Someone was going to die tonight. James was sure of it. Clasped in silver armor and a ruby sword strapped to his waist, James Albin looked ahead at the two similarly dressed men in front of him. Wiping the sweat from his sleek black hair he took a step towards the knights, making sure to keep one hand near his blade.

Knight 1: Please give up James, we have the advantage here, you cannot beat us.

James looked down on the man who had spoken, and acknowledged his words. The two did, indeed, have the advantage in this fight when he considered the facts. All around him were large trees as well as dirt, stone and soil. Most likely, they had drawn him here on purpose. 

Knight 2: We know what you have been doing James. What you are planning to do now is too reckless. You have already taken the power of two astrals; there's no telling what could happen if you were to take more.

For a second James was caught off guard, surprised that they knew so much about his plan. The knight's voice was cold and sharp, far different then how James remembered it. He supposed he was also quite different from how they remembered him but he didn’t dwell on these thoughts.

James: If you know my plans then why do you oppose me?

James already knew the answer to this question. The dread of the fight that was to come was beginning to overwhelm him. His mind raced as he tried to stall longer, but there was nothing else. It was inevitable. 

Knight 2: You know why we cannot join you. You have been consumed by grief and vengeance. What you are trying to do now, we cannot support, even if it could bring them back.

A sigh fell over James as he came to reality. There was no running from this fight.

James: Then it seems our goals are clear. William, Alexander, let us settle this.

The two knights nodded their heads in agreement, signaling the start of the fight between the 3 brothers.

The shorter of the two brothers, known as Alexander, immediately backed up and clasped his hands together. Both of his eyes immediately turned a violent shade of dark green and the branches in the surrounding area seemed to come alive, shaking violently and growing unnaturally. William Albin, the oldest of the three, turned back and began to run for the trees. His eyes turned stormy gray and in a single bound he was able to jump into the mess of leaves and branches created by his younger brother.

James had been in enough fights with his brothers to understand the strategy taking place. Alex was to act as bait, while William attacked from the safety of the leaves, changing positions and striking whenever he saw an opening. It was the smartest tactic considering the abilities William possessed, and it left James with a level of uncertainty as to when he could expect an attack.

Keeping up with his role, Alexander raised one hand in the air and charged his brother, simultaneously calling forth a single branch from a nearby tree and shaping it into a thorny blade. James unclasped his own sword and stood guard, ready to defend a strike from his brother. However Alexander feigned his attack getting close enough to allow James to get into a guard position and then stepping back. Raising his sword into the air, Alex beckoned forth a flurry of branches at James who had only moments to react. 

Jame’s dropped his guard as soon as his brother stepped backwards and his eyes suddenly turned blood red. Right before the branches could gouge through his flesh, James summoned forth a wall of jagged crimson crystals around his feet stopping any incoming branches. At the same moment the crystals stopped the branches, James created a single crystal with a sharp point and sent it at his brother's chest. Alexander was only just able to move out of the way in time and the crystal grazed his stomach, leaving a trail of blood. James prepared to use this opening to strike his brother’s chest with his sword; however, a gust of wind immediately blew him backwards, knocking him off his feet.

William: So this is the power of the crystal astral. May I ask who you stole it from?

James: Honestly I’m a bit offended that you think of me as a thief. We’ve known each other our whole lives but now you both look at me like a stranger.

William: The James we knew and the James standing before me right now are two vastly different people. After the rumors I’ve heard, theft doesn’t seem very unlikely from someone like you. There's no way the James that I knew would use such an astral, considering the hell it put us through.

James was barely listening to the words that his brother expressed, instead trying to listen to where the sounds were coming from, however, the wind in the area picked up to an extreme speed, making WIlliam’s voice appear to be coming from all directions. As James tried to stand another gust of wind struck him in the back, and then another in the side. Soon James was being bombarded with slices of wind from every direction, tearing gashes into the armor that James wore and cutting into exposed pieces of skin.

Irritated, James placed both hands to the ground, and once again his eyes turned red as crystals formed in a circular pattern around him destroying every tree in the vicinity.

William abandoned his position in the fallen trees and placed a hand onto the floor. His left eye suddenly became brown and the ground began to violently shake. The crystals that scattered around the entire forest sank under the earth and William rushed over to retrieve Alexander, who had been caught in the wave of crystals.

James used this moment to breathe and give himself time to think. Williams abilities allowed him to take long range fights with ease meaning his best bet would be to engage him in a close range fight. However, William’s wind astral prevented James from getting within striking distance. Closing his eyes for a second, James pondered what to do, and within seconds he formulated a plan. His eyes turned red once again and crystals formed around his body, repairing the armor that had been damaged. William, who had safely rescued his brother, turned back to face James. 

Putting one hand to the ground, the terrain began to change. Pillars and prisms began to form from the dirt and stone around him, all of them speeding towards James. James didn’t move a muscle as a massive wall of crystals formed around him, protecting him from the attacks. 

James understood what Williams' strategy in this fight was. As long as William held James back he could win so he would use the wind and earth to keep his distance until James runs out of energy and becomes unable to defend himself. However, something James noticed while he was being bombarded by wind was that his sword, despite being hit many times, remained in perfect condition. Using this fact to his advantage, James raised his sword and rushed at William with blinding speed.

At once William summoned forth another powerful gust of wind, but this time crystals protruded from the tip of Jame’s blade, protecting him like a shield and deflecting the wind. The strategy worked perfectly and James was within striking distance.

The second James withdrew his crystals and raised his blade to strike his brother, William's left eye changed color again, going from brown to blue. Shards of ice suddenly arose from the ground in all directions leaving James with barely enough time to summon his crystal wall defense again. 

As James recovered, Williams backed away, creating a gap between him and his brother. Once again, William put his hands to the ground, this time summoning ice spikes all around his brother. James defended with crystals once again but this time, William saw through the defense and crashed his ice shards into James' wall of crystals while simultaneously charging at his brother using the wind to propel his motion.

William knew that with his strategy he was unbeatable, however, James’ defense was stronger than he counted on. The only way to win this fight would be to destroy James’ defense and deliver a killing blow before he can recover. 

As soon as WIlliam got within striking distance, he raised both hands in the air and swords made of solid ice appeared at once. Before he could deliver the final blow however, James recovered from Williams previous assault and raised his own sword to defend.

The two remained locked together in a clash for several moments until William finally released his trump card. His right eye changed from gray to brilliant orange and the swords of ice erupted in flames. 

James immediately backed off as the flames began to burn the exposed parts of his body, but William blitzed James once again. The two engaged in a glorious sword duel with William slashing away trying to use his swords to pry through James, and James blocking Williams attacks while simultaneously suffering burns.

With every strike that James blocked, the fire from William’s swords burnt through parts of his armor. The duel lasted several moments, with both sides pouring all their strength into each swing. William kept his strong momentum up as he swung with killing intent, however, James found his opening. William’s sword strikes landed in a pattern, and James simply waited for William to lift his swords up, which indicated a heavy attack. 

Mustering the last of his strength and pouring all his energy into his arms, James drove his sword through William's stomach before he could deliver the blow.

James stared at his brother for several moments as he gasped in pain. HIs mind seemed to shatter in that instant as he realized he had just killed his brother with his own hands. However, these thoughts quickly faded as he realized it was necessary. This was the path he had chosen for himself. This was the only way.           

James attempted to find a way out of the forest so that he could meet with the rest of his knights and recover. With the battle ensuing at full throttle he would most likely be needed in order for his men to win. Secondly, with the burns and injuries he had taken from his duel with William, he wasn’t in the best shape to travel or fight anyone else. 

However, before James could figure out a way to escape, a thorn pierced his chest, cutting straight through his armor and crushing his heart. As James fell to the ground, coughing up blood, he saw Alexander limping towards William while clutching his chest. 

As James’ vision became blurry, he reached a hand out to his brother, thinking back on everything that led to this moment.

James: I promise you. One day, I will get you all back.

And with that, James’ vision went dark.