"Eis..." she whispered, "you came!"

"Of course I did, Snowflake," he whispered back, she could see the shimmer of what almost appeared to be tears in his eyes, but it could've been her imagination. "Me and Nimbus are getting you out of here, do you hear me?"

She nodded and smiled despite the pain in her face, "don't linger too long, he'll be back," she said, "so we'd better think quick!"

Nimbus was then looking down into her cell, "don't worry, Mistress- we'll keep him away from you." He said with a smile, "besides, what-"

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?!" Bellowed Vilethorn, his heavy footsteps storming closer to her cell, she gasped and gave the two a look of fear, her gaze telling them to scram, they left her line of sight and she heard them scatter.

The thick iron door swung open and she was abruptly grabbed by the snout, "you will cease to speak to anyone but me..." Vilethorn roughly threw her head back against the stone wall, and as her skull hit the stone, everything flashed white before her eyes and something horribly warm ran down her neck. She screamed as the pain shot down her body, he punched her right under her ribcage, the breath in her lungs abruptly gone as she wheezed and gasped. "Do I make myself clear?"

CryoFangs fought to stay conscious as she mentally whispered: yes, Vilethorn-

"Good... now tell me: where's that blasted Book of Bloodlines?"

She gasped as her muscles spasmed and the back of her head shot cold spears of pain through her, to avoid possibly having her head caved in by Vilethorn and the wall, she breathed forth: "I-I told you: I w-won't say-"

"Well now I'm suddenly tired of hearing the same answer. Either I get what I'm asking for, or you're dead. NOW, HALLOWFROST, TELL ME NOW!!" He bellowed, Cryo whimpered at the volume of his voice as she took a shaky breath, I've got two choices: keep its location secret...

Or I die, right here and now...

. . .

"You will cease to speak to anyone but me..." Eis had heard the horrible smack of something against the wall, but Cryo's scream of pain and her wheezy gasps tore his heart to pieces, 'that monster... he will NEVER be forgiven...' he thought with burning fury, 'once we figure out a way down there, he's dead.'

"...now tell me: where's that blasted Book of Bloodlines?"

CryoFangs weakly spoke: "I-I told you: I w-won't say-"

"Well now I'm suddenly tired of hearing the same answer. Either I get what I'm asking for, or you're dead. NOW, HALLOWFROST, TELL ME NOW!!" Vilethorn bellowed, setting off Eis as he hissed quietly, that demon had another thing coming!

He slowly, silently crept back up to the grate, something told him to keep his thoughts silent as he drew in a deep breath through his nose, the frost swirling within him crawled up his throat and grew into a deadly frozen blast that had only a set of razor-sharp teeth holding it back. Eis drew his head back and, upon settling himself in just the right position over Vilethorn's head, he let his mouthful of frozen death fly into the cell.

FWWAAAAA!

Vilethorn lurched as the paralyzing cold seeped into his half-healed head injury, causing him to scream and throw his head back, the rest of Eis' frost spreading to Vile's bloodshot eyes, the cold ice crystals allowing for a ferocious frostbite to afflict his scales. Vilethorn stumbled back as his agonizing screams intensified, his tears bloody and beginning to freeze to his scales as he roared and hissed. "DAMN IT, THE PAIN!? WHOEVER'S RESPONSIBLE IS DEAD-- AAAAAAARRRRGH!!"

The possessed dragon's voice then shifted, "MAKE IT STOP! IT'S COLD! IT BURNS! STOOOOOOP...!" Bellowed Vilethorn's true voice as he stumbled out of the cell and ran off, his loud pleas for the pain to stop made Eis's ears ring as he began examining the grate, his light rippling like water. "Cryo?" He breathed, CryoFangs immediately looked up at him with pained eyes, "we'll get you out of here, I promise you. Nimbus-- can you help me find something to break through this grate?"

"Certainly, or... we could just pry it open, with our strength combined?" Nimbus shrugged, his silver eyes shimmering with an otherworldly sheen, Eis nodded and hooked his talons around the bars, and, with Nimbus's assistance, the two succeeded in prying open the grate; the horrendous screech of twisting metal making them wince.

Eis dropped into the cell, Nimbus quickly following suit as the prince set to unlocking Cryo's shackles, his claws clicking in the keyholes as he manipulated the locks, multiple clicks echoing as she was set free. Cryo embraced Eis in a tight hug, her blood dripping onto his shoulder as she rested her head there, her breaths shaky and labored. He gently hugged her back as he wrapped his wings around her, feeling his ecstasy surge as his eyes brimmed with tears, she was back in his arms, injured, but alive. "Thank you so much, Eis," she whispered in his ear. "Please, Snowflake, don't thank me just yet, we have yet to get out of here." He whispered back, "but I'm so glad you're ok."

Eis realized they were both staring deep into each other's eyes, despite what Vilethorn had done to her, to him, CryoFangs still held a beauty that no other dragon could possess; her blue eyes still held within them their flame of life. He pressed his talon to her heart, his in-the-moment mind beginning to think at her: 'CryoFangs, I can't really hold back my true feelings of you much longer, I... I lo--'

"Guys?" Nimbus interrupted, greatly annoying the prince as he stared at him, "I hate to break you two up, but Vilethorn's coming back!"

As Eis unwrapped himself from around CryoFangs, he heard Vile roaring in agony, but it only grew into fury as his heavy footsteps stomped down the hall, his frozen, bleeding, frostbitten eyes glittering with utmost hatred as he roared, "CRYOFANGS! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME!?"

Then, his voice changed, "I'M SORRY! PLEASE, JUST GET HIM OUT OF MY BODY!! PLEASE!?" Cried Vilethorn in misery, the dragon threw himself against the wall, trying to dig his talons in to prevent his demon from taking him any farther. Cryo started forward, her eyes locked on the struggling Elder dragon, "Eis..." she breathed, "we've got to kill him."

"Cryo, no," he stated, "I'm getting you out of here, he's already done enough damage, my breath will end him down here, the frostbite is already fatal-- I've blinded him. Now then-- if we're quick we can hopefully escape without having Vilethorn hurt us."

She gave him a look, as if to say she'd rather beat down Vilethorn than escape, but she wordlessly launched herself upwards, climbing out through the open grate as the Wyrmwoods helped her out; Eis and Nimbus quickly followed suit...

At least, Nimbus was able to scramble out, Eis found himself being snatched back by the tail, he whipped his head around and breathed another breath of his frozen blast directly at Vilethorn's chest, the Elder hissed and threw the prince onto the stone, slamming his talons down on him, multiple cracks sounded as his ribs were snapped like twigs.

"If I can't have her, you'll make for a better kill..." hissed the SchattenSeele, sinking his claws deep into the HallowFrost's chest, the shards of bone from his broken ribs shifted and stabbed into his muscles, further increasing the blood and ferocious pain as he yelled in agony. The grotesque face of Vilethorn and his now-eyeless sockets was bad enough, but having his guttural voice growling and his claws oozing blood was even worse. Eis kicked at his underbelly, his claws only managing to scratch him as the Elder proceeded to drag his claws down the struggling dragon's chest, ripping him open as he bellowed and screamed.

"EIS!?" Screamed CryoFangs from above him, he heard her struggling to get back to him, the guards and Nimbus yelling for her to stay back, Vilethorn chuckled wickedly as he lifted his bloodsoaked talons for Eis to see, his twilight-purple blood cascading down the dragon's scales.

Everything had become so painful, so blurry, so muffled... 'this... this is it.' He thought as his heart throbbed painfully, his blood puddling around him, 'you've won, haven't you Vilethorn...?'

"It would seem so, Prince Eis... I'll make your death quick--"

Abruptly, CryoFangs's voice carried down the hall, her powers activated as her glowing form stormed into the cell, tackling Vilethorn to the floor and simultaneously drawing her sword from its sheath with her tail. Eis felt the crackling fury and despair around her body, everything within her focused on slaying Vilethorn.

But the prince believed she had arrived too late.

. . .

"EIS!?" She bellowed, his pained screams set her mind reeling, and as she went running back to the open grate, Nimbus gripped her arm fiercely. "No! You can't--"

"LET GO!" CryoFangs yelled, "HE'S DYING, I HAVE TO HELP HIM!"

"YOU'LL DIE TOO IF I DON'T KEEP YOU BACK!" Nimbus yelled back, "I'M ONLY PROTECTING YOU!"

"Stay back, CryoFangs!" Exclaimed a guard, grabbing onto her other shoulder, the dragoness tried ripping their arms away from her, but they both held on tight, being very persistent with their argument. She heard Vilethorn's demon hissing something low and incomprehensible to Eis, and she could no longer hold back as she bit down on the Wyrmwood's arm, causing her to lurch back and yelp as Cryo stormed off.

"ICH BIN DAS LICHT!" She screamed, the heat and light wrapping around her body as she burst through the grate with an unnatural amount of strength, and, in that split second of barreling into Vilethorn and entering the cell, she noticed her silver blade strapped to Eis's waist, she wrapped her tail round the hilt and drew the gleaming blade in one swift movement.

"Ich werde dich nicht verschonen, SchattenSeele!" She growled dangerously in that foreign tongue, "Ich werde das Letzte sein was du siehst bevor du stirbst..."

"Lügnerin..." hissed the SchattenSeele, "liar... don't you see what I've done to him?"

"You've only dug your own grave," CryoFangs huffed, transferring her sword to her right talon, "I'll be the one to end you... VileHeart!" She stared deep into the abysmal holes where Vilethorn's eyes had used to reside, and, as she drew the glowing blade back, she thrust it deep into Vile's skull, piercing the dragon's brain.

"Begone, VileHeart... and goodbye, Vilethorn..."

Light more golden than a sunrise poured from his sockets, veins of fiery red light shot down and through his body as an alien caw escaped the dead Elder's gaping mouth; a black tendril crept out from one of his eye sockets, but quickly withered away as her power poured from her body and into the blade. She felt herself rise to her feet as she turned towards Eis, rushing to his bloodied form and dropping to her knees, cradling his head in her talons.

"C-Cryo..." he coughed weakly, the light in his violet eyes dimmed, "didn't I say I-I'd die for you...?"

"Yes," she whispered, her LichtSeele powers continuing to rage as a burst of heat ran through her, "but I won't let you." She felt the warmth in her chest run into her talons as she pressed them to Eis' bloodied scales, she willed his flesh, bones, and scales to mend, to cease bleeding and give this dragon the revitalization he needed...

But, after a moment, she realized that nothing was happening, "no... no--"

"My wounds are t-too grievous--" Eis hacked up his own blood, breathing in a labored manner as he gave Cryo a look of utmost pity, "there's not a thing you can do for me... I'm sorry..." tears were welling up in his eyes as he put up a shaky, bloody talon to her face. "At least you'll be the last thing I see b-before I go--"

"Shut up!" She hissed with anger, "you're NOT going to die today, or ever! I'm going to save you, no matter what it takes!" She gripped his talon in hers, her eyes leaking warm tears down her face as she gazed deep into his fading violet depths. She could feel the despair clawing at the both of them, CryoFangs was racking her brain to figure out just what sort of spell could save the prince's life, but she drew a blank every time. Nothing is powerful enough...

Then, it hit her suddenly: wait a moment--

It was only for a second, but the thought that hit her was from an old, dusty scroll she'd read long ago, he still has to be alive for this to work, and he has to agree, but maybe- no, it WILL work!

I'll have to do a Blood Oath to save him.