Frosted Ranger: Time's Illusion

Chapter 10: Finishing The Mission

"Dayton?" Melina lowers her shield, but keeps her distance. It could be another one of Melissa's illusions playing with Melina's mind. "Is it really you?"

Dayton reaches his great sword over his back and locks it into place with his armor to carry it around easily. Is lugging a sword that size considered "easy"?

"I just killed that guardian, right?" He looks to the lifeless guardian with the giant gash in its chest and the broken jeweled circle shattered outwards with many pieces all over the floor.

The prisoners get restless and begin to move around the open room trying to solve the next step outwards to continue their escape. Dayton stood in front of the only exit, but it lays heavily barricaded with steel bars to keep people out and keep people in.

Melina takes a step towards Dayton, but Kywin catches her by the shoulder. "I met Dayton, there is no way he just stands there waiting."

Melina looks to Kywin with concern but then looks back to Dayton and looks into his eyes. "Come on, Melina, my life ends before yours." The necklace of the mountains, the armor, the weaponry, that saying. How could this not be him?

"It's him." Melina jogs to Dayton with an overwhelming sensation of tears of joy. Dayton holds out his arms as Melina tackles Dayton to the ground. The landing on the greatsword sends a pain shock in his back, but with Melina back in his arms, he was going to be fine.

An applause of clapping comes from the stair way leading upwards into the fortress. Melina rolls off Dayton to look and see her mother and Daximus.

"Touching reunion." Melissa claps a few more times, but then draws her black sword. "You have driven my patience, daughter." The black sword in Melissa's hand begins to swarm with black light and she throws it into the crowd of prisoners and in an instant, half the prisoners bodies begin to rot and decay as they collapse over lifeless. Dying slowly, but quietly.

"You have driven my patience too, mother." Melina's body fades into silver ashes and disappears. "Melina!" Dayton tries to stop her, but she vanishes too quickly.

Melissa recognizing the spell, but not the intended use, she stands behind Daximus. Melina reappears at her mother's death sword. She looks at her wrists to remember she has no hands. She looks around and notices Kywin has vanished as well.

Melissa laughs. "I get the survival instincts. I do." Melissa's body vanishes in the same mist. Dayton stands up quickly and prepping his great sword. Daximus pulls out his double bladed sword and aims it at Dayton. "Down, boy. This is a family matter. Show some respect."

Melissa reappears in front of Melina. "I am your mother still. I killed many lives today." She looks the other prisoners bundled together in silenced fear. She holds a hand out to them and the similar white burning light rains down in a pillar over their bodies.

Melina tries to throw a punch with the shield at her mother, but Melissa steps out of the way and as the light vanishes, the remaining prisoners are left fried.

Melina swallows her hatred. Melissa looks to her sword behind Melina. "I'll spare you and Dayton this once."

"What?" Daximus questions, lowing her double sided sword. "That's a mistake." Melissa raises a hand to call for silence.

"I read the journal. Even in my madness you wished me a happy birthday. I'll be your mother this once, Melina. But don't come back unless you wish to die."

"I made a promise." Melina responds. "To kill you. When I come back, you will be the one lying on the floor." Melina turns to leave and walks all the way up to Dayton before Melissa gives the last words.

"I may be the one to die, but you'll be the one with the damaged heart." Melissa waves her hands around and the steel bars move around and the door raises into the higher bit of the fortress. The night sky revealing itself and all the stars neighboring the full moon.

Dayton and Melina choose to keep quiet on their way out in what felt too easy. Melissa watches with an evil smile growing on her face. "Too easy." She picks up her sword and does the vanishing trick to end up in front of Dayton as they cross out of the fortress.

"Safe journeys." She says and stabs Dayton through the middle of his ribs. She vanishes as Melina reaches her arms out to somehow catch Dayton, but he falls to the ground regardless. Melina kneels and holds him. Their

"No.. no no no.." Dayton tries to press his wound together to stop the bleeding. "I don't have my hands... i.. i can't.. can't heal you." Melina uses her arms to stop her tears falling.

Dayton's veins began to blacken. "Get out of here... Melina." Melina stays wishing she could hold his hand in this moment. To just heal him.

"No. I don't want this... why does life hate me?.."Melina watches on as Dayton does more than bleed out, his body is infected with something Melina has never seen. All her healing magic required her hands, which she doesn't have. "Why was I born to witness these things?"

"Shhhh." Dayton's voice sounds weak, his skin turning pale as the blood pours from the wound still. The veins of his body blackening, the red veins of his eyes also began to blacken. "I love you, it's nice knowing... I kept my promise.."

Melina closes her eyes. "Kyladir, please. I went on this mission to kill my mother and instead i'm tortured beyond belief. Don't let Dayton die.. I.. I.." she stops her prayer and opens her eyes to see Dayton no longer breathing.

A hand rests onto her shoulder. "I can't do anything. But I know someone who can." Melina looks over her shoulder to see Kywin in his armor.

"You led him here!" Melina swings the shield at Kywin and he takes it across the face. "He's dead cause you let him near the fortress of death..."

"I know a friend. She can help him if we move quickly." Kywin steps away from the grieving Melina.

"Why was I even born..." she rests her head on Dayton's chest, her hair laying in the warm blood. "Just to be tortured, stripped of love and family.."

Kywin sits down a bit aways from Melina, keeping her in eye sight. "I know." He whispers to himself like he did before in his home when Melina was unconscious. Like he was talking to someone. "Tarona can do it. Only elf I know that will do it."

Kywin pulls out an arrow to draw lines in the dirt. "Melina is tough, very emotional. She's had a rough life, Avin. I hope she gets through this."

Melina wishes she could close Dayton's eyes, stroke her hand through his hair. Her mother has done a lot of damage to her mentally and physically. Things Melina was finding impossible to forgive with every second.

Melina falls asleep outside the fortress on top of Dayton. Kywin takes charge again and carries Melina off the road into a prison. He also goes back and carries off Dayton. Buys a horse and wagon. Puts them both in the wagon and hops on the horse to get them to this so called friend that can help he speaks of.

As for Melina, as she rest in the wagon with the shield laying on the ground next to her and removed from her arm.

In her dreams she sees a metal hand reaching out to her with a weird drawing on it. Seeing the design or symbol forced Melina awake in the morning of the new day.