These two chapters were my apology for not updating in so long. TwT Enjoy! <3
It was now the day of the war. I was standing on top of the gates looking out at the forest below. There was no sign of Zane yet but that did not stop my searching. Aaron climbed the ladder and walked over to me. "Why are you worrying so much?"
I sighed and leaned against the edge of the wall. "I have no idea. I just have a feeling."
"A feeling of what?" Aaron asked looking out at the forest as well.
"Honestly, I have no clue. It's just a good feeling. Like something is going to happen in my favor for once." I chuckled slightly at the absurdity of what I just said.
"Did Zeke and Zach find those spellbooks you needed?" Aaron looked at me.
I looked at him. "No. But I think I am prepared just enough." I smiled.
Aaron nodded and shifted his gaze somewhere else. Are his cheeks a light shade of pink? "Oh, you are up here!" Aphmau smiled joyfully as she climbed the ladder to find us up here. "So I have a question for you Y/N."
"Go on."
"Are we fighting here or are we going to take the fight somewhere else?"
"I never thought about that." I pondered for a moment. "Cause if we stay here, we run a high risk of Pheonix Drop getting damaged..." I pursed my lips in frustration. Then I threw my hand out and summoned a Shadow. "TB SVAQ ZL OEBGURE NAQ OEVAT UVZ URER. ABJ." (Go find my brother and bring him here. Now.)
The shadow zipped off and returned with my brother 3 minutes later. I sent the Shadow on its way and then faced my brother. "Aphmau mentioned something about holding the battle in a different location for fear of damaging Pheonix Drop. Do you think...?" I trailed off and looked to him with anticipation.
"You really want to hold the battle there?" Jace looked concerned.
I nodded happily. "Every time I leave it, it resets back to its original state unless I command it not to."
"Alright then..." Jace turned away and walked to the edge of the wall on the inside of Pheonix Drop. "I'll go get the necessary ingredients for the spell." Then he jumped off and landed on his feet below.
"Where are we going?" Aaron asked.
"We are going to a dimension created by me used for battle." I took a deep breath. "This will be the first time it'll be used since Irene went into slumber."
Small Time Skip
I stood in front of everyone, to my right was Aph, and to my left was Jace. Everyone includes Aaron, Garroth, Laurence, Lucinda, Dante, Katelyn, Vylad, and a few other able-bodied people. Zane and his army stood behind me, on the other side of the gate. "Everyone knows the plan correct?" They all nodded. "Alright."
Aphmau and I turned around and walked up to the gate. We stopped and waited a few moments before Zane turned around as well. "So my bride will be fighting too..." He trailed off.
I darkly chuckled and closed my eyes. "Again, I am NOT your bride."
"Well, if I win you have to be my bride so... you are my bride."
I summoned my scythe. "But I don't do 'losing'. So get prepared to have your ass kicked." At the sound of my words, Zane motioned something behind him and then soldiers got into stance. "Hos ubi stulti et restitui hodie coepi." When I finished with my spell Zane's men all disappeared. Then Jace finished his spell which teleported Garroth, Vylad, Aphmau, Aaron, Katelyn, Lucinda, Laurene, Zane, him, and I to the dimension.
We were in what appeared to be a giant castle. Zane was nearest to a throne-like structure and the rest of us were all nearest to the door. "This is how you want the fight?" Zane asked. He summoned his large black broadsword and pointed it at us. "So be it."
Jace ran at Zane and I turned back to the rest of the group. I heard the banging of steel behind me but I kept my eyes on the group. "Aphmau I want you to stay back here. No matter what. I don't want him to have an opportunity to hurt you, because he will take it." Aphmau nodded. "Garroth, Vylad." They looked at me. "I want you two to stay here and watch over Aphmau. That way you won't have any way of accidentally freezing up while fighting your brother." They nodded slowly and almost unwillingly. But they understood why they needed to stay back. "Lucinda, I need you to use any spell you can without hitting one of us, unless it's a helpful spell, alright?" She nodded. "Aaron, Katelyn, and Laurence." They tore their eyes off the battle behind me and looked at me. "Whenever someone isn't fighting Zane and you feel like you can, go for it." They nodded.
Aphmau's POV
After Y/N told them to, Garroth stood on my right with Vylad on my left. Then Y/N turned around just in time to see Zane kick Jace into a pillar. "GAH!" Jace yelled. He got onto his hands and knees then collapsed.
"JACE!" Y/N yelled and ran to Jace. Katelyn ran up to Zane next. Their swords collided and Katelyn managed to kick Zane pushing him back a little. However, Zane ran back toward Katelyn and their swords collided again. I looked to Y/N and Jace to see them rushing toward us with Jace's arm around Y/N's shoulders. Y/N set Jace on the ground near the entrance and knelt down in front of him. She was carefully tending to his wounds. Then I turned back to the fight.
Zane pushed Katelyn away from him and then kicked her back towards us. She slid on the balls of her feet and landed in front of us. Laurence rushed in after Katelyn and got locked in a deadlock with Zane. I turned to see how Jace was doing but all I saw was the end of a teleportation spell. "Where did you teleport him?!" I had to yell over the sounds of the battle.
"Back to the Sun Plane!" N/N yelled back. I turned to the battle to see the state of it. Laurence had been pushed far away from Zane and Lucinda had stepped up next. She and Zane were taking turns, Lucinda would fire a spell at him and he would either dodge or parry it with his sword, which had to be enchanted to do that. After a few rounds of that going back a forth, Zane slashed his sword and Lucinda jumped back but then held her arm. She stepped back until she hit a pillar. Then Lucinda slowly sat down and removed her hand to reveal a large, red, gash in her arm.
Y/N must have decided it was her turn because she ran at Zane with a fury. It only took her like 3 seconds to run from one side of the huge room to the other. And before I knew it, she was locked in a deadlock with Zane. Her scythe was now her sword. The room went silent as they were stuck like that. Y/N stared at Zane and he stared back. He then whispered something which made her freeze. Zane slashed at her leg. She didn't move to react, and he cut a very large and deep gash in her leg. Y/N yelped out in pain and then swung her sword at him again.
As their swords finally slammed into one another, a pulse of raw power was sent out into the air. We all braced for the pulse to hit us and it pushed all of us away from the pair like a gust of wind. "NO!" Y/N suddenly yelled. Her voice sounded deep and what I imagine being demonic. "I DARED YOU TO DO THAT AGAIN! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT THE RESULT WAS AND I WILL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER LIVE TO SEE IT! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!" From what I could tell, Y/N was taken over by complete rage. It didn't feel like it was her fighting Zane anymore. It felt different... more... powerful... and graceful...
"JUST REMEMBER IT WILL FOREVER TIE YOU TO ME!" Zane cackled as he finished. What was he talking about? What would forever tie Y/N to him?
"GRAAH!" Y/N shouted out of anger. They hit steel to steel then got caught in a deadlock once again. This time he kicked her in her side sending her flying into another pillar. She hit it and then collapsed to the ground with a thud. Y/N tried to push herself up but she barely had enough strength to push herself to her knees. Her sword dissipated and Y/N clutched her stomach, whispering something to herself.
Zane turned towards Y/N and was about to rush at her but Laurence rushed back in and sliced his sword through the air. It was just about to hit Zane when he blocked it. Zane pushed Laurence away and then lunged at him. They hit steel to steel for about 5 minutes before getting caught in a deadlock. Laurence kicked Zane in the gut causing Zane to double-over. But Zane quickly stood and parried Laurence's swing at him. Laurence swung at Zane once more but Zane parried and caught him in a deadlock. Then Zane pushed against Laurence and kicked him into a wall far away from any of the rest of us. His head smashed against the wall and then Laurence fell to the floor. He didn't try to get up.
(These next few paragraphs are most definitely NOT inspired by any games that were produced by Michela Laws... *COUGH*Seduce Me 2*COUGH*)
Aaron rushed in next. His sword slammed into Zane's and they immediately got caught in a deadlock. As they were attacking each other, I looked toward Y/N to see her standing and still holding her stomach. I turned back to the fight to see Aaron slashed his sword at Zane. Zane parried in the nick of time and remained unharmed. Lucinda cast a spell at Zane and Zane countered her spell attack, then Aaron stabbed Zane straight through the back. The room went silent and Zane froze. He looked down at the sword protruding from his stomach.
Suddenly Y/N cried out, "NO! HE'S MINE!" Aaron quickly retracted his sword, at the sound of Y/N's voice. Y/N ran up toward Zane summoning her sword again. Zane slowly collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud. Y/N stood above him, one leg on either side of Zane's body. And then stabbed him twice in the heart. "THOSE WERE FOR MY PARENTS!" And then a third time in the side of the head. "FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" Y/N sat down on Zane's stomach, shortening her sword into a dagger. Zane by now was definitely dead, but that didn't stop her from stabbing him a numerous amount of times. "AND FOR EVERY OTHER LIFE YOU TOOK FROM THIS WORLD!" I don't even know how many times she stabbed him. I lost count after about 30...
"Y/N! ENOUGH!" Katelyn pulled her off of Zane and towards the door.
"UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT! HE DESERVES IT SO UNHAND ME!" Y/N flailed and struggled against Katelyn's grip. She continued to struggle and yell until Aaron came and picked her up off the ground like a bride. She continued to flail about but Aaron's grip was much stronger than Katelyn's. Once Y/N realized she wouldn't be able to escape, she stopped kicking and struggling. Her adrenaline clearly running out.
Aaron set her down by the door and lightly held her shoulders. "Calm down." I joined him in calming Y/N down as Garroth and Vyald went to help Lucinda and Laurence. Katelyn was dealing with Zane's body.
"Shidi," She whispered softly. They had a silent conversation before Shidi disappeared.
Trying to get her mind off of what was going on, I asked, "What did you ask her to do?"
"She went to get Jace." Y/N held her stomach again and then winced. "My leg..." Aaron and I both looked down to see what she was talking about and then the memory flashed through my mind.
"That's a pretty deep gash he gave you. We're gonna need-"
"Here." Aaron took off his bandanna and wrapped it around Y/N's leg. She winced and hissed slightly but nothing more.
A few seconds later, Shidi arrived with Jace and then she disappeared again. Jace gripped his head slightly and then focused on Y/N. "Sis!" He hurried over, as fast as he could, and then collapsed next to her. He held her cheeks lightly and then asked, "Are you guys ok?"
She nodded. "Yeah. We're fine."
"Well... mostly fine anyway..." Lucinda, Vylad, Garroth walked over. However, Lucinda was carrying Laurence with her magic. Lucinda's arm was now wrapped and all of Laurence's wounds were wrapped too.
"Does anyone else have wounds that need to be dealt with?" Vylad asked. We all shook our heads. "Good."
"LUCINDA!" Katelyn called out.
"I CAN'T!" Lucinda yelled back like she knew what Katelyn was asking.
"I'll help with that." Jace stood up and walked over to Katelyn. Then he picked Zane up and threw him over his shoulder like a rag doll. Katelyn picked up Zane's sword and followed.
Aaron pulled Y/N's attention away from Zane and towards him to prevent her from doing anything. As Jace and Katelyn reached the door, Jace opened up a portal back to Earth. He threw Zane's body through the portal and then Katelyn walked through. Aaron picked up Y/N again and walked through the portal with her in his arms. Lucinda walked through next, a floating Laurence following close behind, and then Vylad and Garroth. Finally, I walked through with Jace.
Aaron walked far away from the opening and set Y/N on the ground a great distance from Zane. He even had her back turned to him so all she could see was Aaron and the scene behind him. Katelyn was digging out the valuables from Zane's pockets and Jace was closing the portal. Lucinda had set Laurence down and she and Vylad were tending to his wounds. Garroth walked up to me. "Are you alright?" he asked.
I hesitantly nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I am..."
The 'war' was over...
Y/N's permanent solution worked...
Now, all that was left do...
was to let Y/N calm down...
and then question her...
as to what could possibly tie her...
to Zane...
forever...