The final battle had commenced. The Blightwing was on its last legs and pulled out all the stops. Going into a stronger form to try and finish us off before we managed to kill it. I was excited. The Trials would be over, one way or another. This was everyone’s last stand. I took a brief moment before the Blightwing struck again to turn and jump down a level. I came to a quick hop near Theo who had managed to re-summon his blood spear. His face was a cold grey and he was trembling. I could tell he was trying to cover how tired he had become. I didn’t know how much longer he had in him before he passed out. I checked his damage condition and he still only had minor injuries. There wasn’t any indication of how much stress he was under using the [Blood Magic]. From my little experience of using the Class Pathway through the appraisal, it wasn’t something a person could brush off easily. It had incredible power but at a cost.

  “We’re close,” Theo said through bated breaths. “A few more major hits and I think we’ve got it.”

  “I agree,” I said. “Looks like Tala understands that as well. Look.”

  Tala had appeared off to the left of the Blightwing. She was kneeling and focusing on the blue crystal orb that floated before her face. It had a deep glow that was growing by the second. I didn’t know what kind of powers came from the [Magus] class or its [Elemental] specialization. Most of those back in The Quarters who had chosen the pathway had joined the Outriders. I knew from my studies that it was a very versatile class with abilities that at first seem simple but can be enhanced with imagination. Such as the ice conjuration ability that she had been using so far. Not only to create thin spikes of ice but also being able to create walls for defense. I didn’t have the imagination to use such abilities. The best I’ve been able to think of for my [Shadow Smithing] was a slightly altered version of my knives or a copy of the blood spear Theo had made. Stress took the imagination out of me. If I had time to think then maybe I could create something more useful.

  “Let’s give her some time,” I said. “Keep it distracted. If what she is working on is strong enough then maybe it can be used to take it out for good.” Theo nodded at my suggestion. “Let’s draw its attention that way. Keep it looking away from her. There’s no telling what it’s capable of in this new form.” We were about to find out. The Blightwing stretched its neck, twisted its head, and aimed its beak at Theo and me. It started chattering, the sound of rusted metal grinding against flat stone could be heard.

  “It’s about to fire off another one of those flashes. This is our chance to get into a better position. When I say so, run.” Theo prepped himself to dash to our right and back up the broken concrete wall he had taken before. If we could get up there in time we could rush across the east side of the building opposite the boss. If we got some distance on it then maybe it would crawl out of its hiding spot. “Three… Two… One… Now!”

  The Blightwing’s mouth split open and a cascade of different hued lights began to grow in its throat. We took the chance to make our move and start moving. I brought my left blade up to cover my sight again as I waited for the flash to go off. The light grew and grew until it looked like a giant marble of swirling energy then it fired off in a straight beam. The attack was bright but not like before and its energy was more concentrated in a single line. The beam crashed right into where Theo and I had been standing before. It exploded in an echo of shattered stone and shredded light confetti. The force of the blast knocked me and Theo forward causing us to land hard on our chests. I lost my breath for the hundredth time today and even managed to bite my lip again. I tasted iron and it made me mad.

  I got to my feet as fast as I could doing my best to push through the ache in my chest. I didn’t have time to catch my breath. I needed to get to the next floor. I needed to at least get somewhere safe. If I got hit by the blast then I’m as good as dead. I stumbled a few feet before getting a solid foundation under me and then I started running again. As I reached the bottom of the incline I turned, expecting to see Theo by my side. I was alone. Looking back he was laying on the ground struggling to get to his feet. Damn it. Can’t leave him.

  I planted my heel, whirled around, and headed straight for Theo. When I made it to his side he had managed to get on his hands and knees. “Theo, c’mon. Get up. We gotta go.”

  “Just give me a sec,” Theo said. We wiped at his mouth and blood smeared his jacket sleeve. “Shit. That’s not good.”

  “Think about it later. Get up!” I tucked my arm under his and lifted him to his feet. Though he wasn’t that much bigger than I was he was heavy. I could tell he wasn’t putting much effort into getting back on his feet. Not out of being a jerk but simply because he was too tired. Once I got him to his feet he suddenly lurched forward and blood pooled out of his mouth. He gagged a few times, which caused more blood to splatter the concrete flooring. He had pushed himself too hard with the [Blood Magic]. It was killing him. “Hey, you need to slow down with those spells. They’re gonna kill you.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Worry about your own skin, Ward.” Theo spit my name between bloody teeth. We didn’t have time to sit there and argue. The Blightwing was gearing up for another energy attack. Its beak did its awful clicking sound, its throat glowed, and its eyes squinted at Theo and me. I reached my arm around Theo’s waist and started hauling him along. It was tough going. We were two tired boys with one trying to help the other while the other was trying to prove their own strength. My body felt like it was going to give up on me. I was exhausted but only noticed now because the adrenaline started to fail on me. There was only so much my body could push me through and I was reaching the end.

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  Theo and I struggled forward one insignificant step at a time. We were ten feet away from the nearest wall or shadowed area hidden from the moonlight. As we stumbled forward I could hear the gurgling noise of the Blightwing’s attack. It was about to unleash another powerful blast of energy. We weren’t going to make it. I didn’t know what to do. I either dropped Theo and ran for cover myself or I died by his side. What would my dad do? What? What! Of course I knew the answer to the question. He would never leave a friend.

  Theo collapsed and I couldn’t help but let him fall. He landed on his knees arms outstretched before him keeping him up. He coughed more blood. I wanted to summon my shadow blades again but I was running low on spirit. I probably only had enough to conjure them one last time. They wouldn’t be strong enough to block against the attack anyway so there was no point. I stayed standing by his side waiting for the attack to come. “Ward, you idiot! What are you doing?”

  “To be honest… Guess I’m dying by an asshole.” I chuckled looking down at him. Theo only responded by spitting out more blood. I could see the blood from his palms starting to seep out from under his hands. There was a lot of blood from too little amount of wounds.

  A final screech came from the Blightwing as its mouth cranked open, the bubble of light burst, and the attack began. Before it fired, however, an avalanche of snow came barreling down from the Blightwing’s right. The force of the avalanche pushed the Blightwing and its attack off course enough to cause it to misfire. The beam zipped by Theo’s left, racing up the wall, and rushed off towards Tala. The Blightwing’s attack had managed to miss us but the boss’s quick thinking didn’t let it go to waste. The light attack burned through the roof of the Crumbling Tower breaking up the rest of the building which was already being kept together by gravity rather than construction. The building collapsed once again but this time over where Tala was. The roof came down fast. A large slab of concrete hit Tala in the back. Her focus on the attack kept her from dodging in time. She fell forward, unconscious, and I saw her status condition update in a split second. [Crippled]. She could only take one more hit and she was dead. There was no way she could dodge anything now. She was stuck under rubble and knocked out. I needed to get to her as soon as possible.

  “Tala!” I called out through the dust and debris.

  “Ward, listen to me,” Theo said, through more bloody words. “You make sure Tala lives. You make sure you both live. You got it?”

  “What are you saying?” I said. “Get up. We can finish this. One more run. One more attack.”

  “I don’t think we have time for one more attack.” Theo nodded with his head at the Blightwing. It was charging another beam of light despite lying on its side. Its eyes were wide with rage as it prepared to end us. How was it still able to keep going? Why didn’t Tala’s attack finish it off? It’s not fair! The beam attack fired and my world disappeared around me in a haze of white light. I held my arm up to my eyes and waited for death. Death was delayed by a [Blood Magician Cultist].

  I opened my eyes and witnessed Theo now standing on his feet. Waves of blood flowed from his back like the wings of a crimson angel. They folded over his shoulders and in front of his body. He was using them to block the beam of light and it was holding. He had managed to not only conjure up these bloody wings, but he had also commanded the blood that was already on the ground. They were twisting up his leg and holding him in place. He really was the [Midnight Ranger’s] son. His dad would be proud.

  The attack from the Blightwing was falling over us like a crashing wave of molten light. Burning at the stonework to my left and right as well as behind me. I could hear more of the structure collapsing as the final support beams of this lower level gave out. We were lucky as the energy from the Blightwing’s attack neutralized the rubble and dragged it away from hitting us. Then as quickly as everything happened, it all faded to darkness. I found myself standing above a collapsed Theo, who was lying on his side. Most of the roof of the Crumbling Tower was gone except for the side where the Blightwing and Tala were.

  I crouched down to see if Theo was alright. His status condition was finally updated. He was marked down to [Crippled]. He was close to death, but he did it. He stopped one final attack. Looking at the Blightwing it was indeed its last attack. The shimmering of its body was gone and it returned to its normal form. But it wasn’t dead yet. Like us, it was exhausted beyond its limit and resting. Its concrete chest trembled with every breath. This was my chance to finish the damned thing off. I went to stand but stopped when Theo grabbed my leg.

  “War… Ward.” Theo had more blood pouring from the corner of his mouth.

  “Theo, I can end this. It’s just lying there. I can kill it and finish the Trials. Then I’ll get you and Tala home. I’ll get you back to your dad. We did it. We won.” I put my hand on his shoulder as if trying to reassure him.

  “Take…” Another round of bloody coughs cut him off.

  “What? What was that?” I asked.

  “Take this,” Theo lifted his hand and in the center of his palm a strange crystal appeared. It was glowing with a black light. It was unnatural to look at and made me feel uneasy.

  “I don’t understand. Wha-” Theo suddenly reached up and placed the shard in my hand, pressing my fingers closed.

  “Don’t you die!” Those were Theo’s last words before I watched his status condition update to [Dead]. This time I knew, without a doubt, it wasn’t some kind of illusion or test. Theo Fletcher, son of the most powerful survivor, was no more.

  I felt a single tear burn my cheek as I watched his eyes settle on the dark sky above. The blood in his palms stopped flowing. On the ground, he left an imprint of crimson wings across the cement. My body trembled. My hands shook and my heart burned with anger and despair. Everything was wrong. Theo wasn’t supposed to die. No one was supposed to die. We had made it. We got to the top. We got our [Class Pathways]. We finally had the Trinity’s power. Nothing was gonna stop us. If only that was true.

  I let my body to fall to its knees, shoulders failing, chest heaving with every forced down cry. I held my hands on my lap. Fist clenched tight. I saw a light begin to glow from within my palm. I opened it and saw the crystal glowing a vibrant red. A notification appeared in my vision.

  [Skill Transference Crystal (Legendary)]

  [Skill Imprint: Blood Manipulation]

  [Do you wish to transfer the skill?]