INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS

Chaos ensued the moment Kol stabbed Gravemoore on his back. Gravemoore's wail of pain stopped the chanting and singing of the Rosein Army. The Roseins on the platform immediately charged toward Kol and Clyne who had already called their weapons. The Roseins around the lava pool took a moment to understand the situation, three seconds of heavy silence before some of them run to help their leader. They were not able reach the platform because different shapes of thick and towering metal had risen around it, blocking their path. Thick dark roots crawled around the platform, occasionally swatting Roseins who flew above it. A few Roseins attempted to fly above the lava but all of them fall into their death because of the heat below them.

Tessa stood behind a five feet red metal on one path while Lei was on the other path waiting for enemies to breach the barriers. Tessa's insignia on her chest warmed of anticipation to fight. She called her weapons which were now circling her. Yet a part of her was hesitant to injure or kill anyone because some of the Roseins are non-magic users. Focus, Tessa. Even regular beings can be bad.

"Tessa!" She turned toward Nate's voice. He was running toward her while carrying Alyssa whose hands and ankles are still bound. Alyssa looked a little bit annoyed. She glanced behind him and saw Clyne fending off Roseins trying to run after the two. Gravemoore lay unmoving on the platform, surrounded by his own blood. She looked away from the figure.

"I don't know how to remove them," Nate breathed out when he stopped in front of her.

"Gravemoore is dead." Alyssa struggled until he let her down.

"This is a powerful bind," Alyssa revealed, "Like that lava portal, this will stay even if Gravemoore dies."

"Kol and Clyne need me." Nate glanced at Lei who shot an arrow at a flying Rosein. "Help Alyssa out of those." He ran to the platform without waiting for a response.

"If we leave the Mort, will they disappear?" Tessa asked. Alyssa shook her head. Only then that Tessa noticed that she was still wearing the crown on her head.

"They are bound to the portal." Alyssa glanced at the boiling lava. "The portal must be destroyed first." Tessa traced the expanse of the pool of lava with nervous eyes.

"Relax." Alyssa must have noticed her apprehension. "We just have to bury it to cut the connection." Still not going to be easy.

Her attention shifted to someone shouting behind a block of iron. She couldn't see the enemy.

"Stay behind me." Alyssa opened her mouth to argue. "You can't protect yourself right now."

A young woman emerged holding a sword. She charged at Tessa without hesitation.

Tessa's eyes widened at how young the woman is. She appeared to be Tessa's age or younger. The teenager's dark eyes zeroed on at Tessa with anger and determination. Tessa raised her right hand to command the flying daggers above her. But she hesitated, not only because the girl was young but because Tessa noticed her lack of power. The girl had no elemental.

"Tessa," Alyssa called. "I know. But she's determined to kill you for their cause." Tessa could only nod. Three daggers zipped through the air toward the girl who startled and took two steps backward. But it was only for a few seconds. She glanced at Tessa with furious eyes and swung at the flying daggers. Her form and speed showed that she knew how to handle her sword and how to fight.

"That will exhaust you," Alyssa commented. Tessa knew that but she couldn't just stab the girl. Another Rosein was able to find a way through the path of metals set by Nate. But instead of going for Tessa, he punched the girl's gut making Tessa gasp. The girl staggered back with her left hand on her stomach. She stepped back until her back touched the wall. She slid against the wall to the floor, still holding her sword. Tessa tried to hide the worry she felt. The man left her unmoving form and walked toward Tessa.

Tessa was confused. Five of her daggers shot toward the man who raised both his hands surrendering.

"I'm with Eclipse," he shouted as he removed his red hood. Tessa remembered him as the one behind Clyne, the one who was arguing against saving Alyssa.

"Why..." she trailed. The man shrugged.

"Wren said to help." He continued walking toward her. "I'm Marcus, if you remember." Help us?

As if on cue, Tessa heard a loud explosion on the other side of the lava pool. A group of

Roseins were ganging up on two men without robes. A huge hole on the wall near them was smoking. Her attention was caught by another loud noise. People started fighting with their swords. She couldn't see who were the Roseins and who were the Eclipse because they were too far from where she stood.

"It's better to remove that hood," Tessa suggested. "We won't know if you're enemy or not."

"Touche." Marcus grinned. "What's the plan?" Tessa pointed at the red glowing cuffs around Alyssa's wrists and ankles. She explained what Alyssa revealed earlier.

"I see." Marcus glanced at the lava pool. "It's too wide. Better call all the earth, nature and metal users to bury that." By the time Marcus left to gather the members of Eclipse having earth, nature, and metal elementals, Nate, Clyne and Kol had defeated the Rosein Army on the platform. Tessa encountered five Roseins who got through the Eclipse and the metal course. This time, she didn't hesitate. Violence wasn't something she desires but necessity requires it.

When Marcus returned with four of his companions, they gathered on the platform together with Lei, Nate, and Clyne. Tessa remained near but below the platform to make sure no Rosein will stop them. The other members of Eclipse continued to fight the remaining Roseins. Tessa's group was outnumbered but they had to cut the link between Alyssa's cuffs and the lava portal before they leave.

"We have to hurry," she heard Wren, an earth elemental user, say. "We can't defeat all of them." They immediately started. The ground started shaking. Cracks formed on the walls around the lava pool, until they broke and fell. The Roseins scattered. All the metals on the surface moved and jumped into the pool of boiling lava, immediately disolving. Cracks formed on the ground so Tessa took steps backward. She wondered about how deep the hole was. A huge shadow covered hers so she looked up. Large rocks flew into the pool. The routine continued. Tessa focused on defeating as many Roseins as she can. She had a hard time manipulating water in the Mort so she only used her daggers.

"We must hurry," Alyssa said, worry masked her face which was usually expressionless.

Tessa noticed the red pulsing power around her wrists dimming.

"Don't worry," Tessa tried to comfort her, "Nate and the others will finish this."

"I'm not worried about that." Alyssa glanced at the remaining Roseins. The Eclipse members fighting them looked exhausted. There were still almost 50 Roseins. Tessa glanced at Nate and the others who were working to bury the huge lava pool.

Tessa waited for Alyssa to explain further. Suddenly, the cuffs around Alyssa's wrists disappeared but those around her ankles remained.

"Help me," she said. "Bring the water here. I'll turn them into ice."

"I... I couldn't." Tessa was embarassed and frustrated for not being able to help.

"Use the black water near the fortress." Tessa frowned.

"What?" The image of the black murky water near the fortress made her grimace.

"I...I haven't tried to manipulate anything like that."

Alyssa stepped close to her, her ice blue eyes stared unblinking at her golden orbs.

"You have to do it. We have to leave soon. You and your friends are needed there."

Tessa frowned at her, confused.

"Where?"

"South Edgeburne. They want to finish what they started 20 years ago and 4 years ago."