A couple finish climbing up. Hei gets in front of them, but another on the far edge climbs up. Tessa knows Hei cannot defend her at the moment and Torgrak is taking out their spellcasters. And with how’d she’d like to avoid the number three being her unlucky number, she set her sights on the cultist and attacked.

“Sanct bel Sacred Light!”

Upon Tessa’s chant completing, an orb of light summoned itself. However, instead of shooting itself at the cultist, it swirled in on itself. Soon enough, it was closer to a spinning spear of light than anything else and hurled itself into the cultist’s shoulder. Piercing her target’s shoulder and throwing them back and off the edge.

Tessa stared at what had just happened, bewildered by how her spell changed.

What… was that?

Normally, Sacred Light did little more than burst into a blinding shower of lights and sparks when she cast it. Not… that.

Chuckling callously, Torgrak patted her on the back.

“Good hit!”

“But… I just… How did… Why was it…?”

Tessa wanted to know how her attack had changed into something so much more impactful.

Torgrak reminded her, “Fight first. Question later.”

Hei had dispatched the two in front of him with ease, their robes fluttering down with a sprinkling of ashes inside. Though one robe’s hood had been severed, and the other had a hole stabbed through the front and out the back.

“Now! Step five! Repeat until the battle is over!”

Tessa looked at Hei as another cultist broke through the remaining sturdy wall. Clashing his greataxe against Hei’s sword. The cultist put all of his force into his weapon, hands shaking with rage but making no progress. Hei gave him a kick to the groin with his armored foot, and the cultist fell to one knee. And Hei drove his blade through the cultist’s back.

And just as Hei finished that one, another two appeared. Torgrak shot one down. Piercing the cultist’s waist and sending him back and off the edge. Tessa, however, didn’t have a moment to do anything other than attack like her mentors and blasted the other with her Sacred Light.

The fight continued with the three of them turning the tides of battle from being overwhelmed with numbers to a standstill. Cultists only kept on charging ahead or throwing spells. None of them giving an ounce of thought to their actions as their fanaticism drove them to only think of killing. However, each attempt was futile. Torgrak’s gun continued to crack and blast holes into their hands, legs, shoulders, torsos, and so on. Occasionally dodging to avoid smaller ranged attacks. Hei continued to be the bulwark of their party. Holding the front line with an increasingly evil and happy smile with every kill. And whenever a new fireball appeared, he would quickly have his shadows devour it. Tessa kept firing one spear of light after another, quickly adapting to the flow of battle before she realized it. She aimed for any less than lethal areas as her attacks seemed to hurt, but never kill. She didn’t enjoy this, but knew it was a necessary evil she would have had to partake in, eventually.

Spatters of blood lightly coated the burnt floorboards as unconscious bodies were flung into the streets. And as the violence continued, the battle blurred before Tessa’s eyes as her body and spells moved and cast on their own. The blood and gore dragging back the memories she couldn’t clearly remember kicking and screaming. The smell of fresh blood and ash all around her.

Stop this! Make it end!

Her mind tried to take command, but her body refused. She continued to cast spell after spell, each spear of light getting stronger with every casting.

I want to be a Hero who aids her allies, not a murderous villain!

Then an unfamiliar voice spoke in her mind. Its words were icy and uncomfortable, yet came across hauntingly true.

Are you sure? It asked, I think you’d fit right in.

Immediately after the voice spoke, Tessa’s mind regained partial control, and she felt something uncomfortable on her face. It wasn’t blood nor splinters of wood. It wasn’t ash or a burn. It was a smile. From ear to ear, she was smiling wickedly as one of her spears of light struck a cultist. Tessa watched as the cultist’s hood fell back and revealed an elven woman as the body fell off the edge.

For a moment, Tessa’s mind superimposed Sylvie’s face over the woman’s. And the icy voice laughed while letting loose the envy Tessa had kept deep within herself.

She deserved it! This is my moment in the light this time! Not yours Sylvie!

Tessa used every bit of her mental power to keep herself from saying what the voice wanted out loud. Yet she couldn’t find herself able to argue against it. And while all this went through her mind, the smile on her face grew even wider. It nearly matched those that Hei and Torgrak wore.

And because of this, the memories from the cave flooded back in and she remembered everything that had happened. Overwhelmed by all of it, the shock allowed Tessa to take back full control as she grabbed her head and cried out. Forcing out the madness with a loud cry that interrupted everything.

I need to get away! I need to run!

Everyone on the battlefield froze as Tessa fled. Running down the now dried and burnt steps of the inn and out into the streets. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she needed to run away from what was happening. Hei and Torgrak both raised an eyebrow at the turn of events. Torgrak’s hand mid punch and Hei’s foot about to stomp on a head. Even the cultists were uncertain of what to do for a moment. Taking a moment to come to their senses.

Then one cultist called out to his brothers and sisters.

“Ch-chase her!”

A small group of the cultists broke away from the battle and chased after Tessa while the others refocused their attention on Hei and Torgrak.

Torgrak asked, “Should ve go after her?”

Hei rested his foot on the side of the cultist’s head.

“No, not yet. After what just happened, I have a feeling Fate doesn’t want her dying just yet.”

Torgrak finished his punch.

“Ya certain about zhat?”

With a bit of force, Hei crushed what was underneath him. His foot now bloody with bits of flesh, hair, and bone stuck to it.

“I’m not certain, but I think I know which god wrote Tessa’s ending. And if I’m right, she doesn’t want her future villain to die just yet.”

Hei walked towards the ledge and jumped off, falling and intentionally crushing one of the cultists to break his fall.

“Signal Kegz to start their operation.”

“Heh, alright. Flare goin’ up!”

Torgrak loaded a round into his rifle and shot it up into the air. It screamed and whistled as it flew before exploding into a shower of red sparks. The light slowly descending as it continued to let out a bright red light.

Meanwhile, Tessa ran through the streets of Crimsonvale. Taking random turns and routes with no idea of where to go other than “away”. But eventually, she hit a dead end. A high stone wall stood before her as one cultist called out to the others.

“This way! She went this way!”

She saw their red robes approach her, and she tried to push against the wall in hopes it would move back. But it was futile, and she pleaded for them to go away.

“St-stay away! Don’t come any closer! Please!”

But it all fell on deaf ears as they ran at her with weapons drawn. Afraid and panicking, Tessa prayed for it to all be over quickly.

Then three cracks of lightning struck as the cultists fell forward. Scorch marks and smoke coming off their backs as a friendly voice called out.

“You alright?”

Tolan gently put his hand on her shoulder. Looking her in the eyes, Tessa felt a genuine sense of comfort and friendliness.