text: [Themes: love & dating]
  
  And it rages in the heart of campus, the great open field in front of the library. There are bodies strewn everywhere, many more than the number of professors. It seems that the students, or at least a good number of them, joined in the defense of the College. Dr. Thewliss and five or so students are clustered in one corner, Dr. Hopkins and two are in another, and in the center of it all, Chancellor Fogg stands alone.
  
  Each battles several daemons, though you see that their ranks have thinned, too. The minotaur Lignor and a few others face Thewliss' band while viper-headed Jarobaal and Yfrigge, still wearing the guise of a young girl, fight with Dr. Hopkins. The Chancellor has the most enemies- Anumun the raksha, four daemons you don't recognize, and Seria, her flaming eyes visible even from far away. Chanting in many languages mixes with howls and shouts of pains, while knives and bundles of herbs fly in all directions.
  
  Hopkins is closest, and you run to relieve him first. Peter shoots another green flame, which distracts Jarobaal enough to let the professor deal him a mortal blow with a saber. You would never have imagined the stooped man would be so quick on his feet, but he wastes no time exulting in the victory. Even alone, Yfrigge is dangerous. When she sees you she frowns. "Twice traitor."
  
  Seemingly without effort, she knocks all her other enemies back and begins walking towards you. Hopkins is the first to recover, and he starts to chant, but her defenses must be very strong. You add your power to his, and all the while she is coming closer and closer. You back up, still chanting, but she shows no sign of weakening. You can see a vein on Hopkins' neck- it looks ready to burst. Fumbling in your pockets, you look for something, anything that you could thrown, but there is nothing. She is three yards away, one yard, one foot.
  
  Suddenly one of the other students launches himself at her, and they go tumbling together into the grass. He has nothing but a rock, but he makes good use of it, bashing her skull open and flattening it for good measure. Yfrigge screams long after a human being would have died, but the rock and you and Hopkins' chanting is enough to defeat her. You watch as her body sinks into the ground. A little essence oozes out and gets carried off the by the wind. Yfrigge's assailent clambers up off the ground. It is John Keating, scraped and glowering but very much alive. "Kind of you to join us," he grunts.
  
  The rest of the battle still rages. Dr. Thewliss now fights with only two students at his side against the minotaur, whose enormous axe cannot quite catch the tiny man, though he is not nearly as quick as he was before. Chancellor Fogg has defeated one of the daemons, but Anumun, Seria, and three others still press him close, and you can tell the old titan is faltering.
  
  Hopkins, Peter, and the others run to aid Dr. Thewliss while you head for Fogg. His long beard is smoldering, though you can't tell if it's from a daemon's attack or the sheer power he's wielding. Seria sees you coming and smiles, those dark lips so beautiful beneath the moon. It nearly makes you change sides again, but you are stronger now. You mouth a spell, one you encountered scribbled in the margin of an old Greek translation of an Egyptian manuscript, and one of the other daemons yelps. His scaly wings begin to convulse, covered in what looks like a moving blanket, and soon the pain reaches the rest of his body. The other daemons stop a moment to watch the thousand scarab beetles devour him, which gives Dr. Fogg the chance to strike one down with a sudden, blazing light.
  
  You hear a cry. The minotaur finally caught Thewliss, his body split in half by the huge blade. The others circle him, wary of being next, but Lignor just bellows and keeps swinging.
  
  Seria stalks towards you, every motion seductive and terrifying. If she was frightening before you fell in love, that is nothing compared to the fear you feel now. Her eyes are no longer like fire. They are dark and beautiful. Her chest heaves, and you realize she is crying. "You betrayed me."
  
  > Fight
  You cannot let her come any closer. You do not trust yourself, not if she leans in to kiss you or lets her fingers dance across your body. Even now, you realize, you cannot bear to see her so sad. You want nothing more than to comfort her, to kiss those lips again, and to spill the guts of Fogg, Peter, and anyone else who stands in your way onto the winter ground.
  
  Backing up, you try to think of any spells that might be effective. Seria is powerful, and she knows you very well, which means you're unlikely to surprise her. Thinking over everything you've seen, you decide that physical force is your best hope, though it is a small hope indeed. With no other weapons, you throw a punch. Lightening fast, she seizes your wrist and breaks it. You fall to the ground, clutching your arm, trying to force out the words of a healing spell. Seria stands above you, magnificant and terrible, and her tears fall like rain and burn against your skin.
  
  "You are mine," she says softly. "And you betrayed me."
  
  "I am yours," you echo, "and you are mine." She looks down, and you gaze into her eyes. Slowly, painfully, you try to rise, try to press your lips against hers. When she does not move, you whisper "I am sorry."
  
  She remains still, and then her tears stop. Her eyes begin to blaze, brighter than you have ever seen them before, but you cannot move. Seria brings her hand to your cheek, to the rose emblazoned there. Suddenly she grabs your hair. "You are mine, and you betrayed me," she snarls. "And there can be no apology." With a great roar she tears your head from your neck, blood spurting up into her face, and throws it far off into the darkness. She licks the blood from her lips, eyes burning and full of hate, and turns to the battle. Victory may be out of reach, but she can still kill many before she too is killed.