The Death Lord laughed.
There were tears in the Scavenger’s eyes as he realized what had happened.
The Death Lord had sucked James inside his body.
James was suffocating and struggling hard in the mysterious atmosphere inside the Death Lord’s body. He started to lose control over the environment as he sank further in the heavy air. Suddenly, he heard Lord Arcane whispering in his ears.
“Never give up. Evil will spread, but so will good. If you let go, you let go of millions of lives.”
Gathering all his courage, James rose again. There were two pieces, shining black, ahead of him.
Fighting against the dark energy, every step he took felt like thousands of mountains on his shoulders. But he didn’t stop.
He couldn’t.
The faces of his parents came into his mind. The faces of people he never knew came into his mind. If he lost now, he would lose everything.
Everyone.
And he couldn’t let everyone go.
The Death Lord had glued the two pieces inside his skin. James drew all his strength and pulled them off the Death Lord’s skin.
James yelled and blasted off the body of the Death Lord.
The Death Lord fell back as James emerged out of him, holding the two pieces. Without wasting any time, he rushed to the booth.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The Death Lord howled, as he staggered towards the booth.
The Scavenger and the others pounced on the Death Lord.
As soon as James put the remaining two pieces in the section of the circular booth, there was a huge blast.
The Arcane Crown gleamed intact in one piece, radiating splendid energy. James held it. Its magnificence seemed to attract him, but he didn’t wear it. He had only one mission: take it to the Scavenger.
James raced towards the Scavenger and put the Crown on the Scavenger’s head.
With a jolt of energy, the Scavenger rose. On his head, he wore the Arcane Crown. He lifted the Lightning Sword.
The fight between the Scavenger and the Death Lord was the battle between good and evil. The Scavenger had to use all his strength to fight him.
The children joined the battle. Arcs of energy shot out towards the Death Lord. Powerful blasts of Elemental Powers shot against the Death Lord as he fell backwards.
In a lightning fast movement, the Scavenger plunged his sword into the Death Lord. A wave of energy sent them sprawling. The Death Lord’s cloak fell off and revealed a regal man who slowly opened his eyes.
“Raven,” the Scavenger exclaimed, astounded.
Raven looked at the Scavenger. “You, the one I called a liar, a murderer, a betrayer… you are a nobleman. I am sorry.”
The Scavenger gave a smile in acknowledgement. The Scavenger cried, overcome with emotions, “I am glad that I could free your soul from the clutches of evil. You are the true heir of the Arcane Crown. It belongs to you.”
The Scavenger removed the Crown from his head and put it on Raven, who accepted it gladly. Suddenly, dark thundering clouds roared and the cloak of darkness again covered Raven’s body.
The Death Lord laughed wickedly and extended his hands.
Fools! You thought you could win against the power of evil! Evil always thrives! It won’t stop! It won’t lose!
A portal opened and the Death Lord rushed towards it.
The Scavenger and the children followed to stop the Death Lord.
Matt yelled as he summoned the most powerful of winds. The Death Lord faltered for a second as the winds hit him. The Arcane Crown shone as it dispelled the winds away, but Matt’s attack had granted them a precious second.
As the Death Lord halted, Archer dived and seized the Arcane Crown from him. He threw it towards James.
NOOOOO! Give me that! the Death Lord screamed. James threw the Crown upwards. A gust of wind lifted it and placed it in the hands of the Scavenger.
In no time, the Scavenger placed the Crown on the circular booth. With folded hands, he prayed for Lord Arcane.
Arcane’s kind face appeared.
“My Lord, the most effective way to defeat pure evil is to destroy the very thing it wants. Please, Lord, I need the spell to break the Crown.”
Lord Arcane smiled. “You have understood right, my loyal warrior. Once you break the Crown, the Death Lord will attempt to kill you in a fury. He might succeed unless you imprison him.”
“But how do I do that?”
“I will transmit two powerful spells into your mind. The first spell will destroy the Crown of Magic. Once the Crown breaks, you need to cast the second spell on the Death Lord. If you can do that, the Death Lord will be imprisoned forever in the pieces of the broken Crown. I know it’s difficult to execute the spells perfectly, but you have to do it for the sake of the two worlds.”
“But what about Raven? Won’t he be imprisoned too?”
Arcane nodded ruefully. “Raven has long been dead. You would rather be freeing his soul from evil.”
The Scavenger bowed to him. “Thank you, my Lord.”
Arcane smiled again and disappeared. Almost at once, the Scavenger’s mind was filled with words. He started to chant the first spell.
Without the Arcane Crown, the Death Lord was a bit weakened. The children surrounded the Scavenger and faced the roaring Death Lord.
James sent waves of water towards the Death Lord’s feet, disturbing his balance. Matt summoned the most powerful winds and directed it towards the Death Lord. Archer threw powerful heat waves at the Death Lord. Daniel stood to the side and concentrated on the ground, splitting it into two pieces. The Death Lord fumbled and struggled to regain his balance.
There was a humongous blast as the Scavenger finished his spell. The Arcane Crown broke into several pieces. The Death Lord shouted with rage, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The Scavenger shouted at the children. “Hold him for some time. I have to cast the second spell to imprison him forever! Use this!”
The Scavenger threw the Lightning Sword at the children. Everyone scattered, and it fell into an unsuspecting Daniel’s hand.
Daniel yelled in surprise as he felt the power of the
