And this shall be a sign that I have sent you, when it is most dire, call out to me, and I will deliver you from the hand of your enemy. You only need to... trust.

The words echoed in Amadeus' mind.

Am I dead? He asked himself.

"It looks bad," a female voice said shakily.

A low rumble could be heard in the distance. Aside from that, utter darkness. Is this what the afterlife feels like? It's really cold. Another low rumble echoed, then silence. A droplet of water hit his face. Another followed, and soon he could hear the pitter patter of raindrops all around.

"There's a pulse. He's still alive," replied a male voice which sounded like Rei.

I'm alive, Amadeus thought. He willed his eyes to open but his eyelids refused to obey.

"I hate to break up the party, but the Nobles are trying to approach again. We have to stand together to keep them back." Another voice interrupted their conversation with urgency.

"We fight. Have to keep master safe." Another person grunted.

The sounds of feet scrambling next to him could be heard. What's going on? Amadeus' eyes finally opened a fraction, just enough to make out the world around him. Everything looked like blurred figures to him and weak rays of moonlight peeked through dark clouds which had started to cluster together in large groups. Have the battle-wizards stopped attacking? How long has it been since I blacked out? Are the commoners all dead?

Turning his head, he made out a group of people a short distance away. The blurry figures started to solidify and he could make out from their clothes that they were commoners. The commoners had retreated back towards the concrete building's door. Out of the thousand commoner fighters they started with, only roughly about a quarter had survived. They stood in front of the barricaded door, guarding the lives of their loved ones. A mixture of bravery and fear were on their faces. Above them, an enormous Eadren hovered in place, with Old Jarbus sitting upon it as their commander.

Seconds passed and strong breeze blew throughout the battlefield, chilling Amadeus to the bone. The dark and ominous clouds were blown along gently, only to block out the last rays of moonlight. The dim light of the night soon faded away into total blackness.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed across the darkness, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. A second later a deafeningly loud boom was unleashed upon those below. Why haven't the Nobles killed me? Amadeus asked himself.

Looking around, he surveyed the ground around him. It was littered with battle-wizards. Dead or unconscious, he couldn't tell. Did I do all that? The remaining battle-wizards had their numbers thinned out severely from Amadeus' earlier rampage, but now that he was down, they could take him out easily. What were they waiting for?

Grunting, he rolled over on his side to look in the other direction. The scene that greeted him surprised him greatly. There were six. Six sets of feet were standing between him and the Nobles. Rei, Izumi, Onyx, One, Bastian and Bianca stood in a protective line between him and the Nobles. Between the sets of feet, he could make out the battle-wizards who were in standing together in a defensive stance. Could his six friends be holding back the remnants of the third wave of attackers? They were the ones who were keeping him alive. He lay flat on his back and smiled gratefully.

He was alive. He didn't know for how long more, but he was alive for now. The rain drops felt refreshing as they dropped gently upon his face. All at once, the droplets of water increased to a stream, before gradually turning into a torrent. Another loud roar of thunder erupted, and all the heavens opened up the floodgates.

The rain poured out liberally on him, thoroughly soaking his clothes and hair. It washed away the blood and grime from his battered body. His friends had their weapons drawn, and were staring down the battle-wizards. No one was willing the make the first move.

"What are we doing just standing here?" shouted one of the battle-wizards in frustration. "It's time to show these troublemakers their rightful places."

"Beneath our feet," their commander nodded "that's where they belong. Have patience, once the fourth wave joins us, we'll resume the fight and finish them off with our superior numbers. We have them at an impasse, and there's no point expending troops now."

Above them, lightning flashed once more across the sky, revealing the fourth wave of enemies. This particular wave opted to attack from the sky and their numbers were terrifyingly greater than the surviving commoner fighters. The Nobles were not holding back, this must be the wave that they had planned to end the battle with. Through the rain, the battle-wizards from the fourth wave hovered ominously towards the front lines, filling the entire sky as far as the eye could see. They looked like there were in no hurry to get there, reserving all their energy for the battle.

Old Jarbus flew overhead and quickly landed next to Bastian on his Eadren. He glanced quickly at Amadeus lying among the sea of bodies which littered the battlefield. He shook his head in dismay as he spoke to the group. "This is bad. It's over... we were so close to holding out until my brother arrives."

"It's not over yet," Bastian reminded him.

"It is. I have seen their troops rise out of White Harrow. They're sending a massive force this time."

"How massive?" asked Rei.

"Massive enough. There's no point getting killed here tonight. Go back to your tribes. I will hold them off the best I can. I'm an old man and have lived a full life."

"Nice try Jarbus, you don't get the glory all to yourself. This battle will be part of our history for years to come. I won't be known as the captain who abandoned the battle when the odds looked bad." Bastian insisted.

"Do what you want Bastian. You were always foolhardy and stubborn. You're not my pupil anymore. You can make your own decisions... even if they lead to death." Old Jarbus turned to One. "Can you carry Amadeus out of here?"

One nodded with a grunt, his eyes still aglow. Onyx stepped next to One and put his hand on One's arm.

"Alright, looks like you will have company," Old Jarbus said, understanding Onyx's silent gesture. "Just stay hidden, the battle-wizards have their orders and will only focus on killing the commoners to sate Malevolent's thirst for revenge. As long as you get to the wilderness and remain hidden, you will remain safe and alive." He then turned to Rei and Izumi. "That leaves the both of you. How about you, Izenth? Going to scurry back to hide in your trees?"

"Pffft," Rei replied. "Don't get me started, you chicken chaser."

"Who are you calling a chicken chaser?" Bianca snapped at Rei with fury in her voice. Thunder echoed in the background as she spoke.

Rei held Izumi firmly by her wrist. "We're leaving Izzy. This isn't our fight, and this isn't what I signed up for."

"But father, what about the women and chil—"

"No! This is final. No more discussions. I will not lose you again."

Izumi remained silent and frowned, crossing her arms. The rain drops formed lines, flowing down her face and body.

"Izzy, please... listen to reason. Amadeus is safe. We've repaid our debts to him. One will take him out of here before they start fighting. The Nobles are only here for the commoners. This isn't our fight anymore."

"Is this what Amadeus would've done? Is this what he would've wanted, for us to run away?" Izumi argued.

Old Jarbus raised his hand, "If I may, the Amadeus that I have known for years would run away from this without batting an eyelid."

"Thank you," Rei nodded in agreement as he gestured at Old Jarbus with an outstretched palm.

"Well, then you don't know who he really is!" Izumi replied defiantly.

When it is most dire, call out to me, and I will deliver you from the hand of your enemy. You only need to... trust.

The words started swirling around his head, interrupting and blocking out all the other noises. He could no longer hear what his friends were arguing about. Seconds, minutes or hours passed, Amadeus couldn't tell. Suddenly, as if by divine revelation, a realization dawned upon him. He knew what it was that he needed to do. With that, the words in his head faded as quickly as they appeared and Amadeus was jolted back to reality.

"We will leave now. There's no use standing in the rain debating about this." Rei said as he sheathed the frost daggers back into the holsters on his belt.

Time to get up. Amadeus groaned as he pushed off the snow to lift himself into a seated position. He shut his eyes tightly and blinked away the discomfort as aches emerged from parts of his body he didn't even know could hurt. "Hang on," he grunted through the pain.

Seven of them turned to look at Amadeus, and blinked with surprise.

"Stay down, Amadeus," Old Jarbus advised. "You've been impaled, burned and cut. I don't know if there are any other ways you could be injured by."

"Hear me out," Amadeus spoke through gritted teeth as he got onto his knees. Lightning flashed across the sky again and the surrounding downpour made it sound like they were in the middle of an ocean with waves swirling around them. They remained silent as he shakily stood to his feet.

"Maker and Omega," Amadeus shouted as he looked towards the sky and raised both hands high up towards it. "I'd say the situation is now dire."

"Who's he talking to?" Bastian asked Bianca. She shrugged back with a puzzled look on her face and continued to watch Amadeus intently.

"I call out to you now. DO YOU HEAR ME? I CALL OUT TO YOU!" His words echoed in the background as he paused and took a deep breath. "Deliver us from the Nobles, please!"

As if in response to his call, a pillar of lightning pierced through the night and struck the Lighvel, surrounding Amadeus in a blinding light. A fearsome thundering roar, such has never been heard before erupted across throughout the battlefield. Then, silence. All that remained was the rhythmic sound of water striking against the ground.

Turning to Izumi, he opened up his right hand and asked. "Can I please have an icicle?" Izumi looked back at him with wide eyes which glistened in the rain. He knew that she would see it in his eyes. The confidence. The conviction in the face of the impending doom from above that awaited them. He himself did not understand where those feelings came from, but they were there.

She pulled out an icicle from her belt and placed it gently on his open palm. "Here," she whispered. The others looked on with interest, wondering what Amadeus was up to.

Amadeus tried to recall what Izumi had taught him about throwing an icicle. Hovering above them, the battle-wizards started to glow with power. They contrasted against the darkness like a beacon, and their boundless numbers that filled the sky were now clear to see.

With his remaining strength, Amadeus held the icicle firmly in his right hand, arched his back and pulled his entire arm back. Carefully, he took aim at the center of the hordes of battle-wizards. They drifted together in battle formation, awaiting for the command to charge forward.

Your arm should always be in a straight line to the target at the end of the throw, Izumi's voice echoed in his mind. He nodded at the memory and let her words guide him as he thrust his arm forward to release the icicle into the sky.

As the icicle soared through the air, Amadeus lifted his left hand, raising the Lighvel up high. The icicle slowed down as it reached maximum height, not meeting any target. It hung in the air as gravity started to pull down on it, drawing it back towards the ground. With a burst of sparks, the Lighvel released a focused arc of lightning into the icicle. The icicle absorbed the incoming energy steadily, until it was filled to the brim. Then, came the explosion as icicle overloaded and shattered into pieces, just as Amadeus had anticipated. Like a surging wave, a bright flash of white light washed over everyone nearby.

The Lighvel continued to stream the lightning upwards and the lightning arced outwards towards the shattered pieces. Like a catalyst, the icicle kick started a chain reaction and the lightning arced further outwards from the shattered pieces onto the raindrops. From raindrop to raindrop, the electrical energy jumped and connected into a glowing web of brilliant white.

As Amadeus narrowed his eyes and concentrated hard, continuing to feed a steady flow of lightning into the sky. The raindrops acted as conductors, passing on the energy from drop to drop. The arced energy continued to spread further and further outwards at an incredible speed, filling the entire sky with a net of lightning.

The battle-wizards who realized what was happening started to flee the battlefield. However, by then, it was too late for them. The lightning moved too quickly for anyone to outrun. Within seconds, the net had ensnared almost the entire array of battle-wizards, rendering them motionless as the lightning passing through their bodies. They were trapped within the net Amadeus had cast.

"How did he do that?" Bastian gasped. Bianca shrugged in reply without turning to look at him. She had her mouth agape, with raindrops pouring into her mouth.

"He never fails to surprise me, that boy." Rei said, shaking his head with a grin. Izumi stood by with a smile of admiration as One and Onyx looked on without a word.

"This can't be Amadeus... I-I... I don't recognize this person at all. He just took out an entire White Harrow platoon!" Old Jarbus was still shaking from the incredible sight before him.

"Well, I'll admit it when I'm wrong. I underestimated the kid. He's tougher than I thought." Rei rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and laughed.

At that moment, the net of lightning had spread as far as the eye could see, almost covering the entire sky. With that, Amadeus closed off the Lighvel's power, cutting off the flow of energy. As the surge of lightning energy receded, so did the thunderstorm that had been raging on. The cumulonimbus clouds had released all of their water, and started to fade to wisps, leaving behind a clear luminescent sky.

There was a moment of calm, and everyone stood there in awe at what had just happened. The calm however, was short-lived as the limp bodies of the battle-wizards started to fall all around them. Thumping on the ground, they sounded like a hundred drums were being played all at once. Some landed in the puddles on the ground, creating large splashes of water. Others were caught in between the trees, causing their branches to crack under the weight. Some just ended up unceremoniously piled up together in a heap.

As the last battle-wizard fell from the sky, those that had managed to escape the net of lightning fled with their tails between their legs back to White Harrow. The commoners huddled amongst themselves, uncertain of their fates after what they had just witnessed. Old Jarbus continued to stand there in shock as the first rays of dawn started to peek out between the mountaintops. "I thought... I was going to die..." he whispered in disbelief.

Was it over? Amadeus asked himself. Is it dawn? As he looked towards the direction of the wilderness, he could make out the figures of flying creatures in the distance. As the figures grew closer, he could make out the riders on them, with the sunlight reflecting off their silver shields. They flew together in tight groups with speed and precision. He had heard about them only in stories until today, but seeing the entire Avianath army in battle formation was remarkable.

We survived, Amadeus thought with a contented and grateful smile. He let out a sigh of relief and felt the adrenaline ebb away from his body. Energy drained from his face and his legs became unsteady. Finally giving in to his exhaustion, Amadeus blacked out. 

Author's Note: Two more parts to go. Don't forget to vote and comment :)