[Welcome to the Sea of Sorrows, Carl Jackson]

  "I still can't get used to the nausea." Carl regains his composure. However, the illusions are out of focus and blurred. "I guess I am alone for now."

  "Yes, you are," the voice said, "for the time being."

  "Who are you? Kevin, is that you?"

  Kevin walked around to his right side and stared straight into the blurred illusions.

  "Would that ease your burden? Or increase it perhaps?"

  "No, you are not Kevin," Carl replied. "Malikhil."

  (Kevin) stepped up and turned to face him. "Perceptive as always, but I am glad you are always the observant one. I could not best you even in the most dire of events."

  "Release the people of Mordecai. I know you do not care for them. You have what you want."

  "Oh, my dear Companion. Always putting yourself in the leadership position. Now, I do admit. Yes, I was upset when you returned and then violently expelled my presence from the Fire Sword. However, can we not have a discussion about this? It would be in your favor to say yes."

  "I am done with your games, Malikhil."

  "Fine, fine. I have something to show you anyway. But I take no fault in Mordecai's problems. You are correct. I do not care about them. But one only needs influence to corrupt the nature of the soul."

  The images sharpen to reveal an underground laboratory. Several Rowen scientists are busy at their stations, each doing calculations that only they can decipher.

  "Calix, do you have the calculations of where they exited from?" A skinny young woman wearing a bright yellow exam coat looked up from her screen.

  "Yes," the man on the other side of the room yelled out. "On your screen now."

  "Right," she said, adjusting her glasses and tapping a few more screens. "This should work. The convergence of time is different in that sector; it moves much more quickly. That has to be where the boys arrived. Tie those coordinates to mirror here at the lab."

  "Dr. Whatley, those coordinates are in Mordecai."

  "Mordecai?" she repeated. "Well, looks like we are going to Mordecai. I can go visit my niece. She will be excited to see me."

  The door opened, and three individuals entered the room.

  "Kevin, the world is saved, and we have seen all that we have. We do need to be getting back home," the young Carl said. "Tell him, Ajinin."

  "Carl is right, Sword Master. Your home awaits." This was from the large man who entered, followed by a young Kevin. On his back was a large prismatic broadsword, which in no way caused him any discomfort when he moved.

  "Yeah, well," Kevin replied. "I am sure they will be waiting."

  "Enough, Malikhil!" Carl said. "I am not going though your fucked up version of Nightmare before Christmas bullshit."

  (Kevin) laughed.

  Carl walked away from the memory as it dissipated and blurred away. Another memory materialized, and he walked through it. This location was Mordecai, and he found himself next to the large fountain. The night stars gave the city a moonlit glow, and as romantic as the city was, he knew exactly what the memory was about.

  "Seriously…" Carl said.

  Several people gathered around, most carrying thank-you signs and congratulatory banners. Dr. Whatley and her science team stood by, each performing the final calculations to create the portal for them to return home.

  "Ah, Dr. Whatley, here they come!"

  A large cheer from the crowd as the boys approached. Malikhil, the Great Darkness, is no more, and life in Rowen can continue on without the threat of evil lurking around.

  The Rowen Princess greeted the boys, and the fountain itself came to life as if it were also celebrating the joyous occasion.

  However, the boys were knee deep in an argument. One that will affect everything and everyone around them.

  "Carl, I have already decided. I am staying in Rowen." Kevin said.

  "No, that is not what we agreed on, bud," Carl replied. "I am not going home without you."

  "Hey, that is what you agreed on, not me. You have people at home who miss you. When I get home… It doesn't matter. I am not going. They will be fine without me."

  "Hey, we have been here six months. You cannot say that you do not miss your family. Hell, I miss mine."

  "That is why you are leaving," Kevin replied. "When I am ready to go back home, Whatley can recreate the portal, and I will go back. Right?"

  Whatley peered from her pad. "Sure, sure!"

  "And what am I supposed to tell your family?"

  "Nothing. They will think I merely ran away. They will get back without me. Whatley open the damn portal. It is time for Carl to go home to his family."

  "Young, Sword Master," Ajinin said. "Are you sure about this?"

  "I wasn't more sure than anything right now. Carl. It's been real, and I will always call you my best friend."

  Carl hesitated. "Yeah. It's been real."

  Kevin raised the Master Sword. "BY MY COMMAND! HEED MY CALL!"

  A pure beam of light fell from the sky onto the blade, and a large force of pure energy engulfed the area.

  Dr. Whatley ordered her personnel to begin, as each one surrounded the waterfall with large mirrors. Kevin pointed the light at the nearest mirror, which bounced and reflected off the other six mirrors, until it finally hit Whatley's mirror and bounced back into the fountain.

  The water exploded, and a large oval portal opened up in the water, and on the other side, you can see the Earthen Realm street lights. Cars drove past, and various people walked by, not noticing what was on the other side.

  "Alright, it worked," Dr. Whatley said. "The light will not hold forever. The sword's power is draining faster than predicted. You have only a minute."

  Kevin looked at his friend. "Alright, bud, this is it. Time for you to go."

  "Ok. Princess… I mean, Queen Amelia, thank you for hosting us. Ajinin, Dr. Whatley. Thank you for helping us with this, and I hope to see you again someday."

  Ajinin shook his hand and patted him on the back. "You are quite welcome, Lightning Fist Carl Jackson. May your God reward you with the kindness you provided us in this realm."

  "About forty-five seconds."

  Carl nodded and stepped up onto the makeshift platform. "Kevin, well, this is it."

  "Yeah. I guess it is bud. Friends always."

  "Friends always…" Carl said, turning around.

  The portal crackled as the energy pulsed around the edges.

  Carl whispered a hymn to himself as the cheers and shouts continued all around him. But he couldn't hear any of those noises. Not anymore.

  "You will hate me for this, Kevin, but you will understand eventually… what I must do."

  Lightning sparked from his hands, and his eyes saw thunder. Carl turned around and raised his hand in the air, calling the lightning from the sky. He pointed it at Kevin as the lightning coursed around him.

  "Carl, stop!"

  He knew that the lightning would not affect Kevin, not when he had the sword in his hand. He couldn't forcefully remove it, and he resorted to option two. He sprang forward, delivering a high kick to Kevin's midsection. He knew Kevin couldn't react as fast, so when he doubled over, Carl followed up with several right crosses to disorient him.

  Carl flipped over him and kicked his friend in the back, pushing him closer to the portal. Kevin dug the sword to the ground as the portal sparked even more. He had to hurry.

  With a short running start, he rammed into Kevin, pushing him forward even more.

  "Damnit, Carl," Kevin said, recovering and pushing back. "I fucking told you I am not going!"

  But Carl wasn't listening. Not anymore. He knew that they were forced by some powerful alien, and now they coerced his friend into staying. When this was over, he was going to find this so-called Retsam. He had words….

  "How can I look at your mom in the face and tell them you ran away. You are a coward. Now let's go!"

  Carl inched closer to the portal, and the streets became blurry.

  "Carl! Do not make me do this!"

  "Shut up, you are going!"

  Kevin whirled around. Carl locked his arm, and he pried it off with the sword.

  "Boys, stop!" Ajinin yelled but failed to intervene when Carl threw a lightning arc at his feet.

  The portal faded, and Carl had only seconds. With his full weight, he disarmed the Sword and grabbed it, then turned around and stabbed Kevin in the shoulder with it. He yelled as Carl bear-hugged him into the portal, but without grabbing the sword and throwing it back out.

  A large explosion, followed by an immense shockwave, pushed them out into the street. Carl looked up to see an approaching car blaring its horn, and he grabbed Kevin and rolled them both out of the way onto the curb.

  Exhausted, he looked into the sky and saw a large plane flying overhead. They were back at the school entrance, and found out that only a few days had passed.

  "Bud, look, we made it back home!" Carl said, kissing the school gate fence.

  "Who… what happened?" Kevin said, standing.

  "Hey, let me see that shoulder," Carl replied. He pulled his shirt to see that there was no wound, but Kevin pushed him away.

  "Stop, what are you doing?" Kevin pushed Carl's hands away.

  "You okay? Any ill effects?" Carl's eyes scanned Kevin's face, searching for recognition.

  "Who are you?" Kevin asked, his brow furrowed.

  "What... huh?" Carl's voice cracked.

  Kevin put his hand to his head, wincing. "This headache. I am sorry, but do I know you? Wait, you go to this school too, right? I'm not sure what happened, but I'll be getting home. I have a family worried for me."

  "Wait, Kevin," Carl said, his voice hollow with dread.

  "Yeah, what is it?"

  "Do you know who I am?"

  "If I knew that, then why would I have asked you initially? Whatever." Kevin shrugged. "Hey, thanks for checking up on me, I suppose. But I need to get going. Maybe I'll catch you around school, but you look way too popular, so that probably wouldn't happen. See ya!"

  "Because of your choices, Kevin lost any memory of Rowen and of the adventure you two shared. This is such a heart-wrenching story."

  "What is your point, Malikhil?" Carl said. "If you have one, get to it."

  "Carl!" Mira shouted, sprinting through the foggy clouds. "I couldn't find the others, but what was that? Oh good, you found Kevin." She paused, catching her breath. "Inspector! Over here, I found the Sword Master and Carl! Listen, I saw memories. That was you in them, wasn't it? Only younger."

  Chester approached them through the clouds, but stopped when he saw (Kevin) and pulled Mira back a bit. "Easy there, my faithful assistant. Do not let your eyes play tricks on your mind. There is Great Darkness in that one lass."

  Carl stepped in between them and (Kevin). "Malikhil, I do not have to explain my decision to anyone. Especially you. I don't think you understand that I simply do not care about you or any of this."

  "Ok, then go on. Proceed with your… mindscape journey through Kevin's past."

  They proceeded through the cloudy foray when the thunder struck in the sky and the clouds darkened. Another memory formed, and they walked through.

  The ground rumbled beneath them. Lightning struck one of the buildings as the residents of Mordecai scattered. Balloons were left floating in the sky, and signs were stepped on as everyone was scattering about the city. Hundreds of Rowen ran this way and that. It was a pandemonium sight.

  "The Incident at Mordecai," Chester said, taking off his hat.

  "What are you talking about?" Carl asked. "Was this after we left?"

  "Granted, I had only heard of what had happened as I was in Port City at the time. Some say there was an earthquake. Others thought that the Great Darkness had returned. But there were others who said that this was the Sword Master who saved the city, even after he left."

  "Amanda!" A young man yelled, pushing people aside. He pointed his sword, guiding people left and right, but remained focused on the fountain. "What is happening?"

  "Get your family out of here! Take Celia and Mia to the outskirts of the city! The valley is erupting!"

  "What does that even mean?" the man yelled. He lost his footing but used his sword as a brace. "Come on, I am not losing my sister. Let's go!"

  "Bryson," the woman said. "And I am not losing my younger brother. Now go get my niece and your wife and leave now!"

  Several people in white lab coats appeared next to them. "Dr. Whatley, Ajinin is trying to maintain the Sword's properties. He needs your help."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  A huge explosion from the west forced them to look onward. Above the hill, where the Calaveras Dam held the Waterfall at bay, an explosion exploded in the distance. Water rushed out at a tremendous force.

  "Amanda," Bryson said, pulling on her arm. "Forget that Sword. This whole city will be underwater if we do not leave now!"

  She pulled away as someone bumped into Bryson, knocking him over. "Brother, I am staying here to retrieve that sword. You will not understand it now, but if that sword falls in the wrong hands, then we will have worse worries than that water. Go to the back of my laboratory. Use my code and take the Caravan out of the city. Save your family, Bryson!"

  Bryson yelled, "You're my family too, you stupid...stupida!" His face reddened with frustration as the words tumbled out.

  Dr. Whatley ran to hug her brother. "I will be fine. I promise. Go. Now. I love you."

  She whispered the code into his ear and pushed him off. "Hurry up!"

  Bryson ran off while Whatley saw him duck around the corner. She turned to look at the Sword as if it were convulsing in power.

  Bryson broke down the door to his apartment. "Mia! Mia!"

  Mia and Celia came rushing out from the kitchen. The scared look on their faces told them all he needed to know. "Bryson, what happened? Why is the ground rumbling?"

  "Mia, there is no time. We need to leave now!"

  A thunder struck the building over and through the window, and they saw it explode as people jumped out. The rain emptied out of the clouds as the thunder continued to rumble away.

  "We need to pack a bag."

  "There is no time! Let's go!"

  Bryson pushed people out of the way as they made their way into the city. The lab was not far, thank the Creator. He felt droplets hit his face, and he looked up. Rain hasn't started yet, meaning that the rushing water will be here soon.

  "Oh Creator, love, is that… What happened to the dam?" Mia said, staring at the massive flow of water heading toward them.

  "Dad… I'm not scared," Celia said.

  "I know, baby girl, you are Daddy's strongest Sword Master. Let's go, Mia."

  "Where are we going? To your sister's lab?"

  "She said we should take her Caravan. Let's get going."

  When they reached the back of the large building, Bryson tried punching in the code, but it kept beeping in error. His fingers twitched, and he couldn't keep them steady. He was running out of time.

  "Damn it! Come on!"

  Mia grabbed his hand to hold it steady. She looked into his eyes. "Together… " she said.

  The door unlocked, and he yanked it open. The large Caravan stood proudly in its storage.

  They hopped in the front cab, but when Bryson realized that the controls and mechanisms were foreign to him, he panicked.

  "Damnit, Amanda, how in the hell do you operate this contraption?"

  "Bryson," Mia said. "Scoot over. Let me see it."

  They switched sides, and after some careful switch pulling, a mechanical whirl hummed underneath. She gracefully moved her fingers around as the Caravan followed her movements.

  "Celia, hold on, baby!" Mia shouted, and the Caravan pushed forward, breaking down the metal doors and onto the road.

  Unfortunately… As Bryson looked down, the water rushed in, hitting the spokes.

  "Go! Go! Go!"

  The Caravan shifted left and right as they pressed down onto the main road.

  Another large earthquake rumbled, and one of the large residence buildings toppled in their path, with massive gallons of water forcing their way through it and flooding the main road.

  "Mia!"

  "I got it!"

  The Caravan turned off the Main Road with the tide as the water helped push it between the buildings.

  "We need to go the other way! We are, of course."

  "I know that, dear. Hold on!"

  The Caravan jumped onto a small ramp ahead made out of broken walls, and they scaled one of the toppled residences.

  Bryson held on to Celia as Mia pushed the Caravan at full speed off the building as soon as a large wave took over the area. The water softened the blow as they landed back on the road, and the path looked clear ahead.

  All around as they started the climb, water engulfed the city, and he heard the screams of people all throughout. He wondered about his sister and hoped she was ok.

  A large pulse wave rocketed toward them, and the Caravan flipped over multiple times, knocking them off the path. They landed on a decline with the Caravan near tipping over.

  "Celia!" Bryson yelled. He pulled on Mia, but she screamed when he did. He looked down, and her leg was smashed up between a rock and the side of the Caravan. "Baby, hold on."

  He ran inside and found his sword. Using it as a pulley, he braced it against the rock and pushed down with everything he had, cutting his hands against the metal. He barely got it away when Mia scooted barely enough to free herself.

  Her leg was mangled. He tore off the sleeve of his shirt and tied it around her thigh. "Mia, hold on to me. I am going to lift you up into the cab. Ready, 1, 2, 3,!" She screamed as he used the last of his strength to get her inside.

  "Bryson, she is in here," Mia said, giving Bryson a bit of relief.

  "Can you still drive it?" he asked. She fumbled with the controls, and they thanked the Creator when the Caravan roared to life. She moved it carefully off the shoulder of the hill while the wheels slipped in the mud.

  "Dad, a star!" Celia said, pointing to the sky.

  Above the center of Mordecai, the Master Sword spun around at impossible speeds. Bryson heard a glass shatter, and the Sword exploded, sending five shards of different colored lights everywhere in the rain. The lights danced around the sky in a spectacle before shooting off.

  All except one.

  The blue colored light fluttered about and shot out in their direction. And that scared the hell out of Bryson.

  "Mia, love. Go..faster.. go faster…"

  Mia scaled up the hill, but the wheels slipped in the dirt, causing them to crawl.

  The blue shard of light flew past them, then curved and hit the Caravan.

  Bryson closed his eyes, expecting death. But what he saw next changed his life forever.

  The blue shard broke through the cab and impaled Celia with such force that she flew out the back of the Caravan, and the light was dragging her back to the flooded city.

  "CELIA!" Bryson yelled, jumping out and running down the hill after her.

  A faint yell from his daughter calling for him as he tripped and stumbled. But it didn't stop him. He ran, and ran.

  The shard was going to take her under.

  Bryson ran faster. The pain in his body did not matter. He had to go faster…

  But it wasn't enough. Celia hit the water and was pulled under. Bryson saw the bright blue light going deeper into the city.

  Bryson dove in. He couldn't swim, but that didn't matter.

  Bryson would drown if it meant saving his daughter.

  He swam deep, trying to hold his breath. The light faded in front of him as it pulled away.

  He swam. And he swam.

  Until his breath gave out, and he choked from the lack of oxygen as water started to fill his lungs.

  He still didn't care. He had to continue. His daughter was….

  His daughter…

  A large force of air was the last thing he saw before passing out. It came from the light. As his mind and eyes faded…

  …

  The next thing he knew, he was coughing up water from a boat. There were survivors all huddling together as he tried to catch his breath.

  "Easy, there, fella. Easy. Lucky we found you."

  "Celia…." was all he could manage.

  "I do not know who that is, but rest. Look! The Sword Master has saved the city."

  He looked beyond the rain as Mordecai City rose up from the water. The ground itself lifted the once great Fountain City off of the rising tide…

  Coughing up more water, he caught a glimpse of someone he thought he knew on the boat. It was a Rowen boy, but his eyes were hollow and blank. When he finally passed out again, he said his daughter's name one last time.

  The memory blurred and faded. Nobody spoke. There was nothing to say. (Kevin) turned to Carl and laughed.

  Kiyo and Pizer appeared through the clouds. "Oh Creator," Kiyo said. "Nobody knew that about Bryson. Carl, tell me that isn't real."

  Pizer moved to the blurred image, as if he were trying to recall it. "My parents were the ones who pulled him out of the lake. But he never said anything about that! Hell, all we knew was that she was lost in an incident, and no one pressed him on the matter. Hell, not even Mia for that matter."

  Chester bowed his head. "Five hundred and fifty-one souls were taken that day. But when Mordecai rose from the sea, fifteen thousand eight hundred and six were saved. It was a tragedy that people would talk about for ages, until it became history itself."

  (Kevin) continued to laugh.

  "Stop laughing at you malicious son of a bitch," Carl said, sparking his hands.

  "And here, I figured you know. Maybe you wanted to know that it was you and Kevin who caused that horrific catastrophe."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "By making your decision. He pulled Kevin in by force when he told you he did not want to leave. You are the reason why the Swords are corrupted. You are the reason why five hundred souls were taken. You are the reason why I am free. So I do thank you, brother, for my second chance."

  "That's enough!"

  Carl called down lightning on (Kevin) and his friend disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  "No," Carl said, stepping away. His doubts haunted him. "I… no, I only wanted him back."

  "Carl," Kiyo said softly.

  "Malikhil! That wasn't my fault!" Carl yelled from the top of his lungs. "You hear me, you bastard! How was I supposed to know!"

  Another memory popped into view, and this time Paz appeared through the fog. She stared at Carl, then back at the memory clouds.

  "This isn't over, Carl," she said, holding her staff at the memory. "You must see this to the end. The Sword Master's life depends on what you do now."

  She proceeded into the fog with the rest of them following in.

  Mia ran to Bryson as the rain lifted, overlooking the valley of Mordecai. A huge lake has formed around it, and the sun's rays sparkled on the pristine, newly found water.

  "Bryson, where's Celia?" She said, holding him.

  He didn't hold her back. He stood at the edge of the lake watching the waves hit the shore.

  "Celia!" she yelled. Mia searched around, but to no avail, when the haunting feeling flashed through her like a heat wave, a tear formed.

  "Bryson. No. Where is she? Oh no. No… Celia! Celia!"

  Over the years, each one of them returned to the lake. Bryson joined the Advent Guard to conduct his own investigation. However, the job never took him back to Mordecai.

  Mia, on the other hand, found the drink to take away the grief. She returned to Dr. Whatley for questions and answers. When none were found, she went manic and tore the underground facility apart to search for her. To live, her step-sister gifted the Caravan, the same one that still rides on today, and Mia continues to drink until she forgets why she drinks. She takes on transport duties to different places, as she wouldn't want to linger any longer than necessary.

  One chance meeting, Bryson formed up a party with Kevin, who claimed to have lost his memories during the time of the incident.

  Eventually he figured it out that Kevin, the one he partnered with for years. The stoic, hardened Advent Guardsman, to whom each of them owed their life, was possibly a reincarnation of the legendary hero. With no answers in front of him, he searched the past until he looked at a journal Kevin showed him, asking if any of the pictures looked familiar. One of them was the destruction of Mordecai and five lights, each a different color, in the sky.

  Bryson snuck back into his sister's lab and swiped her research notes. That's when he encountered Calix, a haunted man with hollow eyes.

  "It was the Sword Master who destroyed the city," Calix told him. "The proof cost me everything. My family..." His voice cracked. "They didn't make it out alive."

  He needed answers badly. He studied all the notes on the Sword Master. He learned of all the names, the essences, and how the magic was performed.

  He listened to all the people with whom they had conversed while they traveled the world. Ajinin was gone, so he learned the beast-kin's language as they worshiped Rowen as a Creator, and he learned all he could.

  However, in Armargosa, Calix met with an Emissary from the Anbar Empire. The Emissary showed him magic beyond the scientist's wild imagination. And Calix traveled back to the city. And uncovered the old lab. And he dug.

  And he continued to dig until he came across a large crystal of enormous magnitude. In it was a small child huddled up in a fetal position. At the top, he found his prize. A shiny blue dagger. The Power Sword of Water. By then, Calix's eyes turned red. And the whispers gave him the grief he longed for. And so he began the ritual.

  Eventually, Bryson grew suspicious as he never stopped searching for a way to find out why his daughter died.

  It wasn't enough. All the knowledge still wasn't enough. He knew that was the Sword Master, yet nothing sparked any interest in Kevin. He had no memory, or it was erased, or never there. He needs him to remember. He has to find a way. The answer to his daughter's disappearance. But if he made a misstep, then nothing would be gained. So he waited. In the end, his sorrow turned to resentment. But the guilt. The grief. It remains buried. He buried his memories.

  Until he forgot himself…

  When he saw Carl that day as he was escorting beast-kin out of the forest, all his answers came true. The Companion returned. Like history repeating itself, Mia could derail everything.

  ….

  Nobody noticed the water in Bryson's carry turn blue.

  Nobody noticed the alcohol in Mia's carry-on turn blue.

  Each one, in their grief, added to the Sea of Sorrows.

  The memory faded, leaving them standing in silence. Paz swayed the memory cloud away, and each was left speechless as this was more than each of them could handle alone.

  "All this time," Pizer whispered, "they were drowning in grief right in front of us."

  Chester put on his hat, tipping low to his brow. "Grief is the most patient predator, my friend. It waits until you think you've escaped it."

  A figure emerged from the fog ahead. It was Kevin, and this time, the Great Darkness was not around him. However, his eyes looked hollow as if they saw what they saw when he was on that boat that rainy day. Unlike Carl and the others who had been observing the memories, Kevin looked as though he'd been living them.

  "I felt her," Kevin said. "When the blue shard struck Celia, I felt her pain. Her fear. With her last wish, Nimue saved Bryson from drowning." He pressed a hand against his chest where the pendant normally rested. "She's still alive in there, trapped between life and death."

  "The Power Sword of Water," Paz said, her feathers rustling. "Nimue was meant to be a protector, but when she bonded with the child's trauma..." She couldn't finish.

  "I saw it happen," Kevin continued. "Nimue tried to save her, but their grief merged, corrupted them both. " He looked at Carl, a new understanding in his eyes. "Like my anger was corrupted. Like all the swords have been twisted by our darkest emotions."

  The ground beneath them trembled, and for a moment, the mindscape thinned enough to reveal glimpses of the real world… water pouring into the laboratory, rising rapidly around their unconscious bodies. The Save Point's golden barrier flickered as the pressure increased.

  "We're running out of time," Kiyo said, fear edging her voice.

  A low, satisfied laugh echoed around them. Malikhil's voice, no longer wearing Kevin's face, spoke from everywhere and nowhere.

  "Such exquisite sorrow," the voice purred. "For thirty years I've fed on it, growing stronger with each tear shed. The Sword Master's rage was merely an appetizer, but this? This grief is a feast."

  The mist rose, forming currents that took shape. It was a massive figure with gleaming eyes.

  "Do you know why grief is so much more potent than anger, Sword Master? Anger burns hot and fast, but grief burns slow and deep. Yes, grief is eternal. It never truly leaves you."

  Kevin stepped forward, his hands trembling, but his voice steady. "You're wrong. Grief changes us, but it doesn't have to destroy us."

  "Bold words from a man who buried his own grief so deep he forgot it existed," Malikhil taunted. "Tell me, where is your family now? The ones you failed to protect in your 'real world.' Your memories do not lie. They all died. Each one is dead, but did you go to their funerals? You cry yourself to sleep, but you remain stoic. How can you cry for those you did not want to return to? Yet, when your friend returned to you anyway, and they still died, you buried your grief. That is on you, Sword Master."

  Kevin staggered as if physically struck. The dark aura surged toward him, wrapping and constricting him to the ground.

  "No!" Carl lunged forward, but the aura repelled him.

  Kevin's tears, shed blue and streamed down his face for the first time. "I never wanted to leave them," he whispered. "I thought... I thought I was protecting them by staying away."

  The mindscape darkened as Kevin's own buried grief rose to the surface…memories of his grandparents, of his aunts and uncles, of nieces and nephews… of his own mother… his own brothers… gone… and never a chance to say his final goodbye. Taken from reality. Left only the grief to be buried in the sand.

  "Yes," Malikhil's voice was triumphant. "At last, the final piece. Your grief completes the cycle."

  But then Kevin looked up, his eyes clearing despite the tears. "No. My grief doesn't belong to you."

  He reached out his hand, and something glistened in the mist. It was the faint outline of Nimue's dagger.

  "Nimue," Kevin called, his voice stronger. "I understand now. You're not just the Water Sword. You're a protector of lost children. You sacrificed yourself for me. And you sacrificed yourself for Celia."

  The dagger pulsed, responding to his voice.

  "I couldn't save my family then," Kevin said, rising to his feet. "Just like Bryson couldn't save Celia. Just like Carl couldn't save me from my choices." He took a step forward, then another. "But that doesn't mean we stop trying."

  The dark aura around him began to recede, drawn toward the dagger's outline.

  Malikhil's voice rose in fury. "NO! The Grief is MINE!"

  "Grief isn't meant to be hoarded," Kevin said, his hand closing around the dagger's hilt. "It's meant to be shared, to be witnessed." He looked at Carl, at Paz, at Chester, and the others. "That's how we survive it."

  "YOU THINK YOU CAN SURVIVE YOUR FAILURES, SWORD MASTER! YOU ARE MISTAKEN IN THINKING YOU CAN OUTLIVE THIS."

  The mindscape shattered like glass, reality reforming around them in a dizzying rush. One moment they'd been locked in mental combat, the next they stood before the fountain in Mordecai's central square… but something was different. The air felt heavier, charged with a crackling energy that raised the hair on Kevin's arms.

  As before with the Anger Scimitar, the music began… a haunting female vocal melody floating over sustained strings, creating an atmosphere of melancholy beauty. It represented the sorrow that had built up over decades in Mordecai. The vocals carried no lyrics, just pure emotional expression that felt both ancient and timeless.

  Kevin's fingers tightened around the dagger, its handle cold despite his grip. He stood at the fountain's edge, water lapping gently at the stone basin behind him, while the others gathered in a protective semicircle at his back. Carl stepped closer, his stance ready, eyes darting between Kevin and the water's surface.

  "Something's happening," Paz hissed, her staff raised defensively.

  The fountain trembled. Water surged upward, defying gravity as it swelled to impossible proportions, towering over them like a liquid mountain. Droplets hung suspended in the air, catching the light like thousands of tiny crystals. Then the mass shifted, contouring and reshaping itself until Calix's face emerged from the watery depths… twenty feet tall, his features distorted by ripples yet unmistakable. His eyes glowed with an eerie blue light that reflected across the plaza.

  "You cannot stop what has already begun," the watery visage rumbled, voice echoing as if spoken from the bottom of a well.

  Chester stepped back, pulling Mira with him. "I've seen some things in my time, but this..."

  As Malikhil's presence manifested, a thunderous sound erupted from nowhere… deep brass notes vibrating through the air like physical force. The haunting melody wrapped around them, dark and threatening, while rhythmic percussion pounded in perfect sync with Chester's racing heartbeat.

  The surface of the plaza rippled beneath their feet. Water seeps up through cracks in the cobblestones, coalescing into humanoid forms that surround them. As the liquid shaped itself, the figures took on reptilian features… scalded skin, elongated snouts, webbed claws. Their eyes held a terrible recognition.

  "The souls of Mordecai," Kevin whispered, recognition flashing across his face. "He's trapped them."

  "Kevin!" Carl yelled. "We got your back!"

  Kevin grasped at the pendant, then slammed his fist into his palm.

  MALIKHIL! WE END THIS NOW!

  BY WAY OF THE SWORD MASTER! I CALL UPON THE SWORD OF FIRE AND THE SWORD OF WATER!"

  Twin blades materialized in Kevin's hands… one blazing with crimson flames, the other flowing with azure currents. They erupted with raw power, sending waves of energy pulsing through the plaza.

  Dozens of reptilian water spirits circled them now, moving with unnatural fluidity, their bodies partially transparent yet undeniably present. Each face bore the same expression of mingled agony and rage… souls transformed by Calix's corrupting influence into weapons against the living.

  "Shut it down, Malikhil! Release Calix and the souls of Mordecai. You will not win today."

  Calix released a horrifying screech that cascaded through the plaza. "YOU WILL DROWN IN THE SEA OF SORROWS, SWORD MASTER!"