It was finished. Bloody and battered, Matia Dragonfist trudged defiantly through the spot where his brother had stood moments before. But as he walked, his remaining strength seemed to flow out of him. He fell, his head hitting the ground, unable to catch himself. Yushimoto grabbed his friend before he could roll off of the tower. “You’ve used too much. You will die if one of us does not help.”

Matia pushed Yushimoto away, “No!” he rasped, “It has to be finished, or else he could come back... And you know what will happen then.” Yushimoto simply looked down sadly, away from his friend. “Hand me my sword—" Matia began coughing, his breath coming in short, wheezing gasps. Yushimoto's eyes widened as he saw blood on his friends lips. “Please… Before it’s too late.”

Grimacing as his friend continued coughing up blood, Yushimoto glanced at the ogre. “Rüsanum,” he said, “give Matia his sword. He needs it for what comes next.”

Rüsanum picked up the sword that had fallen from the elf's hand. Matia's hand grasped onto the blade, surprisingly strong for someone who had lost so much blood. He stumbled weakly to his feet, holding the sword up in both hands. It trembled slightly in his grasp, but his set expression never wavered.

"There has to be another way," Yushimoto began. "We can't just watch you die!" Rüsanum nodded his head in agreement.

A grim smile shadowed the corners of Matia's mouth. "There is no reason for me to live anymore. I have destroyed my only brother, and I do not have enough power to bring my mother back into the light." He moved toward the pedestal, his steps careful but determined.

Yushimoto looked down upon his friend , knowing there would be no stopping him.... But he had to try. "Matia, we can get rid of her together… Just let me use the sword, and—"

“No!” the elf barely managed to whisper, stumbling slightly as he tried to look back. “If anyone but me uses it, the mere heat from the magic will burn them up. No one else is more suited for this than I. And it must be done now, while he is still weak." Matia then took the sword within his hands and raised it above his head, weakened muscles trembling. Then, with one swift movement, he plunged the sword deeply into the diamond pedestal. The sword slid easily through it as if it were sand. And then, summoning the last reserves of his strength, he removed his hands from the hilt and wove the enchantments that would bind it away from time. As soon as the last word issued from his lips, he fell to his knees and then onto his side, curling over slightly as he coughed again. Flecks of blood sprayed onto the cold stone.

When he was once again able to speak, Matia looked up at Yushimoto, who had come to his side. "Take your rings from the room, and separate yourselves from each other until He who is in Need comes for them. You will know him when you see him..." Matia began coughing up more blood, feeling as though his lungs would be torn out. "Now get out of here," he gasped out. The force of the magic I just placed in this room is collapsing the tower. Get out."

Yushimoto looked down at the ring Matia had given him when they first met, all those years ago, and then looked back at the elf's face. Matia was very pale, and the blood stood out in stark contrast with his ashen skin. He knew then that Matia could not be saved. "All right," he said resignedly, "Rüsanum, you heard him. We gotta go, and I suppose this is the last time we will see each other for a long time." The ogre king looked down at his ring.

All three of the rings were glowing . The one on Matia's hand glowed a bright red, the one on Yushimoto's hand shone green, and the one on Rüsanum's hand was glowing a bright white. "Go! Now!" the elf rasped, "Get out of here!" Yushimoto stood, casting a final glance down at Matia. Then he ran, Rüsanum following along behind.

As Matia's vision faded to darkness, he envisioned a young elf with two companions walking into the ruins of his home. An inward smile lit his eyes from within. He... He is the one who will continue in my legacy... He... His vision became black as his eyes glazed over in death. While he drew his final breath and the two surviving friends escaped the quake, the tower of Tahtaria collapsed. With its death came the birth of a new kind of evil to clutch the world in darkness.