Dyrroth.

The lost prince of the Moniyan Empire, and Princess Silvanna's younger brother. All MLBB players know that the Abyss had kidnapped Dyrroth as an infant, indoctrinating him so deeply into the ways of the Abyss that he appeared more demon than human.

In-game, he was a powerful fighter and was capable of taking out assassin type heroes such as Gusion and Aamon in a one-on-one match. Would the power scaling of the characters in-game affect them here as well?

"You gotta admit," Dyrroth said, grinning manically. "My aim was impeccable, but…" Trailing off, he tossed the bow he held aside and clenched his fists in a fighting stance. "I prefer these." His mismatched eye slid to Aamon and he grinned. "You might wanna hurry up, though. The Abyssal poison works fast."

My eyes widened in shock. Gusion and I both turned to Aamon, who scowled at Dyrroth, not a hint of pain in his face. "You talk too much," Aamon said. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing behind Dyrroth amid a flurry of light shards. Dyrroth spun and quickly blocked Aamon's attack, a maniacal grin on his face.

"Very nice, Duke Paxley," Dyrroth said. "I see you have a little resistance to poison, eh?"

Dyrroth leapt back, punching the ground with his fists as he landed. Dark spikes burst from the ground, speeding towards Aamon. Aamon vanished in the blink of an eye, appearing behind Dyrroth. His shards were wrapped around his arm and fists, and he slashed at Dyrroth, who snarled in fury as more shards hurtled at him from behind Aamon.

"Hey you," Gusion said, staring at me. "Stay here and keep out of trouble."

"Be careful!" I said, as Gusion rushed towards Dyrroth.

Gusion threw a dagger towards Dyrroth who sidestepped to avoid it. Aamon reappeared behind Dyrroth, slashing at him with shards of light. Snarling, Dyrroth spun around to face Aamon. With a grunt of pain, Aamon staggered back as Dyrroth struck him in the stomach.

Aamon leapt back, a hand on his injured shoulder. "Dammit," Gusion muttered. Was the Abyssal poison working already? It must be, since his brother's movements appeared slower, his attacks less ferocious than usual.

Gusion threw a flurry of daggers towards Dyrroth, who leapt aside to dodge them. "Missed again," Dyrroth said, grinning.

"Not quite," Gusion said. Faster than a blink, he tossed a dagger at Dyrroth, who howled with pain as it caught him in the shoulder. Gusion vanished in a flash, and reappeared in front of Dyrroth, all his daggers flying after him towards the Abyssal Prince.

Dyrroth snarled in fury as several daggers stabbed into his arms. "Curse you, you insignificant Paxley brat," Dyrroth growled. He paused, smirked then turned to Aamon. "Well, that makes one less Paxley, anyway."

Gusion glanced towards Aamon. His brother had fallen to his knee, one hand on his shoulder. His breathing appeared ragged, his face pale and set in a grimace.

"Aamon?" Gusion whispered. He turned to Dyrroth, flinging a dagger at the Abyss prince who immediately dodged to one side.

"Did I touch a nerve?" Dyrroth mocked. "I told you poison from the Abyss works fast. Looks like he's in a lot of pain, eh? Maybe we should put him out of his misery!" Dyrroth raised a fist and struck the ground before him. Dark, jagged spikes erupted from the earth, all headed towards Aamon. The Duke glanced up. He attempted to stand, but swayed and fell to his knee. A single drop of blood fell from his nose.

Gusion turned towards Aamon, and ran. "Aamon!" he screamed.

"Watch out!" A cloaked figure suddenly seemed to materialize from the darkness around them, careening into Aamon, and pushing him out of harm's way.

Diana let out a grunt as she and Aamon fell to the ground, rolling on top of him. "Are you all right?" she asked, her arms on either side of his head.

Aamon stared at up at her. His pupils, she noted, were dilating and constricting, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his brow. "Aamon, can you hear me?" She lightly tapped his cheek, trying to get him to respond.

"Don't bother," Dyrroth drawled, crossing his arms. "He'll be dead in a while. Simple strategy, eh? Take out the strongest, and the rest will fall." He smirked, his eyes locking on Gusion's. "And now, it's your turn."

Dyrroth charged towards Gusion. "Prepare to die, fool—ARGH!" Dyrroth's eyes widened as a dull thud echoed through the forest. He spun around, towards the trees where two figures were emerging. There, in his back, was an arrow of silver.

A woman emerged from the trees. She had starlit silver hair tied back in a thick ponytail, her bow held at the ready in her hands. Beside her, a blonde-haired man held a great sword in his hand, his blue eyes fixed on Dyrroth with loathing.

"Miya?!" Diana exclaimed just as Gusion said, "Alucard!"

"I thought I sensed something foul," Alucard said, pointing his great sword at Dyrroth.

I knew I had been transported to this world in a mobile game. I was slowly coming to terms with it. But still, seeing Miya, the very icon of the game, in the flesh was overwhelming. It further cemented the fact that no, I wasn't dreaming. How could I have dreamed this? The in-game artwork on Miya failed to capture how her hair seemed to shine with moonlight, or how she seemed to emit a faint glow like starlight.

I really was in the Land of Dawn.

Beneath me, Aamon struggled to sit up, and I quickly rolled off him. "Do you think you could stand?" I asked, kneeling beside him.

His breathing, I noted, had grown jagged, and blood dripped down his arm from where Dyrroth's arrow had pierced his shoulder. A loud boom echoed behind us. I glanced over my shoulder. Alucard had brought his great sword down on Dyrroth's head. The Abyss prince immediately parried the blade with his fist and placed a well-aimed kick at Alucard's stomach.

"I'll be fine," Aamon suddenly said. "Get to safety."

"You're coming with me," I said. I wound an arm around his waist.

"Stubborn," Aamon grunted.

"Look in the mirror, your Grace," I said as he slung his arm across my shoulders. I helped him to his feet just as Dyrroth let out a scream of fury as Gusion joined the fray, his daggers flying at the Abyss prince.

"Pesky insects!" Dyrroth snarled.

"Get the Duke out of here!" Miya called out to me as she nocked an arrow to her bow. She let the arrow fly, and Dyrroth rolled to one side to avoid it.

I led Aamon into the trees, the sound of the fighting slowly dying out behind us. "I need to go back," the Duke said. "Gusion—"

"They can handle Dyrroth without you," I said firmly as I helped him to sit on the ground. He let out a small grunt of pain as he slumped against the tree. His pupils were dilated, his breathing deeper.

Aamon braced a hand on the ground, attempting to stand, to return to the fight. I kept a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to remain still. "In your condition, you'll be in harm's way," I said as he leaned back against the tree. "Let me take a look at you, that wound hasn't stopped bleeding."

"Abyssal poison," Aamon said slowly. "Is distilled from the blood of Alice herself. It needs to be purified. What can you do?" He growled out the last words, pain in his voice.

The blood of Alice. The antagonist behind all the sorrows and all the strife in the Land of Dawn. Such a powerful poison. My hands stilled. He was right. I was a woman from a world without magic, and I'd found myself in this familiar but strange world. I was a doctor, I was no magic user…

I steeled myself. I did not go through years of medical training to be told by an arrogant Duke that I couldn't do anything.

"Be quiet," I said firmly. I looked him solidly in the eye. "I'm going to take off your jacket. I need to see why you won't stop bleeding. You're losing too much blood from such a small arrow wound."

"Stubborn," he bit out.

"We've known each other less than a day, but how did you know that?" I said sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Before he could protest, I gently slid his jacket down his arms. Underneath, he wore a black sleeveless leather shirt, with his family's crest embellished in gold below the neckline. On his right shoulder was a small puncture wound from where Dyrroth's arrow had hit. For such a small wound, it was bleeding profusely, staining the white of Aamon's pants with a dark red. Judging from the position of the wound, I think it hit the subclavian artery. Did the poison contain some sort of anticoagulant? I wasn't sure.

Taking the hem of Aamon's cloak in my hand, I tore a strip from it. "Sorry," I told him apologetically. I wound the strip around the wound, looping it around his deltoid and shoulder. I pressed a hand firmly to it, hoping that the bleeding would stop. A nagging feeling gnawed at me. If I could stop his bleeding, how could I stop the poison?

Aamon closed his eyes.

"Aamon?" I said. Keeping one hand on his wound, I gently tapped him on the cheek. "Hey, are you okay?"

He didn't reply. The slow rise of his chest told me he was alive.

But for how long?

Dammit, what do I do? I would need magic to purify the poison, but I couldn't use magic...

"How is he?" Gusion asked as he, Alucard and Miya came up behind me.

I shook my head. "The wound's still bleeding, and I'm not sure how to purify the poison. I don't have magic."

Miya knelt beside me, and gently took Aamon's hand in her own. She closed her eyes, her lips moving wordlessly in a silent prayer. To the moon goddess, Gavana, maybe. Miya's hands glowed with a faint silver light that immediately vanished. She opened her violet eyes and frowned.

"From the blood of Alice," Miya murmured. "My purifying powers cannot get rid of the poison. Estes will be able to, but…" She shook her head. "We may not make it to the Lunar Temple in time."

Gusion's eyes found mine. "You," he said.

"Me?" I said, eyes widening.

"You have the Heart of Anima"—Miya and Alucard stared at me, surprised— "use It to get rid of the poison. Save him."

"I—I don't have the Heart," I stammered.

"Aamon said you did, and Balmond seemed to think so," Gusion persisted. "Aamon bonded his magic with the Heart so he could track it anywhere. He didn't make a mistake. You have it, inside you maybe."

"I don't know how to use it!" I exclaimed. This wasn't some weird shoujo fantasy manga where I mysteriously learned how to use powerful magic. "I might end up killing him!"

Miya pressed her hand over mine. "If you indeed have the Heart," she said slowly. "I can guide you to its power, show you how to channel it. Mind you, it's not a thorough lesson. Just enough to stave off the poison so we can get the Duke to my brother."

I stared at Aamon. His face appeared even more pale than usual, and blood dripped from one of his nares. His breathing was shallow.

"Okay," I said, turning to Miya. "I'll try—I'll do it."

"Close your eyes," Miya instructed. "Listen to my voice…let me guide you."

I closed my eyes and obeyed. "Listen to your heartbeat," Miya whispered gently. "Even out your breathing. Clear your mind, and focus." I felt Miya's hand warming over mine. Felt…something gently filling my mind. It felt like…Miya's presence?

"Imagine your room as a mind," Miya whispered. "Windows, and doors."

I immediately thought of my condo back home. The floor to ceiling windows, the balcony overlooking the city. The mahogany doors. It all seemed to materialize within my mind, with me standing in the middle of it.

"Very good," Miya whispered. "Open the door, and let me in."

"Let you in to my mind?" I murmured.

"Yes."

I opened the door. Miya stood at the threshold. Her silver hair seemed to glimmer in my mind's eye. Her aura was powerful, almost dominating the whole room. She glanced around the room of my mind and smiled. "Hello, Diana," she said. I felt her voice whispering in my mind now.

"You know my name," I said, amazed.

She smiled warmly. "We can talk later," she said. "Open the other door at the end of the room. Imagine walking through it and to the power of the Heart."

I hesitated. What if there was no power? What If this was all a misunderstanding of sorts?

I placed my hand on the handle of the door, imagining the Heart of Anima as I knew it in the game. Heart-shaped, made from a blue, glowing stone, and the immense power it must hold.

"Open it," Miya encouraged. I took a breath and opened the door.

Before me was an endless threshold of black. Was this vast expanse the threshold of my mind? Before I could ponder further, a blinding flash of light caught my eye. There, in the center of all this black, was a glowing sphere of bright, white light. It was enormous, so vast that I couldn't see where it ended and where it began. Was this…the power of the Heart? This thing looked as if it were the size of a moon, or even larger.

Was all this power inside me? How did it even wind up with me?

"You have so many questions," Miya murmured, sensing my confusion and disbelief.

"Tell me about it," I said.

"I am not sure as to the answers either," Miya said as she stood with me at the threshold of the door to my—to the Heart's power. "Estes may know. But for now, we must save Duke Paxley. This power is potent enough to keep the poison at bay. We can't risk you purifying the poison completely. This power is vast, and you are untrained. You may end up harming the Duke. We will only siphon a little of your power for now."

I nodded in understanding. "Please show me how," I said, as Aamon's face flashed through my mind.

"Reach out to it," Miya instructed. "Touch it and imagine this power flowing through your fingers and into the Duke. Imagine and shape it as you see fit. Imagine it keeping the Duke alive."

I hesitated. Could I do this? I was a woman from a world without magic, and suddenly I was…here. In this strange world where fantasy and fiction became reality. What did I know of magic wielding? What if I harmed Aamon instead?

"You can do it," Miya whispered.

I steeled myself, stepped through the threshold of the door, and into that vast space of power.

I reached out a hand and touched it.

Gusion fidgeted with impatience as Diana and Miya kept their eyes closed. He knew that meditation was a vastly important part of honing one's magic, but for goodness' sake, could they make it quick? He glanced at his brother's pale face, at his breathing that seemed to slow, and mentally urged Diana to hurry.

"Be calm," Alucard said. He was crouched down beside Miya, his eyes fixed on the elf. "Miya knows what she's doing."

At that moment, Diana, eyes closed, seemed to reach out her other hand. She gently took Aamon's hand in her own. A soft white, shimmering glow seemed to pulse from her hand. Miya opened her eyes and watched as the light from Diana's hand seemed to move into Aamon's hand, up his arm, and into his chest. At once, his breathing deepened, and the pallor receded from his skin. Blood no longer seeped from the wound on his shoulder.

Aamon slowly opened his eyes.

"Dammit, you scared me," Gusion said.

Aamon stared at Diana, who kept her eyes closed in focus. Letting go of his hand, Diana opened her eyes, and stared at Aamon.

"Are you all right?" she asked. She sounded a bit breathless.

Aamon nodded and tilted his head at her. "So you do have the Heart after all."

Diana frowned at him. "Remember that one-track mind thing I told you about?" she said. "A simple—"

"Thank you," Aamon said, placing a hand on his chest and inclining his head at her.

Diana blinked, taken aback, a hint of red in her cheeks. "Please don't get complacent," Miya told them. "The poison is still in your body, Duke Paxley. With Diana being an untrained magic user, I couldn't risk her siphoning too much of the Heart's power. This is enough to keep you alive until we reach Estes."

Aamon nodded in understanding before he got to his feet. He reached out a hand, and Diana smiled as she took it. She stood as Alucard helped Miya to her feet. "Estes has agreed to aid you, Your Grace," Alucard said, inclining his head respectfully at Aamon.

"I see," he said. "House Paxley would be most grateful."

Miya nodded. "Let's get going then," she said. "Before Dyrroth comes back with reinforcements from the Abyss."

"For his sake," Aamon said dangerously, a shadow falling over his eyes. "He best stay away. I'll have his head the next time we meet."