It doesn’t take me long until I sense the presence of a soul. It’s weak, but it is there.

  "C'mon, dig here," I say, drooping to the ground.

  Together, Clarence, Terra, and I begin digging until they unearth something. A child's skull, with much of the dome missing.

  "How horrible. I can only imagine how scared she must have been," Seraphine murmurs, her expression sour as she gazes upon the spirit that now stands before them.

  I hold out a tentative hand towards the young spirit. "Hey there," I begin, trying my best to soften my voice, "we're here to bring you to your friend, the Twisted Guardian. She's really worried about y-"

  "You know her name!" The girl screams, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why are you calling her that?"

  I blink, taken aback. "What? I'm not sure-" I begin to say, but I'm cut off by another shrill scream from the girl.

  "I'm not going with YOU! You're mean!" The girl declares, turning away from me and crossing her arms in defiance.

  "Hey, your friend sent us to come and get you. She really wants to see you," I explain, trying to keep my tone calm, but it is clear that this is not enough to sway the spirit.

  "Valor would never send someone like you to come and get me! I know that's a load of baloney," the girl snips back, so certain in her conviction that even I begin to doubt my own intentions.

  A vein throbs on my forehead as I try to suppress my irritation, reaching for the incorporeal form of the child.

  Before I can grasp the spirit, however, Terra places himself between us. "I'm sorry about my friend," he says gently. "If you don't want to go with her, how about you go with me? I can take you to Valor."

  The girl looks at him warily, her eyes flicking between the two of us . After a moment of deliberation, she takes Terra's outstretched hand. "Well...I guess you're a little better..."

  As we begin to walk back through the forest, the girl glances behind them several times. "Aren't we going to get everyone else?" she asks, her voice tinged with worry.

  I glance behind us too, but there is nothing.

  "There are no more spirits around here. Whoever was left behind has already passed on."

  This only causes her to scoff at my words. "What would you know?!"

  Just what did I do to piss this little girl off so much?...

  As we move through the underbrush, the girl begins to skip alongside Terra, trying her best to coax him into joining her playful dance. She eventually stops, and looks up at him. "Where's all your armor at? You normally have a lot of armor on, mister."

  "Hey, what is she talking about?" Clarence whispers to me. "She doesn't know Terra, right? Why’s she saying that?"

  "Sometimes old souls can become...confused. She thinks she's still alive, or she's reliving some sort of memory. It’s likely that Terra reminds her of someone she knew in life."

  No sooner do I say this, and the girl spins around to glare at me, yelling, "Shut up over there!"

  Suppressing the urge to exorcise the spirit, I grit my teeth as Terra takes charge of the situation.

  "Well, I forgot my armor at home," Terra lies, his tone light and jovial. "But don't worry. I've got another set right here!" A moment later, a suit of icy armor encases Terra’s frame. This causes the spirit's eyes to grow wide in awe, and she begins to jump up and down gleefully. "See? If any bad guys come then I’ll be ready to fight, so you don’t have to worry about anything."

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  At his words, the young girl giggles happily.

  "Good," she says brightly. "But I forgot my basket! How are we going to hold all the fruit?..."

  Terra simply grins and scoops the girl up into his arms. "Well, I'll use my big arms, of course!" he declares, eliciting another delighted shriek from the spirit.

  As we reach the clearing where the Twisted Dryad awaits us, the girl leaps from Terra's arms to embrace the monster, crying out to her, "Valor!"

  Valoria holds her tight, a smile on her ashen face as she whispers, "That's right, Ann. I'm here."

  "Valor, can we go home now?" Ann asks, eyes full of hope. The two embrace for what seems like an eternity before Valoria gently sets her down.

  "I'm afraid not, but these kind people can help you get home. Go to them, and close your eyes extra tight. If you can do that, then you'll certainly see me back at home." Valoria sets Ann down with a smile, and the girl is obviously reluctant to leave, but she eventually nods.

  Ann returns to us, and clamps her eyes shut.

  Valoria holds a hand out to me now, and smiles.

  "Are you prepared for your reward, Clara?" Valoria asks, her words tinged with an emotion unknown to everyone present.

  But I alone recognize it.

  Acceptance.

  A strong gust of wind pulls me forward, and my body tenses as I brace for impact.

  "Forced activation: Aetheric Needles, Aetheric blade," the Guardian chants the spell faster than I can react.

  I try to dig my heels into the ground, I try to divert the spell, but to my surprise, no harm comes to me. Instead, a blade appears in my hand, and it pierces Valoria's chest, running her through cleanly. I frantically try to cancel the spell, but it won’t stop.

  "What are you doing!?" I scream out, my hand sinking deeper into the Guardian's chest.

  "You thought I’d shown you all my tricks in that dream, did you? Foolish girl... What was that spell of yours again? Oh yes, I think you called it... Animasculus Excidium."

  As Valoria mutters these words, her body becomes encased in a vibrant shade of green mana, and her sickly black eyes begin to glow that same green over the surrounding area.

  Panic surges within me; I can’t free myself no matter how hard I try.

  Mana rages forth from Valoria's core, threatening to explode at any moment, and then she declares, "I will not die as Valoria, the Twisted Guardian. Instead, I choose to live as Valor, dryad of the Whispering Forest."

  One of Valoria's hands grabs hold of Sensia, while her other one claws at my chest. "I burn half my soul to undo this withering, and the remaining half to deny Death this treasure!"

  Sensia's body trembles as magic fills him, and I scream in pain as my chest burns. Desperate, I look back to Terra, but he is pinned to the ground by layers upon layers of wind magic. Clarence is right next to him, and they’re giving their all just not to be crushed under the weight of the wind. I see a stray ball of fire from Clarence shoot out of the side, and connect with a nearby tree. It instantly goes up in flames, and spreads to all the nearby trees too.

  I raise a hand, trying to pry the Guardian's hand away as I choke for breath. "What are you?..."

  "I forfeit my role as a Denizen of Darkness, and I relinquish you of this mark!" As she says this, she pulls her hand away.

  My chest sears with a brand new wound. Four deep, bloody gashes claw their way through the mark of Death on my chest, smearing the insignia. I hold a hand over the bloodied wound, and watch as Valoria's body begins to dissipate rapidly.

  What remains of her soul is little more than ashes now.

  "Crowsong, did you know? I used to be a dryad myself. I am meeting my end because of you. This should allow you to reach your second requiem, no?..."

  "I-I don’t understand, why did you-"

  "It was always my dream to find a new forest, one lush with life, one that grows plenty of berries for my friends. One that is free of evil, and one that only knows good. A place where Ann and I can spend an eternity free of pain. The Grand Tree will fall soon, and when it does, please, replant it in a place where this evil cannot reach." Valoria’s eyes begin to drift close, and a small voice cries out to her.

  "Valor!"

  Ann runs to Valor, embracing her tightly. This only causes Valor to let out a weak chuckle, but she is unable to embrace Ann now. "It's okay, Ann. Go with these people, they will help you. They'll help you find your way home... They… they will…help…" Valor falls deathly quiet as she drifts away. The last vestige of her soul burns away. Her heart beats one last time, and then it stops.

  And then all that can be heard is Ann’s cries.