It was as suffocating as the thickness of being choked in the dark. Tendrils of black magic snake around Kael, Elira, and the prince, pinning them down on the ground as the spectral image of the Princess looms over them, her glowing crimson eyes filled with malice.
"You thought you could outsmart me?" sneered the Princess, her voice echoing as a sinister melody. "This kingdom's power is mine. My rule is complete."
Kael gritted his teeth and fought against the tendrils. "You betrayed your own family! Your own blood!"
The Princess coolly laughed. "Family? Blood? Those are nothing more than the chains that bind us to weakness. The harbingers showed me the truth: Power is all that matters."
The youngest prince, trembling with both anger and despair, shouted, "You're destroying the kingdom! Mother trusted you. I trusted you!""The darkness is choking them. Tendrils of black magic snake around Kael, Elira, and the prince and pin them down to the ground. The spectral image of the Princess looms above, her bright crimson eyes filled with malevolence.
"You thought you'd outsmart me?" God you see, the princess sneered, her voice echoing like an evil melody. "This kingdom's power is mine. My rule is final."
Kael doubled his efforts to free himself from the tendrils. "You betrayed your own family! Your own blood!"
The Princess let out a chilling laugh. "Family? Blood? Just bells that bind us to weakness. The harbingers made me see the truth. Power is all that matters."
The youngest prince said, shaking, furious and sorrowful at once, "You are destroying the kingdom! Your Mother trusted you. I believed you did too!" The face of the princess became dark."Your mother, like you, was a fool. Always too weak, always too small. You were never born to rule, and neither was she." The tendrils tightened around them, gasping for air with every effort they made. Elira's magic sputtered out weakly as she whispered, "Liam... we need you..."
Liam and Malrik had their battle back in the square.With a faint blade glow, Liam darted in as he channeled the last remnants of magic into strikes. Malrik parried every blow without effort, the dark sword humming with malicious energy.
"You are strong," Malrik said as if his tone almost amused him. "But strength alone will not save you. It is already too late."
Liam ignored the taunt for the moment, keeping his focus on his movements. He could not afford to give way to any more wasted energy. Each swing of his blade was like the last deliberate aimed strike for even the smallest openings into Malrik's defenses.
But Malrik was not only strong; he was also calculating. With a swift burst of speed, he swung his sword wide, forcing Liam to leap back.
This pathetic speech could be Malrik's riposte: "You cannot defeat me," which simply dripped confidence. "Even if you could, Princess has already won. By now, your friends are probably dead."
Getting angry over it, Liam's heart shrunk, but he did not show it. Instead, he mocked, saying, "You talk too much."
Before Malrik could reply, Liam threw a small vial from his pouch, which shattered at Malrik's feet and brightened the area with a sudden flash.
Malrik roared and stumbled back while he momentarily couldn't see anything. Liam used that moment to swing a strong blow, and his blade pierced through Malrik's shoulder.
Black blood fell from the wound, but Malrik was not shaken. Rather, he laughed, his voice echoing with unholy resonance, "Not bad. But you will need more than tricks to finish me."
Our record-breaking chains
Those dark magic strands attached further. Young Prince cried in pain.
Elira gasped, forcing herself to concentrate. She murmured a spell, gradually having her palms glow slightly. Weak was the enchantment, barely a flicker, but enough to loosen the magic wraps around her wrists.
"Kael," she rasped, "I need time. Keep her busy."Kael answered by trying hard to summon all the strength he could. Without warning, he freed himself from the magical tendrils, roaring as he charged straight at the spectral image of the Princess. His sword slashed through the air, but it passed harmlessly through her form.
The Princess smirked. "Hello? Pathetic."
She raised her hands, and with it came a tide of dark energy that rolled into Kael and sent him flying into the wall.
Elira, meanwhile, continued her incantation, her magic gaining in volume with the loops of the wards around the prince starting to unravel as he struggled to breathe.
"Elira, what are you doing?" asked the prince, weakly. "I'm breaking the wards," she said, her voice strained. "But I can't do it alone. You need to fight, Your Highness. You are the rightful ruler. Prove it."
The prince hesitated, hands quivering. He looked at Kael, who sat half-disheveled, and then back at Elira, who appeared ready to expend every ounce of life force left in her magic.
And for the very first time, a twinge of that sense of determination kindled within him.
Breathally deep, he grabbed his dagger and separated the last remaining tendrils binding him. He stood shakily on his feet and finally faced the ethereal image of his sister.
"I won't let you destroy this kingdom," he said, steadying his voice despite his fear.
The Princess gnashed her teeth in fury. "You think you can stop me? You are nothing but a sniveling child!" But the prince held firm. He raised his dagger, the blade glinting in the crystal light.
The Pivot
It was difficult to chip away at the walls of time slowly, but that was exactly what Liam seemed to experience at the moment in the square. Malrik's blows were stronger now, while Liam's energy source was slowly being drained.
But then he could tell-the magic was thrumming faintly, coming from the direction of the sanctum.
"They're still fighting," thought Liam, as his heart surged again with hope.
Liam missed another strike from Malrik and dove ahead to bury the blade in Malrik's chest.
Malrik staggered back, his crimson eyes wide. "Impossible..."
Liam twisted the sword and pulled back, just as Malrik sank down to his knees.
"It's over," Liam said, cold.
Malrik laughed weakly, blood seeped from his lips. "You fool. This is only the beginning. The Princess... she is far more powerful than you could imagine."
And at long last, Malrik's body disintegrated into shadows after one breath left it, leaving only the sword emanating dark energy behind.
Liam hefted it, feeling its weight. Dangerous, but he knew it would help him any way possible.
The Last Stroke
Inside the sanctum, Elira's chant reached its horizon. The wards surrounding the crystal broke and dark tendrils turned into nothingness.
The youngest prince was fired up with valour; he would act according to Elira's words. He threw his dagger into the crystal, which made it crack and began to splinter slightly.
The spectral image of the Princess screamed in horror, her form flickering as the power of the crystal waned.
"You... will... regret this!" she hissed, her voice echoing as her image faded.
The crystal shattered, and a shockwave of pure light swept through the sanctum.
The light faded, and silence filled the room, leaving the group stranded in its wake.
Kael stepped toward the prince, resting a palm on the shoulder. "You did it, Your Highness."
The prince nodded, eyes clouded with conflicting feelings of resolve and sorrow. "It's not finished yet. We still have her to deal with."
Elira smiled a little despite being tired and still alive. "And we will go. Together."
To be continue...