Chapter 33: Luna

　　"Solaris," Luna said, "Take Felisha and Elena and make sure they get out of here. Bring them to the tavern and keep them safe." She glanced at the Princess. "I do hope your extended stay here in Belmire was not ruined too much by someone." She pointed to Elena.

　　"What did I do?" Elena asked.

　　All three of them gave her a look.

　　She blinked, then nodded, understanding she must have done wrong.

　　"And you," Luna said to her sister. "After this is all over, I expect that duel. I`m going to kill you, and we will fight for real this time." She got right in Elena`s face. "Got that?"

　　"Yes, Luna. . ." she said. "But why must you go up there alone? What if you are hurt?"

　　Seeing the child-like demeanor that Elena had reverted to made Luna furious. How dare she choose to care for her now that her memories are all scrambled together.

　　"I`m the only one who can stand against him," Luna said. "It`s destiny, as you said, Elena. . . I`m bound to fight against Caden, and one of us will die." She paused and took a deep breath. "But flame that, I`ll create a new way to win."

　　We are the Virtue of Creation, after all, said the Tigress.

　　Solaris took Felisha and Elena and led them down the steps.

　　Luna began her ascent, throwing herself into the air with Moonlight and landing just over the railing in the top room. She channeled Yelzar and vanished. The familiar feeling of infinite Moonlight washed over her. . . it was no longer a boon - instead, it was a reminder that she and Caden were always destined to do battle.

　　The Crown was much taller than she had expected. He stood beside his throne with an enormous blazing hammer in his left hand. It had a spear tip protruding from the top of it, and Isabel`s soft voice told her to be careful of that.

　　Darian was still in the room, staring in awe and bowing down to the behemoth. The Crown was the manifestation of evil. He wore all-black heavy plate armor. And it was as if large spikes of metal were slammed into his body to just keep the armor on.

　　"It`s you," Darian said. "At last. . ."

　　Was he expecting this to happen?

　　"At last, we can finally put the city back together. Crown -" he paused. "Er, my Lord. Please, come with me to the blacktop and explain how stupid Thane and Zelik are in their decision-making."

　　The Crown glared at him with glowing red eyes. He wore a helmet that completely covered his face. "Leave us, wretched knight," his voice echoed through the chamber, causing the entire room to shake.

　　"L-leave you? Come now, be serious. We must help put this city back together. Our economy is suffering, we are too overpopulated, and there aren`t enough homes being built. The Sanctuary is falling to shambles, and none of those idiots do anything I say!" He paused, putting a hand behind his head. "Man, if I knew that Caden could just put on the Crown and summon you, I would have never compelled him or Vance. It feels like I kind of messed up a bit, whoops."

　　"My only purpose is to battle the Tigress," he pointed out toward Luna.

　　She revealed herself, took a defensive combat position, and channeled all her predecessors.

　　This is the end now, said the Tigress. We must kill him.

　　She took a deep breath and waited. Attacking first was never something she wanted.

　　"Screw that! Can`t ya do that later? Come on, we should -" Darian had placed his hand upon the Crown`s arm in a casual yet friendly way. In response, the creature grabbed his shoulder.

　　"Interference means eradication," The Crown said.

　　Only Darian`s screams followed as he tried to pull away from the Crown`s grip. Lines of orange and yellow seeped into his body like scorched earth. It ripped his armor and caused it to fall to the ground. Darian crumbled to his knees as the heat radiated out from him. It was like rivers of lava flowed through his skin and bones. With one last bellow, he exploded, leaving nothing but ash covering the chamber where he once stood.

　　Yeah, don`t get hit by that, Kellin said.

　　She knows that idiot, said Renna.

　　"Flaming hell, how am I supposed to fight that," Luna said out loud to nobody. She took a few pensive steps back.

　　The Tigress surged within her, and her aura exploded into a bright blue light surrounding her body. Take all my power, child, you are going to need it. I may not be as strong as my siblings, but I am the Virtue of Creation. Let us create.

　　The Crown lifted his mace from the ground, and it burst into flames. His aura burned with a fiery orange.

　　The color may be stronger, but we can still win. My brother once saw a man with no aura defeat one of red. The Tigress said.

　　Luna had no idea what that meant, but she tried to stay calm and lean on Yelzar.

　　The Crown charged, and Luna leaped out of the way from an attack. They traded blows, and Luna managed to overpower him with pure speed. He would attack, and she would twirl out of the way in seconds. She could perceive him differently as if she was moving before he began to attack. After every dodge, she would swipe at his armor with her dagger, yet nothing would break through - he was invincible.

　　She dashed back, and the Crown`s hammer slammed into the ground. She jumped and pushed herself forward with Moonlight. She plunged her dagger into the back of his neck - aiming for a killing blow. Yet, instead, it collided with his armor and completely shattered. Shockwaves of pain rippled through her hand as the follow-through was disrupted.

　　The Crown reached out to grab her, and Luna channeled Yelzar so much that it started to physically hurt. His hand went completely through her, and Luna was able to duck and vanish away to the other side of the room. She thought momentarily about leading him out of the balcony and throwing him off the tower.

　　Well, I`m one weapon down. What the hell was that?

　　His armor seems impenetrable. And you panicked. Focus your energy on your weapon before you attack. The Tigress said. She was wrong, as obviously, Luna was calm. Why the hell would she not be calm? Oh yeah, maybe because of death itself lingering a few feet away from her.

　　Feel the tranquility, Yelzar said. I suggest you stay calm.

　　I suggest you shut the hell up! Renna shouted back. She was, in fact, correct.

　　Luna hesitated, listening to their bickering for a moment. In a flash, the Crown moved, and his enormous hammer smashed directly into Luna`s abdomen. The wind was stolen from her lungs as she was sent flying backward. The double doors to the balcony were torn clean off as she fell into them, through the railing, and down into the void below. The cold air and blood-red clouds swallowed her up just as she fell unconscious.

　　* * *

　　Awaken. The Tigress`s voice brought her back to reality. Her eyes shot open, and she fell directly into the blood-red clouds. They kissed her skin with light flames and brought burns that quickly healed with Moonlight. The infinity faded as she grew further away from the Crown. The eerie feeling of that pressure in her chest returned. Surrounding her now was a void of darkness. The clouds were black and red, with crimson lightning trickling throughout. She slipped through the end of the curse and saw the palace blacktop way down below. That tower was much taller than she had initially thought.

　　All of you shut up. The Tigress`s voice was full of power. I will take it from here.

　　Her past lives spoke no more.

　　Use their sigils. Fight with all of them, Luna. You must.

　　What about my own magic? Luna thought. When will I get that? She recalled her past lives` words, yet the Tigress did not answer the question.

　　Luna finally understood what her magic was. Each past life had a sigil she could call upon - and drain some of her lifeforce into. The sigils were magically tied to their souls, and she had access to them all. She pulled Kellin`s sigil and slowed her descent, and upon glancing up, she saw the Crown cleaving through the blood-red clouds above her. His orange aura radiated the sky despite her not seeing him clearly.

　　He charged straight toward her, with the spear-topped hammer aimed at her heart. The clouds moved away from him as if even the curse itself feared the Shard of Sin.

　　Luna used her aura to push herself away, twirling through the air as Moonlight burst out around her. Sparks of blue and white radiated from her body as she dodged the Crown. With outstretched hands, she pulled on Isabel`s sigil, causing an enormous orb of Moonlight to erupt from the sky and slam into the Crown like a meteor. It sent him hurtling to the ground below.

　　She slowed her descent and landed next to the small crater he now lay in. The palace blacktop was brimming with life. There was a group of vagrants scuttling toward one of the barracks, three Crusaders speaking with Erodan, and an enormous number of knights all scrambling around.

　　As soon as Luna landed, everyone turned their attention to her. She was glowing, so perhaps she stood out a lot, but what might have made her stand out more was she just kicked the Crown out of the sky.

　　Solaris, Elena, and Felisha burst from the palace door, and practically every knight in the order came from all the barracks to investigate. There was an enormous crowd of people, and the Crown had just begun to rise.

　　"Get out of here!" Luna shouted, her voice echoing louder than expected. "This is a battle between Virtue and Sin; nobody else needs to die!"

　　"What the hell is going on?" Crusader Thane waltzed up to them, stopping a few feet away. He drew a hammer from thin air and took a stance. Bloom and Zelik approached from behind, and Erodan took a few steps away from everyone. Soon, a large crowd of knights formed around them.

　　"Nobody shall move," The Crown commanded, his voice echoing throughout the blacktop. "Cower before the Unmaker."

　　To Luna`s surprise, nearly everyone backed away and bowed to the man who had brought injustice upon their land and cursed the world. Were they all being compelled? Luna, Solaris, Elena, and Felisha were the only ones who seemed unaffected. Perhaps. . . the Order of the Crown held loyalty she never knew about.

　　"This is a battle between shards. Interference will be eviscerated," The Crown`s voice echoed loudly, and Luna watched as Elena shut her ears. She jumped back, landing next to the trio.

　　"You all okay?"

　　"Sure am," said Solaris.

　　"Everything`s too loud. . ." Elena said. Her condition had worsened or gotten better? She didn`t know for sure. But she still seemed off, and every move she made seemed unpracticed and rash.

　　Green light moved in the corner of her vision, and Luna glanced forward, spotting Bloom with her hands over her mouth.

　　"Where is Darian?" she asked, voice shaking.

　　"He interfered," said the Crown.

　　Not a single soul dare speak after that. Many knights fled, and the blacktop grew emptier by the moment.

　　Bloom covered her mouth, and Luna watched tears form in the corner of her eyes. Perhaps they were better friends than she had ever thought.

　　"Tigress," said the Crown, turning back. "You fight well. It is not like the last time we fought."

　　Luna channeled Isabel. "Well, I decided not to run this time." She felt the presence of the Tigress swell up within her. "This time, I`m going to kill you."

　　"Really? And you`d sacrifice this Caden boy you love so much?"

　　Her eyes widened. She clenched her dagger tightly and took a stance. She had not thought about what would happen to Caden if she defeated the Crown. She simply listened to the Tigress. How stupid could she be?

　　Do not let your selfishness overwhelm you, said the Tigress. We must do what is right.

　　But If I don`t try, this is all for nothing! She thought. Not Caden, she couldn`t let him die. . . without him. . . everything was pointless.

　　"All you humans," said the Crown. "So full of greed."

　　She stepped forward, and the two began to walk in circles around each other. Solaris, Felisha, and Elena stayed back by the palace, and all the remaining knights made an enormous amount of space for them to fight. She assumed nobody would interfere because of how frightened they were. Yet, she felt no fear at all.

　　How can I save him? Luna thought. Her eyes darted to every pivotal point on the Crown, looking for a weak spot before landing on his head. On top of his head was the original Crown artifact. . . perhaps if she shattered the helmet - Caden would be freed.

　　I at least have to try.

　　Luna wasted no time and lunged forward with her remaining dagger. She let his weapon go right through her by channeling Yelzar`s sigil, and then by using a combination of Isabel and Renna`s magic, she plunged her dagger into his elbow, piercing through a small opening in the armor. Instead of shattering the blade, the Crown howled in pain and smacked her. She blocked the blow and spun around in the air, landing upright a short distance away.

　　The Crown charged, and she channeled everyone for support. She jumped into the air just as his hammer collided with the ground. Shockwaves rippled out, and some people screamed from the impact. Any remaining knights now began to flee. Stones were thrown from the broken earth in Luna`s direction, and she pulled Yelzar`s sigil - causing the projectiles to fall through her. Moonlight erupted from her hands, and an orb slammed into the Crown, sending him hurtling back.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

　　Now! She pushed herself through the air, landing with her feet on his shoulders. She grabbed him by the head just as he went to grab her. She dodged by pushing herself upward so that she was upside down, face to face with the monster. She pulled harshly on Kellin`s sigil and could barely move out of the way, clinging to his shoulder. With a quick attack, she embedded her dagger between the shoulder plate and pulled the entire piece off.

　　However, the Crown was faster. He grabbed her with both hands and squeezed, breaking a few bones. Pain ripped up her abdomen as he held her, dangling in midair, with his arms out in front of him. She heard another crack and cried out in agony.

　　"You`ve grown stronger," he said. "But you`re just the Tigress. You`re the weakest of all your siblings. You`re nothing."

　　He squeezed her further. God, if she did nothing, he would obliterate her in moments. She clenched her jaw, seeking answers, yet nothing came. She needed strength.

　　Please help me!

　　Nobody answered.

　　The Crown crushed her further. Bones snapped, ribs broke, and blood spewed from her mouth. She couldn`t breathe. She swallowed, tasting only blood.

　　Her past lives faded as she struggled to breathe. She felt her arms grow numb.

　　Nobody was coming to save her. Not Solaris, Felisha, or Elena. Nobody was strong enough to fight against the Crown; not even she was strong enough. The pain ripped through her body.

　　It hurts. . . she thought. It hurts so bad. Please. . .

　　"There`s no way out, Tigress. You have no way to win. Your magic has failed you."

　　His voice was drowned out by her own screams. Luna felt herself go limp. Her eyes drooped close. Another crack and the Crown bellowed out in laughter.

　　No. . . she thought. Not. . . yet.

　　"That`s` where you`re wrong. . ." she managed to say, spitting blood.

　　He bellowed out a callous and cold laugh. "Go on then, Tigress, before I crush you into oblivion, tell me how I`m wrong."

　　He loosened his grip just enough for Luna to breathe in. The air entered her lungs, and she surged to life with adrenaline. The pain stung hard as Moonlight rushed to heal her.

　　"Magic bends to my will, Shard of Sin," Luna said. "I am the Virtue of Creation." Her aura grew brighter, and sparks of white and blue erupted around her in swirling patterns of light. "If there are no paths to victory, then I will forge one anew."

　　Luna did not channel Kellin, Yelzar, Renna, nor Isabel.

　　She channeled herself. . . Luna. . . and she was stronger than all of them.

　　Then, the world exploded.

　　The magical energy of white and blue erupted around her. It coursed through her veins and flared with the power of the Tigress. The Moonlight manifested into a brilliant orb of white, surrounded by a blue glow.

　　She imagined the light as a knitting needle - the first thing that came to mind - and it obeyed her will. The light orb transformed into exactly what she had imagined. A needle at least ten feet in length materialized out of Moonlight. She thrust her hand forward with little strength, and then it impaled the Crown through the shoulder.

　　He cried out and dropped her to the floor. The force of the impact sent him skidding across the palace blacktop. Luna collapsed, coughing and heaving. He tore the light construct from his shoulder and shattered it in his hand. She stood up, barely, trying her best to stand. Her knees were weak, and her legs shook viciously. Her Moonlight was taking forever to heal her.

　　Without knowing how, without entirely understanding why, she pulled on her own essence, her very being, her soul, and thought of yarn. She didn`t quite understand why she could only imagine her sewing materials, but it would work.

　　A spool of yarn, forged from brilliant Moonlight, appeared as a construct in front of her. It was enormous. She willed it to untangle, and it did. It flew toward the Crown and wrapped around him, momentarily immobilizing him.

　　She dropped to her knees and breathed heavily, trying to stay alive. Moonlight pooled to heal her wounds, and she coughed, spitting up blood on the pavement. She wiped her mouth and glanced back up at the Crown. He was standing upright, struggling with the yarn. He tore at the construct of Moonlight, and more was generated to keep him trapped.

　　Good, she thought. I need a flaming moment.

　　Well done, my vessel. The Tigress spoke. You have transcended past the need for your past lives and have obtained a sigil of your own. One of creation.

　　Luna willed the light to obey her. She took a deep breath and released it. Moonlight poured from her mouth and constructed itself into a dagger, matching the shattered one. She gripped it in her left hand and struggled to stand. The weapon felt natural. Even the weight was correct.

　　"Luna!" a voice called; she heard footsteps from behind her.

　　Elena approached her, grabbing onto her shirt and turning her around. "Are you okay? Please, let us help you. I thought you were dead, oh sister, I -"

　　"Get off me!" Luna shouted, pushing her away. "I`m not done fighting yet. I`ll kill you later. Just stay over there. Don`t interfere, remember?"

　　"You sure?" Solaris asked, holding onto a golden sword she`d never seen before. "I`m sure if we helped kick his ass. . ."

　　"I`m sure."

　　Elena cried out, grabbing her forehead and falling backward. Solaris caught her.

　　"What is wrong with her?"

　　"She was hit with a blast from the Crown, and her memories have failed her."

　　Elena composed herself, stood straight, adjusted her tie, and stared into her eyes. "I remember. . . some things," she said. "I remember you, Luna. I will never forget what I did to you. But right now, you have to deal with that thing. I`m unable to compel him, which means my original plan has failed. Unless you want to give me his last name."

　　"Arkell," Luna said. It was a dumb choice, really, it was, but if she could compel him to take off the Crown, Caden would be back, and then she`d kill Elena before she could compel him to do anything else.

　　Elena sighed. "That won`t do it. That isn`t his true last name. . . sadly, he stole that information from me."

　　She ignored her. "We need to get the helmet off," Luna said. "I can restrain him, but it won`t last forever. Look." She pointed to the Crown. The spool of yarn, forged by Moonlight, was nearly empty. The Crown had been tearing the light construct away, stepping forward, and being restrained again.

　　"Summon another one?" Solaris asked. "Restrain him further?"

　　"Yeah, I`m still figuring out how this all works," Luna said. "But before this one runs out, we should make our move. Elena, stay back, use your flames to distract him, but do not engage. If you jump in front of another attack, I will kill you."

　　"You`ll kill me either way, sister."

　　She smirked at that and found herself hating how she wanted to laugh.

　　"Solaris, block his attacks and don`t let him grab you. I`m going for the helmet. If you`re hurt, don`t jump back in."

　　The three took off. Luna paid no attention to them as she rushed the Crown directly. She willed the spool of yarn to vanish, and it did. She summoned a new light construct, a shield. She grasped it in both hands, and as the Crown swung his hammer, it collided with the shield, giving Luna enough time to leap onto his head again. She swiftly grabbed the helmet off his head, revealing an enormous flaming skull underneath.

　　She hit the floor behind him, and he spun around. Flames from Elena`s attacks barely did anything to distract him, and Solaris was thrown away by a single kick.

　　They can`t help us. They bear no shards, said the Tigress.

　　Luna jumped away and held the black helmet in both hands. The Crown was embedded within the metal. She needed to destroy it. It was the only way.

　　She channeled the Tigress, pulling on it for strength. With both hands underneath the helmet, she took a wide stance and began to tear the metal in half. It cracked, filling with white light.

　　The Crown charged her.

　　She pulled further.

　　He grew closer.

　　She was not going to make it in time.

　　Solaris was barely getting up after enduring a single attack.

　　The Crown grew closer, pointing the spear-tipped mallet directly at her heart.

　　Luna would rip this helmet apart even if it killed her.

　　Before he could finish the attack, Elena appeared before her in a flash of flames. With prowess unlike anything Luna had ever seen before, she punched the mallet away. It angled out to the side and impaled the ground before her. It barely missed her, but Elena had bought her enough time to win.

　　"Finish it now!" She shouted.

　　Luna could not believe she had willingly worked with Elena for just these moments.

　　The Crown recovered. "I said no interference."

　　He raised the hammer and impaled Elena through her chest.

　　"NO!" Luna screamed.

　　"Just do it already!" Elena exploded in flames of orange. They whipped around her with elegance. She had never seen her sister in a state like this before.

　　The Crown tore the hammer out of Elena, and blood splattered across the floor.

　　Luna felt the helmet begin to crack further. She pulled with all her might.

　　She tore it into two pieces, sending the embedded Crown artifact flying. It skidded across the ground and landed a few feet away from Luna.

　　The Crown completely froze.

　　Elena`s flames went out, and she collapsed onto her knees.

　　The same darkness from before, the nightmare, evaporated from the Crown and revealed a disheveled and injured Caden. He collapsed onto the ground, unconscious but alive.

　　Luna leaped into the air, landing next to an injured Elena.

　　She was alive. Her eyes were open, she breathed heavily, and each breath sounded hoarse. Blood dripped from her mouth.

　　"Thank god," Luna said. "I thought you were. . ." she paused. "Come on, on your feet. Let`s get out of here."

　　"Luna," Elena said, "Don`t be stupid now."

　　"Shut up! You`ve taken hits like that before. You`ve. . ." she glanced down, watching as blood spilled from her body.

　　"My Heat can only keep me alive so long," she said. "Listen carefully, I`m trying to tell you the truth for once. . ."

　　Luna placed her hand behind her back for support, and it was immediately soaked in Elena`s blood.

　　"Come on, you. . . you`re fine. Elena. You`re not going to die like this. Not yet. Not until I. . ."

　　"It`s okay. . . Go on," she said. "Take my life."

　　Luna`s eyes widened.

　　"I`m sorry for making you wait so long," Elena coughed a few times.

　　"No. . ." Luna said, grabbing Elena and trying to pull her up. "NO!" She was overcome with an impossible rage. "How dare you! You`re taking this from me, too?"

　　Elena collapsed onto her back, and Luna grabbed her shirt collar, pulling her upright.

　　"It wasn`t supposed to be like this! It can`t just end this way! Not like this! I won`t accept it! You can`t just die! Get up right now! Get up and fight me!" Tears fell from her eyes as she shook a weary Elena.

　　"Put me down," she spoke, so softly, so gently.

　　Luna obeyed of her own free will.

　　Elena lay on her back in a pool of her own blood. "Know this, sister," she said. "Even if it means nothing, that I am truly sorry for every single thing, for every day that I tormented you, for every life I forced you to take." Tears fell down her face, she sobbed, and Luna had never seen her cry like that before. Her body shook, and her brows furrowed as if she focused so intently on staying alive so she could keep talking.

　　"You don`t ever have to forgive me for what I`ve done," she continued. "But wherever you decide to go from here, just know that I will love you always." She placed a shaky hand in the center of Luna`s chest. "I will be with you, here, forever." Her arm fell, and her eyes closed completely.

　　Luna grabbed her by the collar again. "Hey! Wake up! Flame you! You`re supposed to fight me! Fight me, god damn it! You can`t take this from me, too! Not this! It`s all I have left!" Her voice cracked, and she tried to force back the tears. She channeled anyone to feel something else yet only managed to be overcome with sorrow.

　　"Isabel," Elena said, so weakly, so softly that Luna almost didn`t hear it. Her eyes fluttered open ever so slightly.

　　Luna shouted more and shook her sister further.

　　"I found it. . ." Elena whispered. "The Sun. Isabel. . . I can see. . . the Sun." She released a soft breath, her head fell to the side, and she did not move again.

　　Luna froze. She had never once frozen in combat before. She had not hesitated to kill when ordered to. She even fought the Crown without once being afraid. Yet now she had frozen. The life in her sister`s eyes was gone, and Luna found herself oh so terrified.

　　SAVE HER! Luna shouted to the Tigress. SAVE HER!

　　I am not the Dragon. I do not heal. And none of us can bring back the dead.

　　Luna screamed. It was as if she released all the hatred in her soul for her sister, yet all the love as well. Despite everything, Luna had always wanted Elena to love her. To say that she loved her. That`s why she was able to be compelled so easily. She desperately, deep down, wanted to be cherished.

　　Elena had taken everything from her, even this chance to finally get some closure. She had hurt Luna terribly, forced her to become a criminal, but. . . she also gave her a home, she helped her grow, she taught her so many things. She coerced the entire city into believing Luna was a hero and tried to get her to understand responsibility and uphold the Tigress`s values. And at the end of it all, she had saved Luna from Isabel`s fate - and leaped into the fray against a nightmare to give Luna more time to save Caden.

　　Luna sobbed. She wailed and tightened her grip on her sister`s shirt. It was as if every good thing that had happened today was circumvented by this singular act.

　　Please. . . don`t leave me alone. . . Luna thought. Even though she hated her, Elena was always there. She was a constant, a star that Luna knew she could always return to if needed. Elena was. . . her family. She was all she had.

　　You don`t ever have to forgive me for what I`ve done; just know that I love you always. Elena`s words echoed through her mind. I will be with you, here, forever.

　　Elena`s body began to glow, and Luna held back her tears and gasped. She halfway hoped for a moment that her sister had reawakened. But no, instead, her lifelessness began to disintegrate. Her corpse turned into snowflakes of blue and white energy, as if the Tigress was absorbing her completely. The magic power swam around in helix spirals, flowing into the air and finally landing on Luna`s lap. It materialized itself in her hands. A weapon of power, a weapon of love. A spear. A glaive.

　　The spear`s cobalt blue and pristine white patterns seem to dance with the same celestial elegance as the Moonlight that fueled Luna`s magic. It was perfectly crafted, perfectly sized, and on the curved spearhead, she saw, carved deeply into the metal.

　　You don`t ever have to forgive me for what I`ve done.

　　"This is. . ." Luna said out loud to nobody. "My. . . it`s. . ."

　　This is your sister`s soul, said the Tigress. Manifested in the form of a powerful weapon. It is a rare gift, one not seen often. She. . . gave you everything.

　　Luna almost didn`t want it. Even though Elena was dead, she must have still thought that she would forgive her. Did she think that dying would make everything better? That Luna would forgive her now?

　　No, Luna thought, staring at the engraving. In the end, she knew I would never forgive her. . . she accepted it.

　　She read the words one last time.

　　Are you going to name it? The Tigress asked. Your weapon?

　　"Penance," Luna said, and the word tore her in half.

　　The silence washed over her completely, and she stayed on her knees for quite some time, clutching the spear in her hands and letting it lay on her knees. How could this have happened? Luna had always wanted to kill her sister, yet, when finally given the chance. . . she couldn`t bring herself to do it. Instead, she had begged the Tigress to save her. What was wrong with her? Elena was horrible. She was. . . a callous and angry person who was barely even human.

　　She was still my sister. . . Luna thought, and that. . . would haunt her for a very long time.

　　Only when she saw Caden attempting to stand was she brought back to reality. She had done it; she had saved him. She swallowed her agony and placed the spear on the floor. It vanished into thin air, and before Luna could even wonder what had happened to it, she met eyes with Caden.

　　He was okay. He was safe. But Elena. . . she glanced back down at the emptiness that used to be Elena. Her clothes had not vanished alongside her, and so they lay out on the blacktop, residing in a void of where she used to be.

　　Caden approached her, knelt beside her, and held her close.

　　"I`m so sorry," he said over and over again.

　　She wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her heart ached, the pressure in her chest was gone - yet it still hurt. Was it. . . because Elena was gone? No, that can`t be. Why would she ever hurt because. . . of that?

　　"Don`t blame yourself. . . It`s nobody`s fault that she`s. . . Elena is. . . she`s. . ."

　　"I know," he said. "I should have never put that Crown on, I never should have. . ."

　　Luna composed herself for a moment. "She`d have died by my hand eventually."

　　"I wanted her dead too, but. . . not like this," he said. "And I didn`t know that I would be. . . I didn`t think I would have failed." He was crying; had he ever seen him cry before?

　　"It`s okay," she said. "You`re safe now, too. That`s what matters."

　　"I was wrong," he whispered. "The flame tricked me, compelled me. . . I was lost, and you found me. . . I should have left with you." He composed himself quickly, killing his tears faster than they fell.

　　"No," she said. "You were right. We did the right thing."

　　"And the curse," he said. "It`s still. . ."

　　She pulled away. The two glanced up at the blood-red clouds above. "I think we failed," she said.

　　"Caden! By the Crown, you`re alive!" Solaris came jogging over toward them, and Felisha tailed slightly behind. "Where`d our mastermind go? Did she. . ."

　　"She is gone. . . or. . ." She held her hand out to her side and felt around in her mind for some resemblance of her sister. It was there, she. . . channeled Elena, and the spear appeared in her hand. "She`s not completely gone. I think the Tigress. . . saved her."

　　Solaris and Caden met eyes as if sharing some sort of profound knowledge with each other. . . but they did not say a word.

　　"We can`t just give up, can we?" Luna asked. "When there was no other way to save you, I made a new path. I created magic. I`m the Virtue of Creation," Luna put her hands on her face and laughed at how silly she sounded. "There must be a way we can win, right? I couldn`t have failed."

　　Caden glanced at the ground, his eyes trailing onto the Crown artifact that lay dormant. He released a deep sigh. "You created a new way to win. . ." He snapped his fingers. "I don`t think we have failed," he said, shaking his head. "I think I know what to do."

　　"Caden, what are you thinking?"

　　"Do you trust me?" he asked.

　　Luna almost didn`t have an answer. In the top room, she had thought he had betrayed her, but he wanted to do what was right. He tried to save the world - his intentions were never selfish. . . not this time.

　　"I do."

　　Caden reached into his pocket and pulled out a book. She`d never seen it before, but he handed it to her. She dropped the spear - it vanished once more - and gripped the book in both hands.

　　"When I get back, give that to me, okay?"

　　"Get back? What do you mean? What are you going to. . ."

　　Caden reached down and lifted the Crown off the ground. "I finally figured it out, Luna. It`s a Shard of Sin, the sin of greed. If we offer it something, if we trade what we value, we can break the curse. It tortured me when I was there, consumed by the Crown, with my unwillingness to sacrifice. I thought there were only two choices. But, coming back here, seeing this destruction, knowing that Elena is dead, and seeing you. . . I`ve realized that I can create just like you. I`ll make a new choice, one that He didn`t give me before because protecting the world and the ones I love is what is important. Nothing more, and nothing less."

　　"But you`re here now. We don`t need to. . ." she paused because he was right. They do need to break the curse. She nodded and took a step back.

　　Look at how much he`s grown, Luna thought.

　　"I`m going to save us all and destroy Pyromancy forever," Caden said, and then he placed the Crown atop his head once more and was swallowed up by a nightmare.