*** IN A WORLD CALLED ABADDON, IN A SUBTERRANEAN OUTSKIRT OF A PLACE CALLED HELIX, JUST OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER OF THE SUMMONED PORTAL ***

*** Amriel ***

The young man charged pass the narrow cave into the vast opening. He was out of breath from fighting all day and his blue on white uniform is almost torn to shreds and burned in some places. Part of his left pants are soaked in his blood from the ice shard he took before entering the portal and it hurts like he never felt before, but he charges on.

His name is Amriel and his revenge is near.

He was armed as usual-rune lance in his left hand and a short sword tucked into the crease of his back. He was 19, redheaded, and his eyes were emerald green.

He barely has enough mana to charge the runes of his battle lance, but he kept his weapon charge, for in front of him are the enemy. His goal is so near that he can practically taste it. He cannot stop now.

A dozen of the fierce Malladon block his way as he entered the vast cavern of this out-worldly plain. They were humanoid shape individuals with unbelievable pure white skin made of complex clay-like substance, making them flexible and deadly. They are known as the silent warriors of the void. They do not have eyes or nose or ears, but they do have a wide mouth covered by small sharp teeth ready to lacerate you.

And they use this mouth to snarl at the young knight before them.

Amriel met the challenge by charging directly at them. “In the name of Saiya, long live the council,” He whispered his battle cry in a throaty voice, saving his strength for the fight.

Two of the Malladons were black mages, and they started throwing fireballs at him. He twirls his spear expertly and deflected the four fireballs coming his way.

Amriel activated his ‘SPEED’ rune in his left arm and he vanished. The first mage did not even see the first blow of Amriel's spear that caught him right at his neck. He was already dead even before the second and third strike in his left chest and heart pierce him.

The second mage is more alert but even then his hasty shield barely protected him from the empowered blunt edge of Amriel’s spear. The blue knight swung his spear to the side of the mage, which blew him ten feet in the other direction.

The rest of the Malladon warriors reacted by charging him in all directions. They were far stronger and faster than Amriel, and their sheer savagery had no equal. Amriel survives with the help of his own ‘STRENGTH’ rune and his focus discipline. He moves, and dodge, and parried and block his enemy onslaught, all the while making sure that he is not completely encircled.

He parried another sword thrust then countered with a low kick, staggering his enemy. He turned and exchanges blows with the warrior to his right. He receives a torn shoulder while the creature’s stomach ate his spear to the hilt. Blood and gore coated his spear as he pulled it out, then backflip eight feet away to avoid another. He side step a vicious axe strike that would have cut him in two. With his rune strength he shouldered the axe man out of the way, then he threw his spear to his left when two of the Malladons aligned themselves perfectly. The spear passes through the first creature’s chest and entered the brain of the one behind him.

Somehow he avoided the slashing sword of two others until he finds an opening. The leading malladon took a heavy kick at the side of his head, breaking his neck and falling heavily to the ground, with teeth still chattering. He then rushes the second one and body slam him to the ground.

They rolled several times in the dirt with the malladon hitting him ineffectively in the head. Out of sheer desperateness, Amriel’s hand changes his hold from the creature’s wrist to the blade of the sword itself.

He angled the sword to the ground and during the next roll, he drops his full body into the sword and with the leverage, he was able to shatter the sword in two. The roll ended with him on top and with the edge part of the sword in his hand, started stabbing the malladon warrior in the stomach and chest repeatedly.

He screamed in pure agony and staggered to his left when another warrior is able to stab him from the side with a spear. It was sheer dumb luck that the spear penetrated the skin and stop by his ribs. The force of the spear thrust cracks the rib, but it held and otherwise did not penetrate any further. It helps a lot that the ‘STRENGTH’ rune is still active at this time.

He grabbed the spear, leaned in closer and with a slash of his broken blade, opened the malladon warrior’s neck. A gush of warm blood sprayed his face, but he barely notices this as he staggered back to his feet.

His eyes were now blurry because of the lost of blood and he could barely hold his weapon, but he stood tall and defiant, driven mainly by his will and need for his revenge.

Only four Malladons are left who is standing in his way, including the last mage who recovered from his attack. Behind them, just fifty feet away, stood his real target.

The abomination has her back to them, looking out to the cavern beyond. She is completely uninterested in the little battle they are currently fighting. A battle that is all being fought in her name. Instead, she stood there, completely naked and frozen like a statue, looking at nothing, doing nothing. She stood there, tall and elegant, completely unaware of the beauty she projects.

Just like Allana.

Amriel shook his head angrily. “Don’t think about her,” he commanded himself. “It’s not her anymore. It’s an abomination that you will destroy, nothing else and nothing more.”

The light of the two magical runes in his arm, one for strength and the other for speed, blinks once then died out completely. Immediately his feet could not support the weight of his entire body. He grinds his teeth in an effort not to scream as the pain in his body quadrupled suddenly.

“Not now!” He cried just as the remaining malladon warriors roared their defiance and charge at him. Desperately he poured non-existing mana into the runes, but nothing happened. “Please, just a little more time...” he whispered to no one in particular.

Then the rune in his arm sparkled once more and he stared at it. The light was a bit weak but even then he could feel the power returning back to him. Despite his resolve, he shuddered inside, for the rune is not showing the familiar bright golden light but a shining blue instead. And he knew exactly what happened.

The runes in his body are not empowered by his mana anymore, but by his life force itself. Essentially, his soul is being burned out of him to power his magic one last time. In short, he was dying.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looks at the incoming warriors, pure hatred in their eyes, and he smiled back at them. Blue sparks of magic lighten his eyes.

“So be it,” he said with finality. “Let’s have one last dance.”

And then he met their charge with his own.