✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"Now that you have your crystals you need a precious metal to use for the hilt of your sword."

Kierran said. They were now back inside his spot in the castle.

"I want you to use this, if you would like to that is."

He said as he handed her a small dagger. Not just any dagger, this was Kierran's first dagger that he had ever received back when he was a squire.

"Kierran, I can't."

Asling said with a soft and thankful smile.

"I insist."

Kierran replied.

"It can truly represent you continuing my legacy."

He added. Asling accepted the gift, taking the small dagger into her hands. It shimmered with silver luster.

"Now come with me and we can prepair your sword. We need to start with your hilt. You need to melt down that metal and place it into the mold all the guardians use for their swords."

Kierran instructed.

"Now follow me."

He said as he led the way out of his room. The castle corridors were busy with many other students. The patrons of a few minor planets took on many students at once, like mercury and venus and saturn. Mercury was the great healer and the King of Scanthia thought it best that all those with the talent be taught to heal. Venus was a master of music, therefore the guardian of venus was the greatest music teacher in all the land but only the guardian of venus could use song as a weapon. And Saturn was the overseer of the harvest. Their students learned the ways of predicting reliable times to sow seeds and how to properly treat the ground for growth. But the patrons of the Sun, Mars, Pluto, and Jupiter only took on one student. Asling struggled with the idea of living up to her master and his legacy. Especially with her being his only student, and her lack of being able to preform magick well, or barely at all. She was still learning but her skill was extremely lacking. She could do basic things like create sources of light of levitate things but in terms of apparition or transfiguration she was useless.

"Here we are!"

Kierran said as he lead her to a large room that engulfed Asling with a wave of heat as soon as they entered. She immediately removed her cloak due to the heat increase and set her satchel down. There were many fires in the large room used for various blacksmith arts.

"Now let's begin with that hilt."

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"Beautifully done, Asling."

Kierran said as they looked at the finished hilt which had now cold and Asling held it in her hands.

"The final step is to use your own magick to assemble the sword."

He announced as he led the way out of the room. However, his smile was short lived. The alarm bell of the castle began to ring, signaling that Scanthia was in danger. His expression became much more stern.

"Kierran!"

A man said as he approached him, Asling recognized him. Lupin Mercurialis was the guardian patron of Mercury. There was noticeable stress on Lupin's face.

"There are monsters- many many monsters- all escaping from the land between lands and attacking the people!"

he told Kierran.

"The guardians are needed to fight back at once."

"What?"

Kierran hissed.

"But that's impossible, the entrance to the Land Between Lands has remained sealed inside the Cavern of Crystals."

He replied. Asling paled. Was this her doing?

"Well it's happening, Kierran."

Lupin replied.

"We are needed to help fight right away."

He added before running off to help the other guardians. Kierran turned to Asling.

"Return to my study and finish your sword and stay out of sight."

He told her. Asling scoffed.

"Absolutely not."

She replied.

"Asling..."

Kierran warned.

"No, you're my master I'm not letting you go into battle alone if i can help it."

She added.

"And this is what I am training to do, after all, isn't it?"

She added.

"But you have no weapon."

Kierran said and Asling looked around. Her eyes landed on a bow and quiver someone had left behind in the castle corridors. She picked up the bow and slung the quiver over her shoulder.

"Now I do."

Kierran pressed his lips into a firm line as he thought about brining his apprentice along in battle. Asling was known for her lack of magick skill and her clumsiness. But if she wanted to fight so bad, maybe it would take her getting the wind knocked out of her a few times for her to learn.

"Alright."

Kierran finally admitted as he used magick to pull his crystal sword out of thin air.

"Let's go."

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"The demogorgon is closing in!!"

Mike shouted as he looked to the other boys expectantly.

"He will have Asling and the survivors from the village cornered in no time."

Mike added before giving a throaty screech to imitate that of a monstrous creature.

"What will the mighty warrior do to defend himself?"

Mike prompted and both Dustin and Lucas turned to look at Will with hopeful gleaming eyes.

"What are we going to do now? First the thessal hydra and now this??"

Lucas said.

"I'ts okay we can just fireball it."

Dustin said.

"Fireball? Again?"

Lucas asked.

"Will have to roll another perfect seven for that to happen."

"Hey!"

Dustin shouted.

"Don't jinx it."

He added with a frown.

"It could happen."

He said.

"Guys,"

Will spoke up.

"I need to roll."

He said.

"Oh right."

Dustin said with a goofy smile as he handed his friend the dice. Will let out a deep breath as he shook the plastic dice around in his fingers. He prepared to release them but then a roar of thunder shook the house and there was a loud pop. The lights went out and in the intensity, Will dropped the dice with no idea where they went. The boys had been plunged into total darkness.

"Aw man!"

Lucas groaned.

"What happened?"

Dustin asked.

"The power must have gone out because of the storm."

Mike said as he got up.

"Who would have thought we would have a thunderstorm in the middle of winter. Pretty crazy, right?"

Dustin asked as Mike looked around for a flashlight.

"Got it!"

Mike said as he picked up the flashlight. But when he tried to turn it on the light only stayed on for a second before flickering out.

"We can still play, right?"

Dustin asked.

"How are we going to play if we can't see?"

Lucas replied.

"Guess we'll have to wait till the power comes back on."

"If it does."

Lucas said with a sigh.

"A storm like this will probably keep the power knocked out for a while."

✧*~☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ - .*☆

"I've got your back."

Asling announced to her master, Kierran. The pair were surrounded by monsters that crawled on all fours. Asling kept the string of her bow pulled back with an arrow ready to go and Kierran gripped his sword tightly in his hands. The battle had turned out to be pretty brutal, most warriors were no match for the monsters that emerged from another world. Kierran's face was covered in a mix of the blood of other soldiers and the blood of the creatures whos faces seemed to be living flowers, each petal containing vicious teeth that could tear anyone apart. The monsters closed in on the pair, growling and hissing. Kierran let loose a fierce yell before he began taking on as many as he could, using his crystal sword to practically slice them in half. The magick crystals repelled the beasts so it sliced through their skin like butter. But for each monster they killed five more seemed to take it's place. Asling shot arrow after arrow until she found she only had a few left. Panic struck her. Once she was out of arrows it would be up to Kierran to defend them both from an army of monsters. Kierran noticed and knew what he had to do.

"ASLING!"

He shouted and the apprentice looked to her master.

"I'm going to get you out of here."

He said.

"What?"

Asling replied as she looked up to the man next to her.

"I'm not going anywhere without you- this- all of this was my fault-"

She began but Kierran didn't seem to be listening. With one hand on his sword and the other glowed white with powerful magick. Kierran used his power to open a portal.

"I opened the seal between our world and the land between lands in the crystal cavern, it's my fault."

She continued.

"Asling,"

Kierran said with a groan as he took a pretty rough hit from a monster that he was barely able to push back with the hilt of his sword.

"You need to go, now."

He said.

"Use the portal, you will be safe. Save the magick. Fulfill the prophecy,"

"But-"

Kierran didn't give her another chance to argue. With a single swift movement he thrusted his crystal sword into her hands and pushed her through the portal.

"GO!"

He shouted before a monster lashed onto his arm with it's flowering mouth and pulled him away. The portal closed and Scanthia, Kierran, and the life Asling had always known was gone.