Mint lay with Fir in the cot he had shared with no one during his recovery, just staring into his eyes again, and he into hers. There was no more intense feeling of lust, only relief...relief that they could finally be together without hostility. Yet, no matter how warmly Fir held Mint, he could tell something was still off with her, that something was still concerning her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is it about dad?"

She nodded.

"He went through a lot, didn't he?" he said.

After seeing all the tally-marks, Fir knew that the amount of deaths she felt from his memories could only be a mere fraction of his true suffering. He hated how helpless he was to comfort her, for he could never control what entered and exited her mind; his only solace was in that she understood it was a battle she had no choice but to fight by herself.

"Yeah, but that's not quite what's bugging me," she said, momentarily averting his gaze. "Seir told me these memories were meant to explain more than she could in the 'limited time we had left'."

"Limited time?"

"Before you and Keo arrived to...you know…"

"Oh...right."

Fir still felt bad about how much he'd wailed on her then. He hadn't held back, treated her like a criminal. If the Elders hadn't wanted her alive for the execution, would he have killed her right then and there? He couldn't bring himself to even begin thinking about it!

"But none of his memories have explained why spirit trees are necessary," Mint went on. "Why the light is necessary, or the existence of the meadow. That's what's confusing me! They haven't really explained anything!"

"Well, maybe you haven't seen the whole picture yet?"

"All they've been doing is making me feel sorry for dad! Not that that's a bad thing, but...I don't know…"

"...Didn't Seir also say to 'be patient and listen?'...I'll say it again: I don't think you have the full picture yet..."

"Well, if not...then it's just taking too long!"

The two of them were quiet after that. After some time, Fir couldn't help but reach out and caress Mint's bruised cheek.

"Who did it?" was all he asked.

"One of the chameleons," she answered truthfully. "A yellow one named Shikun. But please don't be mad with her! Our kind killed her parents when she was a hatchling; she got another chance to take her anger out on a spirit and she took it."

"So you deserve to be punished for something that wasn't your fault? How is that fair?"

He put his paw on her arm.

"How is that ok with you?" he finished.

Mint pulled her eyes away from his gaze, inattentively placing one of her own paws on the discolored contusion.

"I don't know," she replied softly, turning away from him. "What if hubris, pride in being guardian spirits, is the reason so many are dead?"

"But you're not prideful, Mint!" said Fir. "You've never looked down on anyone or anything ever-!"

"Yes I have!" she interrupted, sounding like she was about to cry again. "Admit it! We all have!...We've all looked at dark and grey creatures as though they were inferior...because they could never be like us!"

Fir's gaze wavered and he found himself looking up at the stone roof of their alcove, unable to say a word and almost ashamed that he'd assumed that about her. She was right. He and Keo had even joked about such things before. But to kill because of that belief? That just felt so...foreign!

"That line of thinking got so many killed, Fir!" she repeated. "What if...?"

"What if what?"

"What if we are meant to kill them all?"

"No."

"What if that's our purpose, Fir?! I can't shake that as a possibility and it scares me!"

"No, no, no! Do you even hear yourself right now?!"

Fir turned back to her, gently pulling his body and hers close together.

"Listen: our purpose cannot be to kill innocent creatures!"

"But we can...so easily too! And what if they aren't innocent?!"

"Listen to yourself! You know it feels wrong!...Isn't Shikun innocent? Isn't Timo? And Taeguk? And that Gorlek in the Wellspring Glades?!-I never did catch his name...even that moki nurse...what have they done to deserve to die? Tell me! What have any of them ever done?!"

Mint stayed quiet except for the slowing of her breaths as she calmed herself.

"Whoever has been murdering innocent creatures are the ones with the problem," Fir continued. "It's not fair that you have to be punished like this: they deserve it, not you!"

"But who is they, Fir?" Mint asked. "Who is it that actually deserves this?"

"I don't know," he said, resting a paw on her bruised cheek. "But I do know that this was unwarranted."

Seeing the green glow from his palm out of the corner of her eye and feeling its warmth, she immediately pulled her face down, covering the injury with one paw.

"No! Don't heal it!" she squeaked. "Please!"

"Why no-?"

"Just...just let me carry it for a while...ok?...Please?!"

"Alright! Alright...whatever you want…just, try not to sleep on it...let's get some rest...and get clearer heads in the morning..."

. . .

Mint was shaken awake, not by another night terror, but by Fir, sitting upright in their little alcove and nervously looking past her.

"What is it-?" she started.

"Shh!" he interrupted.

It was then that she noticed he was watching the door; something was happening out in the main lobby.

"Is something burning?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied. "And that's what I'm worried about."

She followed him to the door, and when he opened it they were both greeted by a sight more horrific than either of them could have imagined. Shikun was the first thing they saw, but she was barely recognizable; her body was simply a mass of fourth-degree burns, and her screams were the most shock-inducing they'd ever heard. She flopped down before them, reaching out to them with a charred and cooked hand, before her screams abruptly ended and her arm lifelessly hit the floor. The worst part were her eyes, frozen in time and capturing the fear and pain before death.

Past her fresh corpse, flames enveloped the lobby she'd just come from; everything in the cave was on fire, even the ceiling! And at the center of it all was a small squad of spirits, led by a familiar one wearing an eyepatch.

"No," said Fir, before repeating himself with a voice singed with anger. "No!"

He began to stomp past Shikun's body.

"Fir! Wait!" Mint squeaked, grabbing his arm. "What are you doing?!"

For a moment, he stood motionless at her touch, before turning around and kissing her again. When he pulled away, she was too surprised and scared to speak.

"Stay here!" he yelled back to her over the noise. "It's you he's after...and he won't stop!"

Mint just started to shake her head as he let go of her entirely.

"Please!" he went on. "Try to find an exit!...I'll be right behind you!"

She knew he didn't mean that last part. His kiss felt too final. She tried reaching out to him again, but before she could get anywhere close, he shut the door in her face.

. . .

Fir could barely believe what he was doing.

It wasn't all that different from leaving her alone with yellow-eyes, leaving her with the charred remains of that yellow-scaled chameleon, Shikun. But he knew their only known exit was now blocked by Zar, and they hadn't thought to look for an alternate one; the only way she was going to find a new one in time was if he bought time.

It was only a matter of time before Zar eyed Fir standing just outside the doorway, the young spirit's fists clenched in anger raging like the inferno around him.

"There you are!" said the Elder as he and his followers approached.

"Is it true?!" Fir asked, pointing an angry finger at Zar. "Was I just being trained to use this-"

He drew his spirit edge.

"-to kill creatures not of the light?! To kill innocents?!"

There was more to his leaving Mint alone: this was personal.

"Fir," said Zar. "Calm yourself-"

"TELL ME!"

His arms and legs quivered as tears rolled down his face. It couldn't be true. It can't be true!

"No dark creature is innocent, Fir," Zar stated with finality. "They were the reason our father had to endure the blindness, and they need to be eradicated! For the safety of him and for the safety of our kind!"

Fir just shook his head, not just in disagreement, but also disbelief and disgust.

"She's back there isn't she?" Zar continued. "Fir...open that door."

"...No-"

"Open the damn door!"

"I don't wanna fight you," said Fir before clasping his sword in both paws. "But I will defend myself!"

Zar's indignant gaze didn't waver.

"Suit yourself," he replied, waving his followers to attack.

Initially, no one approached. They all knew Fir's reputation, the up-and-coming talent, the prodigy. They were all here for an easy slaughter, not a tango with their best warrior.

"Do I really have to say it out loud?" said Zar. "KILL HIM!"

His voice was enough to get one of them to charge, but in one swift motion, Fir blocked the strike and kicked him across the face, knocking him out. Then a second spirit came at him, and with a simple deflection and a swift blow to the head with the hilt of his sword, that one was then knocked unconscious, undoubtedly regretting his impulse decision in his dreams.

Seeing their fallen comrades, two more charged together, and in a flurry of spirit edges making contact with one-another, and mid-air kicks and punches, both attackers were left scrambling away in fear. Though Fir was calm and composed during the entire exchange, Zar too was unfazed, for he could see the young spirit's one weakness: his unwillingness to kill.

He was simply buying time, and Zar wouldn't have it.

"Impressive," he said, approaching with a flip of his sword. "But this is their first time killing...and you're already tired."

Fir inwardly started to panic. He was right, he was already sweating, both from the heat but also from fatigue, and Zar's singular, piercing eye could see right through him! Their swords clashed, and Zar dodged every punch and kick, letting Fir tire himself out. It was only a matter of time.

This was only going to end one way.

. . .

Fir's dying cry of pain could be heard as Zar's spirit edge penetrated the door.

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Mint.

"Fool!" came his voice. "You forgot: We taught you everything you know!"

She heard him choke and gasp on the other side before her Elder's sword sliced sideways and she heard his body flop. Mint was speechless in her grief, until Zar kicked the door apart, at which point she squealed and recoiled backwards.

"I knew you were in here!" said Zar madly as his cohort filed into the room. "Any last words?"

Then she remembered: the fang!

"Wait! W-wait! Their leader!" she stuttered, pulling out yellow-eyes' tooth. "I killed their leader! Please! I'm not with them! I'm not your enemy!"

Zar seemed almost caught off-guard by the gesture, but his look of disapproval and disappointment soon returned.

"Pathetic," was all he said. "Even if that were true, you think that would excuse what you did?"

Mint dropped the fang to the floor. She now understood why Fir did what he did: even he knew his plan was unlikely to work. Zar's expression gained a mild tone of curiosity when she just broke down crying; it wasn't long before he put two-and-two together.

"You bonded with him, didn't you?" he asked.

She looked back up at him. Though she didn't nod, her eyes said it all. He simply gave an amused huff.

"Fitting," he said. "That two traitors in love should die together!"

He marched towards her, raising his spirit edge. Mint's eyes widened and she backed away on her arms and legs, but soon hit the wall behind her. Once Zar was close enough, he sliced down towards her head.

"NO!" Mint screeched as she drew her own sword and swatted away the strike.

Zar was caught off-guard by this, but his composure soon returned when all he saw was the same cowering, cornered spirit, just with a weapon in her trembling paws this time.

"So, he trained you too?" was all he said.

Mint then realized that sweat was already matting her fur to her skin, and it wasn't just because the room itself was starting to catch fire! Ori had never dualed another spirit with this weapon, so right now it was almost as useless as a wooden stick! She needed something else, something more. But what?! It was bad enough that the room temperature was ever-rising, and even if she wasn't so distraught by Fir's death, her eyes would still be watering from the superheated dust; she could barely think straight, but she knew she only had seconds!

I take back what I said, dad! Don't make them stop! was all she could think. I need your help! PLEASE!

Or would he just lay down and die in this situation, knowing he'd just come back? Frantic, Mint repeatedly smashed her palm on the side of her head, trying desperately to rack her brain for something, anything that could help her!

"I can't come back dad!" she whimpered. "I can't come back like you could! Pleheese!"

Suddenly, she had the thought to throw something at them, but what? There was nothing to throw! Then her spirit edge shrunk until it was just a ball of light in her paw. It glowed and burned like the fire behind Zar, but she couldn't feel it's heat; it was still made from the light energy within herself, so perhaps that was why?

There was no time to wonder, for Mint had remembered: her father's basic survival instinct never left him! Even after hundreds of deaths, he'd still try to run. He'd still try to fight! Without hesitation, she threw it towards Zar's hooves, and the blast knocked everyone away in a small radius! But throwing it meant throwing away the energy it took to make it; Mint was suddenly so exhausted that she didn't want to move, but she had to or they'd soon be on her again.

Mustering up what strength she had left, Mint got up and stumbled her way to the door leading to Timo's office.

. . .

Keo whipped around, aiming a freshly-made spike at the door as a spirit burst through it, thinking it would be one that meant him and Timo harm, but instead let it dissipate when he saw it was a panting and distraught Mint. From the ground, she kicked the door shut and burst out crying.

"Keo! They killed Fir! They killed him, Keo!" she bawled as he helped her up. "Theykilledhimandnowwe'retrappedandtheirgunnakillustoo-!"

"Mint! Stay with me!" said Keo.

"It's such self-sacrificing bullshit! Why?! Why'd he have to-?"

"Mint! Listen: there's a vent right here behind his desk! Did he at least manage to stall them?!"

"Y-y-yes-?"

"Then help us open it! Okay? Him stalling wasn't in vain!"

. . .

The door to Timo's office burst into a thousand tiny splinters when Zar threw a spirit spike at it in rage.

"I swear I'm gunna ENJOY killing that little-" he started as he crossed the threshold, cutting himself off when he saw the open vent and no one inside the room itself. "RAAAT!"

He picked up the wooden vent cover, gave it a cursory glance, and then burned it with his own two paws by using spirit flame.

"Gaah! I'm not crawling through there! Go back the way we came! Now!" Zar spat to his followers. "Cut them off at the surface! FIND THEM!"

. . .

Author's Note: basically, Zar is mad because he saw Mint and Keo vent and has to try and convince everyone at the emergency meeting.

Also, it's really hard to write or edit YouTube videos when you can't even figure out the solutions to your grad-school homework problems. I have to email my professor and classmates every time, and I can't bring myself to write or do anything until I've turned it in! Or else it feels like I'm slacking on all of my actual adult responsibilities.

That's pretty much my excuse as to why chapters may take too long to come out, but at least I've managed to get this one out to you all tonight! Hope you enjoyed ;)