Alias' journey to the caves was not a pleasant or short one.

Reaching the entrance hadn't been a challenge, but the few beasts that had accumulated around the entrance were. He had made quick work of them, simply using his magyk knife, and only then could he proceed. But he encountered a troubling discovery when he neared the tunnel that led straight to home, to Community. The tunnel had caved in, both walls and ceiling having collapsed into each other. He couldn't discern if it had been done purposely by his people or by the monster, or a combination of both in a battle, but he struggled to move the rocks away, despite his pool of strength.

He knew what had to be done, but the concept still caused anxiety to course through him, still caused him to wonder if he was worthy of the power she had given him, if he had the right to use it. But when he thought of her, felt her essence throughout everything he touched, he could sense her never ending encouragement, her desire for him to grow, and he knew that this was one small step in that direction.

He allowed his eyes to fall close; imitating the steps he had watched her do whenever she summoned her magyk of light. He breathed in, then out. He felt it hum in his veins, in his heart, and he drew on it, told it to reached out and move the rocks, but it did not respond to his command. He opened his eyes and looked at the mass of rubble in front of him, thought of the difference between his old magyk and this new form that he had been granted with.

He shut his eyes once more, and thought of his new nature, of how different things were now than before, and a new concept struck him. He asked his power to move the debris, to clear a pathway for him, and it did.

He opened his eyes to see the rocks shake and then roll out of the way, creating a new pathway through the beaten tunnel. He grinned to himself, a silent confirmation that maybe he did deserve the power he had been gifted if he could use it.

Weary of the monsters that could follow him through, he caused the rocks to push back into place, creating a neater, sturdier wall this time between his people and the outside. He had no idea what would greet him when he arrived, whether his people would be safe or injured, if there would be monsters or his people waiting to ravage him.

Shaking his head, he rid himself of the unwanted thoughts and pushed on; growing nearer and nearer to the place he had been banished from not on just one occasion, but two.

When he reached the end of the dark dismal tunnel, and the dim light from the torches below lit up the entrance, flowing a small amount of strained brightness into the shadowy caves. He halted at its edging, looking down at the ledges he could hop down with his eyes closed, in his sleep, he knew them so well. He raised his head to look out at Community, and felt his heart begin to race. A few dwellings lied crumbled on the edge of town, but there was no sign of a fight still. It was hauntingly silent, and there was no one wandering the streets.

He felt panic choke him, and faster than his feet had ever carried him before, he was leaping from one slope to the next, down and down, until he was at the bottom and his feet were smacking the dusty red rock as he sprinted.

He ran through the heart of Community, past the adjacent streams of crystal water, and the empty stone buildings, until he reached where everyone gathered for sanctuary, where the fate of all was decided. He stopped before the large stone doors, and tried to pull them open, but knew that they were sealed shut by the power of the elders, that no matter how much he yanked they wouldn't budge. But that at least meant some of his people were preserved inside.

He pressed his palms against the surface of the doors, and asked, begged them to open. It took time, and a steady and mounting plead as his magyk penetrated the rock, before the doors groaned and trembled. He stepped back, eyes wide and heart hoping, as they scraped open.

He stood there, a small human, against the humungous stone doors, large assembled crowd, and impending figures perched atop thrones of ancient symbols, some of which he found a startling familiarity in.

He didn't wait for an invitation as he took a step forward, and another, placing him inside of the meeting hall. A deafening silence engulfed the building. His people parted, an isle forming down the middle of the crowd, leading straight to where the elders sat. He took this as a sign that they weren't going to immediately attack him in this moment as they had been planning to do so the last time he had seen them. He proceeded through the throng of people, further until he reached the base of the three thrones.

He looked up at the elders, his face being doused in complete light by the torches that hung near their heads, and he heard the collected gasp that the crowd emitted, that slip from each of the elders too.

He frowned in puzzlement. Did they somehow know about his rebirth?

"Your hair..." Elder Edmund rumbled in deep surprise.

"Your eyes," Elder Raygen announced in astonishment.

His appearance had changed?

Elder Amit stepped down from his mighty place and waved his hand, producing a mirror in his other hand. He stepped towards Alias, upholding the mirror so that he could see his reflection.

His heart skipped a beat as he comprehended the sight before him. His hair was not dark, was not the stained mass it had once been, but it was lighter, purer, and redder. It was the same fiery shade that rivaled his fathers, that he had possessed before he had become poisoned by the black magyk. His face was still angular, but less worn. He looked fresher, as if a spark of life had ignited his features. But his eyes were what captured him the most. They were not black, nor were they the brown shade they had been before the world had fallen. They were clear, translucent, with the slightest tint of blue; an identical pair to the ones that were imprinted to his memory.

He gaped, hand trailing over his face as he became engrossed in his new and old features. But Elder Amit was growing impatient, and he caused the mirror to disperse into air, leaving Alias the pleasant view of his tense face.

"What has been done to you?" He demanded.

Elder Raygen stood, her eyes searching the room for another figure she would never find. "Where is Acacia?"

Alias' eyes seared hers. "She has moved on. She went back to the place where she came from, to where she needed to be. But before she left, she...healed me. A part of her magyk lives on inside of me, but I am restored back to my former self. The dark magyk has been replaced with something much sweeter in my bones."

Elder Edmund stepped down too, face pained as he comprehended the information.

Alias did not bother to wait for his questions as he looked to Elder Raygen. "I saw the collapsed buildings. Did they reach you?"

A dark mask fell over her face, her eyes growing steely. "Yes, they did. We lost five before we killed off the two that attacked, and then we took the rest inside of the meeting hall. We had blockaded ourselves in here and were discussing where to go from here when you made your grand entrance."

"We should've heeded your warning, Alias," Elder Amit said begrudgingly.

Alias would've found mirth in his pained admission if not for the circumstances. He did not take pride in being right, and he did not scold them for being arrogant and ignorant. He looked at the three elders, the people that had been his leaders for almost as long as he could remember, and found himself stunned as he realized that they were turning to him for advice in this moment, seeking his guidance and direction.

"There will be many more coming," he stated, no point in beating around the bush. "They will keep coming until we figure out how to defeat them once and for all."

"And how do we learn what will stop them?" Elder Raygen asked.

"Leave that to me. In the mean time, we will have to face them. We must prepare for battle and strike because they are waiting just outside the cave, may even be lurking inside of it, and they are bloodthirsty. They are the fiercest beasts from hell. Our magyk and their cancels each others' out, so we hold no true advantage. We must depend on our skill and weapons to destroy them, but only blessed items. It must be weapons that have ruins, which have been infused with magyk; otherwise it will not harm them." Alias concluded.

Elder Amit's lips tugged up ever so slightly. "We still have quite the artillery."

"We will need all of it. We will meet them at the surface; attack them in our own volition. If we wait here like sitting ducks then they have the advantage to spring on us at any time and escapes are limited if not impossible. We must act fast, and we must act now." He paused, turning to face the crowd of the people who had considered him an ally, a traitor, a monster, and now a leader. "Who is with me?"

He was awed into silence as a resounding cheer and shout rang through the people. They were fighters. They were the strongest of the strong. They were who fought when no one else was left, and when all was lost, still kept pushing. They were survivors, and would never admit defeat, would never allow themselves to be squashed.

He grinned out at the crowd, felt his power expand, felt the crowd's swell. "We will fight with all that we have, with every ounce of strength that lies within us. We will fight with our all, with each other. We are fierce. We are strong. We are undefeatable. We will give them a reckoning, and if we do not succeed, then we will die fighting. We are survivors, and no god or beast will ever squash us!

"So join with me, let us all ban together again for the survival of our species. We are the strongest of strong. We are the ones who will fight when there is nothing and no one left standing. We are survivors. We are warriors. We are humans, and nothing shall ever take that from us!"