowly chanted and allowed a spell of destruction to appear in her hand. She targeted the phantom and let the spell go. When it hit the creature, it released a roar that shook the tomb. She had to steady herself from the roar. After the hit, it looked almost like the wolf was losing its physical form.

"Terra, again! I can only weaken it," Vilkas cried as he kept the entity from targeting her.

Terra began to cast quickly. She was tossing spells at the creature now like an archer in a target competition. She was letting the spells fly. She didn't hold back and when she was out of juice she watched as the creature dissolved into the air.

Vilkas watched in surprise and fell to his knees. "It is over," tears were streaming down his cheeks, his face relaxed and relief washed over him.

Terra nodded to the sacred flame and smiled at the man who now looked free of any burdens. Fearing that she would disturb his prayers to the ancients she slipped away into the secret passage. He would need time allow to grasp what has happened.