Donnovan paced back and forth at the foot of Kane’s bed. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” He burst out at the doctors who were standing by observing him.

“No, sir, there is not.” The head doctor answered, his owlish eyes blinking from behind large, thick glasses.

“Then at least go away and leave us in peace!” He gritted his teeth. “Or make him comfortable or something.” He stared down at Kane, clenching his hand beside him as he ran the fingers of his other through his hair. “If he’s going to die, he should do it comfortably. Inform his parents of his condition, and ask if they would like him to be moved to their quarters for whatever time he has left. I know how much he means to them.” He mumbled.

“Yes, sir.” The doctor with the ugly glasses bobbed his head in agreement and scurried out of the room.

“They’re going to be devastated…” He whispered, feeling his throat tighten.

While he and Kane hadn’t been best friends as he and Ry had been, they were still good friends, and he loved his friend dearly. Watching him waste away from poison that should’ve been coursing through Donnovan’s veins was painful. He couldn’t put his anguish into words.

All he knew was that he would do anything to keep his friend from dying. But there was nothing any of them could do. The doctors had been working on an antidote, but no matter how quickly they were working on it, Donnovan knew it wouldn’t be quick enough. His friend was nearly gone, and within the week, he would be dead.

The doctors knew that their rudimentary knowledge of the poison was going to mean Kane’s death, and they were struggling to keep him on with the living for just a while longer whilst they frantically searched for the antidote. No one was fooled, though. Kane wouldn’t make it.

Donnovan dropped into the chair beside Kane’s bed and took his friend’s cold hand in his. Kane’s eyelids fluttered in his poison-induced sleep. His body heaved every so often as he struggled to suck in air in response to the panic his dreams brought on. The doctors were monitoring his brain activity and heart rate, both of which were fluctuating and all over the place. Even if Kane survived, the fever he was running, and his constant fluctuations in heart rate were going to ensure he would be nearly brain dead, according to the doctors.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and Donnovan looked up to meet Andrew’s quiet stare. Unable to hold his gaze, Donnovan looked away and mumbled, “He’s not going to make it.”

“I know.” Andrew walked forward, his steps slow and weary. With a sigh, he sat in the second chair across from Donnovan. “But I’m afraid that you’re going to have to leave him with the doctors.”

“I’m not going to just walk away. He’s dying, and he should have friends and family surrounding him.” Donnovan snapped.

“Donnovan, listen. He can’t understand what you’re saying, and the doctors aren’t sure if he’s even aware of our presence anymore. There is nothing you can do, and you are needed elsewhere. Ansgar is reporting that Ryder has moved to sit in front of the Gate, and she will not be moved. He’s had to halt all passage. She has been drawing arcane symbols in the concrete with fire all around the Gate. We need you to go and handle her.” Andrew’s shoulders slumped, and his eyes were dull as he whispered the words.

Donnovan closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. “I hate my life.” He grumbled.

“Welcome to reality, son.” Andrew glared at the floor. “I did have your father locked up for assaulting you, so that’s one less thing to worry about. Now I’m sure you’ve at least gotten something about how to fix Ryder’s situation.”

“Yeah.” Donnovan laughed, the sound hollow as it bounced off the clean walls of the hospital.

“What is it then?” Andrew pressed, a bit of life coming to his voice for a moment.

“She has to find herself and a reason to fight that is stronger than the reason her possessor has for possessing her.” Donnovan’s shoulders hunched as he sat there in front of his mentor and father figure.

“So unless she does that, we’re lost.” Andrew mumbled. “Great. Just wonderful…”

“My thoughts exactly. Look, if she doesn’t find it on her own, I’m going to take her to another dimension and stay with her there until she finds it. I’ll fight to rid her of that beast until my last breath, but if I fail, she’ll be in a dimension where she can never harm anyone.” Donnovan whispered to Andrew.

Andrew nodded. “It’s for the best. But how will you know if she’s conquered Alyx?”

Donnovan sighed. “I don’t know. I’m no seer. I don’t have any idea if I can see the other consciousness in her without a Seer. Do you know any spells that do that?”

Andrew nodded again. “A few… Maybe…” He bit his lip. “Don’t really know if they work or not. They’re from folk legends and myths, but many times those tales hold truth, so I’ll give them to you and we’ll have to hope for the best.”

Donnovan shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better, and I love her too much to skip over something that could potentially save her.”

“Then let’s get started.” Andrew grinned. “We’ve got lives to save. Per usual…”

***

Donnovan sighed and closed the book. Leaning his head on the table, he closed his eyes. How was he supposed to remember all of these? And which one actually worked? It wasn’t as though testing it on someone other than Ryder would work. He wouldn’t see anything. The spells only worked if the person was actually possessed.

Anyway, testing it on Ry was out of the picture. He didn’t want Alyx to know that he could detect his presence without a Seer. While Alyx already knew that Donnovan was aware of him, he wouldn’t want Donnovan to be able to tell if he was gone. Once the trap was sprung, Donnovan would need to keep that secret from both Ryder and Alyx until the right time. Otherwise he might find himself dead or dying like Cassie.

His mind drifted off as his exhausted body shut down. He couldn’t stay alert for much longer, and soon he was wafting about his dreams.

The sun shone down on him as he wandered through the empty meadow. In the distance, he saw a shape. He frowned. A moment ago, the meadow was empty. What had just appeared there?

Walking towards it, his gaze fell on a giant stone Gate. It looked just like the ones he was used to seeing, but normally, the Gates were just round portals hovering in the air. There was no stone. This was different.

He stepped into the portal, wondering where it went. Somewhere deep in his mind, it occurred to him that vivid dreams like this were out of the ordinary for him, but he pushed the thought away, deciding that everyone had this sort of realistic dream on occasion.

The world he was thrown into was dark and desolate. Ruins rose in the distance, and bones littered the ground. They were bleached white, and he knew it had been a long time since the catastrophe that had caused this.

Glancing up, he saw dark storm clouds brewing overhead. Thunder echoed distantly in the clouds, and lightning danced through the clouds. A loud boom resounded through the silence, and he jumped. With a shaky laugh, he realized it was just thunder.

He walked on, crunching on gravel and broken glass as he headed for the ruins. Barbed wire fences lay in rusting heaps around the ruins, and his eyes narrowed. The place looked familiar. Cracking concrete surrounded the crumbling walls of the sprawling building before him. Stepping over another pile of bones by what seemed to be a door, he walked into the ruined section of building closest to him.

A crack of a stray stick alerted him to the presence of another. Whirling to face the person, his eyes widened.

A woman stood before him, her hair a tangled mess, her face covered in dirt. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and her clothes were tatters on her body. She stared at him for a few moments before raising her hand and pointing at the ruins behind him. More rows of bleached bones met his eyes as he turned to look.

Her voice was a whisper when she spoke. “This was my fault.”

He turned to her, and his eyes widened as he recognized her. “Ryder?”

                She appeared to be looking straight through him as she spoke. “I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster.” His voice came from behind him, and he spun, eyes widening as he saw a clone of himself walking out of the ruins, clothes burned and ripped.

“I am. I killed all of these people.” She knelt down and ran her fingers through the ashes.

“He did this. Not you.” Donnovan’s dream self whispered to her.

Donnovan stood in silence, unable to understand what was happening. Was this a vision of the future situation with Ryder?

The Gate glowed behind her, dull and less full of life. It appeared to be a shadow of its former self, and it didn’t look like anyone would be able to use it if they tried. He turned back to Ryder and watched her. She drew symbols in the ashes. They flashed and faded. “And now he will kill me to complete his plan.”

“He won’t. I won’t let him.”

Donnovan bit his lip. This was starting to really scare him. “Ry?”

She didn’t look in his direction or even notice him. “You can’t stop him.” She murmured.

Donnovan’s alter ego ran to her just as she collapsed onto the burned ground. Her shallow breathing filled the silence, becoming weaker until Donnovan couldn’t hear it anymore. He saw himself weeping over her still body, and he felt himself being drawn away from it…

Donnovan started awake. His fists were clenched in his hair, and he could feel cold tears on his cheeks. She wasn’t dead yet, he reminded himself. He could still save her, and he needed to get over to East Base right away to stop his dream from coming to pass. Somehow, he just knew that the dream wasn’t just his imagination. It was really going to happen if he didn’t do something. And that was the last thing that he was going to allow.

***

When he opened his eyes, he was on the concrete runway in front of East Base, staring at the dismal Gate before him. Rumbling thunder cracked through the sky, reminding him of his dream. She was going to destroy everything and close the Gate if his dream was truly a vision.

He ran forward, stopping when he saw the glowing glyphs that Ryder was tracing onto the ground. “Ry?”

She stood and turned to him, tears streaming down her face. “If you thought it had begun before, you’ve seen nothing…” She whispered, raising her arms. “Now is when it all begins.” She bowed her head, tracing more glowing symbols in the air. “And ends.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Donnovan took a deep breath and stepped closer.

When she didn’t move, he grabbed her around the waist and closed his eyes. He took them to the ruined village where his people had once resided since it was the first thing that came into his mind. They materialized with his arms still around her waist and hers raised in an outward position as though pushing away two walls on either sides.

She opened her eyes at the sudden sunshine and squinted, unable to see around her. As her eyes adjusted, she slowly turned to him. “What have you done?” She asked, watching him with her golden yellow eyes.

“I’m saving you.”

A harsh laugh rose from within her and slipped out of her pale lips. “You’re saving me? More like dooming us both.” She glared at him. “You failed to find a cure for me and my best friend is dying. Why couldn’t you listen to me for once?”

He stayed quiet, listening to her rant.

“Now he’ll destroy us both! You just couldn’t stay away, could you? You had to meddle instead of moving on and saving yourself and countless others.” She snapped, stalking up to him and shoving him. Tears were falling down her face again as she folded up on herself and huddled in a heap on the ground. “Why did you do it, Donnovan?” She sobbed. “All I wanted to do was save you and my sister if I couldn’t save anyone else. Why did you have to make it impossible?”

“If I die here, then I’ll have failed my mission. But by bringing you here, I’ve made it impossible for you to hurt your loved ones or anyone on the Bases. You can’t close the Gates from here either. So he’s only able to harm me.” Donnovan whispered, kneeling beside her and wiping her tears away. Sighing, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. “And if I have to stay stuck here for the rest of my life to make sure you’re safe from that guilt, I will.” He mumbled, kissing her again.

She shuddered against him, trying to suppress her sobs. With a hiccup, she pulled him closer to her, reveling in the moment that she had control. It wouldn’t last long. Donnovan was going to pay for what he’d done. She knew Alyx would make him pay for it.

Sure enough, Alyx took over and pushed Donnovan away with her hands. Inside, she was weeping and hysterically trying to escape the prison Alyx had locked her into. She beat against the walls he had forced around her consciousness, and tried to break through as she had before. You’re a fool to think I’d ever let you win that easily. Alyx whispered in her mind.

She didn’t respond as she continued to struggle against the grip he held on her.

“So you thought that by coming here, you would be able to stop me?” Alyx voiced through her.

Donnovan smiled. “I knew I would. Even if it meant my own death.”

Alyx laughed. “You are a cocky one, aren’t you?” He shook Ryder’s head. “Well, here’s the thing. You are going to die for this, but first, you’re going to take me back. Now.”

“No. I’ll die here if I must, but I won’t take you back.” Donnovan smirked. “What, you think I’m stupid or something?”

“Or something, alright.” Alyx muttered. The word stupid isn’t strong enough for this kid. He mentally laughed at Ryder. He’s just so devoted to you. He’d do anything if he thought it could save you.

Ryder continued to remain silent, instead focusing her energy upon fighting her way out of her prison cell in her mind.

“Fine. If you won’t take me back either way, I’ll have to kill you.” Alyx returned Donnovan’s smirk with a wicked smile. “And since you refused me, I’ll be sure it’s painful.”

Donnovan lifted his chin and stared at Ryder. “Go ahead and try. But she won’t let you.”

Alyx grinned. “Guess you’re stupid and delusional.” He broke out laughing.

“If you say so.” Donnovan shrugged.

Alyx’s laughter stopped and he narrowed his eyes at Donnovan. “Why are you agreeing so easily?”

“Because I know that she will win out. She stopped you from killing Cass.” Donnovan crossed his arms. “She won’t let me die by your hand either.”

“Her sister is nearly dead!” Alyx shouted. “She didn’t stop me from doing anything. She just prolonged it because she let me know that I could use her sister as leverage.” He glared Donnovan down.

Donnovan snorted. “If that’s how you justify your failure…”

“I am not a failure!” Alyx growled, raising Ryder’s hand and clenching it in the air.

With a lift and a sweep of her arm, he sent Donnovan flying across the clearing. Donnovan barely managed to puff out of existence and to a safe landing spot. He shook his head, thankful that he hadn’t slammed into a tree. Otherwise, he might’ve been killed before Ryder found herself and her will to fight.

Ryder watched the fight, yelling at Alyx to stop. He used her unlocked power combined with his to hover in the air above Donnovan. Plunging their combined power downward, he started to suck away Donnovan’s life force.

Donnovan convulsed as Alyx sent blast after blast into his body. He transported himself out of Alyx’s grip, praying that he’d be able to hold out long enough to survive this fight. When he rematerialized, he turned to face his attacker. “Ryder… Ry, I know you’re in there. You can win. You just need to know without a shadow of doubt who you are and what you’re fighting for. You need a reason stronger than his reason for using you like this.” He held his hand out. “And if you don’t snap out of it now, I’m going to die.”

Alyx started laughing, but it turned to a snarl as Ryder responded to Donnovan’s words. She began thinking about what she stood for and her reasons for wanting to go back to her life. I stand for freedom and justice. She whispered in her mind. I stand for purity and love. I stand for the rights of others. I will defend those who can’t defend themselves. I am fighting for my family and for those I love. And I love Donnovan. You will not take him!

Her eyes no longer gazed upon the fight that had halted between Donnovan and Alyx. Instead, she and Alyx were facing each other in a black, empty space. The blackened dirt beneath her feet gave off a sulfurous smell, and dark clouds rumbled over head with a storm. Ruins stood to their left, and Alyx’s hands crackled with energy.

She summoned her own magic, wondering how it was that they could see their magic here. That wasn’t normal. But perhaps it was a mind plain, and not a real place? She’d heard of them, but never been in one before.

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you, love?” Alyx sneered.

“I never did.” She growled.

“Well, you better hope you win this, because if you don’t, I’ll have to take over your friend after you’re dead. Because if you don’t win, every shred of your magic will be gone and your body will shut down.” Alyx laughed. “We both know who’s the stronger of the two of us.”

She yelled into the space between them. “I know what I stand for, and love is always stronger than confusion and revenge. You’ve blinded me to myself for too long, Alyx. And it’s over.” She sent a spell towards him, showering him in light magic. His ink black magic crackled against hers, pushing back to surround her.

They circled each other, jaws set as they pushed and strained. Ryder let out another agonized yell as his magic dispersed hers and encircled her. She was lifted into the air and tossed into a stray boulder behind her. She crumpled to the ground and lay still, struggling to fight off the waves of nausea that were sweeping over her.

Alyx’s black boots appeared in her blurring line of sight. Looking up, she saw him bend over.

“You know…” Alyx whispered, stroking her cheek. “Had things worked out better, I would’ve brought you to me. We could’ve ruled the undercover practitioners of black magic… They would’ve loved your spirit if you’d channeled it into my side. And I could’ve loved you too. More than that boy can.”

She closed her eyes as he leaned closer. “Do you want to know what you’ve missed?” He whispered in her ear.

She struggled to breathe as her heart rate spiked. What was he going to do?

“After all, maybe if you knew that you could be persuaded to abandon your foolishness. Then I wouldn’t need to kill you. We would destroy the Bases and be happy…” Alyx purred.

“I always wondered if you were jealous…” Ryder murmured weakly.

“Whatever gave it away?” Alyx whispered.

“Well, you hated Donnovan for no reason. He never did anything to you. You might’ve helped me at first, but gradually, you turned against him and you hated anyone who might’ve loved me romantically. You called me love all the time, and you flirt with me.” She answered, opening her eyes to meet his gaze.

“And wouldn’t you like to know what you could have?” Alyx asked, his piercing eyes holding hers.

Her thoughts strayed, and she reached up to run her fingers through his black hair, wondering if it was really as soft as it looked. It was. She couldn’t help but enjoy running her hands through his hair. He took her hands in his, and the black landscape disappeared.

She was laying on her back in a field of dandelions and violets. The grass blew gently in the breeze, and the wind ruffled Alyx’s hair as he hovered above her. His arms were on either side of her as he stared down at her face. “Pretty place, isn’t it?”

She nodded, unsure what to say.

He leaned closer. “You can tell me to stop, you know… And I will, but then this would end and we’d have to go back to our spat, which won’t go well for you.” He murmured, kissing the edge of her ear.

She shivered, unable to decide if she was scared or if she wanted him to keep going. But if she let him kiss her, would that mean she was evil or misguided like he was? She didn’t want to be evil.

“Stop thinking about it.” He growled as he brushed his lips against hers.

He was starting to make her lose focus of what she was supposed to be fighting against. She had been thinking about all the reasons why she didn’t want him to accomplish his goal. But now he was extending an olive branch and her mind was fogging up. Was he suppressing her thoughts?

If she was honest with herself, he wasn’t. He’d started to slowly grow on her. It was just that she still loved Donnovan and this shouldn’t be happening.

He kissed her more insistently, and she kissed him back, surprising herself. He smiled. “See… This is better than anything he could give you. I can make your life bliss. Every day could be like this.”

“I shouldn’t…” She mumbled. “We shouldn’t be kissing. I’m not yours.”

“Oh, but you are.” He kissed her again.

She whimpered.

“Because whatever he thinks, you can’t defeat me. Not while you still feel like you do. You still doubt yourself. And you’re right to doubt if you’re meant to be on their side.” Alyx stroked her hair as he laid down beside her in the grass.

She stared up at the blue sky above her. “You made me kill all those people.”

“Has it never occurred to you that maybe your organization isn’t as good as it seems?” Alyx asked. “I mean, it’s so cliché. An organization that keeps the Balance? You don’t even try to influence it one way or the other. Really, you could at least try to sway the Balance towards light magic if you really thought we were evil.”

Ryder thought about that.

In a way, he was right. Why weren’t they trying to steer the Balance towards what was right if they really thought that black mages were so bad? It didn’t make sense to just keep things in equilibrium. Shouldn’t good be the one to win?

She rolled onto her side to face him. “Why don’t we sway it towards good?” She frowned.

“I don’t know. Why not? Maybe your organization is hiding things. Perhaps they don’t want to do everything by the book, and that’s why they just keep things equal. That way good or evil could win.”

“What if they just want to let people decide for themselves?” Ryder defended.

“If that were true, then they wouldn’t kill and punish those who decided to practice the black arts or break their rules.” Alyx argued with a smile.

“Well… I mean… You hurt people with it. So we can’t let you hurt others or force them to go against what they believe is right…” Ryder wasn’t sure she believed that.

“You don’t really believe that.” Alyx snorted. “Because, as you said, you believe in justice and an ultimate right versus wrong.”

She looked down at the grass between them. “You’re right. I don’t believe it. But I don’t have any better explanation.”

“Wouldn’t you like to really be free? Free from all their stuffy bureaucracies and idiocy? Don’t you want to be able to do what you think is right, independent of their orders?” Alyx asked, leaning closer to her.

She nodded.

He kissed her again, making her shudder. “You can have that with me.” He whispered, looking into her eyes. They were a tawny gold as the sun hit them.

She sighed. “I do want all those things, but that’s why I have to stop you.” She whispered. “This isn’t right, and what you stand for is everything I believe is wrong in the world.” A sad smile flitted across her lips as she pushed him away. “We’re done. I know who I am now and what I stand for. You’ve lost.”

An agonized whimper came from Alyx, and the landscape around them disappeared. She was in a black void again, and she felt him fading. The last of his consciousness rushed out of her mind, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling like she’d been run through a supersized meat grinder. Her head pounded and her mouth was cotton.

She felt Donnovan catching her head before it hit the ground, and then she was in his arms. He was mumbling some words over her, and a strange warmth spread through her limbs. Her eyes fluttered open a few moments later and she looked up at him.

“Welcome back, Ry.” He hiccupped, crying and laughing at the same time.

She gave him a weak smile and shut her eyes again as the sun became too much. “Glad to be back.”