.A Spark From Before.

-1-

"I am sorry my love but for the good of all that live I must join them." I whispered softly, forehead pressed against the one of my husband who held our not even one month old in his arms.

I heard the march of men and women behind me, one that I would soon join, the day was dark as we all knew we were walking towards probably certain death.

"But why you?" He asked even if he knew the reason.

"My love we need to stop the decay from killing everything in its way and for that they need all those that have a grip on magic to unite in the hopes of success and you know it." I said, taking a step back with a forced smile mixing with a frown. "I know of my title as the queen of this country, it can not save me from my duty as an elemental mage first and foremost so reign dutiful and righteously until I get back yes?"

"Always my dear, we'll wait for you."

I planted a small kiss on his lips and turned away to join the funeral parade.

I walked a bit faster then the rest and was soon at the front with the elvish king Derio and even a few skin-taker chiefs as this danger was threatening all of us with death... That is why such a spell is banned from use.

I gave then a brief nod in greeting as we advanced, everyone had a grim look on their faces.

I heard mothers screaming and fathers fighting as their child was dragged into this walk to our death for having the slightest bit of magic talent in them, as the queen I couldn't help but feel guilty for this but I need to remember this is a must.

When we saw the decay it was much worst then we thought, the old kingdom of Oldard was just rubble of dust and rocks, the life sucked out of the land, from the air and even from the water as the darkness seeping into the earth crawled.

"Everyone! We need to surround this! This is the only chance for our world to survive, to give our lives for the future!" The elvish king said, raising his staff but unlike and army before a battle no one cheered, conscious of our end.

"Let the gods protect those we leave behind." I whispered a pray before the people spread out.

it took more then half a day for the signal that everyone was in place to reach us and the decay was right by my feet by that time.

I took a deep breath as I did like the many that came, that might be an understatement, all of us were part of those that could use magic, all of us, from young to old, everyone that could use magic was here today and ready to die to protect the rest.

A tear rolled down my face as I knew after this day most magic knowledge would be lost until someone had a child with the ability to have elemental magic in their body or mold wild magic came to be and even then they'd need to learn how to use it on their own.

"Goodbye." I whispered I wish I'd see his face again and watch her grow up but I knew this was not my future.

I let me elemental magic bubble without giving it form, a magical shapeless mist forming around my left hand and I lifted it, letting my magic join the flow of the many other colors.

I felt the decay stop advancing as it was absorbing the magic supplied to it instead of the one in the ground.

The multicolored mix of magic was almost beautiful in a morbid, ghastly, way.

First it was the children, having used up their little reserves of magic that fell into the clutches of death, decay entwined their bodies in their screams of pure terror and pain before they became a stone statue forever fixed in time with their arms lifted towards the decay.

Next were the older people, their body too frail to hold up longer then half a day in this fight. They left us quietly, having easily accepted their death compared to any of us who still held a little hope to live, even I did hope.

Next to fall were the skin-takers, wild magic was what gave them the ability to change and without it their bodies were killed by the changes they made to themselves, joining the ranks of stone.

What surprised me next was the few dragons that were sent to aid us were those that died but they are beings of pure wild magic, without it they are nothing which is why unlike the rest their bodies turned to dust instead of the stone.

And more and more died like this, emptied of all magic only to be turned to stone painfully.

Day and night was filled with the growing horror of one question, will we succeed?

I cannot fail, not for my people that came to die with me, not for the people that we protect, not for my friends and family, I cannot fail!

On the third night my body was trembling from fatigue, eyes heavy and arm aching like never before as my body felt cold as the magic in it was slowly nearing its end.

"Queen Seva." I turned my eyes to Derio who stood a meter from me, seeing his magic flickering as stone crawled up his leg and along his arms.

"Derio." I breathed out, that one word taking more then half the strength I still had left as a scream echoed through the night to my left, another one gone, we were so few now, how will we do this?

"It was an honor." He said and his magic flickered out, the stone not taking a second and covering him forever, a scared smiled etched on his face.

I turned my head back to the decay and the clouds hid the moon, leaving me blind outside of the green glow my magic cast.

I could only see a few magical glow and one died out before my eyes.

By the sunrise I knew I was the last to stand, the siphoning of my magic happening at a grater pace then ever and I knew it was just moments before I'd succumb too and this would be lost.

Painful numbness encased my toes, then my legs, crawling up my calves towards my thighs.

I didn't need to look down to know what was happening as the pain grew exponentially worst, seeing the stone cover my fingers and the top of my hand, fixing them forever in that position. My skin all over my body was in flames, as if something was slowly cutting into it as stone spread.

I gritted my teeth, half my body was still flesh and bone but I was unable to move as my own magic started to flicker heavily.

"I need to... Win." I choked out as if stone had been growing inside of me, solidifying me from inside and it might have even been the case, breathing in took so much effort I needed to consciously fight the air in and out of my body.

"I need... To... Win." I felt nothing else but searing pain up until my hips and it was crawling upwards, arm stuck in its held up position, shoulder nothing but stone and it dug deep into my flesh, trying to reach the magic still there.

"I..." A tear escaped my left eye as the right side of my face solidified and I thought I was going to loose my mind to the pain.

I can't lose.

Everyone is counting on me.

Everyone.

The pain was debilitating and yet.

"I can't lose." I whispered as stone covered my face.

As life slipped from my grasp while the stone took over I felt a glimpse of hope.

A single spark of my magic was spared.

That meant the decay stopped.

I could die knowing I did it.

I saved them.