Anita found herself wandering back through the ruins. She wrapped up the cut on her arm with some fabric from her shirt sleeve. There was bruising on her stomach, but it was something she could ignore for the time being. She walked through the town, running her hand across the building. She stopped in front of the tower.

I failed..

You did not fail, unless you really are gonna stay here in this place. Then you’ve failed. Rune glowed a little brighter in the darkness.  

I did fail. I was supposed to defeat Arkon, then he wouldn't come back, but instead I released him and now he has Mars.

You only lose if you give up. And I chose you for a reason. I chose you because you don't give up. So choose. With this, the sword went silent. She sighed, entering the building. Anita climbed up the stairs, searching for something. What she was looking for, she did not know. On the third floor of the tower, she found empty scrolls and old tools. At floor 3, is where she gave up. Sitting on the floor, she let more tears spill.

“Im sorry, im sorry..”

“Sorry isn't going to fix anything.” Anita froze, looking up. At first, there was nothing there. But then the world flickered blue. What appeared before her was a girl, with a blue dress. She wore worn boots, black tights, and her hair half up. The rest flowed down. The girl’s hair was blue.

“It's you.. Or is it me?-” Anita questioned. The girl stared at Anita.

“Who do you want me to be? Because I could be your princess” the girl stated, as she morphed into a copy of Mars. “I could be someone you miss” The girl morphed into a person Anita had not seen in years. “Or I could be you.” The girl morphed back into her original form.

“What are you?-” Anita reached for her sword, only to touch an empty holster.

“Nuh uh, you don't need that anymore right?” the girl smiled, pulling the sword out of thin air. In her hands, the sword’s normal blue glow changed, and became brighter. “Nice and sturdy, very strong too. Perfect for defeating Arkon.” Anita stared at the girl in surprise. “You won't be needing it, so I'm just going to do it. You can stay here until it blows over.” With this, the girl started to fade.

“Wait!” Anita found herself shouting. But her vision turned to normal. She reached over to feel that her sword was gone. Rune was gone, and there was no way she knew of to get them back. There was nothing she could do. Without the sword, she was powerless against Arkon. All Anita wanted to do was go back home to Aquatila, but she felt powerless to make it happen.

She got up, and started to wander the room. There was nothing. Anita was alone, and there was no one coming to help her. There was nothing to help her, no one who would save Mars. so she had to do it herself. Anita took a map out of her bag. The borders were centuries old, but the areas were the same. She marked out a path, and left the tower, feeling much braver. If no one was going to save her home, she would have to become the hero she swore to be. As Anita traveled through the ruins, the girl with blue hair smiled.

Anita eventually got to the hole she came in. through the hole, the sun was starting to set. He knew that she had to act fast. She looked at the wall, and decided to scale it. A few feet off the ground, and she was regretting her decision. The cut on her arm ached and burned as she reached out for another rock. After a while, she got to the top of the cavern. It was dark, but she couldn't afford to wait. Anita set out to find the town. 

Penelope was setting up breakfast, when she heard a knock on the door. She cautiously opened the door, eyes widening at the sight of Anita. Despite her appearance, Anita smiled. "Hi Penelope. Do you happen to know anyone with a horse?" Penelope pulled her into the house quickly. Anita was sat down, whacked with a rag, and then given a plate.

"Are you okay? How much trouble did you get in, I said be careful! Children, they never listen-" Penelope went on about dangers while taking off the makeshift-bandages over Anita's arm. She winced at the sight. The scar had stopped bleeding, but it was still open. The skin around the cut was red and flared and dried blood was cracked. Anita got whacked again.

"Please take better care of your injuries, this could be infected-"

"Sorry." 

“Where is the Princess, she was traveling with you, right?” Anita looked down at the food in her hands.

“Shes.. she’s compromised.” Annita settled on. “But I'm gonna get her back, which is why I need a horse. I need to get to the capital as soon as possible.”

“The princess was-” Penelope seemed at a loss for words. “Oh, I am sorry. If the darkness has her-”

“The darkness may have her, but ill will get her back. I have to.” Penelope nodded.

“I do not have a horse, but there is a farmer in town that may. He could loan one out to you, just say that I sent you.”

“Okay, thank  you.” Anita went to get up, but Penelope sat her back down.

“Going around fighting with untended injuries isn't going to do you or the princess any good. Let me patch you up first.”  Penelope insisted. Anita nodded. The cut on her arm was the worst, but Penelope rubbed some healing salve on it and wrapped it tight. When she discovered the bruises littering Anita’s torso, the hero got hit with another rag. She placed a cool rag over them to help the swelling,then applied some more salve and wrapped it up.This is how it went with all her injuries, from cuts to scrapes to punctures. Antia felt that Penelope put a lot of faith into the salve, but then again she was already feeling better.

30 minutes after she arrived, Antia left to find the town’s farm. Anita approached what she assumed was the farm. The area was bigger than what Penelope's house resided on, but  still small compared to other farms. In the center-front was a farmhouse, unpainted. Its brown wood was dark and old. The land around it was fenced off with tall wooden planks. There were various other buildings on the lot, but Anita went to knock on the door before she started exploring. She walked up to the house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again, hoping for a person. The door finally opened, revealing an old man. His hair was gray and peppery, and he wore a long sleeve tunic with an old vest. The old man looked up at Anita with annoyance.

“What do ya want?” 

“Uhm, im Anita. I wanted to know if I could borrow a horse?”

In minutes, Anita was moving along, with some food for the road and a horse. The horse was nothing special, with brown hair and brown eyes. The horse’s name was Midnight, and although she wasn't super fast, it was faster than on foot.  Anita traveled back through the first, following her map towards the capital, when she decided to go to Aquatila. If she just ran into the fight with no plan, she would die and that wouldn't save Mars. Instead, she rode west, back to where it all started.

She tied up at midnight outside the town, before creeping in. The place used to be lively and loud, but now it's like Arden. It was silent. Unlike the garden, it had some new things. People were frozen in place all over town, almost like a statue. They were frozen in time, completely consumed by the darkness of the shadows. Anita wondered if this was what was happening to her before Mars saved her in the cave. Anita snuck around for a bit, before stopping near the Jade palace. She went around the back, slipping through an employee- only door that she still had access to. What she walked into was nothing that she would have expected. Many people were sitting in the kitchen of the restaurant, with makeshift weapons, shields, and armor. People were crowding towards the side of the kitchen, where the tea was usually brewed, and there was Madame Moraie. The woman looked over at the door.

“Anita?” Everyone turned to face the door, at Moraie's words. As the room quieted down, Anita suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Uhm, Hi mam. I didn't think anyone would be here, the restaurant looked empty so i was just gonna hide out here. I'll leave, Sorry for intruding-'' Anita was cut off quickly.

“Nonsense! When you work for me, your basically family. You are welcome here anytime darling. Do you have a reason for coming back to Aquatila? I'm sure you're busy fighting and whatnot. We’ve been fighting too.” some people smiled with pride, especially a blonde kid in the middle of the crowd. This made anita look around the room. Many of the people in this room couldn't have been older than her. There were an assortment of kids from 12 and up, wielding weapons made of stone or scrap metals. They were covered in bruises and scrapes, but they seemed determined. Anita’s heart warmed, knowing that she wasn't the only one out there fighting.

“Wow. uhm, yeah. I needed to think of a plan that would work before I just stormed the capital.” Anita responded.  The blonde haired kid spoke up.

“What about your sword? With that, i bet you can beat the darkness’s dumb a-”

“Tom!” Moraie cut in. the other kids laughed at his misfortune.

“As much as i wish i could,” Anita started, “I don't have it anymore. Despite that, with the sword I was still lost. If I'm gonna win this, I need to do it my way. Not with a sword and blunt force.”

“Well dear, how can we help?” Moraie asked. The room of determined kids looked at Anita for answers. In the company of the people, Her people, she got an idea.

Many questioned what happened that day, but the ones who were there heard. Metal was banged and feet were stomped. Waves of children filled the streets. On their lips, was a chant:

“We Won't Back Down, We Won't Back Out!” The chants filled the streets, as children with makeshift armor and weapons attacked the darkness. As Aquatila was on the outskirts of the country, the Shades in the area were weaker, and the children could disperse them with a few foul hits. Tom yelled the loudest, attacking the shades like they killed his cat. ‘Stage one is almost complete’ he thought to himself, before chanting once more.

“Okay, so the first Code will be ‘We Won't Back Out’, this will tell me that you've arrived at town square. You need to make enough noise, and destroy enough shades to make Arkon appear. Also, have a little fun and get some action in the field.” 

These were the first instructions Anita gave. Now, a few hours later and the plan is in fruition. The shades were going down quickly and the kids were gaining more and more ground. Anita mounted Midnight and waited for the next sign. The kids let out their battle cries before storming towards the statue of the first hero. On the platform, appeared Arkon. Tom quickly changed the chant.

“When Arkon arrives, I want you to change the chant. This is how I'll know when to come to you. The chant is-”

We Won't Back Down, The Time Is Now!'' The chant spilled through the town, and Anita heard the message.

“Are you kidding me?!” Arkon exclaimed. “All this, from petty children? Go home before I make sure you can't.”

“We cant go home until your gone, stupid!” Shouted a kid from the crowd. Arkon grew annoyed. He channeled his magic, preparing to freeze the crowd.

“You Asked for this, children-”

“Whoa, calm down Arkon.” The darkness looked up, and visibly scowled.

“Anita. Should've known these children had something to do with you.” Anita just smirked.

 “Let's make a deal.''

“Now why would I make a deal with you?” 

“We can make this simple. A one on one battle. Me, Anita. And you, Arkon.” Anita rode through the crowd. “If you win, the kingdom is yours. If I win, well I will keep that to myself.” Anita's smirk grew wider.

“I accept. Let's get this over with.” Arkon attempted to draw his sword.

“Whoa, not here. You're gonna have to follow me first.'' At this, Anita turned, riding through the crowd as fast as her horse could go.

“I will get him to follow me to the capital. There, I will try to defeat him.” Anita finished explaining.

“How are you going to do that without your sword?” A kid asked.

“I'll be thinking on the way.”

As Anita rode towards the capital, she hoped an idea would come before she arrived.