Hermessi other than nag and confuse her, but it was still better than nothing since it broke Brendel’s attention. Amelia realized that this was the second chance she'd been waiting for. Sprinting toward the flaming scuffle, she cut through and low with her scythe, and I heard Brendel's scream—so primal, so sharp that it made my skin prick. Amelia had been careful not to hurt the ghoul.
To my astonishment, it wasn't just this one intervening. Oh no, there were dozens of his kind appearing all around. They all went for the Hermessi, leveling the playing field almost instantly. If they moved fast enough, they could minimize the damage that the Hermessi’s energy did to their bodies and transparent skin, while keeping the bastards busy. I caught glimpses of Kelara, Dream, and Nightmare. There was another Reaper with them. I assumed it was the Time Master.
But time hadn't stopped.
Without giving it a second thought, I focused on Brendel. Amelia delivered a third blow by some kind of miracle, before Brendel, still fighting off a very persistent ghoul on her back, swatted her away like a bothersome fly.
I felt something snap inside me. It coincided with Amelia falling and smashing into a tree. The trunk broke and came down with a tormented moan. I couldn't see her anymore because of the foliage.
"Crap," I breathed, understanding what the snap I'd just felt truly meant.
Closing my eyes for a second, I allowed myself to disintegrate. I teleported twenty yards across and grabbed Thieron. Its power surged through me with insatiable delight.
Brendel didn't even see me. She was too busy setting the ghoul on fire. The creature whined and screamed in agony as Brendel covered him in furious orange flames.
One shot.
That was all I needed. She'd been weakened already, unable to hold the teleporting block on us anymore.
I fell. The ground had opened beneath me, but I was too close to ending her, once and for all. "Not today, dammit!" I shouted and zapped myself right behind Brendel. "Not today!"
She turned around, suddenly aware of my movements.
I slashed across her flaming torso with all my might and strength and will, and Thieron burst in a flash of blinding white light as it cut through her.
She gasped.
Unable to move anymore, both hands still gripping Thieron, I could do nothing else but look at her. Her white eyes were round, echoing shock. She hadn’t seen this coming. I'd finally pulled one on Brendel—big enough to take her down for good.
"You… You worthless sack of…"
Her voice faded, as did her fire. Wisps of orange turned to billions of sparks that vanished into the night. Suddenly, I was on my own, and Brendel was gone. I'd killed her. I'd killed Brendel, and, for the life of me, I could not believe it.
Thieron buzzed with delight. Both of us had been waiting to do this for a very long time, it seemed.
"Holy hell," I heard Soul exclaim.
Looking around, I realized that everything, not just my heart, had come to a pause. A freezing moment in time, where everyone stared back at me, unable to believe their own eyes. Even the Hermessi were astonished, no longer moving.
I could breathe again. "I did it…"
I'd done it.
The world was finally rid of Brendel. And it was all the better for it.
It only needed saving now.
Taeral
The Hermessi seemed as though they'd been frozen in time. Only the flames of their energy bodies moved, burning and heating everything around them. Phantom, Soul, and Widow were speechless. The ghouls could be seen, too, silent and staring, much like Kelara, Seeley, Dream, Nightmare, and a very confused Time Master.
Raphael had reached Amelia, keeping her close. His wings were spread and his fists were on fire, ready to hit back at any of the Hermessi coming their way. Lumi helped Nethissis, Varga, and Eva back to consciousness with a combination of swamp witch magic and whatever was left of our healing potions. Riza and Herakles gawked at me, smiles drawn widely across their faces. Eira was still, much like Kabbah, both of them glowing blue and green, respectively, and panting. Something had changed about Eira—not that it was the first time she'd transcended her nature as a Hermessi child. She'd taken a step deeper into elemental territory, that much I could tell from her appearance and the stern look on her face.
I, on the other hand, wanted to speak or do something, but nothing came to mind. The ghoul that Brendel had tormented was alive, but its once-translucent