It was dusk when the alarm was sounded. An eerie mist crept around the ground, or maybe it was the dust stirred up by the legions of horrors Lyrica had summoned. The first to come was a long serpentine creature, covered in fur from nose to tail, who had grown quite a lot on her journey there. Remnant shrieked, an unearthly ghastly wail, full of fury and vengeance and pain. And instantly, the gates of the palace opened, belching out dragons and wyverns and warriors of all sorts. And Xolt lead the charge, riding on his dragon. Sheena was a valiant beast, white as snow yet covered in blue leopard like spots and with deadly blue-green blades making up her wings. Sheena gracefully flew over the ranks of the enemy forces, cutting down any flying foes in the air with her bladed wings and tail, blood spewing everywhere. A volley of arrows shot from below, but they simply bounced off of Sheena's thick scaly hide. And Glaedyn and Clout covered Sheena's flank, helping the younger dragon get more leverage over the enemy. It wasn't long though, when a black griffon, dark as night, came out of nowhere and separated Xolt and Sheena from the main battle. The griffon was smaller and more agile than Sheena and able to get in some good hits, but Sheena used her wings to block most of its attacks, until the griffon came in too close and with one surgical strike, its head was flying off its shoulders and the body twitched midair, before falling to the lower ground of the battle just outside the palace gates. And then suddenly, Sheena was knocked off course by the giant monstrous furry head of Remnant. Sheena flapped her wings hard to try and counteract the force of the ground speeding towards her and shot up at the last second, angrily spewing shards of molten fluid that froze on contact. The enraged Hongalung recognized Xolt's cape from the scrap that had been presented to her only days ago, which made her even more intent in her pursuit. Xolt lifted his hands and lightning shot forth from the clouds, yet it wasn't enough to stun the massive serpentine monster, which grew even stronger as it fed on the terror of his allies. Sheena flew strong, but she barely escaped the hooked talon on the end of Remnant's tail, and as she flew to correct her position, she couldn't evade the monster's head speeding towards her, jaws wide open. With a loud snap, Remnant's jaws closed around Sheena's wing, and the force of the dragon pulling away and the monster pulling back ripped Sheena's wing clear off with a deafening sound of muscles and tendons tearing and bones being pulled out of their sockets. Sheena howled in shock and pain as she plunged downwards, curling herself and wrapping her one wing around her belly and back, trying to protect Xolt from the impending impact. Xolt screamed her name as she fell, yet she was rapidly losing consciousness from loss of blood. Xolt clung to her fur along her neck, the hard blades of her wing blocking his view, until there was an earth shattering crunch, and Sheena was suddenly still. Xolt was mostly unharmed, and he pushed her wing off of his body and leaped to her side, observing the landscape. She had crashed out of the main area of the battle, so she would have been safe, yet as Xolt looked at how her head was positioned, her neck folded in on itself, he could tell the fall was what really killed her. And he stood there by her face, watching the light drain from her eyes, and he was overcome with an unquenchable rage. He buried his face into her silvery mane of fur, wishing to feel the muscles rippling elegantly under her scales, wishing to feel her neck move from her breathing. He looked down at the gory carnage left from where her wing had been ripped off, still bleeding, and he then looked her in the face, knowing she was fighting with everything she had. Yet in the end it wasn't enough, and Sheena was no more. Xolt remembered that day, years ago. They were so young then, the day they met. She was but a fledgeling, and an orphan, and he had taken her in, cared for her. She was his closest friend, and now she was gone.

Manx had watched the battle from her infirmary window. She had seen Sheena fall, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled the blankets off of herself, shakily got to her feet, Vaskin looking nervously into her eyes.

"I have to do something!" Manx screamed, enraged. She stepped forward and collapsed into tears into Vaskin's arms.

"No! Wait!" Vaskin exclaimed, as she pushed against him and tried to leave.

"I can't just let them die! I know my father is fighting out there, and everyone I care about is on that battlefield. I have to go!" Manx said, wriggling out of his grasp.

"No never! You can't go alone!" Vaskin said pleadingly.

"I am not going out there alone. You're coming too." Manx said firmly.

"But wait! What about your injury!" Vaskin protested.
"My dad knows a thing or two about elemental wounds. It's fine. It can't stop me anymore." Manx replied.

"But what if I lose you?" Vaskin said.

"You won't. Now hurry! Every second could mean life or death to our friends!" Manx replied, pulling him out the door and rushing down the palace stairs. She saw the gate just within view, and she rushed forward, just as a Wyvern landed in front of her and said "Where do you think you're going?"

"I..." Manx protested, trying to see past the scaly ten foot obstacle standing in her way.

"I'm not going to let you leave this palace...without reinforcements that is. General Talyn, At your service." They Wyvern said, softening her countenance and offering a bow. "Now you, lighter one, climb on my back. The others will carry your friend." Talyn continued.

Manx leaped onto the Wyvern's back and Vaskin climbed onto the back of another wyvern who had previously been in hiding. The wyvern's scales were much softer than the scales of a dragon, and Manx felt as the creature's muscles tensed beneath her. Manx held on tightly to the wyvern's neck as Talyn leaped onto a lever and opened the gate just enough for them to slip through. Talyn then spread her wings and heaved her body into the air, leaping into the battlefield. A stray spurt of blood sprayed Manx across the face, and she wiped it away in disgust while Talyn contracted her muscles to land before leaping on her two powerful hind legs onto the neck of a beast that resembled an elephant with a dark hide and red glowing crystals protruding from its back. Talyn whipped around, jabbed the beast in the side with her venomous tail, and then the wyvern raked her claws along its jugular with Manx holding on as hard as she could. Talyn grabbed one of the creature's tusks and ripped it out of its face as the beast roared and fell dying to the ground. The wyvern then swiveled her head backwards and handed the tusk to Manx, saying, "Make yourself useful with this."

Manx grabbed the makeshift weapon and looked around at the battlefield, having trouble making out anyone she knew within the chaos. Swords clanged and talons clashed, and she knew the fate of her world rested on this battle. Talyn looked around and saw a pack of warty pus goblins closing in around her feet, their gnarled toothy faces grinning with the thrill of the hunt as their blistered little bodies hopped and limped along, tearing at the air with long claws. Talyn stretched out her neck to nip at a goblin, but Manx pulled on the wyvern's neck, yelling "Stop! Their warts are full of boiling acid! Your flesh will be melted off the moment you bite them! Aim for their bellies!"

As Manx was speaking, the goblins tucked their bodies into balls with only their claws sticking out while Talyn tried not to loose her balance with the deadly fleshy creatures rolling around trying to slice anything they could. Talyn knocked the closest balled up goblin aside, causing it to roll into the others which in turn forced the goblins to break formation and untuck their bodies. This gave Talyn the opportunity to slice through the bellies of an entire wave of the little beasties, emptying their entrails onto the palace courtyard floor. Manx looked over her shoulder to see Vaskin and the wyvern he was riding being surrounded by the scabrous little monstrosities. Vaskin's wyvern was trying to manage hopping and fighting on one leg as it had made the dangerous mistake of slicing into one of the pustules on a warty pus goblin's back, causing its foot to melt instantly on contact with the noxious pale green slime.

"Aim for their bellies!" Manx called out, as a goblin leaped up onto Talyn's back next to her. Manx used the tusk from the elephant creature to whack the goblin in the stomach as it tried to slice at her face with its long bloody claws. Talyn hopped away from the goblins and stood next to Vaskin's wyvern, trying to use their numbers as cover against the nasty little things. One of the goblins made it past the two wyvern's defensive guard and managed to sever the other wyvern's achilles tendon, causing him to collapse in pain.

"Arbross! Hang in there!" Talyn called to the other wyvern as its fall sent Vaskin sprawling on the cobblestones. More goblins flooded in, encircling Vaskin and shrieking hysterically. Manx teleported in a wisp of shadows and stood over Vaskin, holding her hands in a wide arc and causing a circle of shadows to burst outwards, knocking the goblins back while she helped Vaskin to his feet. But her leaving Talyn's back had left the wyvern vulnerable to attack. Talyn did her best to defend her fallen comrade, But when Talyn had almost lost hope as the sea of goblins closed her in, lightning split the sky in a strategic ring, roasting the goblins but leaving the wyverns unharmed.

"Xolt!" Manx excitedly called, seeing the silver kitsune slowly approaching, cutting down more unusual monstrosities as he made his way towards the main battle. Manx was so thrilled to see her friend that she ran to him, clambering over some of the fallen, and she wrapped her arms around him in an excited embrace. Xolt harshly pried her off and threw her to the side in anger, causing her to fall onto the bloodied cobblestones. Through eyes full of confused tears, Manx looked up at him and said, "Xolt, what's wrong?" However, Xolt didn't have time to respond because Vaskin ran up and punched him hard across the face, yelling "How could you shove her down like that?!"

"Because I can." Xolt angrily growled, pushing Vaskin backwards.

"That's not an acceptable answer!" Vaskin said, pushing Xolt back even harder than he had been pushed.

"Under the circumstances it's the perfect answer!" Xolt snapped, lightning crackling in his fists. Manx stood up, dusted herself off, and yelled, "How are we going to win this battle if all we can do is fight each other?"

"It's not like we can win!" Xolt angrily retorted.

Manx angrily stepped forward and yelled, "This battle determines the fate of our world! Whose side are you on?"

Xolt stopped and was quiet for a moment, Vaskin still really angry, and as the three of them stood there, a stray arrow whizzed through the air and shot straight through Manx's leg, right between the bones in her knee, its shaft poking out in the front of her leg and its tip piercing through the back. Manx screamed and held onto her leg in agony, Vaskin running to her side to catch her. Xolt was startled as in a blurry flash, someone leaped in front of him to stop an arrow that was headed straight for his heart. Xolt didn't have time to react however because a giant rat with six eyes and bristly black fur popped out of a nearby hedge and tackled him.

Vaskin tenderly cradled Manx in his arms as her body shook from the shock and the pain. Manx looked up, towards the palace gate, and saw something large and lavender slip into the palace unseen.

"No!" Manx gasped, feebly reaching out a hand as Lyrica slipped into the palace. Vaskin noticed it to, and he ran with Manx in his arms as fast as he could. Vaskin spotted Hadrix up ahead, the crimson and copper dragon knee deep in goblins, and with a daring leap, using his magical ability of flight, he landed on Hadrix's back.

"We have to get into the palace! Now! The Empress is in danger!" Vaskin yelled. Hadrix gave out a snort of annoyance and said, "Come on! I was enjoying the mess of goblin guts! Their acid can't get past my impenetrable scales!"

"I'm sure immersing yourself in pus goblin acid is harmful to you health. Now let's go! Hurry!" Vaskin said.

Hadrix spread his copper wings and shot into the sky, dodging a volley of arrows and ramming a hippogriff head on as it tried to unseat his riders, before he closed his wings and shot through a window in the palace. As soon as they were inside, Vaskin rushed into a nearby palace guest room and gently laid Manx down onto a bed.

"Don't move until I come back!" Vaskin said softly, pulling down a curtain rod to use as a weapon.

Manx silently opened her mouth to protest, but all that came out was a groan of pain. The arrow was still imbedded in her leg, and it still hurt like fire. Vaskin ran out of the room, turned a corner, and saw Lyrica dead ahead, her blood red eyes full of hatred and fury.

"If you want to kill the Empress, you'll have to get through me!" Vaskin yelled, holding out the curtain pole in front of him.

"That can easily be arranged." Lyrica sneered, using a paw to bat him aside like a flea, sending him sprawling on his back with a loud crunch and knocking the air out of his lungs. Vaskin coughed and gasped for air, unable to stand from the pain he was feeling. Lyrica casually sent him skidding far behind her across the polished marble floor where he would be too far away to stop her. The last Vaskin saw before he lost consciousness was Lyrica's tail disappearing around the corner. And since Hadrix had flown away the second he had dropped them off to rejoin the main battle, even if Vaskin was awake there was no way he would be heard if he called for help. Manx heard Vaskin's confrontation with Lyrica, and she knew she had to do something. She sat up and set her good leg on the ground, before pulling the leg with the arrow in it around in an attempt to stand. As her arrow burdened leg hit the floor, there was a bone jarring snap and Manx clenched her teeth until her jaw hurt, trying not to scream from the unbearable pain. She noticed that the two ends of the arrow were no longer straight through her leg, and she was relieved that it was the arrow that had broken and not her bones. Painfully, Manx pulled the two ends of the arrow out of her leg and threw it to the floor, before ripping a piece off of the bedsheets and tying it around her knee to stop the bleeding. Manx staggered and limped out into the hallway, going as fast as she could on her injured leg. But then, there was a flash of light and Manx covered her eyes from the brightness.

"Well now, I'm glad you can be here to see what happens next." Mieraux cooed softly.

"No!" Manx snapped angrily through the pain, staggering forward and trying to walk past the white kitsune.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think you're going anywhere. And seeing how your friend is looking, well, even if you do live through this you will never live happily ever after." Mieraux said, stepping in front of Manx.
"You're wrong! I am not going to let this world end this way!" Manx said, still limping forward with determination in her eyes.

"This world is simply beginning. And I doubt you will want to live during the next era, so why don't you just give up now and go die quietly or something." Mieraux purred.

"I won't let that happen!" Manx said, still moving forward. Mieraux casually stepped in front of her again, this time putting her foot out, causing Manx to stumble and fall. Manx groaned in pain, and Mieraux smiled and said, "What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of your heart breaking and your world falling apart."

Manx lifted herself up on her arms, shakily got to her feet. She remembered in that moment, every time she had been knocked down, every time she had been beaten and bullied, and in that moment she knew she could never let it happen again, and she said, "I'm not staying down."

At that, Mieraux gave Manx a precise kick to her injured knee and said, "Oh really? And you think you can stand like that?"

Manx collapsed for a moment, before steadying herself and she said, "I'm not staying down."

Mieraux slapped her across her face, her claws digging into Manx's skin as her hand flew by, and she said, "I am going to knock you down until you learn to stay in your place. Now get on your knees, you hopeless pitiful nothing." before giving Manx a hard knee in the stomach. Mieraux then stepped forward towards Manx who was buckled over in pain with her head down, and she lifted Manx's chin gently, to see the hope drained out of her eyes, but instead, Manx was smiling. Through her tears and her pain, and with a dribble of blood pouring from the corner of her mouth, Manx said, "I know how to take a beating. And I'm not staying down. Not this time. Not ever. Never again! And no matter how hard you hit me, I will still be standing."

"We shall see when I'm finished with you!" Mieraux shrieked in fury, kicking Manx across the side of her head and sending her sprawling. Manx weakly pulled herself into a sitting position before trying to stand up, even though the pain was almost more than she could bear. She grinned, not a happy grin, but a menacing, determined, angry grin, and she slowly got to her feet once again and wiped the corner of her mouth. She then channelled all of her strength, pulled on her reserves of years of anger and pain, and she blasted Mieraux with a sudden torrent of shadows, forcing Mieraux to the ground. Mieraux fought the onslaught, before summoning her strength and blasting back with her own silver helix ability of light. Manx held fast, knowing she had to win this. She pulled on every last ounce of strength she had left, and just as Mieraux thought she was winning, she was blasted back with the full force of Manx's rage.

"I am not going to let you hurt them." Manx said, stepping forward as boldly as she could, with a bad limp and a bleeding face. Mieraux looked up, with a look of anger and defeat in her sunny yellow eyes, and then she disappeared without another word. Manx turned around and limped to Vaskin's side, listening to his steady heartbeat and breathing, and she knew he was still alive.

Meanwhile, Lyrica slowly walked into the room where the Empress was, strategically revelling in her victory. She locked eyes with her enemy and smiled when she saw that the Empress' eyes were as pale and gray as a stormy sky, glassy and clouded and without recognition of anything around her. What was formerly Leif stood there in a daze, looking out the window over the battlefield, cold and emotionless.

"Well well well! Look at what you've become, Leif!" Lyrica sneered, the Empress not even recognizing her own name. Lyrica walked forward and ran a claw along Leif's jawline, letting out a little cackle.

"You're not even upset, are you? Even after what I've done to your empire? You don't even remember, do you?" Lyrica mused. Leif stood there like a statue.

"Well, I wonder if THIS will ring a bell!" Lyrica said, opening a clenched paw to reveal a shiny white glittering jewel with one tiny black spot.

"Well look at that! It seems the pure of heart Empress has some darkness written on her soul. Though, I wonder what that could be. Truly, it is quite a surprise I suppose, to see a black spot on your heart stone. Funny how I should know that, isn't it! Oh wait, now wait a minute! I have your heart stone in my claws, the very essence of your soul, the entirety of who you are. I would hate to see such a precious thing, the very thing that has all your memories hopes and dreams, the very thing that makes you who you are, fall to the ground and shatter!" Lyrica gloated. Leif just stared blankly off into space, giving no response.

"This would be much more fun if you knew what I was talking about and stood there cowering under my claws. Please say something, something of protest, something amusing." Lyrica taunted, waving a paw in front of Leif's face to try and get her attention. Lyrica then slinked over to the window and stuck her claws into the drapes before pulling down with a long, loud ripping sound.

"Hear that, Leif? That's the sound of your empire being torn apart, your friends being slain, and your world as you know it coming to an end. Now how about you do something about it! Cry, shout, try to stop me! I have everything I ever wanted, which is everything you stood against. Now don't you have something to say about that?" Lyrica said, before pouncing on the Empress, holding her heart stone right in front of her eyes. The Empress still gave no response.

"That's funny...I have everything I ever wanted, and now I finally get to kill you, and you aren't letting me enjoy the moment. I know you, Leif. And I know you would stop me. I am about to kill you right now and no one can stop me, and once you are gone..." Lyrica said, before pausing for a moment and looking out the window at the bloody battlefield.

"That's ever so strange. I should be happy I get to kill you. You will be gone forever, no more Leif, bye-bye Empress. No more thwarting my plans. No more being the chosen one for you. Now isn't that wonderful? It's supposed to be wonderful...and yet, it doesn't. A world without you...now, it seems it would be ever so bleak and boring. And what would I do once I'd overthrown everything? It's not like I would do much else after that." Lyrica mused to herself.

"And where would I be? Oh Leif, I'd be hopelessly lost if it's any consolation over your death. I'm sure everyone would miss you. And yet, nobody would miss me. You were cast the lot of hero in this world I suppose, and play your part well indeed you did. I've ruined so much of your life. I've watched you suffer. I've made you cry. And yet, through it all, I don't know how, you grew exponentially stronger. You were the one weed in my life that no matter how many times I uprooted you and burned you and applied noxious chemicals, you kept growing back. Oh, dandelion, must you wither in my garden? Under this sun you and I both shine. And yet, I've lost almost my entire life trying to destroy you. What might I be without you? You were the vessel that embodied my pain, and now you are breaking, but where must my pain fly to now? Say something you would say, please, one last time. For me, please. Tell me how much you hate me. Tell me how much I hurt you, tell me how much I made you suffer. Don't make me suffer!...Oh dear, now I do believe I'm crying." Lyrica said, as a diamond tear slid down her face.

"I sold my soul to destroy you. And yet, without you, I am nothing. And really, the undead look isn't quite fitting for a dragon of my beauty, don't you think?" Lyrica continued, looking into Leif's empty eyes.

Lyrica paused for a moment, before saying, "Well, I guess I am going to have to find something new to do with my life." as she plunged her claws into the wound on the Empress' chest and to her own surprise gently placed the Empress' heart stone back where it belonged without a scratch on it. Lyrica then stroked the Empress' face with a bloody claw and said, "Now, It won't be long before your heart stone merges once more with your body. I should probably fly away before you try to kill me. We shall meet again, now won't we? Well, Farewell."

"Lyrica!" The Empress slowly gasped as she suddenly regained everything of herself she had lost. Lyrica looked over her shoulder and then turned around and pulled Leif to her feet. "I suppose you might as well kill me, after everything I did to you." Lyrica said with a smile. Leif stumbled forward, and then looked up into Lyrica's red eyes with a burning fury and hatred.

"Oh, don't worry. I called off my army. It's no use any more." Lyrica said, looking Leif in the eyes.

"Look at what you've done!" Leif roared, smoke pouring out of the sides of her mouth.

"And look at those icy blue eyes of yours, back just the way I remember. Only, a little angrier than the last time I suppose. So why don't you just kill me now?" Lyrica cooly replied.

"No! It's what you would have done. I am giving you one last chance..." Leif shot back, falling down once again.

"Look at how pitiful you are. And yet I know if you wanted to you could try and kill me with one swipe. The claws of a pure hearted dragon after all are what is said to be one of the only ways to kill a dracolitch. Go ahead, You need to kill me. It's the only way to end this properly, to end the bloodshed and the horror I have wrought upon this world. So end me now, Leif!" Lyrica triumphantly roared, yet with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No! It isn't right! Please, just fly away and never come back again and never do harm to another living thing!" Leif replied.

"Look at me! Look at what I've done! I'm the villain here! You are the hero! And the hero kills the villain in the end! It is our destiny! Rid this world of me! After all, it would only make it right." Lyrica said.

"It isn't always true!" Leif said, getting to her feet with a snarl and backing Lyrica into a corner.

"A hero shows compassion. A hero does what is right. A hero doesn't stain their claws with the blood of revenge!" Leif continued, pouncing on Lyrica and drawing out her claws.

"You have to make this right. My blood must be shed for you to make this right! It is only fitting! Go on then, Hero, go on and kill me. It's what your creator wants, isn't it? Isn't it the chosen one who is supposed to rid this world of a great evil? Well, look at me! I am that great evil! There is no going back after what I've done! You remember Anna's screams from that night, don't you! You know how much you hate me! So do it. Kill me." Lyrica said in hysterics.
At that, Leif sliced her claws across Lyrica's face and said, "Don't you ever mention that to me again!"

Lyrica lay there, gasping for a moment, but she said nothing. And then, Leif stood back, letting Lyrica go, and she said, "If I ever see you again, I will kill you. I will send every horror I can think of to hunt you down. And you will never know peace, you will never know love, and you will never ever set foot near this palace again. Now go. Fly away, Lyrica! I don't ever want to see you again! And I already hate myself for making the choice to let you go. So don't waste another moment of your life!"

"You know," Lyrica said as she hopped to her feet and smashed her head through the glass window. "You and I, we are more alike than you would ever know." Lyrica finished, spreading her violet wings and flying away. Leif let out a roar of anguish and fury the likes of which she had never thought herself capable of. She then walked into the hallway where she found Manx kneeling by Vaskin's side and sobbing uncontrollably. Leif rushed over and looked at him. He seemed mostly fine on the outside, but she gently lifted up his shirt with a claw to make sure. Manx and the Empress gasped to see a dark purple bruise stretched across his ribs, and The Empress turned him over to see if he was wounded anymore, and she felt that the back of his cap was wet and sticky with blood. Manx pulled his hat off and cradled his head in her hands, his blood seeping into her clothes.

"I have to see if there are any more survivors." The Empress said solemnly as she ran down the hall. But Manx was too busy crying over Vaskin that she could hardly hear her.

Manx limped into the nearby room and tore the bed sheet into strips before using the white cloth to bandage Vaskin's head. Within minutes the Empress was back with Hadrix and some of the other surviving dragons, carrying the wounded to the infirmary. Manx and Miraj locked eyed, and Miraj ran over to Manx and helped her load Vaskin onto Leif's back without either of them saying a word.