Ines charged at the villain, the man who was a danger to them all. One stride and she felt adrenaline pump her courage. The elf stayed rigid, watching. Two strides and she closed the gap between them. Still, he was frozen. Three strides and she was on him, her mouth opening to let out a warrior scream.

Then he moved, ready to meet her, and her blade swung in the air without hitting its target. His powers awakened inside him, no madness in it or rage, only control. Ines sprung forward and aimed high with her sword. He ducked, just as she had planned, and that was the only chance she needed.

She called to her magic and immediately felt the familiar energy flood her limbs. She focused her attention on her opponent, his source of magic, and tried to break his defenses as she lunged low with her weapon in hand.

Her blade skimmed across his calf, and he hissed in pain. She expected him to drop back, but he was stronger than she had hoped. He shrugged her sword off like an annoying bug and hit her with his magic in full force. Ines staggered back from that tremendous blow and felt the world shake under her feet.

Once more she tried to weaken his powers by draining him. With gleaming white eyes and outstretched hands she twisted, watching for another opening, but there was none. He was aware she was aiming for his powers, and that she was still shocked by the hit she had received.

He was growing impatient. His expression was hard as stone and his body revealed boredom. Ines, never being one to hesitate, gathered her strength and tried to strike him again, trusting herself to manage to outsmart him. As she nimbly began her attack, he was quick to fight her off, but she was quicker to make a comeback.

What she wasn't quick enough for, though, was another bone-rattling assault from his magic. His powers were so great she felt her legs momentarily give away, and the man took advantage of her weak state. He instantly darted forward and snatched her from behind. When Ines felt a sharp blade on her throat, she realised she had lost that round.

'Make a move and she dies,' the elf snarled.

The others immediately froze in place and stared at him with wide eyes that screamed fear. No one dared to move, worrying his magic would kill her before they could snatch her away from his grasp. Ines glanced at Matthew, and when she saw the deep frown that had formed on his face, she knew his mind was racing.

'I have given you a great offer. I don't like wasting my time on worthless people,' the man declared.

Ines nodded at Matthew, beckoning him to back down and rethink their whole plan. At first Matthew was hesitant to comply with her request, but after seeing the other elves grudgingly let go of their powers, he followed suit and put his sword down.

'Alright,' he calmly said.

Ines saw them wait for the man's next move. They didn't speak, they didn't blink, they just stayed still. The tension between them was palpable and it made her nerves go haywire. Seconds passed and still he held her captive, maybe because he enjoyed playing with their patience.

The elf eventually let her go. And that was his biggest mistake. Ines gritted her teeth in determination and raised her sword for yet another assault. The elf noticed her white eyes staring back at him with hatred. He raised a brow, as if he was truly intrigued by what she would do next, but he didn't wait for her to move first.

He sent a huge wave of black magic, a blow to send her flying, and she only lurched away as it whizzed past. Right then she realised she had never fought anyone so strong, but she wouldn't get discouraged at the first drawback. She called up her powers and charged at him.

Her sword darted out and he easily slipped around it. It whipped across, shoulder-high, not as low as he had expected, and it managed to skim his left arm. His throat let out a snarl and his eyes narrowed as he reassessed her abilities.

He struck her with all his might, causing her to stagger away. She missed his every hit by inches and screamed as she swept her sword in a great circle, seeking out a better opening. Her magic did weaken him a little, but he had raised his defenses by then.

She led him in a circle, so that his back was turned to the others. She hardly heard their pleas, barely saw the anguish reflected in their gaze. She could fight him for hours, days, weeks if that meant she could protect their people.

'You and your friends will regret coming here!' he screamed at her.

Ines only glared at him and went to make her final attack. She tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword and ran towards him. The elf tried to stop her using all his power and agility in rendering her unconscious, but she dodged and jumped like a snake, too quick for him to find target.

Ines' strikes came one after the other. First low, aiming for his legs, then higher, forcing him to bend down. She thought that was her chance to take him down. With as much as speed she could master, she raised up one leg to meet his head.

Her always-watchful opponent, though, reacted just in time to grab her leg and roughly pull it up. Ines found herself dangling for a second before the elf violently pressed her body down. His right hand wrapped around her throat, paralyzing her completely, while his other hand was about to cast the spell that would deem him the winner.

Ines felt like her skin was on fire. She twisted and wiggled in his crashing grip, but to no avail. She focused her powers against his own, but he was still able to use magic, although with difficulty. Her efforts to drain him were wearing her down. Ines could no longer endure the pain. She closed her eyes and prayed the others would be able to escape and save themselves.

As if on cue, she heard heavy footsteps from behind and the hand that was holding her down suddenly released her. Ines opened her eyes in puzzlement and saw Matthew fend the man off from her with his weapon. She was too shocked to speak and sat there blinking at him in surprise.

As she stared at the scene before her, she heard a crashing sound from her left and immediately turned to see what it was. A snow-white bear had broken in through the dusty windows and was already speeding towards their opponent. Its fur shone in the moonlight and its claws scraped the marble floor as it ran.

She glanced at Inerma and saw her white eyes that revealed her using her powers. While she controlled the animal, Landos was by her side and was doing his part in fighting the elf. All three of them were battling him down, working together and striking him whenever they found the chance. The elf was having a hard time defending himself.

Everything was in chaos. Ines didn't know what to do, how to help them. She remained there watching them in terror, her eyes darting from one to the other. She was hesitating to step in, for the smallest mistake could have terrible consequences. However, the moment she saw the elf heading towards Matthew and his hands burning with magic, her face paled.

'No!' she croaked.

Her emotions took over. Her hands burned up as a mixture of fear and hatred clouded her senses. She couldn't keep her powers in check anymore; her emotions were too overwhelming and they demanded release. Hoping to save him before it was too late, she only shut her eyes and let go of her magic.

The blast coming out of her, a heatwave made to temporarily rob the elves of their powers, hit them so hard it sent them staggering back. Only Matthew wasn't affected by it. He looked at the others who were trying to get back on their feet but were too confused and drained to do so.

'Your death comes,' the man panted heavily.

Ines ignored his empty threats. The blast had taken too much of her energy and right then she was already feeling the aftereffects. Her body was slowly crumbling down. She didn't have the strength to stay upright, so she let herself fall back to the ground.

She waited to feel the back of her head crack on the hard floor, but the pain never came. Instead, a strong arm reached out and firmly held her, supporting her before she could touch the ground. She glanced up to see the face of her saviour, although she had a feeling who it was.

'We gotta go. Now, when he is weak,' Matthew whispered.

Ines nodded in agreement. She was too exhausted to utter a word.

'Peter!' Ines was startled by Inerma's pleading tone. 'Take Matthew and go!'

'Do as she says!' Landos added and threw them a small sapphire marble. 'Hold it. And hold it steady.'

Their gaze reflected the anguish they carried inside them, causing her breath to hitch in her throat from the intensity of their expression. They were gradually pulling themselves together and were eyeing the elf with nervousness. The elf had already recovered from her blast and was testing his powers. He was clenching and unclenching his fists in concern.

Once he judged he had regained his strength, he smiled evilly at Landos and ran towards him, his face wild from madness. He moved with great speed, his long hair flapping in the air. Landos wasn't able to meet his blows. He stumbled back and didn't have time to avoid his grasp. The man grabbed him by the neck and held a hand up.

'Crash the talisman in your han—' were Landos' last words before the light left his eyes.

'No!' Matthew shirked loudly.

Ines looked at the unmoving body next to the elf's feet in shock. It brought upon her soul the greatest floods of tears, the raw sorrow of death. She counted the times their souls laughed together, fought together. His tough demeanor was the rock that grounded them when they had been reckless. She didn't want to believe he was gone.

The man turned around and with decisive steps he marched towards Inerma who had slumped on the floor a few metres away. She didn't react, nor did she try to defend herself. She was merely waiting for her end. It didn't come long after.

'You are a monster!' Ines screamed, her eyes welling up. 'They were innocent!'

The elf only smirked at her. 'No, they were not. Because for the first time there is something you don't know. Something nobody has told you.'

Ines stared at him in a daze. Matthew's arms were the only thing that kept her from falling apart.

'They chose to give you the half-truth,' the elf's booming voice resounded in the big room. 'The old man you chose to trust, he is to blame for your parents' death.'

Her eyes snapped up to meet his cold ones. 'You are lying!' she said in denial.

'He had your parents killed so that the prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled. He made sure nothing could stand in the way.'

'Why should I believe you?'

'You don't have to. You will die either way.' Right then his powers awakened. In a matter of seconds, they would be next to cross the threshold for the other side. The elf started running to their direction, his hands ready to strike them, but as he was about to attack them, Matthew crashed the talisman in his hand, just as Landos had told them.

Ines suddenly felt her body lighten, like a feather soaring in the wind. She held onto Matthew in fear and saw their surroundings slowly fade away. What is happening?, she wondered, but she couldn't come up with an answer. She only prayed for everything to be over soon.

- - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: Let's give our protagonists a star as a gesture of comfort. They need it more than anything else right now :( Btw the writer is very cruel. How could she just kill them off so suddenly? Let's unite our voices and tell her off in the comments!

Phrase of chapter: mendacem oportet esse memorem / a liar should have a good memory - Quintilianus