Charlotte could sense a kind of warmth that intensified from within her. It was different kind of warmth from what the necklace gave her when she had it all for herself.

This warmth felt wild, uncontrollable, and it grew to be hot as it radiated from every inch of her body.

"Charlotte ... you are getting so warm. You have fever. Charlotte?" Arran realized it too.

The feverish sensation strangely did not scare Charlotte. It was nice, like she was bathed in some warm water, it relaxed her. She looked at Arran, and she shook her head."Do not worry. It feels good."

She began to pant, but she did not find it scary. Her hand caressed Arran's face again. "'Do you know what I want to tell you, Arran?"

Arran shook his head, worry was thick in his eyes because of her feverish body and her panting.

"I will say this. In fact, I think this is the first time ever I will say it and truly know what it means. The meaning behind every word—"

Arran tilted his head in curiosity.

Charlotte leaned closer, touched her forehead on Arran's forehead, and whispered just loud enough for him to hear,"I love you, Arran. I do."

Before Arran could react to her proclamation, a bright light appeared on the sun pendant, like the sun itself glowed there. It spread fast to the necklace, both to Arran's wrist and Charlotte's wrist.

Charlotte felt like she had grown a pair of wings and just hovered off the floor, her mind was at peace, her body relaxed, and she closed her eyes and enjoyed every bit of the calming sensation.

Arran hugged her, and she hugged him back.

"I love you too, Charlotte. Very much so," he said right to her ear as he hugged her tighter.

Ahh, to love and be loved in return. Is this what happiness is? Is this what love is? Charlotte smiled as she gazed into Arran's eyes.

Immora. You represent the demon, the hatred, the frozen cold world, the darkness. You stand no chance. You won't eat me alive from inside. You won't, and you know why? Because my body, my heart is so full of warmth and love that you cannot live in me.

I have the strength to expel you. You don't see that coming, do you?

You don't mess with a girl in love.

Suddenly the glow from the sun pendant became brighter like a new shot of energy had just been injected into it. It lit up the whole cottage.

"Charlotte ..." Arran failed to find words to say.

A shadow-like object floated out of Charlotte's body, it floated then it fell on the floor with a loud thud.

"Immora," Charlotte stared at it. "I got it out, Arran. I could do it."

The light from the sun pendant disappeared, and Charlotte stood looking at immora which by now looked just like a rusty dagger.

Charlotte knew what she had to do. She took the necklace out from her wrist, from Arran's wrist, then put it around Arran's neck again.

"You have just conquered immora, that-that is amazing, Charlotte," Arran looked at her with awe.

"Thanks to you, Arran. I find reason to love, to want to fight back ..." she smiled.

A loud roar that shook the whole cottage and earthquake that made the floor shake startled them.

Arran looked around, and he knew. "Rogh has come up to the surface. He can sense immora, his beloved immora, is in danger. It failed to eat you, it failed to get its sustenance to make it stronger, it has been exposed to too much light, too much love. He is coming now to get it back."

Charlotte shivered though she tried hard to be strong.

The ground shook again and Charlotte kneeled and took the immora, then she watched it an angle, figuring out what was so special about this weapon that had caused so much trouble.

A loud knock came from the door and Arran went to open it.

It was Sylve and two of her followers. Their expression was grim.

"What has happened to immora? Rogh is coming!" Sylve almost shouted, then her eyes landed on Charlotte who was holding the immora in her right hand. Her eyes grew wider as shock came to her. Her followers were even more shocked, they gasped and closed their mouth with their palm.

"Wh-what—" Sylve stuttered. "H-how?"

Arran looked at Charlotte and Charlotte looked at him, nodded, and spoke to the old sorceress,"I love your grandson. My husband. And immora has taken that too lightly."

Sylve walked closer, staggering with her walking cane. "You mean to say ... your love expels immora?"

"Look. I really don't-don't know what has worked out well, most likely that. Yes. I—" before she could finish her sentence, another tremor came from the ground.

"You can finish your story later! We all go to the castle and prepare for Rogh's arrival!" shouted Sylve.

Arran sheathed his sword in its scabbard on his belt, grabbed his bow and arrows, took Charlotte's hand that was not grasping the immora, and they started running out of the cottage back to the castle. A gushing wind came from above them and they looked up. The eagle—the one who had dropped berries to Charlotte and led her to Arran—was flying just above them.

"Arran, that! That eagle!" she tried to point it out to Arran, Arran stopped but the ground shook and he answered,"Yes, that one. An extraordinary eagle, a good friend seems like! Let's run!"

When they all got back to the castle, the tremor was much worse.

The whole castle seemed to sway, pieces of dusts and small rocks fell from the ceiling.

Sylve stood in front of one of the front windows of the castle, her followers stood forming half circle behind her.

"I have to help Sylve," Arran pressed Charlotte's hand and stared at her in all tenderness. "Keep immora with you."

All that was happening just sapped Charlotte's energy and her mind was busy just trying to process all. She nodded at Arran, and she saw Arran walk to a window next to Sylve and stood there watching outside.

Charlotte tried to decide if she wanted to see the horror happening outside, and yes, she wanted to. So she went to the window, standing right next to Arran, gazing into the dark night out there and holding the immora in her hand.

The night was dark and quiet in a strangely unsettling way. The stars were gone like a black cloth had draped them all, the songs of nocturnal insects were silenced, and the wind was still.

All they could hear was the roaring that got louder and louder as Rogh moved closer to the surface, and the earthquakes that shook the land and the castle.

Then she saw it.

The scarlet fence shook hard as if some invisible dark energy pushed it from outside.

All of a sudden, with thunderous booming sound, firestorms blew up from underground until high up in the night sky all around the outside perimeter of the fence.

"He is here," Arran spoke—calm, cold tone as if this was something he had known would happen all along. His silver necklace with sun pendant glimmered gently in the dim room.

Charlotte tightened her grasp on the handle of the dagger.

"Promise me you will not cross to the dark side, Arran," she whispered with her eyes glued to the scarlet fence outside. Her heart beat fast and cold sweats broke on her skin. She was scared, but she was even more scared if she lost Arran to Rogh.

"I have you on this side, Charlotte. That will be enough of a reason for me to stay here," Arran turned his head to look at her, then he looked back to the fence.

"You can call me Charlie. Only people closest to my heart earn the right to call me that."

Arran looked at her again, tilted his head like he was processing her words. "Charlie?"

"Yes. Charlie. My dad calls me that. And his fiancée Ellie calls me Charlie too."

"It is an honour. Charlie."

Charlotte turned to Arran and smiled. "Now, let's hope I survive the demon so I can hear you say Charlie more often. It sounds so cute coming out of your mouth."

"Cute?"

Charlotte was going to reply to that when the earth shook hard and she almost fell to her face. Arran caught her and held her in his arms until she found her footing again.

A voice that sounded like a hissing snake, a whispering in the dark was heard. Though Rogh was outside the scarlet fence, his voice floated into the room as if he was just standing right at the castle's front door."I am here, Sylve. I am coming for you. We have a long-awaited battle to be done."

Then it was quiet for a few seconds. Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for Rogh to continue.

"I come to get my immora back, to get my son back, and to destroy this castle."

Charlotte took Arran's hand and held it tight within her palm.

Rogh's voice grew more somber as he continued,"I want this castle burned down, destroyed, so the chasm below it can fully open, and the children of darkness, my warriors, my beloveds can all crawl up here. We want to feassssttt ..."

Sylve stood stiff. Her face was devoid of any decipherable emotion, her lips trembled in an effort to suppress her bubbling rage.

"Sylve, bring Arran out for me, along with the immora. Open the scarlet fence for me and Nerra to come into the castle ground. If not ..." Rogh snickered, and continued,"If not, I will start burning down villages around here. Those human beings, those you are sworn to protect ... those weak, defenseless, wretched beings ... will get a glimpse of my reign."

Sylve thin body swayed as she heard Rogh's requests. She clutched her walking cane tight, and bowed her head like she was praying.

Then she lifted up her head again, and started walking toward Arran and Charlotte. Her followers were behind her.

"Are you ready, Arran?" she asked when she got to be just an arm-length away from Arran.

Arran straightened his back and nodded.

"No, no, you are not surrendering him to Rogh, are you?" Charlotte shouted in panic.

Sylve turned to stare at Charlotte, her eyes looked serene and sad at the same time.

Charlotte shook her head even harder and her tears began to fall. "Sylve? No!"