text: [Themes: fantasy, fantasy, romance]
  
  Maybe it' a greater sense of strategy. or perhaps you just want to save Ashyr for last. Whatever the reason, you focus all of your strength on number five.
  
  To the untrained eye, the fight will have stayed the same, but to the trained eye everything changed in the span of a second. Before you were attacking and defending from both sides, but with your new strategy you only attack against number five, and only ever defend against Ashyr. so long as you sufficiently defend yourself from Ashyr, and constantly press the attack on number five, then you don't get harmed.
  
  To your surprise, it not only works, but it works famously. Number five turns out to be less suitable to defending than to attacking. He practically stumbles several times in his attempts to stay alive. What surprises you even more is Ashyr's performance on offense. He doesn't attack quite as skillfully as you might imagine he would have, so his attacks end up having loads of power, yet not quite enough skill to use it effectively. You catch a glimpse of his face during the encounter, and his face is a mix of true rage and hate. You knew he didn't like you, but you didn't think it would be quite so extensive.
  
  You press the attack on number five even more urging him to cease his impotent defense. Every swing of yours brings a weaker block from him. Eventually this becomes too much for him and one of his blocks fails to have nearly enough power to stop your blow. Your over head strike knocks his sword clear out of his hand, but your sword continues and bites down into his neck.
  
  Halfway decapitated, number five falls to the ground amongst the bodies of the other assassins.
  
  Despite your moment of victory, Ashyr is undeterred. He launches a powerful strike in a deadly arc at your shoulder. Probably in hopes of making you lose the ability to use your arm. It was a smart move, but you do manage to bring your sword back in time for you to block it. To your chagrin, his attack was plentifully powerful. Enough to push your block down, and even make a slight cut in your arm. The pain isn't too great, and with the addition of of your adrenaline pumping you barely feel it at all.
  
  This must've been a last ditch effort to defeat you, for he immediately goes back on the defensive. With your focus solely on Asher, you are able to to put all of your effort into attack. The eerie similarity of the situation astonishes you for a moment.
  
  You pushing him back with a sudden ferocity akin to a demon.
  
  Him, defending as if his life depended on it.
  
  You continuing to press him with attacks despite fatigue starting to come to you.
  
  Him, realizing your fatigue and desperately trying to hold out until your attacks weaken.
  
  You, finally failing in your attacks, and on the defensive.
  
  Him, pushing you back with attacks that you are barely able to defend against.
  
  You start gasping for air, and it seems that you can never gulp down enough. Your eyes blur for a moment and Ashyr nearly takes your head off. Wait, this isn't right. You think this as you barely manage to stay alive against his onslaught of attacks. Your blessing should be giving you much greater energy than this. You try to activate it again, but realize that it is already activated. Still, you don't have the energy that you know you should have.
  
  Then everything connects in your head. The red suns...they were a symbol for an ancient assassin group. Your mind goes all the way back to when you were with Alessa in the Man's cabin. It was one of the books he had on the shelf. So these people weren't just assassins against you, they were regular assassins. And as with most assassins, Ashyr probably had his sword poisoned. It would explain the sudden loss of energy, as well as why he was so intent on simply hitting you.
  
  You grow weaker and weaker. You realize that there's only one way this can end. You clumsily block Ashyr's next attack then immediately back up against the end of the alley. Apparently he had been pressing you hard enough to push you into a literal corner. Your back slides against the alley wall, and you sink into a sitting position on the ground. The strength gives out in your arms and your sword clatters to the ground beside you.
  
  Ashyr stands above you with a triumphant expression on his face. He slowly brings his sword over his head and prepares to bring it down in a deadly stab. You close your eyes and await the inevitable.
  
  It doesn't come. you hear a whirring sound in the air and then the sound of metal striking the alley wall. You open your eyes tiredly.
  
  Alessa stands at the end of the alley. The moonlight shines across her hair making her shine in the darkness. In her hands is a gleaming silver sword, and at her shoulders you can see a darkish aura rising from her persona. Ashyr stares in astonishment at the newcomer, but his true goal doesn't leave his mind. He brings his sword down again at you. You blink and Alessa is already beside you stopping his sword from killing you.
  
  She was extremely close now, and you could see the outline of dark wings through her leather armor. Despite that you dearly wish to fall asleep...
  
  "Stay with me Erron!" Her voice commands you, and you reopen your eyes. Ashyr attack aat you again, and Alessa manages to defend you again. You want to tell her to leave you, but you don't have the strength to say anything.
  
  Alessa pushes Ashyr back with her sword, and a fight ensues. Alessa is clearly no match for him in terms of skill, but her curse gives her enough power to stay toe to toe with him. Alessa manages to push him back a few feet, but she is nowhere near as good at you at fighting. Moments later, you hear a pained cry as Ashyr's sword slashes across her upper arm.
  
  You lose all hope then. Alessa's power would soon be depleted, and you would both die. The thought of Alessa dying starts to motivate you, and you look for ways to help her. You see your sword lying on the ground beside you, and you wonder if you can pick it up. Maybe you have enough energy for one last thrust...
  
  > see if your blessing works
  Your thoughts go once again to the cabin. The last time you saw Alessa in person. The choice was offered to you, but no words were said. You felt that one would give you power, while the other would give you the power to protect. You assumed that the power to protect meant only yourself, but as you see Alessa fighting for her life, you realize that being able to protect means that you protect more than just yourself.
  
  And if there was anyone that you wanted to protect more than yourself, it was her.
  
  Power surges from your shoulders and throughout your body. More power than you have ever felt before. You feel your blessing fighting off the poison and expelling it from your system. Much of the power you felt moments before, leave you body with the poison. You guess the blessing wasn't meant to heal such a detrimental poison. You reach over to your side and confidently grab your sword.
  
  Alessa looks like she's starting to feel the debilitating effects of the poison now, but the Creator must be on your side, for she sees you stand up. You meet her eyes, and she seems to understand exactly what you mean to do.
  
  She maneuvers the fight so that she is facing directly towards you whilst Ashyr's back is right in front of you. You move as fast as possible but your fatigue hasn't entirely gone away, so the going is much slower than you'd wish it to be. A few feet away from Ashyr, he hears something and starts to look behind him.
  
  But it's too late. You force your sword through his back, and into his heart. His body falls limply to the ground dead.
  
  Alessa falls moments after, and you rush to her side. The poison looks like its affecting her much more quickly than it affected you, so you know you don't have much time.
  
  Her eys open, and she smiles weakly at you. "I'm glad I got to save you."
  
  Your thoughts are frantic, as you try and think of a way to save her. You weren't nearly strong enough to carry her anywhere, so you start to panic.
  
  Alessa's eyes start to close. "Stay with me, Alessa!" You shout frantically at her repeating the words she said to you minutes before.
  
  You start losing all hop, and then an odd thought occurs to you.
  
  You've never really known if you received this power from the Creator or not, but if you did, then surely he didn't want you to die.
  
  You start to pray. You ask him to help you, and you promise that you'll forever be in his debt. You go on, and at the same to you start using your power to see if you can heal Alessa.
  
  You feel power going through you and into her, but her eyes don't open. You pull and pull as much power as you can from your body in order to heal her. When you exhaust all of your energy, you pass out.
  
  > Epilogue
  You open your eyes to find yourself in a blindingly bright room. It's a really familiar room to you.
  
  In his old chair sits the Man.
  
  "How do you feel?" he asks somberly.
  
  "I'm not sure." You say as you you rub your eyes. The you remember all that happened. "Am I in Paradise?"
  
  He laughs his old hearty laugh that you were used to years ago. "No. you aren't. After all that happened in this cabin, I'm surprised you think so."
  
  You shake your head at him. "I think you misunderstand. It's because of everything that happened here that I thought this was Paradise."
  
  "Explain," he says curiously.
  
  "Most of my life, well at least the happy moments of my life, were spent in this cabin. They were spent with Alessa, and you. Reading, and pretending that we're those people in those books of yours. All of the time we spent here was heavenly. Neither of us ever wanted it to end."
  
  The Man gets a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry I've put you through all of this. "
  
  Many motions flow through you; anger, sadness, but most of all, curiosity. Somehow you manage to fit each one in your next question. "Why?"
  
  He answers with an answer you should've expected. "You'll find out in due time."
  
  You frown dissatisfied with the answer.
  
  He seems to not care though. "You shouldn't keep a girl waiting Erron. It's time you went back."
  
  You nod as you realize that all of this was another dream. "One last question."
  
  The man waits.
  
  "Are you the Creator?"
  
  He smiles a knowing smile, and you wake up.