Eboni took the stairs two at a time, being as silent as she could while she scrambled up the stairs. Summoning a ball of energy to sit in her palm she knew that she had to move fast.

She met them head on at the top of the stairs, her ball of energy hitting only half of her targets. Plucking her last small dagger from her belt she moved with speed as she encased it in energy and threw it towards the last standing Dark One in front of her. With their sword raised and ready to strike they fell to the floor in a flash of light, joining the others with a satisfying thud.

She had done it.

Leaning against the wall of the tower she caught her breath, the adrenaline in her body weaning as she tired from the physical exertion of battle.

Bren. He was now the only thought on her mind. Climbing the last flight of stairs to where he was sealed in she sighed relived.

The wall that Kas had built around him was intact and Bren was safe. They would not be blinded.

A rustle of movement on the top floor of the tower startled her.

She had killed all the Dark Ones that had entered the tower, she was sure of it. And if there was one up there, why had they passed Bren and not done anything to stop him?

Tentatively she summoned her power again, her trusted white ribbon fluttering with trepidation as she slowly ascended the last flight of stairs, step by step.

Peaking up into the floor to see what she would be facing, she sighed in relief as she saw only one Dark One. One she could take care of very easily.

She began to form an ice needle in her palm once more. Taking aim with her mind she faltered. An uncomfortable wave of fear, pain and Darkness falling over her.

The man in front of her seemed oblivious to her presence. He stood staring out onto the battle field, watching in silence.

Struggling under the weight of whatever had overcome her she struggled up the last remaining steps and stumbled out onto the top of the tower.

Raising her hand once more to summon her power and end the evil in front of her.

A dark, blackened mist began to swirl across the floor, centring itself underneath the man.

Eboni opened her mouth in protest, hoping to stop whatever magic was afoot by distracting the conjurer- if he was indeed the person doing it. But no words left her mouth.

The mist continued to swirl, the dark power holding Eboni in silent protest as it rose slowly and consumed the Dark One in front of her.

Before her eyes the man disappeared. In his place a tall, black haired man stood with his back to her. The armour of the man before him gone, replaced by simple black trousers and a tunic.

Eboni protested again under the hold of the dark magic, her own power surging within her forcing the invisible shackles from her body and setting her free.

Standing still, and quietly panting from the exertion of using a large amount of her element at once she waited for the man to make his move.

The man before her turned, slowly. His eyes meeting hers.

And she knew all at once.

He was The Darkness.

The Darkness embodied turned to face her slowly, his posture relaxed as though he knew something she did not. Which given the circumstances was entirely likely.

Eboni sucked in a sharp breath, forcing herself to stand taller, look stronger, be more confident.

As they faced each other, the world outside the tower faded away. The screams and cries of her allies and enemies merging before fading into a dulled silence.

She took a moment to search around her power pathways, pulling all the element she had left together, just in case she needed to use it at a moment's notice.

The Darkness stood before her, watching her every move, a bemused smile flickering on his cold, thin lips. His long, gangly frame would not have been intimidating had it not been for his black and hollow eyes.

"I know who you are. Do you know who I am?" His voice was low, deliciously smooth and clear. A Glint in his eye warning her that the question was a challenge, one that likely had horrific consequences depending on the answer.

But she could not let herself be afraid, fear was weakness and she was strong. Eboni squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze head on.

"You are the Darkness. And you do not know who I am."

He chuckled at her bravery. "Well done. There are not many who would look me in the eye and say my name. But you are wrong. I do know who you are. I know exactly who you are, abandoned child, and daughter of the great Elementi. High Priestess of God's Land yet you give it up for a man. A man you met a few mere weeks ago, who claims he loves you. Love." He scoffed. "Who could love you?" He sneered, his lips twisting, eyes narrowing.

Eboni fell silent, sadness welling in the pit of her stomach and behind her eyes. Though she hated to admit it, he had struck a nerve.

"Your parents did not love you. They did not even want you. Your mother, oh the stories I could tell you about your mother!"

"Stop!" Eboni cried out, silencing him. He looked on bemused by her outburst. Playing with her, toying with her mind.

"I. Do. Not. Care. I am happy, I have a family that spans this entire world. People who love me, believe in me. You pray on the depravity of people, bind them to you in the shadows of darkness. You cannot speak of love, when you know nothing of it. Nothing."

He stayed silent. Watching her. Observing her.

A loud bang from the battlefield broke through the top of the tower, the walls shaking and stone crumbling around them. Yet they both remained unmoved. A thick tension beginning to form in the atmosphere as they continued to stare at each other, almost willing the other to step down, surrender.

"Why?" Eboni asked, the question bubbling from her lips before she had a chance to think it through.

The Darkness laughed humourlessly. Forced. And yet, he laughed.

"Everything is always 'why!?' With you people! Why do you have to kill me? Why do you have to kill them? Why are you doing this?" These questions, answering them over and over again get incredibly dull." His tone mocking her question.

"My apologies for boring you." She replied bitterly.

"I would not have expected any less of a question from you." He said, waving his hand through the air as though brushing off her sarcastic apology. "So, the first of the 'why' questions are?"

"Why not kill me?" She asked, coming to the realisation that he was planning something much more unpleasant.

"Because, you are one of six. I need you all before I end just one. A pity, considering I have you at the tips of my fingertips right now."

She hid her sigh of relief. He would not kill her until he had the others as well. Though she knew that her being alone with him would not last long. Atu and Bren were also now in the tower, it would not be long before the others realised what was going on and came to stand by her side.

"Why do you go against the will of the great God?" She asked, knowing the more she learnt about him, the easier it may be to destroy him. Either that or stall him until she thought of a plan.

"The great God!" He spat at the floor. "He is no 'great' God. A great God does not despise something he has created and order his followers to end it. End me. He made me. He made the light but forgot that with light there must be darkness. Instead of welcoming me into his world, he made me hide. Cower in fear. Well no more."

The Darkness took a step towards her, his eyes blazing with fury as he recounted his tale.

"He tells you that I am evil? To me, he was evil! I don't think of what I do, my people do as evil. So, who is right? I think of you as evil. Are you evil? My creator wants to destroy me because I am different, because I chose to follow my own rules. He couldn't control me so he wants to do the next best thing."

He backed away from her, his shoulders rising and falling as his breathing laboured from his passionate tale.

"You started this, not us! If you had just stayed on your land- kept your people where they belong. This war, these deaths, would never have happened." She reasoned.

"We did. For a thousand years we were happy- my people were happy. But then one of my daughters- an innocent- was stolen. Darkness consumes us all, we just aren't afraid to acknowledge it. Some fall back into themselves and whither when they realise, and some- like me- like you, fight for what they believe is right. We are not so different, Eboni."

She gasped. This was about Anabele?

"You are wrong. We are different. That girl who was 'stolen'- left. She felt the Darkness around her and fled with a man she fell in love with. She ran away. This fight, it is about nothing." Eboni revealed.

"There will always be something." He countered. Narrowing his eyes at her, as though challenging her to say it wasn't true.

"No matter how hard you fight for the Light, you'll find the Darkness has already got there before and is waiting, patiently." His lips curled up into a vicious smirk, continuing when he saw the vicious glare she was now sending his way. "You are nothing but a girl. You can do no harm to me." He turned away from her, as though her being up there with him was of no consequence. That she held no power and could easily be ignored.

He wasn't going to quit. Ever. There would always be a reason. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself before she did something rash. Her power flowed as she connected with it. Behind her eyes the white ribbons surged through her power pathways with a purity unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It was blindingly white, pulsating power and strength, sending goose bumps down her arms and tingles down her spine.

If she had been waiting for a sign this was it.

Opening her eyes, she saw that her opponent still had his back to her. His body relaxed apart from his fists that were curled and clenched by his side.

Knowing this was the perfect opportunity she closed her eyes once more. Refocusing her power on the figure in front of her. This was it. There would only be one chance at destroying The Darkness and she knew that if she had to, she would die trying.

The realisation that this was the end. That she was the one who Elementi had chosen to fall brought tears to her eyes. Images flashed in a blur behind her eyes.

Playing with Bren on the temple steps as children. Stealing the bread from the temples alter. Bren beating her for the first and only time in a snowball fight. Her lessons with the High Priest and Priestess. Meeting Iasa and stepping foot on Rolezal for the first time. Meeting Kas in the middle of the lake, and the lilies he grew for her. Atu and his family. Sailing across the ocean meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. Raus and his infectious smile and laugh. His naivety and courage. Kas telling her that he loved her and her, finally getting the courage to tell him that she loved him too.

She would be joining Frey, Kas's mother, the Admari people who fought for their freedom and all the men and women who were dying on the battle field right now. All sacrificing their lives for the greater good.

She was ready. Her life for theirs. It was a sacrifice she was more than ready and willing to make.

Just as she was about to open her eyes and release her element upon The Darkness, she felt something. It tugged at her power, pulling at her own element.

Stifling a cry of shock, she reached into her power pathways and pulled at the new power that had joined her own. A bright green swirl of power coursed through her pathways, binding its self to her own, strengthening her energy and bringing comfort to her mind. Somehow, and she did not ponder to think how, Kas had bound his element to hers, sent her the strength she needed to finish The Darkness once and for all.

Another power burst into being, a red hot, liquid fire rushed with power and determination, it too binding itself to her own and Kas's. Adding to the strength of power that now coursed through her, gifting her with the courage to give everything and more to end this war.

Two more powers crashed into the mix of elements, unable to hide her shock and new-found strength anymore she let out a shocked cry, grasping at her core where the powers converged and coursed within her. Her eyes still shut as she watched the invisible but strong power of Atu and the bright blue and green current of Raus bind themselves to the others.

"What are you doing?" She heard the man in front of her say, laughing when she heard the twinge of fear in his voice.

Opening her eyes, she slowly stood straight. The elements continuing to dance inside her eyes.

She watched as The Darkness began to realise what was happening, his expressions going from shock to anger and then to glee. Lifting his balled-up fists and opening them towards her she knew what he planned to do. All the powers were now within her. He no longer needed the others to come to him, they were already here.

The final element joined with the others. A silver fog rose from a grey fog and twisted around the elements that ran through her. And she could see. The Darkness in front of her changing from a man to mix of black fog and shadows.

"It is time. The end. Finally, I can walk the lands I was destined to rule." He flew forward the elements surging from her palms, the power blasting into the form of the Darkness had become, sending them both reeling backwards, the floor disappearing from underneath her feet.

As she moved, her eyes fixed on the blue, green, white, red, silver as they engulfed The Darkness. The fog and shadows shattering into millions of tiny pieces, all rushing together in a whirlwind, a gust of wind whipping through the tower, before diving towards the stone floor and disappearing entirely. His screams of anguish and shouts of revenge rang through her head, silencing as she succumbed to her own darkness that had been waiting for her.