Elucard feinted to the side as an ice buzzsaw grazed across his shoulder. His feet slipped on the sheet of ice covering the ground. He bent his knees and swayed his shoulders, trying to find his balance. Strife did not make the battle easy. Between the mage’s mastery over water and ice, he also bore the element of light and lightning. His elemental manipulation was not Strife’s only threat, but he also had complete control of the battlefield as well.

  “Inle watch—” Elucard shouted as a stalk of lightning struck down on the shadow elf.

  Damn it! We can’t even get close to him and when we do—

  Elucard slid across the ice taking aim with his blade for Strife’s back. However a yellow gas cloud appeared around the blue mage. Elucard’s eyes burned and blinded from the noxious vapor. He swung wide, hoping he would connect with Strife’s flesh, but the only thing he sliced was air.

  Strife shot him a sinister grin as Elucard finished his slide into a nearby pillar. The elf rubbed his eyes until he could see again. He looked over to Inle laying on the ground. His singed clothing still wafted smoke from the lightning strike.

  Elucard called over to him, “Inle! Are you alright?”

  Inle stirred, struggling to rise to his feet.

  “Inle?” Elucard called out again.

  Inle threw Elucard a thumbs up as he managed to get to his feet. He reached over and picked up his sword and slowly the two shrouds stood side by side once more.

  Strife wove hands in a circle, causing fluids from his poison bottles followed his movements

  “Can you manipulate his water magic, Inle?” Elucard silent whispered.

  “Only a true master in that element can manipulate another one’s spell,” Inle explained in a whisper back. “It’s why I haven’t used any of my own magic on him. It would just be giving coal to the fire.”

  Elucard flexed his Magi arm. “He doesn’t wield vernal magic, we can use that.”

  “Nor has he ever faced a pair of two of the most skilled Black Rabbits on Draak’Terra,” Inle said with a smirk.

  Elucard chucked. “No, I don’t believe he has.”

  Strife bared his teeth. “Nothing you try will stop me!”

  “Are you ready to show him what a couple of motivated Rabbits can do to someone?” Inle asked Elucard.

  “Yeah, let’s show him.”

  Elucard exploded into action, slinging a vine whip that wrapped around Strife’s leg. Pulling it taut, Elucard swooped around the mage, gliding gracefully across the ice. With uncanny speed, he yanked himself to Strife and drove his ninjato through the mage’s thigh.

  “Take the left!” Elucard ordered. He stole a glance at Inle. The shadow elf danced to the other side of Strife, taking a sizable slice into the mage’s arm. Elucard couldn’t help but smile, The two of them didn’t miss a beat. They were a team again, just like the old days. No longer master and student, but Blade Brothers instead.

  The gaping wound in Strife’s leg buckled him to his knees. He clutched the fresh cut on his arm. Elucard and Inle charged, criss-crossing with a matching strike across the mage’s chest.

  “I see that the weight training is paying off,” commented Inle.

  Elucard bounced on his toes like a spry harekin. “I feel quicker than this old geezer in front of us.” It was true, Inle’s methods had been paying off, but it was his renewed connection with the shadow elf that brought a new passion for combat.

  Elucard was a new elf. Happy and in love. Something he thought he could never achieve, but now that he breathed new life into his soul, he swore to the gods above, no one would take that away from him!

  Inle wiped a drop of blood off his mask. “Let’s end this and help Arrelion with Wraslyn.”

  Elucard gave Inle a smile. “With pleasure.”

  Strife let out a wheezing laugh. “End this? We’ve only just begun!”

  Elucard dashed at the mage, but he stumbled to a stop as his muscles tightened up. He grunted as he strained his legs to move. A rush of pain flowed through his body with each ounce of energy that he exerted trying to force his fingers to even flex. He looked up to Strife. The old mage slid a grin across his face.

  “Inle, he’s somehow controlling my muscles! Break his concentration!” yelped Elucard.

  Inle narrowed his eyes and darted with his blade gripped in his hand.

  “Back away!” shouted Strife. “Wraslyn will forgive the crime of betraying you if you wish to keep Elucard as your plaything.”

  Inle halted his advance. He glanced at Elucard.

  “You wish to save this pathetic elf? Then lay your weapon at your feet and I will spare him,” hissed Strife. “Continue to defy Dead of Winter and you will find out all too soon what I am capable of.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Inle!” roared Elucard.

  Strife sauntered to Elucard and tapped his finger on the elf’s chest. “I control the very blood vessels that run throughout your body; let’s find out what happens when I freeze them…”

  Elucard pupils shrank as a wave of a frigid sensation crept from his toes up his legs and into his fingers. Slowly his eyes faded to an eternal darkness. One where he would not awaken. Once again, as many times in the past, he heard the beating wings of Alanna’s Hand. The familiar dirge echoed in his thoughts.

  ‘Angels swirl around me, waiting for my last breath

  Eyes soulless and black, wings white like ash

  I fear many things, but today I just fear Death’

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  If this was his time to move on to the Roaming Plane, let it be. He found his peace with Death. He had Cade in his life, maybe only for a fleeting moment, but he experienced true happiness. The kind that held his jealousy for what others had—what his master, Legion had…

  No… not yet… not now… I—I don’t…

  Having stood at the brink of his life's end so many times, facing Alanna's hand now felt familiar. For every drop of blood he shed, for every breath he took, he never feared Alanna’s arrow, but today,in this moment, the Dirge rang true. Now he just feared Death.

  Elucard called out with a cry woven and rife with his fear. “Inle!!!”

  Then his vision went black.

  One second… Two seconds… Three…. Four…

  Elucard’s eyes snapped open. He took in a long, deep breath. He was alive! Elucard flexed his hand and wiggled his toes. Thank Alue, had control over his body again. He snatched his blade and found Inle standing over Strife’s quivering body.

  Elucard placed a calm hand on the shadow elf’s shoulder. “I’m here.”

  Strife pushed himself along the ground until his back hit the wall. “You will pay for this. I will see to it you both suffer without mercy!”

  Inle squeezed his hilt and stepped forward. With a thrash of Strife’s hand, Inle flew sideways and slammed against a pillar. His body crumpled to the ground.

  Elucard ran to his partner and took his pulse. He let out a sigh of relief. Only unconscious.

  Strife rose to his feet and channeled electricity through his fingers. “I admit, I underestimated your resourcefulness, Elucard,” said Strife. “But what will you do now?”

  “Now that you are outnumbered?” Koda’s stern voice came from behind Elucard.

  The shroud spun on his heel and brandished his sword. “No, Koda, this isn’t the way. We are allies,” he said in a calm voice.

  Koda paced around Elucard, his eyes now black as obsidian and just as sharp. “All I keep hearing is what I can’t do!”

  Strife let out a deep chuckle.

  “I want to know what I can do,” Koda spat.

  “You can end this miserable whelpling,” Strife said with a nasty grin.

  “I think I will.” Koda flashed his teeth and raised his hand.

  Elucard eyed Strife. One chance, he thought. With Koda and Strife against me, I won’t be able to hold them off. No, I need to take out Strife and appeal to Koda’s empathy. Elucard opened and closed his Magi hand.

  Elucard narrowed his eyes and held still, then with the speed and reflexes that only a Black Rabbit had, he lifted his arm and fired a leaf. Larger than any he summoned before, but with the razor’s edge of a ninjato folded one hundred times. The leaf ripped through the air in an emerald blur and sliced cleanly through the center of Strife’s face and buried into the wall behind him.

  Small droplets of blood seeped down Strife’s forehead as a red line drew down the bridge of his nose straight down his lips and over his chin. Strife smiled and whispered, “You missed…”

  The mage’s eyes rolled up as both halves of his face peeled back, and Strife’s lifeless form collapsed in a bloodied heap.

  Koda stood in complete shock at Elucard’s gruesome execution. He kept his hand aloft, but now it trembled uncontrollably.

  Elucard twirled his ninjato to a reverse grip and brought the edge so close to Koda’s throat it nicked his flesh. “I’ve killed a Dawnedge before, don’t make me do it again,” Elucard whispered.

  Koda swallowed a lump in his throat, tears welled in his eyes.

  “You know I’ll do it,” Elucard warned.

  “Y-yes,” Koda croaked.

  Elucard looked deep into Koda’s dark corrupted eyes. “I’ll kill you too, wolf.”

  Koda’s eyes faded to blue.

  Elucard pressed the blade harder on Koda’s throat. “I won’t, not today,” he said as he pulled away the blade. “My mission is to protect you, Koda. As I always have and will continue to do.”

  Koda shut his eyes and closed his mouth, still shivering.

  “I am loyal to you, my king,” continued Elucard. “Once I have dealt with Mateo, I am taking you home.”

  Koda snapped open his eyes. “No, wait!”

  Elucard ignored his king and took off into a sprint.

  “I said NO!!!” Koda yelled at the top of his lungs. A miasma of pink and emerald Magi encompassed his and with a fierce motion, he clenched his fist.

  Elucard’s Magi arm exploded into dust and fragments. He screamed and writhed on the ground. The pain was immense. Unbearable. Unfathomable.

  Darkness swelled and sand poured in his mind.

  Drowning.

  Drowning.

  Drowning in his nightmares and memories.

  Deeper he sunk in an ocean of pain and misery.

  He curled into a ball. A child now in his mind. Scared, cowering in his own torment.

  Emptiness. Trapped in a painful void of emptiness.

  He tried to call out for Cade, but he only managed to croak a moan of agony. Elucard clawed for Koda’s feet. His teeth chattered and his sweat drenched his face. “H-Help me, p-please!”

  A mortified look passed over Koda’s face. He dropped down and charged Magi into Elucard’s maimed shoulder. “I-I think I can ease the pain.

  Once again the flush of cold liquid coursed through Elucard’s body. It numbed his nerves and extinguished the burning feeling in his shoulder. Elucard laid motionless on the marble floor. Breathing. Just breathing.

  ***

  Inle roused awake and shifted his body. Immediately he was welcomed with a spurt of pain from his hips and through his ribs. He winced as he removed his mask. Gingerly he pushed himself to his knees and took in his surroundings.

  Shadows enveloped the staircase as a light-forged sword cut through the ethereal darkness. Arrelion charged, matching each spell that Mateo cast. The vampire mage sent forth a wave of flames. lightning came down from overhead, and shards of frost propelled at Arrelion. With all the elements at Mateo’s command, he infused them with his pure shadow. He twisted his magic and empowered them into new, supernatural elements. However, Arrelion thrived on the same Magi that he and Mateo both ravaged. They bathed in its power and mastered its mystical ways.

  With a thunderous roar, Arrelion stabbed the ground and unleashed a torrent of silver magic, dispersing Mateo’s onslaught of spells.

  “We are still matched in power, Mateo. Nothing has changed,” said Arrelion. He took another step towards his brother.

  Mateo looked around at the battlefield, resting his eyes on Strife’s mangled corpse. Arrelion matched his gaze. “You lost your soldier.”

  “I suppose we should put our duel on hold until I leave with what’s mine,” Mateo said with a kind smile.

  From under Mateo and Koda, two shadowy gateways opened. Koda let out a yelp and he and Mateo both fell through.

  A shadow portal ripped open underneath Elucard as well. Elucard frantically made an attempt to leap out, but the suction of the hole was too great. His fingers caught the ledge, but without his other arm, he could not leverage himself up.

  “Inle!!!” Elucard called out in a desperate voice. “Help me!!!”

  Adrenaline rushed through Inle’s broken body and he scrambled to Elucard’s aid. He slid on his stomach to the portal’s lip and lashed out his hand—a moment too late! Shadow tendrils latched around Elucard’s ankles and pulled him further into the shadowy depths.

  “No, Cade, please! Don’t let him take—!” Elucard cried out before being completely swallowed by the darkness.

  The cackling laughter of Mateo lingered around the hall as the last portal closed up. “I will need a new Silent Master!”

  Inle scratched the floor until his fingers bled raw. “No… I just got you back…”

  Arrelion’s claymore clattered on the ground next to Inle. The shadow elf looked up.

  “I think it is time you tell me everything,” Arrelion said quietly.