Yisrael carefully maneuvered behind the back of the tent. He slipped into the small opening disguised into hiding of them back chamber room where the dragon is fire lied, squeezing himself in and he slid into narrow transit.

Carefully peering through the slit of grim and rock, he saw Chris hazardously looking over his father's pamphlets, parchments.

Hunters with rifles at the ready paced around, gibberish spoken between them as they glanced at the fire in the middle.

When he glimpsed towards the fire, searching. He saw it.

His father bound and beaten. Blood gushing from his mouth, his arms limp almost as if they were pulled out of its socket.

His breath held, anger seeping inside his veins as Yisrael fisted his palms.

"One last time where is the stone?" A tall man with dark shadows under his eyes stood over Yuri from behind. His hand fisted a long whip with spikes designed on its tail.

Yuri mumbled something incoherent but it wasn't what the man was looking for, another round of whap and hoarse yell resounded in the chamber.

Chris flooded towards him, red with unholy rage. "Tell me where is it?!"

Coughing, Yuri spit gorge of blood onto his face. "Not over my dead body."

Another whack burned his back and his back bowed in an odd angle as Yori felt the power strains leave him, heading down to the ground. The earth absorbing his blood with it.

He wheezed, the pain of breathing in was like swallowing rocks.

"Tell me now!" Chris screamed, his greed blinding him. He looked for this his entire life, he wasn't going to be denied of its wealth. His affluence. His fame.

To be finally prove himself to all those laughed at him, saying he couldn't evince anything. How many hours of wasted effort he laid in his basement, researching and searching.

He wasn't going to leave empty handed.

With bated puffs, Yuri spoke. "You- will fail— ultimately."

Those words hit Chris like a truck. He slammed Tiger to the side, and yanked his gun from his holster.

Aiming in his shaky hands, he pointed it at Yuri. The old's man face was strung with streams of heavy red, his eyes swollen and tired. He wasn't going to live.

No pangs constricted Chris. He wanted his win. His prize. His stone.

He seethed out. "I'm asking for the last time where is it?"

Yuri stared at the barrel. So finally it comes to this.

So long he had lived. His own birth, to his childhood then rapidly changing into the adult he knew he had become. Then, his beautiful wife had came along and taken away.

He felt his son's eyes on him. His rapid breathing still faint but audible. Yisrael was here.

His son couldn't save him. There were too many of them. Even if he knew the futility of it all.

With a last breath, he inhaled and raised his voice hoping his son could hear it, his god could hear it. "We have lived long. Long enough. And finally, we have come to our end."

Each word Yuri spoke, the fire beside him bubbling up. The gushes of it flowing towards the ceiling and all around, the hunters gasped.

"It's time."

At the moment, Yisrael knew what had to be done. He took one last look at his father, his own eyes stinging, he stepped away.

Rubbing his arm over his eyes, he moved back to the way he came and began to run to the holy cavern where the stone stayed.

As he sprinted out of the secret pathway, a shot rang out and a howl reverberated in the night air which made the whole forest bow away with a wild ferocious wind, their branches blown asunder.

When he reached the vine covered dome wall, he let out a guttural cry. It was absolute. There was no hope.

Dead.

His father was dead.

And now it was time to join him as well.

-*-

River paced in the same space where Yisrael and her made love for the very first time. It looked so different than now.

It was crystallized with white rocks that now seem to be dimming as if the batteries are finally running down.

All the Iborians stood next to each other in trembled fear.

When she heard the shot, she felt Yosemite's face balanced. Before she could ask, someone cried out, pointing. "Look at the wall!"

River's eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

All the tracing, enhancing black paintings, engravings on the wall began to vibrate and mesh together all forming into a thick huge vine, leading to the next chamber room.

The glow from the stone burning higher than before. The heat rising and she felt herself wet with cold sweat.

"What's happening?" Yet no one answered her question.

Then like as if they were troops of a regiment, they all stood up still. Very still. Slowly they filed out moving to the chamber.

Yamien, Yosemite and even Yori, lined after them as if in a trance. Their eyes were black of satanic ruse, they were like the blind being lead by a the one holy hand.

She was about to take a step when Yisrael's washed dried face came into view from the dark passage.

She gasped. "Yisrael."

He tried not to shudder at her beautiful voice. With enough strength, he grated out. "You need to leave."

"What? No! Tell me-"

"You need to leave. My father is dead and now, I must do what he has asked me to do. It's time."

Before she could answer, riots of voices echoed outside. The men were coming here. They must have caught him entering after he shut the opening of the cave.

"Bring the TNT!" A familiar hoarse voice flew over the chaos outside. Tiger. He is here.

She grabbed Yisrael's arm before he went into the chamber where his fate was sealed. "Please! Don't do this. You can't! Let's find another safe-"

"It's done. We can't go anywhere else. If the stone is taken, we die so this is the only one solution left. The stone is never to be in the hands who don't deserve it."

"No! You can't destroy it. You will die!" Tears streamed out. Her stomach coiled unsanitary.

He stopped, his hand tracing her wet hair over her face. Thumb sliding her cheeks, "You told me once. I'm extinct. Well, it's time for me to leave this earth."

He smiled at her, while dread filled her up.

"River, leave from the back of the cave. You will find a sealed trap which will take you outside. Then, just run. The power of the stone is too strong. Not only will the Iborians die, it will kill anyone in the same room. Go!"

She shook her head but he held both his palms, cupping her face. She vibrated with anguish cries.

"River, you have my soul within you. Never forget that. We are one."

Her lips tremble. "Don't leave me."

He leaned in to kiss her, her heart cracking. She sobbed into his mouth, seeking his tongue.

She shook so violently, he had to hold her up.

"Please don't do this-"

He just smiled and pulled away. "Remember who you are. You are my brave River."

Her throat hurting and he pointed to the hidden passage for her to get away and then he just turned, walking to his fate.