Having no other choice I climbed down to the outside of the fort and began looting the bodies as well as piling them up to be burned. It was long and arduous work that was made even longer by the fact that you didn’t want to look any of them in their cold lifeless eyes. I didn’t want to even look at someone that I may have killed but I had no other choice in the matter. That is until I heard a scream. It wasn’t coming from any of the knights and it sounded like a more femenine voice.

Looking around I didn’t see anyone who looked like a woman or even that of someone who may have screamed with a much higher pitch. It was a desolate place of silence and death. That’s when I realized that it had come from inside the pendant. Taking it from around my neck I activated it and disappeared inside of it. What I saw after going into the main room shocked me.

Everyone was gathered around Elysfi who was on her knees checking the pulse of one old man. Iscarat, who I had thought would outlive God out of spite if he so wanted to was lying on his back. Elysif was doing the best she could with the medicine she had and her skills as a doctor but it wasn’t enough.

“What happened?” I asked as I walked over to them.

“Iscarat suddenly collapsed. His breathing is shallow and his pulse is off. I think it might be a heart attack.” Elysif said.

“Can’t you save him?” Compton asked. Elysif just looked up at him and shook her head while trying to keep her eyes dry. Then Iscarat began to speak, slowly and scraggly.

“I can’t... go... on anymore. I’m too old for this. I’ve already had... one great... adventure in my life. Though, I... am glad that… I was able to spend… the last... of my life… on one of your… adventures.” he said between small gasps of air. “My… entire home… and everything inside… I leave to… Elysif… Scott… Silva… Compton… and Lou. The last… of… my… fam… ily…”

We all watched as life left his eyes with that final word. The whole time he had a smile on his face as if he was truly happy. I didn’t believe that he was dead. There was no way he could be. He was capable of traveling through dimensions so how could he just die like this? There was nothing heroic about his death nor was it in any way beneficial. There was no great sacrifice, just the slow pain of death at an old age.

Elysif who looked like she was on the brink of breaking down if someone so much as touched her got up and walked over towards the door to Iscarat’s home. I wanted to say something to her but I didn’t know what. None of us did. Though that didn’t stop people from talking.

“I remember him trying to teach me how to use flame magic as a boy. I nearly set his workshop on fire and Silva yelled at him for teaching me something so dangerous and inconsistent. We laughed about it though. Despite how weird he was he was never a bad person.” Compton said as Elysif was reaching for the door. She stopped though as if what he said made her remember something.

“He used to show me different plants that could be used for medicines even I didn’t know about as a witch. Then he would teach me a recipe in which I used to prank Scott. We both laughed while Scott was on and off the toilet for days.” she said, still unable to face us or the lifeless corpse of our resident wizard.

“I distrusted that man for so long out of spite and never once considered he was a good man. I regret ever thinking such things. Even so, I hated his knack for causing me trouble.” Mordred said without much remorse. At this Elysif snapped around and stomped over to Mordred. Grabbing her by the collar she slammed Mordred against the wall. Tears welled up in Elysif’s eyes. I tried to reach out and stop her but Compton stopped me and shook his head.

“You have no right to speak of him in such a way. Yeah, he annoyed us from time to time but he cared about us. He was always thinking about others even though he never acted like it, which is far more than I can say for you.” Elysif said in a mix of rage and sorrow. Tears were now streaming down her face as if a flood of emotions.

“I’m sorry…” Mordred said compassionately. Even though she was apologizing Elysif didn’t seem to understand it. Either that or it is exactly what she didn’t want to hear because Elysif removed her right hand from Mordred’s collar and swung her fist as hard as she could into Mordred’s jaw. The raw emotional punch sent Mordred to her hands and knees.

“You think that apologizing will make it better? We all know you hated Iscarat. Yet, despite that he was helping you to stop Merlin. He could’ve just waited around and let everyone else figure things out but he didn’t. He wasn’t causing you or anyone any kind of trouble and you think you can still say that?” Mordred said in an eruption of emotions before going back to the door of Iscarat’s home and going inside.

Mordred rubbed her chin where she was just hit and got back up. Instead of looking to us for pity she walked right up to Compton and I. “go on. Let me have it.” she said as if we knew what she was wanting.

“What do you mean?” Compton asked.

“I want you to tell me the truth. What do you really feel right now? Or, if it helps you can hit me as well. Just please do it on the other cheek so that they match.” Mordred explained.