"But you forgot something!" Elard called from the tower on the part of the Wall where the demon stood.
"Hah, and what are you... Where did you get that?" the demon turned and saw Elard holding the dark artefact.
"Disappearing from your blunt sight for a moment was enough to get it," Elard laughed.
"Um... but you forgot something too. All the Dark Ones are under my control," the demon moved his hand and fatigue struck Elard, he knelt on the ground, while still holding the artefact in his hands.
"Elard! Put down the artefact! It holds control over you, not that demon!" Caden shouted.
"Yes, Elard, put out the artefact, and you can throw it to me right away!" the demon laughed.
"Stephan, do something!" Merill called.
"Don't you see that damn ice wall?!"
Caden glanced at Cassandra and Elard.
"I can handle myself, you idiot, help Elard!" Cassandra shouted while climbing the ice barrier with her swords.
Caden ran and jumped to the southern side of the Wall.
"Hah, what are you going to do now?!" the demon shouted.
"I don't know, maybe..." Caden ran under the feet of the demon and stabbed him with his sword to his heel. But then the demon struck him with his elbow. Caden flew through the air and landed on Elard, the artefact rolled to the other side of the tower.
"Ah... What happened?" Elard shook his head.
Caden grabbed Elard's sword, without answer, jumped, and stabbed the demon's back.
Finally, Cassandra managed to climb up. She began to chop into the demon with her swords, but then she was hit. Caden stopped her in the air with his power and placed her on the other side of the Wall, but at that moment the demon dropped him from his back on the ground.
"Hey! You monster!" Elard shouted.
"What do you want again?"
"Say goodbye to the artefact!" Elard knelt near the artefact with a dagger in his hand.
"Haha, you fool. Do you think destroying an artefact is so easy!? It is connected with your soul, you touched it and survived. Moreover, you can't destroy two artefacts so close and soon after each other," the demon proclaimed.
"Is it connected with you, but with my soul too?" Elard said.
"Hah, what do you mean, fool?" the demon stared at him.
"I hope it will worth it..." Elard reached out with a dagger and thrust it into his chest.
"No!" the demon tried to crawl to the tower in painful cramps. But he fell on the ground.
Stephan threw his sword to Caden, and he thrust it into the demon's head, right between his eyes. The demon changed to dust that had returned to the artefact.
The Dark One's attack slowly subsided until their army finally withdrew.
Caden rushed to the tower to Elard.
"What have you done, you idiot?!" Caden shouted.
"I saved... Your world..." Elard gasped for the last time.
"Rest in peace, thank you," Caden closed his eyes.
Elard also turned into dust that disappeared into the artefact.
Everyone was relieved of exhaustion.
"Don't touch it!" Cassandra shouted on Caden, who was about to lift the artefact.
"It's over, calm down," Caden smiled.
Cassandra threw her cloak to Caden, Caden took the artefact and wrapped it into the cloak.
"You idiot! I threw the cloak to you so you didn't have to touch it!" Cassandra shouted.
"Do you really think it would help?" Caden smiled.
"What are we going to do now?" Merill and Stephan climbed the tower.
"Nothing!" there was a word from the Wall, everyone looked down. General Jedar with a few wardens stood on the Wall.
Caden's group walked down to meet him. The two groups stared at each other suspiciously. General Jedar interrupted this tense silence by saying, "Caden Snead, as the high warden of the Mage Watch, I am pardoning you and all members of your group of all charges of crimes, whether or not rightful, now you're free. Just give us the artefact."
Caden hesitated for a moment, he did not believe it, but he also had already witnessed the general's accomplished promise, he gave him the artefact.
The two groups broke up, Caden and the others went down from the Wall.
"Uh... And what are we going to do now?" Cassandra asked.
"We have to find others from the battle for the castle if someone survived," Caden replied.
"Mr Snead! This decree will give you freedom," the warden ran to them.
"Great, so we'll have to show it to every warden we'll find?" Cassandra was angry.
"No, my lady, it's just to be sure. Being a mage is no longer illegal," the warden said and ran away.
"Isn't it? And since when?" Cassandra asked Caden.
"How should I know? Maybe from today," Caden replied.
The wardens provided the group with horses, afterwards, they went to the castle, where they took their last defiance against the wardens.
"What happened here...?" Stephan looked in horror at the dark landscape around the ruins of the castle.
"Excuse me, what happened here?" Cassandra asked a warden in encampment nearby.
"Um... You don't know? You are er..."
"Dark elf?" Stephan said.
"Well, yes. I thought they were all here..." the warden said uncertainly.
"So someone survived?" Caden asked.
"Yes, that battle was pure madness, but general Jedar managed to save quite a few of your race, and also the mages..." the warden explained.
"Save?" Caden wondered.
"Of course. How else would you call it when someone prevents a horde of demons from eating you?" the warden laughed.
"And where are they now?" Caden said.
"Most of them are in a nearby town to the southwest, Terrville it is called. If you'll excuse me, I have to go back to my work," the warden replied.
"Thank you," Cassandra bowed, and the group went in that direction.
They finally reached the town.
The guards inspected the document and let them in. The group entered the city and started searching for friends. And as it happens, they found them in the pub.
"Caden...?"
"Amelia!"
Amelia plunged into Caden's arms.
"Where are the others?" Caden asked.
"The survivors are in somewhere around the town," Amelia replied.
"What happened?" Merill asked.
"Come..." Amelia led the group into the room.
"I can't believe you're alive," Amelia was smiling.
"Where are the others?" Caden asked again.
"Ah, sure... others. El works here, she arranges supplies, she went to the market. Everyone got something better here. You'll find others all over town," Amelia explained with a sad voice.
"Fine, I'm... I'm glad you're okay," Caden replied.
"Me too," Amelia smiled.
Stephan interrupted the moment, "Um, uh... Shouldn't we...?"
"Ah, sure, let's go," Caden nodded.
The group went out.
They met El in front of the pub, she was staring in disbelief for a moment, then she dropped the food baskets and rushed into Merill's arms.
"How did you survive?" El asked.
"That's a long time story..." Merill replied.
"You definitely want to relax, but there's no room in the pub anymore..."
"It doesn't matter, we're camping outside the town," Caden said, and went in that direction.
The group and El went after him. Along the way, they came to buy tents and supplies for the money that El had provided. But she did not go to the gate with them, she urged that she needs to go back to Amelia. When they came out, they showed up the document again.
They were camping near the creek. It was getting dark, and they were all tired, so they went to sleep. But Caden was sleeping much worse than the others, nightmares were infesting his mind...
"Caden..." there was a male voice heard. Alger appeared on the clear white ground before Caden.
"Father? We finally did it, the mages are free!" Caden said.
"Do you really think so?"
An image appeared before Caden, a vision of what had happened after the tower was destroyed.
There was a terrible scream heard. Almost nothing could be seen through the violet mist. After a while, the mist fell down. Mages were paralyzed by that mist, they were lying still on the ground, able only to scream in pain. The dark elves were helplessly running around them, trying to help them, but without results. Strange creatures came out of the fallen tower.
"Archers! Send those monsters back where they came from!" general Jedar called, "Fire!" was heard from his commanders.
The volley of arrows did not do much damage. Violet monsters ignored mages and dark elves completely and continued to Jedar's army. The soldiers took a defensive line in front of their general.
"Attack!" the soldiers rushed against the monsters.
The priest approached the general. "General, the mages have opened the gate for demons."
"I noticed that, thanks," Jedar replied.
"Uh... I mean, the gate won't close while they're... Ehm... alive."
"Are you telling me to break the codex, and start killing people that are unable to defend themselves?" Jedar asked.
"Um... General, I'll tell you clearly for someone who knows nothing about magic. The gate will be open as long as the mages are alive. So, as long as they live, the armies of those monsters will flow here, and your army, undoubtedly strong, but not infinite, cannot last forever," the priest explained.
The general thought for a while and looked at his dying soldiers. "Kill those mages..." Jedar whispered.
"Excuse me, please?" the priest smiled gloomily.
"Kill... Those... mages!"
"Just so they won't think I gave the order," with a wide smile, the priest replied.
"Archers! Fire on the mages!" the commanders shouted.
Arrows hurled into the bodies of motionless mages who could do nothing but accept their cruel fate.
"No... That's not true, nothing like that!" Caden screamed.
Monsters from the tower began to die in pain and fall on the ground. The gate was closed.
"Enough!" general Jedar shouted.
Some of the mages survived. Amongst the survivors was Amelia with El.
The vision disappeared.
Suddenly a group of people stood around Caden.
"This is just a fraction of those who put their lives for justice," Alger said. "And you'll throw it all away? I gave my life for you. And you surrendered? After all, what they've done to you?! Because of what?" Alger threw a document from the wardens before Caden.
"They said the war was over..." Caden defended himself.
"Hah... Really? And with what result? Conciliation... Didn't you notice anything special about the town? Fortifications, guards. How did you get in and out, Caden?" Alger asked.
"I... I..." Caden couldn't say anything.
"So how did you get there?" Alger shouted.
"Oh, Caden, you want to believe in peace so much. You're so exhausted and disappointed about the losses, we understand. But you must not give up!" a woman came up to him, the same woman from a dream, Caden's mother.
"You're just an illusion. Created by demons!" Caden shouted.
"Hah, and how would we get here? And would the "demons" want your good?" Alger asked.
"And would they want you to save Cassandra?" the woman said.
"What?" Caden asked.
"Wake up, Caden... Wake up," the voices whispered.650Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdiGJaA9Ki
