A loud groan came from Waverly as she slowly rolled over, head spinning and pushed herself to her knees. The surrounding was quiet save for the sound of the distant sea and croaks at intervals from the bushes. A series of short quivering gasps came from her throat when she caught glimpse of Brijjet lying face down a few walks away. His bow laid chipped by his side and as Waverly approached, she saw that he made several attempts to crawl away but would weakly bump against the ground instead.

She lifted a hand, channeling as much healing energy as she could. She hurriedly rushed to his side and grabbed his shoulder. It seemed he was stabbed with the horn of whatever creature had snuck up behind him and he bled thick, dark red blood.

Waverly felt her ears burn and her chest threatening to split open. She recognized when blood was tainted with poison and Brijjet's was heavy with it.

"I can fix it. I can fix it." She repeated delusively, trembling with fear. She attempted to touch Brijjet's stomach where the other end of the scraggly horn half protruded but he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Don't." He groaned.

Waverly wriggled her wrist free and made a second attempt but Brijjet grabbed her hand once more.

"Let me fix it, please. I can! Let me!" She half screamed, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"I know you can. But you shouldn't." He said.

His head lolled back but Waverly placed one hand underneath it for support, her leg balancing the rest of his upper body. She rested her free hand against his face, wiping the blood that constantly trailed from the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

"I will. You can't tell me not to." Waverly replied in defiance. Her hand blazed silvery white but before it could rest on Brijjet, he grabbed it. It was surprising how strong his grip was even in his weakened state.

"You need to understand, moonshine." He said calmly. "Because i do now."

Waverly began to cry and Brijjet pulled her into an embrace. She felt him take fistfuls of her hair, stroking them and letting them go in wisps then repeating the action. His labored breaths fanned the side of her neck.

"One of us has to stay behind. . . and kick that ancient bullfrog out of Jud, back to where he belongs."

"Why can't it be both of us?" Waverly asked, her voice breaking.

"One has to derail, remember?" Brijjet asked.

Waverly slowly moved her head back to look at him full in the face, her senses dancing in alert - it was the second time they were being so close. His nose gently brushed against hers but she kept still and focused on his glassy eyes instead. They looked bold and beautiful even as he neared death.

"I told you it was me." He whispered knowingly.

Waverly's lips trembled as she recalled the second line of the prophecy given by the old High Dakritonian Priest.

"I don't know what to do."

"Yes, you do." Brijjet chuckled. "You have always known what to do. You are stronger than me, than you even know. You need to go on and finish this once and for all. It has to be you."

Waverly rested her forehead gently against his face and cried, tightening her grip around his torso.

"I am so sorry." He weakly continued. "You were a good friend to me and i wasn't to you. For that i apologize."

He brought Waverly's hand close to his face. She lifted her head in time to see a bright green spectrum escape his skin very quickly and absorb into hers. Strangely, her palm began to feel heavy.

"For Aurora. Tell her. . ." His eyelids began to droop lazily. His skin took on a pale color like bleached wool.

Waverly cried even more, holding him tighter and pushing his hair out of his face as the growing evening wind made them dance around.

"Tell her to forgive me." He said with effort, and Waverly could clearly decipher the pain in his voice.

She shut her eyes tight, her chest aching as if she could feel his pain too. I can make it stop.

Don't. One has to derail, remember?

"Do me a favor." He panted in between breaths. It was obvious how quickly the poison was eating him up. The blue aura Waverly had seen around him many times suddenly appeared again but it began to flicker like a candle flame disturbed by wind.

"Anything." She sobbed.

Brijjet reached up and tenderly rested his cold fingers against her cheek. "Give 'em hell."

His hand lowered and his gaze traveled upward but he seemed to be seeing something that was not there.

"Look at those." He mused, his aura stopped flickering and disappeared. "Nowéns!"

Waverly briefly glanced up then back down and broke into tears again. Brijjet's eyes were still as lake water on a breezeless weather, gazing forever upward at the antlers he had claimed to see. Waverly stayed with his body until evening thickened to night. The weight in her chest tripled, making it impossible for her to move a muscle. Her eyes were heavy with crying and her nose burned from the endless sniffles.

She glanced around at the empty ruins of Nael knowing she had to get out of the area before she was spotted by any member of the dark army but a persistent, rash part of her wished for that to happen. She not only felt grief but overwhelming anger and was very tempted to unleash the violent tempest swirling around her insides.

After numerous failed attempts to whistle for Chestnut, Waverly gently placed Brijjet down and stood up. Her legs trembled to madness and her arms were sore but she ignored both and drew in a deep, shaky breath. She whistled again and this time, it came out sharp and loud unlike the previous ones that had been void of air and shallow as whispers.

The view of the palace drew up quickly and every minute filled Waverly with dread as the ground came closer and closer. As if on cue, the palace doors opened and someone bolted out. Waverly easily recognized her dark hair and flailing gossamer dress. She was being followed by armed guards and an elderly woman that was not the Queen as Waverly soon realized. The woman was dressed in the clothing of a nurse.

"I know he came to you." Aurora said immediately she caught sight of Waverly. Her voice trembled with evident anger.

"Where is he?"

Waverly wanted to reply but found she could not say a word. Aurora gazed searchingly into her face then realized for the first time the deep sadness written across it. She glanced up at the wolf and he instantly went on his knees.

Aurora staggered toward the animal and reached up to touch the protruding feet that was the only visible thing on Chestnut's thickly furred back. She turned to the guards and without a word they all rushed forward to lift Brijjet down. Aurora began to wail at the sight of her husband's dead body.

Waverly watched quietly, filled with pity and moved to tears herself until Aurora turned to her again.

"You!" She growled and rose to her feet, her face red and wet from crying. "You killed him. This is all your fault."

"Aurora?" The elderly woman called and tried to reach for the princess.

Waverly glanced at the nurse in a bid to recognize her but no sense of familiarity came. At that moment, Aurora darted forward and pushed her to the ground.

"Princess, calm yourself." The woman said again.

Aurora unsheathed a soldier's sword and the sudden action startled the Elf. Waverly hurriedly rose to her feet and realized she still felt very weak all over. She dodged several strikes from Aurora who also threw demeaning insults at her.

"Ever since your feet touched our soils, we have had nothing but bad luck." Aurora cried and screamed angrily. "Return to the Human slum you came from. First Dermot and now my husband, you are ruining my life. Get away from here."

"Aurora." A new authoritative voice came from behind.

Waverly looked over her shoulder, distracted by King Javan and his wife strolling toward the scene. She winced when a sharp sting formed on her jawline and her feet tripped under her, forcing her to fall on her back. In the blink of an eye, she found the cold point of Aurora's blade resting dangerously against her throat.

"Aurora, dear. Sheath the blade." Daya said, hurrying to her daughter's side.

The Queen's gaze found Brijjet's figure lying flat on the ground and a quiet gasp resonated her shocked expression. She faced her daughter again and placed a comforting hand on her cheek.

"Sheath the blade."

Aurora hesitated longer than normal, growling like a fuming tigress. Unexpectedly, she raised the sword to strike but Waverly instinctively caught the tip of the blade in her hand, sustaining a stab wound. A jet of green light bolted through her palm and hit Aurora square in the chest.

Within the next few seconds many things happened all at once; the night sky momentarily flashed green as the princess staggered back and fell, a number of guards swarmed Waverly and pulled her to her feet, pinning her hands behind her, Chestnut was surrounded and roped down while the King and Queen rushed to their daughter's side.

"What has she done?"

"Aurora, can ye hear me?"

"My child, say something!"

Waverly watched as the royal family fussed over their daughter who was vibrating with an unseen force, a force only she could perceive. She knew now what the green spectrum was and as it merged with Aurora, Waverly yanked her hands free from her bonds. The right one bled but she made no attempts to heal it.

"For Aurora." She began, gazing straight into Aurora's eyes in hopes that the princess would understand even in the slightest.

"He wanted you to have it back."

Aurora suddenly began to cry. She moved over to Brijjet and gathered him up in her arms, constantly kissing his face.

"He wanted me to tell you. . . to forgive him and that he loves you very much."

Nobody tried to stop her as she strolled toward Chestnut and cut down the ropes that held him down. From atop his back, she provided Brijjet's chipped bow. The sympathy she felt for Aurora immediately melted off and was replaced by anger.

"If you are desperately searching for who to blame for his death. . ."

Aurora gazed up at her. Waverly stared at the bow for a few seconds, admiring the sturdy wooden frame that sculpted the entire make of the weapon. She threw it down and Aurora caught it fluidly.

"Then blame your father." She completed and urged Chestnut. "I have errands to finish."

With that, she was gone.

The sound of beating drums and deep battle hoots gave everyone chills. From atop a cliff, Waverly watched the horizon light up with endless dots that was the enemy's fire. More torches would always appear whenever she thought the procession had ended. This army was obviously greater than any other before them. It meant only one thing and she was well aware of it.

On the other hand, the Floom was approaching and Waverly could tell. The gemstones around her wrist opened up her senses to such things - senses she usually ignored. She removed Calaire and placed it against her palm, stroking the fine spiderlike threads. Then with sheer force she snapped the thread into two. Looking at one piece, she willed it to become a rein and fashioned it around Chestnut's neck.

"I am sorry but it is just for the meantime. It is going to be very rough soon and i do not wish to fall off." She comforted whilst knotting the rein.

Chestnut laid down and Waverly sat next to him, wrapping pieces of torn material from her already ruined shirt around her injured palm. Her head swarmed with numerous thoughts and her chest almost cracked open from the endless emotions that rolled through her at once. She had never thought too much about the prophecy but with Brijjet gone now, she realized it was a mistake to have ignored it at all.

She touched the cut on her jaw and tried to recall the exact lines of the prophecy but only a single line stayed in her mind. The rest came to her in scattered bits as the Priest had only said them once.

"One derails," She recited in whispers. "Two forge ahead."

As hard as Waverly tried, she could not remember more than that. A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her, forcing her to rise and begin to pace. It did not help that she could not recall the prophecy when she had just lost Brijjet. Her heart ached for him and even though she tried to, she would not have been able to save his life as she done Grace.

His death was set in stone - his punishment for killing a god.

Waverly let out a grief filled scream that half startled Chestnut. He stared at her in wonder and made to rise but she weakly slumped against his body and began to cry again. This time, she did not cry only for Brijjet but for everything and everyone; Havilah, Dermot, Judson, Aurora, Lake Borough, the Seven Realms and even Chestnut. She rose up and threw her arms around his large neck in a hug. If someday she would have to lose him for any reason, she promised she would impale herself with a tree branch. The amount of dreadful things that had happened in her life during the past year came like a rushing wave, threatening to break and drown her.

"Learn your strengths. You have a rocky path ahead of you and you will need more than your sword or your bow to overcome what is ahead."

She lifted her head from Chestnut's fur to glance at the dark army. It came as a sort of conviction that this night would be the final stand. By daybreak, there would be a winner. It was either them or the dark army.

Waverly shut her eyes tight, her insides trembling and her heartbeat thumping loudly. She was not sure she would survive but it was now or never.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the waning moon. "Mother, if you can. . ."

Before she could finish, a part of the cliff began to glow, illuminated by a weak sort of silvery light. Waverly walked towards the light and found a complete piece of armor lying across a boulder. It was a magnificent combination of bronze, gold and silver and its shine was what cast a glow across the cliff. Waverly smiled a little and picked it up. It was as weightless as her Tyro armor. Lying by it was also a piece of saddle-like armor for Chestnut. The wolf seemed to recognize the clothing. He shrunk down to normal size and rushed forward so Waverly could help him get into it. She was quite thankful that the armor had come in a smaller size.

She had initially feared Selene would not answer her as their last meeting had not been a very cheerful one. Nonetheless, Selene knew what was at stake and had provided the needful.

Waverly imagined that her new armor had been handmade by her mother as the goddess once proudly proclaimed that she could make her own clothes. She fitted into the armor perfectly and what she loved most about it was the flailing silver cape that hung underneath the vest from below her waist. It was as light as moonstrings and beautifully complimented the dim but visible lunoglyphs that graced the front of the bronze vest. Each vambrace and greave was pale gold same as the boots and pieces of moonstrings held them in a tight fit in the same manner as the boot laces. If there was one thing Selene knew best - it was style.

Waverly climbed atop her max sized battle wolf and Calaire curved into a crescent moon in her hand. Chestnut flew to an even higher cliff where she could see the battle all around. She waited and watched as the enemy marched in from the front and the King's army from behind. Although the latter was awfully small in comparison to Oculmus's, they sounded and looked reinvigorated - ready to make their last stand.

Waverly spotted an array of Hammits and Fire Mortals mixed in with the crowd - the last of their kind left in the King's army. They were not up to a thousand combined but the size of every Hammit was enough to count as triple and Waverly hoped that the sight of them would cause quite a scare to the opposing side. She took in a deep breath, unsure of whether to join the marching sold6 or to wait until whenever before joining them.

She still felt somewhat like an outlander now that Oculmus had revealed to nearly everyone including the King about her involvement with him. No one would believe she had known Judson long before he became a host for Oculmus and the only ones who would have were dead.

Waverly shut her eyes for a long time, trying to steady her breathing. She could hear the sounds of battle now; shouts of terror as huge vile birds swooped down and pecked at the King's army, swords clashing, arrows whooshing, canons and fireballs exploding, fires raging and the overall groan of the earth as she took every burden of the war.

Waverly watched the battle progress - certain that no one would notice her from the height she watched from but she was wrong. Something tiny barreled towards her and before she could caution Chestnut, he reared and swiped the creature with brutal force, barking out howls of protest. The creature fell in a rough tumble and remained limp.

Waverly had seen the animal before and knew its tricks. She swiftly slid off Chestnut as the Heathland dragon rose slowly and began to grow.

"Mm-mm." She hummed in objection.

Her irises began to glow. With an angry scream she ran forward, screeched on one knee and sliced the dragon into two halves. The creature froze on impact with Calaire and fell with a loud crash, shattering to pieces at once.

Waverly stood up and glared at the animal's solid remains. She ran to Chestnut and climbed onto him again, feeling a violent rush of adrenaline course through her. The wolf plunged down the cliff and began to run down it, creating an avalanche as he did. Waverly kept her eyes focused on the enemy front and as she advanced. A powerful shout suddenly came from a bunch of Hammits who spotted her.

"Waverly!" They roared and shouted. Others soon joined them.

Chestnut crashed into a Lemyt, a treeman, and it broke with a loud snap and an even louder wail. Waverly's feet touched the ground and a rage began. She fought like Phyllis; stabbing through Banshees and Kobolds and disuniting heads from bodies. She imitated Havilah and climbed atop the shoulders of Vayns, nicking Werewolves in the back and chopping the legs off of Ghouls and Fers. Calaire was more fluid than ever, melting and reforming into any kind of weapon in the blink of any eye.

The stones around Waverly's hand began to glow. She shockingly realized what she had done only after it happened. It was as though she had blacked out on herself when she began to speak in an outcry, calling onto the trees in their ancient earthly language to come forth and take part in the battle.

"A'ng fende areth ge'elma navatyma harelsiya torres." (Get up and defend the bearer of your roots)

Roots rapidly sprouted from the ground with thunderous booms and half the entire forest, at least the ones free of the raging fire, came to life.

"A'ng fende ge'elma wilde. A'ng fende ge'elma noktene." (Get up and defend the wild. Get up and defend the innocent)

The battlefield began to flood with creatures of all kinds, both big and small. Ancient birds were conjured; some too great and terrible to behold. Their cries and screeches shook the ground and sent the enemy trembling. Nature spirits of old streamed out from the ground and filled the air with sweet, hypnotizing odors that instantly stupefied the enemy. More unnamed creatures appeared from within the Great Jungle and the sight of their terrible wings, fangs, claws and stingers created a wave of panic amongst the dark army and a wild triumphant cheer from the King's army.

A gruesome second battle ensued and soon, the dark army visibly reduced.

Waverly spotted the Elf King leading the last of his Generals into battle accompanied by a group of Aurs - ancient monsters that resembled dogs. Only, these were much bigger with wider faces and traipsed on two legs instead of four.

The King's army pushed the dark army farther and farther away from Alpgeton, beyond the border and into the forest where they had the upper hand. Waverly glanced around and glimpsed all her friends fighting. Although they did so far from each other, it made her quite glad to see them doing battle together.

Once in a while, she would overhear traps going off and wild screaming and smile to herself. She attacked a Carkness from behind but it suddenly grabbed her hand and began to twist. Waverly screamed in pain as her bones cracked all the way to her shoulder. An array of daggers immediately sailed over her head and impaled the creature in the face. It instantly keeled over.

Waverly grabbed her broken arm and turned to find Ceylon behind her. He took a step forward.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She nodded quickly, trying not to wince in pain but Ceylon did not seem convinced. He rushed forward and for a fleeting second, Waverly thought he would tackle her but he swerved at the last minute and grabbed a Wray that had snuck up from behind her.

As soon as the pair rolled away in a violent scuffle, she turned and found another Wray in front of her but before it could attack, an arrow lodged into its skull.

Waverly quickly realized she was a target as more creatures began to close in on her but her comrades had seemingly realized the same and were already intercepting.

General Odo ran up to her followed by a number of soldiers. They all surrounded her in a wide circle, cutting her off from the reach of the dark army. Chestnut jumped into the circle and began to take powerful swipes at any bird that attempted to peck at her from above.

"Hold this line." Odo shouted. "We will not let them have her."

Waverly focused on her broken arm and healed it. She ran to climb atop Chestnut, realizing with a slight pang what the sudden personal attack meant.

She turned to Odo. "Thank you, General. But i have to get to Oculmus. I will hide no longer."

With that, Chestnut took flight.

There was no peace up above either as a violent clash of birds seemed to be taking place but Chestnut avoided them as much as he could. Waverly aided those on her side by cutting down their opponents whenever she could. As if they knew where she was headed, the birds formed a flank behind her as escorts.

Instinctively, Chestnut flew toward the Oasis.

Just as he raced past a stretch of land that bordered the sea from the forest, the wolf spiraled out of control. He circumvolved midair and came crashing down in a hard fall on the beach.

Waverly was violently thrown off his back and crashed within the trees.

Just then, she was grabbed roughly on both arms and because her face was still buried in the sand, she did not get to see who had pinioned her before being thrown with incredible force. Her frame collided with a rock spire that stood nearest the sea and she limply fell face flat onto the wet sand. Waves rolled in and over her, soaking her thoroughly. She spat out blood and a loose tooth then pushed herself up with a controlled groan.

The night was cold and thick with foreboding darkness. It would have been near impossible to see anything had the light of the half moon above been absent.

Her attackers stood at arm's length from each other and as soon Waverly recognized them, she let out a choked sort of laughter and shook her head sadly.

They were gods - Nysan gods.

"Pech. Andes." She muttered. They were the deities of misfortune and of natural disasters respectively.

"You show no respect, mortal, calling us by our names." Andes said. A whirlwind rose behind him but it comprised more of stones than wind.

"Why should i show respect to any of you lot?" Waverly asked weakly as she arose. Her back screamed pain but she could feel her healing powers take over.

"You are basically guard dogs for Oculmus and yet mere dogs would have my respect instead of you."

Pech passed Andes a look that suggested she was both surprised and offended. "Do you hear her, Andes?"

"Of course i do, Pech. I have ears." Andes snapped."

"Where is your master?" Waverly teased, testing her back for any pain. It felt better by the second.

"Shut up." Andes barked.

The rock behind Waverly shattered to pieces and rolled into a whirlwind too. The unnatural force of it made Waverly sway and stagger but she struggled to keep her feet planted.

"Is he afraid to face me or is he waiting until after i am done with the two of you?" She asked.

Andes seemed to be more affected by her taunts than Pech was. He grunted and showcased his muscly arms. The whirlwind behind Waverly suddenly traveled back to gain momentum then rushed toward her.

It collided into her and threw her a thousand meters into the forest. This fall became more fatal than the last one as Waverly's leg and arm ended up twisting at unnatural angles.

Her head and body spasmed and was submerged into such great anguish that half blinded her. Black spots danced around her eyes. She felt cool air swirling on the inside of her skull and feared that it had split open. The sky was blurring fast and her body began to feel weightless. She did not know and could not guess what it felt like to be dying but strongly believed that this was it.

Wake up! A voice snapped from underneath her.

She turned her head only a tad so that a part of her face was half buried in thick underbrush. The voice sounded very familiar and despite being so loud, it came as a soothing comfort that it was at least one familiar.

Wake!

Waverly groaned, eager for once to disobey.

She was surprised at how she was even able to move despite the amount of pain she was feeling. Unlike moments when her healing powers took immediate effect after an injury, there was a sort of vacuum inside of her that she had never felt before. It was like her powers had left for good. She felt deserted.

You must rise.

Waverly softly blinked the tears out of her eyes. She suddenly sensed the presence of numerous people approaching. She could not see them but guessed her attackers had found her again. She was certain that she fell a long walk from the sea and the fact that both deities who could easily materialize to wherever they wanted had walked the distance instead seemed insulting to Waverly.

Why could they not have appeared sooner and just be done with it?

"I see that now you wish for death."

Waverly's fingers twitched but she could move no more than that. Oculmus strolled toward her and began to walk around in a circle. Her blurry vision cleared enough to make out his face but only for a millisecond because it blurred out again.

"They have so much faith in you." He continued. "No matter how many times i try to put you down you just keep coming, little cockroach."

Waverly's eyes lolled around in her eye socket permitting her to see things from every angle but in painful blurs. She tried to swallow but her jaw and throat felt sorely weak.

"I should have killed you when i had the chance." Oculmus said.

Waverly wanted to speak then remembered that she could not. She thought her answer instead as Oculmus could as well hear her thoughts loud and clear.

Kill me now.

Oculmus guffawed.

Waverly sensed multiple godly auras which indicated that more gods had suddenly joined in to either make fun of her or kill her or both.

"I will do that in my own time." Oculmus said. "I want you to watch as your beloved nation of Elves burn to nothing along with its inhabitants. I want you to watch me end the Etonians. I want you to feel the pain of losing everything."

Waverly suddenly realized she felt less and less pain. The vacuum in her chest slowly began to fill up as if an entire flood of warmth was rolling into and across her body. The crack on her skull began to seal and the bones she had twisted from the fall refixed themselves. Underneath her, an exhilarating energy furtively rose from the ground and seeped into her body.

Remember Zanaan, some of the gods are not at war with you.

Waverly tried to swallow and found that she could. The blur in her vision disappeared. She balled her fists and spoke in a gentle whisper.

"Kill me now. . . or i will kill you."

Oculmus scoffed in contempt. "Did nobody tell you, Waverly? Elementals cannot be killed."

We rally behind you and your kind to redeem the world from a great evil.

Waverly felt shocking strength surge through her limbs like a hundred bolts of lightning and this new strength, she realized, did not come solely from her nor from the stones around her wrist.

"No." She agreed. "But i can do far worse."

With that, the ground exploded all around and the force of it propelled her skyward.