Eli's request stunned Albert. Standing in silence, all he could do was stutter for a moment. Baffled, he could only ask, "What?"

Sarah, who had just reached the group, worriedly asked, "Can you please repeat that request? It almost sounded like you wanted Albert to fight Ilkama with you," she nervously laughed at the end.

Eli, unamused, replied, "I did make that request. I want Albert to fight by my side against Ilkama."

"Have you lost your mind?" Sarah tapped the side of her head. "I will not allow him to go anywhere near that demon of a ruler!"

"And why would you want that? Surely, I would only get in your way," Albert asked.

"On the contrary, Albert, I may be the one in your way," Eli shook his head. "Your tactical genius allowed you to learn Mienard glyphs effortlessly. Despite your lack of experience using my kingdom's glyphs, you bested me in battle. I held nothing back. I would argue your strategies are on the same level as Ilkama's."

"You held back Bursor," Albert snapped his fingers. "It is as you said, I would likely be unable to keep up with you if you were to use it."

Eli scratched his chin, wondering, "I am not so sure about that." After explaining Bursor's limitation against other Mienard gear, Eli reasoned Albert's gauntlets could now be considered Mienard. "If my theory is correct, you would be much safer against Ilkama than you think. You could be the hero in this war."

Albert stood in silence, wondering what might happen if he were to join. Eli's word, hero, rang in his ears. He smiled, enjoying the sound of that title. He then pictured the Dark Lord's evil grin, laughing at Albert while calling him "a brute who refuses to use a weapon." The martial artist gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he pictured himself repeatedly punching Ilkama.

"I would love to punch that stupid grin off his face," Albert spat.

"Albert!" Sarah whined, placing her hand against his as their fingers slowly intertwined. "You cannot be serious. You will be against a Mienard with years of experience! Eli has been using these glyphs for only a few weeks. To compare their skills is absurd!" she insisted. Eli slumped over, his heart sinking.

"I am able to hold my own against Ilkama," Eli muttered, despising her comment.

"No, you are not. As you said: You got lucky escaping the castle last time. Training does not count; he had not been trying to kill you," Sarah's voice filled with even more worry.

"So you are fine with Eli dying, but not me?" Albert asked.

"You already know the answer to that!" Sarah yelled. The group stared at the alchemist while Eli's heart sank further. She looked around, realizing what she had said. "Albert..."

"At least, if I were to join him, we would have a better chance at survival. I will join him in battle. This decision is final," Albert explained, ripping his hand away from hers and walking past his friends.

"Albert, listen to me!" Sarah screamed, her eyes filling with tears. Albert stopped, hearing the pain in her voice. He turned around to face her, crossing his arms. Sarah rushed over to him and hugged him. "I am so sorry. You know how much I care about you. I just do not want you to get hurt."

"I understand," Albert replied, returning the embrace. "But we knew what we signed up for when we began our crusade. If it means saving the hundreds of people in the kingdom, joining him is worth it. My life may be in jeopardy, but it is worth it."

Sarah sighed, pulling away from her partner, insisting, "Then at least take these." She unlatched red potions from her waist and buckled them to Albert's. "Promise me that you will flee and drink these if the fight gets too dire."

"I do."

"Please. I need to hear you say it."

"I promise to flee and recover if the fight gets too dire," he reiterated.

"Thank you," Sarah got on her toes and lightly pecked his cheek. "I want to help you prepare for the fight," she said suddenly.

"How? The only way for you to help me is to use summons. But you are saving them for Ilkama's army, are you not?"

"We will be fine," she reasoned. "I am more concerned about protecting you right now. Helping you train is the best way I can do that."

"Sarah, I promise: we are ready. You already saw what Eli and I are capable of," he lightly kissed her forehead. Eli nodded. "He would not have made the offer had he thought I was unprepared. I trust the citizens will help when the battle starts, but you may need the summons as well."

"And remember: if the guards surround you at any point, Repeiletus can protect you. It protected me against ten guards while fleeing the kingdom earlier," Eli offered. Charles stared in confusion.

Devon, noticing this, tapped his teammates' shoulder, explaining, "I believe he is talking about this one," Devon drew Refliro in the air instead.

"No, no. That is the barrier. I am talking about the one the created the spikes at the temple," Eli outlined the correct glyph instead.

"Oh, now I get it," the others understood in unison.

"If you chain it with Bursor, the rocks are larger and more protective," Eli explained, stepping away from the group while drawing the sequence. When Eli plunged his sword into the ground, he became encased in stones. The others nodded as Eli escaped back to his friends.

Reiterating his point, Albert quickly said, "Anyway, you should keep the summons. They will be more useful to you than me. Now, come on! The longer we stand around, the more time Ilkama has to prepare against us and the longer the citizens live in fear." The martial artist turned and ran towards the kingdom. Confident in their abilities to win, Eli joined the run with the others in tow.

Catching up with the Mienard and gently grabbing his arm, Sarah begged, "Please, Eli. Tell Albert everything you can about Ilkama. Even the smallest detail may be significant. Anything to help him succeed against that man." Eli nodded and sprinted to Albert.

"Ilkama is incredibly strong," Eli started, his mind going back to the training sessions. "When we fight, he has a way to overwhelm you. Sometimes—while fighting him—it feels as though I am fighting ten people at once. You two are similar in that regard. You both hit hard and are tactically brilliant. His defenses will be hard to penetrate."

"So, how do we break through them?"

"Just as Sarah gave you potions to use, Ilkama has the same on his belt," Eli pointed to his right hip. "I have destroyed his potions on two occasions. The first was accidental, while the second was a distraction. When the potions combine, they explode against one another."

"But you have already done this twice? What are the chances he did not create new ones in time for our battle? And if he did, what are the chances they are not in the same place as before?"

The Mienard fell silent. Albert was correct; it was nearly impossible the potions were unmoved, given he had been struck in the same place twice. "If he has moved them, the strategy should still work as long as they explode."

"I suppose I should take your advice to heart: It is hard to break one's muscle memory," Albert chuckled. Eli could not help but laugh as well.

"We can only hope. In any case, there is more to know. Ilkama does not know of the artifact. Remember, he still believes you are 'just a martial artist who refuses to adapt,'" Eli said, using air quotes around Ilkama's belief.

"No need to remind me," Albert groaned. "I worked hard to be where I am. Ilkama knows absolutely nothing about me. Sarah and I have been careful about that in the kingdom."

"And his beliefs of you may prove to be a valuable asset. We may be able to use his lack of knowledge to our benefit. If we surprise him, perhaps you can get a free hit against him. There are sequences you may find beneficial," Eli explained. "As you know, Bursor and Profecti will launch you opposite to where you aim. If you need it, you can use that to escape and drink a potion."

"It will not come to that," Albert scoffed. "We will be fine."

"I am only saying that it exists if you need it. In addition, using Vertila and Lunimus creates a powerful beam of light, but it drains your energy. It is how Ilkama most recently won in a sparring match against me." Eli took out his sword and drew the sequence, aiming at a distant tree. When the beam collided, the tree fell over, and its roots tore out of the ground. Albert, amazed, only gasped. Eli sheathed his sword.

"Why did you not use this against Ilkama during your escape?" Albert asked. "Surely, you would have killed him, and we would have avoided this quest!" Eli's mind went back to the escape. He watched what he had done and wondered how a different sequence may have changed the outcome. However, the image of Curtis's lifeless body in his arms appeared. Eli's head spun as he felt his throat collapsing in on itself. Unable to think straight, Eli fell over, thankful to land in the grass.

"Eli!" Charles called, sprinting to the Mienard and leaning down beside him. Albert stopped and turned to face his friend. "Are you okay?" Charles asked. When Eli's only response was his rapid breathing, Charles rubbed his back, reassuring, "You are safe. Slow down."

Eli's eyes frantically searched the horizon for nothingness as he nervously shook his head. He muttered, "Deep breaths. Two. Three. Four. Hold. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four," he counted as he tried to relax. "Focus," Eli stared at a lone tree in the distance. Hoping to calm himself down, he repeated Sarah's breathing exercise.

"What did you do?" Devon asked Albert.

"I mentioned his escape from Ilkama. But it must be a sensitive topic," Albert whispered loud enough for only Devon to hear.

Eli focused on his breath but quickly heard Curtis gasping for air in his mind, begging for the Mienard to escape. Eli placed his hands over his ears, shaking his head as he begged the returning pain to vanish. Charles sat beside him and reached for Eli's hands, though the swordsman slapped his leader's hands away. "Please, Eli, give me your hands. I can help," Charles reasoned. Eli, having heard part of the sentence, glanced at his teammate. Charles' hand was extended, expecting Eli to grasp it.

Reassured by his friends, Eli slowly removed his hands and placed them in Charles'. Charles held the swordsman's hands together before reaching out and clapping them both. Eli yelped, having not expected the action. Though it was not unbearable, the stinging pain brought Eli out of his head and back to reality. Eli found it hard to focus on losing Curtis when the pain in his hands overpowered that emotion. Eli shook his hands in the air, hoping the tingling feeling would subside. Though it did not, his focus returned. Eli looked around and saw his friends. Albert, with a saddened gaze, only said, "Sorry."

"It is alright," Eli's breathing had slowed, though his emotional state somewhat deteriorated. "Just please, do not mention that again," his voice still shaking a little.

"Of course. Need a hand?" Albert walked to Eli and offered support. The swordsman graciously accepted it, standing back up.

"Shall we continue?" Eli asked.

"Are you sure you do not need a moment to relax?"

"I will be fine. There is no need to worry," Eli insisted, continuing to jog. The others followed closely behind, carefully watching the swordsman. Though each member stared and worried he might fall, Albert began strategizing. Having seen how painful one's memory could be, Albert wondered if it would be possible to weaponize it. The martial artist thought back to their fight against the dragon.

"Eli, I have an idea. It may be crazy, but it could also work," Albert offered, catching up to his friend. "We cannot just attack Ilkama. We must coordinate. Otherwise, numbers do not matter."

"I agree. But that is not cra—"

"Have you ever considered using the Memory glyph as a weapon?"

"What? How would that work when all it does is show a memory of an item you touch?"

"Back in the fire temple, when we fought Zhotan, you used the glyph. The two of you were unmoving for quite a while. It would have been the perfect opportunity for us to attack the beast. And when you came out of the memory, the two of you were disoriented and tired for a moment. If we could use that power against Ilkama, he could become vulnerable, giving the other person a chance to strike him down."

Eli considered the idea and saw no reason for it not to work. He simply agreed it could be worth a try. "The first person to get the chance should try it. However, you must be careful. If you do not chain Bursor before it, only you will be made vulnerable."

"Right. Thank you for the wisdom."

"And thank you for the idea. It is precisely as I said: Your strategies are incredible. Who knew a passive glyph could prove to be useful offensively?" Eli chuckled. "I would have never considered it."

"You should be glad I did," Albert joined in laughing.

"Believe me, I am," Eli replied. "If your theory works, I do not know what I will do, but I will do something."

"You will owe me one," Albert lightly jabbed at his friend.

"Of course," Eli nodded in agreement, "I will grant anything you wish for, so long as it is in my power."

"Do not expect my request to be simple, whatever it may be."

"For somebody as smart as yourself, I would be disappointed if it were simple."

While the group continued their journey, Eli could not help but wonder what Albert's favor could be. The more he thought, the less he knew. Ever since his panic attack, his mind had slowed considerably. After several hours—though it had only felt like half an hour to Eli—the group saw the kingdom appear over the horizon. Though Sarah and Devon became worried, Albert saw no reason to prolong the inevitable. The group approached Kevras before stopping close to the kingdom walls.

"We should rest before we attack Ilkama and his army," Charles reasoned. "We have been jogging for quite some time. Surely, we are all tired." Everybody agreed except for Albert, who felt he could not stop moving. Taking off some of the potions Sarah had shared, he began handing them out. Leaving a few for the oncoming battle, Albert reassured Sarah that he would be as safe as possible before she could argue.

"These will revitalize our energies, correct?" he asked. "We will no longer be tired, and we may fight Ilkama before sunset."

Everyone traded concerned glances but knew he was right. "If we were to rest until night, sneak attacks would be easier for both parties, so long as they are quiet enough. However, if we wait until tomorrow, perhaps the guards will find us out here and kill us in our sleep. Drinking these and attacking now would probably be the best course of action," Charles downed the potion before wiping any residual fluid from his mouth.

"We would free the kingdom from the Dark Lord's tyranny," Sarah realized, drinking her potion too. The others agreed and drank their elixirs too.

As the group ran at the kingdom, Albert was the first to cheer, "The revolution begins now!"