Rune stabbed through Arkon- then he exploded into dust. As the sky cleared, Anita found herself freefalling. Her eyes widened in panic

“Land, land, land!-'' Anita stopped a few inches above the ground before plopping in the middle of a crowd of children. Cheers rose from them as Anita rolled over. She stood up, cutting through the crowd. Right where she left them, was Mars. Anita dropped down next to the princess, wincing at the strain of her injuries. Mars was laying on the ground, unconscious. Their cloak was torn and their clothes dirty, but otherwise looked fine. But under the surface, Anita could feel the imbalance of magic in her soul, magic that shouldn't have been there. She didn't look like it, but Anita knew- Mars was dying.

In the castle, a camp was set up for survivors and mourners. The injured were being seen by healers, families set up small camps in the foyer, and Bodies were laid in a separate area and covered in sheets. Kids from aquatila helped pass out blankets and food. After being patched up and refusing to lie down, Anita was counting the dead. This was a bad idea on her part since it was supposed to be a distraction from the obvious. Mars lay in her private room, away from the rest of the people. The best healers were sent to her side, but Anita was pushed out for being overbearing. She huffed at the idea. Even though the healers were good, Anita could sense what they couldn't. She could sense the magic strangling Mar’s soul. Anita scribbled down another number, sighing. There were at least 50 dead in the capital, how many more would be recorded? Before she could move on, a hand pulled her away. 

“Hey!-” The familiar voice of Lady Moraie filled the air. She took Anita's hands.

“Anita honey, I think you should take a break from this. Let someone else do it.” Anita squeezed the hands of Lady Moraie. 

“I can't. This is my fault, I need to see how many died because of my mistakes. Plus, any one of these people could be related to the remaining guards. The people I care for are already dead.” Moraie frowned.

“Even if you need a break, come and take one before I drag you over.” Anita knew that tone more than enough to refuse. She was led to a kitchen in the castle, where Tom and some other kids were making tea. A cup was shoved into her hands.

“Drink, I call it my Magical Ambrosia!” a peppy girl with red hair spoke. The cup was glass and filled with a golden yellow liquid. Anita sipped the tea, more enchanted by how it could taste like vegetables than the magic healing factor.

“Wow. uhm, thanks. Try a little more (herb) next time though. The girl took the cup and skipped away. A tray was then shoved in her hands. Tom glared at her.

“If you're gonna take up space in the kitchen, make yourself useful! I'm in a time crunch here-” He shoved Anita out the door. For the next few hours, Anita passed out tea to the people in the castle. Watching their faces light up with wonder- and confusion- made the day seem worth it. But in the mists of thank you’s and complete gratitude was the thought of Mars. Whenever someone asked about the princess, Anita’s smile got harder to fak, until she ran towards her room. She was quickly stopped by Tom, who truly seemed to be stressing over his new occupation as ‘Top Brewer’. By the time He was satisfied, Anita and the other kids were dead on their feet. She collapsed in a chair in the kitchen, mesmerized by the scents. Anita dreamt of the days before the festival when the scent of tea was all she needed. 

Anita woke to a chill filling her body. Around her, sleeping on various things were kids who were working in the kitchen. Anita quicked stepped around them, exiting the kitchen. She headed straight for Mars. When she arrived, the door was already ajar. Anita went in. Mars was laying on the bed, still seemingly unconscious. There were bags under her eyes and she looked pale in the dim light. 

“Mars?” Anita softly grasped her hand. “I don't know if you can hear me, but please don't die. Your people need you, and I think I do too.” Anita could feel the magic fading, but Mars isn't getting better. Tears pricked in her eyes. Anita squeezed Mar’s hand. "you can't die yet. I still have to tell you I love you." Anita cries. “I should've told you when we were in the cavern, but I'm doing it now. Mars, I love you.”

"I Love you too." Anita felt Mars squeeze her hand. They were crying. Anita cupped her face and kissed her, not waiting any longer. Anita kissed and kissed and kissed Mars, and once again, the world exploded in blue. The blue spread through the town, dispersing any magic that was not meant to be. It healed the souls of the injured and awoken what was meant to stay hidden. It was seen by all, one being a young elven girl. The blue light awoke something in her. As they parted, the magic dispersed, and so did the magic plaguing Mars’ soul. Anita sensed its disappearance, and Mars felt it.

“Whoa. What just happened-” Mars questioned. Anita's eyes widened.

“The prophecy from the scroll- uhm, only pure light can heal the soul?”

“The scroll. It could have been from the book-”

“Wait, what book-” Mars smiled before they started to retell their story. Anita was surprised for the first few seconds. After the retelling, it was clear that she had questions.

“Wait, so Arkon was an actual person, and the darkness body-snatched him. And the elves knew? And where is this book anyways-”

“Those are good points. I'm assuming the book could be in the ruins, but it's unlikely. It was last seen in his town, which is where we first fell, and as you should know, there’s nothing there-”

“If that book is that important, I doubt it just disappeared.” Anita countered. “The ruins are a good place to start.”

“Yeah, let's save this conversation for later though, I need to see how much damage was inflicted.” Anita visibly winced at the idea but obliged. Once again, Anita was sneaking out of the castle, but with a princess in tow. Guards were low, so there weren't many stationed around, but most were around Mar’s quarters. Anita knew that it would be impossible to bypass all of them.

“Okay, let's go through the window”

“Excuse me?-” Mars raised a brow. “Can't we just walk out”

“For the last day you've been on the brink of death and then I sneak in here and suddenly you're better than ever? Yeah, the healers would take me down to the medical wing and make me write up a report.” Mars snorted, pointing to the window. 

“What floor are we on?”

“Second, so not that far.” Anita answered, “Time to test this out.”  She pulled out her sword and opened the window. 

“Test what?” Mars asked. The only answer they got was an open hand. Mars took it. Anita wrapped her arm around Mars before reciting words.

“Fly.” Then she stepped out of the window. Before Mars could react, they were floating through the sky.

“When did you find this out?” Mars mumbled.

“Rune helped me figure it out in mid-battle.”

“This would've been helpful earlier this week.” 

“That's what I said, but at least we have it now,” Anita replied. They cruised over the city, surveying the damage. There was destruction to some buildings and housing, but overall it seemed that most of the problems were towards the physical well-being of the people. Anita was ready to turn when she sensed a source of magic. It was nothing like she ever sensed before. Mars seemed to notice it too.

“Hey, do you feel that?” Anita asked. Mars was staring off into the woods.

“Do you see that?-” Mars questioned, pointing into the woods. There was a faint light shining upwards, like a beacon. They flew towards it. As they grew closer they realized it was coming from the ruins. The beacon was somehow phasing through the ground. Anita roughly landed in front of it, ignoring Mars’s comment about training. Up close, the beacon was a bright white with hints of color flowing through it. Anita reached out to it.

“Do you think we did this?” She wondered out loud. Mars shrugged. 

“What is it? Is it just a flow of magic?” Mars asked.

“Let's find out.” Before Mars could argue, Anita stepped into the light and disappeared. Mars followed, reluctantly. Stepping one foot into the stream, They were sucked in and blasted into the light.