Sabin awoke as the first beams of the morning light fell upon his face. He yawned as he stretched his long, lithe limbs. Kicking his legs over the edge of the bed, he stared out the window overlooking the Forest on the Edge of the World.
A knock at the door broke his focus.
"I'm already up Gritala!" he yelled without opening the door. For as long as he could remember, Sabin had lived with the mute healer Gritala in a raised house the border of the kingdom of Lamdos and the Forest on the Edge of the World. Very rarely did they have visitors, so rarely did he ever have anyone knock on his door except the kind healer.
Sabin went over to his dresser, if you could call the box containing all his possessions that, and pulled out his only clean clothes. "I'll have to go to the river and wash everything." He mused.
Grabbing a sack, he put all his other clothes in and headed out the door, ducking so as to not hit his head.
Sabin was a rare being. From what Gritala had told him, in her own unique way, was that his mother, an elf, had left him with her as a baby. That didn't make him rare except that his father, she had told him, was a giant. Giants, as like with the long lived elves, rarely mated to have children and a elf-giant half-breed like himself was entirely unheard of. Still, Gritala accepted him as he was and anyone who had a problem with the young man lived to regret it deeply.
"Good morning Gritala! What's for breakfast? It smells delicious!" Sabin beamed as he entered the main area of the house where Gritala was making breakfast. Looking over, the old human beamed a smile back at him, half her teeth missing from her mouth.
The old lady did a few swipes of her hands and a couple of stomps in response.
"Really? Eggs?! Where'd you'd get those? Was it a payment or did you finally start laying eggs yourself? Goodness knows those chickens won't let YOU anywhere near them!" He laughed as she threw on old gourd skin at him.
Scraping the eggs onto separate plates, two for herself and ten for Sabin, she put them on the table. A large bowl was set in the middle filled with a mix of berries collected from the forest.
The unlikely pair sat at the table each looking out a different area of the hut at their preferred view. The hut was perched on a ledge halfway up Mount Grethin with several legs beneath to support it. It was mainly open area but had three rooms separate from the rest, Gritala's bedroom, Sabin's bedroom, and a patient or guest room. Sabin's room faced the Forest whereas Gritala's faced Lamdos and that was the way they each liked it. The patient room was actually carved into the mountain itself.
"I never get tired of the Forest in the morning." mused Sabin as he threw berries into his mouth. A sigh from Gritala was all the young man needed to know she agreed, but with the Kingdom of Lamdos as her preferred area.
"I'm going to wash my clothes in the river today. Do you need any done?" He snickered. Gritala glared at him. Her clothes were as old as her and with the elf-giant's strength, he had shredded many of her garments before they both agreed that they should stick with dealing with their own clothes.
Gritala signed something to Sabin. "Understood. I'll try to get some Slavkin venom while I'm out. Oh, how's the supply of maslov leaves doing?"
Gritala pointed at the apothecary area where a huge bundle of seven-tipped, purple veined leaves hung in a bag. "Okay. Good on those then. I'll try to be back around noon then."
Grabbing his clothes bag, a fishing net, and the empty gourd skin Gritala had thrown at him, Sabin slid down the ladder exit to where it met with the stairs and the mountain path.
With his long strides, Sabin went up the mountain path, higher above the hut to the nearby river, making it within minutes when Gritala would have taken close to an hour to reach it.
Setting his bag down, Sabin started casting his line for any fish or Slavkins he could catch. Even though Slavkin venom was deadly to humans, when used properly, it was a miracle cure for just about any ailment. Elves though were entirely unaffected by the venom of Slavkins though so they mainly left them alone. Giants were the only ones to eat the scaly eight legged creatures. Being cousins to the long extinct dragons, their scales couldn't be broken by much of anything, giant's teeth being one of those exceptions.
Sabin set about washing his clothes. The soap he and Gritala used had the effect of aggravating the Slavkins when they were around, so he made sure the net and gourd were on him as he worked.
It wasn't long before a shadow appeared in the river slightly upstream. Sabin gulped a little, then prepped the net. It wouldn't be easy. This shadow had to be at least 8 feet long, a full grown Slavkin. Even though he was strong, he still wasn't full grown. 16 was VERY young for both giants and elves and was not fully grown for either race.
The Slavkin swam closer. Sabin could now make out the silhouette's eight legs and half-disk head coming closer.
"Come on you big bully! Just a little closer!"
Sabin prepped himself as the Slavkin started to surface. The water started to turn a blood red as the poison from its mouth seeped out.
With only a moment's notice, the Slavik burst through the water's surface and flew straight for Sabin. Sabin dodged to the side and swung the net at the Slavkin's head. The net hit around the edges of its flat, wide mouth but slid off within a moment.
The Slavkin landed with a thud, its purple scales jingling with the impact, a little beyond Sabin. With speed uncharacteristic of a creature of that size, it turned, slamming its tail into Sabin's chest. The half-breed flew through the air, slamming into the mountain side.
Sabin jumped to his feet and lunged at the beast. Hissing, the Slavkin rose up on its back two legs and spat a blob of its venom at him. The venom smacked him in the face, blinding him. Not for the first time, he was thankful his giant blood gave him a natural immunity to it. Sabin rapidly wiped the venom out of his eyes as the Slavkin started charging at him. Before he could dodge, the Slavkin clamped its jaws down on his forearm. Screaming in pain, Sabin grabbed a rock from the ground and slammed it into the beast's eye. The Slavkin roared itself and fell backwards. Much to Sabin's surprise, the Slavkin writhed around in pain, screaming an ear splitting screech that echoed all over the mountain.
Sabin fell to his knees, covering his ears to block out the most of the scream. Birds from all over took flight. The river in both directions started to writhe as Slavkins awakened in response of their wounded friend's cries. The cry lasted for only a few seconds before the Slavkin stopped squirming, its scaly body barely showing any movement.
Sabin slowly moved his hands away from his ears, weary that the cry might start back up or the Slavkin might strike again.
The Slavkin started to convulse, red foam spewing from its mouth. Sabin watched as it black veins started to appear all over it. The veins spread and as they did, the Slavkin slowed its remaining movements.
Sabin stared at the dying beast as the veins spread. He had never seen anything like it before.
Black droplets dripped from the faintly breathing head. The ground sizzled where the droplets hit.
Sabin started to back away as a new Slavkin, a red one slightly smaller than the purple one, emerged from the river. The newcomer approached its injured friend as it stopped moving. Tapping it with its nose, the red Slavkin started hissing and wiping its nose on the ground.
The purple Slavkin gave one last shuddering breath before breathing its last. Its mouth went slack and more of the black ooze came pouring out.
The red Slavkin pulled its head off the ground and backed away, hissing. The tip of its nose was black now too as if that one simple touch had been enough to burn it.
The Slavkin turned its beady eyes towards Sabin. The young elf-giant backed away towards the cliff face behind him until his back was against it. The beast took a step towards him before hissing and quickly jumping back in the river. Within seconds, the red Slavkin was gone, taking with it three silhouettes that Sabin had missed before.
Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a crack sounded from slightly above him. Sabin spun around as he jumped away thinking that a new enemy might be preparing to attack. Instead, what he saw left him speechless. The cliff face was bleeding.
From the spot where he had been thrown into the cliff was a hole that was oozing the same black ooze that had now mostly destroyed the body of the purple Slavkin. New cracks were starting to appear, spreading out from the hole. In each new crack, more of the ooze was appearing. With each drop of the ooze, the ground where it hit sizzled and blackened.
A crack shot up the cliff causing the top to break away. Sabin turned and ran as the rock slide came down and buried the hole and the remains of the purple Slavkin. He didn't stop or slow down until he had burst back into the hut, slamming his head into the door frame as he did.
Staggering and out of breath, Sabin noticed Gritala staring at him, worry clouding her gray eyes. Beside her were two men, one in golden armor with a flowing red cape and the other clad in a hooded, royal blue robe covered in intricate designs of gold with the royal crest of the human kingdom in the center of his back.
"Gritala," gasped Sabin, trying to catch his breath, "there's something.... wrong with the... mountain! It's.... bleeding this black... ooze! It destroyed... a full grown... Slavkin!"
Gritala's grimace deepened. She patted a seat at the table at which the three sat.
Sabin frowned and joined them. "What's going on Gritala? Who are these people?"
Gritala waved at the man in armor. With a few quick motions, she gave Sabin all the information about the man, including that he was the captain of the guard, he needed except his name. She did the same for the man in the robe, though with much more flourish and she announced him to be the Prince of the nearby kingdom.
Sabin nodded at Gritala. Doing a quick bow, he sat down.
"You must be Sabin. I'm Prince Romdal." The robed prince stated. He gestured at the captain. "This is the Captain of the Guard, Tim'nt. We are actually here about the the Blight. Have you ever heard the tale of The Forest At The Edge Of The World?"
Confusion showed on Sabin's face. "No. Gritala was never very good at telling stories."
The old lady glared at her young prot`ege`.
The Captain smirked and the Prince shook his still covered head. "Please, this is serious. We don't have time for jokes."
Sabin lowered his head. "My apologies. I didn't mean to sound like I was taking this lightly."
Prince Romdal nodded. "Thank you for that. Now, as for the tale. You do know some basic history? About the three great races getting along centuries ago?"
Sabin nodded. "Yes. The giants used to live in the mountains to the north, the elves in the forest to the south, and the humans in the plains to the east. Only the humans remain though. The elves and the giants now keep to themselves in distant lands."
Again the Prince nodded. "Yes. The three races used live in peace within this area. They did this on purpose. It was essential to the survival of the world." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Long ago, a massive beast appeared from beyond the edge of the world. The beast itself seemed harmless enough, moving very slowly, never attacking anyone or anything. It was soon discovered though that looks could be deceiving. Everything this beast touched decayed and died, even the earth itself. The beast came to be known as The Blight. The three races, realizing the plight this beast represented, banded together to find a way to banish it back from once it had come. Most of the land had been ravaged by The Blight before the three royal families combined their powers and formed a powerful seal. This seal stopped The Blight and forced it to beyond The Edge. Ironically, the shortest lived race was the one that remembered their responsibility to the world and maintained the seal."
With this, the Prince pulled back his hood. The figure underneath was grotesque, black veins disfigured his face. Splotchy remnants were all that remained of his hair. His left eye was gray with a film over it and the other was blacker than night. A third of his teeth were missing and his gums were scarred loosening most of the rest of teeth.
"This is what the human royal family had been reduced. When the elves and giants left, they left their portions of maintaining the seal on the humans. The seal was designed using the blood and magic of all three races though. No one race was ever meant to maintain it. It's polluted my family for too long and now I'm the last of the royals. As you can see, I'm not going to last much longer and the seal is nearly gone because of it. If this happens, it will be the end of the world."
Prince Romdal grimaced and gasped in pain clutching at his side and his chest simultaneously.
"Your Majesty!" Captain Tim'nt leaned over, bracing against the young man's shoulder. Gritala stood up in worry.
Gritala ran to her workstation and grabbed a bowl filled with a thick broth. She held it up to the Prince who pushed it away as he sat back up. He reached into his robe and pulled out a book from inside his robe.
He handed it to Gritala. "Turn to the marked page. It has a recipe that can at least hold off The Blight in me a little longer. Hopefully long enough for me to teach you two the ritual to cast the seal back into place."
Sabin had no idea what the Prince was talking about but it was clear that Captain Tim'nt didn't like what the Prince had said. He jumped up from his chair as Gritala grabbed the book and ran back to her workstation to start on the potion for the Prince.
"Your Majesty! You can't possibly be implying that myself and this elf-giant half-breed go and do what it took the royal families to do all those centuries ago!"
The Prince tried to grin, but it quickly turned into a grimace. "Tim'nt, Captain, you misunderstand. The royal families did start out ruling their respective peoples, yes, but they became the true royalty when they bound themselves to the seal to protect the land. The elven and giant royal families have given up their claims to the titles of royalty and I am dying. I will not survive even if the ritual is done and the seal replaced. The people trust you though, Captain. They will accept you."
"And what about him? Do you honestly think either the giants or the elves will accept him?"
"Captain, you underestimate me. I may be young and weak, but I'm not stupid. I sent out letters months ago to the elves and the giants to explain the situation. I even sent proof with the messengers. They have both responded and even though they aren't near enough to get here in time to prevent the seal from breaking themselves, they have agreed that Mr. Sabin here will from hence forth be a member of both royal families in order to do the ritual."
Sabin finally started to understand what was going on and started to speak up. "Do I get a say in this?" He interrupted.
"Mr. Sabin, please try to understand, I do not wish this for you, but you have both the blood of giants and elves flowing through you. Yes, you will likely be affected by the burden of the seal faster than Captain Tim'nt. If the other races could have sent volunteers for this, that would have been..."
Prince Romdal inhaled sharply. The veins crossing his face started to pulse. Birds took off from the Forest as the ground started shaking.
The Captain rushed to the Prince while Sabin ran to the railing over the Forest. On the horizon at the Edge, black cracks were tearing through the land. The Edge itself had black clouds rolling against an aurora screen as if trying to get through.
"Your Highness!" the Captain was screaming while trying to keep the Prince in his seat.
Sabin ran to Gritala. "What can I do to speed up the potion?" he screamed. Gritala threw two herbs at him signing to dice them then threw to others signing to grind them to a paste. As fast as the two could, they worked on the potion.
As the potion neared completion, Prince Romdal worsened. The black veins pulsed and spread. His white eye started to blacken and bleed. Captain Tim'nt lowered the Prince to the floor.
"Gritala!" he shouted, "hurry! Please! He can't hang on much longer!"
Black clouds tour through the aurora screen, spilling into The Forest beyond. Everything they touched was engulfed. A roar sounded from beyond the screen as the tears closed again, cutting off the clouds before they could go to far. As the clouds faded, the veins on Prince Romdal slowly stopped pulsing. His breathing harsh and ragged. Sweat drenched his entire body.
Gritala ran over with the finished potion. Carefully tilting the Prince's head back, she poured it into his mouth. The effect was immediate. The veins started to recede and his left eye cleared a little. The clouds calmed down a little beyond the Edge.
Sabin looked out over the Forest. Where the clouds had touched, all had turned black. The Forest had the look of a tar pit.
"That is blighted ground. The Blight itself will feed on that if it gets through." The Prince stated as he slowly propped himself up.
"Your Majesty! You must relax!" Tim'nt tried to lower the Prince back to the floor but was brushed off. "Sabin, Tim'nt, you see the urgency now. There isn't time to waste, we must get as close to the edge as we can as fast as we can or the entire world will be in danger."
A rumbling came from the base of the mountain where one of the clouds had hit. As Sabin watched, a rock slide occurred, the rocks splashing into the blighted area and sinking into it, disappearing completely.
He turned to the other three and sighed. "Gritala, let's make more potion as fast as we can. Your Highness, tell Captain Tim'nt what we need for this ritual."
Sabin and Gritala rushed to the work station while Captain Tim'nt helped prince Romdal into a chair. As the two medicine makers went to work on the potion, rushing as many doses as they could, the Prince started giving the Captain a list of ingredients for the ritual.
As the second batch of potion was stoppered in a gourd, Gritala had Sabin go help Tim'nt find the ingredients, since he was having trouble finding everything. Working together, the last of the potion, four gourds total, and all the ingredients the Prince had mentioned were collected.
"It's a good thing you two are healers in the mountains. I wouldn't know where to find most of the items His Majesty called for."
Captain Tim'nt went to pick up the Prince to carry him, in his weakened state he couldn't walk.
Sabin blocked him and handed him the back pack with the ingredients in it.
"You carry this Captain. It's lighter and with my size and strength, it won't hurt the Prince as much."
Captain Tim'nt started to protest, but a sharp whack to the back of the head by Gritala's walking stick stopped him. He grabbed the pack from Sabin, grumbling as he did.
With everything gathered, the four companions set off for The Forest At The Edge Of The World and The Edge itself.

The sun was setting behind the clouds of The Edge as the group finally entered The Forest. The Forest was silent now with not even the sound of insects to greet them. Black veins could be spotted spreading through the ground and up into trees.
"Watch your step, everyone," warned Captain Tim'nt, "The Blight has infected the entire Forest already." He looked back at Sabin. "Keep your head low and be careful with the Prince."
"Captain, worry more about your own steps and let myself and Sabin worry about his." Chided Prince Romdal.
The Prince looked up at Sabin. "Sabin, you must promise me that no matter what happens, you and Tim'nt WILL complete the ritual!"
"Of course, Your Highness. We must stop The Blight. I couldn't call myself a healer if I let the world die."
"Sabin, the ritual comes at a high cost. The Blight feeds on the poison it emits. That poison kills EVERYTHING. Nothing is safe. No matter what, the ritual MUST go through. I need you to swear it to me that no matter what, you will go through with it. Swear on your honor as a healer!"
"Your Majesty. You're worrying me. What is this price?"
"Swear on your healer's honor Sabin! All will be clear soon enough."
Worry showed in Sabin's eyes as he looked into the Prince's. Finally he nodded. "I swear on my healer's honor that I will complete the ritual no matter what.'
Prince Romdal sighed. "Thank you Sabin. And I'm sorry. No one should have to go through what you are going through." The veins started to pulse on the Prince's face and the ground started to rumble again.
"Gritala! The potion! Now!" Screamed Sabin.
The old woman ran over as fast as her stunted legs would carry her. Carefully, Sabin laid the Prince on the ground and held up his head. Gritala uncorked one of the gourds and put it to his lips. As the potion entered his lips, the vein's pulsing slowed and the rumbling lessened to a stop.
Captain Tim'nt stood nearby, anxiously watching. Sabin went to pick up the Prince, but both Tim'nt and Gritala stopped him.
"Give him a few minutes to recover." Tim'nt commanded, Gritala nodding in agreement. "We could all use a break. At least us two could."
Gritala reached into her own pack and pulled out some sandwiches. She handed each person one. The Prince took a few bites before he wrapped his back up and handed back to Gritala to store for later. Everyone ate in silence before Prince Romdal finally told them to continue.
As they got closer to The Edge, the damage of The Blight became more apparent. Trees were sagging, their branches dripping with Blight. The ground itself was cracked and bubbling. Veins of Blight ran everywhere, bubbling up and spitting blobs of Blighted matter.
It wasn't much longer before the trees all disappeared completely. All four stood in stunned silence looking out at what was left of the land of The Forest At The Edge Of The World.
Stretching from the horizon up as high as they could see was the aurora curtain, writhing around like something was trying to get out. Between them and The Edge the ground was entirely Blighted. There was not a solid thing left. Not a single sign of life. Even the air itself was dead.
"This is the end of the line." Groaned Prince Romdal, pain clearly showing in his face and voice. "We will have to perform the ritual here."
Gritala yanked the pack from Tim'nt's back before he could even say anything. She reached into her own pack and pulled out the book the Prince had provided her. She flipped open to a page with a strange pattern on it and indicated for Tim'nt to draw the pattern on the ground. She pulled Sabin over to help her tend to the Prince.
The Prince's condition was deteriorating rapidly. Even with the potion slowing The Blight's progress through him, his eyes were now entirely black. The veins now covered almost all of his skin. His breath was raspy and weak. He weakly waved Sabin over.
Sabin leaned in close to hear what the Prince had to say.
"Sabin, I told you that the price for the ritual was high. Now I must tell you the price." He inhaled sharply before continuing. "The price, it must be someone loved by the land. The ritual must be completed quickly for I do not have much time left myself and my family has long had the allegiance of the elves and giants, even after they left, but if something happens to me, Gritala will have to take my place."
Sabin shot back. He glanced back at Gritala who avoided eye contact. "You knew, didn't you?"
She nodded. Looking up, he saw tears running down her face. She pointed at the book Tim'nt was using to draw the seal.
"This is the only way Sabin. Now, go. Help Tim'nt. We are running out of time."
"Gritala," Sabin gritted out, tears starting to fall, "why didn't you tell me the price?"
"For the same reason I didn't." Answered Romdal for her. "We knew you might not go through with this and everyone depends on you doing it."
"No. You can't make me do this! I won't sacrifice either of you!"
"What do you mean you won't sacrifice them? What are you talking about?" Captain Tim'nt had dropped the chalk and was staring at the group, anger and confusion storming around him. "Your Majesty, surely you jest?! I will not sacrifice you either! This was not what we had talked about either!"
Tears appeared in the aurora screen. Lightning flashed off the edges, illuminating the group.
"Please, Sabin, Tim'nt. You have to do this or the whole world will suffer!" Groaned Prince Romdal. "I don't have much strength left! You have to hurry!" He pleaded.
Tim'nt went to Romdal as Gritala gently guided Sabin by the arm to the ritual circle. He tried to pull away but the old lady wouldn't let him go.
"Please, Gritala, don't make me do this. I can't do this!" He sobbed.
Gritala guided him to a spot on the edge of the circle, lightning revealing the intricate patterns that Tim'nt had drawn. She patted him and gave a smile, tears betraying her sorrow.
A roar sounded from right behind the screen. The black clouds again started pouring through it, a creature's silhouette just being able to be seen in it.
Gritala pulled the young elf-giant down to look him in the eyes and threw her arms around him in a last gesture before turning towards the Prince and his Captain.
Tim'nt cradled the Prince's head in his lap. Romdal was coughing, blighted blood dripping from the corner of his onto Tim'nt's pants causing them to sizzle.
"Please Tim'nt," the Prince begged, "don't let me die in vain."
Gritala stepped up behind Tim'nt. She kneeled beside him and gently patted his arm before nodding to the Prince.
Setting the Prince upright, she placed his arm around her shoulder, indicating for Tim'nt to follow her.
He refused for a moment before another roar shook the ground and tore open another hole in the screen. More black clouds flowed through, decimating the mountain where they hit.
Reluctantly, the Captain followed Gritala, taking the Prince from her to carry himself.
"Thank you Tim'nt. This means everything for me." Romdal smiled up at him.
The Captain didn't look at his prince but instead continued walking, expressionless in every aspect.
Lightning blasted the remaining forest that had not already succumbed to the Blight clouds.
A massive shudder ripped through the curtain revealing The Blight for a split second. The shapeless beast's head had thousands of tiny, empty eyes all over. The bottom was covered in tentacles that reached desperately for the Blighted land to feed upon. The four gazed in horror at the monster that could bring an end to their world.
As the Blight slid back into the clouds still behind the screen, Gritala prompted Tim'nt to hurry. She guided him to the center the center of the ritual circle where they carefully laid the Prince down.
After the Prince was positioned, she gestured wildly to get Tim'nt into a position similar to Sabin's. Grabbing the book, she opened it again to the ritual's page and ran it over to Sabin. With a stern look, a look that Sabin knew meant trouble if he disobeyed his old mentor, she pointed to the page before returning to the center of the circle to join Prince Romdal.
Before Sabin could utter the first word of the ritual, a blast of wind knocked the three still standing off their feet. As the three recovered, a roar stopped them in their tracks. The aurora screen had been torn in half. Black clouds through the rip but were split by The Blight itself. The only thing truly horrible about the beast was its immense size and the aura of death that permeated from every aspect.
A wheezing gasp from the Prince brought them all back to the ritual. Everyone ran back to their places, all reservations gone.
Gritala gave the Prince one last dose of potion to preserve the last of his strength. Sabin opened the book back to the ritual page.
The ritual circle started glowing white, first around Prince Romdal and then spreading out.
Another alerted the group to The Blight again.
"Sabin, you might want to hurry up!" Shouted Tim'nt. Both he and Gritala stared at The Blight as it focused its thousand dead eyes on them. The beast started moving towards the group, the tentacles on its underside reaching down to absorb the Blighted ground as it did. It moved slowly, even for something of its size, just as the Prince had told them, giving them a few last desperately needed minutes to perform the ritual.
As the circle's glow reached the edges where Sabin and Tim'nt stood, Prince Romdal screamed in agony. Gritala tried to calm him but the ritual drained him.
Sabin and Tim'nt held their ground. Sabin focused on the ritual for he knew he would never complete it if he looked away for even a moment. Tim'nt stood rigid, teeth ground together and fist clenched as a single tear fell for the pain his beloved Prince was going through.
The glow started to change colors where each of the two men stood. Red from Tim'nt and green and gold going in opposite directions from Sabin. Their breathing became ragged as the effects of the ritual took its toll.
"Sabin! Keep going!" groaned Tim'nt over the Prince's scream.
Sabin glanced up for just a second to see that Tim'nt was right. The Blight had continued trying to move forward, but had come to a halt as the Blighted ground on which it stood had started to recede back. Despite the aurora screen still being open, the black clouds were failing, collapsing under the Blight that had created them.
As Sabin focused back on the ritual, Gritala's screams joined those of the Prince. Sabin grit his teeth harder as a new round of tears burst forth.
The circle, now fully changed to red, green and gold glowed brighter.
The ground started rumbling again as The Blight made one last attempt to stop them. Cracks spread further from the edge as Blighted ground started to speed back, tearing at the remaining living ground.
The Blight roared as it fell, finally being forced back again.
A strong wind blew the last of the clouds back and extinguished the fires that had spread throughout the Forest.
The colors of the circle merged back to white, gaining strength to a blinding brightness. With a final roar and agonized screams from the ritual, The Blight was pushed back for good.
The shaking subsided along with the glow of the ritual circle. Three people were left lying where they had been, unmoving.

For several hours, they remained there, no signs of life until the first rays of the sun rose beyond the horizon of the world that remained.
Tim'nt and Sabin stirred as its rays struck them. Dazed, the two slowly sat up and for the first time say the devastation of the night before.
The spot where they were was now a lone peninsula sticking out miles into the vast, never ending chasm that was The Edge Of The World. The aurora screen was again present, but was only faintly visible. The mountain that Sabin had called home his entire life was gone, nothing remaining.
The ritual circle had vanished, leaving only Gritala, unconscious, where the center had been.
Sabin ran over to his mentor. Her breath was weak, but she was still alive.
The young elf-giant cradled her in his arms, crying as for her to be alright. Tears ran down Tim'nt face as he watched his new royal comrade try to wake his mentor, his only parent, knowing that he could not do the same for the Prince he had sworn to protect from the day of the Prince's birth.
The two men remained like this for hours, unsure what to do now until finally Tim'nt stood and joined Sabin.
"Sabin," he gently laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, "we can't stay here. If we are to save her, we must leave now."
Sabin looked up at the Captain, his armor was trashed. Holes had appeared where the Prince had bled on him. His cape was gone as was any shine that had once existed on his golden armor.
Without a word, Sabin stood and gently picked up his mentor in the crook of his arms as if she were a baby. Together, the two began the long, silent walk back to the rest of the world and their new lives.