Even if she knew it wasn't over, Rhen's insides cheered. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Lars coming up to her.

"Rhen! Rhen, that was amazing!" he grabbed her and kissed her hard, almost lifting her off her feet. She laughed, but ended it very quickly.

"We're not finished. We have to find Ahriman." Her tone was serious.

"Will you marry me?" the words splurred out of Lars' mouth before he could contain himself.

"What?" it was the only word she could fanthom.

"I know this isn't the perfect time to ask but-"

"Oh, how touching. About to die and still thinking about love. Honestly, Dameon, it makes me sick." They heard his voice coming from the entrance of the cave. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes, master." 'Dameon'.

The two figures approached the party. John's face went pale.

"It's wonderful to see you, Rhen Pendragon." Said Ahriman.

"You son of a bitch!" the girl screamed. But it wasn't directed at him. "How could you do this? You left us and joined him!"

"Don't speak now, Dameon. Or you shall regret it."

The Sun Druid stood silent.

"Let me deal with this." Lars stepped forward to attack Ahriman. Ahriman raised his right hand and in seconds, Lars was pinned up against the cave wall, above the remaining demons that started clawing at the bottom of the pit.

"Lars!" Rhen screamed. She was about to cast a sword spell, but she caught his expression. 'DON'T." he mouthed at her.

"Now." Ahriman started in a contained voice. "You've finally come to face me, haven't you, Sword Singer? And I see you've brought your party along. Brought them to their deaths." He chuckled. Rhen quickly got to swing with her sword, when Ahriman raised his left hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want sweet young Lars to fall into that pit now, would you?" she lowered her weapon slightly, not letting the mad man out of her sight. She looked over at Dameon. His expression was heavy with pain. 'Traitor.'

"What do you want?" this time it was Elini who spoke.

"Ah, demon summonner. It is an honor." He bowed slightly, not moving his right hand an inch.

"Answer her, human." Said Te'ijal. The vampress had absolutely no intention to give in to panic. She had lived for almost a millenium and now there was someone not even half her age, threatening the whole of humanity. 'I'm bored with all of this, all they want to do is rule the world.'

"And of course, Te'ijal Ravenfoot. I've heard about you, creature of the night."

"I do not care what you've heard." She stepped forward to face him. Rhen thought she saw a tiny wince in the corner of his eye. "Answer her. What is it that you so purposely want? And you can skip the part about world domination, we know of it already."

"All I want," he started. "is the heiress' soul." He smiled politely like he had just asked for salmon at the Sedona sea market. A few gasps echoed in the cave.

"And you," Te'ijal turned to Dameon. "I can understand you were displeased when the chosen one rejected your foolish love attempts, but have you really stooped that low, human?"

"Dameon has been on my side since he was born. What better weapon to use against the world than the child of Talia Maurva?" Ahriman chuckled again. "Of course, he's of much less worth now that he's told me everything."

"Dameon?" tears were now falling from Rhen's eyes. "The whole time, you were with Ahriman?"

"Rhen, he is the most powerful man in the world! Don't you see what it could be like?" his voice was eager but trembling.

"Enough, Sun Druid." But Dameon didn't stop. He was overwhelmed all of a sudden.

"I love you, Rhen. And all I wanted to do since I met you was to rule the world by your side. You're cunning and beautiful and you would rule the people so well!"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Ahriman yelled. His left hand cast a spell that shoved Dameon right next to Lars. The Necromancer turned his head to face the Druid.

"You are a pathetic moron!" he said.

"Look who's talking. You're just a boy! What makes you think that Rhen would ever want you? She'll get tired of you and then she will know she made the wrong choice!"

"Shut the fuck up, the both of you!" Elini shouted.

"Elini…" started John.

"You too, John. Do NOT speak." She commanded.

"Listen to the woman, Pirate." Marge stepped in. John gave her a confused a look but didn't say a thing.

"I see you've got quite a fiery bunch of warriors at your side, heiress." Ahriman said in his sleezy deep voice.

"Te'ijal, step back." Rhen knew she had to end this. No matter what she did, Lars could fall into that pit at any moment. She knew Dameon deserved worse, but being bertayed by your own master was still betrayal. Rhen had had enough of that for a lifetime. The vampress took three steps back, slowly, observing the change.

"Don't be so quick to fight me, Pendragon. I have two loves on the wall for you. If I drop them… let's just say if you lived afterwards, for all your life you would hear their agonizing screaming in your ears." The Sword Singer looked up at Lars. Then Dameon. Both of them had different looks on their faces. Barely, Lars raised his hand, showing a thumbs up. She thought she had imagined it.

"I'll be fine, Rhen!" he shouted out. "Stop wasting time!" She smiled.

"I love you, Lars."

"I love you, too, Rhen."

"You want my soul, Ahriman?" she said with a smirk on her face. "Come and get it. Windwatcher's song!" in a second, her sword cut through the air. Ahriman has moved quickly.

"Careful, little Sword Singer." Said Ahriman, but soon after he yelled out in pain. Te'ijal had shot him in the left shoulder. The smell of sulfur was barely noticable so far. The mad man moved the index finger of his right hand. Lars slided down the cave wall slightly. Ahriman then joined his hands and soon, he could control both the Necromancer and the Druid with his right palm. With his free hand, she reached up and took out the arrow out of his shoulder, throwing it in a random direciton. Galahad, John and Marge charged at him, but he pushed them away. He summoned four wyverns to distract them with. Elini couldn't summon creatures and bag of medicine was fuck knows where. 'My only option is to whip this out.' With that thought, she summoned her ten foot long whip to appear in her hand and then attacked the wyvern.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, vampress. A few more quaked and the top of this cave with collapse. Still afraid of the sun?" Te'ijal didn't even wince. She and Galahad had applied sun block a long time ago. But he was mocking her. 'That mistake cannot go unpunished.' She shot another arrow at the sorcerer, but missed. 'Shit.'

"Lure of Darkness!" Rhen shouted. She aimed for his other shoulder, but only managed to cut his thigh as he jumped back. Lars and Dameon slipped lower now. Rhen inhaled sharply. "Te'ijal, help the others." The vampress looked at her with disbelief.

"Are you mad?"

"Do it, please! I can handle him!" she screamed, her voice showed she was desperate, unlike her firm hands that held the Sword of Shadows up high. Te'ijal stepped away, leaving the girl to handle Ahriman. He laughed.

"You think you can defeat me?"

"Not alone, no. But with the poison running through your blood and my friends, yes, I can."

"Try me, Pendragon." Lars was almost near the demons' claws.

"Nightbird Song!"

"How long is this shiled going to last?" said Lars through gridded teeth.

"Until it has to, Lars. Now shut it."

They had both fallen into the pit a long time ago. But while on the wall, they had united temporarily and hatched up a plan. Just before falling into the hands of the demons, Dameon had cast Shield Extora, protecting him and Lars from their clawing paws. And just to drop all suspicions, they had almost screamed their lungs out after falling. When Rhen heard Lars' screams, her stomach turned a thousand times, twisting a tighter knot on each one.

The wyverns were defeated. But the party had little strenght left. Before first entering the cave, they had almost drank all of the medicine. A small dose of it still usable, but the bag was lost somewhere. The heroes were exhausted, but kept going. And Ahriman was also almost at the limit of his mana. But Rhen kept going. Mana or not, she would continue striking to rid the world of this evil 'and to avenge Lars' death.' She thought the demons had probably ripped him into pieces. Not even a million cassia leaves would be able to help.

Ahriman conjured lightning. Rhen swung her sword to counterattack but instead, she sent it to the ceiling. The rocks started falling down, the sun peering through the gigantic hole that was being created.

"You've just condemned your vampire friends to burn, Sword Singer." Said Ahriman, laughing in his deep voice.

The sun blinded Te'ijal but she was not affected. Galahad was not so lucky. It seemed he had forgotten to cover himself in sunblock. He yelled out and fell to his knees.

"Galahad!" Te'ijal felt like someone had shot her with her own arrows in the back. This was a strange feeling for her. She ran to her husband, standing on top of him, shielding his face from the sun. "What have you done, Paladin? Why did you not cover yourself earlier?"

"I don't know, wife. I supposed we wouldn't have contact with the sun for quite a while."

"My foolish paladin." The vampress sighed.

"Well, what do you know? That was unexpected. Still, two vampires with one trick. And I owe it to you, Sword Singer."

"Wipe that fucking smile off your face, you bastard!" Rhen got prepared to strike.

"Face it, Rhen. Nothing and no one can defeat me. Not even the poison running through me. And you are almost out of mana. I see it in your eyes, Pendragon."

Rhen growled at him.

"RHEN, I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS!" suddenly echoed.

"Lars?" The girl's heart jumped.

"Impossible." Ahriman's smile turned into a frown.

"Everything is possible." The girl decided to use the last of her mana. "Shadow Dance!"

The Sword of Shadows shined brighter than the sunlight. Rhen started swinging it over her head, dancing in circles on her toes. With a swift move, she ran the sword up Ahriman's waist. It first punctured one of his lungs, then exited through his left shoulder.

"Well…" Ahriman spat out some blood. "Well done, Rhen Pen-" and he was finished. The girl plunged out her sword, breathing heavily. She didn't even think twice about the sorcerer. She went to the edge of the platform, looking for Lars. When she noticed green amongst all the blue dots circling it, her stomach turned over again.

The remaining party, except Te'ijal, who was still hovering over Galahad, got to the edge as well.

"Lars!" Rhen shouted.

"I'm trying, Rhen!"

A few minutes passed.

"Lightning Storm!" Lars cast. The demons all around him started moving like they were thunder-struck. "How do we get up?" he turned to Dameon.

"I don't know."

"Elini! Can you help us out?" asked Lars.

"How could I help? I barely have any mana left!"

"Summon the Red Demon!"

Elini grunted.

"I'll try." She closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the Red Demon appeared. Elini's face wrinkled. She opened her eyes and looked at it. "Mushu, help them." She said.

The Demon headed into the pit, stopping over Dameon and Lars' heads. They climbed on its back and it took them back up again. When they landed, Elini scratched the Demon under his chin.

"Good Mushu." She said.

Lars ran up to Rhen, now lifting her off her feet in a hug.

"I thought I'd lost you!" she said, tears running down her eyes.

"Every moment down there, spent with Dameon was a living nightmare, Rhen. I love you." They closed lips.

"Yes." She said, gasping for air.

"What?" he put her down, his hands playing with her messy hair.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. He thought for a moment. Then he remembered.

"… Really?"

"YES! How many times do I have to say it, you idiot?" she kissed him again. He started laughing.

"Wait… what about Dameon?"

"What about him?" she asked.

"What happens next?" Rhen turned around to see the Sun Druid, who was even more in pain than before.

"I have a plan."

The girl approached Dameon. She was holding something in the palm of her hand.

"Rhen…I-" she opened her hand and blew the dust in it into his face. He was stopped mid-sentence.

"How are you now?" she said in a firm voice.

"Ahriman… he killed my father. He cursed me!" Dameon kept on thinking aloud. "HE was responcible and all this time, I thought it was my mother's fault-"

"I take it you're better."

"I finally see the truth now. I cannot imagine what my treachery must've brought upon us."

"You almost got Lars killed. Again."

"I am deeply sorry, Rhen… Can you ever forgive me for what I've done? For telling everything to Ahriman? For trying to kill Lars? For anything?"

"You were under a spell when you betrayed us. That… I suppose I can excuse. But I don't think that trying to ambush Lars was a side-effect of the curse that was placed on you."

"I still love you, Rhen. And I always will. I admit that not all my actions were out of inability to feel right and wrong."

"We are not going to be together, Dameon. I'm in love with Lars." The Druid shiverred at those words. "You'll have to accept it."

He sighed.

"It seems I could've never given you your happiness."

"If you try hard, I might let you be my friend again. Nothing more. It's up to you. I think we can try and forget what happened for the sake of starting a new life."

"I would be honoured to be your friend."

"Then, the first thing you could do is come to the wedding. I expect all of my friends to be there."

"Wedding?" Elini stepped in. "Rhen, you and Lars-"

"Yes."

The Veldt woman smiled widely and hugged Rhen.

The girl soon ended the hug, red-faced.

"Let's get back to Thais."