Dawn of Night

## Prologue

Cool air whipped around the head of the Ardoni guard standing outside the eastern most hut of his village, looking out into the forest. Every part of him was tense as the wind rustled the grass, creating a sound. A sound as though the sky was whispering to him, whispering warnings of grave danger. Around him, lanterns flickered as the fire he was near crackled. A sharp scent of burning meat startled the guard from his grim thoughts. Quickly, as not to have the meat burn completely, he sat near the camp fire and took the meat of the fire. He sighed heavily as he set to eating the meat.

Crack! The guard jumped as a nearby bush rustled and twigs snapped. From his back, he pulled out his emerald glaive. Holding his weapon with both hands, he crouched, ready to spring on the attacker. The figure stepped out into the open light of the campfire, and the guard breathed a sigh of releif. It was merely his son, Kylor. Kylor had always wanted to join the militia that gaurded the vilage, but he was only four years old, much to young for combat. "Father, can I help out with the watch?" Kylor begged. Suddenly, Kylor's mother, Kylie, came up from behind then. "Kylor,", Kylie exclaimed, "What are you doing here?! I told you to get to bed! Tysoar, dear husband, will you get into Kylor's head that he can't simply run around after the patrols!" Tysoar smiled to himself. He ruffled his son's hair and prepared to debate with him, when he tensed and whirled towards the forest.

Something was wrong. In the air hung a quiet stillness. The wind had stopped, but yet the bushes and trees were rustling in the distance. *Plus,* Tysoar realized, *Mytar should be here to releave me by now. Its been long past my shift. And the guards. I should have gotten signals long ago showing the state of their patrols.* Dread and panic built up in the guard's stomach as the realization hit him. *The only reason Mytar wouldn't be here is if he couldn't come. And the only reason the other guards wouldn't be signaling is if...they weren't there to signal.* Terror raced through his veins. *They found us, and they have taken out the guards, I have to raise the alarm!* But just as Tysoar turned to the bill near his position, and arrow flew from nowhere towards him. Tysoar quickly rolled towards the side.

Now that the attackers knew there presence was noted, they abandoned their cover, charging out of the forest towards the village. There would be no time to ring the bell. Tysoar turned to his wife. "Get Kylor out of here! Get to the house and give Kyloar his song, it is time for him to wield it! And here," Tysoar handed his wife his glaive, "Send this with him. It is his now." Tysoar pulled out an iron sword from his inventory. His wife looked at him in shock, and he fully expected her to fight him on this. However, he saw understanding and acceptance in her eyes. Then she was gone, and Tysoar turned towards his attackers.

They came at him fast as lightning and were on him in a second. And jabbed a spear at him, and he side stepped the thrust before slicing up in a vicious arc, killing his opponent. *Looks like the Unyielding Legion has come to end me and get even.* An arrow raced towards him and he knocked it aside before blocking a sword from the right. As another arrow came at him, he did a back flip. The arrow passed underneath him, striking a mercenary charging at him. When he landed, he stabbed backwards with his sword. Behind Tysoar, chuckling could be heard. Tysoar turned to see his archenemy, Victor Voltaris, standing behind him. "Bravo, Tysoar," Victor called, "You were always a great fighter! Pity you must die now." Tysoar smiled grimly. *So he hasn't found it yet.* Tysoar taunted Victor with contempt in his voice. "I will not give you what you want. Killing me won't change that."

Victor merely smiled, as though Tysoar was just a foolish child who knew nothing of reality. "But this village can." Victor sighed with mock sadness, "Tell me where it is, and I will spare your family within this village. Cross me and I will kill you and your family!" Tysoar laughed at this. *My family is escaping.* "You'll never catch them Victor. They are already leaving this place." Realization dawned on Victor and he roared with anger. "Then I will kill them before they leave!" Victor pulled a diamond ax off his back and charged Tysoar. Tysoar spun his sword and them met Victor. Together, their blades clashed with unrelenting fury as the village burned behind them. Tysoar's heart broke as he watched his neighbors get killed all around him. *This is all my fault,* he thought as he saw the betrayal on their faces. *It was my job to protect them!* The two ducked and dodged. Attempting to break the engagement, Tysoar used Aggroquake. However, Victor used it to launch himself above and over Tysoar's head. When Victor landed, he slashed, but Tysoar was ready and blocked. The battle continued till Victor got the edge. When Tysoar went to strike him, Victor used Protearmor. Stunned, Tysaor was swept off his feet. Victor hovered over his opponent and jeered at him. "You've failed. I shall finish what Ingressus started and you won't stop me. Everyone you ever have known will die." Victor raised his blade to give the killing blow, but Tysoar only smiled and chuckled. "You will never win," Tysoar croaked, "My son will stop you" Enraged, Victor swept his blade downward, killing the Kaltaris. Out of the corner of his eye, Victor watched Tysoar's family run into the night. With a wicked grin of satisfaction, Victor went after them.

Seeing Victor coming, Kylie turned to Kylor, handing him the glaive and the Protisium song. "Run son," She cried softly as she drew her son into one final hug. "One day, you must come back when it is safe. Find Father's book and everything will be explained. But until then you must run. If you die, we are all doomed. You are our only hope." Seeing the pain in her eyes, Kylor simply nodded. Putting on a tough face for his mother, he turned and ran into the woods.

Victor came towards the Kaltaris female. "So you must be Tysoar's wife. Let's make this easy women. Tell me where it is and I will let you live." He watched with fury as the women simply closed her eyes, as if accepting fate. "So be it," Victor snarled, "If you will not give me what I want, then you die. And when I find your son, I will kill him and have full victory! NOTHING will stop me!" And with one swipe, he killed her. Suddenly, Victor's lieutenant came up to him. "Should we go after the survivor, sir" Victor turned to watch the burning village some more. Scowling, he shook his head. "Let the boy go," Victor sighed, "We can't find him now." As his lieutenant left, Victor bent down to inspect Kylie's songs. He then straightened and turned to the moon. "I will find this boy and kill him." Victor vowed, "I will not let him win. " Then Victor turned away and followed his men back to base.

## Chapter One: Return of the Prodigal

Ten Years Later

Around Kylor, the village hustled with life. As he walked through it, he took it all in. His village was a small cozy village, one that wasn't small, but wasn't large either. It resided in a medium clearing within a birch forest. As Kylor walked, he could feel the path block underneath him crunch with each step. Around him he could see the vibrant, colorful vendors around him, each one staffed by a foreign trader. All around, people bustled around carrying their purchases or going to make them. Since today was a major holiday, there were more traders than usual and all the lines were packed around the corner. Kylor simply passed by the lines.

He continued out towards the center, where a well with a golden bell stood on top of it. Across the well was the home of Akatie Mendoris. When Kylor had run from his old village, he had eventually come across this one. *I was weakened from running. I was terrified after running for days. She brought me in.* Akatie had taken him into her home and allowed Kylor to stay. She even trained him on his song. *Which is what I should be doing now before I have to go to my night patrol!* Quickly, Kylor reached her house and knocked on her door. Opening it, Akatie let him in. With a mock scowl, she scolded him. "You were supposed to be here five minutes age!" Kylor chuckled and looked around her house. It was a comfy house. In the center, where he currently was, was a huge room with a massive table in the center. Behind it a staircase led to the second floor. To the left a door led to the kitchen, and to the right another door led to another porch. The walls were made of cobble stone, and at regular intervals there were door sized windows looking out to the village. The birch plank floor was covered completely by velvet carpet, and from the walls hung chained lanterns that crackled while they emitted light in the house.

Kylor followed his teacher out the right door, down the porch, and into her lawn. It was a decent sized lawn filled with grass as well as many flowers such as lilacs, sunflowers, roses, tulips, and many others. Around the perimeter of her lawn two block tall azalea leaves acted as hedged fences. Around the yard, hanging from stained glass of all colors, more lanterns hung suspended in midair. Following Akatie, Kylor went to the middle of the yard. Since they had done this many times, Kylor knew what to do already. All he needed was the nod from his master and then he closed his eyes.

With his eyes closed, he cleared his mind of distractions, turning his mindscape into a void that absorbed all thoughts. Instead, he imagined flashes of light taking over his mindscape. With each flash, he could feel pulses of power leaving him as his song, Protepulse, activated. With each pulse, his mindscape changed from a void to a dreamscape of phantom images and memories. His mother's face as she sent him away. His father's face as he sent them away. The face of the Ardoni responsible. And slowly his hate took over. His power pulsed faster and faster as his thoughts whirled. Kylor grew more and more tired as the song cried out his anger as energy. Desperate to take back control, he attempted to calm his mind, but nothing worked.

Just then, his eyes opened as the last of his strength left him. His body shook as he swayed, and then the darkness took over as he collapsed. Only a few moments later, though it felt like an eternity to Kylor, his eyes opened. As usual, when he could no longer use his song, Akatie used her song, Protevigorate, to get him on his feet. Though his body was sore, Kylor felt much better and ready for patrol. But before he left to join the other militia volunteers, he turned to his teacher. "How many pulses in a row did I get that time." When he heard the answer, he was shocked. "This time," Akatie smiled, "You managed 100 pulses before you collapsed. Ten years of constant training this way has built up your endurance to songs. So much so that you may now be the strongest song-wielder I have ever met."

As Kylor walked to the outskirts of the village and put on his iron breastplate, he shook his head in wonder. *Everyday for the last decade I have trained with my song,* he mused. *But I never thought I would ever reach this state of endurance!* In no time, he was at the edge of the village. In front of him lay a small clearing overrun with grass overrunning the area. Behind the clearing stood tall, pale birch trees. Their lush leaves quivered in the woods and seemed to whisper in the wind. In the distance birds could be heard singing, and all seemed tranquil. Until the bell began to ring.

In alarm, Kylor raced to the center of the village with his glaive out, expecting an attack to be happening. However, it was just Captain Kamari and the rest of the militia. The Felina captain seemed to be addressing the entire militia. "Recruits, a disturbance has been found down the river in an abandoned village nearby." Her strong voice carried over to the soldiers. "We have charged with the job of figuring out what this disturbance is. Move out!" Quickly, Kylor fell in line with the other militiamen. Together, the militia marched out into the woods.

As the militia went through the forest, tension was thick in the air. The dark made things hard to see, and the terrain was hilly in these woods. Even with their lanterns out, militiamen kept tripping and cursing. Now, no birds were chirping and it seemed as though the entire forest was holding its breath with anxiety. Even the trees had stopped whispering with the wind. As the militia came to the creek, they crossed the small birch bridge to the other side. But it seemed that even the water was silent. There weren't even fish, which was unusual for this creek.

Eventually, the militia made it out of the woods to another clearing. Kylor sucked in his breath in surprise as he saw where he was. Before him stood an entire village. However, this village was old. The stone walls were cracked and mossed over. Vines had overrun everything and the only wood present was burnt. There were explosion craters everywhere, and the buildings had lost chunks of themselves and arrows could be seen in the walls. In the center though, there was one sign that seemed to have survived. It read, "Welcome to Dryvandale." Kylor gasped at this. *This place.* His mind was shocked and numb. *This is my old village, the one that was destroyed!* Without a second thought, Kylor sprinted into the village.

The rest of the militia followed Kylor, but he ignored them as he raced through. Then he saw it. *My home!* Kylor raced into the house. There wasn't much left. The door was missing, and the carpet was torn. The floor had holes in it and the walls were cracked. Moss and vines were everywhere and the building was crumbling. The house was even missing many of its lanterns, making it harder to see. As Kylor looked around, a shred of memory ignited inside him. *When I ran, mother told me to come back when it was safe,* he thought as he trailed his hand over the walls where the family paintings used to be. *She told me to find father's book. That would be in his study.* When Kylor was young, he used to sneak around the house. During those trips, he had found a trapdoor underneath his father's study. Now, he used that knowledge. Kylor went to his father's study. There ways nothing left except...the trapdoor. It, besides the broken down wall and floor, were all that had survived. Quietly, Kylor opened it and traveled down the ladder.

When he finished climbing, Kylor walked through his father's secret room. It was the same as it had been, with its cracked walls and mossy floors. *The Voltaris didn't find it.* In several places the carpet was missing, and what was there had molded till it was green. In the back of it, a cauldron and brewing stand stood beside a smithing table and chest. A crafting table also resided there. Kylor opened the chest after looking around the room without seeing the book. Sure enough, inside the chest was a book. He opened the book and began to read the letter inside.

**Dear Son,**

**If you are reading this, this means that I have died at the hands of my enemy. Victor Voltaris is an Ardoni who was trained by Ingressus during the Second Great War. Enraged at how it ended, Victor vowed to finish what Ingressus had started. He was determined to find the prime songs and claim them for his clan, then use them for revenge against all of Ardonia. He wanted to rule. I had been a close friend of his as I was born Voltaris. After the war I had managed to survive and gained sanctuary among the Kaltaris. However, Victor approached me for his plan. He knew that I was the only one with a way to the prime songs. However, I refused and we fought. Over the years, he tried to find a way to the Primes himself. He allied with the Unyielding Legion and other Voltaris. I stopped him at every turn. Once I married, however, I ran away. I could not endanger my darling by letting Victor know where she was. While chaos ensued elsewhere due to Nitrus, I escaped. In truth, I thought Victor had given up on the primes. He could never have beaten Nitrus and he knew it, which is probably why he never tried to take them from Nitrus. Nitrus is dead now though, and Victor is still alive and ambitous. However, Nitrus was revived and gave the primes to the Flamesinger, who then broke them. Soon after, Nitrus came back for the primes, wanting to keep their power safe from being vested into one being. Flamesinger fixed the songs and gave them to Nitrus, who gave them to me. Together we hid them to keep them safe. Victor could not threaten Nitrus because Nitrus was too powerful. But he could come after me since I was the only other being alive who knew where the prime songs were. So I ran away, hoping that hiding would fix the issue. But the Nightsinger has found me as I knew he would. Whatever you do, do not let him get you or the prime songs. My son, it is now up to you to stop him. Avenge us all and protect Ardonia. If he is not stopped, he will take over and bring this land to a nightmare. He plans to create a new dawn, one that will lead to eternal night. Until he is dead, he will not stop his quest. You must end him. Akatie Mendoris from Torville can help you as she helped me. I love you son and I am proud of what you will do. You are my legacy.**

After reading the letter, Kylor stared at it in shock as tears flowed from eyes. Then, suddenly, he heard a scream that was abruptly cut off in a second. Kylor tensed in alarm and clambered clumsily up the ladder. When he got through the ladder, he raced out of his house. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Before him, in the center of the town, stood the most beautiful Ardoni he had ever seen. She was slim and in truth, a bit small for a Ardoni. Her features were perfect and her hair was golden, flowing down to her knees in silken waves. She had a smirk on her face and her posture showed a cocky attitude. Around her stood a man, a women, and other Voltaris. All except her had their weapons out and ready as they loomed over the bodies of the dead militia members. "So, we meet Tysoar's son," She smirked, "Time to get rid of you before you stop my father's plans." With a scowl, Kylor crouched. With a spinning flourish, he pulled his glaive off his back and prepared to fight to the death.

## Chapter Two: Dark Tidings

Over the End, two figures traversed the starlight void of the floating dimension. One was an Ender Dragon, while the other was an Ender Knight. Together, they flew across the endless chasms between the islands. As they traveled to the capital of the End, their wing beats were the only thing breaking the silence of the tranquil sky. Cool wind whipped around them, and the sweet smell of chorus fruit was present. Below them, on the islands, Endermen watched them pass while teleporting through the terrain.

The Ender Knight looked at the suffocating blackness surrounding him and sighed. On days like this, Valiant was always tired. Part of it was because he dreaded going to headquarters. There, he was always mocked. This was probably because he was probably the only Ender Knight who couldn’t use a blade. *Put a sword in my hand and I’ll end up accidentally killing myself rather than the target,* Valiant reflected ruefully. Technically, he was extremely strong from working in the forge all his life, and was a master of hand to hand. But since he couldn’t wield a weapon, his peers had stopped paying him any attention. *All they care about is who has the fanciest blade skill,* Valiant grumped. It also didn’t help that he was short, being barely more than four feet tall. The one thing he excelled at uniquely was at making and fixing both weapons and armors. In fact, he was one of only three people alive who could make obsidian armor. But even though everyone used this service, they never thanked him. Because what we truly need are more warriors even though we don’t have an entire army of them, he scowled.

Even his dragon was ridiculed. It wasn’t Vishy’s fault that he was an odd dragon. Because of some mutation, he had abnormally large wings and was a couple heads shorter than other dragons. But he was still mocked, even by other dragons. Valiant could have sworn that he had heard the other dragons laugh at poor Vishy.

Vishy sensed his master’s misery and twisted his head to nudge Valiant. Valiant laughed and rubbed his dragon’s head. “At least I still have you by my side.” Suddenly, more dragon wing beats could be heard. A new knight and dragon came into view and went alongside Valiant and Vishy. One look confirmed what Valiant knew. It was Vector and his dragon, Varsity.

Together, the two Ender Knights flew in silence until Vector cleared his throat and began his usual argument. In exasperation, Valiant sighed as he prepared for what was coming up. “What do you think should be done about our leadership issue?” As usual, Vector was bashing Queen Abbigail. “Vector, I still don’t see what the problem with our leadership is. What is wrong with our current Queen?” Vector, who had been facing forward, now turned to Valiant with a look of shock on his face. Valiant sighed as he continued. “I mean, really, what is the issue? We are still at peace, are we not?” Vector shook his head sadly and launched into his speech.

“What is wrong? I’ll tell you.” *That's a shocker,* Valiant thought sarcastically. *All you do is tell us what problems you have with her!* “The problem, Valiant, is that we are not doing our duty.” Purely to be polite, Valiant put a confused look on his face. “We are supposed to be protecting the Overworld, but we aren’t,” Vector scowled, “I mean look at Cydonia and K’arthen! They are fighting over trade all over again! We are supposed to protect the overworld, even if that means protecting it from itself. When the Ender Empire ruled, these problems never happened! Now, if the Nether struck, they could easily take over! We need to make the land united. We should take over, but no! The Queen (that had a sneer to it) won’t step up to take charge! She’s too soft on them!”

Fortunately for Valiant, the end capital was near. Even though he had seen it many times, Valiant was amazed by the grandeur of the sight. *It’s so huge, and I get to be a part of it!* It was massive and shaped like a dome. The roof and support columns were obsidian, while the floor was made of purpur blocks. The walls were made of end stone, and the dome-like fortress was surrounded by obsidian pillars that had end crystals on top like little crowns. Together, both dragons landed on the island floor before the fortress. Both Vector and Valiant swung themselves to the ground and proceeded to the capital city as stable hands came to bring their mounts to the dragon stables. Around them, Endermen and knights scurried around. Nobody gave them a second glance as they passed into the fortress.

Vector waved to Valiant. “I’m gone for a meeting with some friends. I’ll catch up to you later!” Valiant simply shrugged and continued moving forward as Vector ran off. *You always say that, Vector, but you never do catch up.* Valiant walked through the halls, all light by end rods. All around, shulkers watched over the fortress. They opened and watched him, but left him alone since he was a knight.

Valiant entered the center of the fortress which was an open room the size of an end island. Over in the left corner, Nina waved him over. She was one of the few people who didn’t mock or tease him. He went over and stood at the corner of the group she was in. Because she was popular, she always had a crowd with her. As he joined the group, many of the other knights grumbled, though they knew better than to say something about it out-loud. Nina turned towards him. “We were just discussing the Overworld war,” She smiled. “What do you think about it?”

“I believe the Overworld is being foolish. If trade is the problem, just start trading again.” Nina looked at him confused. *So I must have said something wrong.* Then he remembered that, according to Vector, it had all started when K’arthen had attacked Cydonia. Yet another reason Vector used against the Queen. “We should be protecting the other kingdoms from attack since they are part of the Overworld, but we simply let K’arthen get away with injustice!” Because of this, Valiant rephrased his response. “I mean, just because K’arthen attacked doesn’t mean go ballistic! K’arthen only did it because they needed food badly.”

Valiant could tell from the expressions of the other Ender Knights that he was about to get verbally attacked. Because Vector was also popular, you had to have a death wish to go against any of his evidence. *Which makes K’arthen the villain.* To avoid the argument coming, Valiant ran out of the group and to a secluded halfway nearby. After taking some breathers, he turned to leave. But at that same moment, he heard voices coming from around the corner. *Odd. Nobody ever comes here anymore except me.* Deciding to figure out what was happening, Valiant turned again, this time to hide where he could hear. He flattened himself against the corner of the edge. Staying silent, he listened to the voices.

Valiant was surprised to find that he knew both the voices. *It’s Vector and Amcour!* “Vector, what you are asking is too much!” Amcour’s voice was filled with panic. “You can’t ask me to betray her!” Vector replied in a rough, furious tone. “You promised me you would stand with me! Besides, have you forgotten you owe me a life debt?” A whimper escaped Amcour and Valiant could imagine him cowering right now as Vector towered over him. “Don’t forget your place, Amcour. She has been in power for much too long. It is time for something new.” Suddenly, footsteps could be heard headed Valiant’s way. *They must be returning to the center!* Valiant turned and ran towards the main room in terror. *I can’t let them know I listened in!* Just in time, Valiant made it to the main room and hid himself in the crowd. Vector appeared seconds later, casting suspicious glances through the crowd as he doubled over to catch his breath. *He must have heard me run. He knows someone listened in on his conversation. I must tell sis about this!*

Valiant discretely headed towards the hall leading to the Queen’s personal chamber. *I must hurry.* *Before something happens.* *Their conversation didn’t sound good.* In his dazed rush, he didn’t realize that he had reached her door until he was there. To either side of the door, an Ender Knight with a spear and shield stood guard. As he tried to enter the Queen’s room, they blocked the way with their spears. “Let me in! I must see the Queen immediately!” Standing still as statues, the guards refused to let him pass. Valiant was about to fight his way through, when suddenly a voice called from within the Queen’s chambers. “Is that Valiant I hear shouting?” The guards looked at each other before the one on the left answered in a deep voice. “Yes your highness, it is.” Valiant held his breath as he waited and sighed with relief when Abbigail replied. “Then let him in. We might as well see what he has to say this time.” Valiant didn’t like the Queen’s exhausted tone as the guards around snickered at his dispense. However, the knights did uncross their spears and let him through. Nodding to each guard, Valiant crossed into the Queen’s chambers.

Abbigail was standing in the center, wearing her full armor and her crown. On her back, the EnderBlade glowed a fierce purple. As soon as he stepped in, Valiant bowed as he waited for her to address him. “Rise Valiant,” She commanded. “What brings you here this time?” Valiant rose to reply, but kept his head bowed in respect. “Sister, I wish no quarrel with you.” Abbigail put her hands on her hips with a doubtful expression. “Recently, I was walking through the halls when there was suspicious activity. Two knights were speaking alone, in a deserted corridor.” The queen kept her face neutral and patient. “And how, Valiant, is that ‘suspicious’?” *Did she just air quote me? Rude!* Valiant kept his tone respectful though. “It was what they were saying. One of them was scared the other was backing out.” Abbigail waited for the end of the sentence. “One said that her time for power was over…” A cross expression from his sister had caused Valiant to trail off. Abbigail put one hand up and shook her head. “That is enough, Valiant,” She scolded, “You must stop accusing everyone of conspiring against me!” Valiant sputtered a protest. “But have you not heard the unrest that is stirred up!” Abbigail wouldn’t hear it. “Brother, leaders will always be unpopular at some point. It doesn’t mean anything.” She would have said more, but Valiant stunned her into stopping. His head was no longer bowed, and his features radiated anger through his scowl. She had never before seen him like this. With a stiff bow, he quickly turned and left before the queen could stop him. On his way out he nodded to the guards, whose faces showed pity and concern. *At least I am not the only one worried for the queen,* he thought to himself.

Valiant continued down the corridor, planning to go to the dragon stables to retrieve his dragon. As he walked through, however, he came to a door that sat wide open. Surprised, Valiant began to close it, but stopped when he saw Amcour at his balcony. Valiant was about to speak to Amcour, when he realized that Amcour was leaning against the balcony rail in an odd way. *What is he thinking?! He’s about to fall off the balcony!* Valiant ran towards Amcour to help. “What are you doing,” Valiant cried, “You’re about to fall…” He stopped in shock upon running to the unresponsive knight’s side. Horror overcame Valiant as he looked into Amcour’s eyes and realized why Amcour was leaning in such an unnatural way. His lifeless eyes. *He’s dead!*

*Why would someone kill him?* Valiant stood puzzling over the situation, when he noticed something on Amcour’s corpse. It appeared to be a note, but he couldn’t be sure. Only a part of it was visible, with the rest being in Amcour’s inventory. *Perhaps this has a clue to what happened here,* Valiant reasoned. Pulling it out, he began to read it.

**I don’t have much time. I have refused to go along with his plans of treason against her highness. It is only a matter of time before he comes to silence me so I can’t warn her. But he has gone to far this time. He can never be allowed to take the throne. He must be stopped!**

*He must have tried to hide it when the killer came. That’s why it was only partially in his inventory!* Still, something didn’t make sense. *Why would someone ill Amcour?* Valiant then recalled the conversation he had overheard. *Vector! He had been trying to force Amcour into doing something, but Amcour didn’t want to. And he wanted to go against her since she was in power. He must have meant my sister!* Shocked by this revelation, Valiant was about to run to the Ender Queen, then stopped. *She won’t believe me. There is no proof of how Amcour died other than this bottle beside him. The bottle had an after smell of poison, but that wouldn’t last. They forced him to drink the poison. But by the time I give the bottle to my sister, the smell will be gone and there will be no proof this was poison.* He frowned. *And she wouldn’t believe the note. She would think that Amcour was looking for attention as he often does.* But Valiant couldn’t ignore the connection. *It’s just too coincidental that on the same day that he refused to help Vector overthrow someone powerful, he ended up dead in his own room with poison next to him.* Valiant continued to reason as he tried to make sense of the situation. *Plus, he wouldn’t have made up the note,* Valiant judged. *It would be extreme even for him.* That still didn’t change the fact that his sister wouldn’t listen to him, unfortunately. *Still, I can keep an eye out. Something is going on here, and I am certain that Abbigail is the target!* Leaning over the balcony, Valiant scanned the crowd till he found the knight he was looking for. *What are you up to now, Vector?* Valiant gaze was grim as he watched the figure headed towards the dragon stables. *What’s your endgame?*

## Chapter Three: Deathly Revival

Sunlight streamed into the room through the leafy roof of Johanna’s bedroom. Johanna sat up and stretched with a massive yawn. Swinging her legs over to the edge of the bed, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As she stood up, Johanna breathed in the rich scent of summer leaves coming from around the trees of the jungle tree fort village. Today was one of those perfect summer days where the sunshine was warm with a cool breeze. *Perfect for working!*

Johanna walked through the open archway that acted as an entrance point to her room. As she stepped out, she stopped at the chest right outside and opened it. From it she grabbed her favorite foods for breakfast, fish and honey, as well as her trusty diamond pickaxe. Turning, she walked down through the city. Pandoria City was the largest city in Felden, and was created shortly after the Second Great War. It resided in the treetops of the dense jungle around it. Rooms were made in the tree tops and connected to each other by Wooden bridges with fence rails for safety. Lighting in this place was provided in the form of lanterns on the railings, hanging from trees, or from tree trunks.

Johanna walked through the city and passed many of its residents. For the most part, the city’s population consisted of Felinas and Humans. However, a few Ardoni and Magnorites could be found in the more shady areas of the place. She made sure to stick to the safe roads and continued walking towards the building known as the Headquarters. Here, miners checked in to get to work on the nearby mines beneath the city. As usual, all miners were accompanied by a guard at all times to ensure their safety from dangers such as spiders or even the occasional undead warrior.

As she walked into the Headquarters, she looked around. In the front of the room stood lecterns with a book and quill for workers to use to clock their time and haul for the day. In the far left corner stood the trapdoors that led to the ladders leading out of the city and into the mines. All the rest of the space was taken by tables with chairs. In them sat guards in official Felden military outfits. *They're waiting for their charges to come to work.* Many looked bored, while others sat silent. Some of the guards were eating and talking with each other, while the rest sat in solitude. The one Johanna was looking for, however, was sitting by himself as he sharpened his blade on a pocket grindstone. He was stooped over, but turned when he heard her enter. His face lit up and he ran over to her, scooping her up into his arms and spinning her around. Johanna laughed as he put her down. “Good to see you Daniel.” Johanna’s boyfriend and bodyguard, Daniel, was a tall human (6 '4'’) and extremely handsome. His uniform fit perfectly on his lean frame and was without any wrinkles or grime. His soft brown eyes and dirty blonde hair finished his smiling look.

Daniel beamed back at her. “It’s good to see you, my shining star,” He winked, “It always refreshes me to see your surreal beauty!” Johanna blushed a deep crimson at his comment. Everyone always complimented her on her looks. She supposed she was a beautiful Felina. She was always told that she had a perfect, lethe but muscular body. Guys would even ask to touch her raven black hair with its purple highlights. They would always act entranced by her piercing emerald eyes. She was usually described as tough and sarcastic, but she would melt when she was with Daniel. *He’s just perfect,* she sighed dreamily

Daniel just smiled and pointed at the lecterns. “If you want to get the money you need,” he nudged her, “You had better clock in.” Johanna shook her head hard, annoyed and embarrassed at herself for not doing that yet. *Daniel can be so distracting sometimes!* And he seemed to know it as he smirked at her. Johanna made a face in return and put in her time. Together, both she and Daniel headed to the trapdoors. Daniel went first as he opened a trapdoor and began climbing down the ladder. Johanna took a deep breath and was about to follow when Kaybeth, a Felina guard, stopped her. “Johanna, promise me you’ll be careful,” Johanna looked at her brother with a confused expression. “I’ve heard of attacks on miners by some unknown force.” Alarm was evident on Kaybeth’s face. “There have been no survivors so far.” Johanna knew her brother was trying to look after her, but it was still exasperating. *Does he think I’m foolish? I’ve been doing this for years now!* But she didn’t let her irritation show. Instead, she gave her brother a reassuring smile. He didn’t seem to buy in, but he still nodded farewell. Returning his nod, Johanna went down the ladder.

When Johanna hopped down the ladder, she took a second to take in the view. Everywhere she could go, there were holes in the ground leading down mining shafts that led towards the heart of Mount Tempest. Going towards the volcano was a dangerous thing to do, but it also held the highest concentration of diamonds in all of Felden. Because of that, the risks were judged as worth it. *Just avoid lava.* As long as you were careful and avoided the lava, you would be fine. *But if you don’t, you end up as crispy ashes.* Which wouldn’t be good. Johanna thought back to what her brother had said. *There have been attacks that left no survivors.* She shivered at the ominous statement as a chill traveled down her spine. Daniel noticed and took her hand in his, grinning at her. “It’s all going to be fine.” Johanna smiled back, but deep down he felt unease.

Rather than go deep into the mines as they usually did, Johanna went into the newest part of the mine. Just days ago, a pair of miners discovered a new ravine that was open to the sky. Immediately, it became part of the mine system. As she walked in, she could see just how recent it was. There were no walkways towards the top to allow miners to work up there as well as down at the ravine floor. Still, there were many miners working on the floor level, creating tunnels of their own. Some of which actually led to other cave systems. Johanna picked a spot towards the end of the ravine and began to mine. Many hours passed and she had hollowed out a decent sized tunnel. Unfortunately, there weren't many ores around to get. *Just a little bit of iron.* It was still dangerous work. Once, she opened up a cave system and was almost bit by a spider. Daniel killed it, but Johanna was still a little shaken. *It came out of nowhere!* Another time she had to dodge falling gravel. Luckily, she had quick reflexes and a good shovel, and she was fine. Mining was hard work though. Bending down, putting so much into each swing, it was difficult. However, she still loved it. Since she was 6, she had been forced to support the family by mining. Few did it because it was dangerous, but the government needed more resources. Because of this, they paid well for miners. *Without that pay, we wouldn’t be able to support our mother.*

It was dark outside before Johanna decided to call it a day. She slipped her pickaxe onto her back and wiped the sweat off her brow. She looked around for Daniel, and found him standing guard in the next corner. Walking over the stone floors, Johanna went to him. When he saw that she was finished, Daniel hugged her. “How did it go?” Johanna simply shook her head, and Daniel’s expression became sympathetic. “I suppose that means there wasn’t much here?” She nodded. “Well, I’m sure you get more next time.” Together, they began to walk towards the nearest mine entrance, when Johanna’s sharp ears caught the sound of what seemed to be moans coming from her tunnel. *That’s odd. Why would there be someone in there?* Hoping to help whoever was moaning, she ran towards the sound. What she saw stopped her cold in her tracts.

In front of her stood a husk wearing chainmail and wielding an iron sword. *But undead aren’t capable of arming themselves without help.* And their eyes. *They’re white. Surely that isn’t normal.* Johanna stood petrified. Time seemed to pause as she and the undead faced each other. Then, one of them swung at her. The sword it wielded would have taken her out, but another sword blocked up. She glanced behind her to see Daniel holding the saving blade. Johanna had never seen such rage on his face when she stumbled back. His face had become a cold sheet of fury. Pushing Johanna behind him, Daniel faced his foes. Planting a quick kiss on her forehead, he shoved her towards the exits. “Run,” Daniel barked at her. “Run now!”

Hating herself for her fear, Johanna’s body took over and sent her sprinting towards the exit. In her panic, she stumbled and fell to the ground. *I should just get up and continue running.* But when she got up, she couldn't help but look at the fight behind her. Daniel had just finished killing the last of the undead and was turning to join her, when a new figure emerged from the tunnels. The new person wore a black robe and hood. Covering his face was a skull mask. The blood drained from her face as she watched the scene before her. *It can’t be!* Seeing the new threat, she remembered what she had been told about the Second Great War. How Felden had fallen due to undead led by skull masked villains. *Necromancers.* And here one was staring her in the face. Daniel turned to the Necromancer and motioned behind his back for Johanna to continue. But she was rooted in place. In the ravine, she could hear shouts of terror as undead and creepers swarmed the miners from all sorts of areas.

The battle was not going well for her boyfriend. Daniel may have been skilled, but he wasn’t invincible. *The Necromancer is too powerful!* Johanna could do nothing as the duel came to an end. Daniel swiped at the Necromancer’s legs, but the Necromancer countered by swinging and hitting Daniel’s sword hand. Daniel cried out in pain and dropped his sword. Then he lashed out and tried to punch the Necromancer. But the Necromancer grabbed his fist and slammed him against the wall.

Daniel met Johanna’s eyes one last time. While Johanna couldn’t hear his whisper, she could read his lips. “I love you Johanna.” Then the Necromancer stabbed his sword through Daniel’s heart.

Johanna screamed in revolution. “Daniel! No!” Tears flowed from her eyes as she struggled to accept what had happened. Her perfect boyfriend who had been with her for a year. *He’s gone.* Her mind had gone numb with shock and disbelief. *But he can’t be dead! He’s too strong! Maybe when I wake up, this nightmare will be over.* Dazed, she looked around. The undead now had the exits cut off. The only way was to scale the wall. *Glad I brought this with me today.* Johanna pulled out her lucky fishing rod and cast it. When she saw it catch the top of the ravine, she began reeling herself in. Just as she had hoped, it held and she began to pull up towards the edge of the ravine’s top. Angrily, the Necromancer pointed at her. Several skeletons came forward and began to shoot at her. She winced as the pain flared in her shoulder, back, and left leg. *Looks like some of those arrows found their mark.* *Good to know.*

Her muscles screamed in pain and her entire body shook with exhaustion, but she managed to get to the top of the ravine. She pulled herself to the top and began to stagger towards the city. Her vision was swimming and her consciousness faded in and out as she shuffled. Drenched in sweat and tired, Johanna quickly collapsed to her knees. Suddenly, her ears perked as she heard the sound of horses galloping. Her hope soared as the riders, a couple of Felden military officials, came around the corner and stopped in front of her in shock. Feeling herself growing weak, she met the gaze of the first officer. “Help me,” Johanna mumbled. “Please.” Then everything went black as she felt her body give out and hit the soft grass.

When she woke up, she looked around. She was in her own room and looked towards the doorway. In it stood her brother and a person she didn’t know. His uniform identified him as a government official. He had brown hair and blue eyes. She knew him from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. “Hello,” the stranger stated. “I am Lucan, the mayor of this town. I hope you don’t mind me asking some questions. You are one of the only few survivors of the attack.” *So that’s why he was familiar.* “Was one of the survivors a young man named Daniel?” Her hope crumbled as Lucan’s expression turned sympathetic. “No, I am afraid he was found dead.” Lucan sat down next to her on the bed. “Would you please tell me what happened?” So Johanna told him about the undead attacking and about the Necromancer. Her brother, who had remained at the door, exchanged a concerned glance with Lucan. “I am sorry Johanna,” Lucan said patiently, “But there could not have been a Necromancer.” She was about to interrupt Lucan in disbelief, but he stopped her with a hand. “The other survivors told of the zombies, but there was no Necromancer or even glowing eyes.” Johanna’s face burned with fury as Lucan continued. “I know that the death of your beloved hurts, and your brain is trying to cope in some way. But it couldn’t have been Necromancers. They were disbanded or killed. The only survivors now live under government surveillance, and that surveillance has show that no Necromancers where present.”

“Someone else could have figured out how to command the undead!” Johanna blurted out her rebuttal. But Lucan wouldn’t listen. “They couldn’t do that without training. They would die before they understood. I understand your need to find a way to cope, but do not spread these lies among the city. There is no need to spread such baseless fear.” Though Lucan’s face shone with kindness, Johanna still wanted to strangle him. *If you had seen what I had seen, you would believe me!* But, of course, he hadn't. Lucan left her room, leaving only her and Kaybeth.

With a pleading look, Johanna turned to her brother. “You believe me, don’t you?” But Kaybeth simply shook his head and headed out. Angry tears flowed out of Johanna’s eyes and she cried out in frustration. Anger boiled through her. At Lucan and her brother for not believing her. *They act like they were there! I know what I saw!* And at the Necromancer for killing Daniel. Oh, her perfect lovely Daniel. Why did he have to die so young?! As she recalled the look on his face, so filled with love as he looked at her before dying, her fury choked off her tears. All the kisses. *I love you,* his final words. He hadn’t cared about death, he was just content to have lived with and protected her. It was time to return his love as her final gift to him. Quietly, since it was still night and her neighbors would be sleeping, she walked out to the wooden bridge outside. Leaning on it with clenched fists, she looked out over the city. With revenge burning bright through her, she silently vowed to the stars. *Don’t worry Daniel,* her mind was grim as she made her vow. *I will hunt down the Necromancers and make them pay.* A mad smile came over her face, the smile of one who had nothing left to lose. To whom death would mean reunion to all she loved. *And when I do make them pay, they will wish they were never born!*

## Chapter Four: Lineage of Singers

Kylor watched as the Voltaris flung her hair back, a smirk lighting her face. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something about her bothered him. I *don’t have time to figure this out. Any second they’re going to attack me, and I need to be ready to fight!* Kylor shook off his daze and assessed his opponents. The five mercenaries were the most immediate threat since they were the ones with weapons out. They were all in front of their mistress, poised to defend her.

The first mercenary was a normal human, around 4’3’’ tall and extremely scrawny. Due to the arrows in many of the militia members' bodies, however, Kylor did not doubt that he had the muscles to use the bow that was currently in his hand. The next one was a small pink-haired Felina. While she was only a little taller than the human, she had a graceful air of lethality to her. In her hand was an iron sword. With her graceful stance though, Kylor knew better than to underestimate her. The other three were human, but they were much taller than the archer, being closer to Kylor’s own height. These mercenaries were also extremely muscular. In their hands were spears. As a testimony to the recent fight, all of the mercenaries' blades were crimson and dripping with blood.

All in all, Kylor’s odds were not good as he gazed at the weapons pointed his way. All Kylor had was his father’s glaive in its enchanted emerald glory. *Well, I also have my song, but that isn’t going to do much here,* Kylor reflected ruefully. *It’s times like these that I wish that I had an Aggressium song up my sleeve!* As the tension in the village square rose, Kylor began to wish someone would move. *This tension is killing me!* *It’s almost like time has slowed itself down!* In fact, Kylor would have made the first move himself if he weren’t so outnumbered. Striking one of them would leave him vulnerable to the others, something he could not let happen.

The tension was broken first by the archer, who shot an arrow at Kylor’s face. Kylor simply swung up with his glaive, causing the arrow to go into the air above him. Then, as the mercenaries rushed him, and before the arrow hit the ground, Kylor struck the arrow’s fletchings hard. The arrow went sailing to the right of him, catching one of the bulky humans right in the face. *Good,* Kylor thought grimly. *One down, five to go.* Then they were on him.

The Felina reached him first and attempted to cleave his skull. Kylor was ready, however. With the speed of lightning, Kylor made his move, holding his glaive parallel to the ground with both hands. He then swung upwards, knocking the Felina's blade out of her hands before slicing diagonally from the top left to the bottom right. Without pausing, Kylor side-kicked her blade before it hit the ground, sending it straight into the archer’s chest with a force that sent the archer to the ground. The two remaining enemies stopped their charge and began to circle Kylor from opposite sides, now wary of attacking after witnessing what had happened to their comrades.

Kylor didn’t give them much of a breather, however, and charged the one in front of him head-on. The mercenary panicked and stabbed, but Kylor simply stepped to the right and sliced, catching his target in the neck. The last human bellowed with anger upon seeing his comrade die and hurled his spear at Kylor. Kylor was ready though, expecting an attack of this sort. *The dirty cowards. Can’t fight me face to face like a man.* Kylor twirled to the left side as he turned to face his opponent. Quick as a flash, he raised his glaive like a harpoon and let it fly at his victim. It was a direct hit in the skull. Quickly, before the enemy Ardoni could join the fight, Kylor rolled to the fallen mercenary. With a grunt, he pulled his weapon from the corpse's head and turned to face his last adversary.

The Voltaris female snarled at Kylor in anger. “So, the young little Ardoni knows how to fight!” Kylor merely smiled at her as he made a casual witty comment. “You don’t look too old yourself, Voltaris.” Kylor made a mockingly thoughtful face. “Is the Nightsinger scared to fight me like a true man?” The red Ardoni sneered in return. “You understand nothing, Kaltaris dirt! My father is the Nightsinger, though I know him as Victor Valas Voltaris.” With that, she pulled from her inventory a weapon Kylor had never seen. It was made of iron, and looked like a double bladed ax and a broadsword had been combined into one monstrosity.

She rushed at Kylor in a furious storm of slashes and stabs. Instead of going on the attack, Kylor held back and stayed on defense. As they fought, Kylor analyzed her style. She was obviously aggressive and used to playing offense. However, she still had her weaknesses. When Kylor would make a counterattack, she would flail as she attempted to block. And while she was fast with excellent combos, she would sometimes overreach her blade or swing too wide. *She attacks so fast! It’s almost impossible to get in a counterattack!*

Despite all her skill, the Voltaris couldn’t get past his guard. Panic became apparent on her face as she began to realize what was happening. *She must be used to fighting people with little fighting skill.* Kylor on the other hand had been trained by one of the best Felina captains in all of Felden. He was truly experienced at dueling and could easily protect himself from the Voltaris’ attacks.

When she stumbled after overarching during a swing, Kylor seized the opportunity to gain the advantage. Spinning his glaive, he caught the hilt of her blade with the blunt of his weapon and swung up, knocking the sword-ax combo from her hand. Unfortunately, this only made her mad. The next thing Kylor knew, his opponent hit him with an Aggrocone at point-blank range.

Kylor was blasted off his feet and slammed into the ground with a bone-jarring impact. *Well, at least I’m still alive.* The iron chestplate he had been wearing had protected him from the bulk of the damage. However, it had been so tattered that it had broken in the process. Despite the protection, though, he was still badly injured and in no condition to fight. His opponent smirked at seeing him down as she retrieved her weapon. Slowly, she came towards him with purposeful slowness. *She’s toying with me,* Kylor thought with amusement. *She thinks that victory is hers.*

Kylor still had one trick though, a trick he employed now. Quickly, he summoned his power from within and used Protepulse. Immediately, Kylor felt himself heal as new strength flowed through his being. His enemy had now stopped and was raising her blade with a wicked smile on her face. *She plans to kill me, but that isn’t happening today.* As she swung, Kylor raised up both his legs and pushed off her. His push was strong, both sending her flailing backwards while sending him into a backflip. Landing on his feet, Kylor lunged forward with his leg outstretched. The Voltaris’ eyes grew wide as the two collided. Pushing with his leg, Kylor slammed his opponent into the grassy ground. Raising his glaive, he prepared to kill her. Until he actually registered the pattern of her runes. Then his mind went numb as the pieces began to click in place in his mind. His expression turned horrified as he experienced a life-shaking revelation. *Her runes, I know her runes. These runes match with the relative I lost years ago,* he marveled. *Which means…She's my adopted sister!*

Kylor’s mind raced as he tried to rationalize what he was seeing. *It couldn’t be, though!* Then it hit him. *But no one, not even the search parties, could ever find signs that she died!* *She got lost in the woods when I was three,* Kylor remembered. *She wasn’t found again, but she had the same flowery runes that this Voltaris has!* Kylor looked down at the Voltaris with a shocked expression. “Kora,” he asked. “Is that you?!”

Kora looked stunned to see that the Kaltaris knew her name. Immediately she became suspicious. “How do you know me?” Kylor backed off so that Kora could stand. “You’re my sister!” Disbelief took over Kora. “When you were young, you got lost in the woods!” He pleaded as she began to back away. “No one could find you! You ran away because you were angry at Father!” Kora simply shook her head, refusing to believe him. “Runes never lie, they only match those related!” Then it came to Kylor. *I know how to prove it!* “When you were two, you accidentally killed a little rabbit.” His face showed sadness. “You didn’t tell anyone but your brother because you felt guilty. You thought that everyone else would hate you. Your brother promised to never tell anyone, and he never did.”

Kora sucked in a breath as recognition dawned on her. Her entire body began to shake. “It really is you!” Kylor smiled and offered her his hand. “Come Kora, let’s get out of here before more come!” But Kora shook her head. “I can’t. I must go face Victor. I want to know if this is the truth.” Kylor opened his mouth to argue, but Kora stopped him. “I know it’s the truth, but I want to hear it from him,” her face was a mask of cold fury. Kylor looked at her in concern. “Won’t your father hurt you for letting me get away without further fighting?” Kora smiled slyly. “Not if he doesn’t know. I’ll tell him that you beat my men. Then, he thought you killed me but I managed to survive and get away.” Kylor knew this plan was risky, but he understood the need for closure. Just as she wanted to face the Nightsinger, he wanted to face Akatie and demand to know what she knew of his father. *This whole time, she lied to me! She knew who I was and what all of this about this whole time!* Kylor nodded to his sister. Kora walked over to her sword and picked it up. With a flourish, she slipped it onto her back. With a final wave, she turned and walked deeper into the birch forest.

Kylor went the opposite way and ran into the forest. It had just become daybreak and the rising sun allowed Kylor to see better than he had that night. *I didn’t realize I had been reading that letter for so long!* Even though the terrain was a little uneven, he continued pressing forward, determined to get Torville as soon as possible. Within the end of the hour, Kylor had reached the village. At first the people cheered, thinking the militia had finally returned. When they realized that Kylor was alone, however, the crowd became uneasy. Many began shouting for explanations of where their militia family members were. Kylor had to shout to be heard over the restless mob that was closing in on him. “A group of pirates were waiting for us. They were all defeated, but only I survived.” The crowd refused to disperse, clearly not pleased with his statement.

*I’ve had enough.* With an annoyed expression, Kylor pushed his way through the mob. When he finally made it out, he charged towards Akaties house. When he got to the door, he didn’t even bother to knock as he barged in. Akatie looked up in surprise, but became tense as Kylor threw his father’s letter onto her kitchen table. Kylor glared at her with such intensity that Akatie stumbled back. “Explain,” he growled at her. Akatie nodded sadly as she motioned for him to take a seat. Once he had, she took a steadying breath and plunged into her story.

“When your father moved into Dryvandale, he had heard of a great Ardoni who was trained in the art of song-wielding by Galleous himself. He knew that his enemies would one day come after him. He wanted someone who could take care of his son. Not only that, he wanted someone who could train his son to wield the songs so that his son was never defenseless.” Akatie kept a patient expression as Kylor asked his question. “So is that why you brought me in?” *Because of…what?* Akatie nodded. “You are wondering if I would still have taken you in had you not been Tysoar’s.” When Kylor nodded, she smiled. “I still would have. In fact, it wasn’t till many years later that I actually realized who you were. Trust me, you are the closest I have to family.” Kylor wasn’t quite ready to forgive her for keeping him in the dark. He could see from her face that she was hiding guilt. *She’s not telling the full story.* However, Kylor let it go. “I must leave then,” he vented. “I read my father’s note. It is my job to carry on his legacy. He knew that the Nightsinger had to be stopped. And so do I.” Akatie examined his face with concern. “Not out of revenge?”

As Kylor searched himself, he was surprised that he didn’t care about revenge. *Ardonia is my home! I can’t let it be plunged into night. I want to make my father proud, and I want to finish what he couldn’t himself. I want to make sure that my parents didn’t die in vain.* No, there was no vengeance. He had come to accept that his parents were gone and had since moved on.  He kept his weary voice steady as he replied to his teacher. “Revenge won’t bring them back. It will only dishonor them, for I know my father wouldn’t want that. Ardonia is my home. I can’t let it or my friends fall.” Akatie smiled, tears in her eyes as she looked at the young Ardoni in front of her. “Kylor, I can’t be much help with the Nightsinger. I don’t know that much about what is going on.” She hurried on as she saw the crestfallen look on Kylor’s face. “But, I know where to find those who do. Go to Hill Valley. There, you will find your first cousin, Drakius Kaltaris as well as Nitrus Voltaris.” Hope filled Kylor and he nodded.

Akatie bent to a chest that was part of her kitchen counter. Opening it, she pulled out three things. One was a map. “This will take you to Hill Valley. As for this other gift, your father would have wanted you to have these.” Akatie handed him two Netherite ingots. “For when you forge your own diamond blade. Use these to make your blades even stronger.” She then pointed out to the stables connected to the outside of her kitchen. “In the last stall, you will find Gingerale, my fastest horse. Take her and follow the map.” Tears swam in Kylor’s eyes as he hugged his mentor. *This might be the last time that I see her!* He broke away from the hug and went to the door. Halfway from opening it, he couldn’t help but turn back to Akatie. “I will end this.” Akatie merely smiled at him. “I know you will, son of Tysoar. Your father would be proud.” Then, with a nod, Kylor went outside.

Going to the last stall, Kylor saddled up Gingerale, a chestnut brown horse, and rode out of the town. As Kylor looked out at his town for what might be the last time, he saw the chaos at the village center. The poor mayor was having to face a mob. *They're blaming him for what happened to the militia and demanding a better explanation.* Kylor felt sorry for the mayor, and a little guilty as he urged Gingerale into a full gallop to the west.

Hours passed. Every so often, he would check the map to make sure he was on the right track. He made sure to reward Gingerale with apples while they rested and checked the map. The rest stops never lasted long, and soon they would be riding through the terrain once more. After what seemed like an eternity of traveling through deserts and plains, Kylor found himself in a meadow biome. It was filled with grassy hills adorned by vibrant sunflowers, crying tulips, and blood red roses. He and the horse continued through the hills. Kylor quickly checked with the map as they plodded forward. *The map says that we should be only a hill or so away.* Kylor squinted as he looked around. Sure enough, over the next hill they encountered a huge plains-like area. In it was a flowery village filled with cozy villager houses and lit by lanterns. As Kylor rode into the village, he was amazed at what he saw. Where he came from, Humans and Felinas dominated. Here though, most of the population was Ardoni, like him. The people here are nicer, too. Several of them waved at him as he passed. *The people back home would never do that unless they knew me personally!* Sheepishly, Kylor waved back.

The center of this village was the same as that of Torville. Kylor dismounted when they reached the center and connected the horse to the bell by a lead. He was just about to turn around when a voice startled him, sending him whirling around. “Welcome to Hill Valley, travelor.” Kylor examined the Ardoni in front of him. The speaker was male, not quite seven foot, and rainbow all over. His horns were also larger than most that he had seen, indicating that this Ardoni had been alive for a long time already. I would say at least fifty. The Ardoni continued his welcome. “I am Nitrus Voltaris. Who would you be?” Kylor sucked in a breath. *So this is the individual I’m looking for.* “I am Kylor Kylus Kaltaris,” He replied. “I am here on the business of the Nightsinger.” Nitris’ eyes went wide with shock, but the old Ardoni quickly pulled himself back together. “It seems like we have a long conversation ahead of us,” Nitrus’ eyes cut back and forth. “But we had better hold it somewhere more…private.” When Kylor nodded his agreement, Nitrus led him to a tall house at the end of the village.

It turned out that it was Drakius’ home. It looked about the same as Akatie’s, but was at least twice as large. *I hope Akatie’s okay,* Kylor thought with worry. Drakius was a strange looking Ardoni. He too had horns, one that were even bigger than Nitrus’. The runes on the left side of Drakius’ body were red, while the ones on the right were green. Drakius was a kind Ardoni and a great listener as he actively listened to Kylor’s story. He nodded to show understanding and didn’t interrupt once. Nitrus on the other hand was pacing madly across the room, wearing out the scarlet carpet underfoot. “I am sorry to hear that Tysoar is dead,” Nitrus sighed, sadness creeping over his expression. “Your father was a great man and a powerful Ardoni. I wish we could spend more time mourning, but we must push forward. We must confront the Nightsinger before he grows more powerful.” Nitrus’ voice was rising and he kept sweeping his arms in frantic gestures. “If he finds the primes, he could do even more damage!” Kylor, seeing the expression on Nitrus’ face, and feeling that his father was silently being accused, quickly spoke up. “But my father never told the Nightsinger anything!” Nitrus’ expression softened, but not by much. He continued to shout and wave.

Soon, Drakius stepped in as he saw what was unfolding. “Nitrus, we are in no position to attack the rogue Voltaris! We don’t know where their base is, or even to what the full extent of their involvement with other factions is! They might have more allies than just the Unyielding Legion!” As the other two argued back and forth, Kylor grabbed a frame sitting on a shelf behind him. In the frame was a family tree, one of both Kylor and Darkius’ family. Kylor found his mother and father on the tree and studied their connection. *So my dad was the brother to the sister of the mother of Drakuis. And my mother…* Kylor’s mind went numb with shock. *She was the daughter of the daughter of Achillean Nestoris! That makes me…the great grandson of the Tidesinger!*

As Kylor struggled to understand this, he could hear the argument behind him tapering off. He turned back towards his elders as they began to address him. From what Drakius was saying, it appeared that Nitrus had lost the argument. Drakius appeared smug as he spoke, while Nitrus merely scowled at the floor. “It has been decided. We cannot ignore the threat that the Nightsinger poses. Therefore, Nitrus will ask an old friend of his to help investigate. Meanwhile, you must become ready for the trails ahead before you can go charging into battle. You will stay and train with Nitrus.” Drakius beamed, expecting Kylor to be excited. But Kylor’s mind was stuck on his revelation. *I am both the great grandson of the Tidesinger, and the Deathsinger is my uncle! How is this possible?!* Drakius continued to look at the young Ardoni with confusion. As a form of explanation, Kylor showed the family tree frame to Drakius, who smiled with understanding. “Well, Kylor, did you hear our decision?” Kylor nodded and Drakius nodded back. “You’ll be staying in the same room as my son.” Kylor nodded again, when the door leading into the house opened.

Kylor turned to see who was standing in the doorway. It was a Kaltaris Ardoni. The newcomer was about seven feet tall, and, judging by his horns, was at least fifty. *Funny,* Kylor thought as he studied the stranger’s arms. *Those rune markings look like bands of Protisium energy!* The stranger cleared his throat, his face broadcasting his confusion and surprise. “Who is this father?” The stranger’s voice was light with a gravely undertone. Drakius looked at the two boys. “Kylor, this is my son, Theseus.” Drakius then turned and gestured towards Kylor as the two boys stared at each other in wonder. “Theseus, this is your cousin, Kylor Kylus Kaltaris. He’ll be staying with us for a while.”

## Chapter 5: Fate Rising

Valiant looked at the scythe in his hand, a work of art he had fashioned himself. It was made of obsidian mixed with a few special ingredients; souls, dragon scales, and dragon venom. The dragon scales made the blade indestructible and prevented the edges from getting blunt. *This is so sharp,* he marveled. *This could probably cut through diamond! At the very least it would cut deep gashes!* The dragon venom made the blade poisonous. If it cut you, venom would seep into your blood, becoming oxidized, creating bubbles in the circulation of blood. Many people didn’t know about Ender Dragon venom. They just assumed that the breath was just plain poisonous. However, that was actually the venom, which would become a gas upon exiting the dragon’s mouth. *It’s funny how so few Ender Knights know this, even though we are the ones who live with the dragons ourselves!* The final ingredient was the most important. The souls inside the blade had a unique ability. The souls could give him extra strength, endurance, speed, stamina, and would heighten his senses. The souls could even heal him of the most grievous of injuries if they were given enough time.

Normally, he wouldn’t carry a weapon since he was horrible at fencing. However, his sister’s life was now under threat by unknown plots. *I have to protect her!* Which meant he had to learn to fight. At first, he had been severely klutzy with it, even managing to cut himself with it. *This thing can cut even obsidian armor with ease!* Luckily, he had an antidote to the dragon venom, otherwise he would have died. He would also keep hitting himself with the weapon, and throwing it was the worst. *If I didn’t know better, I would think that the weapon was actually trying to miss!* He spent countless hours swinging away, trying to twirl the weapon and really use it. It took months, but eventually he got better. Soon, he could hit bullseyes and his combos with the blade were amazing. *Especially when combined with my martial arts abilities!* He could go from knocking his opponent's blade away with the scythe to suddenly pulling them into a choke hold. It had been frustrating and tiring. He would often chastise himself and would sometimes throw the blade away, hating himself for his incompetence. *What’s the point? I’ll never be good,* He would think.

But his patience had now paid off. *I can actually fight now,* he thought joyfully. *I never thought I would live to see this day!* He also worked on two other skills. The first was channeling the power of the souls inside his weapon. *If I can’t channel their power, I can’t use this blade to the maximum power.* It was intense, and he tried over and over again as he failed repeatedly. Even after all these months, he wasn’t completely a master at it. *But I am still much better.* *At least now I can actually call on their power.* The other skill was teleportation. This ancient skill was something that few Ender Knights could do. The oldest living member of the Ender Knight order, the queen, had never been taught. However, Valiant had searched the massive library of the End Capital and had found a book on this art. It was difficult and confusing. He had struggled to use it, even more so than channeling the souls of his weapon. As such, he had spent the most time on this skill, learning to perfect and control it. The concentration and dedication required was intense. *But I’m a master of this now!* He was now the only Ender Knight even aware or able to use this power. *The others really need to visit the ancient section of the library,* Valiant mused to himself.

Outside the forge, Valiant watched a strange drama unfold. At first, he attempted to block out the noise as he fixed an iron broadsword. However, the noise continued. With a sigh, Valiant closed down his forge and walked outside to the massive courtyard in the center of the fortress. Slinging his scythe over his back, he wondered what was happening. *What could all this commotion possibly be about?* What he saw was hardly suppressing. All the knights were clustered in their groups, but they seemed to be having frantic conversations. *Strange.* Valiant chose to go to the group near the training space once he saw Nina among its populace. As Valiant walked by, many knights gave him funny looks. *They’re not used to seeing me with a weapon.* When he reached Nina’s group, he groaned inwardly at who was speaking.

“All of us are going on special missions. And I daresay,” Zourk puffed up his chest. “I have the most important mission. I am supposed to search for the egg of the rare Great Drakon!” Zourk was a large human who had an extra ten feet of arrogant, prideful attitude. Even worse, he was constantly trying to impress and win over Nina, a fact that made Valiant’s blood boil. *I see he’s bragging like always,* Valiant scowled. Zourk noticed Valiant’s scowl and pointed at him. “What are you scowling at mate? Your reflection?” Zourk laughed cruelly as he gave the insult. *And still as mean as ever.* “Actually,” Valiant replied calmly, “I was wondering why they gave such an incompetent food such an important task.” Valiant pretended to be thoughtful as he put a hand to his chin. “Oh, that’s right. The egg is just a myth. I’ll bet they just wanted you out of the way so you wouldn’t mess anything up.” Zourk snarled at this. He strode up to Valiant and attempted to push him, expecting to finish the argument immediately. Instead, Valiant grabbed the arm pushing and used it to throw Zourk to the ground. Zourk immediately sprang up with wild rage. “You filthy red-blood,” he screamed, “You’ll pay for that! Get him minions!” As seven other Ender Knights came forward to help their leader, the others fell back in shock from Zourk’s insult. Giving the opponents room to battle, they waited to see what would happen.

“If you beg enough,” Zourk drawled, “I will spare you. No need to get humiliated in front of your true love!” Zourk smirked at the stunned expression on Valiant’s face. “You thought I didn’t know about your little crush on Nina?” Zourk laughed. “I suppose not. Pathetic.” At this point, Nina had stopped moving to the point where Valiant wondered if she was still breathing. He thought she would be revolted by this revelation, but she looked almost…*eager.* Racking his mind, he remembered a recent encounter between Zourk and Nina. Zourk had wanted Nina to date him, but she had turned him down. *I already have given my heart to someone else. But first he must prove that he wants it,* Nina had declared. The meaning hit him as she gave a small nod to him. *She meant me! But I have to prove I’m willing to stand up for my love!* To answer Zourk’s question, Valiant glared as he spun the scythe off his back and crouched into a ready position. Zourk’s expression turned stone cold as he glared at Valiant. “So be it. Get him!”

Three of the guards rushed forward at once, one from the left, one on the right, and one in front of Valiant. Valiant smirked as he spun his scythe in circles, knocking out first the one on the right, then the one on the left. With a flourishing spin, he turned towards the front and stabbed with the blunt top of his blade. As he did, he summoned strength from the souls and channeled it into his body. The result was devastating, with the knight being thrown into a far off wall with a stunning impact. The other knights circled, wary and hesitant to attack now that they had watched their partners fail. *Let’s entice them to come to me.* Valiant slung the scythe back to its position on his back and put his fists in a fighting stance. This emboldened the other knights, who rushed him. Summoning both speed and strength from the souls, Valiant charged back at them with the speed of lighting.

The first one fell too easily. Valiant ducked the right hook, before grabbing his opponent’s feet. With a massive heave, he flipped the unfortunate knight into the air, before swinging him around and tossing him against another knight. Together, the two comrades clashed and went flying into the ground. One of the opposing knights, the scrawniest, turned to flee. *Not so fast, boy.* Valiant summoned the power of the end within, teleporting directly in front of the coward. With one punch, the weakling was down. The other knight hesitated for a moment, then charged. Valiant waited for his opponent to reach him before he fought. His opponent, desperate, had launched a flying sidekick at him, but Valiant merely grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground. Valiant brushed himself off before he started back to Nina. Zourk was cowering behind her in fear as he and the other knights stared at Valiant in respect and awe. “Do you still question my power Zourk,” Valiant snarled, “I believe that you are the only one left!” Zourk cowered away, sniveling and begging for mercy. Valiant regarded him coolly. “Word to the wise. Never underestimate your opponent.” With that, and a nod to Nina, Valiant left for the Queen’s chambers.

Before he had got caught up in the crowd, Valiant had been about to go to his sister. Apparently, she wanted something. As he went down the familiar corridor, he couldn’t help but try to guess what she wanted. *Perhaps she wants a sword fixed?* As he came to the guards outside the door, he nodded. They nodded back and allowed him inside. With a deep breath, Valiant entered the Queen’s chambers to see what she wanted.

Abbigail was waiting for him while she checked her armor in a glass mirror. When she spotted him in it, she launched into the briefing. “I’ll make this quick and to the point. A nether virus has taken over some Endermen in a nearby city, about three islands away. I need you to go there and deal with them. While you’re there, I want you to give this message to Baron Toren. Since all my other knights are on missions, I need him and his team here to make sure the infection does not reach this city.” The Queen turned to look at her brother. “Understand?” He nodded as he rose from his bow. “I won’t make this a large argument sis.” Abbigail raised one eyebrow at him as he spoke. “But it is risky and a threat to your security to send off all the knights and leave barely any protection for yourself. I know you don’t believe in plots or anything of the kind. But just to be safe, prepared, and ease the conscience of both me and the worried guards outside, please promise me you’ll get some more security in here.” *Here we go,* Valiant thought as his sister opened her mouth. But rather than argue, she merely nodded and closed her mouth. With a sigh, she waved him away, tired from the pressure of running the kingdom. *Sometimes I can’t help but wonder how she takes on such responsibility!* With one final bow, he turned and headed out the archway. As he went down the hallway, he could feel the guards behind him smiling.

Valiant crossed through the main courtyard of the fortress as he headed towards the dragon stables. As he passed, he could feel the eyes of many Ender Knights follow him as they whispered behind his back. *But they aren’t being mean with gossip!* For once in his lifetime, they were whispering in awe and respect. Many even nodded or waved at him. He strode through, his back straightening in confidence with each friendly greeting. *I’m finally somebody to them. I’m important to them!* He was cool, and he was loving it. Eventually, after walking what seemed like several miles, he finally reached the dragon stables. He looked around until he found a pair of stable hands and waved them over. To his shock, they actually bowed to him before they went and retrieved his dragon. Together, the stable hands brought Vishy out and waited for Valiant to come get the dragon. Just as he was about to go, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

Valiant turned to see Vector. “Hey,” Vector said quietly, “I heard you got a mission?” Valiant nodded. “I have to clean out the infested Endermen three islands down.” Vector nodded. “Well, I’m going on a mission too and I thought I would wish you good luck. Those infected Endermen are mean!” Vector shuddered. Despite his suspicions about Vector, Valiant couldn’t help but be touched by his gesture. *After all, he was one of the only ones who stood by me when everyone else would taunt or mock me.* With a warm nod, Valiant returned the wish. With a wave of goodbye, Valiant strode to Vishy and clambered on his dragon’s back. Vishy roared with delight as he crouched. Then, with a mighty jump, Vishy sprung into the air and flapped his wings, sending the two airborne. Taking a good look at the fortress before Vishy flew away, Valiant looked back. “Let’s complete this mission,” he said with renewed determination. With a happy roar, Vishy complied, pushing the pair to even higher speeds as they soared over the end.

Below them, islands zipped by, filled with purple chorus fruit and Endermen. In no time, they had reached the fourth island, the one they were looking for. Unlike the Capital City, this city was designed to be like the ancient End Cities, made of giant stalks with cubical ender rooms on top. Around the stony purpur city, Endermen with red eyes and veins shrieked as they teleported around the place. *Where will I land? I can’t land on the ground. They might infect Vishy!* At that moment, though, Valiant spotted an Ender Knight on the roof of the largest building. The knight was waving for Valiant’s attention. Valiant spurred his dragon in the direction of the knight. Seconds later, they landed next to the knight on the roof. Valiant disembarked. Looking sternly at Vishy, he gave his dragon a warning. “Now listen here, don’t get any ideas. You stay right here.” With that, Valiant turned and followed the strange Ender Knight through the city.

This city was nearly the same as the Capital City, but shaped drastically differently. Plus, there was no obsidian here, as end bricks appeared to be used instead. All around, shulkers guarded the hallways and rooms. *These halls and rooms are much smaller than at the Capital City.* Soon enough, they made it to a new room. Inside it, a massive man stood behind a desk while surveying a map in front of him. When he looked up, surprise showed on his face. He quickly composed himself though, and nodded to Valiant. “I am Baron Toren. I assume you have a message for me from the Queen.” Valiant nodded and gave the baron the message. “Queen Abbigail wants you to send some of your knights to defend the Capital City while she sends her personal knights on missions to stop this Nether plague. I was also sent here to clear out the Endermen here.” Baron Toren nodded as he responded. “Better get on with it then. It isn’t pretty doing that work. I’ll get my knights to the capital immediately.

Valiant nodded and began to leave. When he was at the door, however, he heard the knight that had escorted him here whisper to the baron. “Does this mean that we make our move against the throne now?” Shock ran through Valiant as he comprehended what this statement meant. *So I was right! There is a plot against her!* Valiant ran through his options in his mind as he tried to figure out how to handle the situation. *I had better figure out what they are planning.* Once he was out of sight, Valiant closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and summoned the power of the end. Instantly, he was teleported to the window behind the baron. Valiant quickly ducked to the right side of the window. Flattening himself against the wall, he listened in on the conversation taking place.

As Valiant listened to the room, he could hear that more knights had joined in. “What shall we do baron,” one of the knights questioned, “To go against the Queen is madness. If we assassinate her, everyone will know!” The baron growled in reply. “You heard our guest! Her personal knights are gone! Besides, we have an inside agent who will cover for us. He is popular! All the other knights will follow him! We must strike while she is weak. She won’t suspect us since we will be there to protect us. With her trust plus the timing on our side, nothing will stop us.” Valiant could tell by the mumbled replies that the other Ender Knights were hesitant. In the end, unfortunately, they agreed. Once he had heard them leave, he raced onto the walkway. Springing, he rushed towards the roof where his dragon was. *Wait, I’m being foolish! I can just teleport up there. I don’t have time to run! They have too long of a head start as it is!*

Using his power again, Valiant teleported to the rooftop. Swiftly, he clambered onto his Ender Dragon. “Vishy,” he commanded with worry, making his voice waver, “Our Queen is in danger! We must hurry!” Luckily, Vishy understood. Once he was in the air, Vishy pumped his wings with all his strength. As they flew, Valiant could feel his body shaking with terror. His mind was numb with shock. *If we don’t get there in time, she’s doomed. She should have listened to me earlier and kept her knights near!* Adrenaline began to take over as he realized something horrible. *I’m the only thing standing between her and fate! Don’t worry sis,* Valiant thought grimly as he tightened his hold on Vishy. *We’re coming. I won’t let them kill you!*

## Chapter Six: Phantom Present

Johanna yawned as daylight streamed into her window. As she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she was bombarded with the echoes. Every night that she slept, she had nightmares in which her boyfriend would die over and over again no matter how hard she tried to save him. And in her waking hours, she could see his face haunting her from every corner, memories popping up and cutting into her sanity. At this point, her desire for revenge was the only thing keeping her from stopping her miserable existence. Tired, she stood up and walked out of her tiny room. On the way out, she grabbed her fish and honey from the outside chest. As she walked down the bridge of her cursed home, she kept her eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious. This was easy since most of Pandoria City simply pretended that the undead weren’t attacking. All she needed to find was someone whispering about the attacks, or just whispering at all. *You would only whisper if you didn’t want anyone else overhearing you.*

Months had passed since the Necromancer attack. Ever since then, Johanna had kept her senses sharp as she searched for proof of Necromancers. When miners came back from the mines, she would ask about what had happened below. Most gave her weird looks, but they all answered her questions. All of them denied that Necromancers existed, which of course was infuriating. *How else do you explain the heightened attacks from the Undead?! And how would you explain their gear and white eyes?!* Even worse, she was strictly forbidden from saying that Necromancers existed. *No need for unnecessary fear in the populace,* Johanna thought sarcastically. So far, she had found nothing, a fact that irked her to no end. *How are they hiding so well?*

Johanna had been avoiding the mines herself on purpose for all those months. She had been terrified of it because of what had happened there. *I might not keep my sanity if I go down there.* But that had not been an option. Her mother had needed money after the rest that came from mining had all run out. Now, in order to support her family, Johanna had been forced to go back to the mines. Because of that, she went to the Headquarters after she finished her breakfast.

Just like always, guards stood all over the place. Most were huddled in close groups while they whispered about*…the attacks!* Johanna slunk over to where a pair of guards were rolling dice as they waited for their charges. The taller one, a Human with a gravelly voice and large mustache, was whispering to the smaller Felina guard. “I’m telling you, there is something unnatural about these attacks! The Undead have never been coordinated, and yet now they are striking in key locations with what appears to be strategy. Plus, they are all armed and armored in ways they couldn’t have figured out on their own!”

Johanna smiled as she left the pair. *At least they aren’t all blind. Many know that something is up, even if they don’t know about the Necromancer.* Johanna craned her neck as she scanned the large room for her new guard. As it turned out, her brother had been chosen to be her new guard. When she found him, she did a double take. *He’s changed,* she marveled. Now Kaybeth was taller (a little over six foot) and his muscles were much more defined than the scrawniness he used to have. His dirty blond hair now had blue highlights. His kaleidoscope eyes and weary posture were the only things that had remained unchanged. When Kaybeth spotted his charge, he offered a sad smile. Every time he gave that smile, Johanna’s heart broke again. *He was the best friend of Daniel. He had broken when Daniel died!* Johanna could see her brother’s expression perfectly as she remembered that moment. *The numbness, the pain, the sadness.*

Johanna went to the lectern to sign in, then she and Kaybeth headed down the ladders leading to the mines. As they went down, Kaybeth cleared his throat. “Johanna, I know how hard Daniel’s death has been hard on you. But you shouldn’t shut out your family,” Kaybeth pleaded, “Let us help you!” Johanna stopped in shock, and couldn’t stop the snarl that came out. “Oh, just like you helped me with the mayor, shaking your head and thinking I was insane! Yeah, you did a perfect job at being helpful, Mr. Disbelief!” With a swift hop, Johanna hit the ground and turned to walk to the mines, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned around to see Kaybeth gazing at her with intense sorrow. “I know I didn’t handle that well,” He sighed, “But I was still in shock. I believe you saw something. It may or may not have been Necromancers.” Kaybeth spread his hands calmly as he continued. “But I know someone did that to him. No Undead could have beaten him! And the attacks have been too coordinated to not be led by an intelligent life form. I know that you don’t like me right now, and you have every right not to. But Daniel was my friend too, and if I can, I must find out who was responsible.”

Johanna simply shook his hand off. “Then you should have come earlier instead of months after.” Without saying another word, she set off at a brisk pace. She heard her brother heave another sigh from behind her, but he didn’t try to force any further conversation. Determined to do some investigation as she mined, Johanna went to the ravine where she had been mining on the night of the murder. She shivered as the flashbacks hit her one after another. *The look in his face, the sword through him, the black of the Necromancer, the stench of the Undead.* She didn’t realize she was shaking until Kaybeth caught her shoulder. “Are you sure this is a good idea,” He gazed into her eyes for confirmation, “We don’t have to do this if it’s too much.” Johanna rolled her eyes as she steeled her nerves. With a deep breath, she continued through the ravine and to the exact spot where Daniel had died.

From there, it was standard mining. Johanna couldn’t seem to find anything. No matter how many cave systems she found, they were never the right ones. She actually lucked out and found many ores. As usual, there was slight danger in the form of a few gravel cave inns and spiders. Each time, the problem was dealt with. With her keen eyes and ears, Johanna dodged any falling gravel, while Kaybeth used his fighting expertise to swiftly deal with the creepy crawlies. However, things got interesting when Johanna discovered an abandoned mineshaft. Kaybeth had tried to insist on going in with her, but Johanna managed to convince him to stay. “I’ll be fine,” She promised her disbelieving brother. He knew better than to argue as she would force her way if he didn’t agree.

Once inside, Johanna looked around. At first, she was disappointed. *There’s nothing here except chests with the normal stuff.* She wrinkled her nose at the rotten flesh that she saw in one of the chests. The next chest was the same, and the next, and the next. *Wait a second,* Johanna realized with suspicion. *All these chests hold nothing but rotten flesh, which means this place was already looted!* Johanna frowned as she comprehended the impact of this knowledge. *And no miner has set foot in here yet since there are no other tunnels leading her except the cave system I found.* *So who would have been here?* Unfortunately, her question was answered a second later.

Johanna’s ears perked as the metallic thud of footsteps echoed through the large cavern the abandoned mineshaft was in. She frantically looked around for a hiding spot, when she spotted a large pile of iron ore a few blocks away. Just in time, she dived behind the pile to avoid detection. A second later, a troop of Husks marched by in full iron armor. Each one carried an iron sword and had iron picks strapped to their backs. When she saw who was leading them, her breath caught as her blood roared in her ears. *The Necromancer!* Part of her, the part that was raging, wanted to jump out and kill the Necromancer, but she doubted she would last long against all those Husks. Plus*…I need to avenge Daniel, and the only way to do that is if I destroy ALL of the Necromancers for what their order did to him.* So Johanna calmed herself and waited. Once they had passed, she snuck away from the ore pile and began to discreetly follow the Undead horde. She made sure to keep distance between her and the squad up ahead to avoid being caught when they stopped.

It seemed like entire hours had passed. Up until this point, it seemed like the Necromancer didn’t know where he was going. They had passed through dripstone caves, lush caves, cave systems, and countless other places. Johanna enjoyed the view, from the golden and soft glowberries, the green particles of the overhead blossoms, to the razor sharp dripstone, to the bats and noises. But still. *They just keep walking!* That’s when she realized that the group had stopped. Johanna stopped as well and took in her surroundings. This was a biome she had never seen before, and it was rather intriguing. The area around her consisted of deepslate with strange blocks all around. The area was dark and oddly silent for a cavern. Johanna bent to study one of the mystery blocks that was right next to her. It was dark blue with shifting blue lights all over it. A few other blocks similar to it were mixed in with the terrain. One looked like a mystery block and a bone base had been combined. Another looked like a mystery block cut in half with bone spikes coming off the sides. As she watched, it let out blue waves as it unleashed a horrendous shriek. Johanna took a step back from the intensity of the shriek and accidentally set off another block nearby. This one looked like the mystery block had been turned green with waving tentacles on top. Curious, Johanna took another step, this time forward. The block immediately reacted with a click as its tentacles lit up and waved frantically. *Strange. These plants seem able to detect motion.*

As the Necromancer and his unit went in, Johanna pondered how she was supposed to get inside. The building in front of her was like no other. It was overrun with the mysterious blocks. It appeared to be made of deepslate that had been changed into tiles, bricks, smooth variants, and some even seemed to have a face chiseled into their forms. The whole building appeared to be lit by soul lanterns from what she could see. Johanna looked around and smiled mischievously as she spotted a hole in the crumbling walls of the ancient building. Crouching, she snuck through the hole. When she was in, she sucked in a breath as she took in the entire structure. *It’s large enough to be an entire city!* Much of it was open space, but it still had some structure. It had many walls and hallways, some of which looked like a ribcage. Giant pillars and redstone lanterns could be found lining some of the hallways. Dodging the Undead and Necromancers prowling around, she continued her unplanned tour of the Necromancer base. Some of the rooms were shrine-like, lit by candles. And in the center, a huge almost statue-like structure stood. It appeared to resemble a large gaping mouth on a massive rectangular face with two massive tentacle-like ears. It was crumbled and in need of repair, but it, just like the rest of the city, had a terrible beauty to it.

As she snuck through the city, going from shadow to shadow, she was horrified to see just how many Undead and Necromancers were in the base. *There must be hundreds, and this may be just one of their bases!* As she headed towards the center of the mammoth base, she heard a scratchy voice in one of the shrine rooms. With the agility of a feline, Johanna clambered up to a dark corner of the room’s wall. Satisfied that she couldn’t be seen, she crouched down and listened to the conversation below.

Johanna studied the speakers. One was an old Ardoni with red markings. On his back, a double bladed diamond sword glinted with purple enchantment. “I have been patient and have fulfilled my part of the agreement Tyrius,” The Ardoni was saying, “Where is my alliance?!” The other speaker rasped a laugh. Johanna was shocked at who she saw. It was around the average human height and seemed to be a male. He was cloaked in a dark blue robe and wore a wither skeleton skull helmet. Worst of all was his headpiece, a crown of white bone. His hands and feet were covered by bone gloves and boots. His robe opened in his chest area to show a glowing soul fire blue rib cage on a dark green chest. Slipped over his shoulder was what appeared to be a wither spine with the heads still attached. The only thing visible about the bony figure was his solid, glowing, soul fire blue eyes . Johanna watched in horrified fascination. The figure finished his laugh and addressed the Ardoni. “Nightsinger, you have yet to truly deliver. You promised us the power to take revenge on Felden and all of Ardoni for what they did to us and our leader! But I have yet to see power.” The Necromancer continued with a growl. “You have not yet gained the Prime Songs, and you have no powerful allies. The Unyielding Legion is hardly an army. And our enemies that would crush us are still at large. The Nether chief among them, and you have not the power to defeat them!” The Necromancer began to circle the Nightsinger slowly and deliberately. “I have become known as the Dark King. Do you know why?” The Dark King didn’t wait for the Nightsinger to answer. “I have harnessed the power of this city and of the strange substance of skulk and soul. Using this power, I have tamed beasts of unimaginable power, of whom I prefer to call Wardens. For ages they have been considered myths, much like us Necromancers. They were said to protect the cities of the Old Empire from the tendrils of the Nether and the fate of the End. But when it fell, the souls of its guardians became part of the very thing that destroyed them! But I have found them once more and summoned them.” The Dark King threw back his head and laughed with his arms stretched to the sky. “And now, by controlling their souls, I have managed to get an army of the powerful creatures in existence. But yet,” The Dark King shook his head as he lowered his arms, “I still do not have the strength to bring down all of Ardonia. Come back Nightsinger, when you have properly met my demands. Destroy the Ardoni who could challenge my army and find another army to aid us. Only then will the Necromancers help you, Vector Voltaris. Now, you must excuse me. It is time for my men and I to launch our attack on Pandoria. The city, according to our spies, knows too much about our order. It is time to begin to get revenge against Felden.” The Ardoni bowed his head and left, as did the Dark King a second later.

Johanna felt her body shake as she realized what all the talk had meant. *They’re planning to attack my city! My brother, my family, my friends, everyone! Her expression hardened with determination. I won’t fail them like I failed Daniel. Don’t worry, I’m going to stop this!* As she slipped off the wall and began running from the city, she couldn’t help but feel the pain from all those months ago. *I wish you were here Daniel. You were a true warrior. You would know what to do.* Johanna went quickly, but made sure not to get caught. *If they catch me, I have no chance of saving Pandoria!* Once she had reached the cities outside, she doubled over and attempted to catch her breath. In her mind she did quick calculations. *If they are going through that tunnel on the right, which I imagine they will, it will take them a mere hour to reach the city!* Off in the distant right was a tunnel. Johanna assumed it was made for direct access to the city, since Pandoria was in the direction the tunnel was leading to. *If I go through the tunnel, I might make it before most of them! But I’ll need a disguise.* Just then, a Necromancer passed. Using the sharp point of her pickaxe, Johanna bashed the Necromancer in the head. Then, as silently as she could, she donned the robe and mask of the fallen Necromancer.

Swiftly, she joined a steady line of Necromancers that were headed for the tunnel. Luckily, this was the first group, which meant there was still a chance she could warn the city before the attack got out of hand. The inside of the tunnel seemed to be a ton of linked mineshafts, all cutting through the earth and towards Johanna’s family. Johanna was deep in thought, trying to plan, when a glint towards the right caught her eye. She turned her head to see what it was, and was less than thrilled. *Water.* She shuddered at the thought of it, then thought of something. *I know this cave system. This is the one that leads to the aquifer that feeds Lake Panda. If I can swim to the Lake, I’ll shave a few minutes off travel! I’ll reach the city before this army does!* Johanna was probably the only Felina who actually liked water. This was because, when she was seven, her brother wanted to protect her. So he had taught her to swim so that she could never drown. Because of this, Johanna had never felt scared of the water. It still wasn't her favorite form of transport, but she could go into water easily. *I hope this works.* Johanna fell back in the line until the other Necromancers and Undead had gone ahead of her. Without a second thought, she ran into the cavern and swam into the stream. It did in fact lead to the aquifer she was looking for. As she swam through it, Johanna watched the axolotls and glow squids around her in wonder. Whenever she could no longer hold her breath, she would break a block in the ceiling, opening a pocket of air to breathe. Then, with a deep breathe, she would plunge back into the water. After an eternity, Johanna could see sunlight above her. I’m in Lake Panda now! She broke through the surface and swam to shore. When she reached shore, she tore off the mask and robe she was still wearing.

With all her strength, Johanna sprinted to the ladders outside the lake. Just as she had hoped, the ladder led straight to the Headquarters. When she opened the trapdoor and stepped in the room, the room fell silent. In it were Kaybeth, Mayor Lucan, Commander Nika, and several other high ranking officials. Kaybeth was the first to break the silence as he ran and crushed Johanna in a hug. “Where were you?!” Kaybeth’s voice was fierce. “I looked everywhere for you and couldn’t find you!” Johanna paid him no mind. Breaking his hug, she ran to the mayor. “Sir, I say it for myself! The Dark King,” she was gasping and shaking now, “He has sent an army of Necromancers and Undead to destroy the city and eventually take revenge against Felden!” *Please believe me! Please!* Lucan frowned at her, clearly disappointed that she was pursuing this matter. “I told you not to spread those lies!” His voice was firm with anger. “Where would you have possibly found evidence for such ridiculous claims?” Johanna shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, mayor. What matters is that we get this city safe!” Lucan was about to rebuttal, but a Felden guard runned in, doubled over with exhaustion as he gasped for breath. He delivered his message between gasps. “Sir, we are under attack!” Lucan’s face went slack with shock. “Undead, an army of them! All armed and armored beyond their capability! They have white eyes and they are burning the place down!” Lucan immediately began barking orders around. “Johanna, get the fire brigade. Nika, we need the guards ready for battle!” Nika nodded and everyone began to bustle around, until the messenger spoke in a raspy voice. “And sir, the leaders of the Undead,” his eyes were filled with fear, “are Necromancers.” Then, stunned with fear, they all froze. Terror, shame, and horror raced through Johanna as the full weight of the situation hit her. *It's too late! The Undead army is already here!* She turned her head skyward and closed her eyes. *I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry Daniel. I've failed you yet again.*

## Chapter Seven: Rise of the Dawnsinger

Kylor stretched out his arms and yawned as the daylight streamed in through his window. As he got up from his blue bed, Kylor took in his bedroom. It was simple, with only sparse furnishings. In the center was his bed with a crafting table and chest beside it. The room was made of birch wood, and the floor was covered with a blue and white checkered carpet. Other than the windows and hanging lanterns, that was all he had. *And my armor stand.* The stand was right next to the door and currently held his father’s emerald glaive. As he walked out of his bedroom, Kylor grabbed the weapon and slipped it over his back.

Kylor walked down the hallway and went to the stairs. When he had climbed down the stairs, Kylor looked around the living room. It was massive, with a door at the right leading to the kitchen. In the center of the living room was a massive birch wood table with chairs lining it on all corners. Choosing the seat farthest from the kitchen, Kylor sat down and waited for breakfast. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. Drakius soon came out and handed him a bowl of mushroom stew. Drakuis sat down on the seat next to Kylor and smiled as he watched the young Ardoni sip the food. When Kylor had finished, he nodded his thanks. “It was an excellent meal, Drakius. Thanks.” Drakius chuckled in response. “If you think that that is good, you should wait until you taste my wife’s cooking.” Drakius patted his guest on the shoulder. “Thank you, though. I’m not half bad at cooking myself. Now, you’d best go outside. Theseus and Nitrus are already waiting for you so that training can begin.” Drakius then stood, winked at Kylor, and then headed upstairs.

Kylor stood up and walked to the door leading outside. Curiosity burned inside of him as he went out the door. *I wonder what training is going to be like today.* Following the path that lead to the outskirts of the village, Kylor spotted Theseus and Nitrus on top of a hill with two strange individuals. *Nope, make that three,* Kylor thought as a new figure walked to the hill top. In seconds, Kylor climbed to the top of the hill. When he reached the huddled group, all discussion had ceased. Nitris beamed at him and draped an arm around Kylor’s shoulders. “Welcome to training! Today, you are going to be dueling Theseus.” Kylor looked at his mentor in confusion. “I thought you were going to teach me.” Nitris threw his head back with a booming laugh. He drew away his arm and then pounded Kylor’s back with it. “You are not quite ready for my level! Best you fight someone closer to your skill.” Kylor reluctantly nodded in agreement, then surveyed the other strangers. One was a male Nestoris while one was a female Nestoris. In addition, a female Voltaris was staring at him. Nitrus nodded with understanding at the young Ardoni’s expression. “Kylor, meet my friends. The large male Nestoris is Electron. Both he and the Voltaris female, Tigress, are helping investigate the matter of the Nightsinger.” Kylor studied the two females. The female Voltaris was pretty, he had to emit. But the other one, *She’s perfection!* The female Nestoris was a head smaller than him. She was lithe, with curves of perfection. Her blond hair was straight and long, falling around her like a waterfall. She held herself with the dignity of one who was graceful and knew it all too well. *If there was a goddess of beauty, this is who she'd be!* The female Nestoris smiled knowingly at Kylor when she caught him staring at her. Immediately, Kylor felt his face burn as though it was on fire. Embarrassed, he looked down at the ground, earning himself a glance of suspicion from Electron. Nitrus then pointed at the female Nestoris. “And this is Venus Nestoris, she comes from this village.” Kylor could feel his hands sweating as he nodded to Venus. She merely smiled.

Nitrus then put Kylor and Theseus ten meters away from each other. He held his hand up, and both boys got ready. Kylor, with a spinning flourish, pulled his glaive off his back and crouched into a ready stance. Nitrus gave him a curious glance. It took Kylor a second to realize why, but he shrugged when he did. "I'm left-handed." Nitrus nodded, and Kylor returned his attention to Theseus . Rather than looking concerned, Theseus merely pulled his sword from his back and used it as a leaning stick as he smirked. Kylor couldn’t help but look in amazement at Theseus’ weapon. *It's an iron broadsword with a diamond core! How is that possible?!* Kylor didn’t have time to ask, however, as Nitrus pushed his hands down. “Battle.”

Kylor and Theseus circled each other, both planning defensively. Many tense minutes passed as they sized the other up. Theseus didn’t seem too concerned, but Kylor’s mind was racing. *Either he’s overconfident, or he really knows what he’s doing.* Kylor chose to air on the side of caution. Behind them, Tigress sighed in boredom. “Can someone just do something, please?” Theseus smirked at Kylor before flashing a grin at Venus. Venus frowned back, and Kylor couldn’t help but feel giddy about it. *Rejected!* Theseus then charged with an overhead swing. Kylor stepped to the right and swung at Theseus’ back, and was about to smirk. He was astonished when Theseus, with unimaginable speed, swiftly twisted and parried the back strike. With a back kick to the groin, Theseus knocked Kylor away. Then, with a crescent kick to the legs, he sent Kylor to the ground. Kylor, embarrassed, refused Theseus’ hand as he was getting up. Nitrus smiled at the flustered loser and told Kylor to follow him.

Together, they both went to a new hilltop. There, Nitrus had Kylor repeatedly summon his song in order to practice song-wielding and endurance. Nitrus was surprised by how strong Kylor was, but still was far from satisfied. “Kylor, when you use the song, remember where the power comes from. It comes from the core of the song, not your strength. You use so much power summoning the song that you have none left to use it. Draw from the song, not yourself.” This was a difficult concept to grasp, but Kylor closed his eyes. Instead of going into his core as he usually did, he imagined the song as another entity. *May I use you?* Instead of seeing the song as his, he saw it as a separate being, an ally who helped when help was needed. The results were spectacular. Even Nitrus was amazed as he shook his head. “You truly are strong, just like your father. You managed to do 300 repetitions! You remind me of myself when I was younger.” Nitrus stepped back and scrutinized Kylor, as though seeing him for the first time.

By the time the song training was over, it had become dusk. Both Nitrus and Kylor headed back home. When they entered, Kylor was starving. Luckily for him, Drakius had been prepared for his appetite and had a feast ready. Kylor devoured every last bit of it. *Man, I can’t wait to rest,* Kylor sighed. Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed him and dragged him away from the table. When Kylor turned around, Electron was glaring at him. “Stop,” Electron growled. Kylor replied in confusion. “Stop what?” Electron grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up. “Stop going after my girlfriend! I saw you trying to impress her back at training, and I saw how you looked at her! And when you sighed with a dreamy look just now, you were staring at Tigress! If you know what is good for you, you’ll leave her alone!” Kylor was embarrassed when he realized his eyes had been facing her direction. *But I wasn’t looking at her, I was just thinking about sleep!* Kylor’s rage from the training session at how easily he was beaten now boiled over. *She is way older than me, her horns suggest she’s been around from since the second great war! She is way to old for me! And that blushing and staring at training was for Venus!* In anger, Kylor suddenly kicked Electron in the face. Before his tormentor could react, Kylor grabbed his arm and performed a take down, slamming Electron into the wooden floor. Everyone in the room had frozen in shock as they watched the confrontation. With a huff, Kylor went up into his room and flung himself into the bed. *How will I ever finish Father’s work if I can’t win in battle?* Kylor sighed with misery as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

From then on, the days fell into a sort of routine. Drakius had Kylor do some chores around the house. “Since you live here, you might as well lend a helping hand while we train you.” That was what Drakius had told him. Now, Kylor had to bathe and feed the horses from the outdoor stable. Luckily, he had some company when he did this. Venus was now living with the Arcturus family. When he had asked why, Venus had explained. “My mother and father are traders. They move around for most of the year. While they are traveling, I stay with Drakius. I love it here, but there are some drawbacks.” At that moment, Theseus had come outside to feed the chickens and had started waving at Venus. She cringed as he waved and turned back to Kylor. “I don’t like Theseus. He wants me to, but I don’t. I’ve tried being just a friend, but he won’t stop chasing me. Then he gets mad at me for refusing him, and the cycle never stops. So now I just avoid him.” *I guess that makes sense. Theseus does seem to favor her.* Kylor just shrugged. “Maybe you should give him another chance.” Venus snorted at that statement. “Or perhaps you should try to talk to him again.” Venus just laughed. “I already have.” Venus patted Kylor on the shoulder. “Thank you for trying to help, but I don’t think anyone can make that boy see any sense. He’s much too full of himself.” Kylor did have to agree with the last statement. *Theseus does have a major ego.* Kylor stayed silent for the remainder of the time, and nodded a goodbye to Venus when he had finished.

His training session were not going great either. No matter what he did, Kylor couldn’t seem to beat Theseus. It also didn’t help that Theseus kept cheating. During their duels, songs were not allowed. Not that the rule had done anything. Once, when Nitrus’ back was turned, Theseus had used Mobiliflash to teleport to Kylor’s blind spot. *That fight ended quickly for me.* His song training was one of the only things that was going well for him. Nitrus had been so impressed with Kylor’s performance that he had chosen to give Kylor three new songs to train with. The three were Aggrofang, Mobilishift, and Supporohide. As usual, Nitrus had Kylor focus on endurance by seeing how long he could use the songs powers. At first, it had taken some getting used to, but Kylor quickly progressed, being able to use/maintain the songs for long periods of time.

In his free time, Kylor would go fishing in a nearby pond. It was here that he and Theseus became true friends. After one particularly hard duel, Kylor had retreated to the pond in bitter disappointment. *You always told me I was powerful, that I was special, Akatie.* Kylor frowned down at his fishing rod. *But maybe you were wrong. Maybe I really am nobody.* That had become his state of mind for the weeks he had been training. Kylor had become so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice as Theseus came and sat down beside him until Theseus cleared his throat. “How you doin Kylor? I know it must be rough. When I first started training, I was just as horrible as you are now.” Kylor couldn’t help but smile, even though he did feel a little insulted. “Oh, so I’m horrible?” Theseus laughed and trailed one hand in the water. “Not completely. Maybe just a little. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to fight.” Kylor smiled as he responded. “It’s just that…I don’t want to let anyone down. I am now responsible for finishing what my father died for so long ago.” Kylor became sadly serious. “And I feel like I’m failing him. I’m supposed to be better since I’m Tysoar’s son. I miss him. Father always knew what to do and he always had the strength to do it.”

Theseus nodded his understanding and sympathy. “It’s fine to miss him, but don’t let that slow you down. He would be proud to see you training so hard.” Kylor wanted to believe him so bad. *But I’m still failing.* Theseus studied Kylor’s sorrowful face. “You know what,” he stood up and offered a hand to Kylor. “I’m going to train you. I understand what it's like to think you’re a failure. So I’m going to teach you what I know, so that soon you’ll see just how good you are. But first, are you going to eat that fish?” Kylor looked in surprise at where he was pointing. *It’s one of the fish I just cooked.* Kylor let out a joyful sigh as he grinned. “Nope, you can have it.” Then, taking Theseus’ outstretched hand, Kylor got up. After that day, Kylor and Theseus would always go fishing together. They would catch some food for dinner first, and then they would train in combat. At first, Kylor was horrible. But slowly, he began to catch on. After they practiced, they would swap stories in the night sky as they sat near the pond, eating fish they had cooked over a campfire. Kylor would talk about his past experiences. Theseus was the first person who had ever really listened to him and actually cared deeply. In return, Theseus would tell about his greatest heists and adventures, ones that always had Kylor on the edge of his seat. Once they had finished talking, they would head back home and crawl into bed.

One training morning, Kylor finally earned his stripes in combat. He and Theseus were battling as usual, but this time the tide had turned. Kylor had trained as hard as he could and had finally learned Theseus’ technique. With a heat unfathomable, their blades rang and clashed. Towards the end of the battle, Theseus had knocked Kylor to the ground. Theseus smirked as he bent to put his blade against Kylor’s neck. “Looks like you still have some training to do, Kylor.” Kylor grinned with contempt. “You wish, Bands.” With lightning speed, Kylor kicked Theseus’ blade out of his hand. Using his feet, he pushed Theseus’ legs out from underneath him. Kylor rolled himself onto his feet, then grabbed his glaive from the ground. With a look of triumph, he put his foot on Theseus’ back and pressed his blade to his opponent’s neck. “Looks like I win, Bands.” Behind Kylor, Nitrus and Venus began to cheer. Nitrus smiled at Kylor as he let Theseus up. “Looks like you need a new partner for dueling since you’ve mastered this one. Looks like you get to be so unfortunate as to duel me now.”

At that moment, Theseus was trying to get to Venus, who refused to get near him. In anger, Theseus had used Mobiliflash to get in front of the Nestoris. He raged in fury at her refusal to see him. “You don’t get to shut me off! I’ve been trying to win you over and you won’t listen. Obviously you need incentive!” Theseus proceeded to grab Venus’ face in an attempt to kiss her. Rage and shock flowed through Kylor when he spotted this. *Dude! She doesn’t want to do that. Why are you trying to force her!* Using Mobilishift, Kylor speed over and grabbed Theseus. Pulling him off Venus, Kylor threw him to the ground. “Dude, what are you doing?! If she doesn’t love you, you should respect that! You can’t force her to like you just because you like her!” Theseus snarled in response. “And just because you want to steal her and stab me in the back doesn’t allow you to get into my business.” Kylor felt his voice rise in rage as he made his rebuttal. “No, its my business because she’s my friend, and friends help each other. Leave her alone or you’ll have me to answer too, and I think that today proved I have what it takes to handle you!” Theseus had stumbled back, stunned by the ferocity of Kylor’s response. “Just because you beat me once doesn’t make you the strongest or best!” However, Theseus still turned and fled.

Kylor turned to leave, when he was spun around. He found himself staring into Venus’ shining eyes. Without warning, Venus leaned up and kissed Kylor on the lips. Kylor froze in shock. He could feel himself turning bright red as he blushed. “Wha-What was that for?” Venus smiled as she turned the kiss into a hug. “It was for standing up for me. No one else has ever done that,” she whispered. “Thank you.” Kylor grinned down at her and hugged her back. “I’ll always stand up for you, evening star.” That sent Venus into a fit of giggles. Smiling to himself, Kylor turned and went to song training.

Once song training was over, Kylor had returned straight home rather than fish. There he stayed up and chatted with Venus about trivial things, such as the weather, animals, music, and other stuff. During that time, Theseus had come in with several cooked fish. Slowly, a flustered Theseus had come over and offered them the food. “Look, I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you Kylor. You were just trying to do the right thing.” he then turned to a hesitant Venus. “And Venus, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to force you to like me. I know I’ve been mean, and I wish I haden’t been. I should have listened to you when you were trying to warn me of all this. I hope you can forgive me. I miss the times when we were just friends. Can we be friends again?” A few tense minutes passed, with Theseus becoming more and more devastated with each passing one. After what seemed like an eternity, Venus eventually agreed. After that day, Venus would come by and fish with Kylor and Theseus. At first, Venus was cautious and uneasy around Theseus, but he had become nicer. Now Theseus just acted like a friend, and made sure to stop persueing her. Becaue of that, she soon relaxed and the three became an inseparable trio.

Over the next few months, Kylor trained with Nitrus in combat, and he began to understand why Nitrus said he was unfortunate. At first, it was exhausting and disheartening. Often, he would go to the pond completely dejected. “I mean, what am I supposed to do? He beats me in mere seconds!” Kylor would always tell his friends this. Theseus would of course try to help through stories and practice. Venus would always give him encouragement. “You’ll get there eventually,” She would smile as she spoke, “It just takes time.” *But it doesn’t matter. If I can’t learn to win, I won’t ever be able to face the Nightsinger.* He would fall asleep feeling completely miserable. Weariness would take him over and he would have nightmares about his parent’s deaths all those years ago. He would be forced to watch, but be unable to save them. *I’m sorry father, I’ve failed.*

After one particularly turbulent night, he went to morning training with determination, determination to not fail again. Today, he had a large audience. Drakius, Theseus, Venus, Electron, and Tigress had all come to watch the duel. The stopped when Kylor entered and starred at him. Nitrus tilted his head as he studied his opponent. “You seem to have a fire within you today.” Kylor didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled out his glaive and crouched for battle. After several tense seconds, Nitrus attacked with a stab. Kylor deflected it away and used Mobilishift to sprint behind Nitrus. As Nitrus turned in surprise, Kylor used his blade to slam Nitrus’ into the ground. Using his glaive as leverage, Kylor performed a flying sidekick, knocking Nitrus back several paces. Nitrus pulled his blade from underneath Kylor’s glaive as he fell back. Surprise was written all over Nitrus’ face. With determination, Kylor feined a stomach stab, only to twist into a downward slash. Nitrus countered with a slash of his own before stepping forward with an overhead attack. Kylor was ready and blocked with his glaive before spinning around and slamming the blunt end of his weapon into Nitrus’ stomach. Enraged, Nitrus slammed Kylor with his sword hilt. Kylor fell back a few paces as his weapon flipped into the air and out of his grasp. Nitrus rushed forward at the same time as Kylor and stabbed. At the moment Nitrus stabbed, Kylor’s glaive reached Nitrus’ head in height. With a flying hook kick, Kylor kicked it, sending it into the ground in front of Nitrus just as Nitrus stopped his blade from piercing Kylor’s stomach.

Both opponents studied each other with amazed expressions. *I can’t believe it. I actually just tied with Nitrus!* Nitrus shook his head in amazement. “You truly have grown. You are no longer that klutz who came to us months ago. Mind you, you still would have been killed by my blow…but I would have died at the same time due to yours. To match me is a true accomplishment. There is no more that I can teach you.” Nitrus smiled at the young Ardoni who was still frozen in shock. Everyone else began to crowd around Kylor. Theseus pounded on his friend's back. “Look at you. You did it! You actually tied with Nitrus.” Theseus grinned. “I knew you could do it!” Venus kissed Kylor on the cheek and hugged him. Electron looked at him in embarrassment as Tigress watched on with amusement. “I’m sorry about how I acted.” Electron looked down as he shuffled his feet with nervousness. “Once you and Venus got close, I realized that you had been after her, not Tigress. I was too embarrassed to say it before but…I’m sorry about how I acted towards you.” Kylor shook his head with a smile. “Just forget about it. I can understand why you were protective. Tigress is lucky to have you.” Electron grinned with relief and the two shook hands. Tigress remained standing away from the group, but even she had to give a faint smile. “I have to admit, I was skeptical after seeing you in action the first time. Nitrus said you would be the greatest, but I didn’t quite believe him until now.”

The victory was short lived when a familiar Voltaris stumbled into the midst of the group. *Kora.* Kora was obviously exhausted, and had many deep wounds on her including an arrow protruding from her back. Her eyes were frantic as she stumbled to her brother. “Ky, You’ve got to run! The Nightsinger, he knows where you’ve gone! He’s coming to kill this entire village!” With her message delivered, Kora fell to the ground, too exhausted to remain conscious any longer. Kylor bent to her side and activated Protepulse. Kora sighed as her wounds closed and the arrow fell out. Ignoring the demands of explanation from the other around him, Kylor slung his sister over his shoulder and sprinted towards home.

After putting Kora in his bed, Kylor went back downstairs to the living room. Everyone had assembled in there and was waiting for Kylor to come down and explain. Drakius was sitting patiently while Nitrus was madly pacing. Theseus and Venus were sitting beside each other and looking at their friend in confusion. Electron and Tigress were standing beside Drakius, with Tigress tapping her foot impatiently. Before anyone could stop him, Kylor launched into his explanation. “When I found my father’s note, a group of mercenaries tried to stop me. What I didn’t tell you, Drakius, is that a Voltaris was among them. That Voltaris was actually my sister. When we parted, she was going to confront the Nightsinger about this. Now, here she is. From what her message said, I assume that the Nightsinger is still hunting me and has come for me.” For a long time, the room was completely silent. *They don’t know how to take this.* Nitrus was the first to break the silence. “How do we know we can trust her?” As if to answer his question, screams could be heard from outside the village. In alarm, Nitrus rushed outside to see what the commotion was. All the others followed him.

When they got outside, the rest of the village was burning down. All around, mercenaries from the Unyielding Legion and Voltaris were moving around. Some were setting fire to the village, while others were killing the inhabitants. And leading them…was the Nightsinger himself. When the Nightsinger noticed them, he smiled coldly. “So the rumors were true, the son of Tysoar did go to this dump. I’ve been trying to hunt him down, as I thought he would surely know where the Prime Songs were. But now I have Nitrus Voltaris, the great Songsinger who hid them in the first place.” The Nightsinger scowled and spread his arms at the destruction all around him. “Tell me where the Prime Songs are, and I will spare what is left of this village. Defy me, and I will burn it to the ground and then kill all of you!”

Nitrus drew his sword from his back and pointed it at the Voltaris. “I will never give the Primes to you. If you were to have them, you would burn down all of the rest of the Ardoni in your quest!” The Nightsinger scoffed at this. “Come now, Songsinger. Of course I would get vengeance against the other Ardoni clans for what they did to my clan.” He spat as he continued his tirade. “They banished us for what the Ancient Ones did. They wrongly accused my tribe and slaughtered my kin! They even denied us the Prime Songs when our champion had rightfully earned them! They chose the war. They chose to keep the Primes away, and in doing so chose their fate. They forced us to fight for what was ours!” Nitrus sighed as he gazed at the Nightsinger. “Victor, fighting will not fix this. All it does is enforce the attitudes of the other clans. Ingressus himself understood that in the end. He chose Senn as a leader on purpose. But I suppose reasoning won’t work on you.” The Nightsinger looked at Nitrus with both disappointment and respect. “No, it will not change my mind. Senn is a weak Ardoni who won’t be master of my clan for long.” Victor sighed. “Kill them.”

With that, chaos broke out. Kylor’s allies drew their weapons and met the rushing attackers. Theseus was a boss. With contempt, he took care of any that came at him. One Voltaris attempted to kill him with a slash to the head, but Theseus was prepared. Grabbing the Voltaris’ arm, Theseus threw the enemy warrior over his shoulder and straight into an incoming spear. Venus was cowering behind the door of the Arcturus house. *I can’t really blame her. This is a real fight, and I don’t think she’s prepared or trained for this.* Electron and Tigress were fighting side by side, coordinating their attacks to defeat any who dared challenge. Drakius was dealing with a group of mercenaries with skilled ease. With a bash to one’s head and a stab to another’s stomach, Drakius took down his opponents one by one.

Nitrus, on the other hand, was facing the Nightsinger and a group of his Voltaris warriors. The standoff ended when a female archer shot an arrow at Nitrus. With lightning fast reaction time, Nitrus deflected it off his broadsword which had now caught on fire, sending the now burning arrow into a male Voltaris who was charging. Nitrus then summoned Supporograpple and snagged another opponent. Using the song, Nitrus threw him into an Agressium cone blast that was headed Nitrus’ way. The other warriors didn’t last long, and soon only the Nightsinger remained standing. With a snarl, the Nightsinger engaged Nitrus. Their blades met with a resounding clang, and their moves became nothing but blurs. An upward cut blocked by a side swipe. A kick to the face returned with a backfist to the jaw. An attack on the back parried just in the nick of time. Despite his speed, though, the Nightsinger couldn’t win. With an ill-planned stab, the Nightsinger lost as the Songsinger spun to the side and tripped his opponent with a downward slash. *He’s won!* Kylor was about to rejoice when a blast caught Nitrus from behind. As Nitrus flew forward, Victor stabbed upwards. The sword pierced Nitrus’ chest, and Nitrus looked at his wound in disbelief. Victor got up and kicked Nitrus’ body off his sword. With a smile, Victor raised his ax to end the Songsinger, but Kylor reacted first.

*No!* Activating Mobilishift, Kylor sprinted in front of Nitrus and slashed at Victor. Unprepared, Victor howled in pain as Kylor’s glaive cut a gaping diagonal wound in his chest. Filled with adrenaline, Kylor charged the Nightsinger, slamming him away from Nitrus and into the dirt. Kylor would have attacked again, if it hadn’t been for one fact. *My glaive, my father’s legacy…It’s broken!* The emerald glaive had broken upon striking Victor. Now, Kylor was left holding a tall stick. *Plus, I need to save Nitrus!* Kylor ran to the Songsinger’s side and was about to use his Protissium song, when Nitrus stopped him. “Don’t,” Nitrus croaked. “Your song can’t save me now. I’m too injured. You must stop the Nightsinger.” Kylor shook his head as Nitrus’ runes pulsed. *You can’t leave me,* Kylor thought desperately. *You’re the Songsinger! You can’t die! Who will lead us?!* “Kylor, it is up to you to lead them now. Only you have the power to stop the Nightsinger now. You are our only hope.” *The last words of my mother!* “Take my staff and sword. The sword was the blade of the Deathsinger, and the staff the weapon of the Tidesinger. You are the most powerful Ardoni I have ever met and you are their descendant. For their sake, and what they fought for, I can think of no other worthy of wielding these weapons. And when I die, follow the dark beacons. Akatie Mendoris can tell you what you must know about that.” Kylor shook his head violently. “NO! You can’t die! There must be something we can do!” Nitrus coughed as he lay dying. “You must save Ardonia. You must…” With that, the Songsinger gave his final breath and died. Kylor watched his runes go dark and his songs materialized beside him. Kylor looked up to see the Nightsinger pull the blade of the glaive from his body. Rather than attack, however, the Nightsinger stumbled away, his runes pulsing from the fatal wound he had been dealt. Opening a portal of Supporium energy, Victor shot one last glare of hatred at Kylor before stepping through his portal.

All around Kylor, the battle was going poorly. Even though Victor had retreated, his forces were still attacking. Theseus had been slammed to the ground and was frantically trying to not die as he rolled to avoid getting stabbed. Drakius had been stabbed in the leg and was now limping. Meanwhile, Venus was cornered and about to be attacked by a Voltaris. Desperate, Kylor grabbed Nitrus’ weapons and used Mobilishift to zoom to Venus’ side. With a slash, he dealt with the enemy from behind. Venus breathed a sigh of relief to be safe. She smiled her thanks, but Kylor merely asked her a question. “You have Supporoconstruct right?” Venus nodded. “Then use it to create a portal to Torville.” Venus nodded again, her face a mask of concentration as she activated her song. I’ve got to help the others!

Kylor used Mobilishift to dash to the center of the attackers. Then, he summoned all of his strength and poured it into Aggrofang. Instantly, fangs of Aggressium energy appeared in a massive radius around him, targeting the enemy while leaving his allies safe. The fangs dissipated as they sank into their targets, the destructive energy coursing into the enemies’ bodies and destroying them from inside out. Now free, his friends ran to the portal that Venus had made. Venus had, sometime during the last bit of the fight, grabbed Kora from upstairs. Now, with Kora over her back, Venus stepped through the portal. Kylor was the last to enter, and was surprised with what he saw once he went through the portal. Behind him the portal disappeared as he took in his surroundings. *We’re in Akatie’s living room!* Akatie was sitting in a chair, her face slack with awe as she gazed at the new arrivals.

After everyone had settled down and Kylor had explained where they were, he told Akatie what had happened. She nodded in sadness and sympathy at their plight. “Yes, the Nightsinger is dangerous and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. You must not blame yourself for what happened, Kylor. There is nothing you could have done to save Nitrus.” *If I had been faster, I could have done something! I should have acted when I could! I should have seen the blast coming!* But Kylor refrained from bringing that up. “So it is true, you do know more than you said you did.” Akatie shifted uncomfortably as she nodded. *I knew she knew more than she was letting on!* Akatie continued after an awkward pause. “I can tell you what Nitrus meant, as well as some intel I have acquired. When Nitrus died, you probably missed it, but his shadow left his body. When that shadow left, it activated four beacons. These beacons are special beacons known as dark beacons. They radiate darkness so pure that they can’t be seen by any but those blessed by the one whose shadow activates the dark beacons. I assume you were blessed, which means you’ll be able to find them. Only you can see the beacons.” Kylor nodded. *I’ll have to find the beacons and get the Prime Songs before the Nightsinger can.* Akatie stood up and began cleaning the tabletop. “As for the intel, the Ardoni clans are taking action. Recently, the Necromancers made a return, and it is believed that they might be planning an alliance with Victor. There is also trouble brewing in the end, and of course the humans are in a civil war. Because of this, the clan masters have been forced to look for a champion to lead them past the danger that the Nightsinger presents. Since he has a mighty army behind him, and he is after the Primes, the Ardoni clans must unite. The plan is that a tournament will be held to pick a champion to be that uniter, as well as the leader of the clans. Until the Nightsinger is defeated, they will lead the clans since they will be the most powerful and thus the only ones able to stand against Victor. But, there is one problem.” Akatie sighed as she sat back down. “I believe that the Nightsinger will attempt to win the tournament. If he can, he can lead the clans and ensure that they can’t stop him. The only course of action I can think of is to have Kylor compete in the tournament. He is the most powerful Ardoni at this point, and he will need help to beat the Nightsinger. If Victor controls the clans, even Kylor won’t win that fight.”

All the others looked at Kylor for the game plan. This surprised Kylor. In truth, he had thought that Tigress or Drakius would have taken over as leader. Drakius seemed to know this. Placing a reassuring hand on Kylor’s shoulder, Drakius spoke softly. “I know you blame yourself for the deaths of those close to you, and I can’t stop that. But you have the most experience with the Nightsinger than the rest of us. Plus, you are the most powerful of us all and the only one who can defeat Victor. Despite what you think, Nitrus is right. He told me that you would be the leader when the war began, and I think he was right. I’ve watched you grow and I don’t think anyone else would be capable of this job.” Drakius peered deep into Kylor’s eyes. “Nitrus and your father both believed the same thing. Where the Nightsinger would plunge us into eternal night, you will stop him. You are the hope, the strength, the warrior that Ardonia has been needing. You are the one who will bring us a new sunrise, Dawnsinger. A dawn of a new day, a new light that will pierce through the night that Victor has brought.”

With new confidence, Kylor nodded. *I am now the Dawnsinger! I must finish this fight for my family and for all of Ardonia.* Kylor looked at his friends. *Drakius will be there to advice me, and the rest to fight with me. I may lead them, but they will still help me through this.* He smiled at this thought. *I’ll never be alone. I am the heir of both the Tidesinger and the Deathsinger. They were nobody before they had to step up and lead. Now I have to do the same.* Kylor pulled the weapons off his back and studied them. *The weapons of the two greatest Ardoni ever.* “Akatie, do you have a smithing table anywhere?” Akatie nodded. “In the kitchen.” Kylor walked into the kitchen and found the smithing table. Then, with a grin, he pulled out the Netherite ingots. *Time to update these diamond weapons.*

## Chapter Eight: Royal Rise

Fast as the wind, Valiant and Vishy flew through the End in order to get to the capital. Worry ate at Valiant’s core as his mind ran through a thousand scenarios, all of which ended poorly. *I must save her! I can’t let her die!* Valiant began to tap his dragon’s side in anxiety. *We need to hurry!* In response, Vishy huffed, as though to tell his rider that he was going as fast as he could. After several tense minutes, Valiant sighed with relief as the End Fortress came into view. *Finally!* With a roar, Vishy set himself down on the nearest island ledge. Valiant quickly disembarked from his dragon’s back. Once he was down, he turned to his worried Ender Dragon. Valiant spoke reassuringly as he patted Vishy’s snout. “Don’t worry Vishy, everything will be alright.” But deep within, Valiant couldn’t help but feel chills himself. Unease racked him as he moved towards the Capital City and on towards an assassination attempt. *I mustn't fail!* Mustering all his courage, Valiant marched into the obsidian walls of the Capital City and prepared to face his worst fear.

Valiant continued to walk through the city, but soon realized how silly it was. *I’m not going to find them simply by walking around. Who knows what room they are in? By the time I spot them, they’ll have already killed her!* Valiant stopped and took a deep, calming breath. *Well, it’s a good thing I’ve mastered the ancient skills.* In total, there were six skills. The one he would need now was telepathy. This skill had taken him forever. At first, he hadn’t quite understood how it could possibly work. However, an Enderman had come into the library, and had watched as Valiant read about the ancient skills. Just when he had been about to give up, the Enderman had reached out telepathically to Valiant. It’s thought had been quiet, but also explanatory. *Son of ends, you must push your mind out with power to send your thoughts to others. Do not limit it to your body. And when you push out, contract in with your willpower and concentration, so that you might snag the minds of others who keep their thoughts trapped in one place where they are easy to take.* From then on, Valiant would try to find Endermen to train with. They would always gladly comply. Slowly, he began to train with the skill. Now, he could transmit his thoughts to others and he could even read other people’s minds. The mind reading was hard and tiring, but Valiant had slowly built up his endurance as he practiced. He had even become so powerful that he could spread his consciousness out across a vast distance in order to hone in on and locate one particular mind while keeping his too elusive for others to glean. Using his telepathic skill, Valiant searched the city for Vector’s mind. When that failed, he rallied his concentration again and searched for the baron. Horror overcame him when he located the baron. *If my knowledge of the city schematics is correct, that means that the baron is outside the Queen’s chambers, either entering or leaving.* Now Valiant utilized another of the skills he had learned.

In truth, Valiant wasn’t very good with this skill. He had tried his hardest, but it never had turned out right. As Valiant closed his eyes, he summoned the ender energies running through him. Channeling the power of the souls within, he projected the ender energy outside of his body. Swirling it, he opened his eyes to the spectacle in front of him. *It’s so awesome!* The swirling portal of void energy allowed those who used it to go anywhere their minds could picture. It was more draining and difficult than teleporting, but it didn’t have the same limitations as teleporting, as you could only teleport so far and couldn’t teleport through solid objects. *Or water.* Valiant had tried, but he couldn’t teleport through water for some weird reason.

Valiant took a deep, calming breath as he strode towards the void portal in front of him. *It seems that, these days, I have to eat danger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!* He snorted at his mind’s grim humor. *I really wish the menu would change to something more mild.* Once he went through the portal, he realized the mistake he had made. *Well, I did make it to the Queen’s chamber like I planned, but I didn’t plan to fall into the lava bath! I really need to get more control over where the portals lead.* Valiant was expecting that he would be deep fried then, but adrenaline gave him a hand, allowing him to clear his head and teleport to the other side of the room.

Valiant was surprised by what he saw. Abbigail was in full armor and facing off with three other Enderknights. However, things weren’t looking good for her. Determination was written on her face, but she was doubled over, clutching her stomach. *She’s injured!* The lights on her armor were flickering, which meant the wound had to be fatal. Abbigail and the other knights didn’t spare him a glance as they struggled with one another. In a move of shocking grace for one so wounded, the Ender Queen kicked the sword from one knight's hand before stabbing her opponent through the skull. The third Enderknight swung at her midsection, but Abbigail performed a backflip, landing with her back to the second Enderknight. With a backward stab, she finished off the opponent behind her. However, she wasn’t prepared for the last Enderknight who lunged at her. With a kick, Abbigail was knocked to the floor. Then, without any hesitation, the enemy Enderknight plunged his sword through her midriff.

Angry and fury pounded in Valiant’s ears as he watched helplessly. Rage overcame him as his vision turned red. The souls in his blade roared with him, filling the room with their shrieks or horror at seeing such innocence slain, howling in a cyclone of energy that struck out at the murderer. The last remaining Enderknight looked on with terror as he struggled to withstand the tempest of soul power radiating from Valiant. Calling all his power from within and aided by the souls of the fallen in his scythe, Valiant felt supernatural power course through his very being. In his hand a form of fire made of void material grew into a raging fireball, releasing an inferno of dark heat. With a scream of primitive hatred, Valiant sent the projectile at the last remaining Enderknight. The result was pure devastation as the fireball exploded with the force of ten charged creepers, vaporizing his unfortunate target.

Valiant’s anger soon faded and was replaced by a deep sorrow as tears began to flow from his eyes. Quickly, he ran to his sister’s side and bent down to his knees. She was barely alive, her light barely visible. “Sister, you can’t leave! I’ll get the medics, I’ll get somebody!” Her eyes seemed unable to focus, but she reached a shaking hand to his face. Valiant clutched the hand as his body trembled with fear. “Valiant,” She croaked, “There is no healing. You wouldn’t be able to fix this. After all, the only other End Crystals are controlled by Vector now. Didn’t you recognize these knights as his?” Valiant hadn’t noticed until Abbigail pointed it out. Fury once again bubbled underneath his sadness. I will kill you for this, Vector. The Queen coughed weakly before continuing to speak. “You would be unable to get me help in time. Vector is taking over, just like he planned.” Her voice became bitter. “I should have listened to you a long time ago. I didn’t want to see betrayal because of the trust I put into him. You alone saw what was coming and you tried to warn me. But like a fool, I refused to listen and now the throne has fallen.” Abbigail’s eyes focused for one second. “But I did prepare. Within the chest by my bed you will find the Ender Crown and the EnderBlade. It will only open for you now. You must stop Vector and succeed where I have failed. Make me proud, brother.” And with that, the lights on her armor went out.

Sobbs now racked Valiant’s body as reality sank into his mind. His mind clouded with grief, he collapsed fully to the ground, hugging his sister’s body as he cried. *It was the first time she called me brother, or spoke to me so warmly!* He sniffled. *And I failed her. It was my duty to keep her safe, and I couldn’t do it. Some Enderknight I am.* Valiant remembered how he had met his sister. When he had been young, he had always wondered who his mother was, but his father wouldn’t say. Until one day, when an Illager raid took out their village. Then, hoping to keep his son safe, he gave Valiant the papers stating who his relatives were. Valiant followed them through country after country for five years before he figured out what had become of his mother. When he found her, she had been dying. Valiant had stayed with her till the end, comforting her and keeping her safe. During that time, she revealed where Valiant’s sister was. After another year, Valiant finally got an audience with his sister, the Queen of the End. In the presence of her, Nina, and Vector, he had revealed who he was. To prove it to a doubtful Abbigail, he showed the papers his father had given him. Abbigail had accepted him, though reluctantly, and allowed him to become an Enderknight. Days later, he had attended his father’s funeral. *I’ve lost my mother, my father, my home, and now my sister! The only thing I had left!*

Valiant sat there in a stricken daze for hours, time passing him by without his knowledge. He was snapped out of his stupor when he heard footsteps and knew he had to leave. Valiant summoned the last skill in his arsenal. Inflicting levitation on the chest, he opened its lid and used his powers to levitate the contents to himself. Stashing them in his inventory, Valiant summoned a void portal, which deposited him face first into the floor of the courtyard. As Valiant picked himself up, he shook himself to get rid of the dust on him. *I really need to work on these landings. First it was the lava, now it was a snapshot with the ground.* Valiant was surprised to see that all the knights were gathering in front of the podium where the throne was. Scanning the crowd, Valiant found Nina and teleported to her. She jumped, startled, as he appeared by her side. Once she stopped having a heart attack, she punched him in the arm. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” He laughed at her scowl, which only caused the scowl to deepen.

Before they could bicker more, Vector walked up to the End Throne and gazed across the audience. “We have assembled here under the greatest of tragedies. Our Queen has been slain.” Shock rippled across the mob, and many gasped. Vector’s expression turned to lament, something that made Valiant’s blood boil. *You traitor, how twisted are you, to be pretending to be sad about what you did! You're just faking all this!* Soon the crowd began to press towards the throne and became loud as they demanded explanations. Vector raised his hand for silence. “This has come unexpectedly to me as well. Just a few minutes ago, I was informed by Baron Toran about what happened. From what we can tell, Amcour went into the Queen’s chamber and killed her with the help of a few rogue knights.” Valiant had hoped more would speak up, and some did, but most nodded. *It’s because of all the shady things Amcour did for you, Vector! Well, that and the fact you’re so popular. No one would believe you did it, but they would believe that Amcour did.* Immediately, Amcour’s soul, which was one of many in the scythe, began to rage at this announcement until Valiant cut him off. Vector continued. “Because Queen Abbigail never did choose a successor for the throne, it has been decided by the barons that there shall be a vote. I and a few others will be the possibilities for the crown.”

Valiant listened to the speeches without paying attention. Other than Vector, the candidates were Lytie and Cronetak. Both of them wanted to stay neutral towards the squabbling Overworld kingdoms. When it came time, Valiant voted for Lytie, hoping against fate as he waited for the results. But it was in vain as Vector was too popular to lose the vote. When Vector was chosen, he sat on the throne and began his speech. Which, of course, was all about how the Enderknights needed to control the Overworld with an iron fist. Valiant didn’t listen to it much. At the end, Vector stood and demanded that all bow to him. This pushed Valiant over the edge. *No way am I going to bow! You, Vector, are not the rightful king!* Valiant quickly teleported out of the courtroom before Vector could see that he wasn’t bowing.

The next day, Valiant saddled up Vishy and together they flew to a nearby end island. Once they landed, Valiant swung down from this dragon and surveyed the area. *The nether virus is out of control! How is it going to be stopped?* The endstone that acted as the landmass all contained veins of red fungi in them, while the chorus fruit had turned a sickly yellow. In the distance, Valiant watched a few of the resident Endermen. All of them had bloodshot, crimson eyes. All across their torso, many of their veins had turned blue, a sign that they were beyond healing. *It's sad what the End has come to.* Valiant shook his head sadly. *The mighty Enderknights of legend, protectors of the Overworld, no longer able to protect themselves. Riddled with the strife and greed of the ordinary man.* As he waited for his client to come, he thought about the fireball the had summoned during the battle in the queen's chambers. He didn't understand how he did that, and had failed to do it again no matter how hard he tried afterwards. Valiant shook his head. *I'll figure out how I did that sometime later.* Turning his attention to his inventory, Valiant pulled the Ender Crown from his inventory and studied it. *Wait…What?!* Stunned, Valiant watched as the crown glowed purple in his hand. *Something it does only for the rightful ruler of the End! But it can’t mean me, I failed at being an Enderkight! How could I possibly be worthy of being king?!*

Before he could think over it more, an Ardoni stepped in front of him. He’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed the new arrival. The Ardoni in front of him was from the Mendoris clan, with her light gray skin being checkered with lit runes. When Vector had finished his speech the other day, Valiant had been concerned. *If he brings war against even a part of the Overworld, the devastation will be unfathomable. Plus, the tyranny he is proposing is unthinkable and goes against our mandate to protect the Overworld!* Because of this, he had sent a messenger bird through the end portal and to a trusted friend from Ardonia.

“Hello, Akatie. I take it that, since you showed up, you want my news?” When she nodded, he began to tell what had happened, starting with the assassination. When he had finished, she shook her head sadly. “Any news on what this Vector person plans to do?” Valiant nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. He has made a deal with Cydonia. They have agreed to his terms in order to get the war with K’arthen finished. Ardonia needs to prepare. If we get involved, all of it will escalate into a full blown continental war. All of the kingdoms need to be ready to defend themselves.” Akatie nodded and patted his shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry.” Those two words were all she said, the softness in her voice making Valiant want to cry. “I hope that Vector doesn’t ruin the End.” As Akatie spoke, Valiant thought back to the glowing crown. *It only glows for the rightful ruler. But me? Who am I to deserve this? I’m not a great warrior,* Valiant thought bitterly. *I’m nobody.* But an old legend came to mind. He remembered what his Enderknight teacher had told him about the old kings. *The crown didn’t light for them because of their skills, instead it lit for those whose hearts were pure and that of a true leader.* Valiant thought about what his sister had said. *You are the only one who can stop him.* Valiant had fused his sister’s soul with his blade after she had died. Now, she whispered in his mind. *Yes, brother. This is why I left you the throne and not Vector. I could have told his men where the crown was. They wanted to know. But I knew who the throne was truly for. It had stopped lighting for me years earlier, and when I saw you master the ancient skills in your determination to protect me, I knew I had found the next Ender King. Your heart is the most pure I’ve ever known. Plus, you’re more powerful than you know. Who was it, after all, who relearned the ancient skills?* New confidence flowed through Valiant as he realized the truth. *I may not be the best fighter, but I am the best of heart. My father always told me I had a skill like no other, but I never had realized it was this.* Valiant let his grim determination show on his face. Akatie watched him with one brow raised. “Vector won’t get the throne, Akatie.” Valiant pulled out the glowing Ender Crown from his inventory and placed it on his head. “I won’t let him stay ruler for long. I will right his wrongs and put the End where it should be.” Putting the crown back in his inventory, Valiant got on Vishy’s back. The two of them launched into the air and began their journey home.

As they headed back towards the Capital City, Valiant made a silent vow. *I failed the End once, but I won’t do so again. I will stop Vector and fix this nightmare he has created. I’ll make you proud sister.* He could feel Abbigail's soul smile as it whispered back to him. *You already have, my valiant brother.* Valiant became overcome by gratitude and courage. If she believed he could do it, then he was ready. Just like his sister before him, he would undergo a trail of his own sort. As he looked across the vid, he couldn’t help but grin. *It's time to get to work. We’ve got a kingdom to fix!*

## Chapter Nine: Soulful Phoenix

As the guards in the room bustled about, Johanna sucked in cold, calming breaths. *Calm down Johanna. You need to keep your head if you want to make it through this! Pulling her pickaxe off her back, she ran out with the other guards.* What she saw horrified her, and she could feel tears of shock taking over.

The majestic trees around the city, as well as the houses and jungle plank bridges of the city, were all burning as hungry flames consumed them. All around, citizens panicked and desperately tried to douse the flames with water buckets. Most couldn’t, however, because of the new arrivals to the city. All around, Johanna watched as white eyed Undead poured into the city like a tsunami. Their moaning and rattling drowned out the roaring of the fire and the stench of rotten flesh made Johanna’s nose sting and her eyes water. Behind the Undead, the black robed Necromancers used wither skulls and sheer willpower to direct the Undead to attack anyone in their way. Anger flowed through her, and she was about to run straight at the enemy. A strong hand stopped her, pulling her around. His eyes shining with concern, Kaybeth shook his head at her. “I know you want revenge. But Daneil wouldn’t want you to get killed.” His face became clouded by fury as he gazed at the invaders. “Leave this to the guards.”

Before her brother could stop her, Johanna pulled away and ran straight towards the city center. Tears flowed down her face as she ran through the sweltering heat and was forced to listen to the screams of the innocent. Eventually, she reached her destination, and was stunned to see what had happened to it. Once, it was a massive stained glass dome that, when in contact with light, gave such a blissful beauty to its surroundings. But in the cruel night, the flames had melted it to nothing. Only a few blocks, all red, floated in the air. Looking through them, the moon in the sky looked almost blood red. Everywhere else, flames danced around the circular jungle plank floor. In the air, embers swirled like little fireflies.

Shuffling footsteps and groaning brought Johanna back to the present. Whirling to face a zombie that had snuck up on her, Johanna swung her pickaxe at its stomach. The impact of the weapon crumpled the zombie into two, sending it flying into the nearby fence railing. She cringed as some zombie slime sprayed onto her, but smiled as she realized that she had won her first fight. However, the victory was short-lived. Johanna backed away from the zombie, revulsion driving her back. *What in the world?!* Around the fallen zombie, blue energy swirled, mending its festered form. *But…It died! It couldn’t come back!* As she backed away, she tripped on a stick and fell. The zombie rose and staggered toward her. With her heart pounding in her ears, Johanna scooted backwards as much as she could. Then, with no warning, the zombie halted in its tracks. Confused, her eyes caught a reflection in one of the glass blocks. *The Dark King!*

Johanna scrambled to her feet and gave a perfect death glare to the figure behind her. Behind his withered mask, the Dark King chuckled. In the darkness, his soul blue eyes and the ribcage part of his costume glowed with a soft light, though the light was too weak to illuminate like a torch. It gave him an almost ghostly look. The Dark King tilted his head as he studied the Felina in front of him. His voice was soft, around a medium pitch for a human male. *If he is a human.* “Interesting,” he mused, “So this is the Felina who has given us so much trouble. You seem like hardly enough to stop us.” Coming out of her wonder, Johanna snarled in response. “I know everything I need to, your majesty.” Her last word was spat out with as much contempt as possible. By the way his glowing eyes shifted, the Dark King was smiling underneath his mask. “I take it you learned my name when you spied on me during my talk with that Ardoni?” She sputtered as her mind reeled from his reveal. “S-Spy?” The Dark King shook his head as he chuckled. “Did you think I didn’t notice your presence then?” Johanna marveled at the being in front of her, then frowned.

“But then, why didn’t you stop me,” She challenged, “Didn’t you figure I would warn the city?” The Dark King smiled once more. “I didn’t stop you because I knew you would be too late to warn them in time.” The Dark King frowned at the snarl she let out. “You monstrous snake!” He shook his head, clearly puzzled by her hostility. That didn’t stop her, though. “You cowardly murderer! You couldn’t even do your dirty work yourself, you had to have your henchmen do it for you.” She continued with a taunt aimed at the death of her boyfriend. “Can’t your consciousness take death.” Pretending to be thoughtful, Johanna scratched her chin. “Oh, wait. You don’t have one! I wonder why that is.” The Dark King looked so stunned, she was tempted to laugh. At least, she was until he beat her to it. “Such powerful condemnation, such dark accusations,” He spread his hands out, palms up in a gesture meant to calm her down. It merely made her rage burn brighter. “I take it this is about that guard that was protecting you?” When she nodded, he returned the nod. “I am truly sorry about what happened. I never meant to hurt anyone in those mines.” He sighed at the doubtful look she was casting at him. “I know this is not what you want to think, but I am not responsible for that expedition.” Johanna spat at him. “Then why did you attack the mines?!” *Let’s see you answer that!* “Johanna, that was not meant to be an attack. I told Asher to scout out the mines for a way to the city garrison. I specifically told him not to attack anyone or get involved in any fighting. I didn’t want anyone knowing of our return.” Chills traveled down Johanna’s spine as the Dark King's gentle tone became a growl. “And I made sure he paid dearly for that mistake. He will bother either of us no longer.” With that, he threw down a mask in front of her. Horror overtook her as she saw the hard look in the King’s eyes. *He actually killed his own member!* “So how do you justify the killing of innocent people and the burning of their city, or the murder of your own servant?”

His voice became gentle and his face a mask of calm as he responded. “After what he did? I couldn’t let such an evil act go unpunished. If I merely let him to his own devices, Asher would kill even more innocents. As for the city, not all the people are innocent. Some of those guards are those who killed my kin during the Second Great War and who resist me now.” Johanna gasped in shock. “But they’re just doing their job!” The Dark King shrugged with indifference. “They could have chosen to lay their weapons down. Instead of fighting to the death, they could have surrendered. But they didn’t. They chose to die. It’s not my fault that they are imbeciles.” Johanna bristled at the insult. *Daniel was not an imbecile!* She kept her voice steady as she spoke. “But you are choosing to attack them. Some of these people are just citizens, and they have nowhere else to call home!” He sighed in exasperation. “I can’t stop all of my men from doing certain things, though I will still punish and discourage them when I can. And besides, I cannot defeat Felden if its cities remain strong and powerful. That is where the kingdom gets its strength from! And if they have nowhere to go, they should blame the government for choosing the Necromancers as enemies. None of this would have happened if Felden had left us alone.” Johanna shook as she struggled to argue. *I can actually understand the reason he’s saying this. And can I truly blame him for something his men did, especially when he didn’t want this and made sure to punish the killer? Am I judging him unfairly?* “With all this destruction, you’re still a monster.” The Dark King laughed at her, looking at her with such empathy that it made her stomach sick. “Do you really believe I’m a monster because of what I’ve done, or because you want me to be?” Johanna stumbled back as though she had been punched in the gut. The Dark King continued, pressing his advantage. “Just because I’m a Necromancer, I’m supposed to be evil? Because I’m trying to protect my people, lead them to a better future? After the scorn we received, the only way to truly live in the sun would be to get rid of the government that seeks to destroy us because of the mistakes our leader made. But I suppose we can’t learn from our mistakes because we’re monsters like our zombies, right?” He shrugged as he pulled out his wither spine staff.

Johanna’s head spun as she struggled to maintain her hostility towards her opponent. *But it is true. They can’t live a full life because of the biased nature of our society.* Johanna put her hands to her head as she struggled to decide. *Sure, he’s destroying this place, but what choice does he have? If he doesn’t attack, Felden will and they’ll destroy him if they’re not weakened. And after how he punished Asher, I can’t imagine that he would let the others get away with murder. Plus, what his men do doesn’t dictate his character. Maybe I just think he’s evil because I want him to be so that I can condemn all his kind.* As she battled the doubt, she could feel another voice trying to take over. Looking into the eyes of the wither staff, she could feel her willpower fading as her mind withered. The voice whispered into her mind, weakening her defenses. *Your soul should be set free, unburdened. Let go and give up. You’ll no longer have any worries, no regrets. Isn’t that what you want?*

Before she mentally cumbled, she felt a new presence nearby. All of a sudden, the link between her and the staff shattered. With surprise, Johanna looked at the Dark King, who was now pinned underneath her brother’s body. Shaking the fog out of her head, she pulled her brother up. She froze as she heard a moan behind *her. The zombie!* Fast as a flash, Kaybeth stabbed it between the eyes with his sword. Frantically, he began to pull her towards the fence railing. Behind them, the Dark King got up, rubbing his face groggily. Noticing their movement, the Dark King reached an arm out in Johanna’s direction. “Wait,” he whispered, “Come back!” With shaky legs, he advanced on them. Then, before she could think, Kaybeth pulled Johanna over the railing, and together they began to fall.

As they fell, Johanna screamed in terror. As much as she wished she could say she came to terms with her situation, in reality, her mind was stuck on repeat. *I can’t die today! I’m too young to die! I DON'T WANNA DIE!* It felt like an eternity before they landed. Luckily, they landed on the edge of the Panda Lake. Since the lake edge was shallow, Kaybeth didn’t have to swim, though he did know how. Together, both he and Johanna wadded to shore. Once they were on solid ground again, they both ran towards the burning city. Johanna was surprised when they reached the ladders leading to the city, as it was now packed with soldiers. A mixture of Humans and Felinas all stood tensely, all on the lookout for any undead attempting to come through the mines. In the center stood Lucan and Nika. All of the guards held leads in their hands, each lead being attached to a horse. As soon as Lucan spotted them, he nodded, his eyes blazing with hatred. The soldiers all climbed up on their horses. Only one was left, Lucan holding the extra. Kaybeth sprang onto the horse. With a reassuring smile, he held out a hand to help Johanna up.

Johanna was about to take it, until she realized with fear that not everyone she cared about was there. “Wait, what about mother, or sis? Where are they? We have to find them?!” Hysteria began to set in, and Johanna searched around frantically. Trying to sooth the young Felina, Lucan cleared his throat and explained. “The other guards have been put in charge of evacuation. We’ll meet with them at Fort Zuka.” Johanna shook her head. “I have to find them.” Lucan muttered to himself unhappily, before nodding to a guard. Immediately, the guard disembarked his horse and stepped behind Johanna, preventing any chance of escape. Johanna shook with fury as she realized what was happening. “Why are you stopping me from finding them? Do you want them to die?!” Lucan shook his head, his face pale at the suggestion. “No, we don’t want them to die, but ou are too important to risk. You know them better than we do, so we need your intel to reach the government ears.” Johanna refused to listen and turned to run, when her brother leaped from his horse and restrained her. Grim faced, other guards came down and tied her with leads. Screaming with frustration, Johanna lashed out the whole time. *Why don’t they understand?! I’ve already lost too much to the Necromancers! I can’t lose anyone else!* Howling, she was forced onto a horse. With that, everyone got back on. Kaybeth, who now sat in front on the horse, whispered to his sister. “I know you don’t want to lose anyone else, and neither do I. But I can’t save them since I don’t know where to find them. But I can save you. Please don’t let me fail in this.” Still, Johanna begged to go back.

For hours, the small party traveled through the vibrant jungle. Johanna barely noticed. With tears streaming down her face, she couldn’t help but think the worst. *What if a zombie killed them? I know the Dark King said that he told his men not to kill innocent people. Or at least, he punishes them for it, so I assume he tells them not to do it. But he can’t keep tabs on all his men at once, or all his undead!* Numb to the sights outside, time passed before Johanna’s eyes. After what seemed like a moment, she found herself outside Fort Zuka. All members of the party dismounted and marched in formation behind Nika. Johanna glumly shuffled beside her brother.

Fort Zuka was massive, a head taller than the tall jungle trees and was made of a wall with four watchtowers, plus the inside for training and troop housing. The whole place was made of a mixture of torches for light, as well as stone, cobblestone, and stone bricks. There was only one entrance, an arch with its opening blocked by a fence gate. Once they had reached it, the gate opened upwards using a hidden redstone mechanism.

Johanna, however, barely noticed. Sensing her retreat from the world, Kaybeth went to one of the troop quarters and declared it her new resting place. With one last worried glance and a note, Kaybeth went out the door, leaving Johanna alone. The room was small, with a bed and a hanging lantern. The only other thing was a chest beside the bed. As she read the note, her heart broke. *Mother made it, but not Tulip.* Johanna cried the whole night away. *I knew I should have gone back!*

The next morning, Kaybeth cautiously entered the room. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his shuffling feet in shame. “I’m so sorry,” his voice cracked, “I should have gone back, but I wanted to keep you safe. I’m a failure. I couldn’t do my job when I was truly needed.” Johanna stopped crying and sprang at her brother. Kaybeth flinched, expecting to be hit. Instead, Johanna wrapped him up in a fierce hug. “No, Kaybeth, no. It wasn’t your fault. You were doing what you were supposed to do, keep me safe. Even if you had gone back, there would have been too many. You couldn’t have done anything.” Kaybeth smiled weakly as she pulled away. It wasn’t much, but now there was no longer any hostility between them.

Kaybeth then smacked his head. “I forgot. The government officials want to hear what you know about the Necromancers. I was supposed to bring you to them.” Johanna nodded and took her brother’s hand. Together, they stepped outside, and were surprised by what met them. Apparently, the officials had gotten tired of waiting and had come to her door.

With unrelenting intensity, they grilled her on everything she knew about the Necromancers. She told about how she had discovered the Necromancers in the mine attack as well as how she had followed them to their secret base. The head official, an old Felina with green ears and glasses nodded. “We will need you to lead us to the base, but not quite yet. First you must rest and recover from what has happened. Until then, we must prepare to move against the Necromancers.” The officials turned and left, but Lucan, who had come with them, stayed. With guilt written all over his face, he took a deep breath and spoke. “Johanna, I’m sorry. We should have listened to you, but we refused. Now it has cost us much, as well as having cost you even more.” He would have said more, but she stopped him. “Don’t worry about it,” Johanna shrugged, “I would have done the same.” Unconvinced, Lucan nonetheless nodded and headed off.

The rest of the day, Johanna wrote in her journal while laying on her bed. She couldn’t stop thinking about the Dark King and his words. In secret, she felt guilty for agreeing with him. She still wanted revenge against the others, but she couldn’t help but admire his courage for stepping out of the shadows. Suddenly, a knock on the door snapped her out of her daydreams. When she opened it, a red runed Ardoni nodded to her. Johanna nodded back and gave the news. “It’s happening, Tigress. Felden is declaring war on the Necromancers.” Tigress nodded back. “I’ll make sure to get some help from my own sources.” With that, Tigress left, and Johanna went back to her bed. She smiled as the fell asleep. *Tomorrow, it’ll be time to start the greatest adventure of all. Daniel would be so jealous.* Then, the dreams took over and Johanna fell asleep under the shining night stars.

## Epilogue

Kylor took in a deep breath as he walked into the tournament grounds. Today was the day that would decide the future of the Ardoni Clans. With wide eyes, he took in the awe inspiring sights around him. As he walked into the massive stone cavern, he couldn’t help but think about those who had come before him. *All the greatest have come here. Thalleous, Ingressus, and Achillean.* The stone crushed under his feet as he moved forward. He could feel the ancient history weighing heavily on his shoulders. *This is my chance to make it up to my father. It’s truly up to me to lead the clans so that the Nightsinger can be stopped.* Kylor sighed with longing. *I wish father could be here to see me now.*

Beside him, Venus squeezed his hand while Kora rolled her eyes behind them. Over the last few weeks, Venus had become more than just a friend to him. She had become his greatest supporter, and had finally fallen for him. They had tried to keep their romance a secret, but of course Theseus blurted it out to everyone. Kylor wasn’t mad, in fact he had laughed at the practical joke. But Venus had become so furious, Theseus had to hide from her for days as to not have an arrow thrown into his chest. Kora had actually been supportive, but clearly though the two lovers were making it a big deal for nothing.

Soon, Kylor reached the center of the tournament grounds. In that circle in the cavern center, green grass and vibrant flowers gave signs of life to a place so far from lively elsewhere. Sunlight streamed through holes in the ceiling hundreds of feet up. Around the cavern, stony balconies were set up so that other Ardoni could watch the participants compete. There were too many Voltaris in the stands for Kylor’s liking. *Senn had said that his clan wasn’t sending a champion to compete. So why are these Voltaris here?* Kylor saw why as soon as he looked at his competitors. In one corner, Victor Voltaris stared back at him.

The other competitors were also warming up on the tournament grounds. One of them was a Sendaris. His ears suggested that he was a little over sixty, and his runes were a mess of blue squiggles everywhere. On his back, a fanged diamond staff hung and in his hand was a thorny enchanted diamond broadsword. The next one was a Kaltaris, but Kylor didn’t pay him or any of the other champions any attention. Only Vector and the Sendaris looked like actual threats to his victory. Before he could analyze them more, however, Drakius pulled him aside.

“Kylor, I wanted you to know this.” Drakius looked into the youngster’s eyes with compassion. “I want you to have my uncle’s blade.” When Kylor gave him a confused look, Drakius explained. “Used to, I was mad at Nitrus for taking the Deathsinger’s sword. I thought of it as stealing since I was Ingressus’ relative. It was up to me to carry on for my Uncle what he couldn’t do himself, which was to help his clan. I even thought about stealing it from Nitrus, but I knew that wouldn’t work forever.” Kylor pulled the netherite broadsword out and was about to give it to Drakius. But Drakius shook his head and pushed it back. Kylor looked at him in concern. “You sure you don’t want it back. Drakius smiled. “You’re about to save his clan from their greatest danger. Uncle would want you to have it, Dawnsinger.” Kylor grinned back, but then frowned when he noticed Victor listening in on the conversation. Before he could look into it, though, an elderly Mendoris began the tournament.

“Today, we have gathered to face a great danger. Outside our lands, trouble brews. Trouble that could harm us all.” He gave the crowd a hard look. “Gathered today are the greatest of our clans. Today, one will be chosen to be the champion of all the clans in order to lead us through this uncertain time.” He then nodded to the gathered champions. “Let the tournament begin!”

Kylor sized up the other opponents, careful to keep the flame enchantment on his sword from activating. Time crawled by, the air thick with tension. Then, unable to stand it, Kylor launched himself at his opponents. The first one he went after was Victor. With an overhead slash, Kylor forced Victor to block. Then, while the Nightsinger held his blade above him for protection, Kylor side kicked him into the ground. The Sendaris competitor struck next, attempting to hit Kylor’s exposed back. Activating Mobilishift, Kylor spun around and ducked before slamming the flat of his blade into his opponent’s skull. The Kaltaris looked like he was about to flee, so Kylor dashed to him. In panic, the Kaltaris stabbed at him. *Big mistake, buddy!* Kylor knocked the spear aside, then swung the flat of his sword into the Kaltaris competitor’s chest. *Three down, two to go. T*he Mendoris female ran forward and attempted to slip underneath him, but Kylor jumped up. Then, as he landed, he dispatched her with an ax kick. The only one left was the Nestoris. With a shout, the Nestoris sent an Aggrocone his way. Kylor, however, activated Supporohide. Confused, the Nestoris cautiously made his way forward, prodding the air with his spear. However, Kylor used his advantage to sneak to the side. Then, with a mighty heave, Kylor grabbed the spear and swung it so that the blunt end slammed into its owner’s chin. The pain caused the surprised Nestoris to let go of his weapon. Pulling back, Kylor then, with all his strength, thrust the blunt end of the spear into his opponent’s solar plexus. Wheezing from the impact, the Nestoris hit the ground like a barrel of cobblestone.

With relish, Kylor pulled his staff off his back and planted it into the ground in victory. Leaning on his staff, his chest looking like a block of magma, Aurelius Nestoris stepped forward with the other masters and spoke to both Kylor and the audience. “It looks like we have a champion.” He smiled fondly at the young Ardoni. “You have demonstrated the skills in combat and song wielding required of a great leader. And the fact that you are here shows your desire to make a brighter future for the clans. May you lead us well.”  At that moment, Victor sprang up and glared at Kylor. Unease grew within Kylor as Victor spat out his rejections. “I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to do this,” he glowered, “but it appears I must.” Nodding to the crowd, an unseen signal passed to all the Voltaris watching. In an instant, the Voltaris used their songs to teleport to their leader, with a few of them teleporting behind the masters. With another nod from the Nightsinger, they slayed the clan masters.

Chaos ensued as the corpses fell to the ground. *They’re trying to throw the clans into chaos by killing their masters and elders!* Together, Kylor and his friends launched themselves against the Voltaris intruders. Soon, they were joined by the tournament guards, Ardoni who were there to guard the masters. At first, the advantage of surprise worked well in Victor’s favor. But soon, his miniscule forces were overwhelmed. Without the proper size, the Ardoni guards began to push the Voltaris back. Venus used Supporoconstruct to make and fling arrows at the murderers. *She’s got a killer aim! Literally!* Drakius twirled his staff, sending arrows back to their senders while Theseus used a takedown to throw an enemy over the platform edge before stabbing a Voltaris behind him. Growling, the Nightsinger soon found himself alone. Fear lit his eyes as he looked at Kylor. *He knows he can’t beat us all!* To prevent his escape, Kylor summoned Aggrofang. Victor lunged to the side to avoid getting hit, but was too late as the destructive fang nicked his leg.

Victor stood up, wincing with the effort. His form was bent as the pain of his injury weighed him down and limited his maneuverability. With malice, the Nightsinger glared at Ardoni in front of him. As Kylor studied his wounded opponent, for the first time, truly saw his enemy. All those years ago, the destruction of Dryvandale was but a blur and while he could remember the events, Kylor couldn't remember what Victor looked like. Now, though, he consciously scrutinized every detail.

The Nightsinger's face was perhaps the most fascinating.  When he was younger, Kylor's father would tell him stories of adventures. One such story spoke of Ghasts, creatures with a gray line underneath their eyes, almost as though they had been crying so long that the tears had scarred them. Looking at Victor's face reminded Kylor of the story. The Nightsinger too had crimson lines underneath the pupil area of his eyes, almost as though he had been crying blood for centuries. Victor's torso was different, a chaotic mess of runes in red almost as though his chest had been ravaged by Felina claws. Above each fist, diagonal stripes of scarlet made up his arm runes. All of this contrasted with his extremely dark gray skin.

Most of Kylor's friends were glaring at Victor, but Akatie looked devastated. She looked like she had seen a ghost. With misty eyes, Akatie reached out towards Victor. Her voice was pleading and even cracked a few times as she implored him. "Please, Victor. It doesn't have to be this way! If you go for this power, it will only destroy you. Don't make this mistake! You can't win this fight and I know you don't want to lose all of your people. Please, make the right decision and step away from this path!"

Akatie kept her hand extended, a ray of hope lighting up her face. For a bit, it seemed as if the Nightsinger might come forward and take it as many emotions wared across his face. Looking into Victor's eyes at that moment, Kylor could see the true Voltaris deep within. *The look on his face. It's the look of one who sees what he's done and knows he can never go back.* Gently, Kylor spoke to his opponent's heart. "It's not too late. You can still turn back." Anguish and despair seemed to fill Victor for a second. But then the anger and defeat took over again.

Victor gazed into the eyes of his enemies before he began to speak. He addressed Akatie first, his face becoming furious. Victor pointed his ax at her with a look of betrayal mixing with his anger. "You claim that I am taking the wrong path, that I am making a mistake. But have you forgotten who it was that urged me to find the power to avenge the wrongs done to my clan?" He snarled out the words. "And when I came to you with my plan to achieve my goal, do you remember who it was who tried to kill me. And then ran to Tysoar when that failed, sister?" Akatie staggered a few steps back as though she had been punched in the gut. Her expression was that of horror as she held her hands over her mouth. Victor then turned to Kylor. His eyes became sympathetic and lamentable. "Your father and I were close back then. When he was rejected by everyone else because of who is father was, I saved him from those who threatened to harm him. Together we bonded and soon, we were practically brothers to one another. Through thick and thin, to roaring fire or pounding storm, we were an inseparable team. We were as close to each other as anyone could possibly be." Victor's expression darkened as he focused his attention on Drakius. "It was him who drove us apart. He whispered lies and deceit to Tysoar. He made him believe that the persecution placed on us was our fault. He twisted Tysoar's mind until Tysoar saw me as an enemy. It is because of him that Tysoar and I fought. It was because of him that I had to kill Tysoar. In the end, what he did forced us to where we ended up. And someday," Victor glared at the green Ardoni, "he will pay." As Victor returned his attention to Kylor, his expression changed in a way that Kylor would have thought possible for someone like him. "For what's worth, I am truly, deeply sorry. What I did on that tragic night long ago still haunts me in my nightmares. I only ever wanted to help my people. I never meant for it to come to this.” And the strange thing was, Kylor believed him. For just a second, the Nightsinger’s true colors showed. *He’s truly sad, shattered by that night. Its scars run deep into his mind.* Kylor’s heart ached at the realization. *He really did care about my father, and it's broken something inside him knowing what he’s done. His is the face of a man haunted by regret, by ghosts of the past. He really was only trying to help his clan, but he ended up hurting the one closest to him.* But there was something else there too. *Determination. He knows that he can’t go back, and he truly believes that what he’s doing will avenge the wrongs.* But in truth, it never would. The Nightsinger’s voice cracked and a stubborn tear fell down his face. “Your father was one of the few people I had left in life. The others were all taken by the other cursed clans!”

Victor turned and aimed a burning glare at Theseus. “So,” he sneered, “You’re the child of Drakius. I remember you for what you took from me! Look upon these runes!” The Nightsinger waved one hand over the runes on his chest. When Theseus shook his head, Victor looked at him in disgust. “Well, son of the Arcturus house, let me enlighten you. It was a little over a century and half since the Great War had been finished. That night, we were planning one of our raids.” Pain clouded Victor’s face, his eyes far off as though peering through time itself as he lost himself in the past. “He had no quarrel with you, and yet you murdered him in cold-blood. Graduk, my brother, the last family I had left. He never wanted to fight Kaltaria, but still you murdered him that night.” Fury glazed the Nightsinger’s eyes and his face became sharp angles of cold hatred. “And then you came to the base of Mount Velgrin to where my friend and I were sitting watching that night. Rather than leave us be, you charged in. I had no reason to fight you, I merely tried to defend myself. But still, you left me to die with a spear through my heart. And you killed Bellaphron, even though he was defenseless! You had no sense of honor, nor do you have any sense of understanding!” Victor laughed a harsh, broken laugh. “But I survived, thanks to Tysoar. He used Protepulse to heal me and bring me back just as I was giving my last breath.” Victor sighed. “But he was too late to save Beelaphron.” The Nightsinger pointed his blade at Theseus. “And one day, I will ensure you understand the pain that I have felt at your family’s hands! Thanks to the Arcturus house, I lost everything!”

Theseus was speechless, his mouth gaping open in shock as he recognized the Ardoni in front of him. Venus was the only one who didn’t seem stunned. Instead, she looked like she wanted to strangle Victor. “Why,” She snapped. “Why are you doing this? What would this accomplish?” The Nightsinger’s expression became sympathetic as he gazed at her with something Kylor was surprised to see. Love. “Venus, my daughter, someday you will understand.” Victor turned his attention to the group as a whole. “None of you can understand. The cursed reputation of your clan gives us no choice. We live under the shadow of death in every second of our lives. The only way we can live without worrying about those who hunt us is to be too strong to fall. Without this power, we can’t survive.” His bitter voice rang with truth. “Because of our ancestors, we are viewed as irredeemable evil. When even the slightest things go wrong, we are blamed for what has happened and are hunted down.” His piercing stare bored into Kylor’s mind. “When the Deathsinger was being hunted, we had no choice but to follow him. Because, thanks to our reputation, even if we were not in league with him, we would still be killed merely because we were Voltaris. No one cared if we were innocent.” Victor planted his ax into the ground with a careless shrug, but his grief stricken eyes didn’t quite sell it. “Not to say we all disagreed with Ingressus. I understood why he did it. The Primes were rightfully his! The Masters chose to resist him, giving him no choice but to take what was his. He knew that, unless we gained back our ancient power, we would once again be hunted. Now, I must go to the battlefield. At this moment, my lieutenant Scarlet is taking care of the weakling who dared claim to be master of my clan.”

Victor turned and activated Supporoconstruct and created a portal with his mind. On the other side of the portal, a burning village could be seen. In it, different Ardoni with red markings battled each other. At the center, two Ardoni dueled each other. One of them was holding a flaming garnet sword, a sneer on her face as she fought with agility. The other held Voltar, as well as an enchanted diamond broadsword. *Master Senn Voltaris!* Despite her power, the female couldn’t seem to overpower Senn who, with an Aggrosphere, blew his opponent backward. However, Kylor returned his attention to the Nightsinger, who had now turned his back to them and was facing the portal. He chuckled with contempt as he spoke. “It is true, I can’t win this fight. Even with the rogue Voltaris and the Unyielding Legion, I cannot hope to defeat the combined strength of all four clans. But I am not alone. As we speak, plans are coming to pass, plans set in motion and constructed long before that night a decade ago. Plans you cannot hope to stop. In the End, I have ensured that one knight has risen to power, and once he takes over the human armies and marches to aid me with their power, I will have the greatest army ever known. And soon the Necromancers of the east shall join me after conquering Felden. With the power of their undead, and the dark secret they hold, I will be unstoppable! You may have won this battle, Dawnsinger, but the war has just begun.” Then, before anyone could stop him, the Nightsinger strode through his portal, which promptly disappeared once he was through.

Kylor looked around at the devastation. *If all the clan masters are dead, who will lead the clans to war?* With confidence he didn’t possess, Kylor turned to the elder Ardoni from each clan, all of whom were now gathered behind him. “If we are to stay strong against these threats, we must have new leaders.” All the elders nodded their heads. The oldest for the Kaltaris stepped forward. Bending down, he picked up Kaltar from the fallen Kaltaris master. With a bow, he presented it to Kylor. Shock raced through Kylor as he stared at the clan staff. *But I can’t lead. I don’t have the experience, and…its not what I want. I’m here to help my father, not rule. I won’t give power the chance to get into my head.* Kylor shook his head. “This staff is not for me. I came here to help lead you against the Nightsinger. Once he is defeated, I want nothing more. I do not seek power, nor do I want it.” Kylor took the staff and turned to Drakius. “But I do know who should come next. Drakius has been alive longer than me, and has experience of the highest quality. He has seen the many events of Ardonia, and he is one of the few I trust to stand by the light in these dark times.” Speechless, Drakius took the staff and glanced uncertainty at the Kaltaris elders. Smiling, the elder nodded before he spoke to Kylor, his voice crackly with age. “To be able to turn down power and admit weakness shows wisdom beyond your years. The Kaltaris clan would be honored to follow you. You can count on our support.”

Kylor turned to the Sendaris elders. The oldest of them nodded to him. “We have chosen our new leader.” The elder turned to the champion for the Sendaris clan. “You are the strongest among us, Tempest, and you have seen many conflicts and always stood by the righteous. Not only that, but you have also dealt with the Voltaris many times as you protected our world.” *So that's the Sendaris Champoin's name is.* The other Sendaris elders mumbled their agreement as Tempest was presented with Sendar. Tempest took it with a grim expression. “If Ardonia is to survive,” His voice surprisingly calm and deadly serious, “The clans must stand together.” Tempest nodded to Kylor. “And considering that you know more about this threat than us, we will follow your lead. You can count on our support.”

Kylor glanced at the Mendoris and Nestoris clan elders. Debating fiercely, the Nestoris clan elders spoke first. “During the Illager war two decades back, under our advice, the Ardoni clans closed their eyes to the growing ominous threat of the east. Because of it, Felden and its neighbors were nearly destroyed. Only one of us was courageous enough to stand up to the Illagers and led a small group of Ardoni to fight. Thanks to him, the Illagers were defeated, but Felden barely recovered recently. If the Nightsinger attempts to do what the Illagers tried, with him having an even larger force, he would doom Ardonia. We need the courage that was found during the Ominous War.” The Nestoris turned to a younger Ardoni with yellow rain patterned runes, the same one that Kylor had just beaten in the tournament. “Herculean Nestoris, would you lead us?” Herculean took the Nestor from the elder and nodded. “I will lead us as courageously as I did during the Ominous war.” Herculean then turned to Kylor and nodded. “We shall follow you, Dawnsinger. You know this threat better than any of us. Show us what we must do, and we shall do it for our brothers and sisters.”

Kylor looked at the elders of the Mendoris clan. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and gave his opinion. “If it is possible, I think Akatie is perfect for this. She has trained with Galleous himself, and she had many years of experience. Not only that, but I can trust her to do right.” He was about to say more, but Akatie firmly cut him off. “No. This is my fault, I was the one who encouraged the Nightsinger. I don’t deserve such respect.” Kylor was about to argue, but thought better of it. He nodded at her with sympathy. *I understand, feeling like it's your fault.* Akatie turned to the elders and made her own suggestion. “My mother, Diana Mendoris, is even greater than me, and none here can deny she is the greatest of the Mendoris in terms of wielding songs. Or that it was she that helped bring some of our clan to help Herculean.” The elders huddled together and, after an intense discussion, agreed, handing Mendor to a younger Mendoris with vine-like runes going down her legs and torso.

Theseus pointed out the problem after the master issue had been settled. “But we still can win. If what the Nightsinger said is true, we can’t hope to beat him, even with the combined power of all four clans. What will we do?” Everyone, even the clan masters, turned to Kylor for an answer. This both surprised and unsettled him. *I’m still so young. They have more experience, so why are they looking for me to lead?!* But he was their champion now, and it was his job to make sure that they stayed safe. As he thought about it, a plan came to mind. With a deep breath, he addressed all the Ardoni gathered, those competing and those watching. “Clan masters, gather all of your warriors who can fight. I’ll deal with our number problem. We can ask the other human kingdoms for help. Not all of them will bow to the End. And if the stories that my father told me are true, then the world of death will realize the danger the End poses. Theseus scratched his head with disbelief. “You’re proposing that we ally with the Nether.” Theseus said it as a statement rather than a question. Kylor nodded. “King Hyperion fought alongside my father. The Nightsinger is the Nether’s enemy as well. I’m sure I can get through to Hyperion’s better nature.” Tempest was the one who spoke up. With a thoughtful look, he appraised the young Kaltaris. “Your idea might just work. The Nether would have a large enough army to face off with a couple human armies. Besides, it’s our only shot. We won’t find a large enough force anywhere else.”

With all decided, the clan masters left to rally their troops. Kylor and his friends stayed as they chose their next course of action. Since Tigress and Electron were more experienced in intel collection, it was decided that they would go to the kingdoms to see what they could learn. The whole time, Venus kept her eyes on the ground. *I didn’t know she was Victor’s daughter.* The one time she met his eyes, he gave her a hard look to ensure she knew there would be a discussion in the future. *I can’t believe she never told me about this! That meant that she lied to me about her parents and much of her life! How many other lies has she told me?* Kylor turned his attention back to the discussion. Theseus was insistent that he be given a major mission, and Kylor finally relented, telling him and Kora to find what the fate of the Voltaris clan was. Despite his anger at her, he decided to have Venus come with him as everyone else got their missions. *Meanwhile, I will go to the Nether to find help.* With that, all of them left.

Drakius was the last one out. As he stared at the sunset, he thought grimly about what lay ahead. *It’s a new dawn,* Drakius mused to himself. *A dawn of night.* Unease eating at him, Drakius turned and headed out to gather his people. *We must get ready for the Third Great War.*