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Araya Lucaris (Elora Krisara x AndrewS)

Kelaira pressed her magic into him, fighting the darkness when it resisted her touch but it was an easier fight than she expected it to be. Kelaria watched Vander's expression as the warmth filled him and renewed his energy. It should sustain him at least for a little while. Kelaria dropped her hands as soon as it was over, putting a bit of distance between their skin. The whole process had hardly taken any of her own energy thanks to her current connection to the forest.

"You noticed that did you? I can't be sure what it is. What we see as a threat could be very different from what the forest sees as a threat. It could just be the forest preparing for a storm...or for someone unwelcome entering... I don't suggest we stick around to find out. We need to get moving." She pulled a water flask from her bag and filled it quickly and quietly at the stream. "Are you ready to go? We can eat the dry rations I have as we move but I would like to leave now." her tone became more urgent by the second, the shift in the forest's awareness had her antsy and ready to go. She would have liked to take a slower pace so she could explore the forest a bit as they made their way out of it but the forest's mood had her anxious.

While Kelaria and Vander got ready to leave the forest began to defend itself, sensing the dark and malevolent approach of the demon magic. As far as the forest was concerned Kelaria was as much a part of it as any other tree or creature housed within. It would defend her along with itself.

Flowers began to release a defensive toxin that put those who breathed it in to sleep. The toxin was known to slow or even paralyze it's victims in some cases. Birds flew overhead, calling haunting tunes to one another, warning each other of the approaching invaders. Plants with vines and thorns seemed to stand taller and more rigid as waiting traps. Creatures all around tucked themselves away.
 
Dark energy bent the trees, pushing them apart. Demonic invaders pushed their way into hostile territory, invading the Nither, tracking Kelaria and Vander, who attempted to exit from the opposite direction. Traps triggered, some working, some failing. Finley led the charge, unaffected by even the most powerful magic that the enchanted forest had to offer. A top his impossible steed, he was far too powerful to be toyed with, even from the Nither's power, having reached a form beyond humanity that had turned him into something that simply could not be stopped by traditional means.

He seemed annoyed with his men, as not everybody he had brought with him faired as well as he did, despite having chosen the best soldiers that he could have to accompany him. He found himself aiding them, at first, before eventually, leaving them tangled in vines or intoxicated by spores and plants, pressing forward on his own. After all, he was the one powerful enough to stop them, it didn't matter if he was arrived on his own because he was the only one who needed to.

The forest practically cried out to Kelaria as Finley, annoyed with the resistance and drunk on his own power, began to set flame to the trees, forcing a demonic wildfire to begin spreading, ruining the beauty and tranquility of the enchanted forest in an attempt to turn it into cinders and smoke out the ones that it protected. Vander sensed it, right away, and he was certain that Kelaria did as well. This was no preparation for a storm, or anything of the sort, someone had entered the Nither will ill-intent and seemed hell-bent on destroying everything in their path. It could be the doing of nobody else but his brother.

"I think they found us. We need to get out of here, right now. Do you want me to try another teleportation?"
 
As Finley began to burn the forest it screamed out in pain though only Kelaria could hear it. Her hand flew out to grip Vander's arm to stable herself as she gasped in pain. Her eyes stung with tears that stopped before they had a chance to spill out. "They're destroying it! Vander He's killing it!" she let out another sharp gasp of pain. "He'll burn the whole forest down looking for us! How did he find us? He shouldn't have been able to find us so soon! Not here!" Her eyes were wide with panic and the pain she felt from the forest burned in her expression.

Kelaria looked around desperately as though she could spot some miraculous way to make it all stop. "We can't risk you using that much of your magic again and we can't let him destroy this forest. We have to do something" her voice was desperate, almost pleading. She knew they needed to run but she wasn't sure she could handle them destroying another part of her kingdom so thoroughly.

Her grip on him tightened as another wave of pain stabbed through her as the forest burned, screaming out to her for help.
 
If teleporting out wasn't an option, their actual list of possible solutions wasn't exactly an expansive one. She seemed to insist they needed to do something, so fleeing wasn't going to be something she would accept. Flames began to burn faster, dark magic over taking the forest and turning it's own power against it to fuel Finley's maniacal flame. Hateful fire spread, jumping from tree to tree, destroying beautiful plants and flowers and taking away from her kingdom something it would never be able to replace and through every single, dying leaf, Kelaria felt pain.

Though it was wise for them to keep moving, to turn the other cheek and find a way out to safety on the other side...he knew that would mean he was complacent, just as he was during his brother's conquest, just as he stood by while a demon slowly replaced the family he loved. "We can't fight him..." He warned her, knowing full well that she intended to try. He sighed, beneath his breath, looking back at Kelaria. His body began to turn away from the path they were following and back towards the way from which they came, the direction of smoke and flame.

"You intend to try anyways, don't you?"

She was foolish. Stupid, even, to think that this forest was something they could save, or that it was even worth risking her life to do so in the first place. But...Kelaria wasn't stupid. She was intelligent, and she wasn't foolish, this was bravery. This was the will to stand up for something she cared about, to fight, even against odds that didn't make sense because it was the right thing to do. There was much he could learn from her, even if the simple thought of turning back and trying to save the Nither put their plan of finding, and using, the Araya Lucaris in complete and total disarray.

Vander Albright wasn't a hero, but she was about to see as close to one as he could be.

"Come on, then." He told her, beginning to walk in the other direction now without so much as a single semblance of a plan in mind other than that they were going to have to try, and that he wasn't going to let her do it alone. "If he wants us, he'll have us, but he'll get a whole lot more than that. The Nither is our biggest asset and he just caught the whole thing on fire. He might not fear those flames, but his men will. Light them up."

She could do it. This place listened to her. This place was her. She just needed to give it the direction it needed.
 
Fighting was a risk. Kelaira knew it was a risk but she couldn't walk away and let this place burn to the ground. She couldn't let them destroy another piece of her kingdom, not another piece of her. This place was a very real piece of her now. If she ran away now she wasn't sure she'd get that piece back. Kelaira ran from her parents as they were being slaughtered, she ran from the refugees fleeing for their lives as they counted on her to save them, she wouldn't run now no matter how foolish it was. At least now without trying. As if reading her mind, Vander spoke her thoughts aloud.

"You intend to try anyways, don't you?"

"I have to" Kelaria answered simply, the desperation still in her eyes. She couldn't offer any explanation, she was sure he already saw it on her face.

Though she was entirely sure how Vander was going to react she hadn't expected him to accept her insistence. If anything, she had thought he would try to force her to leave by dragging her away or teleporting them against her warning not to. Kelaria gratefully chose not to question him as he turned and began to walk towards the burning forest rather than away from it. She walked with him, doing her best not to let the pain overwhelm her as she tried to think of some sort of plan.

Kelaria hadn't had the chance to come up with any sort of a plan, aside from simply and foolishly fighting Finley and his men, when Vander spoke. Her eyes betrayed a bit of their shock and she couldn't help but grant him a small bit of admiration as she heard the determination in his voice. He might not like that they were staying to fight but suddenly he seemed just as determined to see this through as she was.

Choosing in that moment to trust him almost unquestioningly, Kelaira closed her eyes and focused on her connection to Nither. She cried out as she fought through the blinding pain of the burning forest. Opening her connection to Nither in order to save it also meant she had to open herself up to it's torture. "Vander! It hurts! Oh gods." she practically screamed his name. She wasn't sure why she called to him, maybe it was because she had no one left to cry out to. Fighting her way past the pain, Kelaria allowed the forest to tell her where Finley and his men were and the path of destruction they had already carved through the deep woods. Kelaira let out a gasp then gritted her teeth against the burning. As she fought the pain she had to fight for consciousness.

Instead of focusing on the pain Kelaria focused on the well of magic that the forest thrived off of. Kelaria's power latched onto that source and drank from it and used it to fortify herself and the forest. Kelaria let out another gasp as she accepted the pain and allowed herself to burn as she fought to turn the fire against the attackers. Suddenly she could see it perfectly.

The fires stilled for a fraction of a second and the trees that were being swallowed whole seemed to absorb in for that moment before it raged on again, but now it wasn't answering to Finley anymore. It was answering to Nither. It was answering to Kelaria.
 
Kelaria screamed, as the full force of the forest's pain hit her at once. In the flurry of feelings and sensations she experienced, the last thing she could probably focus on was his hand against her back and yet, that's where it found itself, resting against it's center. He kept her steady, as pain wracked her body. He gave her somebody to lean on, support within a storm, perhaps something she hadn't been used to having. Even though she likely didn't realize it, he stood by her side, taking this burden onto himself as though it were his own because, in many ways, that was what it had become. She was in this position to begin with because of his brother, after all. This burning forest was another repercussion in a long list left behind by his indecision and though he held no personal connection to this place, or to her kingdom, his guilt told him otherwise.

"Use it." He reassured her, with a resolute calm in his voice. He was determined. He was ready to throw himself behind her, and her cause, wholeheartedly for the smallest chance at redeeming himself and, now, of easing her pain. "Give back to them what they have done to you, to your forest. Your home." He continued to speak, motivating her through guidance, helping her tap into her emotions and to use that to feed her magic. Maybe her type of arcane arts didn't work that way, but that was how his operated. The more hatred he felt, the stronger the darkness in his magic would flare. Magic was all about the feel, after all. The connection. The feeling of being connected to something greater than yourself, like an entire, enchanted realm of wildlife, suffering and calling out to her for help.

Vander could feel the shift in the magic around them. While he couldn't feel the forest directly, he knew something had changed. She had made it so.

And in the distance came the screams of Finley's men. That was when he knew she had figured it out. He felt, oddly enough...proud of her. There was a smirk across his face as he heard those horrible noises, something which, under regular circumstance, would have been concerning but given all that had occurred, didn't really stand out at all within the sea of atrocities that had been committed to Astellia by the very same men who were now burning for their sin of attacking the Nither.

Finley would be fine. Those flames would do nothing to him...but he would be a demon without an army if he continued to press forward in search of them. Vander suspected he still would.

"The choice is yours, princess." He told her, now. "Or should I say, queen." He corrected himself, using her proper title, even though she likely didn't wish to bare it. "We can let his men burn with the forest they tried to destroy and we can leave. You can know that you made a difference, that you stopped their conquest..., or..." He paused, trailing off, letting her infer what he would say next. "We march straight into the fire until we find that bastard and together, we send him back into the hell hole he crawled out of, the first of many to fall...and a message to my brother. A message that he does not yet rule your kingdom, he's merely warming your throne."

Vander's choice seemed made already, committed entirely now to what she had started where moments prior, he had been hesitant.
 
Vander's words seemed to be having the desired effect. His words not only helped sooth her from the burning pain but fortified her in her fight against it. In that moment when that perfect clarity hit something in Kelaria shifted as the magic shifted. His demon fire became her fire. though the pain still burned and threatened to swallow her whole, she was no longer a slave to it. Just like Vander instructed, she was using it. Kelaria recognized that she had more power over the fire than she expected. she recognized that she could truly make these men suffer with it but she also recognized that they very well could just be men following orders and fighting for the wrong cause. Instead of prolonging their pain, using the map Nither created in her mind, she made the fire burn brightest and hottest where Finley's men stood to make their deaths swift but final.

Kelaria's eyes were wide open now and though Vander would still be able to see the pain burning behind them, she no longer let it overwhelm her. Though she mentally flinched when he used her new title, the one that would be waiting for her when this was all over if she succeeded in defeating the other Albright brother and his demon, Kelaria still met his gaze as he spoke, his words fortifying her still.

"...and a message to my brother. A message that he does not yet rule your kingdom, he's merely warming your throne."

"We don't run from this one. We can't let him leave this place alive." Kelaria nodded her head once, her voice firm. Vander was right It would be a message to his brother, one that would only fuel his hunt for them but one they needed to deliver. Kelaria wouldn't be underestimated.
 
"No more running." Vander repeated back to her what she said, nodding his head. The fire in her eyes was the same fire that burnt through her forest, twisting around the invaders who had come to retrieve her. Their screams echoed through the trees, sounds of pain and terror as the flames burned them into the dirt. It hadn't taken very long for Finlay to realize what was happening, and as Vander anticipated, he didn't seem to care. Instead, he began to move in the source of the magical shift, knowing that with it, he'd find Kelaria in due time.

Vander needed to find ways to be useful without accessing his magic. He had been doing so by motivating her and helping her find clarity within her abilities, and within herself, but while he was talented with weapons as well, Finlay wasn't the type of foe he could take a metal blade to and hope to be successful. He wasn't used to playing the support role on the battlefield, even if it were the only role he was fit for at the moment, but his mind was racing with ideas on how he could still be useful to her in the coming fight. In the grand scheme of his brother's plan, they were only slowing down his capture efforts, but one less demon general meant a slightly safer road to the Araya Lucaris, so there was no way they could allow Finlay to escape with his life. That meant thinking outside of the box, but she needed to trust him with everything she had inside of him with what it was Vander was preparing to ask her to do.

They had bonded, sure, but he didn't know if it was enough for her to give him what he wanted.

"Kelaria, I have an idea, but I need you to trust me." He began, looking her straight in her eyes, knowing they didn't have much time to strategize anything in full. "I can't fight him with my own magic...but I can fight him with yours..." It wouldn't be easy, and it would cause him great pain to even try, but if it worked... Vander reached for one of the nearby trees, pulling one of it's sturdy branches free with his hands, snapping it. Holding it towards her, a piece of the forest she had communed with, he explained further what he needed from her. "Lend me your light. Weave it, turn this into a weapon. Let me borrow some of your power so that I may be able to use it to fight by your side."

If he was right, and she trusted him enough to give him this gift, she could imbue the branch with her magic and he could use it as a weapon, temporarily, provided the dark magic in his body didn't tear him apart during the collision of their different arcane powers. He remembered how his body resisted her healing magic at first, how it felt like it was fighting back against it...but by now, they could hear the galloping of Finlay's phantom steed, pushing her decision along the time line they were given with infuriating speed. "Now or never, Kelaria. What will it be?"
 
Her magic, now strengthened through her bond with Nither, itched inside Kelaria. It was ready to fight Finley and just as ready as Kelaria was to make him pay for his crimes against her people and her kingdom. She was as eager as Vander seemed to be to stand up to Finley and send a message to his brother. It was almost all she could focus on until Vander pulled her attention back to him again.

"Kelaria, I have an idea, but I need you to trust me."

Trust him? Could she trust him? Kelaia's face betrayed her confliction. She needed his help. Nither made her stronger but as a fully awaken demon, Finley would easily be the biggest challenge she had yet to face and she wasn't sure she could do it on her own. She needed Vander's help but could she trust him with her magic? A moment ago she had let his words fill her with a sense of purpose. She had let him guide her thoughts without a single moment of hesitation that his purpose may be nefarious. when he had wanted to run he turned to fight because he knew what she needed. She had no choice but to trust him now. At least in some small way he had earned that much.

Kelaria's eyes darted between Vander and the direction of Finley's approach, almost frantically. Finally she looked Vander in the eyes and reached out to grasp the branch. "I trust you." She let her magic flow down her arm and into the branch. "Don't make me regret it" Her light began to swallow the branch until neither of them could see it. They could only hear the sounds of wood twisting and groaning as the branch was reshaped into a blade made of solid wood, almost like an elaborately decorated practice sword except for the light that surrounded it. The light had dissipated enough that they could see the wooden blade. Purple and white light moved over it in wispy tendrils that somehow looked sharp and deadly.
 
He let her contemplate her decision, even as time began to very rapidly tick down on them. If she didn't make a decision now, there wouldn't be time for them to set this up later when it was crucial. His eyes gave her a look that was equal parts apologetic and demanding immediately attention, relieved as her light began to flood across what would now become his make-shift weapon, bathing the wood of the Nither in her magic and letting it radiate and shine with the same energy that swirled inside of her body. Vander gripped tighter to the 'handle' of the branch, feeling the sparking light burn against the darkness in his hand, stinging and biting like a thousand needles simultaneously puncturing skin. He gritted his teeth through the pain, shutting his eyes for a moment until he found some resolve within it to block out the pain. He swung it forward, brandishing it the way he would a sword, the light glimmering across the air in an arc from the swing.

This would do. This would do very well.

When the light had faded and finished it's transformation, the branch had shifted into a weapon fit using, despite the fact that it's body was made of wood. It had been forged into a sharp edge, energy swirling and pulsing around it, causing the entire piece of the forest to shake within his hand as if unstable, yet seeming to give no signs of falling apart under the pressure of the magic. Her bond with the forest allowed her to will it to do whatever she pleased.

The galloping began to slow as the forest rose to try and block it's path. Trees swayed, shifting into the shape of a wall, a last ditch attempt at blocking the way forward between Finley, and his otherworldly steed. Wood cracked and bent, splintering as a magical force equal to it's power pushed against the barricade until it buckled and snapped, creating an opening from which four, burning legs broke through, carrying the demon warrior on it's back into the same clearing as Vander and Kelaria. Vander assumed a defensive stance with his his new weapon, trying to get used to the way it seemed to feel both light, in weight, and heavy with magic, at the same time.

"That was annoying." Finlay's distorted voice chastised, looking down upon them. "You damn near made me destroy this entire forest. And for what? Just to end up here in the end anyways? What a waste of time and effort. So much destruction, all for nothing..." He smirked. "But you've gotten good at this, haven't you, princess? Yes..., you've become adept at watching the things and people you care for die, isn't that right?"

"Finlay..." Vander's voice interrupted, but he found only condescension in the gaze he received upon speaking up.

"Exile." Finlay responded, sounding disgusted with the very words coming out of his demented mouth. "The people who stand by her don't exactly have a very good track record. Is this really the hill you want to die on?"

"I'm dead either way, either from you, or from my brother...I'd rather it not be by you, though. That would be embarrassing." Vander retorted, smirking in turn.

Finlay simply laughed. "Embarrassing, is it? I'm afraid that embarrassment is something you're unlikely to escape, Vander Albright. You've disgraced your family, you've embarrassed yourself as an Albright and...well, do you really think she's going to care when you die at her side, just like all of the rest? I never thought you'd be foolish enough to become a pawn for an Etherborn."

"I am a pawn for nobody. Not Kelaria, not my brother, and certainly not you. If you doubt that, allow me to show you otherwise."

"I'm not here for you, but I will not spare your life if you interfere."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Vander looked over at Kelaria at her side, giving her a knowing glance with a nod of his head. There would be no more running, the stage was set for bloodshed, they just needed to make certain that it wasn't theirs becoming part of the Nither when this was over.
 
Kelaria tried hard not to let his words get to her and she tried harder not to let it show when they got to her anyway. He was right. She put everyone and everything around her in danger. Those refugees that had counted on her, this forest. Would Vander be next? Kelaria gritted her teeth, glancing over at Vander in time to see him nod in her direction. No, she wouldn't let herself wallow in blame and self pitty. Those people had died because of Finlay, Balthier, and the demon they served. This forest burned and suffered because of them not because of her.

Purple and white light swirled restlessly down Kelaria's arms as she gathered her magic around her, letting the forest fortify her and grant her extra power. Her eyes glowed brightly and almost menacingly as they stared down the awoken demon in front of her. Kelaria pushed her arms down, pals facing the earth in one swift motion and some of her light seeped into the ground, shooting out towards Finlay and his horse. The tendrils of light traveled through the ground until they reached their target. The light snaked it's way up the horses legs and began engulfing the beast, working to sap the darkness out. Kelaria's eye glowed brighter with the effort as she fought the demon's magic.
 
It was hard for Vander not to watch in awe whenever Kelaria activated her powers in such a grandiose fashion. The sheer power he felt, and the brilliance of the interweaving colors, made it difficult to look away, but he was not in a position where he could afford to be a wide-eyed bystander, he too needed to take action. While her magic gripped at the legs of Finlay's horse, his steed stamping down against the tendrils as if trying to snuff out a growing flame, Vander realized this made Finlay, for the most part, vulnerable.

Sprinting forward, he closed the distance between the two sides rather quickly. He whipped his blade upwards, towards Finlay, the light impacting with the demon's armored chest. Sparks flew from contact as the force sent him toppling off of his already unsteady horse and down to the ground below. Vander retrieved his weapon in one smooth movement, rolling his wrist to switch his hold then attempting to jam it's imbued, sharpened tip, directly down into a place where he knew Finlay's armor would be weakest, but the demon shrouded himself in a sudden wind of dark energy, preventing Vander from getting close enough.

When Vander recovered, Finlay was back on his feet, his own dark magic wrapping around his steed, forcing it to sink down into the ground, past her light, vanishing and freeing itself from Kelaria's grasp. Next, he turned his attention to Vander, lashing at him with what basically felt like whips of dark magic, each one recoiling off of the energy in his blade, repelling each strike. This only seemed to anger Finlay more and made him strike harder the next time.

The sound of galloping hooves continued, unseen, until the steed reappeared from the ground in a mess of purple and black, right next to Kelaria, the horse attempting to ram her from below with intent of sending her upwards into the air ruthlessly.
 
The tendrils of light that had been engulfing the steed sank back into the ground, seeking out the beast once more. Kelaria's eyes flew open wide as the horse emerged, taking her off guard and ramming her upwards. Kelaria's hand shot out towards a tree, her light seeking it out. A branch seemed to move in her direction allowing a tendril of her light to wrap around it like a rope that prevented her from being thrown too far into the air. The force yanked her arm, causing a searing pain in the join where her arm met her shoulder, but luckily was saved from what would have been a nasty fall.

Kelaria landed back on her feet and gathered her magic back to her. Once again she let it reach out and engulf the steed. She had a better idea this time of how much effort she might have to put into it. She gritted her teeth in concentration as she worked to incapacitate the horse and tear the dark magic from it. Pain shot up her arms and into her chest as the demon magic fought her but she was determined to win this time. "Relent to me!" she shouted, not to the horse but to the darkness itself. Her magic sought out every last bit of the darkness, in hopes of forcing it out and chasing it off.
 
Finlay began to realize what was happening but he wasn't able to fend off both Kelaria and Vander at the same time with Vander having been granted some of Kelaria's light. Noticing the divide in the general's concentration, Vander began to take to the offensive, swinging the blade, it's glow cutting through the lashing of dark energy while Kelaria stripped away the corruption that made Finlay's horse into the demonic creature it had become. When Vander had gotten close enough, Finlay had no choice but to draw his sword, the iron blade rippling with his magic, colliding against Vander's make shift weapon with each strike emitting a burst of magic in the air where contact was made.

The began to whimper as the darkness was stolen away from it, the animal growing weaker and buckling on it's legs, bringing it closer to the ground. The dark color to it's body was draining, the furious flames that once lined it's fur dousing until they were barely smoldering. It was becoming very clear that by purifying it, she would also be killing it, taking away the one thing that was still keeping it alive after it had been corrupted, but perhaps that was for the best. It would no longer need to feel pain, or be used, it could finally rest and become part of the Nither.

"Stop it..." Finlay muttered, underneath his breath. "Stop!" He yelled, a second time. This caused a large wave of dark energy to shoot outwards, rippling the trees. Vander braced himself behind the blade, but the powerful blast collided directly with it, dissipating all of the light within the weapon to shield Vander from the blow. The air itself began to pulse outwards, in uneven bursts, as Finlay gave in to his demonic nature. He began to float up into the air, his eyes a piercing crimson, anger coursing through him that made it feel like the forest itself was being ripped apart by the dark arcane.

"..." He remained quiet, floating there, staring down upon them both. After a few moments of eerie silence, Finlay finally spoke again, for real. "...give me the strength to do what I must. Take my flesh and turn it into your weapon. I am the dark. In absence of light, I give my body to thee."

"...we need to stop him. Right now." Vander told her, coming back towards Kelaria, with concern. His weapon was nothing more than a blade of enchanted wood, now, the light having been snuffed out by the dark. "Or leave. I don't know if we can even stop this anymore. Kelaria..."

The darkness he commanded seemed to stick to his own body, wrapping around him like an extra layer of armor. Finlay began to buck and shake in the air, gritting through pain as the energy took control, entirely. Horns began to protrude through his skull, blood dripped from his eyes, staining his cheek crimson as his skin began to darken, losing all of it's natural color.

"...I pledge myself as a servant to your unholy legion and cast away my humanity..." His voice had changed, somewhere in the middle of his incantation, and it was now unrecognizable. It was distorted, deep, like something fundamental had changed. "Grant me this wish, and with my dying breath, I shall grant you my soul in return." Finlay's body went rigid, cracking in an unnatural way, the darkness fusing within him until it finally began to taper away.

As the darkness faded, Finlay dropped down to the ground. His armor was gone, as was any trace of humanity left within him. He had fully embraced the demonic corruption within his veins. He was no longer human, nor anything that resembled one. Vander looked on in horror as the man he once fought beside now stood in front of them, a vessel of darkness who looked exactly like the demon who had given him his power...it was like looking into a mirror of Alzahar, and he felt smothered by the dark presence that now stood before them.
 
Kelaria continued to seep the darkness out of the horse, knowing it would likely kill it but death had to be better than this. Kelaira drained all the dark magic from it, filling the steed with light until she felt it's life leave it's body, releasing it from the corrupted form it had been trapped in. Kelaira turned away from the horse's corpse, allowing the Nither to claim it. Her eyes darted to Finlay as Vander shouted to her to stop him.

With a near tangible thud, Kelaira'a heart sank as she watched Finlay discard what was left of his humanity until only a monster was in his place. She didn't bother wasting her energy and magic to try to stop the transformation from happening. She knew it was too late for that. Her eyes, desperate but still bright with her magic, found Vander's. "We can't just leave. He'll just keep chasing us. Eventually he'll catch us or we'll lead him right to the Araya Lucaris. He's stronger and faster now, even without his steed. I'm stronger here than I am out there. We have to do something!"

Kelaira's eyes tore from his and landed on the transformed Finlay. Without thinking her arm reached out to allow her hand to grip Vander's arm. Dread and fear gripped Kelaria's heart and squeezed it tight. What were they going to do? They were fighting a losing battle. There was no chance they could outrun this.
 
"We can't fight this, Kelaria." He warned her, a second time. For the first time since she had known him, since he had washed up on the shore of that village, if she looked at him she would see true fear and concern in his eyes. If Finlay had gone to such lengths as to shed the last part of his humanity just to get to them...this was over, enchanted forest be damned.

But she didn't want to run. He felt her grip his arm. She wanted to stand and fight this, even though it was something they couldn't outrun and couldn't defeat? It wasn't bravery, he could tell by how tightly she was squeezing. But it wasn't foolishness either. She knew that they either faced this here, or they spent the rest of their lives running from demons and monsters, things that can't be explained by any rational logic. How could they take back a kingdom on the verge of being infested with them if they couldn't take down one that was all alone?

There was but only one choice he could make, but he knew she wouldn't like it. He also knew, judging by how it reacted previously, that there was a chance the Nither would swallow him whole just for trying. He didn't want her to see him like that, when the dark magic took hold of him, but maybe that was the only way they could do this. With his darkness, and her light, balanced as one.

"Do you...do you trust me?" He asked her. He had asked her that before, already, but in this moment, he needed to know it for certain. He needed to hear it again before he risked everything to save her. Yes, to save her. He wasn't even thinking of himself in that moment, this was a selfless act, or as selfless as he could be.

Vander's eyes began to darken, magic swirling within them, casting an ominous glow as he looked at her, bright with her own light. Could he really do this? Was there really no other choice?

Finlay was floating towards them, taking his time. He knew he had them where he wanted, he was enjoying this, soaking in his unchained power. The last thing he probably expected was for Vander to turn the tables on him. He gave one last look towards Kelaria, whispered that he was sorry, then turned back towards Finlay. Dark energy pulsed at his feet and shot him forward, like a rocket, closing the distance quickly until he collided with Finlay at full force, purple streams of magic flying in every direction as contact was made, knocking them both from the sky. In a position of dominance over the general, Vander placed his hands against Finlay's face, channeling his dark magic downwards, trying to smother him with the very darkness he thrived on. The scream he made, as he exerted himself, was almost bestial. It was pain and release all at once.

A shockwave send Vander flying upwards as Finlay recovered, pulling himself back to his feet.

"Arrogant fool." By now, the Nither was responding as well, trying to decide whether to go against Kelaria's wishes to snuff out the dark threats but also knowing that he was supposed to be beneath her protection. Had he been of the right mind, he would have worried of the stress that battle might have been putting on her, but all Vander could think about was killing Finlay...and some how, not becoming like his brother. "You would risk her safety, after all you've gone through to protect her? It will be delightful to watch her cry when you lose control. Yes. That's it. Join me. It's not too late to come back to where you belong, exile."

"...never. I won't go back...." He replied, shaking his head, feeling his anger pulsating, causing dark magic to ripple off of his body freely. "I won't go back!" He yelled, a second time, his voice changing yet again, alternating between the way he normally sounded and the change in intonation when the demonic energy inside of him was released.. He was trying to fight it, he was trying to maintain in control, screaming as he shot himself forward once more, sending both him and Finlay cascading into the Nither, disappearing into the trees.
 
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"I trust you" This time Kelaria spoke quickly and without hesitation though the tone of her voice made it clear she was nervous about whatever plan he was cooking up. Kelaira's heart raced in her chest as she watched the darkness fill his eyes. No. This was a very very bad idea! It was obvious that Vander knew it was a bad idea but Kelaira recognized that they had little other choice. She gave his arm a squeeze one more time, this time for reassurance rather than out of fear. Kelaira released her hold on him quickly before the light in her could begin fighting the darkness in him.

Kelaria fought every instinct inside her not to stop him when she watched him shoot off towards Finlay. Her hands twitched uselessly at her sides, burning with the need to stamp out the growing darkness that Vander was allowing to seize him. He let it seize him because of her, because he knew she couldn't walk away from this. He knew they couldn't keep running. Kelaria needed to remind herself that Vander was not Finlay and though she had little reason to trust him, she somehow did. She trusted he wouldn't let himself be taken over by the darkness and if the darkness tried to seize him against his will she'd be there to hopefully help stop it. She just had to pray that it would be enough.

The scream that tore from Vander's throat made Kelaria flinch. As she fought her own instincts she found that the forest was struggling just as much. It was hard to tell if one struggle was causing the other or if the instincts of the forest simply matched her own.

Kelaria looked around at the rustling trees and felt the hostility of the surviving forest. She may not be able to help Vander maintain control right now but she could help protect him and she could help him fight. It would take both of them. Her light and his dark, to take down the awoken demon. With a new sense of determination and a purpose in mind Kelaria knelt down and planted her hands, palms down, firmly on the ground in front of her as the fight disappeared from her view. She closed her eyes and let her magic seep once again into the earth. The Nither allowed her to see it all, past the trees and deep into the woods where Vander fought Finlay. She focused her energy on pulling the Nither's hostility away from Vander and focusing it on the darker energy. It was a bit odd, while one energy was clearly darker the other seemed to rage more fiercely.

Tendrils of purple and white light sprouted from the roots and branches of the trees as Kelaria commanded them to seize Finlay as he fought Vander. They wrapped around him much as they had his steed, restraining him and seeking to fight his own magic.
 
Kelaria's magic tore through the ground, guided through the roots and leaves of the forest. Vander sensed the movement, assuming that it was coming for him, like before, now that his darkness had been released, but he felt it ripple past him, beneath the soil, until the energy manifested as tendrils beneath Finlay. Her light, and the magic of the forest, wrapped around his feet and then his knees, climbing upwards, pinning him down in place. He writhed, gritting his teeth, a look of pure malice on his face. There was nothing left of the man that Vander once knew. Those eyes were vacant, claimed only by crimson, by hatred and power. For a moment, it felt like he was looking straight into his brother's eyes. The look was identical. Disturbed. Tormented. Gone.

Vander felt an ache at the back of his head. It traveled forward through his forehead, lurching, stinging. It built suddenly until it seized him entirely. He was afraid.

He wasn't scared of Finlay. In that moment, he wasn't even scared for Kelaria's safety. He was afraid that this was the fate that awaited him too.

~~~

"Join me, it's not too late to come back to where you belong."

"You've become weak, like our father."

"I found myself. I found who I really am."

~~~

Voices haunted him. Terrible memories springing forward through the pain. Finlay, and his brother, both spoke of becoming a demon like it was a rite of passage, of finding themselves, as though the strength it gave them made them better than anyone else without considering that the loss of humanity that it coincided with stripped them of the one thing that made being human worthwhile. The staggering stopped him from landing the finishing blow that was available to him and Finlay, still struggling against the searing light, recognized it.

"Coward. You are a coward, exile." Finlay spat out, his words sharp and aimed to further his emotional distress. "You have not the courage to kill me. You know that we are one in the same. You lack the vision to see what you could become. Until you accept all that you are, you will forever be a pawn who lacks the ambition to become a king." Like his brother? Was that really something to strive to be? Was that really his future?

The peripherals of his vision darkened as he felt it pulse again, the pain stinging his head. But, another voice cut through the fog, like a light. Kelaria was with him, even if she wasn't physically by his side.

~~~

"You! This is all because of you!"

"We don't run from this one.

"I trust you."

~~~

Vander felt his hand reach out, palm open, fingers stretched outwards. It looked as though he was about to touch Finlay, ready to give in and accept his darkness. His eyes narrowed on the blood-red of his adversary and he shook his head, sobered the strength she had unknowingly given back to him.

Suddenly, the sound of choking echoed through the forest. Finlay gaspsed for breath as black tendrils wound around his throat, constricting tightly, squeezing, choking the life out of the trapped demon. "I am no pawn." He told him, tightening his grip. The tendrils pulsed, as if being filled with more energy, increasing the pressure. Finlay showed no fear in return, no desperation, only hatred. Only the dark. Next, came a crunch, and then, with the release of the shadowed grasp, the noise of a body dropping to the dirt in a heap, freed from binds, and from accursed life. "My brother will soon learn the same."
 
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Kelaria felt the exact moment that Finlay fell and his darkness faded away. Her own light invaded his lifeless body, eliminating any remaining darkness. Kelaira lifted her hands from the ground and stood up quickly. Without giving herself the chance to recover she took off in the direction she knew she'd find Vander. She was prepared for the worst and had magic surging across her skin. Given how he had struggled with control after teleporting them here, she could only imagine the struggle he may be going through now.

Kelaria approached quickly but hesitantly, on guard and unaware of what state she'd find her companion in. "Vander..." now that she had found him she moved more slowly, as if approaching a wild animal. Her eyes still glowed brightly and she though she looked exhausted she was clearly still prepped for a fight. She knew now how powerful Vander was, even against an awoken demon. She couldn't afford to let her guard down until she knew he had a hold of himself.
 
The light that Kelaria shared with him pushed out the darkness he had surrendered into, quelling the maelstrom inside of him but doing little to absolve him of his guilt or of the way the entire ordeal had made him feel. He looked down, directly, upon the body of Finlay, not looking in Kelaria's direction at all even as her warmth surrounded him like a comforting blanket against a night of cold winds. She was approaching him slowly, wearily, did she expect him to attack her? He didn't have an ounce of dark magic still active within his system, she had made sure of that. He was no threat to her, he was a threat to himself.

"I'm fine." He told her, shaking his head, still avoiding her gaze as he lied, hoping to preserve her concern and keep her from asking any farther questions, though he expected she wouldn't be able to let this go without trying to talk about it in some capacity.

"We are safe, for now, but they know where we are. They must have some way of tracking us, so we should move. The Nither saved us this time, but even it won't be able to withstand another attack on that magnitude. We got lucky. Now, we make it count."

He was avoiding it. Clearly. In hopes of moving forward, he tried to focus her on the task at hand rather than what had already come to past. In the end, what he had told her ultimately wasn't incorrect, but it was the means by which he was speaking it, now, and the poor timing that made it seem so abrupt and out of place. The forest was practically crying out in pain around them from the wounds that had been inflicted upon it, from the darkness that had nestled it's way into it's enchanted heart, Vander felt like his simple presence within it's trees was a blight against it's very existence at this point.

Finlay had called him a pawn unfit to be king. He didn't feel like a pawn. He didn't feel like any kind of royalty; Vander Albright felt like he was a monster trying to play pretend. He had came close to losing his control, if not for Kelaria's influence on his mind, he probably would have...he really was lucky. But luck didn't win wars or stop tyrants, so he couldn't afford to become complacent. Not now. Not until they had reached the Araya Lucaris, even if it meant pushing down his own trauma and pain to complete their goal.
 
Kelaria visably relaxed when she was sure he wasn't under the influence of his dark magic. However, she still gave him a skeptical look when he told her he was fine. It was an obvious lie but she decided now was not the time to push him for the truth. Kelaria looked him over, checking first for injuries then just seeming to take stock of him. Though she was confident he wasn't going to attack her and he was physically fine, the concern never left her eyes.

Before releasing her light Kelaria allowed it to spread through the forest to quell any remaining demon fires, allowing the forest to begin the process of healing itself. She vowed to return, once this was all over. If they succeeded. As soon as she was certian the fires were gone she released her magic with a heavy sigh. While the Nither was supplying her with energy, it was obvious still that she was drained.

"You're right. they have to be tracking us somehow. I don't know how that's possible though. We'll have to be more careful. If we weren't safe in the Nither, which should have made us nearly undetectable, then we aren't safe anywhere." Kelaria fell into step beside Vander. Her attitude towards him had shifted. Her voice still had a hard edge to it, though it was hard to tell if that was because of him or simply because of the circumstances the last several days had put her in. However her voice wasn't cold. It wasn't filled with the same hate has before. Now she walked with him instead of charging ahead of him, reluctant to have him in her presence. She was aware of him now, rather than trying to ignore his existence.

Kelaria was quiet for a very long time after than, letting the air around them fill with only the sounds of their walking and breathing. Using her mental map of the forest she guided them wordlessly to where she knew would lead them out of the Nither the fastest but remained at his side the whole time.
 
The quiet that had settled in between them was equal parts comforting and concerning. On one hand, Vander was glad he didn't need to speak anymore. There wasn't anything left for him to say, anyways. She could likely already tell the guilt that was eating away at him, the weight and pressure he was placing upon himself. On the other, however, it made him wonder if perhaps there was too much distance between them to cross based on their differences and what his brother, and by proxy he himself, had done. He wasn't picking up on the change in her behavior towards him because he was far too in his own head to realize it; she was warming up to him, trusting him, and he was only looking for reasons to push her away.

He had wanted to get her on his side, to lead him to the Araya Lucaris. Now, he just felt like he was the one leading her, but it was into more danger, be it from his brother's demons or from his own dark magic.

The thickness of the Nither seemed to thin as they reached the edge of the forest, eventually breaking free of it's enchanted woodlands and back out into the world around it. The Nither had really felt like a realm onto it's own, so it was staggering feeling the difference in the air when they were away from it's treasure trove of magic. She told him that if they weren't safe inside the Nither, they weren't safe anywhere, and he tended to agree. He knew that anywhere they went, they would be followed.

"We need a plan." He spoke, bluntly, breaking the long-lasting silence. "Even if we find an untouched town, we would only be leading my brother to more innocent people. There's nobody who can help us, there's nowhere safe enough for us to run or hide. The only way out of this mess is the Araya Lucaris, we cannot delay any longer. Tell me, Kelaria, what must we do to find it? How far must we travel before we've reached our destination?"

The sooner they found it, the sooner they could set this right...but with his brother following them, they really only had one shot at this.

And the sooner they sat things right, the sooner he could ensure her safety. He would not be a part of her life after this, whether that meant continuing his role as an exile or paying with his life for his sins was uncertain, but he was open to accepting either possibility at this point.
 
Almost as immediatly as they left the protection of the Nither, Kelaria felt her exhaustion catch up with her. The energy she had expended in the fight had been replenished by the forest but now that she was out of it's protection the borrowed energy did her little good. The world outside the forest now seemed harsh and disorienting, at least for the moment. Kelaria was so absorbed in trying to right herself in the world around her that if Vander's words hadn't broken the long silence, she would have missed his words entirely. The bluntness of his words seemed almost as harsh as the reality of the world outside the forest.

"I thought we had a plan. We travel as quickly as we can to the Araya Lucaris. You're right about the town but we need to resupply. We don't have enough for the rest of the journey. I don't like the idea of endangering any more people. I know he was just saying it to get to me...but Finlay wasn't wrong. Bad things happen to people around me. The last thing I want to do is sentence more innocent people to death."

Kelaria flinched slightly as Finlay's words echoed in her head.

"But you've gotten good at this, haven't you, princess? Yes..., you've become adept at watching the things and people you care for die, isn't that right?"

"The people who stand by her don't exactly have a very good track record. Is this really the hill you want to die on?"

Kelaria shook her head and tried hard not to let herself fall down what was sure to be a self destructive spiral if she dwelt too long on it.

"We made it through the Nither much faster than I expected, even with the...delay..." Kelaria looked at him for a moment then at the ground. "We're much closer than expected. I suppose we have your teleportation to thank for that one. It ended up doing us some good after all." She joked; trying and failing to lighten the mood. She cleared her throat softly before continuing. "We need to head south another day or two. It will be longer on foot than when I have traveled to the Araya Lucaris in the past. We usually ride there so I'm not sure how much longer it will take on foot. There will be a hidden cave in the Southern Forest. It's a much smaller forest than The Deep Woods of Nither. It also won't be enchanted. That's our goal."
 
"The last thing I want to do is sentence more innocent people to death."

That was something they both had in common, but in different ways. Vander was beginning to feel that his presence was putting her in danger as well, whether from his brother or from his own, unstable, dark magic. Furthermore, he knew the longer they traveled together, the more they fought, the closer they became...no. Vander Albright would not get attached, nor would he hold her in any regard higher than a simple respect for her magic and her status. This was not why he was here; she was his road to stopping his brother, and to finding the Araya Lucaria. Nothing less, nothing more.

And yet, he felt regret when he couldn't muster a laugh towards her joking attempt at lightening the mood. He felt nervous about her prospects of making it through this journey on foot, especially with their lack of supplies and preparation. He felt paranoid, like every single step they took was bringing them one more closer to another one of his brother's Demons, or into another trap. His restless mind would be his undoing, of that he was sure.

"Southern Forest." Vander repeated, with a quaint and certain nod of his head, plotting their course definitively. "It's likely that I am the one they tracked. I am a danger to you simply by walking at your side." He began, after a short pause. "It makes sense that my brother could track me with magic, ours both came from the same wretched source. I may be able to misdirect him, but I can't guarantee it will work." Vander suggested, turning his head slightly, towards her. He wouldn't look at her straight in the eye, he was avoiding her gaze, fervently. "The other option is that we separate and travel alone. If he comes for me, then you would be far away, safe and out of his clutches."
 
Though Kelaria was obviously unable to read Vander's thoughts, something about the taste of his mood in the air made her stomach turn. His guilt was obvious but she didn't fully understand it. Why did it bother her so much that he was in a bad mood? Only a day ago she wanted nothing more than his death. Why should she care at all how he felt. Yet still, she found herself wishing she could read his thoughts, even for a moment. She wanted to know what he wasn't saying. She worried about what he wasn't saying.

Kelaria's eyes narrowed when Vander suggested that his brother may be tracking him by his magic. Though it might appear Kelaria was angry at Vander himself, she was furious with his brother and their demon benefactor. Furious that they would use Vander against her. Furious that they had once again found a way to try to stop her, to track her down and kill her before she even had the chance of surviving. No- not kill her. Torture her. They would torture her just as they did her father, seeking to force the secret of the Araya Lucaris out of her. She couldn't let them have it. Even if she failed she refused to let them find it.

"Misdirect him how?" Kelaria glanced at him. Her frown deepened as she noticed his eyes very obviously avoiding her own. She wanted to stop him in his tracks and force him to face her, force him to look at her and just say what he was thinking! It was maddening and it was even more maddening that she gave a damn in the first place!

"The other option is that we separate and travel alone..."

Kelaria's heart began to race anxiously and her stomach dropped. Her breath caught in her throat for a brief moment. If he were looking him in the eyes he'd see the momentary panic in them. Her voice lost any edge of hardness as she spoke, once again sounding more like a young woman who's whole world just got torn away from her. A young woman in way over her head. A young woman scared and alone wishing desperately just for someone to help her survive it all. "I don't think I can do this alone Vander." Her words were so soft they were hardly audible at all.
 
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