“Once, there was a great valley surrounded on all sides by a huge mountain range that sealed it off from the outside world.  People who lived there were generally happy, as most were not wealthy, but they always had enough to live life comfortably.  The kings who ruled the land did so with the utmost respect for the people and often helped the commoners with their labors and harvests.  The royalty was not as in other places, for they all were truly great.” 

            One day, late in the year, a great shadow glided across the valley, cutting its way from the very south most point to the great forest that covered the northern area.  In its wake came an early frost.  The next day, heavy snows came and took all by surprise, even the animals.  The deep forest became permanently frozen, the plants to forever be crystal sculptures. 

            A short time after, the king died and his only son, Erik, assumed the throne.  Many believed that the mysterious presence was the cause of the king’s demise, and so the greatest warriors went off to destroy this plight.  All turned up frozen near the tree line, all surviving the encounter, all refusing to ever near the forest again.  They had been spared once, and they would not risk the force having such mercy again. 

            When the king had died, many were concerned.  Erik was known to be a bit temperamental and much more ambitious than any other king.  He wanted his kingdom to be richer and more beautiful than all other kings, who focused more on the simple pleasures that commoners enjoyed.  He also seemed to, on rare occasion, show a lack of constraint with the minority residents. 

            After months of preparation, Erik was ready to begin his plans.  Many times his advisor, Cen, questioned how wise it was.  Erik would have beaten him every time if it weren’t for the fact that he knew Cen only questioned Erik for his own good.  Erik only assured him that it would guarantee that what had happened to him wouldn’t happen to anyone else. 

            It was on an average night at the Flayed Hog Inn and Tavern for Karen; serving meals, cleaning tables, chatting with the people she knew, flirting with the people she didn’t, and having as much fun on the job as there was to be had.  When her long time friend Jeren, who was closely associated with royalty, ran in demanding attention between his breaths, everyone listened.  The only time anyone had seen anything like this was when word got out that the king had died, and even then he didn’t look nearly as shocked as now. 

            After a minuet of catching his breath, Jeren spoke.  “King Erik has made a proclamation.  It is to be enforced by all of Noble Identity.  All not enforcing . . . must be imprisoned within the castle gallows.”  There was a collective gasp from everyone at the tavern. 

            Everyone knew exactly what this meant; all who exhibited animal traits more than those of the royal family would be sent to the castle, where rumors had leaked since the king’s coronation that much effort was going into a secret, special project for the king. 

            Before dawn, those loyal to the king vastly outnumbered those not willing to betray their neighbors.  Before this, there was no real distinction between the races, but two new words became common:  the word that was formerly synonymous with honor and greatness for those of the Royal Identity, one that was slang for a lowlife, thief, or animalistic and violent person for the others.  The humans and the furrys. 

            Karen was lucky; with her friends and time on her side, she made it to the loosely habited border of the Great Plains and the frozen wood.  She was able to lurk around, foraging food as much as she could.  Being so inhuman, she was adept at catching more than enough fish than she needed, and saved some in secret stashes if she ever found anyone else on the run. 

            After about nine days, her luck ran out.  As she was collecting some edible plants, she heard a noise in the bushes nearby.  After a moment of assessment, she just figured it was an animal.  She turned to go back to the hollowed out tree that she called home and began preparing a meal.  When she had cleaned up after eating, she heard a few more strange noises.  This time she saw a slight movement which appeared to be the top of a cap.  That is when she finally realized that she was surrounded by at least four large, well trained men.  She dropped her scraps and bolted in the direction that seemed to be unguarded.  Looking back as she went, Karen saw two men that she had passed begin to run after her, and another four join them. 

            She knew she couldn’t outrun them for very long and that there were no rivers close enough to give her aid.  The only chance was to enter the frozen woods.  At least whatever was in there wouldn’t rape or kill her, as she suspected her pursuers would. 

            Without even slowing, she burst out into the dividing field with her assailants close behind.  The temperature changed rapidly from one end of the plain to the other, much to her overheated body’s relief.  As she rushed through the first few frozen plants, she glanced over her shoulder to see her attackers slowing down and stopping well before the tree line.  Literally and figuratively, she wasn’t out of the woods yet.  Food and water would be hard to come by, so she would have to come out eventually.  In the meantime, the men who had chased her probably had many provisions, as well as equipment to provide them with more.  All that they had to do was wait her out. 

            She decided that she would see if there was, as many claimed, a pass to the world beyond that the frost beast guarded at the north most part of the forest.  She obviously could never go back, so she thought she may be able to start a new life on the other side.  As the sun began setting, the apex of the valley appeared before her with a gaping maw of a cavern waiting for her entrance.

            As soon as she set her foot just inside, she was hit with the feeling that she wasn’t alone.  The sensation was undeniable; she could feel tinges of emotions, constantly changing and flowing from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other.  The feeling of such chaotic emotions was very unnerving to her until they changed and stayed as a questioning curiosity.  She heard a slight scratching sound echo from the depths and as she heard it she became aware that it knew it wasn’t alone either.  She could hear more of the scratching sound and then a great shatter of glass.  She felt many curious emotions coming from it and the confusion between the apprehension at seeing something new and the urge to cure its extreme loneliness. 

            As the creature became more aware, she quickly lost the feelings she had been receiving, yet knew that it could feel hers.  She could hear more cracking and figured it had just awakened from a long slumber which had caused it to be covered in a thick layer of ice.  As she cautiously walked further away from the entrance, she began hearing the labored breathing of the beast.  It seemed to be undisturbed for millennia, yet it only arrived about half a year before.  After a few steps, the wheezing faded.  It was now fully awake and mobile, and she knew she would soon see what few had, save in nightmares and shattered memories. 

            She decided that the best thing to do would be to ask it for passage instead of trying to rush past through the cave.  As she continued into the depths, she soon began to hear the clicking of claws on the floor, much sharper and larger than her own.  She continued on towards the echoes of scraping footsteps.

            As she stepped out of the light from the open caves mouth, she heard a deep voice come from behind her, saying “There is no passage through this cave.”  She spun around a viewed the speaker blocking most of the light from the opening.  The creature had massive claws and wings that simply exuded the power they held.  As her eyes adjusted, she could tell that it was silver in color. It was also moving closer. 

            She began to back up in fear until it pointed a claw at her.  Though she willed her feet move, they would not obey.  The fear that she had for it was so great she knew that it would be able to sense it, and would likely take great pleasure from it.  Instead, a soothing, peaceful sensation came over her.  Her panic quickly subsided and she realized that it meant that the rumors about a mountain pass were false.  “You need not fear pain while in my presence, not even from others, I promise you this,” it gently said.  It had no intention of harming her, yet it still would not let her move. 

            “Why are you trying to escape from such a sheltered paradise?” it said.  “Is your land not the perfect utopia, with rulers who care for their peasants so much that they dirty themselves in toil?”  He obviously didn’t know about what had recently transpired, Karen thought.  “How do you mean?  What has changed?” 

            “You can read my mind?” 

            “Only the thoughts about me.  Now, what don’t I know?”

            “Days after this forest froze over, the king died.”

            “I sensed that a greatly loved man was slipping away.  I suppose many people blamed my coming, correct?” 

            “Yes, but not many truly believed it.  Why did you not kill those that sought to destroy you?” 

            “I do not kill that which I do not have to.  But that wasn’t what caused you to leave, to hunt me, was it?” 

            “After the king died, his son took the throne.  Nobody’s sure why, but he has sought to have all people who are labeled furrys to be captured or, if they fight back, killed.” 

            “When was this campaign begun?” 

“Over a week ago.  Why?” 

            “Am I not considered a ‘furry’?  I think it is time I was formally introduced to this so called ‘king’.  First, I think that I should teach you some things.” 

            “Like what?”

            “Come with me.”

            With that, he strode past her, chuckled, turned back to her, and beckoned her with his hand.  With that, Karen’s feet began to function once again.  He turned back to the depths and, despite the opportunity to flee, she followed.  Soon, it was too dark for her to see anything, even the creature that she pursued.  All that she could do was listen to its footfalls and try to stay a similar path. 

            When the clicking steps stopped, Karen also stopped and began to wonder what would happen next.  She felt wind as it turned around and put its face in front of hers.  “In life, The Divine is with us every step.  If we learn to listen, we can tell where it wants us to go.  Sometimes, though, it will simply illuminate the way.” 

            With that, everything seemed to come alive with a dull glow to Karen.  Everywhere there had been darkness, there was now something exuding light.  She could clearly see that they were in a small circular chamber with no other exit than the hall that they had just come from.  “What’s going on?  Why can I see now?”  Karen asked.

            “What you are seeing as light is actually the natural energy that everything gives off.  Look at your hand.”  He replied.

            She held her hand up in front of her face and was amazed at the various colors emanating from it, much more complex than the dull blues of the icy walls.  She looked down at the rest of her body to see the same flowing colors, many of which she had seen nothing like before.  She turned to him so that she could see what he looked like.  Karen got a chill as she saw the almost totally unmoving silver-blue that clung to him, from his furled wings, his muzzle, his three clawed hands, everywhere, there was less motion than the walls. 

            “What’s wrong with you?  Why isn’t there colors radiating off of you like there is me?” 

            “Because I’ve learned to conserve my body’s energy.  When I conserve energy, I only rarely need to eat.  I think that’s enough for now.”  With that, Karen was left in darkness again.  “Now, why don’t we get down to business?  Please sit.”

            She obeyed, sitting in a loose, cross legged style and could sense her companion following suit in front of her.  “Lay your hands palms up on your knees,” he commanded.  She did, and felt his palms on top of hers. 

            Suddenly there was a white flash right in front of her eyes, after which, she opened them to see herself standing in a pure white room that seemed to stretch on in every direction, including up, forever.  “Where are we?” she asked.

            “This is the mental dimension, a product of the mind.  This is where dreams occur.  Anything you want, just think it, and you will receive it.”  With that, a basket of fresh fruits appeared in front of Karen, which she ate from. 

            With a full mouth, she answered her companions questioning look “What?  It’s been a long day and I’m really hungry!” 

            He replied “I was wondering if you were going to offer me some.  I haven’t eaten in half a year, after all.” 

            “Make your own.”

            After a large and varied dinner, Karen was taught many of the secrets of reality and the techniques of manipulating them.  She was shown how to do them, as well as tried them herself.  With his encouragement, she became quite proficient in a relatively short amount of time.  Before they even realized it, days had passed them by in their conversations and lessons.  When Karen’s guide sat down to rest, she realized that they had been there for such a long time, yet never ate, drank, slept, nor attended to any other physical need. 

            Sensing her confusion, he realized that he failed to properly explain the state of being that they were in.  “Karen, I know that you’re confused about why you haven’t needed to care for your body since we came here.  The reason is because none of this is real.  It is all in our minds, shared as one, as in some dreams.  Right now, our bodies are still in that cave, just as when we awoke to this place.  What seem to have been days, in actuality, have only been a few hours.  Now, let’s get back to reality, for, as you first said, it’s been a long day, and we are not done with it yet, not to mention what I have planned for tomorrow.” 

            With that, the bright infinity faded away and Karen once again felt the cold ground beneath her and her guide’s hands on hers.  She was also reminded that it had indeed been only a dream, and she was very much hungry. 

            They went out hunting on the edges of the frozen forest in the moonlight, Karen bringing back several fish and fruits, her teacher dragging back the finely cut remains of what must have been a huge stag, and the skin being used to haul a load of various plants.  Together, they prepared a meal fit for a king, finely seasoned, a great variety of tastes, and plenty left for days to come.  Over the veritable feast, (for real this time) they discussed the events that would bring the king to his knees, and prepared everything that they would need. 

            While the royal court feasted, a shadow slipped into the castle, while another lurked overhead, both unseen and unheard.  When King Erik dismissed his servants to take care of his refuse, the closing doors rang unusually loud, echoing all throughout the hall. 

            When he had finally noticed the shadow against the far wall, every torch in the great chamber was extinguished by unseen forces, concealing his uninvited guest.  He got up and frantically scrambled in the darkness for the door, but stopped as the central fountain in front of him ignited, setting the bowl of water ablaze.  As he marveled at such a sight, the shadowed form entered into the firelight, absorbing all light that was projected near it. 

            In horror, he watched as the fog receded to show Karen, who was known to have escaped and was described to everyone in case they saw her.  He knew everything there was to know of every fugitive and wondered what she had found in the forest of ice his men had chased her into. 

            “I have come to you, oh corrupted king, on behalf of my teacher, the one who brought a permanent chill to this land.  He has given me these, the greatest weapons in the land, so that he may fairly challenge you to the throne.”  With that, she unveiled a wondrous sword, bathed in white hot flames, so powerful he could feel it invade all of his senses.  “He will be here in one week’s time.  Prepare yourself as best you can.”  She laid it on the ground beside the pedestal, along with spectacular, shining armor that were, indeed, the most resilient in the land.  With that, she once again retreated to the darkness, as the torches relit seemingly of their own accord. 

            Erik went over every plan that he could form again and again and had them implemented as best as could be done in one week’s time.  His adversary may want to fight “fairly,” but he knew that this was the horror that had killed his father, the ultimate prize in his crusade; he could take no chances or spare no quarter to this terrible beast.  Many alterations to the king’s chamber were made for what should be a slaughter of a foul, murderous, power hungry fiend. 

            On the seventh day, the king and all of his court stood at the ready since dawn.  Just after what would have been lunch, just as the week before, every torch was extinguished, this time, in the entire castle, and the upheld water bowl in the center of the king’s chamber ignited.  Once again, Karen’s form emerged into the firelight, looking over Erik’s shimmering armor and blazing sword.  “What dark forces do you herald, beast?” spat Erik acidly. 

            “That of enlightenment, which you quite obviously have never consorted with,” she replied, just as sharply.  With that, she retreated, and the silvery form of her teacher stepped forward to confront the king. 

            “Are you prepared to face your maker, oh glorified pawn?” he spat. 

            “I would like to know more of such a powerful creature, able to tame champions and embrace the very land with death.  One thing in particular I would like to know is . . . can you be pierced?”  With that, many bricks that made up the walls of the chamber were removed, and a volley of arrows was released, every last one finding their mark. 

            None made any kind of damage to the creature.

            Unfazed, the king continued his inquisition.  “Are you also invulnerable to fire, since you have so obviously mastered ice?” 

            On that mark, the same archers drew arrows tipped with jars of chemicals and powders that ignited with the slightest spark, and launched their missiles.  He didn’t even try to move out of the way of the attacks, and simply allowed the powder and liquid to soak into his fur and smear across his scales.  Erik took one slash, which was blocked with the creatures forearm, but even that slight glancing blow lit the creature, turning it into a monstrous form that illuminated the entire room. 

            To the horror of the king, it slowly began to advance on him, backing him into a corner.  It put its face so close to Erik’s that he was beginning to get burned, until the flames retreated.  “Yes, I am,” it finally answered. 

            Panicked, Erik screamed “Guards!  Help me!”  The room was soon being filled with pole-arm wielding warriors.  Before they got halfway across the room, the force turned and, with the same motion, all the fire on it was put out.  The first warriors lit torches with the fire still raging at the center of the room and continued forward.  The first one brought his halberd up and, with a cry, brought it back down on the neck of the horror.  The metal of the weapon rang out, and the soldier fell back with the reverberations tearing at his hands through the handle.  “I’m sorry, you poor, misguided men, but this I must do,” It sorrowfully said.

            The second warrior to reach him lifted his blade, but before he could bring it down, he was kicked across the great hall.  After that, the others stopped rushing forward and began to approach cautiously, surrounding it.  Once the front ten or so began to rush him again, the creature wrapped its arms and wings around itself and quickly spread them, releasing a wave of energy, freezing all of the warriors in the room. 

            With his back turned, he could not anticipate Erik bringing his enchanted blade down across his back, sending sparks and bursts of fire out, and throwing him several feet forward on his knees.  On his feet in a moment and whipping around with a roar, he bolted past Erik, throwing the sword from his hands, into the corner.  Franticly retrieving the blade, he swung it, searching for his prey.  He was down to his last option, but it was already proving to be viable, as he had hurt the beast.  “True, but you did not even draw blood with your most powerful, and only, blow,” echoed from the shadows, mocking Erik’s obvious pride. 

            Still cautiously using the blade to search the darkness, he began to wonder if he should just run and try to save his own neck.  Before he could make a move, his adversary launched itself from the edge of darkness on the other side of the room and landed grabbing the king in a strangling hug from behind.  He bit the blade in half in the king’s hands, removing the power from its metal.  Quickly after, even the light from the center of the room extinguished, leaving them with no light at all. 

            Wrapping his left arm around Erik’s armor, it easily slid a claw into the powerful, solid plate and tore it wide open in a deliberately slow manor.  Terrified and struggling to scream through the monsters palm, Erik could only futilely cry and struggle.  “Look how easily the greatest effects you will ever posses fail before me.  Do you think that you could even stand a chance against my student?”  He asked, inciting even more terror. 

            Erik was then blinded by a flash as all of the lights reignited, showing that all traces of his army were removed from the room, even the arrows and weapons.  What he did see, however, was what he earlier held in such contempt, but could now plainly tell could defeat him as easily as the teacher:  Karen.  “Your reign of terror is over, you vile beast.  You’d better have made the dungeons nice, because you’ll be spending a very long time there,” she viciously declared. 

            The next thing Erik could remember was waking up in a dank, dark cell with a large crowd of both humans and furrys looking down upon his stripped, sorry form.  Every last one of them were screaming and jeering, save two, who just coldly looked him down as he backed into a corner. 

            As peace returned and feelings were of sorrow and forgiveness, it was totaled that only 9 people had been killed in the conflict, with 7 being humans who wouldn’t betray their friends.  Also, there were more than 250 still unaccounted for, about 40 being human, all of which eventually returned.  One of them was Jeren.  Most of the people called that this mysterious stranger be made king, but he insisted that Karen be the first queen to assume the throne for uncountable generations, for she knew the people much better than he ever would.  She accepted the responsibility, and the people accepted her. 

            After a short time, which he spent groveling to any passerby to have mercy and release him, Erik was freed and offered the position of Karen’s advisor.  Putting away all old feelings, he gratefully accepted, knowing full and well that, if he tried anything, he would not be spared. 

            Karen still was taught, sometimes going into the cave beyond the forest, which had thawed considerably, but more often her mentor would stay with her at the castle.  With all the time they spent together, it was no surprise that they grew extremely close, both as friends, and as lovers.  They spent most nights in each others arms.  Their feelings transcended the physical and they were often happy to just be in the others company. 

            Despite all the change and maturation that had happened, a dark presence had been invited by arcane knowledge discovered during the renovation of the castle.  Lessons were learned in the shadows that were polar to the natural, sustaining energy that Karen had received, and a deal was struck that would grant temporary power for eternal enslavement.  A turning had begun, and it was focused on blackening the heart of kindness. 

            As the weeks passed, the teacher noticed a change in his pupil.  Slowly, but ever so surely, Karen began to display signs of irritability and pride.  Nothing really worth considering, especially since it would be brought to her attention from time to time, and she would quickly change accordingly.  Still, her habits would seep back into her daily routine after a few weeks, and then some. 

            As time passed on, however, things continued to degenerate.  When something bad about her was brought to her attention, instead of correcting her behavior, she would simply dismiss whatever was wrong as some kind of misunderstanding, and continue on without another thought.  Her anger and pride grew, disturbing her friend, even more so that she no longer acknowledged that there was a problem.  He knew that something was very wrong with her, but had no idea what it could be, and, as such, was powerless to stop it. 

            Within half a years time, she had hurt several servants who had confronted her about her rising rage, and by the anniversary of her coronation, she had severely beaten most of the help at least once.  The general air of the court was that of fear.  No one would ever contest her authority, least of all, Erik, who knew Karen’s wrath, even back when she was considered kind. 

            After a year and a half, Karen was beginning to get paranoid of those around her.  She disconnected all ties she had kept with the outside world, including her lifelong friend, Jeren.  She often sought comfort in her lover, and he did as best as he knew how to convince her that it was all just in her head, but soon she began to think that even he was turning against her, a teacher jealous of a superior student. 

            As she became more and more deranged, Karen began to trace the origins of her problems and targeted those that she believed hated her most.  With all the thinking she did she came to the conclusion that her predecessor was right, that one race was superior, and the lesser one were her true enemy, and Jeren being their leader.  How could he not be jealous of all the power that she had earned for herself?  Upon inspecting, she realized that no one had bothered to dismantle the dungeons and prisons that were meant for her and her kind. 

            When her estranged mentor walked in on Karen having an advanced briefing with her personal servants, all of which were furrys, he finally figured out what she was up to, and was furious at her hypocrisy.  Even though they went to their private quarters, everyone in the castle knew that they were having a heated argument, not just from the ear shattering screams, but also from the potent emotions exploding from the room, which anyone and everyone could feel, even if they didn’t want to. 

            After a short time, he finally shouted, “If you want to destroy everything around you, including your self, fine!  Just know that I will never be a party to it.”  Without a single word more, he smashed through the north wall of the chamber and sped toward the forest that he had previously called home. 

            As she watched him fade into the distance, she could feel the anger slipping away with him.  When that was gone, she kept feeling something leaving her, making her utterly hollow, and for the first time in her life, she felt vulnerable, truly powerless, with out the dominant presence that had supported her for so long.  As she walked through the halls in awe of such pain, she began to realize what she had been doing, and what she was about to do.  Because he left her with no true power, he also ripped from her the pride that had clouded her vision. 

            That was when she felt it. 

            It was only a single thought, but it held so much as it fled from her mind, and she knew that it was not her own.  It was a dark seed of corruption planted there long ago, a connection, a puppet string that had fed her twisted thoughts.  She could feel the shriveled thing flee from her, trying not to call attention to its self, but it was too late.  She already knew who its master was. 

            She quickly dismissed her guards from her orders and had them begin searching, in secret, for the traitor.  If any of the guards, in any numbers, attacked him, he would kill them all without a second thought.  The best she could hope from them was to follow him, trying not to be noticed.  Karen quickly headed to the throne to prepare for what was sure to be the greatest ordeal she would ever face, especially considering that she had been abandoned by her greatest supporter. 

            As she entered the chamber, all of the torches lining the walls, and the suspended bowl in the center erupted in flames for a moment, then subsided, bringing darkness to the throne.  In that brief flash, she could plainly see the silhouette of Erik, who obviously took great joy in such an intended irony. 

            “Well, it appears that you aren’t the only one who knows magic around here.  Well, any magic, not yours specifically,” he said, further rending Karen’s heart for being so easily manipulated by him.  He had orchestrated the entire event and it was going just as he had perceived.  He took a massive jump backwards, landing leisurely on the throne. 

            Karen wasn’t able to fully see in the dark, but she could hear perfectly, and even if Erik didn’t move, she could still hear his heart beat; that he could not hide, despite his power.  As she watched him in anticipation of his next move, she began to notice that it was getting harder and harder to see and hear, as if the darkness was branching out to deny all senses.  Sitting on the throne was the heart of the shadows. 

            “You made a pact,” Karen said as she finally realized that the legends were true.  When the castle was first built, and the cities were first coming together, the first king was said to have sold his immortality for great power, a flash of light for eternal darkness, which he used to purge the land of the foul-hearted and to build the towns almost single-handedly in less than two years.  His objective complete, he sealed the secrets of the ritual of the pact in the castle, if ever it were needed for a future emergency.  Untold ages they lay forgotten, until the renovation of the lowest levels into gallows, when the eternal scrolls were discovered by Erik. 

            “To once again cleanse this land, I would pay any price.  It was your bastard kind that killed my mother and father, a cutthroat and that mystic you’ve grown so attached to, and it will not happen again as long as I still have breath.” 

            For all his blind hatred, Erik was right on the first count.  While his mother was in labor, a violent group of brothers attempted to assassinate the king and queen.  They had a family history of mental instability, but other than that, no one was quite sure why they had done it.  They first attacked the king, but were beaten away by guards, so they turned their attention on the queen before more support against them could be rallied. 

            The queen and her midwives and servants present didn’t stand a chance, but the killers neglected to notice the small, quiet bundle in the bassinette.  The great irony to this, though, is that the brothers were cornered and killed by a group of friends, all of which who could fly, who were about to take off for a hunt when they saw the criminals run by, covered in innocent blood.  His mother had been killed by furrys, but she had been avenged by them as well, and Erik’s father acknowledged this openly.  Erik did not. 

            “Erik, he didn’t kill your father.  He died naturally, and your mother was only killed by the violent.  We were the ones who saved your father from their first attacks, and we were the ones who-“  Before she could finish her rebuttal, Erik cut her off with a mental push to the back of the room. 

            “Liar!  My father and his knights fended for themselves from your onslaught!  You were beaten then, but that bastard monster came and killed him.  You took the throne then, you greedy bitch, but now I’m going to take what is rightfully mine and purge your kind from the world.”  The edges of the room seemed to get brighter as the darkness further encased Erik.  Karen could feel him focusing it into a single point of absolute shade.  Karen realized too late that he was preparing to project a point of darkness so hollow, it would snuff out life.

            The sphere flashed death across the room that would have killed anyone not taught how to protect themselves from such an attack, and the mass flew from Erik’s hands faster than could be seen.  Time slowed for Karen and Erik as it approached a dull crawl, yet thousands of times faster than either could actually move. When it had come within a foot of Karen, she could feel the darkness consume every sense she had at her disposal, as if she were in the middle of the void while still alive. 

            To their surprise, a flash of light blocked the orbs path, a precious silver glow that Karen intimately knew.  As the darkness quickly dissipated, Karen caught her staggering defender, letting him slowly to the ground.  Feeling his life slip away, she couldn’t even think of what to say.  Reaching up to cares her face for but a second with his fleeting strength, they made a connection to each others minds and felt each others embrace. 

             “We only have a few moments, even here,” Karen stated grimly.  “Then let’s make them the best moments yet.”  Trying to show how devastated she was about the pain she caused him, Karen franticly tried to tell him how she felt.  “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe how blind I was, how I-”  She was pulled even closer into his grip, letting her know that he knew it wasn’t her fault and that he forgave her, silencing her.  “I swore that no harm would come to you, and I will yet keep it.  I love you and I don’t regret this sacrifice in the least.  All I could ask now is one last dance.” 

            Something occurred to Karen then.  Even before she had been influenced, she never really felt love for him, but now, she realized that he was everything that she had ever wanted.  He was often too scholarly and stoical during their lessons, but he was also very fun and playful when he wanted to be.  She recognized that she loved him all too late.  As they began to dance, Karen stated, with absolute peace “I love you, too.”

            As their world faded into darkness, Karen’s senses returned to the dull growing around their bodies, the limp form in her hands, his last words echoing in Karen’s mind:  “We will never be apart, no matter the distance or changes.” 

            “I underestimated your fool; I hadn’t expected he would come back from your battering.  But he is dead and gone now, and you, along with the rest of your filth, will soon join him,” Erik gloated, already preparing another attack. 

            Karen didn’t care.  She deserved to die.  No, she didn’t; death would be a relief from her loss, the perfect panacea for her new-found suffering.  Either way, she just didn’t care what happened. 

            Everything once again slowed, but this time the emptiness was a strange comfort to Karen.  Any sensation to detract from her loss was a good sensation, even the nothing.  Closer and closer the nothing flew, and deader and deader she felt, and she absorbed whatever she could to sooth her stinging.  Her love had gladly died for her, and she would be glad to die in his limp arms. 

            ‘. . . He had died for me.  . .

            . . . He had died so that I could live. . .

            . . . And if I died now?  Would that mean that he had fought and died for nothing?’  She suddenly realized that there could be more to her life than just this death.  There could be more to her life than just this dark fate.  There could be a husband, children, a home, love, there could be all of these and much, much more in her life.  There could be all of that, thanks to her lost friend.

            With her renewed hope, Karen’s eyes opened to behold a flash erupt from the single greatest point of darkness, three strands of light released by three dark claws.  The strands branched out and formed a glowing ball that lit up the entire chamber.  The sphere flowed with what seemed to be liquid energy that shone like gold. 

            As Erik stood confused about what was going on, his mind wandered back to a small warning in the pact.  “Know that there are light bringers that will conquer the darkness should it be used against them and that they are to be your allies.  Where as your power of darkness can cull the darkness, their light will dispel it,” it quite clearly stated. 

            “What have I done?” he said as he realized who he was fighting.  With that, the ball jumped from the claws into Erik’s chest, setting his entire form ablaze with the gold energy.  When it came out his back, it spread out into a disk and began to swirl into a point.  Twisted tendrils covered with cruel hooks lashed out and met the young mans flesh, pulling away the glow and sinking into his body.  All at once they pulled away from each other, tearing poor Erik apart and dragging the remnants of his glowing soul back through the vortex before it disappeared in another brilliant flash.  He had made a pact for power; now it was time that he paid his debt.

            Karen jumped to her feet, grabbed the claw that still hung in the air, and pulled her love up into her embrace. 

            In the wake of the occult events, Karen stepped down and Cen assumed the throne.  Because of what had happened, she no longer felt she should be the one to lead, at least not visibly.  Stability returned once again, but all had learned that this would likely not be the end of the troubles that would plague the land. 

            On a ledge not too far from the cave they often called home, Karen, her husband, and their three children watched the sunset after listening to the story of how their parents met, which always ended the same way; a quiet prayer between the two of them.  “Though this place has healed considerably, it still has much more to overcome.  Immortal forces have been manipulating everything here since the lands conception.” 

            “But we will be here to help it along, together, for as long as the Divine allows,” Karen finished, smiling into her loves eyes, him smiling back. 

Eternal love.  Eternal peace.  Eternal vigilance.  Amen.