Author's note: I am not entirely happy with the way this chapter turned out so I am open to any constructive feedback even more so than usual. 

Black and white. Good and evil. Fear and bravery. The everlasting dance of dominance, of power and struggle. If one prevails what happens to the other?

The rest they were able to acquire was not a long one, but enough for all of them to feel refreshed and ready to face whatever stood in their way. Still, they did wish to possess more knowledge of their enemy. Yet, for the time being, they decided to focus on the earth elemental and the possible ways to stop her.

"What are we going to do now?" Leonie asked, clearly unhappy that they had no plan that they could follow, no easy way out.

"I should go back to my house, get my strongest potions ready. Then we will have to find a way to track down Adamina. Assuming that she is the source of all this, stopping her should end all our troubles." Toras said, pointing towards the portal and the snow-covered world beyond it.

"Ah, Toras, don't you wish that things are so easy? But they never are, are they?" Amitola said.

"Well, we can always hope for the best. After all, no matter what happens, one thing the enemy can never do is crush our spirit." Toras said, looking at Amitola.

"Maybe not our spirit, but they can definitely crush us." Rimar suddenly said.

"Why would you say that?" Toras asked, following the dragon's gaze.

What he beheld was not very encouraging, but as the Mage, he was determined not to show how uncomfortable he was with the sight before them. After all, if one of the oldest beings showed fear, what were the others supposed to do.

"What is that?" Nald said enthusiastically, approaching the portal.

"Some kind of ice monster would be my guess," Toras said, positioning himself in front of the curious boy.

"Ice Monsters. I can see at least three of them approaching the yard." Leonie said with her Hunter's eyes more accustomed to judging how dangerous a situation is.

"Very well, Amitola, you and Nald stay here. The portal won't allow anyone or anything to reach you. Rimar, you and Leonie should fly above these ice creatures since you two work best when you are in the air. Also, that will give you the advantage over those things, whatever they are." Toras said.

"Aren't they living beings, like trolls?" Nald asked, curious.

"No, I can't sense any life energy coming off of them. They seem to be mere constructs of ice and snow. They are tools controlled by someone we cannot see." Toras said.

"Toras, are you sure I should stay here? Won't you need my help?" Amitola asked.

"Yes, I think you should stay here and don't worry, Nald is here to protect you," Toras said, giving Amitola a meaningful look.

Amitola instantly understood what Toras was trying to achieve and was grateful to him for caring so much about her children. It was his way of preventing Nald from trying to help in the fighting, thus getting injured.

After all, Leonie and Rimar had a lot of fighting experience, unlike Nald and Amitola who were unprepared for combat. The safest place for them was in the cave. Furthermore, Toras accomplished something that did not even occur to Amitola. He managed to make it appear as if Nald had a crucial duty to uphold. 

To a brave little boy, such was Nald, that was the only thing that could prevent him from going into the battle. Otherwise, he would insist on helping his big sister. To protect him, Amitola was ready to do something she never saw herself doing. She was prepared to let Leonie fulfill her destiny without her trying to shield her from her fate.

"Let's go!" Rimar roared loudly.

When he flew out of the portal with Leonie, they were hit by the wave of coldness much sharper than they anticipated. However, Rimar's fire simmering at the surface of his body was enough to warm up both of them.

"This looks too easy," Rimar said, looking at the ice made creatures.

"Be careful, it's probably not normal ice but imbued with magic. Your fire might help but not be able to completely melt it," Toras warned as he cast a warming spell on himself.

With that being said, they unleashed the rain of fire on the ice monsters. While Rimar and Leonie used their fire, Toras was casting spells on the giant creatures. What they lacked in brains, the monstrous creatures compensated in brute force that was not easy to melt.

"I think physical attack and fire combined might be better in fighting them," Toras yelled as he tried to summon fire to enclose his fist.

With fiery heat radiating from his fist, Toras slammed the nearby ice creature, and its enormous head rolled down on the ground. However, to Toras's dismay, it turned out that they were more like giant snowman than anything else and that they could reassemble themselves with ease. Thus, he started breaking the ice only to immediately melt it away.

However, the moment they melted away one ice creature, another took its place. Dissolving them started feeling like a task that had no end. Even the weakest enemy can drain you of energy if their number is big enough, and Toras was aware of that.

It was clear that something different had to be done, yet surviving took up most of the Mage's effort, and the same was true for Leonie and Rimar. Nevertheless, they were somewhat safer above the ground where they had some advantage over them.

Just as an idea came to Toras's mind as to how to limit the threat the ice creatures posed, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. There was a small figure running into the middle of all the fighting. He did not need to possess premonition skills to realize what was happening when a larger person hurried after the smaller one.

Finally, he turned in that direction while his magic kept the ice monster's fist at bay only to see what he feared the most. Nald was running into the middle of all the fighting, and Amitola was running after him. Whether she was trying to stop him or protect him, Toras was not sure.

The boy seemed focused on something on the ground, unaware of the danger that towered over him. Though Toras could not perceive what Nald was trying to do, he knew that he had to help him and Amitola. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

Leonie and Rimar were surrounded, and there was no way for them to reach the boy on time, although Toras could see they were trying. The panic in their eyes spoke for itself.

Dispelling the monster that was upon him, Toras drove himself with all the magic he had towards Nald. The boy managed to scoop up a pixie with frozen wings, who was unable to fly away from the battle while Toras was in a frenzy to reach him.

What Nald did not see because he was only thinking about the little pixie was an icicle flying straight towards him.

"Nald, watch out!" Amitola screamed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to reach her little boy in time.

Before Amitola could say anything else, the icicle was stopped in its track to her son. Instead, it plunged into another body, Toras's. The next Amitola could see clearly was that he stood in front of the boy, icicle protruding from his stomach. Relief for her son's well being and fear for Toras swirled around Amitola's very soul as she reached them.

"Toras, are you alright?" Amitola asked, well aware of how ridiculous the question sounded.

"You need to go. I am bleeding too fast and can't provide any magical protection, but the cave should be safe. The portal will stay open until I die, and even then, you will be safe out there, and Leonie and Rimar can come to get you when all of this is over." Toras whispered.

"You are not going to die on me. I can't go through this again. Toras, please don't make me go through this again." Amitola said, tears falling down her face and on Toras's pale complexion.

Still, Amitola knew one thing. She had no choice. If she wanted to protect her son, she needed to go.

"I will be back for you, and you better be alive when I return," Amitola said.

"I'll do my best," Toras said, smiling gently at the woman he loved.

Amitola took Nald in her arms despite his protestations and ran to the portal with all her might. As she did so, she heard the loud arrival of Hunters and Gatherers. She hoped beyond hope that everything might be alright after all, that they would protect her family.