Victoriously Yours,

Yisrael's throat burned raw as he willed himself not to look back.

Stepping into the chamber, the crowd parted for him.

He walked with slow deliberate steps up to the altar. Fires rose higher around the rocky sacred place but he knew he wouldn't get burnt.

He turned to his clan.

Their determined expression showed they were ready even though each could hear their racing hearts.

"Iborians. My family. My blood. Today marks the end of our tribe. You all may be different but you have provided, helped, sourced and became one whole. We have same end. We go to the same death. Our hearts beat for life. For love. Most importantly, love. We will soon be free. Free from this earth we once called home. We now move on to a new home. A new life. A new chapter. Iborians will sail through the tales of time, I promise. Each one of your story will be preserved. My family let us sacrifice our lives to preserve our hearts."

They roared with cries.

In the center stood the gleaming red ball hanging in the air by mystical waves. The red flaming stone was actually a ball of fire.

Breathing fire. It resembled the power of their own god.

As he stepped into the middle of altar, the ball flowed and fell onto his palm.

Heavy and hot. So hot, it burned his flesh.

The moment he touched it, everyone around him began to smother up in flames. One by one they burned with a hellish infernal light, he watched each of them.

Eye to eye.

He saw Yori. Such a fearless warrior. He stood with his chin high, closing his eyes and he smiled as the firestorm washed over him.

Yosemite held Yamien's hand, they were bound together. When he met Yosemite's eyes, his eyes glistened.

"Brother, I'll see you soon."

He nodded and watched the two of them ignited into a holy burst of flames. When everyone raised into the high end flares of orange and yellow.

They began to crumble into cinders, the heavy smoke thickening around him. Waiting for the one last Iborian.

The new chief of the tribe.

He was ready. He simply had to pierce the the heart in his hand and then, he would be turned into stone.

Only a shriek of cry followed and the boom outside rocked the cave. He turned to see River jumping onto the center, falling onto her knees.

"River!"

She steadily got up, her eyes washed in red almost burning like that fire around them.

"Get out of here!"

Another boom ricocheted and the ceiling began to shake.

She stumbled almost falling into the ashes outside the center of stone but he held her, yanking her waist to him. A dense unholy dark cloud began to form around them, covering them.

It was hard to see but they saw each other in absolute clarity.

"River-"

Her face marked with soot and charred. She held his eyes with firm resolution.

"Yisrael, you told me you would die for me."