Embers fizzled out on Lyra's armor. Her eyes furrowed at the sight of horror that lay deeper in Windermere. Agonized faces of war riddled on the knight's faces, as they stood motionless in the chaos. The screams of burning people sent shivers down her spine.

The raging fires sparked a memory in her head. Her chest tightened as her head began to reinvision the attack on the Eastern Fortress.

The scenery changed, and she was no longer in Windermere, but rather back at the fortress before it was attacked. The clopping of horse hooves were muted through the wooden carriage walls, which were a familiar navy blue. Grey clouds rolled throughout the skies where she peered through a window, with the occasional ray of sunshine beaming through for a moment. She knew it was going to rain, but when was the question.

"Lyra."

She turned her head to face Aeris. Her heart throbbed, but she wasn't sure if it were with joy, or with pain. All she knew was that she was happy to see her again. Of course, Aeris' mother was beside her.

"Sorry, I must've spaced out."

"It's a long journey." Said Senator Veil. Her voice was smooth like a calm river. "I have no doubt that you would be tired. You aren't one to wake early anyways."

Aeris laughed, then she said. "You should've seen her when she climbed the stairs." Her arms formed a circle around her head with her fingers curled, and her eyes widened.

"I was not!" Lyra argued, feeling her hair as if to make sure.

"Say, Lyra." Began Senator Veil. "You were speaking a lot in your sleep. Saying things like going to the knight's academy and the fall of Lycra. I'm just curious as to what you mean by that?"

Lyra had no recollection of this memory, but perhaps it was just the slip of the mind. Maybe she had already forgotten.

"It must've just been a dream—a terrible one at that—I don't think it's of any importance. I. . ." The words crashed in her throat as the shadow of the fortress engulfed them. Uneasiness settled underneath her skin, as a familiar feeling began to cover her. "This is wrong. This isn't how this went."

"What are you on about, Lyra?" Aeris questioned. "You're speaking nonsense."

An explosion caused Lyra to jump, snapping her attention out the window. The courtyard was in flames, and her hand reached for the blade that wasn't there. In shock, she looked towards Senator Veil but she was no longer there, and neither was Aeris.

She burst through the carriage and scanned the courtyard for the two. The haunting whispers of the wraiths sent shivers down her back. "Aeris!" she shouted.

All that replied were the crackling of burnt wood, and the clashing of metals. She went to call for them again until she heard: "Lyra!" from the otherside of the courtyard. She knew that voice to be Aeris'.

With great haste, she made it to the otherside where she heard the voice. Was it coming from within the fortress?

Lyra crept towards the stone wall, each step as if a pitfall could be under her next stride. She placed her hand on the stone, only to find the feeling unresponsive within herself, as if she lost the sense of touch.

The world fell silent, then she understood where she was at.

Stones began to convex towards her, when she felt a great force tug her from behind. She blinked twice, and Windermere appeared before her.

"Are you crazy?" Kaelen shouted.

She couldn't help but blink, hoping this would all be a dream too. But it wasn't. What lied before her was the exploded remains of a Fyro Beast, a creature engulfed in flames. A magmatic entity whose sole purpose is to burn anything in its path.

"What happened?" she asked, staring into the remains of the Fyro Beast.

"You began walking towards the enemy, why would you do that?"

"I. . ." the words once again crashed in her throat. Her eyes looking for the answers in his.

Kaelen pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her head. "I know this is going to be hard for you. But just know you don't have to bear this burden alone."

Her eyes shut tight, listening to every word he said, she let out a deep sigh. He placed his hands on her shoulder as he stepped back. His hazel eyes stared deeply into hers, finding any reassurance that she was gonna be okay.

"You're right," she sniffled. "There will be time for this when the war is over."

He nodded his head and Lyra drew her sword and stood alongside him. She wanted to thank him, but she had a feeling this won't be the last time he'll cast a rope for when she needs saving.

Lyra glanced at the towering buildings in front of her. A result of human engineering that she has never seen before. In her eyes, Windermere would be a father to all technological advancements.

Her focus went back to the task at hand.

Fallen knights paved the way to a hint as to where Helen could be. The duo followed the bloodsoaked trail past a burning gate. Greenery, accompanied by a man-made river, tells of a garden—what's left of it, anyway—bordered the walls that surrounded the commerce building. Bodies lay on small bridges that arched over the river, dripping blood into the stream.

Shouts could be heard around the corner, accompanied by the clanging of metals. The hairs on the back of Lyra's neck stood as adrenaline began to course through her veins. She looked at Kaelen who had already noticed the commotion. He glanced at her with a nod, and they began to run towards the fight.

As they rounded the corner, they found Helen surrounded by demons. The Screeching Terror hovered over them, pinning them no matter where they went. Lyra wasted no time in striking the back of the first demon she came across.

Some of the demons turned their heads at their bellowing ally, raising their crude metals they would call weapons. Kaelen hurried to back her up, twirling his twinblade and cleaving an oncoming demon in half.

Lyra deflected a blade only to meet another one. Using her leg, she kicked the demon away, creating an opening to deal the final blow to its neck, spilling blood like a gentle waterfall down its chest.

Meanwhile, Kaelen showed no struggle in impaling a demon through its stomach. Only to lever it over his head to smash down on another. He popped his blade up for a moment to change into an underhand grip, throwing it at the nearest demon like a javelin. The impact was strong enough to cause the demon to go airborne, only a few feet. Though he was unarmed, his fists were just as dangerous as any blade, as long as they were accompanied by his rage.

Lyra had found her way to Helen, who had already exerted her energy defeating many demons. Helen's armor had been chipped, and her halberd seemed as if it couldn't withstand another hit; its blade worn down, and the beak side had completely disintegrated.

"Lyra?" she said. Her brows furrowed, but her jaw hung slack; not sure to be surprised or confused.

"We can talk later," Lyra barked, dodging an incoming attack. "For now, let's focus on how to get out of here."

The two nodded at each other, then Helen waved her arm as she looked behind her. Several more knights rushed to her—some were injured, while others were just outright terrified—they looked at Lyra, then at Kaelen, puzzled at the duo they would call their rescue team.

"All of you must be strong now," Helen snapped, straightening their faces to look at her. "We will go home."

Even though the cheer was lackluster, it had spirit—what remained of it at least.

"Are you gonna be able to manage with your halberd?" Lyra questioned, staring at the integrity of the blade and shaft.

Helen scanned the polearm, now half of its glory. "Worse comes to worst, I'll have two weapons."

A demon flew at them, followed by blood splatter onto the floor. Kaelen made his way to them. When their heads turned to him, they noticed a reduced number of the demons that were there. Now they hesitated to advance at them, calling him a monster.

"Is everyone ready?" he said. His chest slightly rising, as if he just finished a brief workout.

Lyra nodded, unsheathing Oath Breaker. She had never dual-wielded before, but the blades felt light enough to hold in each hand. Her blades twirled in her hands at her command.

The three of them took point, Kaelen being in the front, and once they started moving, they didn't plan on stopping until they reached the cathedral. All of the demons charged at them. The Screeching Terror dove at their rally.

"I can handle this one!" screamed Helen.

Kaelen quickly stopped to lower himself, allowing Helen to step onto his back. Like a spring, she was launched into the air. She used the bottom of her halberd like a spear, and drove it deep into the beast's body, holding on tightly. Her added weight disrupted the flight path of the Screeching Terror, and it began to twirl to the ground.

Helen had successfully steered the beast away from the group, rolling into the dirt as they crashed to the ground. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her shoulder as she jogged back to the group.

Meanwhile, Lyra swung her blades at oncoming demons, slashing through their crude armor. Oath Breaker tended to freeze the wound seconds after impact, like a frozen cauterization. Kaelen, on the other hand, eagerly cut down the demons. His twinblade whirling like a tornado, as he made light work of any who stood in his path.

After paving the way out of the garden, they found themselves ahead of their attackers, but now they faced going down hill which was equally as disadvantageous as being surrounded.

An arrow thwished by, thunking into a nearby cadaver. Their heads whipped around to find several demons equipped with poor bows and arrows. They quickly turned into an alley, watching as arrows showered the cobble before them.

"All of these alleyways connect back to the main road," one injured knight spoke. His armor showed scuffed marks, but also irreparable damage. One thing was for sure, he earned his stripes. "Just don't turn left."

The three nodded, continuing their charge at a moderate pace as to not leave any of the wounded behind. They heard the crude voices of the demons echo off the walls, unable to pinpoint their exact whereabouts. This didn't slow them down, however, it was quite the opposite. Their pace quickened, in hopes they wouldn't run into the reinforcements.

"I can smell blood!" a voice shrieked down an alleyway. "And fear!"

A shadow cornered a building because of the sun. A demon froze in the sight of them, but it was too late for it. Kaelen had already thrown his blade like a javelin, piercing its chest and pinning it into the wall.

Startled voices gave away the demons. Kaelen planted his foot on the wall, and pulled his blade out of the dying demon. It's hand reached out to him, gurgling in its own life force. Lyra saw Kaelen's cold eyes as he stared down at the demon, his lips pursed to a crisp line.

She took the moment to finish off the demon, impaling it once more with Oath Breaker. With a theory, she put magical energy into the blade, and with a huff, spikes exploded from within the demon. The other demons stood in shock at the display, taking a step back.

"I can smell fear too." Kaelen said with his teeth clenched. A muscle in his jaw tensed as he picked up the spikey demon, and used it as a mace; completely ruining the closest demon.

Helen sprung from behind, her halberd already pointed at her target. Her blade pierced through the armor, but she didn't wait for it to die from this wound. She pushed the blade in a way that forced the demon to spin around, taking her polearm out in the process. The demon fell to its knees, its head bobbing side to side. With a precise strike with her halberd, its head rolled onto the cobble.

All the demons rallied against them, pushing each other out of the way to get to draw first blood. Their tenacity was met with a bloodied, icey body, as Kaelen threw it at them. Helen followed up with a quick swipe of her halberd, cleaving through the chest of several demons that stood in her path.

Slowly, their foes were pushed back. Their teamwork was a force to be reckoned with, and the demons began to realize that as they began to retreat.

The knights found themselves in the main street again. They tried to look above the buildings for any indication of the cathedral, but they couldn't see anything. The crippling knight limped to the front and took a look at the streets.

"This way." he choked out. His face crinkled as pain flared through his body. "We're close. That's probably why the demons backed off."

Despite his height difference, Kaelen lowered himself as best he could to help the injured knight. What the knight had said must've been true. Since they turned onto this part of the main street, they haven't heard a demon.

A calm began to blanket them. Though the aches and pains made it hard to relax. But a breath of fresh air filled them as they turned towards the cathedral. Knights that guarded the perimeter called for help as they saw them. More of the soldiers burst from the heavy doors, rushing to aid the wounded.

Kaelen handed the wounded knight off to another, receiving thanks from him.

Helen stood by Lyra, sticking her polearm into the ground proudly. What they had accomplished shouldn't have been possible, but with their assistance, it gave them the percentage of chance they needed to survive.

"Thank you." she said, her gaze never leaving the knights that stood with her.

"You don't need to thank me," replied Lyra. She sheathed her blades, struggling with Oath Breaker for a moment. "I'd do that for any of my allies, especially friends."

"I guess I owe you one."

"Well, I do have something in mind already."

She glanced at Helen, swearing to see a smile tug at the corner of her lips despite her expression remaining listless.

Even though they found a moment of peace, Lyra couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. What could be the reason the demons have stormed Windermere? No matter the answer, she didn't like it. But she knew she wouldn't be strong enough to handle it.