As Cass raised the icy cold sword in her hand, she prepared to do the final strike, to end this all. This painful love, hatred and sadness. She held it high above her, facing the now fallen evil grimacing in pain. She felt nothing for him. It all appeared to be like a dream. Her mind flashed back to the night when she was alone with him, her eyes burning with tears. She thought she had finally found the love of her life, and that she would finally have happiness…but now, it all seemed to be like a dream far, far away. Standing coldly in front of this vile creature, her muscles began to tense up. She felt as if she had just awaken from a beautiful dream which had once promised her everything but had in the end shattered everything completely.

" This is the end," she whispered to herself. She closed her eyes, causing her tears to trickle down her torn and broken soul, hitting the ground which laid the foundations of this cruel world. Gritting her teeth, she swung the deadly weapon towards the head of the vile creature, which was now growling in anger.

"Cass?" She stopped. This voice, this familiar voice. She remembered it. The love in it, the warmth in it and the humanity in it. Slowly, Cass opened her beautiful, tearful eyes, afraid to see but yet a part of her still bears on the painful dream.

"Leo?" She asked cautiously as she lowered the tightly clenched sword. "Is it you?"

"Cass," Leo replied, with one hand holding his head as he got up. "What happened? Why are you hurt?" He moved closer and stretched out his arms.

"It’s really you," Cass said, not believing and wiping her tears away. " You’re …." And ran towards Leo, hugging him.

Cass held him so closely, so tightly that she would never want to let him go. Closing her eyes, she began to feel his warmth on her bare and bruised skin, his breathing on her hair and his heartbeat against hers. She could feel all of him close to her. It was real and she would never let him go again. She had lost him once, she would never ever let him go again. Tears began to trickle down her cheek, landing on Leo’s shirt and soaking it. It was at this moment that she felt a source of light shining towards her. She lifted her head gently from Leo’s shoulder and faced the source.

It was the River of Blood. She felt lost all of a sudden as fear began to grip tightly around her heart. Cass thought back as what she had read earlier on the Wall of Blood.

The River of Blood marked the end of all as the Under Realms merged with the Upper. To stop it, he who opened the path of destruction must close it with his blood, his heart and his soul.

She felt lonely, cold and empty once again. Removing herself from his embrace, she began to think of all their love. Love that could last for eternity but was forced to end bitterly. Love that she would never had the chance to express, nor could she ever receive. Looking straight into Leo’s blue eyes, she knew what had to be done.

"Leo? Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Close your eyes…" And he did.

Seeing Leo closed his blue, dancing eyes, she knew she would never see them dance again. Those were the eyes that used to tell her so much of him, that used to tell her what to do, that used to tell her to be with him, be his lover.

Lover, her mind stirred with violence and anger. Why must this happen? Why to me?

Holding him close, Cass whispered into his ears. " I….love..you," and kissed him softly on his lips. She knew that that would be the last time she could ever say those words and the last time she could ever hold her one and only lover close. As she moved away slowly, Leo’s eyes were still shut and he still didn’t know what was going on and that he would soon be separated from his beloved forever.

As Cass held the sword with both her hands, she began to recall the memories they once shared, one last time. How she had met him, felt in love, gone through all the dangers together and also the night of love they shared. She remembered the poem he had recited to her while they were lying close together, bare naked under the twinkling blanket of the night. Hot tears stung her eyes as she prepared herself mentally to end this all. Finally, gathering all her remaining strength and pain and love, she thrust it into Leo’s heart.

Immediately, blood began to soak Leo’s shirt and trickle down the icy sword.

"Why?" He gasped as the last of his breath wheezes out of his dying body.

"Why?!"

He stretched out his arms towards his tearful lover and began staggering backwards, into the River of Blood before finally sinking beneath the evil fluid.

"I’m sorry….Leo," Cass shrieked, sobbing with tears and choking on the pain of losing her beloved. "I’m really sorry…" And she collapsed onto the ground, heartbrokened.

"Nooooooooooo!!! Why have you given me my soul but taken away my heart?! Lord ! Why?!"