Chapter 17-Runaway

The soft ting of the fallen ring is heard across the whole kingdom; the opal ring given to the Flame Lord hits the ground. Shit, the Narrator thought to himself. Slowly, he stands up, watching the Flame Lord's body twitch in all directions, being bombarded with the shards of ancient evil. Then, The Flame Lord jerks his head to the left to face the Narrator.

"What the hell are you?" The Narrator yells toward the Flame Lord.

"I am the darkness that creeps around the corner," he starts, "I am the stain on this world, the evil inside your heart."

The Narrator thinks to himself. The evil… Darkness… Inside your… The Narrator suddenly has a snap of realization. The Heart of Darkness… "No…" the Narrator whispers under his breath.

"That's it. It's you."

"Looks like someone has a brain," the Flame Lord says sarcastically, "though I know damn well you knew this before."

"So what if I did?"

Quickle, the Flame Lord dashes over toward the Narrator, stopping right in front of him. "Then you're aware that I can't have you alive, because we both understand that you know how to stop me… And we both know that I wouldn't want that, don't we?"

The Narrator pulls back slightly, trying to hit a decisive punch. "You really are a monster." The Flame Lord absorbs the blow, effortlessly.

The Flame Lord elbows the Narrator in the side while he's distracted, with enough force to send a shockwave through the air. The Narrator is sent backwards. Damn, the Narrator thinks, I need to get out of here, and fast… and Kara, oh god what he'll do to her… I can't leave her behind with this- The Narrator's thought is interrupted by the Flame Lord grabbing him by the head, and pulling the Narrator up to meet the Flame Lord eye-to-eye. "I will destroy you, atom by atom, until there is nothing left of you, not even a memory. Mark my words."

As the Flame Lord attempts a finishing blow, he's tackled by someone, catching him off guard.

"Kara?" The Narrator asks, bewildered. That's convenient…

The Narrator runs over to Kara while the Flame Lord is distracted. The Narrator quickly grabs Kara by the wrist.

"What are you doing?" Kara asks.

"Saving you. That's not Cameron anymore." The Narrator points to the approaching Flame Lord.

"You won't escape me, Narrator!" The Flame Lord yells, now running in a sprint.

The Narrator forms a blue ball of energy in his free hand behind his back and lets it fall to the ground. "I think not." Then, a blue, swirling pool of energy opens up under both him and Kara.

"NO!" The Flame Lord yells out, trying to grab onto the Narrator.

The Narrator and Kara fall through the portal and the Narrator closes it behind him. The Narrator and Kara fall through the swirling blue energy before landing on something soft, and white. The Narrator picks his head up and looks around to see a barren, snowy wasteland. He looks off over to the side of him and notices Kara laying face down in the snow. 

"Hey, wake up…" The Narrator says.

Kara slowly moves over to face the Narrator. "Uhh…" she starts, groggy from the portal travel.

At least she's alright, the Narrator thinks to himself. He slowly walks over to Kara, trudging through the tightly packed snow, and lifts her up out of the snow. "Where the hell did this take us," the Narrator says to himself.

Kara feels cold in the Narrator's hands. He starts walking in some direction. North, presumably. The wind begins to pick up, and snow begins to blow in the Narrator's face, as he carries Kara through this wasteland.

It's looking to be dusk, and there's no signs of civilization. We'll surely die if we don't rest, the Narrator thinks. The Narrator finds a tree to rest under, and props Kara up on the tree. The Narrator places his hand on her forehead. Cold… he thinks. The Narrator forms a blue ball of energy in his hand, and places it down near Kara. The ball of energy bursts into a warm, blue flame, melting the snow around it. The fire glows faintly, radiating a dim, blue light.

"Cameron…" The Narrator whispers under his breath, "I don't know what it will take, but I will free you from this… curse."

The Narrator slowly falls asleep under the tree, next to Kara, as the sun finishes setting on the barren, snowy planet.

"Wake up…"

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

The Narrator slowly wakes back up, a little tired.

"Thank goodness, I didn't think you would wake up!"

The Narrator glances over to the person talking to him. "Kara?"

"I never got the chance to thank you for saving me… Twice. So, thank you."