Bryson charged in, but his ice sword met nothing but air as Shadow melted right back into the shadows. Bryson regained his balance as his eyes warily searched the darkness.

"You're not going to face me?" Bryson baited.

Suddenly, Bryson only had a split second to put up his shield just as a knife came right toward him. "No, this is more fun. Besides, do you really think you'll have a chance against me?"

Bryson was angry, but he had to swallow his pride. He needed to think: First thing first. Water and ice didn't mix well with books. He couldn't, in good conscience, damage any of them accidentally. He knew it was a fool's task but needed to lead Shadow away.

With that in mind, he dashed towards the door. Unfortunately, before getting to the entrance, he was struck by something coming out of the darkness.

Bryson crashed into a nearby table, leaving him gasping for breath.

That was when Shadow's Phantoms grabbed Bryson and dragged him deeper into the shadows.

"Let go of me, you bastards!" Bryson sliced their hands and managed to break free, but another problem was more Phantoms blocked his way to the door.

They stared at him, just waiting for a chance to snap him up again. All the while, the archives seemed to get swallowed up by darkness, coming closer and closer. When Bryson moved too close, it sprang out like a trap, and he had to back up quickly.

I need to find a way out. Bryson's ice-blue eyes shimmered with thought, thinking of any possible exit. He hated that he didn't have a plan, and Bryson not having a plan was unheard of for him; planning for any possible outcome was what he was best at. So why didn't he prepare for this?

Shadow's actions were inconceivable. Especially knowing full well that the result was death for them all. Bryson almost made that mistake before. It was suicide. So, one conclusion was that Shadow wasn't trying to kill him at all.

Of course, Bryson could be overthinking it. Maybe Shadow was insane and wanted to play with him before killing him.

What was Shadow's game?

"Hell," he cursed.

But either way, I don't like being played with. It was hard to admit, but Bryson knew he could not beat Shadow. So, the only thing he could do was…. escape.

Then his eyes brightened when he spotted a window just behind and to the left of him…. The darkness hadn't reached it. It was risky; Shadow might have set up a trap. In any case, Shadow would be on him as soon as he made a move.

He didn't like it and was not one to take a risk unless he had gone through all the scenarios, but he had no other alternatives.

I never thought there was a day I had to resort to Lilia's tricks to get out of this mess. Bryson shuttered.

Out of desperation, Bryson sprinted toward the door. Still, when the Phantoms rushed at him, Bryson ensured they'd hit his shield instead. Bryson grunted as it hit and threw him back—to where he wanted to go, only a few feet from the window.

As he landed, Bryson refracted the light around him, turning invisible. He took off towards the nearby window and smashed through the glass. He used his ice sword to cut through the concrete and guide him to the window below.

Bryson jumped through and found himself in an empty classroom slash storage room. Sniffing in disgust with the amount of dust and garbage, the room looked like it hadn't been used in quite a while.

If Bryson managed to get out of there, he would make a point to visit the cleaning staff and reprimand them for their oversight.

No more distractions. He needed to calm down. His abilities worked better when he had the chance to think. But Shadow wasn't giving him a chance to do so. Instead, Shadow's every move was designed to rattle him, and it worked.

But Bryson felt Shadow was after something specific, and he had a fair idea what he was after. So, he wasn't about to wait around to find out.

That was when shadows were seeping through the door; it was too late to do anything but fight. Bryson summoned water and struck down the approaching shadowy blackness, fending off another with his sword, trying to find a glimmer of where Shadow may be hiding. That was his only chance now. Bryson knew that he couldn't last forever. It was hard to admit, but Shadow had him beat when it came to power alone.

There! Then Bryson struck, and a moment too late, he realized it was a trap. His sword sank into the shadows, and Bryson couldn't get it out.

"I can't let you," Bryson stated, desperately trying to hold on. This just confirmed what Bryson was already thinking. Shadow's aim was to destroy his sword hilt, his medium, rendering Bryson inactive, as his element would go out of control. He couldn't let Shadow destroy his medium, so he retracted his ice blade, freeing it from the shadowed void. But knowing…

"You finally figured it out." Shadow stepped out of the shadows. "I've got to say, that last move of yours escaping out the window like that." He whispered. "I was impressed, very…. instinctive. So not like you." Shadow paused. "But it's too late," whispered Shadow. Bryson felt a sharp pain and found that one of Shadow's knives was buried deep in his shoulder.

Bryson cursed. When did Shadow…? He felt numbness from his wound beginning to spread. He could only watch as Shadow took the hilt from Bryson's hand. His eyes were filled with something that Bryson couldn't read, but for whatever reason, Bryson was afraid.

He won. As soon as the thought crossed Bryson's mind, he denied it. No, I can't accept that! I have to stop him. Bryson gritted his teeth, and ice spikes shot toward Shadow. One of the Phantoms blocked Shado and took an ice spike to the chest. It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ignoring the occurrence like it was nothing, Shadow destroyed the hilt in just one snap.

All Bryson could do was close his eyes as his powers rebounded out of control. Water, like a raging river, rushing everywhere.

He heard Shadow's last words carrying with him as he lost consciousness: "Nice try."

***

Bryson didn't know how long he had floated in the cold water. It felt like he was trapped in an underwater cave, knowing there was no escape.

Then he felt a tug. Someone was pulling him. Bryson forced himself to open his eyes to find a blond girl with cyan eyes staring right back. His fuzzy mind initially thought that he imagined it, but why her? She was the last person he wanted to see.

Especially now, when I was at my lowest. No, it must be merely my imagination. Why would she, of all people would, try to save me?

"Bryson, I've got you." Her voice echoed in Bryson's mind as she swam back, dragging him along with her.

But couldn't deny the truth any longer. So it was her. His numbed mind formed a name. Lilia?

 Before his eyes closed once again.