“IRENE!” Nicholai yelled as he ran over to the fallen woman. Other Fayspell mages ran over to their leader.

“Lady Irene!” The others mages cried to her.

“Get up! Come on we still have a fight to win! IRENE!” Nicholai cried. He pushed her body over and over. Then he stepped back and looked at her. The large hole in her side, the cuts and bruises, and the amount of blood loss. “No….NO!”

“Lady Irene….she’ can’t be.” A sorceress said in tears.

The Hulion knights saw their fallen captain, but knew the punishment they would face if they stood idly when an open opportunity was before them. They all took their weapons and started to charge at the unknowing mages. However they were all quickly dispatched by a giant wave of ice coming to them.

“Don’t even think about it!” Grimm yelled as he knocked the Hulion Knights away. However one was still going. Teresa. She walked past the fallen bodies of her military, and through the harsh cold ice that rendered the remaining soldiers motionless. She continued and approached the group of magic users. “Vesta!”

The princess turned to Grimm. In an instant she appeared before the man, floating near his face.

“Stay right where you are reaper. I’ll be back for you.” Teresa spoke. Grimm was completely unfazed by the threat.

“Listen here spirit, if you think you can scare me, then there is no chance you have in beating Nicholai. But I'm willing to see you try. Besides. I have other things to tend to.” Grimm said, turning over to Virion. “NICHOLAI! Stand up straight! This fight isn’t over.”

Nicholai knew meant no harm in his attempt to mourn Irene. But Grimm was right. Nicholai gripped his staff with both of his hands. He thought back to all the lessons, and punishments Irene gave him. Teaching him more and more about his father.

“All of you. Get Irene out of here. Head back to the village and bury her.” Nicholai ordered the other Fayspell mages. They were hesitant at first. Grimm reinforced Nicholai’s words.

“Get her back to Sarabell! Move your asses!” Grimm yelled. The other mages quickly struggled to lift the large woman, with their combined strength they all were able to lift the woman, then start heading back towards Sarabell. “And you. Go have fun with Nicholai.”

Nicholai snickered at himself. He took his chance to yell his command over. “Grimm! I need you to redirect the cannon! It’ll go off in 10 minutes. Point it towards the mountain.”

“He isn’t…” Grimm said looking back to the cannon. Then quickly understood what Nicholai was planning. Teresa reluctantly returned to Nicholai.

“You actually plan on killing me?” Nicholai asked.

“I do. You’ve harmed my child. My duty is to kill anyone who disrupts her.” Teresa spoke. Nicholai fully now understood the situation with the princess. A spirit had completely taken her over. One that was now using her body.

“So you’ll always take her side. Doesn’t matter to me.” Nicholai said as he started to smirk. “I’m more than just some handsome sorcerer.” The young man’s staff quickly lowered. Another lightning bolt came down to teresa, yet she dodged quickly. The staff raised, and the ground beneath her rose as well in square columns that each struck her one after the other rapidly. He then swung it to the left. A gust of wind flung the princess. He quickly raised the staff rising a stone wall that the princess fell into. Then swung the staff right, the wall erected a small chunk to knock her back. Only for another stone wall to spawn behind her and she fell into that as well. Nicholai finished his assault by turning the staff behind him, lifting the ice from behind him.The princess fell to the floor, Nicholai swung the ice down on her three consecutive times. Then made them crash on her. Shattering it and watching the princess lie in pain.

“I’m also Fayspell’s strongest sorcerer.”

Teresa looked to Nicholai, furious from the attack. She dashed off the ground and towards the sorcerer. Nicholai reacted by bringing another stone wall up between them. Teresa's sword had pierced through it, nearly reaching Nicholai.

“That won’t be happening again. Even with the strength of that spirit. You aren’t any more powerful. Just coming off as intimidating. Or trying to.” Nicholai taunted the girl. She removed the sword and rode past Nicholai, trying to slash his side, but failed to land a hit. He moved the earth as she did, her attack leaving a streak on the pavement.

“Even so, how long do you think you can stand there and defend against me. You’ll be forced to move eventually.” The girl stated as she started to attack quickly. Dashing around from every direction. Nicholai moved his stone or raised more in order to block her attacks.

“Alright. I need to figure out how the spirit works. Maybe I can return Teresa to her normal state.”

Nicholai thought to himself. Just then, Teresa was taking a heavy charge. Her sword is going for a large swipe attack. Nicholai raised stone columns on all sides. Then Teresa’s attack came through. For safety mesaures Nicholai ducked while inside the barrier as the slash cut the top part of the columns right off. “She’s open.” The sorcerer said. He raised a diagonal stone pillar into her torso knocking her back and other the ground.

“Damn you! You’ll die for that!” Teresa cursed Nicholai.

“Why don’t you let Teresa speak? You’ve been talking for her ever since I came down here." Nicholai came back with.

"Why don't you pick up a weapon and start fighting like a man?" Teresa continued to speak angrily at the young man.

"Because I don't feel like embarrassing myself like you're doing right now." Nicholai words angered both the spirit and the princess. She targeted him again, coming down with another vicious slash. Nicholai raised a massive wall of stone. Teresa was stopped in her tracks. She was intimidated by the obstacle. Nicholai then extended his arm out with his staff, and made it fall over.

“You fool!” Teresa yelled as she started to fly backwards. Nicholai responded to her reaction. He raised a wall on the other side. The princess continued, her path narrowing as she moved faster and faster. Nicholai brought the earth up around her more as she flew. Tunneling her in, shifting it evermore to tighten her movement. The tunneling moved more and more around the battlefield.

“If you want to get out of there you’ll have to cut your way through!” Nicholai yelled to the girl. Teresa continued to fly through as the sorcerer made it harder for her to escape. She knew it would be nearly impossible to escape with the strength of her sword. So she kept flying.

“He can’t keep this up forever.” Gapi Kaimis spoke to Teresa.

“No. He can. He’s testing us. Or just me.” Teresa softly replied. Gapi could feel her nearly starting to tear up.

“Then we have to kill him!” Gapi yelled for the girl. She tried to slice at the walls but found no success in getting through.

“No! We can’t. Even if we do we’ll still be dead. That Dracion will come for us. Or worst Grimm.” Teresa started to tear up. Gapi felt the tears come out of the body she was controlling. It made her stop in place. And the growing walls did too. “We can’t win anything. Why? Why are we even trying?” Teresa fell to her knees. Gapi stopped trying to move her. And instead, removed herself from the princess.

“Darling….” Gapi said as she caressed the side of the girls face. “We musn’t give up.”

Teresa continued to cry. “I...don’t want to go home. But I don’t want to lose.” Gapi wiped the girls tears.

‘Don’t you remember what i told you. I’d always be here to wipe your tears.” Gapi calmed the girl. “Listen darling. I won’t let that boy get the best of us.”

“But he’s….he’s so strong. His magic is better than mine. I just know. He’s-” Teresa was cut off by the spirit.

“Who cares! Hasn’t being away from home taught you anything Girl! Is this your first battle! Is this the first person to stand before you! He may have some fancy tricks. But it’s nothing we haven’t already dealt with. Put those tears away. We have fought much worse and won. He will be another who sees that you are no mere princess! Now stand up. And rid yourself of this scum.” Gapi warranted the girl.

“What if we lose?” Teresa cried.

Gapi hesitated in answering. “Then we will deal with it. This boy won’t kill us. Like you said, he’s testing us. So let’s give him what he wants.”

Gapi held her hand out to Teresa. The princess took it slowly, yet did. The spirit absorbed back into the girl. She then stepped out the tunnel and saw Nicholai waiting for her.

“Ready to fight me for real?” Nicholai asked.

“Sure. If that’s what you want.” Teresa answered and looked to the cannon above. She then gazed back at the sorcerer. “Let’s go.”

Nicholai didn’t hesitate. He lifted the staff bringing up more earth on both sides of the princess. They rushed together to crush the girl. Yet she evaded. Teresa refused with Gapi Kaimis. Nicholai took notice quickly. However before he could speak on it. Teresa was already flying towards him at incredible speed. She thrust her sword through his side. The same side where she attacked once. He began bleeding excessively, yet the injury was still beginning to fix itself. Albeit slowly.

“You want a fight. Your going to get one.” Teresa proclaimed.

Nicholai breathed heavily. “Fine.” He raised the staff. This time the dirt rose. Catching the princess. The staff swung down, and then to the right. The princess was dragged along the ground. Leaving a large trail. Nicholai summoned more dirt to create a moveable platform that would slide him around the battlefield.

Teresa stuck her sword out of the flowing dirt. Her active thunderstorm struck a bolt down and surrounded the blade. Which she quickly used to cut her way out of the dirt. Once out, she quickly got to her feet. Then located Nicholai. Sword in hand she soared over to the sorcerer. The princess came right over him, then slashed down with the sword, expelling the lightning from the sword. Nicholai jumped at the last second. The lightning severed the moving dirt Nicholai was riding.

Yet the young man wasn’t done. Even though the injury was hurting him and slow healing. He still found the strength to return to his feet. Though he found all the moving around rather taxing. He quickly resummoned some dirt to keep him moving, which dashed him away from the princess quickly. Yet she followed rapidly. Her speed knocking up the dirt. Nicholai saw this and acted quickly. He controlled the dirt. Rounding it all together. He covered the princess in the dirt. He swung the ball into the air, then slammed it downward. Making the dirt rain around, leaving just the girl.

Nicholai stopped to breathe. The girl wasn’t moving at first. Until she confidently picked herself up slowly off the ground. Her clothes completely dirty. She grabbed her sword, and stood herself up. The two breathe heavily together. Until the girl grabbed her side, and felt blood coming down her body. Gapi Kaimis faded, and the real Teresa returned.

“Stop…..the…..cannon…” Teresa said as her last words before falling over again, completely unconscious. Nicholai also then fell to his knees, still in pain.

“Grimm! Grimm!” Nicholai called out for the man. Grimm noticed, and left Virion to go to the boy. Nicholai looked to see the towering man over him.

“It’s alright. I’ll do what you said. Just lay down.” Grimm complied with the young man. However he heard a thud nearby. A dust cloud formed. It slowly settled, revealing the fallen Uziro. Grimm looked up to where Ezra had gone. He was the only one left. Except. Granius and Katreena were still fighting to break the last crystal. “Let’s get this out of the way. If I make a pillar high enough it should push the cannon up and aim it at the mountain.”

“That won't be happening.” Grimm turned downward to see Virion back before him.

“Don’t try to stop me. Both of us know you can’t.” Grimm said before turning around and starting to form the pillar. It grew in size rather quickly. Nearly reaching the cannon in seconds. However, Grimm sensed Virion coming for him ready with an attack. The man turned and kicked the enemy back. “Never could help yourself old friend.”

“Don’t start with me Grimm. I just realized something. I came all this way to kill you. What better way than to go out together. There’s nothing waiting for me if I win. So this is better than anything.” Virion spoke calmly. Grimm wanted the words to be untrue, yet he looked to the man. And didn’t see the person he called a friend so long ago anymore. This person was a broken shell of that man. “So. How about one last dance?”