While Sylve and Valis stood watch by the window, Arran sat on the floor, trying to grow stronger with Charlotte next to him. His breath was heavy, and he would shake his head sometimes to try to drown Rogh's voice in his head.

"Tell me, C-Charlotte ... tell me ..."

"What is it, Arran?" Charlotte grasped Arran's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"If I survive this, can I come to-to see your new-new home?"

"Of course, Arran. I would love to show you my little abode," Charlotte smiled, trying to lend a bit of strength to Arran.

"I always wonder—after you left—if-if you are happy, if all goes well with your life, Charlotte."

"Like I told you, I always felt like I missed something, someone. But I was happy to be back too, to be with people I know, I love."

Arran took a deep breath, grimaced as if he was trying to withstand some pain, and nodded at her.

"I have been busy helping my dad prepare his spring wedding. The food, the decorations, the location. You have no idea how much work it is!" Charlotte nodded, and she saw Arran struggle to focus on her words. She caressed his cheek and decided to speak slower to help Arran understand because it was obvious he was fighting Rogh's influence while trying to be present for her.

"Tell me about the wedding prep-preparation," Arran nodded at her.

Charlotte wholeheartedly complied. In slow, simple sentences, she explained to him what she had been doing to help Dad and Ellie. She knew Arran need this, to be in touch with the light, the humanity and all its details.

Though their conversation had to end when loud explosion was heard from outside of the scarlet fence.

"He is here," Sylve seemed calm. The old sorceress started walking toward the castle door, followed by Valis.

"Lady Sylve! No!" Arran shouted.

"I do not care you are the one who has to fight him, Arran. I will fight him and weaken him first. Our enmity has gone on for centuries, it has taken my husband and my daughter, it has taken everything I have ever loved in this world. I will face him now."

Arran struggled to stand, and Charlotte grabbed his hand.

They went outside to follow Sylve and Valis.

Loud explosion shook the ground, followed by the bursting of the soil outside the scarlet fence. Rogh shot up and landed right outside the scarlet fence.

"Glad all of us are here!" Rogh's voice floated in the air. Deep, menacing, hissing.

"You have come, Rogh. I am ready to face you again!" Sylve was not deterred.

The scarlet fence that had sustained some damage from the previous encounter with Rogh, shook when Rogh started forcing his way in.

Sylve knew there was no point to defend the fence now as it had been broken anyway.

Rogh went inside the fenced area easily, and he stood there in the middle of the yard with a devilish smirk that never seemed to leave his horrendous face.

Sylve walked closer.

"Let me have my son, Arran, and execute that human girl. Surrender the castle to me. Then your life may be spared, old witch!"

"It is inappropriate how you come here all cocky though I have beaten you a few times in the past, Rogh."

"This is our deciding battle, Sylve."

Rogh did not wait around, he lifted his hands up to the air, and dark smoke came out of his fingers. The smoke that flew quickly and started attacking Sylve.

Sylve yelled and from her hands came glowing light shooting up, countering the smoke.

The two fought with their sorcery and magic, the whole ground shook with them.

Rogh smirked wider, and he pushed his hands up to the air harder, and more smoke coming out to attack Sylve.

Sylve let out a painful howl, and Valis entered the battleground to help her leader.

Rogh's smoke attacked Valis too, and the younger sorceress withstood it for some time until she screamed and got thrown to the side with blood sputtered out of her mouth. Valis laid on the ground with no sign of being alive. Sylve's focus broke upon seeing her aide fall and seem to be dead.

When Rogh doubled his strength in attacking Sylve, Arran jumped into the battleground with immora in his hand.

"Face me, Rogh! I am the one who will end your reign!" he shouted. Sylve tried to increase the strength of her glowing light, it worked for a bit until she got thrown too and coughed up blood.

"I am your father, Arran! I come to take you to my kingdom underground, to reign with me, to conquer the human world, to feast on their flesh!"

Arran stood straight with immora tight within his grasp. "I belong with human, Rogh. I will never come with you!"

"Immora will not be able to help you against my sorcery, Arran."

Arran lifted the dagger, and now it glowed too, the same glow as the sun pendant on Arran's necklace.

Rogh could not hide his surprise upon seeing the glowing immora, and in his anger, he released his dark smoke to Arran as well.

The dark smoke now formed shapes, and the shapes turned out to be some beasts that flew and attacked Arran.

The dark beasts looked like massive lions that roared and pounced at Arran.

Arran fought the beasts using immora, and the beasts were surprisingly agile. They attacked from different directions, and got up again when immora stabbed them. It was when immora stabbed them right in their head that they exploded to be black smoke again.

Arran kept moving closer to Rogh, and Rogh kept releasing the dark smoke that shapeshifted to be enchanted beasts.

Arran fought the beasts to get closer to Rogh.

Charlotte watched the battle and realized it would go on forever if Rogh just kept releasing his enchanted beasts.

"Arran! Those beasts-those beasts are just your illusion! Keep fighting past them!" suddenly Sylve who slumped on the ground because of her wounds from fighting Rogh gathered enough strength to shout out a guide to Arran.

Arran started ignoring the beasts and pushing past them.

He came face to face with Rogh and began to attack Rogh with his immora.

Rogh was raging and taking his sword out and countering Arran's attack.

Charlotte ran to check on Valis, and she detected weak pulse on the sorceress. The sorceress opened her eyes and begged Charlotte to stay with Sylve instead. Charlotte nodded and ran to check on Sylve who was very weak but still conscious.

Charlotte kneeled on the ground, hugging Sylve and watching the battle between Arran and Rogh.

Rogh's sword was dangerous because it seemed like it had a life of its own. Immora countered it, but it was Arran that had to fight also the voice of Rogh within him that tried to deter him and weaken him in battle. His laser-sharp focus was destroyed a few times when the voice of Rogh became too much to handle along with the attack from the sword.

All the filth and degrading lies that were whispered to Arran by Rogh began to take a toll on him. Arran's attack and defense began to sway and a few times he was almost stabbed by the darkness' sword.

At one point, immora was thrown from Arran's hand and landed close to Charlotte.

Arran fought to avoid stabbings by the sword as Rogh increased the intensity of his attacks.

Charlotte gently placed Sylve on the ground and went to immora. She touched the surface of the enchanted dagger that by now had lost its glow.

A loud roar was heard, and Rogh threw Arran a few meters away. Arran fell on the ground and Rogh came to him with his sword.

Charlotte knew Arran was in great danger, so she whispered to immora,"Please let me carry you. Arran needs your help!" then she grabbed immora, relieved that she could actually lift it now, and without thinking much, went with immora to help Arran.

Rogh sent his black smoke again that turned into beasts to stop Charlotte from reaching Arran.

Charlotte closed her eyes and ran past the roaring beasts, immora in her hand. The roaring of the beasts hurt her ears, but she kept going. Sylve had said that those beasts were not real, they were there to distract her. So she kept running to Arran with immora in her hand.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Arran struggle to avoid the sword of Rogh who flew around him and tried to stab him.

Charlotte ran closer to Arran, and when she got there, took a deep breath and charged forward, using immora to flick the sword of Rogh away.

Rogh, who had been feeling good when seeing his magic make his opponents busy, let down his guard.

The smirk on his face disappeared when he saw Charlotte throw immora to Arran, and Arran caught it.

Then he threw the immora to Rogh with the strength and precision of a trained warrior that he was.

The weapon shot ahead, so fast and so precise, it went straight to Rogh's head.

Rogh roared, took a couple shaky steps back, but it was too late.

Immora found him, and it stabbed Rogh right in between his eyes.

Rogh roared one thunderous roar, a roar of a wounded beast nearing its death, a roar of an end of his reign of terror in the underworld.

The demon king staggered, his hands flailed in the air trying to get something to grasp.

Then his body shook hard before finally he burst into flames along with immora, and the ground shook hard along with the explosion. Arran used his body to shield Charlotte as the demon king burst.

When the flames died down, Rogh was gone, the ground stopped shaking, the night became peaceful and quiet, and the sounds if night insects were heard again.

Charlotte sat up, her body had not stopped shaking, and Arran was right next to her.

"Thank you, Charlotte. Thank you ..." Arran grabbed her hands.

"You help me to be strong enough, Arran. You," she whispered back. "Your nightmare is over ..."

Arran froze when he was processing what Charlotte had just said. "It is over, Charlotte. It is." At that moment, Arran's facial tattoo became faint, then disappeared completely.

They nodded at each other, and stood up to check on Sylve and Valis.

<<<>>>

The night ended, and morning came.

It was like the castle had spent so much time in an almost-dead state because of Rogh and his growing darkness. Now that the demon king had been destroyed, life returned to the castle.

Flowers bloomed, birds sang their morning homage to the sunrise, and the fragrance of fresh grass and roses wafted in the air.

Sylve sat with her back on the front door of the castle, Valis sat next to her. The two had been further weakened.

Arran and Charlotte kneeled in front of Sylve.

"It is done. The chasm is closed for good now that-that Rogh is destroyed. Thank you, Charlotte, Arran," Sylve heaved as she spoke. Her eyes were half-closed. She opened her mouth, coughed, and spoke again,"That also means I can finally rest. I can end my immortality. I-I am sorry, Arran ..."

"Lady Sylve, why do you say sorry?" Arran tilted his head.

"I have wasted all these times not choosing to trust you, to trust Evinia's goodness in your blood. I have wasted my time by being anxious, being distant from you. I have wasted my life in fear, Arran."

Valis patted Sylve's hands to calm her leader down.

"Would you do me a favor, Arran?" Sylve asked, her right hand flailed, and Arran took it in his own two hands.

"What is it, Lady Sylve?"

"For once, here, at the end of my time on earth, call me Grandmother. Pl-please."

Arran massaged Sylve's hand, and nodded."Grandmother. I will always see you as a grandmother to me, a family."

"Family ..." Sylve nodded as tears fell on her wrinkled cheek. "Yes. You and Charlotte. I will end your immortality too, Arran. So you can live out there among the human beings, something you have always hoped and dreamed of. May you grow old and your life be filled with love."

Sylve closed her eyes, her lips moved as she chanted a spell voicelessly, then her hands took Arran's wrist with the scarlet bracelet, and the scarlet bracelet broke in half.

"It is done," Sylve caressed her grandson's face. "You are fully human now. You are no longer the untouchable."

Arran was in shock for a moment, then he bowed and kissed Sylve on the forehead. "Thank you, Grandmother. Thank you."

Valis smiled at them and nodded in her own happiness.

Sylve stared at Charlotte and smiled at her. "And you, young lady. You are a magnificent woman. I know Arran is safe within the protection of your heart. Please take care of my grandson. Do not break his heart, you hear?"

Charlotte smiled back. "We will be fine, Sylve."

Sylve nodded in happiness. She smiled a wide smile now. Her expression was peaceful.

"I will go to my Gearan and Evinia now," she whispered, and she took Valis' hand. "We are done here, Valis. We will go see our friends who have gone before us," she announced.

Valis nodded and took a breath of relief.

Sylve nodded, smiled, and closed her eyes. Valis did the same too.

The two sorceresses slowly turned more and more faint, then they flew in white wisps of smoke to the sky.

After the last two of the members of the Order of the Guardians of the Abyss disappeared into the sky, the castle and the scarlet fence also completely disappeared like drops of dew in the morning sun.

Arran and Charlotte found themselves kneeling on a grass field. The autumn weather was all around them, and all seemed to burst with colors of orange, brown, and red.

For some time they just sat there, quiet and together, letting the breathtaking spring scenery awe them again and again, reminding them how beautiful it was to be alive.

Charlotte stared at the silver necklace with sun pendant that hung from Arran's neck, it looked so normal now, like a regular necklace. Noone would suspect the power it had in making sure that its wearer was protected from evil influence, the gentleness and purity of a mother's love that created it and became powerful enough to keep Arran on the side of human, of light.

Charlotte took a deep breath, and took Arran's hand.

"Come, Arran. I have people I want you to meet, and they would love to meet you too," Charlotte whispered gently in Arran's ear.

Arran nodded. "I have so much to build in my life here, Charlotte. I hope can do it well. To finally live like a human, a human with limit on his age."

"We will do it together. Would you like that?"

Arran gazed to the sky, then back to Charlotte. He nodded. "I would very much like to, Charlotte."

They stood up and started walking away.

As they walked hand in hand across the field, they saw the eagle again. The one with a tuft of reddish feather on its head, the one who had helped them over and over again. It flew high, then it flew lower and went around them a few times.

Arran stopped and watched it.

"You know, Charlotte, there was an old myth that I heard before, long time ago."

"What is it?"

"An eagle, like that one, can fly so high that it can actually reach another world on the sky, a place where people go after they die. Dead people can then send messages to their loved ones through the eagle."

Charlotte paused, and thought a bit."Are you saying ...?"

"That eagle could be sent by the spirit of my late mother. I mean, who knows? It is always there for us when we need it. It sounds weird, I know, Charlotte."

"My mom has passed away too, Arran. It could be my mom."

The two of them then spent some time staring at the blue sky and the eagle who flew in circle above them.

"Thank you, Eagle Sir! Can you tell our moms we are alright?" Charlotte shouted at it.

Arran smiled at her."Do you think it understands?"

The eagle screeched, flew lower, went in circle on top of their head, then it flew higher and higher again.

It disappeared.

Charlotte took Arran's hand and nodded. "I think it understood us."

Arran agreed.

They held each other's hand tighter, and walked again to a spring of their lives, to a new beginning, and to a life together.

THE END

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