They were down in the deep pits, an endless spiral. A vacuum, one that sucked all the life, hope and joy out of the atmosphere. Fear, pain and misery hung in the air as Noelle stood alone in the pouring rain, her eyes closed as she let it beat against her skin.

Any strand of optimism had been cruelly torn away from them, leaving the people of the Lost Forest and those part of the rebellion feeling dejected and afraid. As much as Noelle wished for the opposite, she knew that after the attack and Lolita's betrayal there was no hope of winning the war left. She didn't even know why they still tried, when they were guaranteed to lose. They weren't even players in Adron's cruel game, just ragged puppets pulled at the strings.

"Hey," Karol muttered, walking up to her. He hung a blue umbrella over Noelle's head, and despite trying to smile she found that she could not. "How are you feeling?"

"Not good," Noelle said the obvious answer. There was no use in pretending things were fine when they clearly weren't.

"I know, sorry," Karol whispered, downcast. "I was told to come and call you, we just received another message from Adron."

As much as she did not want to, Noelle had a responsibility. She had to win this war for Dacnella, and only then she would be able to go home. At this point, it was the only thing keeping her going.

"We are to meet Adron in approximately ten minutes at the given coordinates before he unleashes his army upon the Lost Forest. We must work quickly!" One of Delilah's generals urgently said, slamming his fist on the table to add emphasis. "Gather the troops!"

It was really happening. They were really going to fight against Adron, and it was going to be devastating. It was a suicide mission, why did no one see?

Jawad gathered the Hunters, and together they left first to stand against Adron's army. They were followed by the other troops, makeshift weapons clutched in their hands, as they marched out of the forest and away.

Noelle, Roland and Zuzanna walked beside Jawad and Karol on their horses, as they stayed slightly behind the rebellion army. Queen Delilah was in the front in armour and on her majestic mare, commanding the army with bravado and courage.

Noelle swallowed the sickening lump in her throat, reaching for Zuzanna's hand. The girl wordlessly took it in her own as an act of solace. The true meaning behind it, Noelle did not know.

They made it to the top of the hill, staring down at Adron's approaching army. They stalked along the bottom of the hill like tiny worker ants, turning their ugly heads to look up at them.

Then the hellfire started.

. . .

Terror.

Agony.

Fear.

Rage.

Was it possible to feel all at once? A big compound of emotions mushed together into one? As she watched the bullets fly into the air, soaring towards them, Noelle's world slowed down.

To her, it seemed like she was watching everything on a television, and her body did not feel like her own. They had entered an era of pain, destruction and humiliation, and only one of the sides could win.

With horror, Noelle realised that the prophecy she was given by the witches was coming true.

They had been betrayed by Lolita, the first part of the prophecy, and the second would soon realise. They will either win or lose, and with a heavy heart, Noelle had to admit it was the latter. When the third prophecy came true, someone would die, and it would all be Noelle's fault. She suspected who it was. She knew she had to kill King Adron.

"Charge!"

Their army let out a fierce battle cry, one that shook the heavens.

. . .

The thunder growled over the brutal conflict below, lightning striking the sky and lighting it into colours of electric blue. When she felt the first droplets hit her face, Noelle angled her face towards the heavens and closed her eyes. It was easier that way, to deal with the recent events and their predicament now. The hill they were on was just outside of the Lost Forest, looking down upon a large, open field where their battle would take place. Some trees were scattered around, tall and green, which Noelle noted could be used for cover in case of an emergency. The sun was hidden behind the gloomy clouds that hung in the sky, its kind warmth gone from Noelle's skin.

The stakes were high. If they won, then Dacnella would be saved, and Noelle could return home. But if they lost, then the reality of Dacnella would be worse than anything they could possibly imagine. Anyone involved in the rebellion would be tortured and imprisoned, and Noelle would never see any of her friends again. Roland, Zuzanna, Karol... and even Jawad.

If they lost this way and she never had the chance to apologise to him, Noelle would never forgive herself.

Just as Jawad was about to throw himself into battle, armour on and sword in hand, Noelle called for him to stop. He turned and raised his eyebrows, expectantly waiting for what she had to say.

"I'm sorry," Noelle said sincerely.

Jawad looked surprised. "What for?"

"I-I was awful to you! All this time I thought you were a traitor and I was so rude, and I'm really sorry for that," she admitted, and the words were heavy in her throat as she said them. Jawad did not reply for a while, until he sighed and slowly shook his head. On his face was a look of remorse.

"Don't worry about it. I was a jerk to you all too, so you have nothing to apologise for, really," he said, offering a smile as he held his hand out to Noelle. "Friends?"

"Friends," she replied, and they shook hands.

"Are you all ready?" Roland asked, and Noelle nodded in determination. Nearby, Zuzanna nodded too, despite the glint of fear in her eyes. They had to win this, there was no "if".

"Let's go!" Jawad roared, pumping his fist in the air. Those around them, including Karol, copied, and they sprinted down the hill to collide with the enemy. Noelle watched them go, before turning back to Zuzanna and Roland.

"Do you guys know what you're doing?" she asked, and they both nodded. Because of his leg, Roland could not be down on the battlefield fighting on foot, so he was in control of the cannon. Zuzanna and Noelle were instructed to stay out of the heat of battle, but attack Adron himself when the opportunity arose.

"Good luck guys, stay safe," Roland said, and they parted with a hug. Noelle grabbed her two knives and ran down the hill, Zuzanna hot on her heels.

A guardian angel was flying above her, shielding her from harm. She sheltered herself behind the trees, watching as the swords clashed and bullet fire soared through the air. From both sides, soldiers fell, thick blood spilling out of the gashes on their bodies as they hit the floor with a thud.

She breathed in sharply, slamming her eyes shut at the sight. It reminded her of the horrific hallucination of Zuzanna that she had seen in the Forest of Nightmares, a sight that she wished to be erased from her mind.

"We have to get closer," Zuzanna whispered, and the girls ducked out of their hiding place and tried to make their way towards another tree in the distance. They had managed to weave through the soldiers, narrowly dodging attacks upon them, when suddenly Zuzanna tripped. Noelle spun around to find her again, and saw a sight that froze her blood cold. Unbeknown to Zuzanna, one of Adron's soldiers was sneaking up behind her, his sword poised high in the air, ready to swing down upon her. She immediately knew he was the enemy from his royal armour and the coat of arms plastered on it.

"ZUZANNA!" She screamed, taking off to run towards her friend. "LOOK OUT!"

With all of her might, Noelle threw herself at the man, placing the dagger in front of her. As they collided, she heard it slide into the man's ribs with a horrific squelch, stealing the air and life out of him. She stared at his blank eyes as she fell on top of it, yanking the knife out of his body with force.

She barely registered Zuzanna grabbing her arm and pulling her away roughly as she stumbled out of the way of fire. Her eyes didn't leave the soldier's dead body, even as Zuzanna shoved her into a ditch to hide. Zuzanna wrapped her arms around her, pulling Noelle into her body.

"I killed someone..." Noelle whispered, closing her eyes to stop the tears from escaping.

"You're very brave, thank you," Zuzanna replied, only hugging her tighter. "You saved me."

"I-I had to," Noelle cried. "I love you!" She couldn't believe the words had left her mouth, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"I love you too," Zuzanna murmured, pulling away as she caressed Noelle's cheek. They looked into each other's eyes, both watery with tears as Noelle offered a tentative smile.

A shell exploded above them, knocking the girls over. A scream tore itself from Noelle's throat as she was thrown in the air, landing heavily on a patch of grass. Immediately, pain erupted from her wrist and she grunted, slamming her teeth on her lip to muffle the noise. She looked to her left, where Zuzanna was sprawled. She looked unscathed.

Noelle's head spun as she made sense of her new surroundings; they were at the edge of the battle, seeing the action from several metres away. Soft footsteps coming up behind her alerted Noelle of someone's presence, and she did not even have time to spin around before she was seized by her collar and lifted up.

"Hello Noelle, it's good to see you again."

No, no, no! She recognized the voice, for it was one that haunted her nightmares and plagued her dreams. It was a voice she hoped never to hear again. It was the voice of King Adron.

"Did you think you could get away from me?" He asked, his voice too calm, a slithering serpent, a curse.

"Leave her alone!" Zuzanna shrieked, preparing to lunge at Adron. He violently let Noelle drop, grabbing Zuzanna and holding a knife to her throat.

"I could kill her," he said, a cruel smile on his face. "I could kill everyone."

"Don't. You. Dare," Noelle threatened, glaring at the man.

Adron looked down at her, then his eyes flicked back to Zuzanna. She looked at Noelle with a pleading look in her eyes, mouthing the words "please".

"What do you want?" Noelle pleaded, and Adron's sick smirk only increased at her desperation.

"I want you," he snarled. "If you surrender, I will let everyone live. If you don't... I'll kill your little girlfriend and anyone you love."

A droplet of his spit hit Noelle in the face and she recoiled. At that moment, she had a decision to make. Sacrifice herself... or the whole of Dacnella.

"Tik tok... Noelle," Adron repeated, pressing the edge of the knife harder against Zuzanna's skin. The poor girl whimpered as it drew small specs of blood.

She could not lose Zuzanna, not again. She stared at Adron, fire and hate burning in her eyes as he fixed her with a look equally as cold. He could stop at nothing to get what he desired, even if it was murder the whole of Dacnella just to gain his way.

"You would murder your whole kingdom just to have me?" She spat, venom seething from her voice.

"Dacnella is disposable. I have other kingdoms under my command," Adron said, and pressed the knife further against Zuzanna's throat. The blood trickled down her neck and she flinched away, sucking in her breath.

"Fine! Just let her go! Please!" Noelle begged, and Adron immediately obeyed. Zuzanna dropped to the floor with a grunt, and the despicable man kicked her away as he stalked towards Noelle, a predatory grin on his face.

"Wise choice, Noelle..."

She let the darkness take her.