A few weeks later, on a dark and dreary day, the entire army marched in a line, trekking down a dirt trail to their destination; a clearing, so they heard, was in the midst of the forest, housing a camp of rouge soldiers. It was a camp far too close for comfort, so Corrin believed; his command demanded that actions were to be taken immediately to drive them away.

Fearing the force against them would be great, Corrin assigned the majority of the army to follow his lead that muggy day; of course, with pleasure, it was the majority that trailed after him.

Silas' steed trotted along, located in the back of the pack with the rest of the calvary; the only horses missing would be the ones which trotted up front, carrying Leo and Xander, accompanying Corrin and Camilla, who rode atop her wyvern. The only sight for Silas to watch would be the gang of swordsman before him, chatting up a storm over the sound of flags waving in the wind. At his side flew the low riding Shigure atop his pegasus, humming a lovely song as he twirled around his lance.

"Oh, Shigure boy, if I didn't ride atop this horse I'd gladly perform a dance to compliment that lovely tune of yours." announced Laslow, who rode behind him with a bow around his chest. He sighed, smiling. "Ah well, I suppose we could get together another time."

"Perhaps once this battle is won? We can put on a show for our troops as we celebrate back at the mess hall." answered Shigure softly, beginning to grin. Nina, walking a little ways ahead, turned around suddenly, a smirk spreading across her lips.

"Ooh, lots of confidence, Shigure." she murmured slyly as she fondled with the string of her bow. "I like that."

Silas was far too engrossed in listening to the conversation to even notice the neighbor walking at his steed's side. Only when he turned his head did he see her, smiling then after. There, the top of her head barely reaching the bottom of the saddle, he saw Nyx, her footsteps light, her hands hanging onto a book bag.

"Ah, I didn't see you there." smiled the boy. Without another thought, he held his hand down to her. "Can I offer you a ride until we get to the battlefield?"

Nyx observed his offer before gladly taking it, allowing him to pull her weightless body onto his saddle. There, she sat herself comfortably in front of him, the her back pressed against the his front compactly.

"Thank you. It's a lovely view from up here."

"Certainly."

At that moment, Niles rode up, chuckling lightly as he observed the two.

"Ooh, lookey what we have here; don't you remember what Lord Corrin said about love on the battlefield?"

"Oh hush, child; we're not battling... Not yet at least." Nyx grumbled, closing her eyes once adjusting herself into comfort"

Niles, continuing to smile, shrugged, heaving a tsk.

"Temper, temper." he chuckled. "Yes ma'am, this child shall hush."

And thus, the trek continued, Nyx slipping into a light state of slumber between the legs of her husband; many who passed spied upon them, complimenting on their 'cuteness'. Elise gushed over them the most, biting her fingers to contain an adoring squeal as she rode by. Silas took all the praise with a flush, never being one to love the attention of many.

Unfortunately, these were the no-so-troublesome troubles of the back of the army; at the front, much more serious matters went down. The head of the pack was starting to finish scaling a decent sized hill, the dark gray clouds being all they could see ahead of them; it wasn't too far from the crown when Effie, the very head, came to an abrupt stop, holding out her lance to prohibit any from going further.

"Hold it." she announced roughly. "Do you hear?"

Corrin, alongside Leo, paused as well, his ears raising curiously. Sure enough, as those around them silenced, a noise could be heard; the clinking if metal on metal, the shouts of rallied soldiers. Without a single doubt, there came an opposing army straight towards them.

"Curses!" Leo hissed suddenly, clenching a fist in frustration. "They must have had a watchman on patrol; perhaps a falcon night knight soaring high above our oblivious heads. They know we're here and are prepared to receive us."

Corrin, with a frown, fixed his eyes forward.

"Right over this hill, no doubt..." he mumbled. "So much for a surprise attack to put us at an advantage."

"Let us charge head on then." announced Xander grimly. "It is cowardly to ambush unarmed men anyhow. If we go into battle, we go into battle with dignity in the name of Nohr; I have confidence casualties on our end will be few, seeing that Gunter was pleased to inform that our knights are more seasoned than ever. If we play our cards smart, we may emerge victors without any casualties at all."

"Dream on." retorted Camilla, returning from the sky. "We're pit against plenty of odd: wyverns and pegasi as far as the eye can see."

Groaning, Corrin trotted just a ways up the hill, peering over the crown; the sight made his eyes narrow.

"We can pull through, I believe." he said. "Get the archers up here, pronto. Effie, you and Benny lead the Great Knights and the Wolfssegners in the foreground. Make sure no one touches our arrows; they'll be a vital piece in determining our victory."

Unfortunately, Silas just so happened to be a Great Knight, armored from head to toe. When Leo rode down the line of blades and arrows, summoning those who fit the criteria of the front line, Silas felt his eyes dull when he looked down to the girl sitting before him. He sighed before nudging her awake. Responding groggily, her eyes slid open with a moan, her glare wandering around in a daze. After a moment of recollection, her attention met his.

"It's time." the boy murmured. "I'm being called up front." he saw her eyes dull suddenly; such led him to frown, then place his lips on hers briefly. "Be careful back here."

"Don't do anything impulsive." she grumbled strictly. "And watch out for anything that could possibly happen." she too gifted him with a peck before he assisted her in sliding off the back of the steed. Standing in the wake of the dirt kicked up by the hooves of what seemed like a stampede, Nyx stood alone, brushing dust off her shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed as she adjusted her hold on her book bag.

The clouds grew drearier, suspecting the oncoming massacre soon to take place. Corrin noticed this, observing it with a grimace. He studied their set up then with tension building in his shoulders; strangely, he felt very on edge.

"Alright." he announced strongly, pacing in front of the troops. "As you may already know, I request that you spare as many lives as possible... Nohr is not the wicked kingdom many perceive it to be, thus we must act as such. Show them our mercy."

Before he could continue, though, Leo approached him, a frown on his lips.

"Brother." he mumbled. "Forgive me... But I must advise against this philosophy for once. As great as such an idea sounds, we are in no position to be shedding mercy; if we do so, we risk endangering the lives of our troops later on when many of these men, recovered after a retreat, come back with a bigger, undoubtably stronger, army at their side. Heed my words, it would be a mistake to do such a thing now."

Corrin glared at him, his red eyes cold with frustration; at last, though, he sighed, yanking his head to gaze elsewhere.

"Alright, Leo." he grumbled. "I'm trusting you." he lifted his head, gazing at his army once again, raining his voice. "Disregard what I said; kill at will. My only request would be that you are humane in doing so."

He heard cries from the troops, waving their weapons in the air menacingly. Many of the cries rallied others, pledging their allegiance to the kingdom of Nohr; others, like Peri, screamed for blood. It was with that settled, they charged forth, pouring down the side of the hill towards those that opposed. It wasn't even a moment later when the sky cried arrows; they soared across the land, striking through the thick hull of unsuspecting wyverns, their riders screaming as they fell from deadly heights. Laslow and Niles, rushing side by side, strategically took turns pulling back their shots, watching the other's unseen half of six. Effie, slowly trekking along the battle field in her armor, precisely aimed her javelin, missing only once or twice.

In the skies above, Shigure soared towards target after target, giving his passenger, the steady-handed Nina, ample space to shoot; sometimes at point blank range. It was thanks to them, those on the ground had less to worry about besides the rain of winged beasts. The pair Wolfssegners, father and daughter Keaton and Velouria, roared amongst the shrills of metal beating metal; the axes and spears of the enemy were useless against the thickness of their skin, which bore only a couple of shallow cuts. Their claws were barren as they thundered up to each knight that stood in their path and jmping at impressive heights to swipe at the enemies above.

As he stood tensely in the midst of the struggle, Corrin began to chew on his lip bottom lip, eyeing Leo at his side.

"There's more than we originally bargained for." he mumbled, unsure. "The dark clouds must have been hiding soldiers. We should have taken the time to plan for unexpected reinforcements."

Leo grew a confident smirk.

"That's why the mages should move and clear out what's on the ground; our troops may be strong, but the armor on the knights stops at nothing besides good old fashioned magic. Have them separate and take liable cover throughout the battle field."

"Agreed. Get on out there and I'll handle the rest." watching his brother ride off into the calamity, Corrin cleared his throat, cupping his ears around his mouth. "Tome wielders! Find a partner and spread out! Target what the others cannot bring down!" it was with that said, Corrin finally unsheathed his blade, The Grim Yato, and charged into the battle to investigate the wellbeing of his army.

Having heard the command, Nyx straightened, a frown on her lips. Upon noticing a horse start to pass her by, the rider being Corrin's other sister, Elise, she shouted.

"You there, young one! Might I request a ride to the front?"

Elise grinned, offering a hand.

"Whoa, the front? Sounds exciting! Let's get a move on!"

Through the shouts of the soldiers engaging one another, Elise's steed rushed around, weaving around any bodies or attackers that dared to swoop down from above; Elise was attentive, so she showed when she quickly ducked each time an axe nearly met her skull. As the attacker flew away, through, she was sure to take out a tome resting handily in her lap, then send a fireball chasing after it. Seldom did she miss, celebrating each victory with a taunt.

Upon arriving to their intended destination, Nyx was quick to slide off, the toes of her boots crashing to the ground. Leaving no time to spare, Elise was turning around, taking out a staff.

"I need to keep everyone healthy in the mid ground; stay safe up here!" she rode off without another word, leaving Nyx alone. Well, Nyx wasn't completely alone; just a few feet ahead of her stood Effie, taking the ends of axes and lances as though it was nothing and hurling javelins as though they were weightless. Quickly, the defenseless Nyx darted to her cover and dug inside her book bag upon arriving.

"Fancy seeing you here." exclaimed Effie over the sounds of quarreling. "Need something?"

"Yes." Nyx replied briefly. "Keep me safe and I won't let the knights get any closer than they are now."

"Sounds like a good deal to me. It's like fighting myself when those guys show up; almost nothing can bring them down."

Since then, the battle progressed smoothly, for the Nohrian army slowly gaining the winning hand with each passing minute. Their enemy, quite evidentially, was far less experienced than they, both in individual soldiers and battle tactics. The victor slowly became obvious. On Nyx's side, there wasn't much to worry about besides keep her eye in the occasional sky knight that would attempt to dive in on her, but it was Effie that did most of the watching, saving her from each and every threat that rose into play.

Such was the case until a gang of agile mercenaries charged into the mix, their swords raised in the air, ready to be decorated by the splotches of blood. Upon noticing this, Effie, grimaced and began backing towards Nyx as she cast one last sphere of fire.

"Great." the knight grumbled. "Those guys are quick; they won't be able to do anything to me, but you're a different story. If they have us surrounded, I don't know if I'll be quick enough to be able to protect you efficiently. You need to get out of here until they're gone, got that?"

Before Nyx could say anything in response, though, a pair came charging in on their feet, silver blades in their grip.

"Yeah, right!" one shouted, the elder of the two. "Stay where you are; they aren't getting even close to the rest of us! We got 'em covered!"

It was none other than Selena accompanied by her daughter, Soleil. The younger, giving the duo a toothy grin and a wave, let out a short laugh.

"Let's end this with a smile, whatddaya say? Come on! For good luck!"

"Don't leave me out!" shouted another visitor, riding in with the thunder of hooves. Enter Silas, his armor baring scratches, but yet to wither. In his hand was a battle ready blade. As he rode by, he smiled at his wife, disappearing into the crowd of soldiers just seconds later; it was the crowd that soon became mowed down like tall grass in the summer.

Effie smirked, peering over her shoulder.

"Change of plans. Keep on doing what you were doing, Nyx." but Nyx did not move, nor agree. In fact, she stood still, horrified. Confused, Effie leaned closer, observing her unsettled face. "Um... Something the matter?"

"Look ahead of us." Nyx murmured, clearly intimidated.

All Effie had to do was look such a way to pause, standing with shock written on her face; there came a hoard- a typhoon almost- of reinforcements, many of which being the powerful beasts of the sky. From their mouths came shrills of battle, their riders armed with axes and lances. On the ground came at least a dozen groups of tome-wielding sorcerers.

Corrin received word of the oncoming forces just moments after it came into view by Xander, who rode up to his side in a troubled mess. Taking the news roughly, Corrin clenched his fists, feeling the bridge of his nose wrinkling.

"They must have sent the weak out first to tire us..." he grumbled. "We're up against a bigger and smarter force than we bargained for."

"The mages will make trash out of our knights, little prince." Xander said grimly. "And the legions of wyverns will destroy all that can counter the mages. In short, I'm afraid, the outcome of this battle has turned an immediate one eighty."

Corrin growled.

"Then we need to retreat." he said.

"That is no longer and option; observe our environment. Though the clouds hinder a complete view, I know us to be in a valley. We would not be able to escape in time before the wyverns engage with us; even with the absence of the mages, there is only so much our knights and archers can handle, this being far out of their league."

"Then... What are we to do then?"

"Continue, and perhaps push through somehow. If we can send the fastest cavaliers, we might be able to dent the number of mages we are up against... But, I am sorry, Corrin, I perceive the death toll to be high at our expense."

There was silence between them, their ears listening to the continuing sounds of war; Corrin's hands began to quiver with worry, his head sinking.

"This... This can't be happening..."

"We either surrender and likely be killed for it, or we continue on in hopes of a miracle. You pick, brother."

Slowly, Corrin nodded, his face heavy with grief; at last, though, he lifted his gaze, frowning bitterly, his eyes welling with emotion.

"You're right." he said. "We're going to at least die trying. Put your plan into motion and we'll remain back here to reinforce if it is ever needed."

"Very well then. I shall be back, brother." on his ending note, Xander rode away, gathering cavaliers, leaving the devastated Corrin behind.

And, sure enough, it was over just as soon as it started.

Silas rode after Xander, the leader of the stampede, as they charged into the hoard of magic wielders. Just a few gentle swipes would easily take one down, but it was a matter of staying alive with all that homed towards them; fire, lightening... Terrible elements used at man's disposal. Nyx, along with other mages, joined in, struggling to outnumber the forces of their opponents.

Wyverns swirled about their heads, screeching, diving down in attempts to scoop a kill; on several different occasions, they came frighteningly close to succeeding. With several explosions of Nyx and Odin's more advanced tones, the number of mages dwindled; Silas was the one who would bring down the last.

Now, with one threat gone, it was the wyverns the lot had to worry about. They had strayed far from the army, this small group, and such worried them. Always having a plan, Xander dodged one attack after another of the beasts and eventually calling out to them.

"Any who are not atop a steed should board the nearest! We are going to make a swift retreat back to the midground and take cover behind the armored units! Make haste I beseech!"

Though Nyx would have loved to join Silas on the back of his steed, he was not the closest to her; rather, it was the elderly Gunter, who had already extended his humble hand to her. Having no choice, she took it before they swiftly made their down the battlefield.

The stampede rode along, the thunder of hooves shaking the ground; behind them was a cloud of winged beasts with battle hungry masters, their weapons born and prepared to strike should they slow.

And it was Silas who rode along at the very back of the herd, struggling to keep up.

"Hmm." grumbled Gunter while looking back. He saw that Nyx's eyes maintained a constant watch over her husband; he did not want to say what she deserved to know. "Silas' steed, Sola, has never been the fastest. She needs to quicken."

He felt Nyx tense.

"Surely it will." she whispered. "Surely it will speed up... If it does not... The wyverns will catch up..." quickly, she took action, digging out a tome from her book bag; a simple fire spell ought to do the trick she was sure. From the stampede came balls of flames, all shooting towards the sky; it was by now, the armada had begun easing closer to the ground, preying on the one that strayed from the herd. Nyx would shoot them down before they would draw too close with their axes or lances, to Silas' fortune.

Silas did not take well to his visitors, such was why he beckoned his ride to quicken by driving his heel sharply into its side, urgency in his eyes. His grip on the reigns tightened, his eyes constantly darting behind him to maintain watch on his pursuers; to his dismay, they only grew closer and overwhelmed Nyx, his only back up.

To make things worse, the riders only grew smarter.

The next thing Silas knew, javelins rained down on him, evoking frightened shouts. He weaved through them, barely missing their sharp edges, pushing the steed to its limit; Nyx, watching from afar, felt her heart burn. Quickly, she replaced the fire tome in her book bag to exchange it with a more powerful spell. She had yet to touch the forbidden which lay at the very bottom. This new spell would likely clear more room for Silas to breathe, but it was lengthy and difficult to complete. She had to make each and every shot count, lest a mistake would be costly... Too costly.

She breathed the words quietly. Gunter watched, his eyes dulling, losing hope. Wind began to pick up, carrying her hair, a certain warmth gathering at the center of her hands. Silas, running further behind, continued to dodge, knowing that any moment now, one would finally get the job done.

A beam shot across the battle field, embossing vision to red; it zoomed past with a shrill, bound to hit...

But it missed.

And shortly afterwards, one lucky javelin rained from the sky, striking Silas in the back, shattering his armor, and driving through his belly. Limp, he dropped his lance as he fell forwards, landing on the ground with the center of the javelin inside him.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, time slowed.

She could not make out color, nor move her body.

The world closed in on her.

She felt tight... So very tight... And uncomfortable.

A shout boiled deep in her throat, tears threatening to build in her eyes.

She let them both lose as she leapt from the back of Gunter's horse despite all the objections which surrounded her. Her feet hit the ground, a sharp pain erupting up her leg; perhaps she twisted her ankle, but little did she care. She dashed through the stampede, departing from the back, and rushed towards the body of the fallen.

Her heart pounded furiously.

Before she could reach her ideal location, though, a body of armor shoved itself before her; the end of an axe met it just in time.

"Stand back!" the armor roared before driving its lance into the attacker. Nyx would soon discover her savior to be none other than Effie, who looked over her shoulder, her gaze furious. "Which one was it? Which one? I'll take him out with a single throw! I'll put every ounce of strength within me into it!"

Nyx's eyes dulled, standing in the cover of the woman. Her head sunk, and, careless, she sauntered past her, limping from her sore ankle.

"I know... Exactly which one it was..." she murmured, making her way to her husband. "I know... Because I can see him right now..."

She dropped to her knees beside him, laying eyes on his sweaty face. A frown was on his lips, his eyes lightly shut; he lay on his side, one half of the javelin in front of him, the other half behind him, his hand laying limply over the site of blood. For once, she payed no mind to the certain death swirling around her head; she was still, lost in the world of her thoughts, lost in the senses of the tips of her petite fingers. They ran through his hair, still messy from a morning after sweet, sweet slumber.

Her eyes, no longer housing emotion, dulled gradually.

At last, she leaned down to plant one final kiss on his forehead, lingering as she stroked his cheek; with her lips over the site of her affection, her tongue became sharp.

"Foolish child." she hissed as her eyes wandered up to the sky. "I know you do what you do because there is war..." her other hand, quivering, reached into her book bag, traveling deep, deep down... Her fingers crawled over the leather binding of the abomination which lay at the very bottom. In an instant, her pupils shrunk. "But see that I crave vengeance! Be gone from here and never return!" the tome floated out from her bag as a gust of wind swept over the unsuspecting land; to the dismay of all those who observed, the skies blackened as though night had fallen. A ring of fire burst from the ground, circling the mage and the body, winds carrying her long curtain of her hair.

Effie, who watched from a distance, grew a troubled expression as she slowly backed away. The alarmed calvary paused to observe and distanced themselves. Gunter, watching with fright, demanded that they back even further. From a distance, Corrin observed, his brows furrowing in concern. Waiting to receive the stampede, the rest of the army watched as well, unable to explain a thing.

"W... What could possibly be going on over there?"

"Fell magic." Leo grumbled, approaching his brother's side. His eyes were clouded with worry. "Never have I seen any firsthand, having only read of them from books... That being because its power is too devastating to be practiced." he grit his teeth. "Brace yourself; whether the wielder be friend or foe, we may be in for something rough."

A pillar of flames shot into the air with a roar of a thousand lions, bound to be seen miles upon miles away. The ground cracked, breaking open wide; upon feeling the earth tremble, the army parted, worried they would fall inside the newly made gorge. The horses began to bray furiously, growing reckless. Xander, at the head, turned to Gunter.

"Explain to me! What is happening?"

"We're not listening to the horses! That's what's happening!" The old man roared. "Someone go retrieve the knight and flee! Get away!"

Not a thing could be heard in the center of the ring of fire besides the roar of an inferno; she sat in the midst, feeling the power course through her veins, her mind traveling to high places. Her breaths slowed, heaving, drawing out into long sighs and gasps. Her hands were too stiff to move, fingers unable to bend. Her mouth moved on its own, muttering tongues of old... She almost became lost in another world, forgetting where she was, who she was, why she was...

And most of all, why she was doing this.

Several fires more spilled from the depths of the earth, escaping through the opening, shooting high into the air. The black skies rained bolts of lightening, striking any of the wyverns before they had a chance to escape. One of the first targets of the storm was one who flew along, his hand missing a javelin stolen by a body.

Flames circled around the rider, leaving him no room to escape; they closed in on him quickly, constricting him; with an explosion which lit up the sky, he disappeared, not a thing remaining besides a cloud of rising smoke. The ground quaked, dirt catching fire as though it were dry grass, stray bolts of lightening striking deep craters. Other bolts, much more fortunate in their endeavors, crashed upon the winged beasts now struggling to flee the battlefield; they were fried, floating to the ground in the form of ashes.

Her tongue grew sharper with each kill, her pupils shrinking smaller as rage flooded into her body; her whispers became groans, her groans became statements, her statements became screams, and her screams became bellows which could be heard for miles and miles, thirsty for blood.

But soon enough, there was no blood more to satisfy that thirst.

The storm ended with one final explosion, heat sweeping across the land; it was crippled to ashes as far as the eye could see, but where the army stood, as though there had been drawn a line, the ground was untouched.

Her breaths became heaves as the winds died, her eyes rolling tiredly into the back of her head. Her fingers, stiff with rage just moments before, bent loosely as they dropped to her sides. The tome, once floating before her, fell, landing on its bindings before shutting. She was the last to fall as the circle of flames cooled, where her head landed in the still chest of the boy laying beneath her; gasping for breath, she remained still, watching ashes float by to cloud her hazing eyes. Each breath left her needing more, but constricting it further...

The landscape around her began to blacken as darkness closed in on her vision, her lungs slowing. At last, lying next to the body of her fallen husband, Nyx ceased to move.

Several minutes later, if not an hour, Leo finally nodded his head, believing the storm had passed; being the careful and meticulous, he demanded they wait before heading out to observe the damage, fearing the anatomy of the spell was that of a hurricane; hurricanes had eyes in the center, a place of solace before the wreckage continued. When it took forever for something else to happen, however, he finally allowed them admission into the land of ashes.

The army trudged through the ground, looking with both terror and awe as they used their hands to shield airways from the floating ashes. Benny, falling slightly behind, bent over to scoop a handful of white; his eyes softened.

"It's... It's like snow."

"Except it's way warmer!" exclaimed Elise excitedly as she kicked up a storm. "We can have some fun in this stuff, big bro!"

Corrin, the one she spoke to, paid her no mind; he kept on, following Effie and Gunter, who requested his company as they trudged through the wreckage. He could have sworn they had a destination in mind based upon the way they walked. Leo, at his side, heaved a deep and heavy breath.

"Awesome." he whispered. "To think one tome could cause such... Such massive catastrophe. I'm frightened that such a thing even exists, regardless of whose hands it is in the mercy of."

"It was the miracle we were hoping for." Corrin muttered grimly. "I don't want to think about how things would have ended had this not happened..."

"It came at a price, milord." Gunter spoke up suddenly. There, he and Effie stopped, looking down to the ground. Puzzled, and curious, Corrin approached their sides, peering over their shoulders; his pupils narrowed in shock.

In the midst of a circle, completely untouched by ash, he saw Silas, who lay still, the tips of his hair blown by the wind. Beside him lay a motionless Nyx, her hand over his cheek, hinting at longing. The sight brought devastation to his face, his mouth gaping open in shock; he tried to utter words, but ultimately failed. He quivered as he stepped towards them, falling to his knees.

"Silas..." he croaked. "...Nyx..."

Gunter, off of his steed, approached his side; there, he reached down to the duo with a pair of fingers; he placed them on their necks, knelling with a frown.

"Silas is the only who has fallen." he grumbled. "Our lady still has life within her, though barely clinging to it."

"It looks like she is the culprit for this destruction. Fell magic is notorious for tiresome recoil, so I've read." Leo added grimly. "If my source material is correct, she'll be out for weeks, if not months."

In a slow movement, Corrin set a hand over his eyes, his teeth pressing tightly against one another. Though he hid them, tears slipped down his cheeks.

"She's alive then..." he whispered with grief.

"Pitiful thing." Gunter mumbled. In doing so, he gently took the girl into his arms. "She'd probably be better off dead."

Xander, approached them, clearing his throat.

"Take all the wounded and dead immediately; the battle is won. We're leaving."

And so, with Effie carefully lugging the motionless Silas and sorrow swirling in the air, they abandoned the circle untouched by the lick of flames, leaving nothing behind.