I am Mairwen, mother to all.

“Rowan!” Aislinn’s voice cut through it all. She stopped the ritual and added her magic to the barrier. She extended it further to cover Rowan.

Darkness clouded Rowan’s vision, and he felt a level of pain he could never have imagined. The sounds of explosions rang out all around him. He struggled to open his eyes. Rowan lay flat on his back. Try as he might, he couldn’t roll over, much less stand. “Ais…linn…”

Light replaced the darkness. He stood in a verdant garden with the sounds of light and life all around him. Birds chirped in the air, fish splashed through a nearby river, and large cats enjoyed an animated conversation.

A woman’s gentle humming drew Rowan’s attention. A radiant woman sat on a large rock. Her silver hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears reminded him of Aislinn. She was dressed in white robes with gold outlines, giving her an even more ethereal presence.

“Welcome, Rowan,” the woman greeted. “You have been so brave in the face of such hardship.” Her voice was kind and gentle.

Rowan stepped closer to her. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled. “I am Mairwen, mother to all.”

He was stunned into silence. Rowan stopped moving and wondered if he had stopped breathing as well. The goddess who gave life to all sat right in front of him.

“I died, didn’t I? That’s what I’m here for? I died,” Rowan finally spoke, his voice full of woe and disappointment.

Mairwen laughed in reply. The world around them sparkled with life at the melodic sound. “No Rowan, you didn’t die,” she assured him. “You came very close, though.”

His face turned pale. “I’m close to dying? What about the others? Aislinn? Isolde?”

Mairwen raised her hand. “They’re still alive,” the goddess assured him once more. “I brought you here to ask you a question.”

Rowan raised an eyebrow. “You want to ask me a question?” He was confused. “Okay. I’m not sure what I could help the goddess of everything with, but I’ll try.”

Mairwen lightly giggled. “What is your wish? What do you want to do?” It was a simple question that confused her guest once again.

“What is my wish? That’s easy, I want to stop Aonghas,” he answered.

“A fine goal, but for what purpose? To smite evil? To gain glory?” Mairwen pressed.

“To save my home and my friends. The demons will return in over a thousand years from now. My city is going to burn if I do nothing,” he explained. “I want to save my home in the future and Aislinn’s and Isolde’s homes now. All that happens if I stop Aonghas and his demons, guys like Eònan.”

Mairwen rose to her feet and approached him. “So it is your wish to save your friends.”

Rowan nodded. “Yeah. No matter what. Even if I never get back home, I’d be happy knowing that everyone is doing fine without me.” His voice was resolute.

Mairwen smiled and touched his chest. A bright light filled with warmth and love radiated through him. “Then stand and fight, my child. Save those who could not be saved before.” Light overtook his vision, and the radiant goddess disappeared.

Rowan awoke to pure pain and misery, a stark contrast to the goddess’s realm. He moved his head to take in the situation he awoke to. Pàrlan and Brid were injured, but they stood against the demons who attacked them. Ceallach and his comrades continued the fight and performed admirably.

His grip found the sacred sword with which he was entrusted. Rowan coughed and tasted blood as he pushed himself up by his elbows. His heart sank when he saw that his blade was shattered.

“Ais…!” He struggled to call out. A strained groan drew his attention. Aislinn crawled on the ground to retrieve the precious gem Sorcha had given her. He watched as she conjured a locket to hold the glowing gem.

Rowan’s heart froze in his chest. He found new strength to roll over and push himself into a kneeling position. He let the hilt of Cailean fall from his hand. The blade was shattered and useless to him now.

A roar drew his attention to the darkened skies. Raghnall was hurt, and obsidian spikes formed over the wounds.

“The dragon that attacked Saoirsemer…” Rowan breathed. He looked at Pàrlan and briefly watched him and Brid reform the barrier. “Hey, Professor! Who’s Morrigan?!”

A confused and annoyed Pàrlan turned to him. “What? Now is not the time for jokes!”

“Answer the question!” Rowan barked.

Pàrlan gritted his teeth in anger. “It’s the nickname I give Aislinn whenever she’s in a bad mood.” He held his hand towards Rowan and cast a spell to mend wounds.

Rowan ignored the pain as he pushed himself to his feet and ran to Pàrlan. “Aislinn is going to get corrupted,” he warned. “She rode on Raghnall and attacked my city. You called her Morrigan!” Anguish flashed across his face. “Twilight of Princess Aislinn. The biggest lie in that damn book is that she ever had a happy ending.”

Pàrlan was horrified. “Mairwen save us…” he breathed.

“We’re going to save her!” Rowan declared as he was cloaked in a glowing white aura. Cailean’s hilt flew into his hand and gathered the blade shards to reform the sacred weapon.

Rowan looked at himself. His wounds were healed, and he felt stronger than ever. He could sense everyone and everything around him. “What…is this?”

“A gift from Mairwen, now use it,” Pàrlan replied impatiently. He certainly reminded Rowan of his professor.

Rowan tracked his friends through the battlefield and willed a part of his light to them all. Pàrlan gained the same cloak of light as Rowan, immediately healing his wounds. “I’ll handle Eònan. You keep the demons away from Aislinn,” he instructed the Danan noble. His voice echoed with power.

Pàrlan grinned. “That won’t be a problem, they’re all coming for you now. Make them regret it.”

Rowan turned and faced the oncoming horde. He mimicked Eònan’s prior movements and aimed his sword at the sky. The dark clouds immediately parted and let the sun shine down on the battlefield. Light energy swirled around his blade. He swung down and unleashed a mighty shockwave, destroying every demon in its path.

Rowan looked around for his friends. Aislinn and Isolde were fully restored and wrapped in light. Raghnall’s corruption had faded, and he easily dispatched the flying demons who sought to make him one of their own. Ceallach and his comrades were just as protected, but given how efficiently they defeated scores of demons, they would have been fine either way.

Eònan and Rowan locked eyes from across the battlefield. The two dashed at one another and crossed swords. Darkness and light erupted from the epicenter and divided the grounds with violent fissures.