“Who sent you? And why do you want to take control of Bristal?” Arcthrel asked.
“The Mother sent me. She created us to take over the entirety of Messogard, and I was chosen to wreak havoc upon Bristal,” Malevolentia replied.
“Us? Meaning there are more where you came from?!” “Why yes, there are seven of us. The Mother used all of her existence to create the Seven Spawns. I am one of them. My brothers are currently scattered throughout the world to wreak havoc… why would we want to destroy Bristal? No, no. Should we say, Messogard? The Mother believes the people have become corrupted by the magick they created. Therefore it is time to end all humanity’s existence… before there is creation, there must first be destruction… Bristal will be the foundation of a new era, an era where the world is untainted with the corruption of humanity and supreme power rules the entire Messogard. I have chosen you, Arcthrel, to be my vessel to an eternity of salvation!”
“Hmph. I don’t want this world of yours! And I refuse to be a vessel of some spirit to take over the whole world. You must be out of your mind!” Arcthrel answered.
“Very well! Your flesh shall scream! Excruciating pain worse than death shall be upon you! Your bones shall weep when they crumble as I reform your body into a vessel of my unleashed power!” Malevolentia cried. The apparition grew larger, towering over the mage, and rose from the shadowy woods. No sign of the path could be found.
“Infierga!” Arcthrel uttered. Massive flames covered the whole of his body. “Eruptio!” Explosions conjured around him and swarmed the demonic figure, but it merely laughed.
“You think you can hide beneath your flames?! Fool! I am Malevolentia! One of the Seven Spawns! Soon I shall be consuming your magickal abilities!” Malevolentia spoke deeply from behind the flames.
“Infusio Floga!” Infusio Floga, a unique spell crafted by Arcthrel, caused his body to transform into flames, allowing him to camouflage with the surrounding flames consuming the decaying forest.
“Oh, so you think you can escape my wrath?” Malevolentia heinously snarled. As Arcthrel thought he was about to escape, Malevolentia grabbed hold of the flame form. “Do not underestimate me, Flame Maven!” He choked Arcthrel; his focus broke and instantaneously his body returned to human form.
Arcthrel shot his hand out, seizing Malevolentia’s face and cast Outburst. Malevolentia’s face exploded into bits and the demon lost his grip on Arcthrel’s neck. “Living Flames!” Arcthrel shouted and a meteor shower occurred. Burning rocks slammed all around them and from the craters, the stones heaved and moaned. Massive flaming golems emerged from the fallen rocks and surrounded Arcthrel to protect him.
“Dispersio!” Malevolentia uttered and at once all of the flaming golems were destroyed in an instant.
“Damn it! You really are pushing me!” Arcthrel exclaimed. As his mouth and eyes opened wider, flames covered them, like the inside of the orbs were no longer man but inferno and the crater of his mouth the abyss.
“Is that supposed to scare me, human?! I am a Spawn, you feeble creature!” Malevolentia intoned darkly.
Malevolentia stretched his long wicked arms wide and uttered the spell, “Elemental Creed!” A spectrum of elements attacked Arcthrel continuously, battering him with strike after strike of a cascading array of elemental power. Elemental Creed captured the combination of the main magick elements: Fire, water, earth, wind, light, and dark. This powerful spell would leave a weaker victims dissipated into oblivion, instantly vaporising them from the torrentuous assault. However, with Arcthrel’s advanced magickal capabilities, he wasn’t instantly killed. The powerful spell left him severely damaged. Arcthrel’s flames began to fade, all the colour vanishing as they turned from brilliant orange-red to pure white. His body was preparing for his ultimate spell, the Frozen Flame.
“Well done, Flame Maven. You never fail to amuse me. I really know that you are the right person fit for my plans!”
Surely this was the perfect time to use this spell. Seconds later he shouted and unleashed Frozen Flame.
“Such great power! I never realised he was this powerful!” Malevolentia blurted. There was no time left to play. The powerful final spell launched towards the demon. “If I let him successfully cast his spell, he has a chance of killing me… now is the perfect time while he is weakened by the Elemental Creed. yes… yes… no more time to spare… Absolute Possession!” Malevolentia cast and his ghastly apparition fused with Arcthrel’s body.
White purifying flames disappeared into thin air and the Frozen Flame cancelled. Arcthrel struggled to fight off Malevolentia’s spirit. The two souls entangled, trapped in mighty battle for domination. After a few minutes of wrestling with Malevolentia’s spirit, flame and smoke stirred within Arcthrel’s body and Malevolentia wrested control of Arcthrel.
With an awful, deep breath, Malevolentia’s Absolute Possession upon Arcthrel settled in. His voice changed, deepening to the thunderous rumble of the demonic utterings. He summoned a mask resembling the Malevolentia apparition. “This feels good! Hahahaha! Now all I have to do is master Arcthrel’s magickal spells… and a name, yes, hmmm… Arcthrel Diogenis Leonbarck… Ah! Now I shall be called Dio…” And alas, the Dark Mage Dio was born.
With Malevolentia completely controlling Arcthrel’s being, Arcthrel’s spirit tucked away into the deepest void inside of his own body, slumbering within an eternal hellish nightmare.
“Now I shall gather many followers to my cause, and we shall be known throughout the land as Malevolentiam. So it begins…”
Arcthrel’s head slightly moved, and the man moaned, groaning in his trance. The queen surveyed him with a kind interest. It was incredible, really. The man’s body was not injured or damaged in any way. It was only his mind that still struggled, his soul deep under the dream of Malevolentia. It appeared the demon had no ability to destroy a host after vacating–it would only be a matter of waiting to see if he would wake up. Perhaps Arcthrel would be fortunate and wake soon; perhaps he never would.
Jael rose from where he sat with his mother and made his way to Helena, who too sat in the infirmary. “Hey… how are you feeling?”
“It feels… different having no arms…” Helena replied with a cocky smirk.
“I promise to defeat Malevolentia. I swear I will save this kingdom!” Jael said.
Queen Jeannah made her way over to Jael and put a hand onto his shoulder. “Death has taken so many of us, but I know we still have a small light to push through with this. Only you, Draken, Vaan, Helena and Cassandra remain to fight. As long as there is air in our lungs, and strength left in our feet, we can still bring the fight to the enemy. Be strong, my son…”
Mikhal burst into the infirmary. “My queen! I don’t know if this is good or bad news, but Malevolentia is melding his spirit to the floating fortress!” The seer reported quickly, but the look on his face was utterly grim. Vaan had come along with him, dejected and not looking at anyone.
“What?! He can do that?!” Jael exclaimed.
“Apparently, he can. It will take days before the process is complete and his spirit will completely fuse to the fortress. After that, he may be unstoppable. I estimate we have at least four days to prepare for this final battle,” Mikhal explained.
“Damn it. When will this ever end…?” Jael gloomily said. The outcome looked grim for them.
It was quiet for some time. The heavy reality, the very real possibility that in less than a week they would all be dead. That moment carried them until Vaan spoke up, his voice low and ashamed, head bowed. “Jael…”
Jael glanced over to the humbled man.
“I am sorry, my mind was controlled. Dio cast a spell upon me, triggered my hostility towards you… I was not in control, I apologise…”
“I understand, Vaan, it’s not your fault,” Jael replied. Vaan nodded, then walked away, disgust at his own actions hanging over him. “Hey, Vaan, wait–we are brothers, why not prepare yourself to fight the enemy at my side?”
“I… I thought you would never trust me again…”
“I will always trust my brother. We started this journey together. We were brought here for a reason. That reason is to defeat Malevolentia. Together,” Jael said with a dark grin on his face. “Tomorrow we start to train and devise a plan to fight Malevolentia.” He headed down the hall to his quarters.
Cassandra, however, could not bear the fact that she killed Alexa. She went to the queen and fell to her knees to beg for forgiveness. “My Queen…” she stuttered.
“Shush… It wasn’t your fault.” Queen Jeannah held her remorseful face in her hands.
“I will pledge my life to your service, to be your personal guard. I lay down my life for you… I will never leave your side, my Queen…” Cassandra bowed down with tears gushing through her face. But the forgiving queen only bent down and hugged her, comforting her through the pain of the many losses inflicted by this war.
Meanwhile, Helena too spoke to the queen, who sat still at her dreaming lover’s side. She bowed to the queen, as she had no hands for any other gesture of respect. “My queen, I am truly sorry for disobeying your orders… I lost both my arms when I used the Fate magick…”
“You need not apologise. You gave your all to defeat the enemy,” Jeannah replied.
“My queen, I wish to serve your son. I wish to be by his side when he fights Malevolentia. Would it be possible for you to use some sort of healing magick to form flesh and recreate my arms?” Helena asked.
“I cannot do such magick, not in the way you imagine…” The queen paused, considering the prospects. “However, I can do something else. The downside is, I will need your Retribution,” Queen Jeannah said.
“I will do anything for the sake of the kingdom, my queen,” Helena replied.
“I have a spell called Mazgoju. It is a spell in which two different elements are fused together into one body. However, in order for it to be successful, the two elements must share a common trait. In your case, you have been handling your Retribution for a very long time now. I am certain your sword will be more than willing to share its elemental composition and merge with your body. This is the magick spell I used to save Vaan’s life,” Queen Jeannah explained.
“I see. Please do it, my queen,” Helena replied and she conjured her Retribution. She knelt and offered it to the queen, who took it and struggled with its weight.
The Queen smiled sheepishly. “I am in awe that you lift and use this with ease. Please bear the pain. I will not lie to you. This will be painful. It is made of pure metal and infused with your lightning magick, and soon, your Retribution shall be your arms. Are you ready?” Queen Jeannah asked.
“Yes my queen!” Helena replied confidently.
“Mazgoju!” Queen Jeannah uttered. The Retribution sword liquefied and slowly forged itself into the shape of two muscular woman’s arms. The liquid stretched out towards Helena’s empty shoulder sockets. “Brace yourself, Helena! This is it.” Helena screamed with intense pain as the magick met her body and the metal and lightning began to entwine with her very flesh. Her eyes rolled up, pure white for a moment before she lost consciousness and slumped to the ground at the queen’s feet. Her new arms were made up of metal, infused with the very lightning she wielded. This would make the woman all the more versatile in battle, once she mastered her skills with her new appendages. This was only the beginning of a challenging journey to recovery.
Jeannah shifted Helena’s new arm over her shoulder and eased the woman up, transferring her onto the bed. “It is finished… rest, my child,” Queen Jeannah murmured and left her on her bed to rest.
Three days to go. Arcthrel still slumbered, bed ridden. In Jeannah’s educated opinion, he was responding positively. Perhaps he would quickly recover from the nightmare of many years. Jael stumbled into the infirmary, took a look at the Flame Maven, and asked, “How is he?” Jael asked.
“I believe he will be fully recovered before night fall,” Queen Jeannah replied with a gentle smile.
“That’s great! In the meantime, I shall train with Vaan and Draken and devise a plan,” Jael answered.
“Oh, you might want to look through the window…” Queen Jeannah said and she smiled, pointing at the courtyard down below. When Jael peeked through the window, he was astonished at what he saw. Helena was on the grounds, with Draken and Vaan. “You might want her to join you in devising a plan,” Queen Jeannah stated with a wink.
“What happened to her?” Jael asked, in total shock.
“I infused her sword with her body, creating her new arms. Now go to her,” Queen Jeannah replied.
Jael at once ran towards the courtyard, stumbling out the door and into the light. The two men were laughing together, and Helena said, “Hey, Jael, you overslept again!” Her hands and arms were now pure silver, and Jael could barely breathe out her name, falling to his knees in shock at the sight. She walked towards him and clasped his face in her new silver hands. “The queen healed me. There’s a bonus! My arms are my Retribution. I can freely cast spells using my arms only!”
“I am glad to see you with arms…” Jael answered, still shell- shocked.
“Hey, Jael, I heard the guy in the infirmary is your father, is that true?” Vaan asked.
“Yes… he is my father. Apparently, Malevolentia possessed his body and used his spell for the purpose of destroying Bristal. But now is no time to talk about such things. We need to conspire an attack on Malevolentia,” Jael explained. He pressed his fist to the ground, making to rise.
“Now you say that… with you on your knees like a fool. You look like you’re proposing to Helena for marriage… bah…” Draken muttered. Helena instantly blushed, and Jael hurried to his feet, reddening as well.
“All right, that’s enough… I have been surveying the process. Malevolentia’s fusion with the floating fortress is already upwards of 20%,” Mikhal said darkly.
Drifting away from the task at hand, Jael quickly cleared his throat. “Very well. Helena, I want you to practise to restore all your magickal abilities. Draken and Vaan, we need to think up a way on how to defeat this maniacal fiend,” Jael said. They started to train and brainstorm, and practised hard and long throughout the day.
It was almost nightfall when Arcthrel slowly opened his eyes. They blinked open and shut a few blearily times and he murmured the wearied question. Where is this? It was just like the first time. She hoped it would not be the last. “Arcthrel!” Queen Jeannah gasped. “You are in Krimmirr.”
His eyes opened fully, and narrowed in focus on her. He shivered. “J… Jeannah?! Is that you? Or is this another dream…?”
“Yes, Arcthrel… I am here, and I promise this is real. We must save the questions for later. Our situation is grave. I’m certain you remember who Malevolentia is, correct?” she asked.
“Yes! Yes! That… the last thing I remember... I was in a deep, dark forest and this Malevolentia attacked me. I am sorry I left you in Sanhera… I had my reasons…”
“Let’s talk about that later… Malevolentia possessed you and trapped you inside a dream. He took full control of your body and abilities,” she explained.
“I see. So what is the situation?” he asked.
“First of all, I am the ruling queen of Bristal. You have a son, I named him Shion. But he is called Jael. It’s a profoundly long story for later. Now, Jael is the one who fought Malevolentia. I exorcised him outside of your body, freeing you from the dream. But none of that matters right now. We have three days to prepare before Malevolentia will destroy all of Bristal,” she stated.
“What?! I have a son? Malevolentia will what?!” he replied, astonished and in utter confusion.
“I do not expect you to comprehend everything immediately. Now, Jael and the others are training and devising a plan to defeat the evil menace. I ask for your help in destroying this diabolical entity…”
“Very well… I know a way we may be able to destroy that demon. Where is Jael?”
�
��Out there, in the courtyard. I will show you.”
Arcthrel slowly stood up, and she took his arm, guiding him to the courtyard where everyone was still training and plotting. Vaan gestured for Jael to look, and his head rose, shock overtaking his face for one quick second when he saw the man beside the queen. He hurried to his feet and walked towards them.
“Are you Jael?” Arcthrel asked. “Y… yes…” Jael stammered.
“Don’t be frightened, I am Arcthrel, your father…”
“I… I know… I have a lot of questions but first we need to defeat Malevolentia…”
“I know how to defeat it,” Arcthrel said. “First we need to go to Fulbor.”
“Half of Fulbor is destroyed. What is waiting for us in Fulbor?” Jael asked.
“Being a champion of the Maggus’ Arena, I have been in the audience of the Consul of Fulbor, Viktor Alatov. We became good compatriots and he revealed to me that a weapon is hidden in Fulbor which can dissipate a whole city,” he explained.
“Do you think this weapon is still active?” Draken asked. “We must go there to answer your question… Viktor told me that it was called the Equinox Project. We need to go there as soon as possible,” Arcthrel replied.
“Very well, we leave for Fulbor at once!” Queen Jeannah said.
“My queen, you will come with us?” Helena asked.
“Yes, this is the final battle. I want to help defend the kingdom in any way I can. Don’t worry about me, Cassandra will stay by my side.” she replied.
Everyone introduced themselves to Arcthrel and their respective spells in order to successfully devise a plan against Malevolentia. Then the crew made their way to the valkyrie. They were boarding when someone else appeared in the doorway. Jael glanced back and saw a familiar man. “Reighild?!” Jael shouted, and he quickly cast Blazia.
Teliko Mageia: Curse of the Frozen Flame Page 39
