• This is the story of the end of my story. The end of everything. I can see it now, the ground was shaking and fire was bursting from the floor where the magical seal had been working its powers to unlock what was beyond it. "Run! Get out, all of you."

    "But, Strider, what about that?" Ty pointed towards the large spinning vortex beggining to rise from the seal.

    "It doesn't matter right now, go!" I turned and began to run for the door but just as everyone else started to run I stopped. A few paces away Sam stopped as well.

    "Russell?" She looked at me with a desperate face, urging me to go as well. I just smiled and shook my head. That wasn't my fate. Her face contorted in pain and saddness as she spun on her heels and run, sobbing as she went.

    I smiled and turned towards the now shaping vortex. Up on the top of the tower the clouds began to darken and spout lightning and rain, the first rain this desolate land had recieved in so many years. The rain hit me in sheets but I didn't look away as slowly the mass of blackness shaped in a demon with many shadow tendrils in the shape of arms as legs, a pair of shadowy wings, horns meant for gouging, and eyes that would bring even a god to their knees in fright. This creature stared at me, exuding such hatred that would teal the lie from any normal person. I must admit that I was afraid, more afraid then i'd ever been in my entire life, but that didn't matter now.

    Down below, Ty, Zach, Alex, and Sam had made it out to find Strider, the wolf of fire, infront of the tower. "Strider, why are you down here?" Ty stopped, catching her breath as Strider looked up to the top of a tower.

    "I have come to bid farewell to a great man." Strider never turned to Ty as she then realized I was not amoung them. She spun quickly and looked up at the tower as a huge jet of black energy blasted like a lazer off the top.

    She started to run back for the entrance but was stopped by Zach, catching her by the waist and picking her up over his shoulder. "No! Strider! Let me go! He can't fight by hmself!"

    "Let him go Ty, he has to do this. No one else can." Sam spoke between sobs, wiping her face. "There's nothing we can do now." Sam started to run further from the tower as rocks and peices of the tower began to fall from the top.

    "No, no, no! He promised. He promised that everything would be okay!" Ty sobbed, tears falling from her eyes as Zach and Alex ran after Sam, the image of the tower gtting further and further away as they were speeded along by the wind and earth, like a large earth boat, carrying Strider as well who still didn't take his eyes off the top, even after they stopped moing.

    Ty was placed on the ground, sitting on the ground crying. Up on the tower I had drew Celenor, the sister blade of Excaliber. As the jets of blackness came at my I would bring up my left hand and formed a sheild to block it, but it was hard. The blackness seemed to eat away at my magic. After a few shots I had become very worn. I looked back off the tower to see the other at a safe distance and then breathed in, then out, centering myself. I stabbed Celenor into the floor, allowing her to block most of the shots as the monster, the Terror, was before me, screaming with an unholy roar at me.

    I sighed once and then breathed in, when I let my breath out again a sound escaped, not from my mouth, but from my heart. A sound that became a voice, a voice that became a song. The song erupted and became a force as it reverberated inside me and the air around me. It became loud and thunderous, making the thunder and rain seem quiet. It was a beautiful song, a sad song, a powerful song, but a song of regret. It was the first song and the last song and it was my song. I sang and sang, the Terror retorting in pain, covering its head with its massive arms to try and block out the noise.

    Down below the other heard the song and began to cry, their own hearts singing to match me as all around them all the people of Earth appeared, their hearts crying out to me. As the song reached its climax small lights began to form from each living thing. The trees, the the animals, the spirits, the grass, the humans, my friends, they all began to form lights, like stars. They all began to fly to the top of the tower, to me, as I sang to everyone and to the world. The stars began to form solid trails of light, enveloping me in a bright light, out shining all the stars and the sun. The clouds began to break and the light poured in. The Terror began to scream in pain and attempt to fly away but I lifted up my arm and the light shot forther like many tendrils of light and grabbed the Terror, covering it in light. The Terror began to become like many shreds of paper, ripping away and fading into dust. When the head was left and the eyes it seemed to explode in a fiery ball of light, a loud screech escaping what was left of its being before the light seemed to start to fade until all that was left was the light of the sun.

    This was when Strider let ascape a loud howl of pain and goodbye the sound echoing through out the barren valley of stones. My friends looked on, mystified at what they had just seen, no longer crying, feeling the warmth of the sun as the other humans faded and disappeared. "What....what was that?" Ty stood up, her mouth agape.

    Sam frowned again and looked away. "Starfall's Lament. The song of the heart that banished the Terror the first time. Only Russell knew the song and it kills whom ever sings it."

    "Come." Strider had started to walk towards the tower. "He has asked me to bring all of you, especially Ty."

    All of my friends looked at one another before following after the wolf. They got to the tower and began to climb up it until they reached the top. Standing there was me. Looking off over the mountains to the silver seas. "Hello, everyone."

    "Russell, I thought you said..." She would have continued but I cut her off.

    "I said many things but I know, and it's coming." I turned to them, but mostly to Ty. I walked over to her until I was right infront of her, towering over her. "I have some forgivness to ask of you. I am so sorry."

    "I told you to never say that you were sorry." Ty had tears in her eyes but she was being completely serious.

    "Yes, but this is one time that it needs to be said." I got down on my knee and looked up at her, smiling, taking her hand. "I am sorry, I know you feel like I lied to you, but I meant what I said. It will all be okay. But not for me." I kissed her hand and stood. "I knew from the start that this would eventually be my end and I had to tell you before I went. I love you, I always have, and I always will. No matter who you date, no matter if you hate me, no matter if i'm dead. I will always love you. You have always been there for me and always been ready to help me if I needed it. So i'm sorry but this is where I shall have to be there for you. But I can't do much for you, or even as much as I want. So all I can give to you, is all of my knowledge, power, and wisdom." I bent forward, putting my hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead, a bright light enveloping me and then spreading over to her and then leaving me. "I shall always be with you, here." I pointed to her heart and smiled, the tears in her eyes flowing out.

    I was about to hug her when she jumpped up and hugged me first. "Don't apologize, please. You're Strider, you always come back. This shouldn't ba ny different." She spoke in my ear between sobs as I held her back. "Don't go, don't leave me, please. I love you too, Strider. So please, don't go." She started to cry more as she held me.

    "I am sorry. I am so, so sorry." Tears began to well up in my eyes. After a few more seconds I kneeled down, pulling her away from her. "I will always be there for you when you need me. Don't ever forget that, or me." Then I turned to Sam, still holding Ty. "I leave Celenor to you, until Ty needs it. The Terror will be back. As long as there is evil in human hearts, there will be a Terror."

    Sam nodded as tears poured out and as I stood, putting my hands on Ty's shoulders. Smiling at her. "Good bye now, Ty. I will be watching you." I smiled one more time at her and released her, stepping back towards Celenor. "Strider, make sure she doesn't get into much trouble. I can only do so much."

    "Of course, old friend. Goodnight, young Russell, travel well." With that I stopped stepping back and looked at my friends. Slowly, with a small gust of wind, my existance fadded into dust, traveling with the wind.