As the night progressed, more and more of the dead came crawling. The Hearth-Bringers and Pathfinders created a safe zone for the children to hide in. The temperature dropped below freezing. However, inside the protected area the children remained relatively safe. Their living aura was masked by Leo’s ancestors. So, the other dead did not take notice of them yet. Ethan continuously tried to make Desdemona conscious again. However, she was still deeply engrossed in the last memories of her mother.

  Diandra ran to the front at full speed. There she regrouped with the last of her team still fighting to keep the pursuing Anons at bay. She stopped for a moment to talk to the Veiled Ones helping the Elementals. “Edward, how is the spell coming along?”

  “I still need at least twenty more minutes,” said Edward Gainsworth, father of Edwin Gainsworth and grandfather of Ethan Gainsworth.

  “Well, obviously we don’t have that much time. Your allies will overrun us far before then.”

  “Former allies. Remember, I’m going against my clan to help you keep Sanctuary safe.”

  “Will it work though? Your son…”

  “My son is the best the Gainsworths have to offer. However, even he doesn’t know all the spells and curses. Don’t worry; we are sealing this whole area. No harmful energies, dead or alive, will be able to get through once we are done. Even partially done, this spell will protect Sanctuary for at least a couple of decades.”

  “You seem awfully calm while facing death.”

  “Death is just a long pause in our journey to become one with the Mother again. All I want is to make her proud. That is why I chose to do the right thing till the end. Plus, we Veiled Ones have a long afterlife. Unlike Elementals who turn back into the elements you used in life.”

  For a moment, Diandra silently watched the last of her men fall at the hands of the pursuing Anons. She then took in her surroundings. It was a nice day. Blontzar was shining bright, and a cool breeze blew through the beautiful plain of Primal. Everything was fine, except for the screaming, fearful crowds of Elementals fleeing underground, hunted by the Anons. The smell of blood, sweat, and tears permeated the air, a sense of dread was permanently settling in the hearts of all Elementals.

  “It’s over. They just dowsed the last of the Creation Fires. I can feel it.”

  “Don’t worry. We have cast a spell that’ll keep the coals of the First Fire Pit warm for decades to come. All you have to do to relight it is to bring a spark from the Volcano of Creation in Solem,” said Edward while giving a nod to the five others on his team that risked their lives to help the Elementals.

  “Do you think we’ll ever surface again? Will the surviving Elementals ever take back Ragonia? Even if we do, can Ragonia heal from this utter destruction?”

  “Have faith, Diandra. Both on the Goddess and on your home planet. Out of all the Primordial planets, Ragonia is physically the strongest. It is said Ragonia represents the eternal mother Anorea’s body, unbreakable and everlasting. I’m sure one day it’ll regain its full glory again. You never know, maybe it’ll be your daughter that brings it back to life. Now go, protect her and all of your brethren.” These were the last words of Edward Gainsworth, the third most powerful Gainsworth in history and an all-around remarkable being.

  At that point, except Diandra, all other Elemental warriors protecting the mass retreat to Sanctuary were dead. The Anons were rushing to the underground entrance like starving hounds finally unbound. Diandra was the last defender against them. She closed her eyes for one brief moment to remember happier times with Atlas and Desdemona. Then, she leaped into action.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Diandra was special. Unlike regular Elementals, she controlled the rare element of energy. She sent out a burst of energy into the air in front of her in the shape of a wide scythe. Her energy scythe cut through the front line of the Anon soldiers. She then gathered energy in her fist and struck the ground, causing a minor earthquake. This threw her enemies off guard.

  Next Diandra sent waves of energies towards her opponents. A lot of the Anon bodies couldn’t handle the influx of high energy. It resulted in their bodies being torn apart from the explosion of energy within. Then she turned around and shot balls of pure energy at all the Anon soldiers that got past her, blasting holes in the Anons and killing them on impact.

  After making sure no enemies remained behind her, Diandra once again turned to face the foes in front. Exhausted from a full day of fighting, she didn’t have a lot of strength left. So, she used the last of her powers to materialize two energy scythes.

  Diandra drove headfirst into the horde of enemies wielding her energy scythes like a madwoman. She cut down countless, yet many more took their place. Soon her energy scythes dissipated, leaving her to rely only on her sword.

  Without the long-range attacks of the scythes, many more Anons got past her than before. Diandra glanced behind her briefly. Five of the Gainsworths were now casting offensive spells against the attacking Anons, leaving only Edward to work on the protective seal. This was bad news. While it granted more time for the fleeing people to make their escape, it prolonged the time needed to finish the protective shield. Damn it. I need to hold off more of them here, thought Diandra.

  Abandoning all hopes of her safety, Diandra kept slashing and stabbing furiously. Earlier, she had been far more calculated in her attacks, making sure to kill as many of them as possible. However, now her objective was to wound them instead. This would give her a chance to engage more of them. Keeping the majority of the Anons occupied with her would, in turn, give more time to the Gainsworths to finish their spell, and grant more time for the escaping Elementals.

  Nonetheless, doing so left her far more vulnerable. Her body suffered more and more wounds. But she kept fighting. Rivers of blood flowed out of her. But she kept fighting. A mace crushed her left shoulder. But she kept fighting.

  Before long, her sword broke. So, she resorted to hand-to-hand combat. She broke the skull of a soldier with a headbutt. She punched and broke the nose of another soldier. She blocked a sword being swung at her with her right hand while kicking the life out of the assailant.

  As one on one combat failed, multiple Anons attacked her together. They pinned her to the ground. Yet, Diandra didn’t give up. She used her legs to squeeze one of her attackers until his spine broke in half. She lurched up and bit off the Adam’s apple of another while kneeing an additional man so hard that he couldn’t get up anymore. Following that, she clawed the eyes out of yet another. Then with an atrocious cry of rage, she got on her feet again. Ready to fight on, come what may.

  Her fearless and suicidal fighting skills left the Anons scared and incapable of acting for a time. Alas, the period of inaction was short. New Anon reinforcements reawakened their fighting spirits while the vengeful wounded soldiers got up to slash and stab her repeatedly.

  Without realizing it, Diandra had been pushed closer and closer to the entrance. By now all the Gainsworths except Edward were dead. Unfortunately, he too didn’t survive for much longer. Soon she heard the dying scream of Edward behind her. Diandra didn’t even have time to react before she was next. The soldiers staked her from top to bottom, making her unable to move before going underground to pursue the rest of the Elementals. In a last desperate attempt to fight back, Diandra released her power limiters. A tremendous amount of energy burst out of her, killing everyone in sight.

  Yet, more Elementals and the Anons chasing them kept pouring in from all over Ragonia, but Diandra couldn’t help them anymore. Incapable of continuing the fight and moments away from her death, Diandra activated the machine. She also crushed its control; no one could stop it.

  Her dying thoughts were, I have done all I can. The rest is up to you, Atlas. Keep our daughter safe. Desdemona must survive.