Feather

"So, you can unseal the curse locked within each of your kind," Yin said sceptical, "and then unleash a monstrous power. Those spell casters you spoke of, did they have any control whatsoever over this power? Maybe the seal is there to protect you from yourself."

"You know," her brother said, "Sometimes you can be annoyingly rational."

"I have my moments of sanity," his sister said smirking.

Kian sat up a bit straighter. "It's a sacrifice I have to make. I have a feeling it's what I must do. You must think it sounds strange but I had a dream before I woke up just now of Lavi, my friend who was killed. She sang an old song from when we were children and there was a very clear message within the song, something Sephir himself reminded me of. I see now, that the only way to end all of this is to unlock the seal, something none of my tribe have tried for centuries, and for a good reason as Yin has just said. I'll probably be torn apart by the madness of the curse, as those spell casters were when they tried experimenting without."

"You'll be lost forever," Yin whispered shocked. She had just made an assumption that the spell casters had lost control. For it to be truth... "We can't allow this."

"Since we can't rely on the plan to save Leylia we have to put our trust in him Yin, it's his choice after all." Haung stood up to go. "We better move deeper into the caves; darkness is approaching."

"Hold on!" Yin sprang to her feet angrily. "I understand that it's his own personal sacrifice, but what if he kills Sephir, what then? We're left with another madman, this time with no control or sense of self. Then we have to do it all over again!"

Haung was just about to shout back at her when Kian stood up shakily and rested a calming hand on Yin's white arm. "Don't worry about something like that. The curse needs an enormous amount of power and to fuel that power it draws on the body's magical and physical strength until every last bit is exhausted. I'll die, or at least what's left of me will, within a few hours of the unsealment."

"You're really going to do this aren't you?" Yin looked at her dark elf friend sadly, the fire gone from her eyes.

Kian nodded. "I don't know how long it takes to unlock the seal however, so I'll make sure I'm only near Sephir and no one else when I burn the tatoos off."

"Very well," Haung moved to support Kian's weight with his arm as he stumbled. "We will provide you with the necessary equipment for the task and guidance to locate Sephir or at least bring him to you."

"Don't be so cold about it," his sister hissed keeping back tears. "At least let him rest and recover his strength. We can let him do...his task, in a week when he's fully healed."

"I'd like to do it tomorrow if that's not too much trouble." Kian gave a bad attempt at a smile. "I want to get this over with. Besides, we don't know when Sephir's planning to carry out his revenge or whatever it is. Sooner now than later."

Yin growled, took up Kian's weight on his other side as they began walking to a hidden crevice in the rock wall behind them and said, "You go when you can walk properly on your own at least, and no sooner, you hear me you suicidal dark elf?"

But Kian had already dropped back into unconsciousness, and between themselves the two moon elves supported him to the inner caves hoping Kian would heal before Sephir carried out his revenge. He was their desperate and final hope for freedom. Yet at the same time they hoped he would wake up too late to stop Sephir. Either both live or both die.