Back in the chamber the Spirit Elder sat straighter in the jagged frame of the Chair. His frailty seemed to recede, replaced by a terrifying, hollow purpose.
"Let's proceed."
The command rasped from his throat.
And it was not a request.
The Fire Elder hesitated. His hand tightened around his staff; the sound of tightening knot echoed in the void. He looked at the Spirit Elder, then at the pulsating runes. A flicker of doubt crossed his fiery eyes. But he moved. He stepped to the right flank of the Chair, his movements stiff.
The Water Elder glided to the opposite side. His face was a mask of cold indifference.
The Earth Elder stepped forward. His massive frame blocked the light and eclipsed the Shadow Elder. He stood directly in front of the Chair.
The Shadow Elder retreated.
She took a step back, melting deeper into the gloom of the chamber's edge. Her heart hammered against her ribs. A single drop of cold sweat traced a path down her temple. She felt it. The wrongness of it all. It clawed at the back of her mind, screaming a warning she could not voice.
Then the Spirit Elder raised his right arm.
Space warped, and a long staff materialized in his grip. It was dark metal. Cold. Lightless.
He slammed it into the base of the Chair.
Clang!
The sound was sharp. Mechanical. It echoed off the stone walls like a hammer striking an anvil.
The runes etched into the floor hissed. They ignited, glowing with a sickly pale light. The glow raced up the legs of the Chair, feeding into the frame.
Zzzt!
Zzzt!
Zzzt!
The sound was rapid and precise.
One by one, the bolt-like spikes protruding from the Chair's spine flared to life. And sparked with raw, unstable energy. Shaking the chamber's foundation.
The hum turned into a shriek. It pierced their ears, vibrating deep in their skulls.
Then, impact.
A shockwave hit them. Not from the outside. From within.
They flinched as one. A single body reacting to a phantom pain. Heads bowed. Ears rang with a high-pitched whine.
The Shadow Elder clutched her temples. Her face twisted in confusion.
"What is happening?" she whispered. Her voice trembled. "Who is... Caelir?"
The name struck the room like a physical blow.
Time seemed to stop. The three standing Elders froze. They looked at each other, their eyes wide with a sudden, terrifying recognition. The fog in their minds cleared for a split second.
The Spirit Elder's eyes snapped open. Terror flooded his gaze.
"Flee!" he roared. "Save our kin!"
But the trap had already sprung.
The magic boomed.
White light flooded the chamber. Absolute. Blinding. It swallowed every corner, erasing every shadow.
Then, a vacuum.
Sound died. Air vanished.
The Chair remained the only anchor in the void.
And upon it sat a monstrosity.
The Spirit Elder was slumped forward. Unconscious. But he was no longer himself. His form was a grotesque mass of fused flesh and fabric. Robes of red, blue, green, and black melted together.
Limbs twisted at impossible angles.
Slowly, he stirred.
The Spirit Elder lolled his head. His eyelids fluttered open, unfocused and heavy. He raised a hand, his fingers trembling as they brushed his own face.
"Elders?" he rasped. His voice was a discordant layering of tones. "What has befallen us?"
Silence answered him.
He frowned. He turned his head to the right, looking for the others.
His cheek bumped against something cold. Soft.
He pulled back. He looked.
The Shadow Elder's head was there. Fused directly to his right shoulder. Her eyes were wide, staring into nothingness. Her mouth hung open in a silent, eternal scream.
The Spirit Elder's breath hitched. A gargled sound of horror.
He looked down.
The Fire Elder's face protruded from his chest, frozen in a snarl. The Earth Elder's visage was sunken into his side.
He stood up. His massive, disjointed body shook violently. The realization hit him. The fragments had returned to the whole.
"NO!"
The scream tore from his throat. A sound of pure, ancient madness.
The Chair answered.
It exploded in a second burst of light.
The blast obliterated the chamber walls. It tore through the stone foundation. The shockwave surged upward, and all sides, shaking the castle to its spires and trembling the very roots of Elderglade.
At the bottom of Elderglade, the cheers of the elves washed over Amanda. A tide of relief and joy. She lowered her arms, the residual golden warmth of her magic fading from her fingertips.
But the peace was fragile.
She saw Seraphina's expression shift. The Queen's gaze snapped toward the horizon, her brow furrowed.
"Can you feel that?" Seraphina asked. Her voice was low. Urgent.
Amanda turned to Leo. He paused, his head tilting as if listening to a frequency only he could hear. He nodded quickly, his eyes locking onto the high peak where the castle stood.
Then, the world turned white.
A beam of brilliant light erupted from the castle. It speared the sky that the smoky clouds parted instantly. The battlefield was bathed in a stark, otherworldly glow that washed out all color.
Rumble.
The ground buckled.
Violently.
Amanda stumbled, throwing her arms out for balance. Elves cried out in alarm. They clutched at each other, scrambling for balance as the earth rolled beneath them like a ship at sea.
She saw Leo fight to stay upright.
Zzzzt!
Zzzzt!
Zzzzt!
The light from the castle sent waves of raw energy rippling outward. Each pulse had hit them. A deep, resonant hum reverberated through their bones. It shook the stones of the arena.
Leo's eyes were wide. He turned toward the source.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered. His voice was barely audible over the rumbling earth.
Seraphina opened her mouth to answer, but Leo cut her off.
His hand shot up to his temple. He hissed in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. His knees buckled. He staggered forward, one hand gripping his head as though trying to contain a storm raging inside his skull.
"Leo?" Seraphina's voice cut through the chaos. She moved closer, gripping his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I..." Leo gritted his teeth. "It's... it feels like my head is spinning. Like..." He winced. "Incoherent sounds...inside my head."
Amanda took a step toward them.
Then it hit her.
A sharp spike of pain drilled into her temples.
The faint glow around her hands flickered and died. Her vision blurred. And the world tilted. She clutched her head, a gasp escaping her lips.
"Amanda?" Seraphina called.
Amanda couldn't answer. Her body trembled, fighting off an unseen force.
"It's coming from the castle," Leo muttered. His voice was low, carrying a terrifying certainty. He opened his eyes. A faint emerald glow flickered in their depths. "Cries... so many cries. Elves. They're in distress... trapped. They're begging for help."
A shiver rippled through him.
Amanda's head snapped up. Her wide eyes locked onto the distant spire of the castle.
She felt them.
As the new Queen, the connection was visceral. It was her people.
"They're disappearing," she whispered. Dread pooled in her stomach. Cold. Heavy. "Their voices... they're fading. It's... unbearable."
The finality in her words sent a chill through the group. Leo and Seraphina exchanged a glance. Seraphina's usual composure was tinged with rare uncertainty.
Amanda straightened.
The pain was still there, throbbing in rhythm with the light, but her resolve hardened. Her trembling hands clenched into fists. The crimson glow returned to her eyes, burning brighter than before.
She turned to Leo. Her voice was steady.
"Leo, take care of things down here."
Her gaze flicked upward. Locking onto the castle with fierce intensity.
"I'm going up there."
Leo's lips parted to protest.
But Amanda was already moving.
She surged forward, her form a blur. The battlefield seemed to shift around her, the chaos bending to her stride. The golden light from the castle reflected in her eyes, casting her figure in a radiant, startling glow.