Lance stared at Gwendolyn in disbelief. "No. Oh no, you must be mistaken. Ceris would never--" he stopped as Gwen shook her head. Dispair filled his veins and he sunk to the ground. "Why? Why is it that, no matter what I do, it always backfires on me? My entire life I've tried just to fail. Maybe my brother was right."
Gwen knelt next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You know that's not true, Lance. We can still save her, I promise. But we must find cover in case that airship comes by again."
He took in a shaky breath. "I saw a building half-way up the mountain. Would that work?"
She nodded and pulled him to his feet. With a wary look to the sky, they began to climb.
<>
Hellknight rummaged through the charred rubble of the cave. The Enderstone Crusaders and their little force had fled just over an hour before and he was still angry that Hogsworth had been fighting with them.
With an angry growl, he dropped a charred log. "I don't understand. How could they--" and then it hit him.
He stormed up to the force's general. "Get your force moving now! The Ender Watchers weren't here. The fight was just a distraction!"
The Piglin nodded and ran out, and Hellknight pullled the dagger from his cloak. "You might be a crafty one, Ceris, but I have special plans for you and your crew. Each of you will enjoy a unique punishment," he ran his finger along the dagger's edge, smiling slightly at the thin trail of black blood blossoming on his skin. "You will wish you had died during the Nether's invasion."
He crouched next to the burned and broken body of the man-dragon. "And Lance? You will break. And I know just how to make that happen."
<>
Roxas peered through a spyglass. "Huh. So the stories are true."
Echo looked up. "What are you talking about?"
"You know that temple at the top of the Epic Mountain? Legend said the temple's twin is on a cliff halfway up Mt. Amethyst. It seems to be true."
Blossom held up her hand. "I wanna see."
Roxas handed the spyglass to her and Echo joined them. "I've been to the first temple before. If Lance is at Mt. Amethyst, is there a chance he saw the temple?"
Spinner shrugged. "Entirely possible."
Blossom, who hadn't been listening to them, let out a laugh. "Hey, I see a little person with a long stick outside the temple!"
Echo held her hand out. "Mind if I see?"
Blossom gladly handed over the spyglass and Echo quickly lifted it to her eye. She found the temple and zoomed in as far as she could. "It's Gwendolyn."
Blossom clapped her hands together. "Ooh, really?"
Echo nodded, collapsing the spyglass. "Yes. We need to go quickly."
Waver groaned. "Echo, we're tired."
She turned to them, a determined look in her eyes. "Then stay here. I can go the rest of the way myself."
"Echo--"
"No arguing with me! I was on my own for two years. I'll be fine."
Alexis smiled. "Go get 'em tiger."
Echo nodded thankfully to her before teleporting away.
<>
Hilda wrapped a scrap of cloth around Hogsworth's arm, glancing at the trees around them. When they had to flee the Nether army, the pig and her had gotten separated from everyone else. She knotted the makeshift bandage. "There. That will do for now."
He nodded and looked at the gash on her forehead from before. "That busted open in places again."
She had been able to feel the blood oozing, but she just waved her hand dismissively. "I'll be fine."
"If you're sure..."
She nodded then glanced away. The last time they had been alone together was when he saved her from the Nether, and she couldn't deny it felt awkward.
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I know of a tunnel that leads straight through the mountains. We could report back to Ser Patrick quicker that way."
Hilda cursed under her breath. "I forgot about that. He's probably furious with me for taking off like I did."
"For sure. But you might be better off facing him for it, in the end."
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Right...you clearly don't really know Ser Patrick then."
He chuckled. "Indeed I don't. Come on. The tunnel's this way."
"Right," she paused. "Did you see Lady Azura during the fight too?"
Hogsworth nodded. "Yes, I did. Why do you think she was way out here? Was she looking for you?"
"I hope not. I just hope Lyria was able to go with her."
<>
Another storm was brewing, the clouds looking darker and more forbidding than before. The Endermen shifted nervously on their feet, ready to hide at the first drops of water.
Rain stood on a rock. "Everyone! You are very luck to be standing here right now," exclamations about him being morbid spread throughout the group and he held up his hand. "I say this because a force that size could have easily killed us all. What are the casualties, Stella?"
"Five injured," Stella tapped her fingers as she spoke. "Ten either missing or dead. Plus Kane, Ciara, Hilda, and Hogsworth are missing as well."
"I hope they're okay." Lyria murmured.
"What are we supposed to do now, Dragon Tamer?" an Enderman asked.
Rain looked to Patrick and Azura standing at the back of the group. The duo had the unfortunate chance to arrive during the battle, but they had jumped in to help as soon as they could. "If it is possible, we could lie low with our Frostbourne allies."
Patrick nodded. "Your kind helped us greatly with the Undead reign. We welcome you with open arms."
"What if the Nether finds out we're there and attacks?" asked another voice.
"The Nether already attacks Frostbourne territory on a regular basis, especially since Naeus' return," Azura replied. "Having you there likely won't change the frequency of the attacks."
"And remember, its the Ender Watchers they're after," Stella added. "Except for Rain, we are insignificant."
A growl of thunder echoed through the air and the inky clouds rolled across the sky. The threat of the storm was increasing.
"For now, we must take shelter," Rain jumped off the rock. "Then we will make our way to Dreadfort."
<>
Ceris was trying so hard to control her screams of pain, but it was impossible. Blood ran down her skin and her vision was blurry from how many times she had been punched and kicked. She knew Kralos was doing just enough to put her into absolute agony, but not enough to kill her.
The door opened and Hellknight came in, a potion-bottle in hand, blood red liquid inside. "Ah, yes. My pilot told me he had delivered Ceris to you."
Kralos nodded. "Once we get Vordus, King Naeus' orders will be complete."
"Does the King know that there are still more we need to worry about?" Hellknight idly twirled the bottle in the palm of his hand. "There are still a few Enderkins with enough power to fight back. Arch-Enchantress Gwendolyn, Dragon Tamer Rain, and Rogue End Mage Lance--they're all alive and well."
Ceris' eyes widened when she heard Lance was alive. Hellknight smirked at her before continuing. "But who you need to really look out for is the Daughter of the Void."
Kralos' forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Who?"
"Echo. Daughter of Queen Ceris and Lord of the Void Lance. Two blood lines doomed if put together."
"I didn't know they had any children."
Ceris tried to sit up. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, my dear, Ceris," Hellknight took her chin with his hand, forcing her to look up at him. "You seem to be forgetting basic End history. Katrina's prophecy? 'Should the blood of a virgin queen mix with the blood of tainted stars, the result is catastrophic. A child of dangerous blood, the Daughter of the Void, will destroy the empire'," Hellknight shook his head. "My brother seemed to forget that."
Both Ceris and Kralos stared at him. "Lance is your brother?!"
"By blood and blood alone," Hellknight grinned. "Don't worry, Ceris. You'll get to see him soon enough."
He pressed the bottle to her lips as he yanked her head back, forcing the liquid down her throat. The edges of her vision blurred instantly and she fell to her side, head pounding. She heard one more thing before everything went black--Hellknight saying, "Make sure to cut her hood off her sweater so she doesn't get choked by it. I'll deal with everything else."
<>
Lance watched the steady stream of water leaking in from the roof. This temple, although almost identical to the one on the Epic Mountain, was in a state of disrepair from years of neglect and raging storms like the one outside. A loud crack of thunder shook the air, causing the frog to hide in the folds of Lance's cape.
Gwendolyn came in and stood in front of him. "Lance, I think I know what we can do. You might not like it, however."
"What is it?"
"You said you are without any Enderkin powers, correct? What about the ones you locked away within yourself?"
He jumped to his feet, his frog rolling out of the cape with an alarmed croak. "Oh, hell no. I am not letting that...that monster out again." he turned to her. "Wait, how did you even know about that?"
"Things like that don't just disappear with time. It's who you are."
"I refuse," he turned his back to her, staring at the moss-coated wall. "Besides, I don't think I can open that without magic and I'm currently with none."
He felt her gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared, Lance. But if we're going to the End to save Ceris and Zeganirn, you need to be at your full power. And remember, your power doesn't define who you are--you do."
He took in a shaky breath. Gwen was right--he knew she was right. He didn't want to but if it was the only way to save Ceris..."Alright."
He went over to one of the many stone pedestals and placed his book on it. He flipped it open, removed his gloves, then turned back to Gwen. "Gwendolyn, in case I--"
"Relax, Lance. This will be alright."
"Okay." He turned back to his book, drawing a dagger. Without stopping to thing about it, he slashed his palm, pressing his lips together as he tried not to focus on the pain. He heard Gwen gasp, but he didn't have time now to talk to her.
He lifted his hand into the air, closed his eyes, and placed his other hand on his spell book. His heart leapt when he felt the faint pull of magic. He followed it, diving deeper and deeper into himself until he couldn't feel anything externally anymore. He found himself flying past memories and emotions--anything that had left a mark on his soul.
Then Lance found him.
The part he had sealed away hundreds of years ago. He was still suspended there, surrounded by the darkness Lance had left him in. But this time, Lance saw something else: light. With a deep breath, he reached his hand out and touched the Void.
There was faint whisper, "They're coming for you."
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A/N: Another chapter done :) Things are getting violent and rough out here.