The hallucination of Kathleen Ambershey leaned against the wall with arms crossed in annoyance under the arch of Ta'Kalenyilgah, the stone gate of the dark elf city which stood towering over them. The Watcher paced up and down the length of the gate, his fingers nervously rubbing away palmy sweat. Moment ago, the gates had been closed after the guards retreated into the dark to join the ceremony. He had managed to use his power to reverse time on the gates to a point where they were opened. He reasoned that he did not break open the door. It simply never closed.

Vexed, Kathleen asked him, “Can you just calm down?”

The Twins were setting. Light was fading quickly and shadows were drawing through the north-eastern flat plains. A large flock of birds burst out of the canopy of the forest to the south, caws echoing through the air as they crossed the clouding skies towards the western twilight.

“Can't help it,” The Watcher told her. “Nothing I can do.”

“Shouldn't you be used to it by now?” she asked casually. He did not reply and instead continued his steady pacing. She looked around at the guardhouse built into the side of the gate. “Where are the guards?”

“I'm guessing Nadier's distraction worked. They got called back in.”

“Lucky for them. You would have killed them.” He was uncomfortable with how she noted murder in a way he did not want his subconscious to be thinking.

He corrected, “I wouldn't have killed them.”

“Sure...”

The tumbling of rocks echoed through the highway path that led down into the darkness of the citadel.

Squinting into the shadows, The Watcher asked, “Is anyone there?” Silence replied, and he called out again into the dark. “Adelle? Nads?”

Another period of quiet was presented to him. Reaching into his coat, he took out his pocket watch. The crystal glowed slightly violet as he ran a charge of power through it. He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. A bright ball of light popped out floating before him, a coagulation of slowed and trapped light that pulsed white. With a slight gesture, he sent the makeshift torch floating into the darkness. As the ball crossed into the deeper shadows, growing brighter as it went and lighting up even the ceiling of the tall cavern, red eyes reflected like a pack of wolves waiting to pounce. Hundreds of dark elf soldiers stood in the black of the tunnel, helmets on and armoured up, swords in hands ready for battle.

“Shit,” The Watcher let out at the sight of a battalion of warriors. “Not cool.”

Kathleen asked the question his body would have asked in a moment, “Why aren't they attacking?”

He took a closer look at the dark elves. “They aren't covered in aeronium. Look, their skins are white. They're probably waiting for night to come.”

“Unbelievable. Nadier and Adelaide actually did it. They destroyed the gate.”

The Watcher grinned, “I never doubted them for a second.”

“If that's true, I would never have said it the way I did.”

He was not particularly enjoying the presence of a conscience that could call his bluff.

However, he had an even more pressing matter at hand. He had to stop the dark elves from leaving at the end of twilight. He had to hold the line till the siege golems made it out. Examining the light from the Twin stars, The Watcher drew the sword from his back and drew a clean line into the ground just before the gates as if a stick through sand.

He sheathed his weapon and announced to the army of elves. “Hello! I'm the Watcher! How are you all doing?” The soldiers did not reply. He thought that was rude as he felt his greeting was heartfelt and sincere. “Not the speaking kind, eh? Fair enough. Fair enough. Then, just listen and I'll do all the talking. This line here is not for show. Nope. It is for your safety. For this is where you'll continue surviving, so long as you do not–!”

“Enough!” A female voice boomed from within the tunnel, cutting his monologue short. “There is no need for your plans, Watcher. Soldiers, stand down and return to the city!”

Shuffling started within the dark elven ranks as the soldiers immediately and obediently turned away from The Watcher and began their journey back down into the city. The Watcher, with another snap of his finger, dispersed the ball of light in a bright burst. The tunnel walls gained a higher colour tone and contras for a few seconds with streaks of the colours of the rainbows glaring before the light bounced back and out into their normal routine. The passageway was thrown back into darkness and The Watcher could only watch as a woman dressed in a long black robe stepped out of the blackness into the light shade.

The woman swept back her onyx hair and said, “Greetings, Watcher. I am Nintarin Waynwalker, the Ha'Lof of the dark elves.” She gave a slight bow.

Kathleen chirped, “I thought she betrayed the dark elves. Why are they still listening to her?”

Nintarin replied, “Because my full actions have yet to be revealed to the people. The commander wants their morale high for the battle.”

Stunned, The Watcher stammered, “Are you talking to–? Can you see her? Are you talking to me?” He pointed to Kathleen then to himself.

“A little of both,” Nintarin explained. “I am a telepathic seer. I predict the future by reading thoughts across time. The ability to read minds is an extension of that and I can hear her voice in your head. It's very noisy in there but this Kathleen's is undoubtedly the loudest at the moment.”

He had dealt with telepaths before and never enjoyed their encounters. Their abilities to dig into ones mind was deadly when properly honed. Though there were some ways to counter their abilities, telepaths were often powerfully annoying.

Kathleen asked, “What are you doing here?”

Nintarin's hand slipped out from under her robe and swept back towards the dark highway. “I am clearing your path. My last act in this 'war'.”

“This is weird,” The Watcher noted. “Outside of my head, you must be talking to yourself.”

“No. I am conversing with you.”

He started, “Why must–”

“Seers be so cryptic?” Nintarin finished for him. “That is a question I doubt anyone can answer.”

“Please don't–”

“Do that? I shall try,” Nintarin replied with a sly smile.

Daylight was waning and orange bathed the outside of the gate, the light sliced over the side of the mountain in a canvas of burning light. Nintarin stepped out to the edge of the shadow behind the line drawn by The Watcher. The colour of flames baked the ground slowly, angling out towards the line in the ground.

With a sigh, the Ha'Lof looked past him towards the outside sky and said, “The aeronium gate was our lifeblood. Our ancestors built it with help from the dwarves. It gave us an option to avoid extinction, a chance to once again stand out in the Twins' light.” She reached out a bare hand into the twilight. Her pale white skin almost glowed in the gleam. “We were given the chance to feel the warmth of life again. But our blessings we did not take. We let greed seep in and fester. Let it take roots in our hearts. An unavoidable outcome of all living beings to always want more.”

Kathleen called out, “Hey...”

Nintarin's hand began to redden in the light. Patches of maroon blood formed on the outstretched palm. The Ha'Lof turned her hand over a few times, baking both side until the reaction painted her pale hand red. Sighing, she finally pulled back her blistered, scorched and bleeding hand.

A small tremble shook the ground and the group turned back to look into the darkness of the highway.

Nintarin noted, “The Titans are here. I guess that part of your plan is complete.” She began walking back into the highway.

“Wait!” The Watcher called out and the dark elf stopped in her tracks. He asked, “Come with me. I can get you out.”

Nintarin did not return to gaze at him. With a steadied voice she instead warned, “You're in the leagues now, Watcher. The individuals you will face on Tearha will be nothing as weak as the ones you've challenged before. You're no longer the only one with the power to take on gods now.” The quakes of the earth grew stronger and louder, rhythmic in steps taken by the Titans that were travelling out from the depth of dark. Nintarin finished, “I appreciate your concern and offer, and I admire your philosophy of rescue, but I cannot in good conscience say that is an optimal outlook. You cannot save everyone. Not me, not Kathleen. Though I do thank you for trying.”

Without another word, she returned to her trek back into the dark home of Ta'Galadul. disappearing into the shadows just as night turned over the last light of twilight disappearing over the far off horizon.

Kathleen piped, “That was weird and oddly helpful.”

“Deus ex machina,” The Watcher admitted in a melancholic tone. Nintarin's arrival and dispersal of the troops had been an unexpected but welcomed aid.

The trembling ground continued, rising in strength and sound as loud thundering stomps could be heard echoing from within the tunnels. The stars started to litter the sky, grouped in heavy blots. The Watcher noted he had not been able to properly appreciate the night sky until then, not with everything that had happened. Focused entirely on the stars, he did not notice the trembling rise to a deafening mash.

Kathleen noted, “All that noise in your head. The shouts of people you failed to save. It must make it hard for you to focus on the real world.”

Just as she finished, the sky was covered by a towering creature. The siege golems, head just barely under the towering Dark Gate of Kings, stomped overhead on centauric legs, stone arms swinging stiffly at their sides. In a single file, the two giants marched down the slope of the mountain, obediently following the final instruction of their former masters. If all had gone to plan, the terramancers controlling the Titans would have been knocked out and left with no control save for their last commands.

In a puff of rust and smoke, Adelaide and Nadier reappeared at the gate beside him. The trio stepped out completely from the cover of the earth and into the winds of Tearha. They stared at the golems wandering off in the direction of Everwind and by extension, Valent.

Adelaide approached The Watcher. “How about that? We fucking did it!”

Nadier reprimanded, “Watcher, you will not teach any other vulgarities to Adelaide.”

She replied, “I'm over two hundred, Nads, I can swear what I want to swear. Right, Watcher? Watcher?”

The time traveller had turned away from the Titans and was now facing the gates in silent contemplation and stewed on what he was about to do. Nadier approached the former and placed a reaffirming hand on his shoulder.

You cannot save everyone...

Nintarin's parting words echoed in Watcher's mind. He held his pocket watch tighter than before and the memory of his brother, Tier, flashed through his mind. From the side, Kathleen gave him a supportive smile. He turned his head over to Nadier who nodded in solemn understanding, and lastly to Adelaide who stood with arms crossed in unfeeling impatience.

With a deep breath out, The Watcher reached out his free hand towards Ta'Kalenyilgah. With a downward swipe, the entirety of the gate and the parts of the mountain behind it crushed down in a heap of dust within the blink of an eye, sealing the entrance to Ta'Galadul with the literal weight of a mountain. The way in and out of the Dark Citadel was buried forever after.