I woke in the passage knife in hand. Marley was staring at me confused. My strength gave way. The concentrated chain of repetitive moments I had planned through and through, never failing to do the exact same as before ended. There was no point. He couldn't die. He wouldn't die. The reason for his words, his dismissal of us, the way he seeming dodged every fatal attack, despite the power Lara and the others held… he was like me. Just as in his eyes I couldn't die, in mine he was the same. How was it possible for the two of us to exist in the same place? Was this the Goddess' sick joke?
"Rain?" Taylor's voice whispered next to me. "Hey Rain, what's wrong."
"We… we can't win," the words fell from my lips loosely.
"What do you mean? We haven't even tried," she shook me concerned.
"I… I," I shut my mouth and thought. He already knew we were here. From his words we had already talked before and in disagreement fought, ending his life. So he chose to face us here where we would be surprised and where we couldn't hurt anyone else. He knew he was enough alone. Just like I was determined to win no matter how many tries it took so was he. The problem now was we were at a standstill and one not in our favour. Think! There needed to be a way out of this. If we ran he would find us. How could we end things here?
I stood up as the others came closer. The fated arena just ahead of us and the Demon Lord waiting.
"Ronalt he's too powerful for us to handle," I spoke firmly, not leaving any doubt.
"Rain… why do you say that?" he was perplexed but held a belief in me.
"I saw it, our deaths." I pointed, "Except Lara's."
"What?" she looked at me shocked. "I'd never let that happen!"
"Ronalt we're all holding her back. If Lara was serious she could handle this alone."
For a moment he looked at Lara and then back to me, "You are correct. I have known for a long time it may come to this."
"Exactly." I turned my eyes to her. Sorry Lara but I'm throwing all my hope at you. I could remember the times I had died before her. The pure power that she was restraining. The power that could blow the world away. She couldn't release it, not with us here. More than that I had a faith in her that I couldn't exactly describe. It went past just seeing her in battle or knowing her as Jane, perhaps it was the charisma of the Hero.
"But-but I," Lara's eyes flashed to each of us. "I need you."
"And we'll be here, just not exactly beside you," I replied earnestly. "Ardent we'll buy you time. Create a barrier where the Demon Lord and Lara can be alone. It needs to be strong enough that no bit of mana can come out. Can you do that?" If my theory was correct, it might be able to stop the Demon Lord reviving before this point in time. Magic had to be in play and without mana there was no magic.
Ardent scratched his chin, "Well yes, I do have something I was saving, but where is he?"
"Waiting over there," I gestured to the open stone room.
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that," he breathed out and chuckled. "It'll take me a minute." A minute would be a long time. Even our longest fight with him so far hadn't reached that long.
Earnest held up his sword, "I can distract him for a minute."
"Leave that to me," I pushed his hand and sword back down. "Please."
More than anything else there was curiosity in his eyes, "Show me then."
"Ronalt protect everyone and Taylor don't help me."
"Hold it!" Taylor gripped on to me, "Are you suicidal? Marley and your potions can only heal so much."
"I'll be fine," I replied wryly. After all I was more worried about her. I turned to Lara and held her shoulders, "I know this is a bit sudden but I need you to trust me on this. Don't hold back. I believe in you Lara, I always have. No matter how much of a cry baby you can be."
"O-okay, but I'm talking to him first."
"…." I sighed. "You can try." I moved away from everyone and drew my knife. "Don't mind me and please turn around. Seriously turn around." I couldn't be bothered explaining all this again and I was sure I was going to die multiple times. Movements and actions I could bare but having the same conversation over and over again was too much. I killed myself as they turned their backs to me.
"Okay I'm done," I sheathed my knife to their confusion. Lara looked at me with a pale unease.
We stepped into the room. The Demon Lord entered.
"I've been waiting for you," he stared each of us down coldly. Just how much could he remember from the last time? How did our deaths affect each other? It was too complex to think about but hopefully we had this chance.
"Hey there," I waved to him. "So I know you won't listen to me or anything we have to say, blah, blah, blah, humans need to die."
He scowled, "I have already listened enough. We will never see eye to eye."
"So how about this, care to have a duel with me?" I drew my sword. "Let's see how long the two of us can last against each other."
There was a clenching behind me as Taylor and the others heaved anxiously.
"Then you will be the first to die," he took his black steel blade and stepped to the centre of the room. I matched him.
"Probably," I sighed. He swung. I died immediately.
Trying again. I stood in front of him as my mouth worded the exact same phrases. My ability and muscle memory to do so frightened me a little. As he swung I parried the blow away and thus began our dance. I died and kept dying but each time I smiled with an almost crazed determination to keep going. Our fights grew steadily longer. The memory of his next move burned within me with a preordained rhythm. Without the others I could barely get in room to counter yet at the same time he couldn't end me, or at least not permanently.
As the seconds turned into dozens something began to change. I no longer died after every new strike of his sword. My body began to acclimatise to his movements, learning with each death and blow of his sword. The way my muscles threatened to give way, how much force to return his blade, the slight differences in his technique, what would come next… all of it seeped inside of me. I began to grin as the will to keep going turned to excitement. I was surviving more than two now, then it became three, the seconds continued to pass and without realizing I was at times holding my own.
His expression tightened the longer we continued. With every slight mistake I died, yet the experience itself filled me with exhilaration. More so than any time before I was learning. His movements became my own, and without thinking, only reacting I was able to turn his sword away. Despite his strength above mine, his years of practice and hard work, I stole them. As much as I confused him he refused to back down. Not using magic, only fighting with the skills of his swordsmanship, it was a test between the two of us.
Finally his eyes narrowed in realisation and instead of killing me in a single strike he stabbed into my arm and twisted the blade, causing me to reel back in pain. My sword fell as the fresh blood dripped down my arm and onto the ground.
"You…, you're like me," he frowned. "There should only be one. There can only be one." He was clearly astounded.
"Oops looks like you figured it out," I stepped back. The accumulated mental and physical fatigue threatening to overcome me. "Too bad for you, I've done my job." A minute had passed. I jumped back, "Lara switch!"
"On it!" she yelled in reply and dived forwards, preventing the Demon Lord from catching me. "Ardent do it!"
He clapped his hands as Lara held the Demon Lord still. I only noticed it now but a long scroll had been wound across his arms, the letters and instructions faded from the paper and sunk into his skin. An immense circuit of magic erupted beneath Lara and the Demon Lord. A golden light spread around them and like a beast closing its jaws, sealed them away. Ardent fell to his knees, brow covered in sweat.
"Marley heal Rain," Ronalt began to shout orders. "Earnest standby in case something goes wrong. Taylor keep an eye out. Ardent how long can you hold the barrier."
"As long as they're just talking, plenty of time," he gulped. "Though it looks like they're not going to do that." His expression morphed into a scowl of concentration. "Five minutes with what I have left."
I moved as Marley placed her hands on my injured arm and picked up my discarded box. "How about with all this?" I clicked open the lid revealing the rows of vials and bottles. "Sorry they won't taste nice but until Lara is done you need to hold on."
"I'll drink as many as I have to," he laughed.
"Marley focus on easing Ardent's strain, my arm will be fine," I said and began to pull out the potions that would help. "We might be here for a while."
We sat in strenuous silence. Until Lara appeared before us the fight was not over. So we waited, our guard and vigilance never lowering. The minutes passed as Ardent held his barrier. Occasionally he'd grown in strain, close his eyes and focus. He'd quickly drain a potion I had prepared and continue. The rest of us could only watch. The golden oval shaped caged twisting and shining, covering almost the entire stone room. At times it would bend and flex only to warp back. Whatever was happening inside was beyond what I could imagine.
Then as half an hour passed, Ardent scowled and in a burst, blood spat from his mouth trickling down his chin.
"Apologies my friends," he keeled over. Even with Marley continuously aiding him he passed out.
"Everyone form up on me!" Ronalt roared and readied his shield. The golden cage quickly began to unravel. Strings of light flowing away in clusters creating the image of a glowing ocean. Then all at once they were flung away, scattering to nothing as the ones inside made themselves known.
Lara stood above the Demon Lord his black blade shattered on the ground and Lara's pure white one embedded into his chest. She looked down at him with tear strained eyes, her face full of grief. The Demon Lord couldn't meet her gaze, his eyes were hollow and broken. Just how many times had he died in that cage? Over and over again till he knew he could not go on.
"Please end this," he choked and a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Entrust the demons to me," Lara pulled out her sword as the Demon Lord made his last spiteful smirk. As the blade escaped his chest a flow of blue blood crossed the floor and he collapsed unmoving. Slowly his body began to shine as blue flecks peeled away disappearing into the air. In the end all that remained of him was the golden stone that had been inlaid in his chest.
"Is he dead?" Taylor asked.
"Yes…," I answered solemnly and walked to Lara's side.
Her hand quivered and as if letting go of so much more, her sword hit the ground releasing a metallic clatter throughout the room. She faced me barely able to stand. Her armour grazed all over, hair a mess and covered in sweat and grime.
"Sorry Lara," I pulled into a hug. "You did well."
She began to cry, "I killed him Rain…. He-he just wouldn't listen and then… I had to stop him."
"I know," I rubbed the back of her head to calm her. "It's over now. Let's take you back home."
Her grip tightened against my chest, "Home huh…, I miss it." With the Demon Lord dead, this world no longer needed Lara. I'd make sure she went back somehow.