Alex left the library with the group head on his heels Kali caught up to him first grabbing his arm, “What are you doing, you cant just walk off like that.” “I learned that I lost my mentor and she’s still in the damn ruble I have to free her.” “I understand you feel the need to but does the castle still even exist?” “It does.” He walked out of her grip and went to the portal station and set a custom coordinate unknown to the girls or Kali. Zero looked up at the pad. “So this is where the old kingdom lay?” “Yes Zero, this is where my memories are supposedly anyway.” He set the location and the portal turned on, Alex looked at the group and walked through issuing to follow as he did.

They all entered the portal to jump locations from a wonderous elven kingdom to a vision of a once grand kingdom, now in ruins and overgrowth, Bakatta. “Woah, so this is what a fallen kingdom looks like, I’ve heard of these types of places but I never thought I’d find one.” Ziro said with a bunch of curiosity in her voice. Zero ran around like a child exploring a bunch of the nearby ruins. “um, how long does it take for bones to decay?” “Centuries I think.” Replied Ziro to Zero. “Why” “Look.” Inside some ruins where skeletons of humans and elates, “what happened during the rebellion Alex?” Asked Kali. “We did what we had to, to survive, the rebels finished everything else off, anyone who wasn’t with them was against them there were no neutrals. Women, children, babies, men, anyone really. Me Morgen and Duncan along side Audrie tried to save as many as we could but this was a result of the ones who stayed behind.” Alex said in response. Kali looked sickly at the rotted bodies and skeletons of the dead as they walked by the ruins towards the Castle which was now a shell of its former self.

“Come on the castle is just this way you can see it from here.” The group walked by many dead, in ruins, the old market place, past Alex’s old home where it all began. They didn’t enter to respect Alex’s past. Eventually they make it upon the old Castle Keep, Alex looked up and down the castle took a deep breath and stepped inside under the giant ruined archway. The old sounds of a decaying building filled the air, the dust was thick enough to suffocate in. light rays burst through the ceilings to let in sun, and the old banners still swung around with the wind despite being badly damaged.

Alex looked around and walked inside the great hall where he once ate with his siblings and Mother, touching the old table feeling the dust of the old cracked wooden table. He sat down in a chair and took in the site for a few moment before getting back up and looked at a giant ruin hole in the wall. “This way guys.” He said as he took lead entering the hole with kali following then the girls after her, the headed down into the crypt pass. “So this is the tunnel you used to escape the rebels?” asked Kali, “Correct, they took short work of the wall with explosive magic so we rushed all the way down to the end of the corridor and locked ourselves in crypt room.” They all continued to walk forward noticing dead decayed bodies of the rebels killed by the old knights until coming upon a skeleton in full plated gold and shining silver armor. “Who was this guy? Another knight?” asked Ziro to Alex. “Not a knight but the Guard Paladin who was helping us escape with refugees. Shame he didn’t make it, but he was a good man.” “What’s that hes holding in his arms?” questioned Zero, “Honor and Vengeance. Honor is the Shield and Vengeance is the long staff.” Picking it up he demonstrated what old world magic could do. “Watch.” He slide the staff to his right and it enlarged its length by a meter, he stood it straight up and it shrunk to a sword, he flipped it around to his left and took the end rod in his hands and the staff turned to a lance. Finally he held it in both hands, faced the end rod forward and the staff turned to a laser amplifier which he shot a bolt of magic out of. “Whoa that’s very unique.” “One of a kind actually Zero, but im going to leave it here with him as a symbol of legacy, I will come back for it later as for now Infinite Mana and Audrie are top priority.” They nodded and continued onward.

Finally they reached a room covered in old stained blood, muck and rotted bodies with rats and bugs still consuming the old flesh and bones. The girls became sick with the site and took a step back. “Come on girls I know what alex did here was to protect those he cared about and did what he could to survive, lets get the wand and get out of here as quickly as possible.” The girls looked at Kali with scared eyes as she took their hands to move forward. Alex at this point was already digging through the ruble to find the body of his former mentor/Mother. “Ah ha, there you are mother.” Alex lifted the last rock to see the body of his former Mentor Audrie perfectly preserved but dead holding the wand to her chest. “Lets get you out of this tomb.” Zero stopped in her tracts and sniffed the air. “Hey do you guys smell something? Smells like, smoke?” A lighting bolt struck the ground creating a smoke screen engulfing the entire room and out of the smoke appeared none other then Mordred with hatred in her eyes.

“How, How, How dare you touch Mother!” “Mordred wait please!” Mordred only had Alex as a target but turned to see the others armed, “Not this time. Erdgrab” Mordred Stamped on the ground which incased The other three in earth cocoons immobilizing them. “We… can’t move!” cried out Kali. “Mordred what are you doing here? Why attack out of nowhere?” “Why, because you touched Mother when she was sleeping, that’s why. NOW YOU’LL PAY! MEASMA!” Mordred wasted no time trying to kill Alex she sent her strongest move first which caught Alex off guard sending him flying through the wall to the outside, his body flung into an old pillar which fell upon impact.

Alex felt death knocking as he got up all he could see were stars and a fuzzy image of a person flying through the air at him. He called Bastion and blocked the needle attack of Mordred’s sword. He changed the shield to the sword Bastel, “Why, must we constantly do this?” “Because fate decided that the knights would betray each other Alex and your time has come.” She knocked him down with her foot with a cold stare from one eye while the other was covered by her hair. She starred at him, “AND IT’S YOU WHO SHALL DIE TODAY!” She stabbed at the ground but Alex dodged the attack by a thread.

“Stop running away like the coward you are and face your death!” She charged at him with her sword drawn, defending himself, he and Mordred exchanged blow after blow with lighting speed, blow after blow, deflect after deflect, each time they exchanged words. “Mother always liked you most why!” “Because I could be trusted and let the past go!” “Liar! You loved mother differently then the rest didn’t you!” “Never!” “Measma!” Mordred shot Measma at Alex sending him flying back again. “Measma!” and again, “Measma!” and again the short burts of Measma where melting his armor and weapon down to nothing. “Give up Alex I was always your superior.” Mordred said walking towards him with death in her eyes.

“Med kraften hos min herre og forfædre skal jeg smelte dig væk, Me…ASMA!” (Eng trans. With the power vested in me by my lord and forefathers, I shall melt you all away, Measma!) The sword shorted out. “What?!” Alex took the opportunity to strike Mordred who was weakened. Slicing the sword out of her hands and sealing the fatal blow directly through her chest. She coughed up blood as he took the sword out of her chest she fell to the ground in a field of grass outside the crypt room. Tears in her eyes she reached for her sword with much pain, “I can’t lose… not in front of… mother.” Picking up her sword she stood up to Alex in the long grass, “Come on… lets go… again.” She swung her sword which flung into the air and into the ground sticking hilt up. She fell to the ground stomach side up looking at the sky. “The bright blue sky, its… beautiful isn’t it Alex?” Alex looked up and agreed “It is Mordred it is.” “Alex, don’t.” She paused choking up speaking with tears covering her face mixing with the blood. “Please don’t let her take me. Im sorry for everything I’ve done, the pain I suffered for what I did to you was more unbearable then death. I… I don’t want to go back.” “Back to who.” “Lasandra, please, Alex, forgive me.” She struggled to raise her hand in hope she would be forgiven for everything she caused, Liz, and Sandra’s death, the death of Audrie, the death of the king and the end of Bakatta. “I… I accept full responsibility for everything I’ve done….” Alex reached down and held her hand. “I promise she wont take you, I forgive you. Sister.” Mordred looked back into the sky with tears still flowing, “Thank you… Brother……..” Mordred drew her last breath and closed her eyes. With her death the cocoons entrapping the others broke and they rushed outside to find Alex holding Mordred’s hand.

“Alex?” Alex took her body and asked if Kali could carry her sword, “Sure but what about Audrie?” “Mordred is more important right now just please.” “I understand” they passed the body of Audrie and Alex lead them to an old chamber, with a strange text on the wall reading Souls, they entered and Alex found the old pillar where the dead would be placed to be freed. “Here you go sister an end of peace without suffering. Give me her sword.” He placed the Body holding the sword in a standing guard position resting. “Free your minds and free your souls, the past is the past and the present is the present, the future is unknown to us but not to you, live breath and become free!” A purple flame raised up engulfing Mordred’s body and finally freed the suffering soul which was bound to Lasandra for all those years.

“Now, Audrie.” He ran off to get her leaving the others behind. “Look her sword stayed behind.” Zero said as she picked the weapon up. “Huh, it feels lighter then expected.” Alex re-entered with the body of the preserved Audrie. “She seems not dead but in a sleep state, remember her soul was taken by Bastal. Maybe we can reverse it” Wondered Alex. “Go on keep the sword young one, she would have wanted some one like you who has bested her first to take it.” “Zero looked surprised when he said it but she looked at the weapon as it bound to her shrinking to her size, she put her new weapon in her gate for safe keeping. The group left the castle with Audrie’s body and the infinite mana wand, and reentered the Portal to Veil.