Soon, Alexander received his answer as Ciaran stood before him. His eyes were unnatural. Dead.

Ciaran smirked, "And here I thought I'd lost my chance to kill you, yet here I am, another chance in hand."

Alexander frowned, "that's impossible; you're dead."

Ciaran laughed. It was a hollow sound before he launched an attack on Alexander.

"Augue."

A giant fireball, reminiscent of the one he had hit Alexander in the back with, was flying towards him. Alexander instinctively threw his arms up in a block. The fire slammed into his defensive posture and sent him flying backward, gritting his teeth in pain as he landed hard on the ground. His arms were bloodied and sending shockwaves of pain.

This was bad. When they said it was a test of battle, they weren't kidding. Alexander could still die here, and Ciaran wasn't holding back like when he fought against his brother Owen. If Alexander made one wrong move, he was as good as dead.

Ciaran smirked and launched another spell without allowing Alexander to get his bearings.

"Obice!" Alexander shouted.

He barely managed to create the barrier in time to catch the dazzling blast, which set his barrier pulsing with energy.

"Oh, look, you can put up a fight!"

Ciaran shouted as he charged forward, drawing the dagger he had used to fight Owen with. Alexander dropped his barrier and rolled away from Ciaran’s initial attack. Ciaran moved his hand over his weapon and chanted another spell.

"Utque in Flamee."

Along the blade's edge now danced flames, making it a more deadly weapon to whomever it hit. Alexander would admit that elemental magic hadn't been his strong suit in training. Like, at all. So, he was at a disadvantage since Ciaran excelled at flame magic. All Alexander could do in this situation was put up barriers and continue to block Ciaran's onslaught of attacks. He couldn't keep this up forever, though; his energy had its limits. If he weren't careful, he would slip and be cast ablaze, just like the dagger Ciaran wielded.

"Are you just going to dodge all day?" Ciaran shouted at him.

That was when Alexander realized something. He had learned one large-scale spell that could turn the battle around. However, it would take him time to remember the incantation since he was terrible at learning the magic language of Ellond. One way to keep Ciaran off him and save his energy for the spell was to use a weapon, just as Ciaran was doing. This was perfect, as the bodies that littered the ground around them still had their armor and weapons on them. Even though he was creeped out at having to steal from a skeleton, it was his only shot.

Alexander blocked another attack, and in the same instance, he dropped his shield and lunged away from Ciaran. He headed straight for a skeleton that held a sword in its bony fingers. Alexander grabbed the sword. Flinching as the bones crumbled. Now, it was his turn.

Alexander countered Ciaran’s next attack with the sword. He was a bit clumsy with the heavy blade, but it was better than using all his energy on shields and defense. Alexander spun the knife upward, and Ciaran leaped backward. Now distanced, Alexander attempted to try and remember the spell, but he was too focused on that. He was slow in his next block; he grimaced as Ciaran’s blade met with his chest. He could hear his shirt tear along with his skin as blood sprayed from him.

Ciaran laughed again, more menacing this time: " Oh, I wish my dear brother could see this!"

It seemed to Alexander that Ciaran’s personality was more twisted than it had been when he was alive. Perhaps that meant this was his true personality.

Alexander used the sword to come to his feet, and he launched his own attack. It was uncoordinated compared to Ciaran’s, who clearly had far more experience in battle than Alexander. Ciaran used the opportunity from Alexander's fumble to attack again. This time, the blade bit into Alexander's skin like a snake bite, and the sword fell from his hands as he fell backward and held his shoulder in pain.

Ciaran knelt over him. Blade close.

"I'd say this has been fun, but to be honest, I grow bored of this. Too bad you didn't have more experience. Perhaps this could have ended differently."

That was when Alexander remembered a spell. It wasn't the one he had been wracking his brain for, but it would do.

"Tempestas Lanceas!"

Alexander barely got the words out, but he'd done so just in time. Ciaran cried out in pain as what seemed like hundreds of tiny blades came at him in a tornado-like wave. When the tempest died, Ciaran was left standing, bloodied and angry. His dagger, missing, was dropped somewhere in Alexander's attack.

"Clever. But now I'm done playing around, boy."

He made a symbol with his hand, indicating a worse spell than he had previously used, "Acidum Pluvia."

Alexander recognized the spell from Ronan's books, and his eyes widened in fear as he threw his barrier up. He wasn't sure how much energy he had left. He quickly realized Ciaran was in much the same position due to the constant use of magic to power the flames on his blade before. The storm came suddenly, and the rain pounded at his barrier. He finally felt his energy fading as the barrier crumbled from the rain pouring down.

Alexander screamed out as rain came in at him from the holes in his barrier. The acid burning his skin. It wasn't just him, though. Ciaran had been foolish, or perhaps he hadn't cared since he was already dead. He had run out of energy and was now being hit by his own spell.

As soon as the rain stopped, Alexander felt drained as he released what remained of his barrier. Ciaran was gone. All that remained was a puddle of blood where he had been standing when he'd cast the spell. Alexander forced himself to his feet, nearly crying out from the pain.

A portal appeared in front of him.

Though he wasn't sure which land it led to, he knew that anywhere had to be better than where he was. With any luck, someone who could help him would also be there.

Alexander barely stepped through the portal when he felt his world grow dark from the pain and blood loss caused by the fight. The last thing he remembered hearing was his name being screamed.