The whole area looked like it was covered in black smoke that swirled and twirled. Ileus, Dmitri and Mozias could feel the icy chilliness of the souls when they crossed them every now and then. Since they were not able to kill the Shadows, they opted for a new strategy—to chase them towards the spirits.

Bianca and her horse Izar rode around with ease slashing and killing every Shadow that came in her way. Her horse was galloping but not on the ground—in the air. The battleground was filled with cacophony of hair-raising shrieks and howls. It took them an entire night to hunt the Shadows and kill them.

When Bianca had met with the Shadows just before the werewolf realm while she was flying with Ileus, the Shadows' eyes had glowed. And through the Shadows' eyes, Sedora was watching every movement in the Lore. Her gaze fell on her granddaughter and she let out a hollow laughter.

"Finally, you are coming to me Bianca. I will kill you and take your power.

" Her hands were on the crystal ball in which she was seeing them.

"I am so happy!

" she chuckled.

"Your power is untapped and I can mold it the way I want!

" In order to stop her from going to the Land of Gaira, she had sent a large force of Shadows after her. However, she didn't know that the girl would return as the queen of souls. This presented a new challenge to her. Now she had to go to the Land of Gaira and retrieve her body.

Once they had dealt with the last of the Shadows in this area, they turned towards Wilyra. There was a large number of Shadows in that region.

Disconnected from the world because of being located in the hollow of mountains covered with snow and thick layer of ice all around, Wilyra's periphery presented a new look today. Its snow-white grounds were littered with crimson blood and flesh and a smell so rotten that he repulsed.

He saw the Shadows attacking his people and then trying to enter his kingdom. They were lurking like locusts all around in hordes. Rotten smell wafted as he galloped along the periphery. He had never seen his kingdom under this kind of attack, under this kind of gore. He had kept his people safe. He had ensured that they remained safe even when he wasn't there, even when his wife was serving Sedora and now— He looked up at the sky and a bellow emerged.

"I will kill all of you!

" he yelled.

Lazarus found hordes of them clamoring over each other to eat one of his blood vassals. Even though he was not in his bodily form, even though he had seen horrible things in his life as a vampire, the sight of Shadows feeding on his blood vassal made him recoil. He was so furious and appalled with the way they were eating him that he charged at them with his sword made from lightning. His horse was amongst the Shadows within a second and his sword slicing them, burning them. Cacophonous screams were heard from the Shadows and the souls whose bodies were burnt.

The Shadows were confused by the attack. In their frenzy to eat the vassal they pulled its body in the air and tore it apart. It was sick.

Time stopped for Lazarus. Like a madman, he swayed his sword at every Shadow that crossed his path. His eyes were bloodshot with revenge. He looked ahead and saw the massacre that had occurred. Many of his people were attacked and infected by the Shadows. With a choked throat he had to kill them because they would have turned into Shadows otherwise. Fury, disgust and pure revenge filled in his chest. Once he finished with the Shadows on the border, he raced inside the kingdom.

Caleb and Daryn had entered Wilyra to see if any of the Shadows had infiltrated the boundaries. To his relief Lazarus found that Caleb and Daryn had killed all the Shadows. Not many were able to cross. Wilyra had strong protection.

When they had killed them all and were assured that none were left, Bianca lifted her sword, the bolt of lightning and cried,

"To Ixoviya!

" Her horse hooved the air above the ground, and broke into a gallop.

The spirits followed their queen to the kingdom of Ixoviya. What would have taken their horses a week, took them only a few hours. All along the way, they found Shadows in hordes and killed them. By the time they reached Ixoviya, the first dissent in the spirits was seen. A spirit of a man was unable to bear staying in this realm after his body—a Shadow was burnt. He felt the call to the afterlife strongly.

"Release me, queen of souls!

" he cried to Bianca.

"It is agonizing to stay here. My soul needs peace. It has been a grueling ten years since I have died and now— now I want to rest in peace. I want to go to where my body is one last time and leave this place. Release me—

" he was on his knees in front of the queen.

"You have a duty!

" she said in an angry voice.

"If I let you go, why shouldn't I let the others go?

" Her voice rose.

"I won't allow you to leave until this task is over, until I win the battle!

"

"What if you don't win the battle?

" he lamented.

"Will I be trapped forever in this realm?

"

"If I won't win this battle, I will also remain trapped in this realm, in this form!

" she rasped.

Before she could speak more, Daryn came to her.

"The Cadvals are here.

"

Bianca left the spirit and followed her father. She had rarely been harsh, but this incident made her feel bad on the inside. However, she had to show that if she became soft, more of them would want to leave. And right now, she needed all of them.

She was surprised to see that there was a large group of Cadvals at her service.

"We have come to join you, Your Highness,

" their leader said.

She recognized his voice. He had accompanied the Shaman to meet her in Aztec.

"I will release your souls only when I win this battle!

" she put forth her condition immediately.

"We agree,

" Cadval said in a serious tone.

The Cadvals followed Bianca along the perimeter of Ixoviya. She saw that Caleb was already much ahead of them. Daryn was next to her on his mount. As their horses trotted together in the wind, Daryn said,

"You should ask the Cadvals to send a message to Brantley and Ileus that we have reached Ixoviya.

"

"Yes, I also want to know Nusgroth's progress,

" she replied. She summoned the leader of the Cadvals and instructed him accordingly.

"Take half your men and leave them on the outskirts of Zor'gan. Tell Nusgroth that he must find a tunnel somewhere close to Sedora's chamber. Your men should stay there until we come.

"

Loud screeching noise distracted them. A large number of Shadows had surrounded them from all the sides. The spirits cowered and they began to merge towards the center.

"Why are they afraid?

" Bianca whispered as she watched the Shadows walking with glowing red-hot eyes towards them.

Suddenly, eyes of a Shadow glowed a brilliant red. A beam escaped it, and hit a spirit.