utsoi ran as fast as his legs would carry him, then he opened a portal, walking through and appearing instantly at the foot of the bell tower. It was much quieter here; the enemy had not yet made it there. Tutsoi looked around and atop buildings. He could see through the windows families huddled together, scared for their lives. All he had to do was stop Nevarii, and then they would be safe.

  “I figured you’d come here.”

  Tutsoi looked up to the top of the bell tower. Nevarii stood at the very top, nearly one hundred feet above him. He sneered. His voice seemed to crackle in the wind.

  “I brought you a little gift, Tutsoi.”

  Tutsoi gripped his sword in anger. Just then, the doors of the brick bell tower near the bottom opened, and a figure walked out and into the dim light of the snowy sky. Tutsoi exhaled sharply and nearly fell to his knees in shock; there stood Kylia, his sister.

  Her body was completely intact, no discrepancies noticeable. Every part of her skin, every hair on her head, her eyes, and her fingers, all of it was crafted perfectly. Just then, she unsheathed her sword and readied herself to fight. Tutsoi was snapped back into reality suddenly when she was attacked.

  Though it was nothing like how she usually would have swung. No, Nevarii was too clever. He knew that all he needed was Kylia’s body as a puppet. The rest of the work was all done in Tutsoi’s head.

  Tutsoi dodged back and forth quickly, only able to stay on the defensive. Sparks shone and flew to the left and right, only to be taken away by the intense wind as the iron clashed. Tutsoi watched her face; it was stone cold. Tears began to well in Tutsoi’s eyes as they quickly flew from one end of the clearing of houses to the other. She was getting faster, and Tutsoi was getting clumsier.

  Kylia suddenly twisted her body around to face away from Tutsoi, then below him.

  “Power!”

  Golden flecks appeared around her sword, and Tutsoi barely jumped back as quickly as he could as the sword exploded upward in a mass of golden color. Tutsoi flew through a brick wall and into a house, crashing into a dining table and falling to the ground. He slowly got up, having trouble with his wounded right leg. In the corner, a family huddled away from the explosion. Two children cried in their parents’ arms. Suddenly, Tutsoi flung up his right arm and stopped another attack. The force of it made Tutsoi slide back on the brick flooring multiple feet. His arm seemed to ring out in pain as Kylia grabbed onto Tutsoi’s wrist, flinging herself around quickly in the air.

  The world wobbled upside down and around as Tutsoi flew out of the building, moving faster than eyes could have read. He fell and slid on the brick clearing close to the bell tower. His head began to throb, and he knew what had happened. Kylia had kicked him away. He placed his left hand on the right side of his face, the side that slid, and looked for blood, to which there was much.

  His face stung in the cold, his arm and head throbbed in deep pain. He was sure his bones had just been shattered. He looked up as Kylia ran towards him, her body instantly throwing another swing. Tutsoi dropped down, dodging under the attack as he grabbed her own wrist with his broken arm, swinging around himself.

  “I’m sorry!!”

  He screamed with anger in his voice as his leg connected with Kylia’s face, and she flew back. He landed back onto his feet, and in his anger, he turned to the bell tower. His face grew red, not just from the cold, but from his own rage.

  “You coward!!! GET DOWN HERE!!”

  Gold appeared around his body and broadsword as he swung at the bell tower. He screamed as loud as he could.

  “POWER!!”

  A yellow shaking line exploded from out of Tutsoi’s sword as he slashed forward, hitting the bell tower with a crash. It crashed through and out of the other side, fizzling out. The tower suddenly shook and began to fall. The bell atop it began to ring extraordinarily loudly, buzzing Tutsoi’s ears.

  The tower fell slowly down, dust exploding up at the bottom and shooting up and outward. The top began to fall back as Nevarii swiftly climbed and jumped his way down. The bell rang for a few seconds more before it ended with a crash, signaling that the tower had crumbled.

  Tutsoi turned to his right and looked at Kylia, who stood up slowly. Tears began to well in his face. He smiled weakly and watched as she jumped up and ran to him with speed. Both of them clashed, Tutsoi blocked attack after attack quickly, crying and smiling as he did so.

  “Things can just go back the way they were, Kylia!”

  Golden light protruded from her body as another major slash flew forth. Tutsoi jumped to the side and out of the way. Sparks once again began to shine.

  “Just stop, please!”

  She jumped up and kicked him away. Tutsoi barely managed to stay upright as he slid away from the tower along the bricks. He winced at his wounded right leg before standing again as Kylia once again reached him.

  “...It doesn’t have to be this way…”

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  He pushed her back only slightly towards the bell tower, though his messy attacks couldn’t keep going for long, and he was soon pushed back once again.

  “If only… I was strong enough…”

  Tears pour down his cheeks, and his nose begins to run more than it already has. Her attacks ramped up in speed, but Tutsoi still blocked them quickly.

  “If I had killed Nevarii then, back on that day…”

  He closed his eyes for a second longer than he should have. Kylia jumped forward and pushed him towards the collapsed bell tower once again. Tutsoi slid and fell on his right leg, bruising it further but forcing himself up and again blocking her flurry of attacks.

  “...Then maybe… we would still be living peacefully…”

  Kylia readied herself as more golden energy came bursting from her broadsword. In an instant, her sword clashed against Tutsoi's, shattering it. Only about eleven of the usual twenty-eight inch blade remained. But Tutsoi did not seem phased.

  “Yet, just like that day so long ago… I still can’t save you.”

  As he spoke, suddenly, numerous monsters began to appear on the horizon. Though they were slower than usual. Surely because Nevarii had just recovered from falling from a bell tower. But Tutsoi turned his focus back to Kylia.

  “Again and again, every day, I just wish I could go back and change all of it. So you were still here with me…”

  Tutsoi smiled weakly as Kylia continued her onslaught. Tutsoi blocked the attacks quickly, but not effortlessly. His shortened blade made it considerably more difficult to fight.

  “But I know… despite all of it, I can never go back.”

  Tears fell in waves down his face as he pushed closer to the bell tower, the attacks chipping his blade further.

  “I know… that I can never save you…”

  His smile faded as his body shook from the emotional weight. His headache burned heavier as he grit his teeth in disgust for himself. Kylia pushed him closer to the bell tower, but he stopped and held his ground for only a moment.

  “I know… that you’re never coming back!!”

  His breath got shaky as he yelled it out loud. Kylia didn’t respond. Tutsoi’s entire body hurt so badly, his chest clenched in pain. Tutsoi turned over to the other side of Kylia, but couldn't bring himself to attack her through the opening that it provided.

  “I know!! I know I can’t ever fix what happened to you!!”

  He clashed against her sword and pushed it down, looking her in the face.

  “I’m sorry, Kylia, I’m so sorry!!!”

  He screamed with all of his might, his voice rose above even the sounds of the monsters tearing through the buildings around them. He then cried aloud in a fit of grief. He smiled weakly and looked back up at Kylia.

  “I won’t ever forget you, Kylia. Because beyond everything, I love you!!”

  He pulled her around by her wrist towards the bell tower. Behind her stood Nevarii, who clenched his arm in pain. He began to push Kylia back, cutting her face and arms. He screamed as he did so. Every slash he made, every wound he inflicted, hurt him at a level beyond emotional; it hurt his soul. He kicked her away towards Nevarii, who suddenly grabbed her and pushed her in front of him as a body shield.

  Tutsoi jumped forward with a quick blast off the ground. He smiled while he readied his sword.

  “I will never let your death stop me from helping people just like you always wanted to do!”

  Golden light exploded out of his body and sword, sweeping the ground around them as he flew closer. He appeared just to the right of both of them, his sword sliding through Kylia’s neck in a clean burst.

  “Sleep well, Kylia… I promise I will carry on your dream…!”

  He flew through, cutting Nevarii’s head off in a single blow. Tutsoi slid, spinning around before stopping and falling to his knees. Tears stream down his cheeks as he cries aloud.

  He dropped his sword and looked up at Kylia. He sat for a moment in his tears before he stood slowly and walked over to her. Around him, the monsters that were bursting into people's homes fell to the ground in death. It was over.

  Tutsoi fell beside her and grabbed her hands, placing them on his own. He brought his head down and kissed her hand lightly.

  “I promise… I will do everything in my power to save as many people as I can. Goodbye, Kylia.”

  With that, he fell and drifted into a peaceful sleep.