Daniel grasped Robert’s shoulder, hefting him up to a perch on a large boulder. “Come on, Rob.” He whispered as another mass of demons charged past them, no doubt on their way to the battle. Daniel brought Robert next to him as he scanned their surroundings, attempting to use his senses to regain their heading. The forest was close, now only mere meters away from their position. Daniel felt a strange sense of comfort come over him as he looked upon the unnatural looking trees. Their hairlike branches and fleshy bark bringing back a flood of memories from his abrupt arrival.

  “We don’t need to keep hiding, Dan.” Robert said, standing in full view of the demons that were streaming past them. “I’ve cloaked us.”

  Daniel looked over at Avria, who just shrugged. “Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry. No need to tempt them with anything.”

  “We were slaughtering them a few miles back, and they didn’t see us.” Robert pressed, leaping from the boulder onto the grass. “We’ve got to hurry.”

  “Fine.” Daniel followed, then Avria after him. “This is just strange. What if Dio’Mar senses us?”

  “Spirits help us if she does.” Avria huffed.

  “I don’t think she can.” Robert replied, coming to a halt before the tree line. “We were able to escape her before, despite her trying to keep us there. She should have been able to find me, through my cloaking ability.” Robert turned to face Daniel, gesturing into the forest. “Are we ready for this?”

  Daniel looked closely at the trees, then up toward the canopy, which looked subdued somehow. Faded and lifeless compared to the last time he saw them up-close like this. “Let’s do this.”

  “Be mindful of your surroundings in there, Daniel.” Avria said, grasping his arm before he stepped forward. “The enemy knows we’re coming and will stop at nothing to keep that portal open.”

  Daniel nodded, placing his hand on hers briefly before stepping into the forest. There was an immediate change in the atmosphere around him as the once vibrant forest now seemed lifeless and desolate. The flowers and strange vegetation were withered and dead, and an overall foulness hung in the air.

  “Damn…” Robert whispered, running his hands across the surface of one of the trees. “It’s dead… the whole damn forest is dead.”

  “The spirits have fled.” Avria stated, picking up her pace. “And with them, the spiritual energy that kept this holy place alive. This is actually my first time being allowed to enter here. It is a shame that it should be in such a state.”

  “Maybe closing the gate will bring them back.” Daniel wasn’t sure if that was the case, but he sincerely hoped it was true.

  They traveled at a brisk pace through the forest, following their senses. Little was said between them, and Daniel preferred it that way. In no small part due to the nearly endless stream of demons that passed them. Snarling and barking at one another in what Daniel believed was some form of communication or language, but he wasn’t sure. Before long, the feeling of darkness became nearly overwhelming; and a bright orange glow radiated all around them.

  “Look.” Robert whispered, pointing through a break in the trees.

  Daniel looked in awe at the massive portal, which was suspended in the air and the size of a large house. The edges looked like solidified tar, cracked and damaged; with spikes that pointed inward. The portal itself radiated heat like a furnace, and bled crimson smoke. Aside from the disturbing look of the portal itself, was, of course, what poured out of it; Hundreds of demons. The smaller familiars were the bulk of the forces that emerged, with a few larger demons that periodically exited.

  “Look at all these things.” Robert said, turning toward Daniel, his eyes wide and full of uncertainty. “How the hell do we stop this?”

  “We must use our abilities the way you and Katrina did before the battle.” Avria answered. “Otherwise, we will be quickly overwhelmed.”

  “Sure.” Robert nodded. “I can do that again, no problem.”

  “I uh…” Daniel winced, “I’ve never done anything like that before. All of my abilities are basically…”

  Avria gave him a deadpan stare. “Shooting balls of fire and blowing your enemies to bits?”

  “Yeah.” Daniel shrugged, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Other than my healing techniques, I’ve never done anything more complex.”

  “Reku.” Avria turned towards Robert, “Perhaps you could instruct this poor fool in some meaningful way that could help us. Dae-Rah have incredible usefulness in infinitely more ways than launching blasts of flame toward the enemy. You must learn this right now, Daniel. Or we will not survive what may come.”

  “Yeah.” Robert said slowly, coming in close to Daniel. “So, first thing you’ve got to understand, is compartmentalization. Without it, you won’t be able to do anything more than a few things at once. Separating your consciousness, and essentially isolating it in limbo within your Dunam Dae Espa is the key.”

  Avria tilted her head, also seeming a bit surprised at his answer. “That is… actually quite interesting. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of it being used in such a way.”

  “So—” Daniel pressed. “You basically create little versions of yourself, within your Dunam Dae Espa, that are on autopilot, maintaining your ability?”

  “In the most basic understanding.” Robert smiled. “Yes.”

  “How the hell did you figure that out?” Daniel chuckled.

  “Dio’Mar helped me… showed me the ancient way Dae used to augment items and structures.”

  “Like the Glade.” Avria finished, shaking her head in disbelief. “Reku, that is incredibly valuable information. You must teach it to some of our artisans and builders when we return.”

  “Alright.” Daniel waved his hands, bringing the focus back on their task. “So, all I need to do, is figure out which ability I should use.”

  “I would suggest something on the ground like Katrina.” Robert said. “If you and Avria can do something to the ground together, it’ll really mess up their ability to fight. I’ll stick with the air like last time, and we should be good to go.”

  “Right.” Daniel glanced at Avria, then closed his eyes. He focused on the ability he wanted to try. Spreading his spiritual energy throughout the ground, disrupting and damaging anything with demonic energy that came in contact with it. He let his Dunamis pool within, creating a rather large reserve. “Alright.” He said, his eyes still closed. “My ability is ready.”

  “Mine is as well.” Avria parroted.

  “Fantastic.” Robert clapped his hands together.

  Daniel opened his eyes and placed his hands on the ground. Avria did the same, and Robert extended his into the air. “So, we just, isolate the control of the ability in our Dunam Dae Espa, right?”

  “Yup, piece a cake.” Robert smiled. “On three, alright? One, two, three!”

  Daniel’s power flowed into the ground like water into a sponge. To his surprise, the soil seemed to lap up his power like a dog dying of thirst. He wasn’t sure if it was because the spirit forest was different, or if all places in Pelemont absorbed spiritual energy in the same way.

  The result of the collective use of their abilities was immediate. Howling and screams of pain echoed throughout the forest, and the flow of demons ceased from the portal itself.

  “Look out!” Robert yelled, as a massive arm swept past them, breaking the trees and shaking the ground as it impacted. There was a roar of pure fury that sounded more like a vile chorus.

  “It can sense us, Rob!” Daniel spat as he leapt to the side, narrowly dodging debris. As he rolled back to his feet, he looked up to see a blistered shin, towering above him. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze rose higher and higher, until he was looking into a myriad of eyes of a massive demon, with seven heads, whose eyes were all fixed on him. “It can definitely sense us, ROB!”

  “Nothing I can do about it now, Dan!” He screamed in reply.

  Again, the demon howled. The sound causing Daniel’s ears to ring as each of the seven heads gnashed at him. It raised a massive fist again, and brought it down towards Daniel with surprising speed and incredible force. Daniel flooded his body with his Dunamis, managing to dash out of the way just as the limb crashed into the soil where he was standing seconds prior.

  In a flash, he summoned his metal blade with a burst of fire. And aimed it at the creature, letting it glow with a golden light. “Come on!” He raged at it, as it kicked a ten toed foot at him.

  Daniel let fire erupt from his hands, as he dodged again. The demon growled in pain as the flames burned its flesh, popping and sizzling in the intense heat. As soon as Daniel’s feet found solid ground, he blinked behind it, using his blade to sever the achilles tendon behind its foot.

  Then he saw as a blast of golden electricity slammed into the side of the beast. It bucked to the side, before a blade of wind sliced at its legs, causing it to come crashing down with the force of a toppling mountain. Daniel let out a defiant yell as he leaped into the air, raising his blade of fire above his head and brought it down with all his strength upon the prone demon.

  Daniel’s sword pierced the flesh of the beast, his flames billowing into it. It’s screams of agony and pain died nearly as soon as they began. As its massive body turned into a chard husk, before crumbling under his weight.

  “Yes!” Robert yelled, turning to see hundreds of demons struggling to move under the effects of their abilities. “They can’t even move, guys. Let’s close this fucking gate and get back to the fort!”

  “Our abilities weren’t this potent during the battle.” Avria said, as she helped pull Daniel from the charred remains of the demon. “I believe it is the Spirit-Forest that is responsible for this.”

  “Good to know.” Daniel shook his body, ash and filth billowing from him. “Rob’s right, lets close this gate and get back as soon as possible.”

  “You’re not going anywhere!” a familiar voice screamed from their left.

  Daniel took a deep breath, clenching his fists as he turned to see Greyson and his two companions standing with their weapons drawn. “Greyson.” Daniel growled, as he pivoted towards them, bringing his sword up in a battle stance.

  “This has gone on far enough!” Greyson urged, his expression one of fear, instead of anger. “I can’t let you close that gate, Daniel.”

  “You can’t stop us.” Robert shot back. “You lunatics are done! You understand? Done! You know how many people you killed? How many warriors have died fighting against this horde?”

  “Their blood is on your hands, you piece of shit.” Daniel took a step forward.

  Greyson started to chuckle, “You think you scare me?” His chuckle turned into a hearty laugh as he pointed towards the gate. “I’ve stared into hell, man! Seen shit you can’t even imagine!”

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  “It isn’t too late.” Avria spoke up, stepping forward to stand next to Daniel. “Whatever they’ve threatened you with. Whatever they’ve promised, it doesn’t matter if we defeat them.”

  “Defeat them?” Greyson sneered. “You can’t defeat them, you fucking idiots. This was just a taste. All they need is a bit more energy, and that’s it.”

  “You’d damn your soul, for this?” Daniel shook his head. “For the empty promise of going home? How stupid can you be, man? They aren’t going to honor a bargain, or any other bullshit deal you’ve made.”

  “I don’t have a choice!” Greyson shouted, his hands squeezing around the handle of his blade. “I was in a living hell when I woke up here, alright? I was being tortured, every single day. After months of it, I met an entity that found me in the dream world. It offered to free me from the torment… offered me revenge against the bastard who inflicted it… and offered me a way home! It came through with the first two promises, and I had no reason to doubt it wouldn’t come through with the third… but now? I can’t even think about deviating from it. It’s painful to even consider it.”

  “All that aside!” Ashley shouted, “You took Lauren!”

  “God, you guys are lost.” Daniel spat in disgust. “If you’re too far gone to even resist the evil shit that’s taken control of you? Then we’re gonna have a problem.” He pointed to the gate with his sword. “Because I’m closing this fuckin’ thing, no matter what. And if you’re standing in the way? You’re dead.”

  Greyson seemed to be straining against something, his brow dripping sweat as he gritted his teeth. “I won’t be… the only thing… in the way… you… fuckers!” He stabbed his blade into the ground and a burst of black water seeped through it.

  The hundreds of demons that were frozen or immobilized started to stir as they growled and raged towards Daniel and his group.

  “That’s not good.” Robert said, raising his hands up, preparing for a fight.

  “Daniel.” Avria crouched in a blade form. “We will handle the demons. You close the gate.”

  “Right.” Daniel said, as he dashed toward the gate. Almost immediately after, the snarls and roars of demons erupted all around them, followed by the concussive blasts of Avria and Robert’s Dunamis.

  Daniel saw out of the corner of his eye a flash of white, and brought his sword up to block a strike at his head from an incisor. With a quick perry, he knocked Ashley’s blade aside, but before he could counter, blocked another strike from Dorian, then another from Greyson, who used his Dunamis to enhance the power of his strike.

  Son of a bitch! Daniel thought, as he now found himself in a desperate battle against all three of Greyson’s group. They were clumsy at best with their strikes, focusing more on their strength and Dunamis to win than skill. Daniel ducked a strike that soared past his head, surging with electricity. Ashley overshot her swing, and nearly toppled over, but Daniel used the momentum of his evasion to spin with a roundhouse that connected squarely with her jaw. There was an audible crunch as her head snapped to the side, and she fell to the soil below in a heap.

  “Fuck!” Greyson cursed, quickly running to get in between her and Daniel. “You’ll pay for that, asshole!”

  “You want to play like that?” Dorian smirked as stone from the ground began crawling up his body, covering it like a suit of armor. “You seem pretty well trained.”

  Dorian leaped forward, extending his hand and a surge of spikes and shards of stones flew at him. At almost the exact same time, Greyson unleashed a highly pressurized blast of water at him.

  Daniel’s sword flashed as he swung it horizontally, a wave of white flame exploding from his body, not only absorbing the attacks, but blasting the three of them away. In a fluid motion he extended his palm out towards Dorian, who quickly regained himself and charged again. A beam of white power lanced from Daniel’s palm, and Dorian had milliseconds to bolster his defenses before he was knocked back with a thunderous explosion. The man slammed into a tree, his stone body glowing with the heat from Daniel’s blast. He landed onto the ground with a thud, but was unmoving.

  “I don’t want to kill you.” Daniel growled, aiming his palm toward Greyson, who was crouched in front of Ashely, who was staring daggers at Daniel, nursing what was most likely a broken jaw. “But you leave me with no other choice.”

  “You do what you have to do.” Greyson spat. “Better that, then getting dragged back to some Dae city in chains, and getting fucking tortured again, like what you’re doing to Lauren.”

  “Are you serious!?” Daniel fumed. “You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. Lauren is fine! She’s not even in a prison. She’s being treated like royalty over there for God’s sake.”

  “Bullshit.” Ashley mumbled through her wounded jaw.

  “Why should we believe you?” Greyson responded, his hard expression faltering ever so slightly.

  “Doesn’t matter anyway.” Daniel narrowed his eyes, focusing his power back into his palm. “You surrender, or you die. Simple as that. Either way, this ends now.”

  Before Greyson could respond, a chill ran up Daniel’s spine and he whirled around to see Dio’Mar floating inches from his face. In the blink of an eye, a pale hand grasped his face, and he was wrenched to the ground. Her fingers squeezed into his skull with the pressure of a vice. Daniel couldn’t even scream for help as the demon’s fingers tore through his skin and began cracking his skull. Blood poured from his head, running down his face and dripping to the ground below.

  “Get… the fuck off of me!” He finally shouted, as a blast of white flame burst from his body. Dio’Mar didn’t flinch at his attack, but lessened her grip, and pulled him close to her face.

  “You… cannot… save them… human…” She hissed. “They are fallen… decadent… vile… and wretched blights upon this world…”

  Daniel could barely process the words she spoke into his mind. His head was pounding with the most intense headache he had ever experienced.

  “Dan!” He heard from the side, as Robert shot a blast of wind toward Dio’Mar.

  With a wrench, she pulled Daniel by his head and put him in the way of the blast. He braced himself for impact, but to his surprise, the wind passed through him harmlessly, and instead a blast came from behind her, connecting with her back. She hissed at the ability, but held Daniel still.

  “Fuck, you!” Daniel cursed, and swung his metal blade upward, severing her hand from her body.

  This time she recoiled in pain, her body disappearing into a puff of black smoke and appearing a dozen paces away from them.

  “You alright, bro?” Robert said, kneeling next to Daniel. “You’re bleeding all over the place.”

  “I’m good.” Daniel grunted, struggling to stand. “Nice touch with the mirage. I thought you were gonna kill me.”

  Robert smirked as he helped him to his feet. “This is it. We’ve got to take her out.”

  “That weapon…” Dio’Mar’s words echoed in Daniel’s mind, and he glanced at the metal blade he held in his hands. “Where… did you acquire such a thing?”

  Daniel watched as the stump of where her hand was severed, grew back in an instant, and he sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter if we live or die here, Rob.” He whispered to Robert. “We’ve got to close that gate, no matter what.”

  “Yeah…” Robert huffed, hanging his head.

  Dio’Mar suddenly held her hand out and blocked a stream of golden electricity that burst towards her from their left. Dio’Mar retaliated with an incredibly powerful blast of her own, and Avria flashed to the side with blinding speed, avoiding the explosion.

  “Daniel!” She shouted, “One of you fools needs to complete this mission!”

  Robert held his hands out and closed his eyes. “I’ll hold her off, Dan! Go!”

  Daniel didn’t hesitate as he turned toward the Gate, and dashed with all his might directly at it. The air shimmered around him, and He saw Dio’Mar launching attacks in every direction. There was a split second of recognition that Robert was using his mirage ability to confuse her. Daniel redoubled his efforts when he heard Avria and Robert fighting behind him. They stood no chance against a creature that powerful, but they could at least accomplish their mission.

  Daniel skidded to a halt before the gate. Staring up into its billowing orange heat he clenched his fists. He wasn’t even sure how to close the damn thing, but he knew what his power did to demons, and that it stopped the flow from the gate. Maybe I just need to flood it with my power, he thought.

  He closed his eyes, concentrating on his Dunamis, feeling the thrum of power within. As he opened them, a pillar of white flame shot into the portal itself. There was a roar of resistance as the demonic energy fought against the invasive flames. There was a loud screech all around him and in his head as Dio’Mar raged in frustration. “Too late, bitch!” Daniel yelled in response, before using a final surge to flood the gate.

  As if turning off a light, the orange glare and the heat ceased. Soon after, the border of the gate began to crack and crumble. Then, toppled to the soil below in a heap of shards. Then, in an instant, the foulness and demonic presence in the forest disappeared.

  “Yes.” Daniel said in triumph, and turned to see Dio’Mar turning into a massive monster.

  “Dan!” Robert said, right next to him. “Time to go, time to go!”

  Daniel blinked in surprise to see Robert and Avria were standing with him.

  “It will take her a while to find a way out of the hallucination layers I’ve put her in.” Robert grasped their shoulders, and in a gut churning moment, was sped away at what felt like the top speed of an F-22 raptor.

  ~

  Daniel spilled to the ground below in a heap. Coughing and gagging at the sudden change in speed.

  “Sorry man.” Robert gasped, falling to his hands and knees in exhaustion. “I can’t use that ability too much. It takes so much out of me.”

  Avria hunched over, gagging as well. “I… hate… that ability… Reku.”

  “I’m still getting the hang of it, ok?” He replied.

  A massive explosion of dark energy erupted in the distance, and Daniel’s head snapped toward the source. “Dio’Mar…” He said, standing on wabbly legs. “We’ve got to keep moving. Can you keep us cloaked, Rob?”

  “Sure, I can.” He sighed, standing as well. “We’ve got to get back to the battle. And get far away from that monstrosity.

  “Can’t she follow us?” Avria stated, her words a cold reminder of their situation. “We must be prepared for her if she does.”

  “Yeah…” Daniel sighed, turning toward the direction of the battle. Then, he noticed something strange. The horde of demons that was hastily marching in the direction of the battle had suddenly scattered. Thousands of familiars began charging in confusion in every direction. Then the booms of Dunamis began erupting throughout their ranks.

  Daniel’s heart surged as from over the crest of the hills in the distance an army of Dae charged into the fray. Many were mounted on Cro’kan, and many on foot. But they all were clad in the grey cloaks of Rexun.

  “Oh, hell yeah!” Robert pumped his fist into the air. “Reinforcements from Rexun, baby!”

  “A wonderful surprise.” Avria let out a tense breath, then crossed her arms. “But we must hurry still. Let us join their battle, and make our way back to the High King.”

  Daniel narrowed his eyes at the scrambling demons and summoned his metal blade once again. “Sounds good to me.”

  ~

  Robert let out a breath of relief as he straddled the Cro’kan he was given by the Rexunii warriors they had met with. He, Daniel, and Avria had joined the battle against the demons and quickly vanquished the larger ones who were seemingly immune to the Dae’s Dunamis. Much to the surprise and praise of the warriors who were engaged with them. Afterwards, they began the several hour march to where Alektor had led the defense against the main host.

  “There it is.” Daniel said, leaning forward and squinting at the ruined wall in the distance. “And it looks like they’re still standing.”

  “A great many are not.” Avria stated, the solemn reality of the battle hitting home. “But from the looks of the field, I would wager that Alektor is among the survivors.”

  “It doesn’t look good.” Robert tensed, wringing the reigns in his hands. “We should probably hurry and see what the damage is, right?”

  “Right.” Daniel kicked the sides of his Cro’kan, breaking into a faster pace. “Let’s go!”

  As they arrived, the number of dead familiars and demons was staggering. There were tens of thousands of them, strewn about the field of battle; Broken, burned, battered, and cut.

  A horn blast rang from a Lokkadonian warrior, standing atop a large mound of rubble. Followed by a response from the Rexunii army they were traveling with. The Rexunii army halted before entering, leaving Daniel, Robert, and Avria to do so on their own. As they made their way in, the survivors looked like death. Covered in black and blue blood, their cloaks were torn and shredded, but many stood. Robert’s heart surged at the sight, and he smiled. “We won, guys. We defeated them.”

  “Looks that way.” Daniel responded, his eyes distant as he scanned the faces of the Lokkadonian warriors. “These guys have literally been through hell.”

  “You there!” Avria called, causing a Lokkadonian warrior to spring to his feet.

  “Highness!” He shouted, bringing a weary fist across his chest in a salute.

  “Where is the High King?” She asked, slowing her Cro’kan.

  “He is further in, Princess.” The warrior’s response was worn. “He will be happy to see you’ve returned.

  They made their wait to the center of the fort, and a familiar voice called their names.

  “Dan! Robert! Avria!” Katrina shouted, sprinting towards them.

  Without ceremony, Daniel and Robert dismounted and dashed to her. Avria taking a little more time to stop, and proceed with a bit more of a regal air.

  “Kat!” Daniel shouted, as she jumped into his arms, embracing him.

  Her eyes turned to Robert, and she grasped him with her arm and brought him into the embrace.

  “I’m so glad you’re all alright.” She said, her voice sounding hoarse. “We knew you guys did it when the flow of demons stopped.”

  “It looks like you had it rough.” Daniel said, pulling away and gesturing around them. “The whole wall is gone.”

  “It was close.” Alektor said, approaching with Delmos, Turak, Nasha, and several officers. “But we managed to survive.”

  “Alektor…” Robert said, seeing the state of the High King. His cloak and armor were covered in blood and all but destroyed. “You look like you’ve really been through it.”

  “Nothing you three weren’t exposed to.” Alektor turned to Katrina, “But we owe our victory here to Hego Katrina. Without her, we surely would have perished.”

  “Please.” She turned towards him, her mouth spreading into a smile. “I didn’t do half as much as you did.”

  Alektor chuckled, taking a deep breath before meeting their eyes. “I will assume, since you are all standing here, alive. That the gate has been closed successfully?”

  “That’s right.” Daniel answered, grasping Robert by the shoulders. “And this fucker right here, made sure it happened. He fought off Dio’Mar, basically by himself. Gave her a taste of her own medicine.”

  “Highness.” Avria interjected, her expression grim. “What of our losses here?”

  Alektor’s expression turned sour, and he shook his head. “We lost nearly four hundred of our warriors, Avria. They fought bravely and are heroes of all Eleutheros.”

  “Nearly half…” Avria sighed, looking down at the ruined ground. “So many souls lost.”

  “They shall not be forgotten, Princess.” Alektor declared, “I will ensure that. I hear also that you have arrived with a host of Rexunii warriors.”

  “They came just in the nick of time.” Robert smiled, “Killed thousands more of the demons before they could reach you.”

  “They will be commended for their bravery as well.”

  “It would have been tougher for all of us if they hadn’t arrived when they did.” Robert said, a wave of relief washing over him.

  Alektor was about to speak, when a Lokkadonian runner slid to a halt before them. “Pardon the intrusion, my Lords! But we’ve just received word from the wind talkers in Vul De Rah. It would appear there was an attack at the palace!”