Anila Tufani is a hero to her people. Even during our enslavement, she gave us hope. Reminded us of our elven pride. Kept us going through the worst of it all. Though she’d hate to hear me say so, I firmly believe her to be an example we should all strive towards.

  -Elder Feno when asked about Anila

  “MOM!!!” Aria screamed louder than she ever had in her life.

  “Ar...ia…” Anila choked out as she coughed up blood.

  Her mother grit her bloodied teeth before looking back to glare at Arawn with both anger and bewilderment, “How… in the void… are you… still alive?!”

  Arawn’s disfigured and burnt body had begun mending itself with a healing Art, flames sprouting and burning away his injuries with lethargic speed. Despite that, he still managed a gruesome grin with what remained of his lips and gasped through labored, ragged breaths, “Just as you used… a last resort… so too did I… have to use mine..!”

  One of his hands, which was missing several fingers, tapped at the still intact jewel on his melted and distorted chestplate. The jewel glowed an almost white glow, but with a blue outline.

  “At the cost of… any further… adaptation,” Arawn seemed almost delirious as he explained with demented glee, “provided my foe… has at least two affinities… I can take… the progress already made… and have the Sentient Armor… run a simulation… of what the Etherean’s two affinities… combined would be… And then use the result… to hopefully negate it…”

  Arawn began to wheeze out a painful laugh, “Though… as you can see… unless the armor has fully adapted to BOTH affinities… the resulting simulated element defended against… won’t be one hundred percent accurate. Even with your Wind fully adapted against… your Fire at 75% resistance… and with my… fleeing as far as I could… when I realized I couldn’t stop your Arts… the end result was not perfect…”

  He grit his teeth and pushed his sword in deeper into Anila. She choked out more blood, and Aria cried out once more, “MOM!!!”

  “However!” Arawn roared, “though imperfect… and with the distance I gained… by fleeing... the simulation gave me just enough resistance… to survive the Etheric Fusion explosion! And now… I’ve won!”

  Aria lunged for Arawn, drawing her sword to try and finish the Shadow off. However, even looking more dead than alive, he still managed to throw a fireball Art her way. And it was still powerful enough to send her flying back as it exploded, doing a startling amount of damage despite the Shadow’s heavily weakened, near death state.

  Arawn growled, before roaring like a beast as his healing flame Art slowed, “ARGH! Damn it, you knife eared whelp! Wait your turn! I will get to you…. after I finish off your mother!”

  He pushed the blade a little further in to emphasize his point. Anila coughed up more blood.

  “NO!” Aria cried out, trying to stand but collapsing to the floor from her injuries.

  Damn it! No! NO! Hurry up and heal yourself! Aria reprimanded herself.

  She began to utter a healing Wind Art as quick as she could. In her panic, she messed up the Invocation. The building Ether faded. The power she’d put into it wasted.

  COME ON! Aria mentally screamed as she began again.

  Arawn returned his attention to Anila, “You can feel it, can you not?! My Sentient Weapon is rapidly draining whatever Ether you have left in your Capacity! You won’t be able to heal yourself or fight back. You’re finished!”

  He then shot a wicked grin at Aria, “Don’t worry, you won’t be alone for very long. Because once I’m done with you, she’s next.”

  Anila grit her bloodied teeth as she moved her hands to try and grip the damaged blade protruding from her chest.

  “Oh? What’s this?! Trying to put up some last futile resistance?!” Arawn howled with laughter.

  He stopped laughing, however, as Anila gripped the blade in between her palms, opened her mouth, and BREATHED.

  Arawn could FEEL the suction of Ether from the air around him, the overabundance of energy humming in the air seeming as eager to fill Anila’s Capacity as it was currently doing for Arawn and his sword and armor.

  The Shadow’s eyes widened as he felt through his Sentient sword that Anila was taking in Ether at a slightly faster rate than his blade was absorbing from her.

  “You… you really are a monster!” Arawn cackled, “I admit it! Truly you were the First Champion’s arch-nemesis!”

  Arawn then began to try and saw his blade back and forth to worsen Anila’s wound and interrupt her taking in of the power. Anila was only barely managing to slow his movements, as she had to maintain an impeccable balance of taking in as much Ether as she could, while also empowering her strength enough to halt Arawn’s blade, all while said weapon was greedily drinking away at the Ether in her Capacity.

  The only reason she was able to manage this at all was due to her centuries of training against the slave collars.

  By this point, Aria managed to cast a healing Art on herself. She could feel her wounds healing, but she was neither her mother nor Arawn, so her injuries healed nowhere near as fast.

  She began to Cast another healing Art, this time, directed at her mother. As she finished casting it, she saw Anila regain a bit of strength, as she now managed to completely hold Arawn’s blade in place.

  All this did however was return them to their stalemate, with Anila only having the slight advantage of refilling her Capacity a bit faster than Arawn’s blade could absorb.

  The Shadow growled like a rabid animal, but then suddenly began to cackle, saying, “It doesn’t matter what you do! Even if you manage to escape and kill me, other Shadows will soon be on their way! Not even you, Anila Tufani, can recover quickly enough to fight more of them!”

  He then added, “Besides, we both know you won’t manage to escape before they arrive! You can’t outpace my blade’s Ether absorption enough to do so! And the more Ether I absorb from both you and the environment, the more I can fuel the output of my healing Art! Even if you had the time to outlast this stalemate, you’d just have to battle me all over again!”

  Anila closed her eyes tightly. She knew Arawn was right. Though she was outpacing him, it was too slow. The Shadow wasn’t even trying to outright kill her at this point. He was simply buying time. Both for reinforcements, and for his own healing Art to finish its work. The more he healed, the more of his strength was restored, forcing Anila to increase the output of her strengthening and accelerating the rate at which she lost Ether.

  She turned to her daughter, and choked out in Elvish to keep Arawn from understanding her words, “Aria… run!”

  Aria’s eyes widened. Her lip quivered as she began to shake her head.

  “Please!” Anila pleaded as she used a minuscule amount of Ether to use a small Art, and even that tiny bit had nearly lost her the stalemate.

  Winds swirled around Anila’s neck, pulling out a wooden medallion so white it seemed to glow. The air currents brought the medallion to Aria, who caught it with surprise. She looked back to her mother, and began to shake her head even more emphatically now, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, “No! NO!!! I won’t leave you!!!”

  “Oh, Aria…” Anila’s own tears began to flow, “you must. You know… what’s at stake!”

  Aria simply shut her eyes tight, holding her head between her hands and shaking it back and forth, “NO! NO!!! We were supposed to go together! That’s what you promised me!”

  Those words broke Anila’s heart, and she said with sorrow in her voice, “I know… forgive me, Aria… for being unable to keep it.”

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  “Why are you giving up?!” Aria shouted as she stomped her feet like a petulant child, “you can overpower him! I know you can! You can do anything!!!”

  Anila could only smile at her daughter’s naivety. “Aria!” she said forcefully, blood flying from her lips, “look at me!”

  Aria reluctantly opened her eyes, and she saw the strain and weakness on her mother’s face. She began to cry even harder as the realization began to sink in. Yet still, she denied it, shaking her head even more furiously as she grabbed her sword.

  I know you so well, my precious daughter, Anila thought with a sorrowful, yet loving expression, You are just like me. I know you won’t ever leave me, even at my request. Even as you yourself know it is what must be done.

  As the excess Ether in the air thinned out, both due to Anila and Arawn absorbing vast amounts of it and it naturally spreading and dispersing, Anila was able to reach out her Ether senses towards Ignis, and could now barely sense the powerful signatures of what could only be surviving Shadows.

  It is because I know you won’t leave me, Aria, that I must force you to! Forgive me… Anila’s thoughts were interrupted as another two Shadows arrived at the scene.

  NO! Winds, not now! she cursed. The over abundance of Ether having caused her to miscalculate the distance.

  “About time you imbeciles!!!” Arawn bellowed, “one of you help me finish this one off! The other can go kill the knife eared brat!”

  Anila saw that, even with this turn for the worst, Aria was still unwilling to leave her. Anila looked up into the sky pleading, and prayed, Maker… forgive me, for I know now it was my giving in to my rage and resentment that led to this. I pray to You now, help me save my daughter! Give me strength this final time. And I beg of You, guide Aria in my place...

  An inexplicable peace filled her, as though in answer. She smiled, Thank you...

  Anila brought her head down and focused. The rate at which she was taking in Ether suddenly began to accelerate. Arawn’s grin melted, and he began to panic once more, “What are you doing?! No… how?! How are you doing this?!”

  He tried to once more saw his blade back and forth, but Anila held the blade completely in place. He was unable to move it even a centimeter. Even the other two Shadows were caught by surprise, turning to face her.

  With the blade still absorbing and interrupting her flow of Ether, Anila couldn’t cast any of her usual combative Arts. Any expenditure would cause her to lose strength, winning for Arawn the stalemate. So instead, she focused inward.

  Having faith in her prayer, she attempted something she’d never been able to do before. She separated the Ether within her into two sections, converting one into her Wind affinity, and the other into her Inverted Fire affinity. Only instead of attempting to gently mix the two, a feat that was impossible with the blade in her chest greedily absorbing and interrupting the flow of her Ether, she forcefully began to crash them against once another within her own body.

  Anila’s form began to glow brightly and intensely.

  The process had begun, and as such, she had gone past the point of no return.

  Arawn’s eyes widened, as he recognized what was about to happen. He desperately tried to pull his scimitar from her body, but Anila still held it in place. So, Arawn let go of his blade, and ran as best he could with most of his body still disfigured and injured. One of the Shadows joined him in his flight, while the other tried to lunge for her to stop her.

  “Mom?!” Aria cried out, her eyes widening at the glow emitting from her mother’s body.

  Anila gave Aria a final look. A warm smile, filled with pride and love for her daughter. Her lips moved as she uttered her final words. Then, a burst of wind from her wrapped around Aria and whisked her away, pushing her into the air and away from the area.

  The Shadow that had lunged for her plunged their sword straight into Anila’s chest, right where her heart should be.

  Aria reached out a hand and cried out in despair, “MOOOOOOOM!!!!”

  The last thing Aria saw before another bright flash forced her to shut her eyes was her mother’s loving and proud expression. The resulting Etheric Fusion explosion echoed throughout the area, despite being far weaker and smaller than the previous one.

  Aria’s own cries were muted by the explosion as the Wind Art did the last bidding of its master and carried her into the distance, the force of the blast carrying her even further.

  Her mother’s last words to her had been, “I love you, Aria. Now and forever. This is not the end. May we see each other again in the resurrection.”

  ***

  Another flash and boom in the distance made Galen and his guards freeze in place. Moments after, a gust of wind blew past them, causing their clothes and his cape to billow wildly.

  “Another one?!” the captain of the guards cried out in alarm.

  Galen mentally reached out to his sword, Redian, was that…

  “Yeah, boss. This one was way smaller than the last one, but that was definitely another Etheric Fusion explosion,” the Sentient sword confirmed.

  He gulped, but he could say or think anything else, he felt something small and wet hit the top of his head. He blinked as another drop hit his head. And another.

  Then, it began to rain.

  He looked up in surprise at what was apparently rare weather for this Realm. He frowned. He didn’t know why, but he felt a profound sense of… loss from the rain. It was inexplicable, yet it was there.

  “Voiding weather! It chooses now of all times,” the captain muttered irritably, his eyes still wide with alarm.

  He ushered Galen to keep moving, and with reluctance, he followed along, feeling an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

  ***

  Aria likely would have broken many bones when she hit the ground were it not for her mother’s last Art protecting her. The wind cage absorbed the force of the impact, allowing Aria to float along the ground before gently coming to a stop.

  She gazed blankly up into the sky, her eyes were wide with shock, still unable to comprehend what just happened, the loss yet to sink in. However, when the wind cage began to disperse, and the last vestiges of her mother’s familiar and comforting Ether began to fade, her eyes widened further.

  “Ah… AH!” Aria vainly reached out, her expression twisting into despair as she tried to prevent the winds and her mother’s Ether from fading, “no… DON’T LEAVE ME!!!”

  In spite of her plea, the last remnants of her mother faded, leaving Aria well and truly alone.

  “Ah… Ahhh…” Aria’s eyes began to well up with tears as they cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall, “AHHHHHHH!!!!”

  She covered her face with her hands as she let out a wail of complete and utter sorrow that reached all the way to the heavens.

  She turned on her side, hugging herself and curling into a fetal position as the full weight of her loss crushed her.

  Anila Tufani was dead.

  Her mother was gone.

  Never again would Aria see her. Never again could she take comfort in her presence, or seek her guidance. Never again could she hear Anila sing their people’s lullabies to her.

  Her mother had been her entire world…

  And now she was gone.

  She let out another wail of agony, as she put her hands to her ears and shut her eyes, trying to cut herself off from the world. She didn’t even register the rain that had begun to fall, as though the heavens themselves were grieving along with her.

  Aria had never before wished so badly to die.

  “Mom! MOM!!!” Aria cried out desperately for her mother, her cries eventually devolving into whimpers, “Mom…”

  She didn’t know how long she laid there crying, simply wishing for her life to end as she recalled every memory she had of Anila. Her despair and grief began to suffocate her.

  After Maker only knows how long, Aria had become so consumed in that darkness that she’d begun reaching for her sword. She drew it slowly and lethargically, her blue eyes dark, dim, and lifeless.

  Her will to live gone.

  When she moved her other hand to grip the blade, she realized she’d been unconsciously clutching onto something in a death grip. She looked down, and saw something so white that it seemed to glow, piercing the darkness choking her soul and forcing it to recede a bit.

  The Astridian Medallion… Aria recalled, her eyes regaining some light.

  It was the last thing her mother left her. The medallion made from the Sacred Astrid Tree centuries ago. An item meant to act as a guide through the Void Sea.

  Aria knew the message her mother tried to pass in giving her the medallion.

  “It’s up to you, now, my daughter,” Aria could almost hear her mother’s voice as a gust of wind passed through.

  Perhaps it had been her imagination, caused by knowing her mother so well that she knew that was exactly what she’d say. Perhaps it had been a last encouraging message her mother gave her, carried by the winds to reach her now.

  Whatever the reason, it returned light to Aria’s eyes, and restored some of her will to live. That’s right, Aria thought as she stood up on weak, shaky legs, feeling as though the weight of all the Realms was crushing her, I still have a mission I need to complete. Mom’s last will. I need to get to Vindanna…

  She gave a sorrowful look in the direction she’d come from, I’ll do my best, Mom. I’ll find a way to trek the Void Sea and make it to our ancestral Realm. I’ll warn our people to prepare just as we set out to do.

  Then, she slowly began to move, tears still streaking down her face. Each step was a titanic battle between her desire to die and will to live.

  The rain continued to pour with escalating intensity, mirroring the feelings in Aria’s heart as the heavens themselves grieved with her, weeping for The Fallen Hero.

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