That night,
Leora didn't fall asleep easily.
The wind still danced across the rooftops,
but this time, it wasn't playful.
Its sound turned hollow… like a scream echoing from a place beyond measure.
And then suddenly…
it stopped.
As if an invisible hand had strangled the breath of the sky.
Her wooden house shuddered softly.
She looked out from her small window…
And saw something she had never seen before:
A red light rising from the sea.
Not fire—but a glow. A silent scream made of light.
Then came the sound.
The children were the first to hear it—
A deep cry…
not a human voice…
not a voice from this world at all.
People ran from their homes,
carrying their children and lanterns…
The sky above was still blue,
but the earth beneath them pulsed… a painful, living heartbeat.
And then… they came.
From the shadows of the forest,
figures emerged—human-shaped, but no longer human.
Broken skeletons, skin like ash,
eyes glowing with the color of rust,
and footsteps that hissed like a dying man's breath.
One man screamed,
"They're not alive… not dead… They're—those things!"
The first spell exploded.
A ball of light, cast by the old witch Mihala,
burned one of the creatures for a moment…
But then it laughed.
A harsh, dry laugh that made the trees tremble.
Battle began.
Spells lit up the sky,
spears made of ancient light,
mothers shielding their children with their bodies,
men shouting the names of the fallen.
Leora pushed through the chaos,
her eyes searching for her parents,
while Riven shouted behind her:
"Run! Nyara said we're not ready!"
But she couldn't.
She saw her father standing in the center of the protective circle,
her mother drawing glowing runes into the air,
and behind them—the final guardian walked forth.
A woman cloaked in the threads of time,
holding a staff made from blue bone,
murmuring in a language unheard since the fall of the Nebula.
One of the attackers rasped:
"Renew the Oath… or suffer the Curse!
Her father shouted back:
"We will not yield! We will not repeat the vow!"
"We were the ones who chose the First Guardian to protect this island—we'll never abandon it!"
He raised a magical dagger and hurled it—
striking the enemy's eye, shattering it into dust.
There was hope.
But the enemies kept multiplying.
As if the forest itself was birthing them from its roots.
And every spell burned its caster from within.
Her mother grabbed her father's hand and whispered:
"The Cursed Magic… It's our last chance."
He replied, voice cracked:
"Then we die…"
"But that's better than losing… and dragging the world into ruin."
The final guardian whispered:
"Indeed… it's the last solution.
If we don't act now… it's truly the end."
Then she added:
"Hold hands. Form the circle…"
She looked to the sky and said softly:
"Ah… life was beautiful.
Thank you, my friends… You made it joyful.
I only wish it had lasted longer."
The remaining sages gathered—
the witches, the elders, the Fire-blooded, the Rain-callers…
They raised their hands to the heavens
and chanted the Final Incantation—
The Grand Banishment Spell.
The magic spiraled into the sky like a colossal vortex,
a forbidden violet glow pulsing like a child's unheard sob.
Leora cried out, dragged into the center of the light:
"No!! Dad! Mom!!"
Her voice drowned the wind.
Her father smiled through the chaos, stretched out his hand, and yelled:
"Leora! If your heart stays free… Moralesca survives!"
Riven clawed at the earth, tears streaming down:
"Dad… Mom… please don't leave me!"
His mother pressed her pendant into his hand and whispered:
"You are the heir to the Nebula's Light.
If you survive… then they haven't won."
Then… in a single breath…
The light exploded from within the spell.
As if the sky opened its mouth to scream.
Thousands of birds fled in panic,
trees bent and broke,
and every last drop of ancient power converged—
Leora and Riven were swept away
by the sacred light of banishment,
cast out from the island that loved them…
But could no longer protect them.
End of Chapter 2