Ciaran and Callista (3)

(Vision? Memory?)

"Liz, pull back. You're overextending!" Ci yelled as he slaughtered thousands of creatures.

Just a few more hours until the entrance to Ade's world will close, and all the people on the other side would be safe, but as time trickled down, the fighting became more intense.

Liz lost in her bloodlust, realized that she had overextended and was calming down. She retreated to her position around the entrance.

"Thanks!" She said, summoning thousands of wood arrows

"Cas! Conserve your mana." Ci yelled at Cas

Cas was so focused on what happened a few nights ago with Liz exploding that she failed to notice she was running on fumes. As she tried to summon a tornado, she realized with fear that she had run out of mana when the spell fizzled out.

"CAS!" Ci shouted

But Cas didn't hear anything as the world around her started spinning, and she felt as if she was going to throw up.

The creatures sensing a break in the defensive perimeter, charged forward with a ferocity that had never been seen before, and it wasn't but a moment till she was surrounded, and she fell to her knees as all the exhaustion from the past week caught up to her.

She could only look up at the creature, which was about to devour her. With a sad smile, she closed her eyes and prepared for the guilt she had been feeling for so long to be at an end finally.

"Sorry, Ci." She whispered as the world around her turned black.

"Cas!" Came the muffled voice

"Cas, wake up!"

"Where the hell are we?!"

"CAS!" Came the suddenly loud voice near her ear.

Jolting awake, Cas stared at Liz, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Liz?" Cas asked in confusion

"Cas! What's going on?" Liz frantically said, "One moment we're fighting, then Ci shouted something, and now we're here." She finished

All that Cas could see was black, and her heart sank.

"What did he say?" Cas asked with fear in her voice

"Shadow…. Something. I didn't catch all of it." Liz said with worry

"Shadow World." Cas said with certainty

"Yeah, he said shadow world, and then everything turned black. I was worried till I saw you collapsed on the floor." Liz said as she began looking around for Ci. "Where is Ci?" She asked, only to notice that Cas was crying.

"Cas, what's wrong?" Liz asked, fear beginning to sink in.

"That idiot." Cas mumbled as tears streamed down her face

"Cas, where is Ci" Liz asked, starting to panic

"He's not here." That was all Cas said

"What do you mean?" Liz said as she grabbed Cas

"He sent us to this world while he is still fighting." Cas informed her with a hallowed look in her eyes.

When Liz heard her say that her eyes widened in shock, and she began shouting for Ci, even casting spells hoping to break the world they were in. but no matter what she did, there was no answer from Ci or any hope of breaking out of this world. They were now stuck in this void while the man they loved was fighting alone.

"So, how did you know about this place?" Liz asked

It felt like hours in this place, and the only thing they could do was wait to be let out.

"Long ago, he showed me this place and confessed he loved me. Saying it was another world, he wasn't a lord, and I wasn't his aide." Cas said heartbroken

"I never knew of this." Liz paused and looked at Cas with red eyes. "He truly does love you." She finished as more tears streamed from her eyes.

The two sat together for the longest time, not talking. Each having different thoughts. What each one was thinking, only they knew.

Finally, after what felt like days, the dark world they were in started fading, and slowly they began to see the world around them once again, and they both were frozen with shock.

The city, known as the last bastion that stood against the horde, was destroyed. No building could be seen, no foundations, no roads, nothing. It was a barren wasteland covered in red.

The two looked at each other for a moment, terrified by the silence that prevailed the surroundings. No monster screaming, no fighting, nothing. It was as if the world itself was dead.

Moving forward, the two searched for Ci and found him they did. He was on his knees, with his sword stabbed into the ground and resting on it.

He had his back toward them, and as they rushed forward, they noticed his back was completely fine. It wasn't until they moved in front of him that they both gasped with horror.

The once beautiful man they both loved had his left eye missing, multiple stab wounds on his chest, and a large arm pierced through his abdomen. On second glance, they noticed that his left arm was missing, and a shadow arm replaced it.

The two were horrified at sight, and neither could respond appropriately to the view.

"I… I'm gla….glad your sa…..fe." Ci struggled to say, catching them both off guard

As they both rushed to embrace him, they were suddenly stopped by a shadow wall.

"Do…nt inf..ected, all…fath..er coming." He said through clenched teeth

"We'll stay and fight." Liz said, tears streaming down her face

"I won't leave you." Cas said, her voice filled with determination

If her master was to fall, then it was only natural for his aide to fall by his side

Watching him smile, the two let their guard only for a moment, and that was all it took.

"Shadow lock." Ci said and clenched his fist.

Suddenly both Cas and Liz were frozen and couldn't move. They could only watch as Ci struggled to stand up and limp over to them.

"I… love you… both." Ci said as he maneuvered the two toward the entrance to Ades's world

"I…. will always…. be the…. Villain destined…. To die." He paused and gasped for breath "You… two will… live on… as heroes…" He finished as he stopped in front of the entrance.

Suddenly the world started shaking, and far off into the distance, a hand shot out of the ground. If the two could move, they would be shaking with fear of the massive amount of aura it released.

"Goodbye…. My heart." Ci said with a warm smile as he pushed them through the entrance

That was the last time each of them saw Ci, as not even a moment, they were sent through the entrance sealed off, and everything faded to black.