Chapter 19 - Of Yen and Onus

[Tell me, children of Aerdrin... is your will truly yours? Or was it a mere Fantasia of the unseen, with grief as its string and bliss as the anodyne?]

Up above the sky-piercing garden, Rein sits, tending to the younger prince. He can help but feeling strange about how Sivias can still sleep soundly during the rowdy travel. The noisy Edric, the bouncy cart driven by Luis, and the commotion with the griffin. There's no way one could fall to slumber with all that ruckus. Unless...

" A drug? "

Beaten by his curiosity, Rein perform a check up on the little prince. First, he checked the pulse. It wasn't constant, sometimes it beats rapidly and sometimes it's not. Then he proceed to check the eyes. There he found a green-colored, worm-like objects, swirling at the pupils.

" Unstable pulses and swirls in the eye... There's no mistaking it, a somniferous magic. "

'Maybe they were worried that he might be panicking and acting up after all that happened', Rein thought to himself. But another question appears on his mind, 'Was it really necessary to put that much effort?'.

According to his findings, Rein concluded that the magic was one of those with high intensity. Because the swirling green-object indicates that aside from inducing sleepiness, the magic was also projecting dreams to its host's mind.

" Rein! Can you fetch me my clothes and belonging please? It's so cold down here. "

Edric calls for Rein from afar. It seems like he has done with whatever business he have with the spirit, as Rein can see that the spirit leaning her back to the Eldergleam, while Edric is waiting on the edge of the pond.

" Duh, why do you have to took off your clothes so far from the pool in the first place? "

" Sorry sorry, I just feel like dramatizing, ehe. "

After teasing Rein, Eldric get himself out of the pond, wearing back his clothes and retrieving his possession. He then unsheathed his damascus blade, pondering at its gleam that splendidly reflecting the moon light.

" They said this pool can sanctify anything. What do you think? Shall we try and purify this blade with its blessing? "

" ...I don't see any reason to disagree. "

" Come then, you hold it and I'll rinse it. "

Rein move his body closer to Edric, trying to reach the blade. When he is only a finger away, suddenly Edric strongly pulls his hand, making the surprised lord commander to lose his balance.

Stab. The blade was stuck to the left part of his chest, but luckily it wasn't too deep luckily it wasn't too deep. Aghast by the abrupt strike, Rein was a little bit of late to respond to the situation.

" Sky Art: Mana Nullification, Enhancement Magic: Absolute Paralysis. "

" ....! "

Rein isn't able to do anything as his mana flow has been nullified and his whole body being paralyzed. Strong as whatever you may, but when one has been caught off guard nothing else matter. Not your martial arts, nor your magical capabilities.

" I'm sorry Rhein... I'm sorry...

The answer that I had come up with is the one you will never approve, yet there's no time for a dispute. "

Even in his helpless state, Rein didn't lose his eyesight nor hearings. He can see Edric eyes, fierce and resolute... yet filled with tears. He tried to break loose from the magic, forcing his constrained body to move, but it was futile. Not even a finger could budge.

Edric left Rein with the blade stuck still and went to pick up his brother. He then laid Sivias down, wrapping him in Rein's numbed arm. Seeing this view, Edric finally burst into tears after trying to forcefully held it back.

" You both are my dear brothers... Please take care of each other... "

Edric stoops low, stroking the hair of his brothers, and touching his forehead with theirs. After he had his fill, Edric moves several steps away from the Eldergleam. He is drenching in tears as he draws an enormous and highly detailed magic circle on the ground.

After the circle is complete, he wipes his tears and collect himself before beginning the incantation.

" With the power of the four great creation, and the intersection of three sacred stars bearing witness.... the two planes shall merge. One earnest wish is the price, for the shifting of worlds is the roll of the dice. Thus, I call upon the void, the fundamental of all things.

By this power I shall verdict, by this power I shall condemn. "

The magic circle expands, wider and wider, trying to engulfed the whole kingdom, as the spell was meant to detain even every single insect of the sky kingdom within its grasp. It was no longer a magic. It was a miraculous art that surely took a very heavy toll on the caster.

Edric's mana is draining very quickly. Blood starts to coming out of his body, from his eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears, indicating heavy internal organ damage. His body turns blue as it cannot keep up, but his will won't yield. It was at this time, the spell he casted on Rein started to gradually getting weaker.

" I-Isha... "

Isha nodded, and proceed to cast a protection spell, as she had promised to Edric to save the two.

" Eldergleam the evergreen, watcher of the universe, witness of history, and anchor of the passages. Heed my plea, your guardian spirit! Protect thyself, for this string of fate is cruel and frail "

" God's Art: Divine Protection "

After the spell has been casted, a barrier enveloped the Eldergleam and a part of its stairs. Meanwhile, the magic circle which Edric casted finally covered every inch of the sky kingdom, and after a while, it forms a spherical layer.

As the paralyzing magic weakened Rein is starting to be able to turn his head, though forcefully. Seeing the whole process while himself being unable to do a thing, Rein can't help but screaming inside to the top of the lungs. Yet again, to no avail, as no words came out from his mouth.

Finally, comes the time for Edric to recite the final phrase of the spell.

Before Edric cites the final phrase, he grins at Rein, not wanting to give him the hard goodbye. But what happened is the absolute opposite of it. Rein finally shed tears, cursing his own helplessness, and begging to Edric in silence.

Onerously, Edric clenched both of his fists with his arms stretched straight forward.

Edric: " God's Art: Exodus! "

Edric spread his arms wide, and the spell is active. Everything inside the sphere vanishes without a trace. Not even single track of mana, not even a speck of dust is left. The sky kingdom disappears in an instant. All is gone, except for the Eldergleam and those it protects.

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" As much as I loathe it, you must cooperate with me, humans! Else no one will survive! "

In the battlefield, the table have turned unexpectedly, especially for the knights of Edessia. What they thought they would be facing turned into their allies instead. There's no helping it, for they are facing a greater danger.

"On your feet knight! The battle has yet to begun! "

As Halius ready his men, the dragon suddenly spew a green flame to all of the knights bathing them in it.

" Aaagh! Help me! Help... huh? "

They thought that they were burned to cinder, but instead the flame doesn't do anything. They panicked for a while before realizing that their shield, armor, and weapon were faintly glowing.

" You have my blessing, a dragon's boon. Now it can hurt him and his creations."

The dark entity, Osmir, raise his staff, commanding his forces to strike. The animated knights and monsters swarmed the ground, charging towards the knights and the dragon like in berserk.

" On me, leader of human. We will take him head on. "

" ...Very well. Try anything stupid and I'll stab you right on your neck. "

Halius climbs on to the dragon, holding on to the spike on its back. Sargaroth then take off, soaring high to the sky. Planning to break through the clashing army and heading straight towards, Osmir.

" There are two things that you need to mind, human. First is that projectiles and any long-range attack will never work on him. "

" The spatial magic... "

" And second.... This is the hardest part, don't stay too long near him. Pull back as soon as your ears feels cold. "

" What would happen if I did? "

" Then you will meet the same fate as the leaves and grasses. "

Halius's face stiffens, his brows furrowed. 'One mistake is all it need to erase me from this world', he thought to himself. Sargaroth let out a numerous breath of fire, assisting the Silver Legion against the myriad assault while opening their path towards Osmir.

When they are right above Osmir, Sargaroth turns into his enraged mode. His horn grows larger and etched with spiral patterns in a glowing red. Swirled by blazing fervor, his body covered in crimson flame-shaped veins. Proceeding to use his strongest attack, Sargaroth stopped and hovering in mid-air to stabilize his posture.

" Jump, human! I am about to unleash a flame you can never withstand! "

Halius quickly jumped off the dragon, compressing the air with his magic to make it a stepping like invisible stairs. Gradually descending upon the great darkness below him.

" As'hail Saldorah! "

Sargaroth unleash a dark-towering flame, encircling Osmir and Halius. Another fighting ground has been made, an arena that is much fatal than before, especially to those who touches its wall.

" I can feel that his advent isn't complete. Thus, he hasn't regain his full strength. But you'll wind up dead eventually if you don't heed my forewarnings. "

" Why don't you fight with me, dragon!? "

" My breath are useless, while I also cannot touch him... It's all up to you and your sword, human. "

Finding that he was alone and no one to back him up, Halius draw his sword and hold his shield. He carefully approaching the powerful enemy before him, an entity which even the dragon feared. He moves step by step, analyzing his enemy movement while looking for an opening.

Halius blinked for a second and in that instant, his enemy is nowhere before him. Based on his muscle memory alone, he quickly turned around and put his sword up straight. A lucky hunch that is, Halius was able to parry the enemy back-stabbing strike in the nick of time.

" Guh! "

It doesn't stop there, Halius launched a barrage of strikes in counter. Slash after slash, until he finally felt a freezing cold on his ears. He immediately took a several steps back. But Osmir has no intention to let him do so, thus he teleported again right behind Halius.

" D-Damn you! "

As Osmir was about to swing his staff, suddenly a magic circle appeared on the ground, rapidly spreading through the battlefield and maybe even beyond. Seeing this peculiarity, Osmir stopped it swings right before it hits Halius.

Osmir's eye widened after seeing the structure of the circle, like in fear of something. Exploiting this split second, Halius immediately thrust his sword. The king powerfully drag and slams Osmir before nailing him to the ground.

" Sky Art: Mana Nullification! "

In spite of his decaying skin, and rotting flesh, Halius didn't let go of this sword. With the magic circle formed a spherical layer. Osmir desperately trying to let go, he smashed halius face with his staff over and over and over again, but to no avail.

" What are you so afraid of, huh? I'll just let you know, you vile filth! You're not going anywhere! "

Meanwhile Sargaroth, driven by his instinct, quickly fled the sphere, leaving everything behind him. He doesn't care about anything else other than his own survival, for he can try again any time he wants to exact his revenge.

Osmir on the other hand, realizing that it was futile to knock Halius off of him, decided to break his staff instead. Five black balls emerged from inside the staff, and they all were immediately sent flying to the sky.

Soon, the magic circle bursting with radiant light, vanishing everything without any single faint sign of life. The greatest marvel has been unleashed, bringing the closing of an era.