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I left early in the morning to the sanctuary, summoning a portal to get me there. Last night was hard for me to get to sleep after Necross gave me a peck on the cheek before I left. It didn't bother me...it just felt...strange? I couldn't describe it. I knew that Necross was interested in the possibility of a three-way relationship with Silnis and me. And I also knew that my feelings for Silnis were developing into something more. Ugh...love was so complicated.

Arriving in the entrance hall of the sanctuary, Silnis' snake, Iris, greeted me by just standing there, looking at me with multi-colored eyes. His forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth before he slithered towards the Hall of Light, Pacema's dwelling. The snake stopped and looked back at me again, giving me the message that he wanted me to follow him.

I followed Iris to the grand, white marble doors that led to the Hall of Light inside. The snake slipped through the slightly ajar doors and I pushed then open to allow myself some room to enter. Silnis was inside, kneeling before a large crystal that radiated light beams of every color--Pacema. He had his hands clasped together, uttering a prayer in a soft voice.

"Pacema...guide me with your light. Grant me the strength to restore order to chaos...," he softly spoke, closing his prayer before getting up and turning towards me.

"Hi Lance, I see Iris fetched you for me. Good...we can rendezvous with the others in the Amazon," he said, his armor hinting to me that a battle was coming.

"Let me guess...trouble?" I assumed.

Silnis nodded, waving his hand over the crystal's lustrous surface to show an image of everyone preparing defenses in an area of the rainforest. Weapons were being sharpened, armor being fortified, and magical wards as scouts for stealth enemies.

"Our battle here is far different from the one at Liberty Island. We're surrounded on all sides by trees and plants, giving our enemy an advantage in stealth. From a lone straggler we've killed, we can determine that our enemy has enlisted in the aid of Rafflesias--plant-like monsters that use nature's toxins to infect the body and kill the victim in seconds," Silnis informed me, sending a small shiver of fear up my body at the thought of a painful death by poison, "Let's go.... The battle is about to begin." A portal opened up next to the crystal, signaling it was time to leave.

When we passed through the portal, a wave of heat and humidity hit me, along with the scent of damp soil and floral aromas--we were in the Amazon. It was exactly as I saw it in the image Silnis showed me. Everyone clad in their armor and weapons at the ready for an attack.

"Place more wards around the perimeter! Make sure no area is left unmarked! I want a defensive barrier around this encampment!" Jace ordered, sending warriors and champions running around in a scramble to fulfill his commands. I looked at Silnis, confused.

"Aren't you supposed to be in command?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "No, Jace is the champion of Terra. He knows the earth better than I do. He will lead the defense of Terra," Silnis explained.

"But then...at Liberty Island.... Why were you defending Ignis?" I asked, seeking an answer.

"Ignis was dormant--asleep. He had no way of defending himself from an attack. I've kept his location hidden from Chaos' eyes, but it couldn't last forever. Ignis did not have any champions or warriors to call upon to protect him, so the other Elements called us to awaken and defend him. I was tasked to awaken him from his slumber so that he may grant his blessing on his would be champion and warriors--you," he clarified, smiling at me. I blushed, happy to see him smile at me.

"I'll do my best Silnis, I promise you," I swore, receiving another smile from him.

"You don't have to promise me anything. Fight with all your strength and protect Terra. Do that and it will be enough for me," he said, holding my shoulder and looking deep into my eyes before departing towards another part of the encampment.

"I sense a familiar aura.... I don't like it," Necross growled, adorned in his dark violet armor and carrying his great war axe on his shoulder. His expression was more serious and stern compared to his playful attitude.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"I don't know.... All I know is that it's bad news for us. Keep your wits sharp and don't be afraid to call for help. This aura is...powerful," he told me, giving me a playful wink before walking away too. That Necross....

I helped with battle preparations within the time we had. The atmosphere was intense and busy. No one took a minute to relax. We all had to be prepared for the enemy. I took some time to spar with a few of the warriors and champions, learning some helpful tactics from them. Most that I talked to had been in multiple battles--veterans that knew more than I did, but were willing to share their insights.

I was walking the perimeter of the area, near a ward that was disguised as a moss-covered boulder. I've never been to the Amazon before so it was cool seeing the exotic flora and fauna. I was admiring a beautiful red flower when something disturbed the nearby brush. My sword appeared in my hand, ready to fight if there was danger. The ward knew before I did and screeched out a warning. Before I could react, a dark shape pounced out and pinned me to the ground. It was a jaguar, but twisted and evil. Horns sprouted from its skull and its eyes were crimson red. Dark flames danced on its fur that burned with an intensity I was grateful I was immune to. It snarled at me, about to have at my exposed throat with its razor teeth before an arrow struck it on the shoulder and it instantly froze to an ice statue of a demon jaguar.

"Lance! Are you all right?" Kia asked, running over and helping me up.

"I'm all right. Just startled," I reassured her, brushing the dirt off of my armor.

"We have to get out of here before-!" Another snarl broke her sentence just as another demon jaguar pounced. This time I was quick and impaled it with my sword in mid-air. Kia grabbed my hand and ran before I could relish in my first kill of the day. Behind us, more demon jaguars appeared and pursued us, accompanied by a group of walking flowers as large as a six-year-old.

"Rafflesias!" Kia exclaimed, rushing us through a barricade as archers fired their arrows at our pursuers. The jaguars were quickly dispatched, but more replaced them. The Rafflesias stayed behind the jaguars and exhaled yellow fumes that I knew were the poisons Silnis had told me about. Fortunately, a gale of wind stormed around our encampment and kept the poison cloud out, but the jaguars could easily pass through.

The archers did their best to hold back the jaguars, but the first barricade eventually fell and they had to fall back to the second while those equipped for melee charged into the demon cats. I called for my sword and it burst out in flames just in time for me to cut down a jaguar that was about to pounce on me. One by one I fought and slew the enemy, but more replaced them. The ground was littered with the dead bodies of allies and enemies. I thought that these jaguars were too weak to threaten Terra, but I thought wrong when the wards went on a screaming frenzy, alerting us to some unknown danger. The jaguars retreated to the jungles, but the Rafflesias stayed and continued to surround our base with the toxic, yellow fumes.

The ground beneath us started to shake, sending tremors that sent us tumbling to the floor. The wards stopped their screaming and went silent ominously. Everyone regained their footing before thorny vines erupted from the ground beneath us and entangled several people, rending their flesh with dagger-sized thorns.

They're cries for help brought everyone back from shock and we all charged the vines, trying to free them. My sword coated itself in flames, making the vines burn away to ashes as soon as I made the first cut. Those who were rescued were quickly brought to safety to be healed. I knew that my element was the advantage to this battle. We could win this if I fought with all the power I had.

"Ah! Help!" I heard behind me, turning to see Penelope being entangled in the vines. She tried to push them back with her wind magic, but it was no good. The vines wrapped themselves around her and started to press in, pushing their thorns into her human skin. I quickly went to her rescue, slashing at the vines with my sword. It quickly burnt into ashes and left Penelope alive with a few scratches and small puncture wounds.

"T-Thank you Lance," she said, grateful for my timely assistance. I was about to help her up when a barb flew past me, grazing, but piercing my armor. I turned back and saw a lone Rafflesia, folding its petals back to reveal a set of barbs that dripped with poisons.

"Look out!" Penelope cried out just as the flower fired three barbs at me. Thinking quickly, I deflected one with my sword, dodging the second, and incinerating the last with my fire magic. Before the flower could do anything else, I charged at it and sliced it in half, ending its life. I knew it wasn't over as more Rafflesias approached me, their barbs ready to fire. Penelope was still injured and I wasn't going to abandon her. If I had to die trying to protect my ally, then let it be.

"Die you filthy plants!" Jace exclaimed, slamming his war hammer down on one Rafflesia and sending a shockwave that blew the rest back into the forest, "Are you two all right?!"

"We're fine! I'm just a little scratched up is all...," Penelope answered, struggling to get up. I helped her, receiving a smile of gratitude, "I just need a quick heal and I'll be good. Someone's got to keep this barrier alive." Jace held out a hand to her body, his aura growing stronger before a wave of healing magic swam out of his hand and onto Penelope's body. Her wounds healed up almost instantly and she nodded to me that she could stand on her own now.

"I'm glad you're safe Penelope, but we've got bigger problems to worry about. The battle is still raging on and where those vines came from we don't know," Jace commented.

"Right.... I'll continue to keep the Rafflesias' poison clouds away from us. Inside or out, nothing can run from the wind," Penelope smiled confidently. Jace nodded before charging back into the battle. Grasping my sword, I decided to approach the enemy a different way and took to the sky. Viewing the scene, I saw that a mass of Rafflesias were regrouping in the nearby forests, unseen to anyone down on the ground. The wards must have worn off. Descending down towards the group of flowers, I summoned my fire magic and drew a ring around them before a pillar of fire erupted from the ground and burned them to nothing. I decided that I would be of best use if I could stop the enemy from getting close to our base. I repeated the same pattern of finding regrouping enemies and using my fire magic to dispose of them. Before I knew it, the fighting at the base had quelled down and most of the warriors and champions were finishing up those that remained.

I was about to return when something large and ominous caught my eye. About a mile away, I could see the shape of a large flower bud jutting out from the ground, surpassing the towering trees of the Amazon. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it wasn't good news.

"Lance, do you see something?" Necross asked, flying up right next to me.

"Yeah...that flower bud over there...," I pointed out. Necross peered to where I pointed and instantly had a look of pure dread on his face.

"My God...," he almost whispered, his eyes shifting to white.

"What!?" I questioned.

"We have to inform everyone...now!" he said, flying off back towards the base as I followed, glancing back at the flower bud as the petals started to unfurl. I caught the glance of a pair of glowing red eyes glaring right at me before I looked away. Whatever I just saw...it was full of hatred.

Arriving back at base, everyone was either preparing for another attack, or healing up. Necross and I agreed to tell Silnis about what he saw, but he was nowhere in sight. We asked around for Silnis and everyone was just as clueless as we were. Jace must have seen us lost and confused because he approached us and finally gave us our answer.

"If you guys are looking for Silnis, he's in the Hall of Earth," he pointed towards a large, thick tree that I noticed the camp was centered around. A staircase lay exposed at the base of the tree and led down into the damp ground. Not wasting anytime, we rushed down the stairs and into the hall. Silnis was standing before a large seed that pulsed with natural energy. I could feel my body being healed of any physical ailments or wounds I had. It was like being rejuvenated from the inside out.

"Silnis, we got a problem!" Necross exclaimed, about to explain our situation until Silnis turned around and showed us an image of the flower bulb in a crystal mirror he held.

"I know.... They've awakened and corrupted an Earth Guardian. This one embodies the hatred Nature holds for mankind--abusing and harming the environment," he briefly explained. I was amazed he knew all of that, but it was Silnis and he could do a lot of amazing things I've yet to witness.

"What should we do?" Necross questioned, concerned. Silnis looked at me and I instantly knew he already had a plan, and it involved me.

"Lance...you are a champion of fire. One of the Earth's friend and foe, it can bring new life to an old forest, or destroy all life. At the moment, we need Ignis' flames to be the Earth's foe. That Earth Guardian will level our camp and destroy Terra with its sheer strength and size. Lead the charge against it and defeat it. It is too far lost in corruption and hatred to be renewed. Kill it...but do it swiftly," he explained, his eyes telling me that I was our only hope of defending Terra. As much as I wanted to be the hero, taking on such a task was a little overwhelming.

"B-But can't you defeat it Silnis!? You can use your laser and take it down with no effort! Right?!" I suggested, getting questioning looks from him and Necross.

"Lance...you do know that plants use light to grow, right? If I use my light magic on the Guardian, I'll just make it stronger. It's why I didn't fight when I knew Rafflesias would be involved. I'd only make the battle more difficult for everyone. It's why I've been down here, studying and observing the Guardian," he clarified, his expression plain.

"O-Oh...I see...," I said, feeling like a fool. What was I going to do? I can't let Silnis and everyone else down. But...what if I mess up and we fail to kill the Guardian? Not only will I put everyone in peril, but also Terra. What should I do? Fight...or flight?!

"Lance...if you don't want to...I will-" Necross was about to intervene until I quickly made my decision.

"I'll do it," I firmly said, not fully confident, but knowing that I could prove to everyone and myself that I can do this.

"Are you sure Lance? There is no dishonor in saying no," Silnis asked, asking for my final answer. Raising my head, I looked at my two comrades, a burning fire of confidence in my eyes.

"I'm ready," I finalized. They both smiled and nodded to my inner strength. I will do this. I will make them proud. But most importantly, I will prove to myself that I am no weakling in the face of danger.

A loud roar echoed down to the hall, alerting us that the Guardian had been set free. Necross and I rapidly climbed the stairs and back into the camp, seeing everyone scramble at the sight of the Guardian as it slowly approached us. The Guardian was slow, but we needed to slow it down. I knew the perfect rhino for that job.

"Jace," I called out, running to him, "I need you and the other earth warriors to slow down the Guardian. Use everything that you've got! Vines, trees, rocks, whatever! Just slow it down!"

"You got a plan?" he asked.

"Umm...kind of, but I got something!" I said, a plan formulating in my head bit by bit.

"At least you got something. We'll try our best to slow it down. We're all counting on you Lance. Lead the way," Jace commented, calling over the other earth warriors before summoning the earth magic to tunnel them to the Guardian. Folding out my wings, I flew with Necross towards the Guardian, getting a better look at what I was up against. It had a humanoid figure, though plant fibers replaced the skin with a thick layer of tree bark to protect it. The vines created its hands and fingers, and two orifices where its eyes were glowed red with fury. Its mouth was lined with poisoned barbs and two large tree stumps made up its feet. It was definitely an Earth Guardian, but one beyond saving.

"I hope you really have a plan Lance! Taking down an Earth Guardian isn't going to be an easy thing to do!" Necross exclaimed through the wind.

"Well...I figured that since I'm a fire champion that it would give me some advantage over it!" sounding a bit cocky, but I immediately realized something important, "And besides...everything has a life source! For us it's our hearts! I figured that this thing ought to have one too! If we take out its heart, the rest will take care of itself!" Necross smiled, his eyes flashing orange as he smiled approvingly at me.

"All right, I've got your back! Let's do this!" he shouted, summoning his war axe and blazing ahead of me towards the Guardian. My sword appeared in my hands, burning with flames, as I got into good distance with the Guardian and slashed my sword downwards at it, throwing a fiery wave towards it. My initial attack charred the Guardian's tree bark skin at its chest, but I knew it would require more firepower to break through its carapace.

The Guardian roared before swinging its arms to smack me. I swiftly dodged it and launched more fire magic at it, trying to aim at its chest more often. Necross was helping me with his gravity magic, tossing dark violet orbs of gravity that cracked and splintered the charred wood I made. I could also see Jace and the other earth warriors try their best to hold off the Guardian with large boulders, thick vines, and insanely large trees. It did some good as the Guardian would occasionally stop and try to clear its path, but it started to ignore the obstacles later on. Necross and I were constantly on a pattern of dodging and throwing magic at its chest, weakening it bit by bit. After another round of chucking magic at its chest, a light green light showed through the cracked bark and we knew that one last magic combo would do the trick. Dodging another attempt of attack from the Guardian, Necross and I combined our magic and went straight in for the break; shattering the bark and pushing the Guardian back a good distance. Through the plant fibers, I could see a seed that was similar to Terra's form, pulsing with life energy.

"Oh no you two don't," a feminine voice said before Necross and I felt vines wrapping themselves around us and pulling us away. More vines tied us up before pulling us in front of a human girl standing on the shoulder of the Guardian. She was about the age of nineteen, with long red hair and plants for clothes, literally. What she had for clothes were leaves covering her intimate parts, plant fibers that created a tight suit, bark as a protective layer, and wicked looking flowers that decorated her lithe body. Her eyes though...were a disturbing crimson.

"Regina...," Necross growled menacingly.

"Oh, Necross, so glad you "hang" out with your new friend! Be a good dragon and shush up," she said, Necross about to remark back, but a vine shut his muzzle tight. I could tell he was already angry from the red color in his eyes and the death glare he was giving her.

"W-Who are-?"

"I am Regina...Anti-Champion of Terra, Chosen of Chaos. But you've never met any one of us now have you? Good! I'll be your first...and last...," she said, holding up two daggers that dripped with poisons, "Now hold still and I'll make this long and painful!" She held the daggers up to my throat, about to end my life with a simple slice, but my life was spared once again.

"Regina!!" Jace jumped out of nowhere and slammed his hammer down on her, but she quickly moved and giggled sinisterly.

"Dear Jace...so glad you could join the party! This is going to be exciting!" she giggled some more, summoning forth additional vines to attack Jace. I watched, amazed, as Jace single-handedly took down a whole cluster of vines with only his hammer and earth magic. He's fought her before is what I could tell already.

"Regina! You got away the last time we met! But this time...you're dead!" Jace roared, charging after her.

"But the fun's just begun...," she snickered, dodging his attack and retaliating with her own strikes. Necross was struggling to free himself, giving up on sheer strength and was about to use his gravity magic to force himself free until Regina noticed, "Not so fast!" She stopped fighting with Jace for just a second and willed the vines to squeeze us tighter. Necross and I cringed from the pressure, feeling our bodies cry out from the constricting abuse.

"Ugh...dammit...!" Necross managed to choke out, the vines constricting our throats. I had to do something. I wasn't going to die being strangled to death! I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that we were too close to the camp for comfort. The Guardian was still moving towards its goal. Risking it, I summoned a cloak of fire around my body, seeing the vines start to burn and smoke. Regina noticed my escape attempt and tightened our prisons even more, making my bones feel like they were going to snap at any moment.

"Come on...burn!" I said, feeling some of the vines start to crumble away to ashes. Regina was about to strengthen the vines again, but Jace head-butted her and saved us from more agony, "Burn...burn...BURN!" I don't know where the sudden influx of magic came from, but the flame cloak exploded and sent pieces of charred vines flying in all directions. One of them hit Regina right in the face and she screamed, throwing the charred piece off and seeing that her plant clothing was starting to catch on fire.

"AH! My clothes! My beautiful clothes! NO!" she cried, trying to put out the flames and completely forgetting about Jace.

"Die!" he yelled, hitting her in the gut with his hammer. She flew into the head of the Guardian and passed out, allowing the vines around Necross to go limp and for him to go free. Jace approached Regina's slowly returning conscious body, summoning her own vines to hold her down. He slammed his hammer down a foot away from her body, scaring and intimidating her.

"Y-You'll never defeat the Guardian! Terra will die and the Earth's foundations will crumble! Chaos will triumph!" she tried to put on a last fight, failing as Jace stared her down.

"I won't be the one to defeat the Guardian, Lance will. And Terra will live. Chaos...will not triumph in this battle," he said, pulling his hand back with fingers out. A look of fear struck Regina's face, her clothes still ablaze, but that hardly mattered to her than what Jace was going to do to her.

"N-No! You can't! I-!" she didn't get to finish as he drove his hand straight into her chest, surprising me as a portal opened where Jace's hand was. Seconds later, he pulled out, holding a black rose in his palm. Regina's whole body was frozen, trapped in time. Jace gave her a piteous look before crushing the rose in his hand. Regina suddenly screamed like a banshee, her body convulsing as it started to dissolve into a black mist that dissipated into the air. The last of the black mist disappeared before we turned our attention back to the Guardian. It was almost to our base, a barrier being erected around the perimeter. I could see Silnis standing with the others, fear and dread in his eyes. This was the first time I've seen Silnis afraid, but I knew I didn't like it when he was afraid. If this Guardian thinks it can hurt Silnis, it'll have to go through me!

Taking into the air, I flew in front of the Guardian, the only thing in its path. Feeling the influx of magic again, I bared my sword and flew straight for its exposed heart. I didn't notice, but a large fiery shape of a dragon surrounded me, matching the size of the Guardian. I cut the plant fibers and pierced the seed right through, shooting out the back of the giant. My dragon avatar pounced on the Guardian and brought it down to the ground, roaring in victory before glowing red and exploding, sending a shockwave and parts of the Guardian across the area. I landed back in camp, everyone crowding around me and saying their compliments. Necross, Silnis, Jace, and the other champions waited for me outside the crowd, the warriors allowing me to pass to them.

"Lance...I cannot thank you enough for saving Terra. You've proven yourself more and more as a true champion! You've helped dispatch my nemesis--Regina--and also stopped a corrupted Earth Guardian from destroying Terra. I am proud to be your fellow comrade," Jace honored me, kneeling. Everyone followed suit, kneeling and honoring me for my deeds. Necross sneaked me a wink, and Silnis smiled warmly at me. Looking around, a sense of pride and warmth filled my heart. I being revered as a hero...wow. My head started to feel woozy, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

"Everyone...thank you...but please...I'm just like all of you. I only did...what I had to do. Any one of you...would've done...the same...," I said, starting to feel dizzy and weak, "Oh...so...weak...."

"Lance?!" Silnis asked me, getting up as he saw that something was wrong.

"I-I'm fine...just...dizzy...," my legs gave up and I fell forward, Necross catching me just in time.

"Lance!" Necross cried, holding me as my vision and hearing started to dim away.

"I...I...," I whispered, seeing Necross and Silnis' panicked faces before I blacked out.