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Chapter 20: Liberation

Mal was soaring through the air, trying to flap her large, leathery wings as fast as she could in order to get as far away from the main battle as possible. This was not an easy task, given that she was dragging along an enormous, struggling companion with her talons. Uma was trying her absolute best to break Mal's grip, but had not succeeded as of yet. Her yelling and shrieking were drowned out by the noise of the wind blowing past Mal's ears. The heavy wind and rain were furthermore clouding Uma's vision and disorientating her, giving Mal the time she needed to accomplish her task.

It was a plan she and Ben had come up with. Uma and Solomon were too powerful and meddlesome to take on together, so they had to somehow separate them. Mal had immediately volunteered to fight Uma herself. She had correctly guessed that Uma would show up at the battle in her giant form, and had proposed to Ben that she could transform into a dragon and confront her. Ben had protested, believing it to be too dangerous to have Uma direct all her attention at Mal, but she had insisted that this was the best possible tactic, both in order to protect the other soldiers and to win the battle in general.

The plan had thus far worked out great to an extent. Mal had managed to pull Uma away from the main battle, but had managed to do so at a very strenuous cost. Solomon had once again managed to hit her with his spell, and Mal could still feel the painful aftermath as she was flying. It was an exhausting affair to carry the protesting Uma, and Mal could feel all her joints ache as she headed further and further away.

She needed a place away from the battle that contained as little water as possible. Given that rain was currently falling out of the sky in not inconsiderable amounts, that was a somewhat difficult feat to accomplish. Once she would have found a place, she would take on Uma by herself, hopefully win, and then join up with Ben and the others to battle Solomon.

Uma, meanwhile, had finally regained her composure somewhat, and was now slithering her enormous tentacles up Mal's scaly body to constrict her. Mal had no way of defending herself, and soon found it hard to breathe as Uma's tentacles wrapped around her stomach and chest.

"Let's finish this, Mal!" Uma shouted, her voice still deep and loud, audible even through the heavy wind.

Mal slowly felt the exhaustion get the better of her. Flying was growing increasingly difficult, with Uma's weight and her constricting tentacles practically dragging Mal downward. She realized that she would need at least some energy to still combat Uma and hopefully take her in once they would reach the ground, so the time was now or never…

Mal drew one large breath before dropping straight down. She heard Uma's panicked shrieking, but couldn't take a moment to enjoy it. There was a large clearing in between rows of trees, and that was what she was aiming for. Shortly before she and her captive would reach the ground, Mal let go of Uma, whose grip on Mal immediately slackened before she fell with a scream of terror.

Uma crashed roughly to the surface, colliding with multiple trees and crushing through the soil until she had basically created a crater. Mal fared a little better, being able to halt her drop ever so slightly by spreading her wings, but she too made a rough smack as she hit the ground, rolling and tumbling as wisps of purple smoke emanated around her again until she had transformed back into her human form.

Mal panted and groaned as she finally came to a stop. She got completely covered in dirt almost instantaneously, and her entire body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder. Slowly, still panting and groaning with every movement of her limbs, Mal got to her feet. She looked around. All she could see were forests and hills. She wasn't sure how far she had flown, but knew that the Auradon camp and the field of battle had to be leagues away, safely out of reach for Uma. Rain was still pouring down, adding to Mal's disgruntled and agitated state. She slowly moved over to the place where she knew Uma had crashed, stiffly pulling out her sword as she braced herself for an unexpected attack.

Mal's fall had been nothing compared to the devastation Uma had caused with her landing. Entire trees were toppled, and the sea witch's enormous body had created a crash site similar to that of a meteor. Mal saw an enormous shape move around a little further back, and she cautiously walked over to it.

Uma had crawled out of the hole she had created, letting out pained grunts and cursing regularly as she too slowly reverted back to her human form. Out of the water, she was unable to stay giant for long. Similarly to Mal, she was covered in mud and dirt, but she also sported a large, bleeding gash in her side from where Mal had cut into her with her talons.

"Uma!" Mal shouted, her voice trembling and quavering slightly as she sped up, though she was still dragging her legs slightly.

Uma looked up with a fearful expression, but that immediately turned to anger when she laid eyes on Mal. Half her face was covered in bruises and scrape wounds from her crash, but she didn't seem to mind. She scrambled to her feet, though seemingly with a lot of difficulty, and unsheathed her sword. "I'm here, princess…" She panted, the glow of her necklace flickering slightly.

"Give up, Uma!" Mal snarled, only stopping her advance until she and Uma were barely five feet apart.

"Never…" Uma snapped, taking a step forward until the blade of her sword touched Mal's. "This is what I've been waiting for… Just you and me… No one to come to your aid…"

"And no one to come to yours either…" Mal retorted, her eyes glowing a little.

"When I'm done with you…" Uma went on, pressing a hand to her bleeding side and wincing slightly. "I'll find Ben, and I will gut him…"

Mal immediately lashed out, hoping to catch Uma off guard. Uma blocked her strike, growling in anger. Even with her injuries, she was still a very dangerous opponent. Mal had to jump backwards in order to dodge Uma's retaliating strike, which only missed her abdomen by a hair.

Mal and Uma continued to duel like this for a strenuously long time. Rain continued to fall around them, drenching the already muddy and slippery ground and making it increasingly harder for either of them to find their footing. Mal quickly learned to ignore the pain and fatigue she was experiencing, even when her muscles screamed at her to lay down her weapon and stop exerting herself. She kept hacking and slashing with murderous intent, absolutely willing to deal some permanent damage if it meant getting her opponent to surrender.

Uma was equally brazen, her blade flashing through the air like a silvery blur as she came at Mal with an almost unimaginable fury. There, on top of that muddy hill, the two of them let out all the anger and resentment they had built up throughout their years of animosity. The last time they had faced off against each other had been during the fight in the woods, where neither party had come out on top. Back then, their allies had spectated their brawl from the sidelines, but now it was just the two of them… Because of that, it felt much more personal…

Rain was still hammering down on both of them from above, and Mal had to carefully pick the times whenever she would wipe some of the wet strands of hair from her face, always running the risk of falling victim to one of Uma's attacks.

Mal was hurting, but she had experienced far more pressing injuries during the past months. Her left side still hurt somewhat from her wounds sustained during the battle of Auradon City, and her fall from just now had done nothing to alleviate said pain. Other than that, she sported a few cuts, including one by her brow that caused blood to occasionally drip into her eyes.

Uma looked much worse for wear. Some of the wounds on her face had begun bleeding profusely, and her right eye was almost completely swollen shut at this point. Uma's right side was furthermore drenched with blood from the gash caused by Mal's talons. Still, she appeared to fight through the pain with unmatched intensity. Whenever she twisted and turned, Uma's braids would snap and whip around her head, sometimes almost hitting Mal.

Neither party was using their magical abilities as of yet. Their brawl was in very close quarters, and Mal was afraid that trying to perform a spell or transform would expose herself to Uma's attacks too much. For now, both former villain kids had to suffice with sword combat.

"Why don't you just give up!?" Uma snarled after an insufferably long time of fighting. "You're done! We have won! We're gonna eradicate every single one of you, and burn this dreadful place to the ground!"

"We're… Still… Fighting…" Mal panted in reply, underlining each word with a strike to Uma's sword.

"You never knew when to quit… Even when we were young…" Uma sneered, almost losing her balance on the slippery ground.

"Because I always came out on top… Why should this time be any different?" Mal retorted, raising her leg to kick at Uma's side.

"It's always the same with you!" Uma snapped, glaring at Mal. "Perfect princess Mal, never any worries… It's… So… Sad!" She added, ending her tirade with a huge downward strike with her sword.

Mal was just about able to block it, but was forced to step back a few paces. "Jealous much? Hmm, Shrimpy…" She mocked her opponent, hoping to get a rise out of her and bring her off her game.

She did get a rise out of Uma, who swelled with anger before going on the attack yet again. Mal tried to match her fury, but found herself continuously pushed back until she stood near the edge of the hill. Uma locked up with Mal, making her lower her sword, before swinging her braids around and whipping Mal in the face with them. Mal let out a cry of pain, and had to pay for that momentary exposure when Uma roughly kicked her in her already painful side.

Mal was flung aside and tumbled down the relatively steep hill. Her sword fell from her hand and clattered down alongside her. After a few seconds, during which she couldn't tell up from down, Mal again landed on the grassy ground with a smack, pushing the air from her lungs.

She took barely a second to regain her composure, before she started trying her best to scramble upright again. Her side really hurt from that kick and the subsequent fall, but she couldn't even rest for a second because Uma was already on her. Having rushed down the hill after Mal, Uma took these precious few seconds to make her necklace glow and call upon all the water she could muster around herself.

The rain… The puddles… Every drop of water that covered the blades of grass of the hill… All of it rose up and formed some sort of aerial whirlpool around Uma. Mal crawled on all fours towards her sword; she would be completely defenseless without it.

She managed to just about grab onto the hilt when Uma sent a stream of water her way. It hit her in the middle of her back and pushed her along the wet ground like a ragdoll. Mal sputtered and coughed as she was drenched, a lot of water getting into her mouth and nose as well. She groaned in pain as she tried to get back to her feet, slipping and stumbling as she did so.

Another blast. And another. Mal was hit alternatively in her back and her chest, which kept pushing her back while also causing immense pain. Each blast did contain less and less water, but Uma continued attacking Mal until she had used up the very last drop at her disposal.

"Scared yet?" Uma practically groaned, taking a moment to enjoy her small victory over Mal while also pressing a trembling hand to her still bleeding wound.

Mal was also trembling, feeling as though Uma's ice cold water attack had given her instant hypothermia. Her limbs felt even more stiff and unmovable than they had done a few minutes ago as she tried her best to get back to her feet.

"You never knew fear… You never knew pain… Not like the rest of us…" Uma kept on talking, taking a few steps in Mal's direction. "Then again… You never gave the rest of us that much thought, did you? That's why, when you got invited to this godforsaken fairy-land, it never even occurred to you to bring more of us over… Even… Even when we had all suffered alongside you… Far more than you…"

Mal had no energy for a reply, and instead just stumbled back a few paces when she was finally able to stand back up.

"It could have been me! It could have been Harry! It could have been any of us!" Uma went on, her voice coarse and almost raspy. "But no! It just had to be you! Always you! Always Mal! Always perfect princess Mal! But that time is over! You are done! And I… And I am so freaking glad that I get to be the one to end you…"

The two young women just stared at each other for a few seconds after Uma's outburst. Mal saw her nemesis stare right into her green eyes, almost with a sense of anticipation. It was like she wanted Mal to respond; to offer some sort of counter argument and plead her case. Mal was not about to satisfy her desires though.

"You talk too much…" Mal just mumbled in reply, putting extra effort into mockingly rolling her eyes. "You always craved to be feared… And respected… And the reason you're so obsessed with me is because, despite everything, you can't help but fear me… And respect me…"

Uma's eyes widened and she began breathing heavier.

"And it infuriates you that, no matter how hard you try… No matter how many times you desperately try to make me notice you and take you seriously… You can't make me fear 'or' respect you, even in the slightest…" Mal continued, holding one hand behind her back, out of Uma's sight, and conjuring up a spell. The sea witch didn't notice; her gaze completely focused on Mal's maddeningly teasing smirk. "To me… You will always… Only… Be Shrimpy…"

Uma let out a harrowing shriek, diving at Mal like a lion at its prey, her sword slashing through the air like an executioner's axe. Mal's reaction was lightning fast, as she raised her previously hidden hand and let loose a fiery magic blast with such power that even she herself was brought off balance. Uma took the brunt of the spell head-on, however, and was sent flying.

The sea witch crashed back to Earth almost a dozen feet away from Mal, who quickly tried to regain her composure and ran at her downed nemesis. Uma slowly clambered back up, her still visible eye wide and filled with tears as she watched Mal storm at her.

Again they clashed, but there was not a semblance of technique or tactics on either side anymore. They were both too exhausted… Too injured… Too broken to really do anything other than simply hack at one another. Their blades collided again and again, with the battle between the two having largely been reduced to an alternating display of one person painstakingly striking at the other, who would then in turn painstakingly block said strike.

Mal's arms were on fire, her sword feeling like an empty weight pulling her off balance. Uma seemed equally depleted. Mal's spell had scorched her left side, with pieces of her clothing and several of her braids still smoldering slightly. Neither had the energy or will for another magic attack. In all truthfulness, this climactic final battle between the two life-long rivals was a relatively dull affair.

Still, Mal felt as though she had broken Uma with her final remark and the spell she had subsequently fired at her. The light of her necklace, which had been shining like beacon when their battle had begun, was flickering like a candle that was about to be extinguished. Mal, opposed to that, felt the glow of her green eyes only brighten and grow as she started repeating the names of her friends and all the people she cared about in her head.

'Ben, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Freddie…' And so on. It was like a mantra; a spell that made her insides warm up and granted strength to her tired and worn out body.

Slowly, but surely, she drove Uma back. Mal's eyes glowed brighter and brighter as the day grew darker. The ominous clouds above the two still caused a steady stream of rain to fall down, not letting any sunshine through. As Mal felt her confidence rise, the adrenaline in her veins momentarily masking out all the pain and fatigue, her strikes grew stronger and stronger.

Uma's arms trembled like never before. She continuously tried to push Mal away and create some space for herself, but Mal wouldn't have it. This was her shot! Her chance to once and for all end this feud that had consumed her for who knows how many years! Her chance to show everyone that she deserved to be reckoned with! Her chance to show everyone how much she was willing to fight for what she loved!

Uma tried to kick at Mal, but she evaded her before tripping her. When she got back up, she tried to lock up with Mal again and hit her with her braids. Mal, in response, calmly held her ground before lashing out with her sword at the precise moment needed to cut straight through Uma's hair.

The sea witch shrieked in anguish as a few of her braids dropped to the ground, with Mal's blade having cut them off like a razor. She was unprepared when Mal lashed out again, their swords ringing as they clashed and making Uma stumble back a few more paces. Mal kept hacking, as Uma's grip on her sword started slacking.

One hit. Two hits. Three. Four. Uma couldn't keep up. Five. Six. Finally, after all this gruesome effort, Mal managed to whack Uma's blade to the side, where she loosely tried to hold onto it, before Mal once and for all smacked it out of her hand.

Both young women watched as Uma's blade clattered to the wet ground, while Uma too went to her knees. Mal went to stand in between her opponent and her discarded blade, kicking at it to move it even further out of reach. She held her own blade to Uma's throat, while her downed foe shook and heaved as she took long, rattling breaths.

"Surrender!" Mal demanded, pressing the tip of her blade against Uma's skin, right above her necklace.

Tears were now freely dripping down Uma's face, though they could just as likely be tears of anger as of disappointment. She refused to answer for almost a minute, but Mal didn't move a muscle. She needed Uma to conclusively, once and for all, sound her submission. She needed to know that the fight was definitively knocked out of her.

"Never…" Uma breathlessly replied after several more agonizingly tense seconds. "I will never surrender… Not to you…"

Mal breathed out loudly, her eyes still glowing and shimmering somewhat threateningly. This was how it was gonna be… Mal would never allow Uma to win, and Uma would never surrender to Mal… Were they doomed to continue this rivalry until the end of times?

"Really?" Mal asked, a hint of lament in her voice.

"You won't break me, princess… Ever…" Uma sneered, purposefully leaning into Mal's sword. "You'll have to kill me…"

Mal felt conflicted. She wanted to hurt Uma, but a voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Ben told her that that would be wrong. What were her other options? She could bring Uma in the way she was now, but that would certainly only cause more trouble… Mal also still carried that amulet that CJ gave her, which supposedly renders magical abilities useless to anyone who wears it… Mal considered that option… But Uma was already beaten… There was little need to waste such a unique and powerful item on her… Still, Uma's magical abilities had to be controlled…

Mal swallowed heavily, looking into Uma's one unswollen eye with nothing but resentment. "We don't kill people in Auradon… Not unless we have to…" She eventually replied, her voice soft and calm.

Uma leered at her, obviously disgusted at her weakness.

"But…" Mal went on, leaning forward slightly. "The rules are still a bit vague on punishment…"

Before Uma could do anything other than widen her eyes, Mal suddenly swiped her blade sharply to the left. This not only created a shallow gash on her fallen opponent's throat, but also cut straight through the chain of her necklace. Uma's eyes widened when she saw her sparkling necklace fall to the ground, where it landed right in front of Mal.

Mal unceremoniously raised her right foot before roughly stomping down on the fallen necklace, which cracked and broke instantly under the pressure. A soft, whooshing sound emanated from underneath Mal's boot as a few strands of golden dust drifted from the ruined necklace, into the air, before disappearing altogether.

"Noooooo!" Uma shrieked, diving to the ground as soon as Mal stepped away and clutching the broken pieces of her necklace in her trembling hands.

"I can't kill you." Mal told her in a merciless tone. "But I can ruin you… You're no threat here without your magic… I hope you learned your lesson…"

Uma still held the broken pieces of her necklace in her balled fists, and her entire body shook as she slowly looked back up at Mal. It looked like she was about to explode. "You monster…" She grunted, grinding her teeth. "You hideous snake… You cold-hearted bitch!" She went on, making a move as if she was planning on jumping at Mal. Such an attack never came.

Mal stood still for about another minute, watching Uma descend into a fit of sobbing and cradling her ruined necklace. She did not feel even an ounce of pity. A sense of accomplishment, not euphoria, coursed through her. Uma had been knocked out of the fight, which was good, but they weren't there yet.

"You should get out of here…" Mal casually told her beaten opponent, who looked back up with furious eyes. "Whoever comes to pick you up after all this won't be as nice as me…"

With that, Mal walked away. She didn't look back once, but the sounds of Uma's furious screaming and sobbing followed her along for several minutes, with them being audible even above the storm that was still raging around her.

Mal took a few minutes to look over her injuries and bandage herself up as best as she could before trudging back up the hill she had previously tumbled off of. She was so damn tired, but this was no time for resting. Uma had been incapacitated, but they were yet to take down their most dangerous enemy.

Mal took some deep breaths before spreading her arms and letting herself be consumed by the whisps of purple smoke she herself conjured up. A second later, she had once again transformed into her dragon form. She let out a thunderous roar before flapping her wings and ascending up into the dark sky.

'Solomon…' She thought to herself. 'I'm coming for you…'

"Archer!" CJ shouted, stumbling back on the muddy ground, trying to stay balanced while also keeping her eyes on her adversary. "Snap out of it! Please!" She went on in a pleading tone.

She had finally caught up with Archer after searching for him during this entire battle. Her limbs were stiff, her feet hurt, there were shallow cuts and bruises all over her body, and she was covered in mud. Still, the adrenaline rush of finally standing face-to-face with him again made all of that irrelevant.

CJ had looked on in horror just a minute ago as Archer slew Ben's father, the former king. While Ben had naturally rushed to the fallen man's aid, CJ had gone straight for Archer.

He had locked up with her, like they had done so many times during their sparring sessions, before lashing out at her more earnestly with his sword. CJ kept up, and their blades clashed again and again as they moved around the battlefield. Groups of Auradon soldiers, villains and undead cleared the way whenever they came near, with none daring to come between the two.

CJ had hoped to see a flash, a glimpse of the old Archer now that they were so up close again, doing something so personal to the two of them. She was disappointed once again. The revived Archer did not show any sign that he recognized her, and the way he hacked and slashed at her showed that he was fully intent on killing her.

While she had previously stated that she wanted nothing more than to release Archer from his torment, seeing him like this made her hesitate. She really wanted nothing more than for him to come back, to see his blue eyes twinkle in amusement again, to feel his warm hand in hers. CJ had fallen in love with Archer in such a short time, and their time spent together had been even shorter… She wanted more… She felt like she deserved more…

Despite all the warnings from her newfound friends and allies, there was a nagging little voice in the back of CJ's mind that kept telling her that there had to be a way to bring Archer back… To release him from Solomon's grasp without actually killing him… To save him…

And so, with nothing else to do, CJ started talking to Archer as they were battling in the hopes of getting anything out of him. A word… A look… Just one small sign that the old Archer was still in there…

"Archer, stop!" CJ grunted, when the two of them were locked up again, with the revived Archer slowly pushing her back.

Her opponent's eyes were locked on hers, but she could only see empty blackness staring back at her. CJ resiliently returned his glare, hoping that at any moment she would spot a spark of recognition in Archer's gaze.

That didn't happen, and Archer didn't slow down as he kept on trying to best her in combat. Alive, he had been the greatest swordsman in the world. Revived, he wasn't as good, but still very dangerous. CJ knew his fighting style like no other, and this revived version possessed the same technique and athleticism as the living Archer. However, there was something missing… A certain imaginativeness and finesse that the living Archer had possessed that had somehow gotten lost after being revived.

CJ was able to keep up with him more easily, but was still thrown off by the fact that this Archer utilized his superior strength and endurance more than usual. He constantly tried to lock up with CJ, forcing her back and pushing her off balance. CJ found it difficult to combat these tactics, and had no choice but to resort to dodging and retreating whenever Archer would get too close.

The rain kept pouring down, and the fighting parties around CJ and Archer slowly dispersed, moving to other parts of the forest. Eventually, only she, Archer and Ben remained in the clearing, along with the bodies of dozens of fallen soldiers, villains and undead, including Ben's father.

Archer had not paid attention to anything else after he had locked up with CJ, even when retreating Auradon soldiers stumbled past them. Maybe Solomon had ordered Archer to go after the leading figures in the Auradon army? Maybe that's why he had seemingly been so hell-bent on taking out the king? And maybe that's why he now focused fully on CJ… Or was there a part of him that recognized her?

"Archer, please… Please… Stop… Look at me… You know me…" CJ went on, her voice heavy with emotion and tears mixing with rain drops as they dripped down her cheeks.

Still, even with CJ pouring her heart out, there was no emotion present on Archer's face other than a sort of dismissive anger. CJ got multiple opportunities to deal some real damage whenever she performed a perfectly-timed dodge or parry, but found herself hesitating each time. She had changed so much during the past months, mostly due to Archer, to the point where she had actually developed a sense of mercy and compassion, even when faced with such a dreadful creature as the revived Archer.

She knew that she had to do this alone though. No help was coming. The only ally of hers that was close by was Ben, and CJ could still see him visibly grieving whenever she could spare a few seconds to look in his direction. Before the battle, she would have gladly signed for the option to take out, or free, Archer by herself, but reality, as always, proved to be much trickier than her imagination.

Further away, behind a few rows of trees, the flickering light of the magic battle between Solomon and Lancelot had stalled almost completely. CJ's time was running out. She needed to take care of Archer before Solomon would be able focus his attention on him again.

Every second that ticked by was another second closer to either her own or Archer's demise. Those were her choices. She could try her best and kill Archer for good, or let him kill her while he would continue to be Solomon's puppet.

Thinking about it that way made the choice much easier. If she were in Archer's shoes, and would depend on him to relieve her of suffering under Solomon's thumb, she would want him to kill her. Anything, anything was better than unwillingly serving that tyrant!

With renewed vigor, CJ threw herself back into the fight. Archer remained emotionless and seemingly determined to take her down. Whatever he tried, CJ had an answer. She pulled out every remaining ounce of strength and ingenuity to push Archer off balance and try to disarm him. This was still easier said than done, as Archer kept jumping back up and lunging at CJ time and time again. Still, the revived Archer's relentlessness was eventually outmatched by CJ's grit and determination.

As they moved across the field of battle, the battling duo eventually reached a large boulder at the edge of the clearing. Thinking quickly, CJ locked up with Archer, who began pushing her back. He obviously intended to pin her against the boulder, but CJ was aiming for this. At the last second, she planted her boot against the boulder and summersaulted over Archer's head. She nimbly landed behind him and immediately kicked at the back of his exposed leg, making him fall to one knee. She shouted as she lashed out with her sword, disarming Archer and making his blade hit the ground.

CJ huffed and panted, holding her sword against the disarmed and now helpless Archer's throat with a trembling hand. This was it. She was finally making good on her promise. No longer would she allow Solomon to control her or anyone she held dear. Archer seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, as he made no move to try and combat CJ anymore. Raising her sword up above her head, CJ felt cold drops of rain and swelteringly hot tears drip down her cheeks as she prepared to deliver the final blow. Archer looked up at her, still emotionless.

A flash of blue. CJ's eyes widened. Was her mind playing tricks on her? She could have sworn that Archer's eyes just showed the tiniest hint of the blue color they had once possessed… What did this mean? What was going on? Why could she no longer find the resolve to deliver the killing blow?

That was it. One flash of blue, real or imaginary, and all of CJ's determination to end things once and for all immediately disappeared. She couldn't do it… Not now that she had once again convinced herself that there was still the tiniest sliver of the real Archer still remaining in that empty, grey husk…

Her sword clattered to the ground, right next to Archer's, as CJ fell to her knees, her shoulders shaking as sobs wrecked her entire body. The undead Archer showed a momentary sense of confusion, and his gaze shifted from CJ to their fallen swords for a few seconds.

Then, he lashed out with a grey hand and tightly grabbed CJ by her throat. She gasped and coughed as he began squeezing, taking her breath away. CJ tried to dislodge his grip, pulling at his fingers with her own as she tried to kick with her legs.

Archer effortlessly got back to his feet, picking up his sword along the way, and dragged CJ up with him. He turned around and roughly bashed her against the boulder, still holding her by the throat. CJ grunted as she kicked, pushed and scratched with all her might. Archer reared back his blade, aiming to push it right through CJ's abdomen. She tried her best to hold him back, placing one of her hands on his sword arm and trying to hold it at bay. Archer kept on squeezing, and CJ began to feel light-headed. She couldn't keep this up for much longer…

Either she was going to get choked out, or Archer's blade would cut her open from gut to collarbone. There was no one around to help her… CJ's trembling arms slowly but surely started losing the battle against Archer's tireless undead ones. He wasn't going to stop, and CJ knew this… If he would win, then she would be beyond saving… Not even true love's kiss could undo that damage…

True love's kiss…

CJ's eyes widened again. She looked straight into Archer's pitch-black gaze. Could it be? Could this work? What did she have to lose? If this didn't work, then this would be the end of her… Of them… Of everything…

CJ grunted as she forced herself to let go of Archer's arm. He immediately lunged forward, his blade burying itself in CJ's abdomen. She felt indescribable pain as the stone-cold steel pierced her stomach. Even Archer seemed somewhat shocked, as his gaze shifted from his blade to CJ's face. CJ didn't really pay attention to that, or the blood that was rapidly starting to gush from her gaping stab wound. No, she used all her remaining strength to place her hands on the back of Archer's head and pull him close to her.

Their lips met…

For a few dreadful seconds, all CJ could feel was the pain from Archer's blade and the uneasy coldness of his revived lips. This was not at all what it had felt like to kiss Archer when he had still been alive. There was no warmth… No glow… No euphoria…

Then, a spark… The ever-slightest sensation… Like the shock from touching a static element…

CJ leaned deeper into the kiss, her eyes closed, hoping with the full force of her mind that this feeling meant that not all was lost…

Archer hadn't moved an inch since CJ started kissing him, but she didn't dare open her eyes to see his reaction. Slowly, but surely, she felt his stiff body start to relax. His shoulders dropped… The hand that held onto her throat released its grip… It was as if he released all the tension that he had held onto so deeply…

Another spark… And another… CJ could feel Archer's skin warm to her touch… She could practically hear his heartbeat return… Feel the blood start to rush through his veins… Feel him come alive!

CJ finally dared to look up…

And saw two astonishingly blue eyes stare right back at her…