Thanks, always, for joining me on this adventure~~
Tales of Vesperia: Lights and Shadows
Chapter 12 – Of Spirits and Men
A loud and constant humming awoke Estelle from a deep and dreamless slumber. While they were scheduled to arrive in Nordopolica by morning, the sound she heard was not quite what one would expect from a thriving guild city. She was not the only one disturbed from her rest; Repede, who had been sleeping on the floor, climbed to his feet and went to the door, scratching at it and whining.
Estelle searched the darkness, but not a trace of light found its way into the cabin she, Yuri, and Repede shared. She could feel Yuri's back against her own; through some unspoken agreement, they came to the conclusion that sharing a sleeping space was in her best interest. Typically, the princess appreciated his presence. In this very moment, however, excessive heat radiated off of him and over to her, causing her discomfort. The pink-haired woman sat up and lit a small lantern before leaning over and giving Yuri's shoulder a gentle shake.
"Yuri?" she said, though quietly.
Peering over him, she noted he had red cheeks and was flinching, clearly in some sort of distress. Estelle did not even have to wonder if he was running a fever—it was obvious. Repede continued to scratch at the door.
"What is it, Repede?" the princess asked.
Quietly, she slipped out of bed and into her boots. Taking hold of the lantern, the young woman went to the door and opened it, and her canine companion immediately rushed out. Estelle gasped and then followed after him.
"Repede, wait!" she called out.
Estelle trailed him onto the deck of the ship, losing track of him very briefly. She found him again, but he was then no longer of interest to her. What had caused him anxiety quickly became apparent to her. A few short steps brought her closer to the bow of the ship, and then she froze. Her grip on the lantern faltered, and it fell to her feet. Glass shattered and light went out, but it no longer mattered. Wide, turquoise eyes focused on the horizon.
Nordopolica was in plain view, and so were four enormous pyramids hanging in the night sky above it. All four of the monstrous objects hung in place over the city, drawing brilliant white energy from it up into their bases. The sound of life being drained from the city was appalling—it was ceaseless. Estelle brought both hands up to her mouth, the sights and sounds making it difficult to breathe.
Out of nowhere, a large hand tightly gripped her shoulder from behind. Estelle let out a startled cry and spun around. Riddick released her and then looked toward Nordopolica. Swallowing hard, the princess turned and followed his gaze.
"Every other person on this ship is unconscious," said the mercenary, solemn. "With four of those things, the energy drain is happening too fast. Every single one of them will be dead by morning."
Estelle stared at the guild city straight ahead. Taking staggered steps, the young woman moved to the farthest point at the front of the ship, gripping at the rails tightly. They had not had time to think of a suitable solution. They knew nothing about these towers or how to stop them. There was just too little time.
But she knew exactly what had to be done.
"I can probably get this ship to port, but it might be too late," Riddick said as he began to head toward the cabin of the ship. "And we still know nothing about those things."
"I know what to do," Estelle replied, firm. Her eyes were fixed on the city being drained of human life.
Riddick turned partially to face the princess, and Repede turned to her entirely. Estelle's eyes glowed from the lights rising into the sky in the distance. Without another word to them and with absolutely no hesitation, she spoke unwaveringly into the darkness around them.
"Undine! Sylph!" she called out.
At her call, two brilliant lights circled around her, one blue and the other green. Two spirits appeared before her from out of the lights. Undine, the ruler of waters, appeared in the form of an elegant blue-haired woman wielding a spear. Sylph, the binder of winds, appeared as a small fairy-like creature colored green and yellow. Estelle met eyes with them before she spoke to them in desperation.
"Please!" she started. She bowed from the waist down. "Lend me your powers! Bring this ship to the port at once so those lives can be saved!"
The spirits to whom she spoke shared a look to one another first before glancing at the objects drawing life out of the world.
"What are you intending to do?" asked Sylph out of curiosity.
"I will create a barrier and push those things away," Estelle explained, standing straight. At this, Riddick turned and faced her completely, his eyes wide.
"Even though it may well cost you your life," Undine said, her voice gentle.
"This has to stop. They must not do as they please! Too many lives are at stake!" Estelle said, hastily. "Please! Please help me!"
"As you wish," Undine answered at once.
The spirit of water spread out her arms and closed her eyes. Blue energy engulfed her until she disappeared entirely within it, and then the water surrounding the boat began to glow. Waves began to crash against the ship in opposition to the ocean's normal pull, pushing the ship toward Nordopolica in haste.
"Very well," Sylph agreed. "Let's see what you are capable of."
The fairy-like spirit of wind flitted around Estelle before disappearing in wisps of green light. Immediately after she disappeared, the winds shifted and grew drastically stronger, catching the sails of the ship and dragging it across the sea. With the wind and waves working together, the enormous ship sped along at incredible speeds toward Nordopolica, closing in quickly.
Estelle offered the city one last look before rushing back toward the door that would take her inside the ship. Riddick frowned as she hurried past him.
"Hey!" he shouted after her, making sure his voice could be heard over the roaring wind and crashing waves. "What about the hostages?"
"There's no time to worry about that now," Estelle told him, stumbling into the doorway as she struggled to open the door. The wind around them was fierce. "They would be ashamed of me if I did anything other than this."
Leaving him no opportunity to reply, Estelle hurried inside the ship, the door slamming behind her. She staggered through the darkness, hurrying back to the cabin where her belongings were kept. Gripping the bag she had brought along with the two large crystals within it, the princess hung it over her shoulder before grabbing her sword and shield and then proceeded back to the deck.
By then, they were nearly to shore. Repede was crouching and growling at the enormous items in the sky and the trails of energy they were stealing from the city's inhabitants. Riddick had found his way to the helm of the ship, gripping the wheel tightly as he did his best to guide it into the docks.
Estelle staggered out onto the deck, rushed to the edge of the ship, and then climbed up onto the railing. As soon as a dock was near enough, she slipped over the side of the railing, clinging to it just long enough to brace herself for a crash landing. And then, without hesitation, she jumped onto the dock. Repede scampered around on the side of the ship before leaping up onto the railing and bounding onto the dock after her.
"Princess!" Riddick called out, clutching the wheel so as not to lose control and crash into the dock. The wind and waves died and gave him more control. "Hold on! I'm coming!"
"Please take care of the ship!" Estelle hollered back at him.
Climbing to her feet, the princess immediately rushed toward the coliseum. She knew exactly where she needed to go to protect the crystal and have the most immediate impact. Repede was close on her heels.
As they made their way through the city, they found bodies collapsed on the street everywhere. The city was full of people—they had collapsed long before people had closed up their shops and went to bed for the night. The towers had definitely been here a while before them and had drained them of their energy even prior to nightfall. Estelle resisted every urge to check those she was running past; if she wanted to save anyone, she had to stop the enemy at the source.
Estelle and Repede made their way into the room where Belius had previously resided. It was a room that need not attract a lot of attention and would not be actively visited by outsiders. A large man had collapsed there, and the princess recognized him immediately as Natz, the former representative of Belius and current leader of the guild Palestralle. She ignored him as she slid to the ground and shook the contents of the bag onto the floor, grabbing one of the crystals.
"Princess," arose a voice from behind her.
Estelle gasped and flew to her feet, staggering aside. The leader of the shadows had appeared directly behind her, his hand reaching for her hair before she had the time to move away. Repede rushed to attack, snapping at the creature but to no avail. The monster disappeared in a wisp of smoke before reappearing behind Estelle again. He whispered into her ear.
"What could you possibly expect to accomplish here?" asked the creature made of shadows. His lips curled into a grin as he added, "Everyone is already dead, and it's your fault."
Turning, Estelle slashed her rapier at him. The creature disappeared as usual, though he reappeared at the side of the room with a host of his fellow shadows at his side. The princess was undaunted and rose with a crystal tucked under one arm and a sword in her free hand.
Without delay, she began to sing the words she knew then by heart. And without hesitation, the enemies closed in on her to stop her from finishing her song. Estelle fought back and resisted her assailants to the best of her ability with sword and shield. Repede defended her as much as he could, using a dagger, claws, teeth, tail, and whatever else he could to be her first line of defense. All the while, the leader of the shadows stood aside with a smile.
"Do you realize the words you speak?" he asked her. "A child's lullaby is what it became, but it didn't even begin as a song."
Estelle continued to sing, ignoring him and fighting. Assailants would knock her aside and stagger her breathing, but she would immediately pick up the song from wherever she had lost it, unwavering.
"Before that, it was a dirge," explained the leader, his crimson eyes flickering in what could only be perceived as delight. "And even before that, it was an incantation."
Swarms of shadows surrounded Estelle and Repede, overwhelming them. The princess was struck hard, causing her to lose her breath. She struggled to breathe and sing again, but there were too many. Before another shadow was able to touch her, however, a massive axe swung through the army of shadows and took out a majority of those around the young woman. Estelle staggered back and found Riddick entering, his expression severe.
"It was an incantation that would exchange the spirit of the Child of the Full Moon for a power that could filter out any trace of unstable aer," continued the shadow creature who led them all.
Estelle finished the song. The crystal in her arms glowed and then exploded with brilliant light, filling the room and eventually the city. A dome radiated out from the princess and then expanded beyond the room, beyond the city, and beyond the continent. Every trace of the shadows and their towers were thrust from its presence, being pushed away from the city and the humans they were gradually killing. The only one who remained was the leader of them all, his eyes set on the princess.
"A lullaby that would protect the world by killing the one who sings it," he beamed. "A song that you could have only learned from her."
With the barrier erect, Estelle's strength left her, and she crumbled. The stone was still clutched preciously in her arms, though her sword clattered to the ground. Riddick and Repede moved alongside her, guarding her from the last remaining foe. Estelle struggled to catch her breath before she raised her head and looked at the shadow in defiance.
"Gameliel," she said as harshly as she could muster. He looked surprised, as did her comrades. And then she said it again, "Gameliel! I will not fear you!"
"I see," replied the leader of the shadows. "You can communicate with her as well. How bothersome."
At that, the shadow creature disappeared in a flurry of smoke. Estelle's eyes widened.
"As well?"
"You all right, Princess?" asked Riddick, glancing down at her.
"I feel fine," she said.
Holding the stone preciously, Estelle looked into the glowing crystal before closing her eyes and trying to allow herself to get lost in it. As it always did, the stone swept her away into a dreamlike world, though this one moved so quickly that she barely had time to comprehend what was happening around her. Dancers were dancing, and a familiar and handsome man twisted her around before placing a kiss on her hand. A beautiful lake surrounded by forest shone in the moonlight, and a lovely woman in white stood before it alongside a powerful black, feathered Entelexeia. And then suddenly, the same woman was there with a man, the dancing man, and in her arms was a child.
Spinning. The world continued to spin until it was Estelle standing by the lake. The infant was behind her by the shore of the water, silent and unmoving. Wanting to go to protect it, the princess found herself unable to move. And standing over her, dark and dangerous and overwhelmingly strong was the Entelexeia called Gameliel. It roared at her and approached her, but then Estelle reached up her arms towards it as if to embrace it. No, she was in fact planning on embracing it as it lunged to devour her. And then a song was being sung.
Estelle turned, and suddenly she was standing aside and watching as Nohea took her place, embracing the Entelexeia as it crashed its full weight upon her. She was singing a song of protection and sacrifice. There were no stones, no apatheia, nor blastia, and yet she sang. Gameliel crashed into her, and together, they fell toward the lake. A brilliant white light burst forth from all of them, Child of the Full Moon, Entelexeia, and infant alike glowing with powerful white energy.
Suddenly, Gameliel began to disappear, fading away in smoke. The black energy from its disintegrating form suddenly wrapped around Nohea, causing her to gasp. Black and white energy shot forth from her, then, in the form of a small circular barrier. It spread out and swallowed the forest, turning it to dust. Nohea fell into the lake and sank beneath the surface, and then the sand around the lake began to shift and sink towards the water, drawing the infant in. All the while, white and black energy continued to flicker all around the water.
As the infant was dragged by the sand closer to the water, it continued to shine brilliantly of white light. Estelle reached out and tried to save the child, but she had only taken three steps forward before it was taken into the lake. A beam of light erupted to the sky as the child disappeared under the surface, and then traces of a barrier exploded from the lake, though this barrier was both black and white, before flickering out and fading from view.
And then everything was still again. The lake was calm and steady, and there was desert all around. Not a trace of life could be found. Estelle could not remove her eyes from the lake and all that she had just witnessed until she felt a presence at her back. Turning, she found Nohea standing with her back against hers, the world suddenly dark and quiet around them. The lake, the desert, and all of the chaos faded away.
"These are your memories," Estelle said, at last truly understanding what she was able to see. Nohea gave a slight nod of her head but did not face the princess. "Your powers began to transform Gameliel into an Adephagos, and so you attempted to seal him away like what was done with Zaude. Only, you didn't have a blastia to use…"
"If only that had been my error…" Nohea replied, her glowing white eyes staring at the ground in sorrow. "I never meant for any of this to happen. So many people continue to perish… and I can do nothing else but this to stop it."
"How can I help?" Estelle asked, taking hold of Nohea's arm. The white-haired woman finally looked to her. "There is a way to end all of this, isn't there?"
"I told you," Nohea responded, filled with grief and urgency. "You have to die."
"By creating these barriers," began Estelle, frowning. "Will that stop them?"
"No," Nohea replied, shaking her head adamantly. Her eyes filled with tears. "It has to be you." Suddenly, the woman in white lifted her gaze to meet Estelle's eyes, and then she raised a finger to Estelle's chest, indicating her heart. "It has to end here."
Estelle carefully considered the words spoken to her, and then her expression darkened.
"What happened at that lake, Nohea? You were not able to seal Gameliel away, were you? Yet after all this time..."
The princess hesitated. Nohea had tried to seal Gameliel. That much was clear. And a barrier had been created, though it was unlike anything Estelle had witnessed up to that point in time. Crystals were nonexistent in these memories, and both Nohea and Gameliel had disappeared in that lake only to reappear now. And what of the infant?
"What happened there?" she repeated, severe.
A vicious roar suddenly shook the space they were in. Both women covered their ears and flinched. Estelle glanced around, wary, but Nohea merely looked somber.
"He knows I am communicating with you now," she explained. "He will no longer allow me to interfere."
"Gameliel?" Estelle asked. "But how?
"You must release me," Nohea told her, sharply. Another roar drowned out their voices briefly, and a powerful wind rose from the ground and surrounded them. Black energy blended together with it. "Take the final crystal to the Atherum. This will complete the barrier."
"Will that set you free?" asked Estelle. She was flinching and gritting her teeth. The wind and black energy and roaring were constant now, making it hard to concentrate. "And what of my friends? How can I rescue the hostages?" Tightly gripping Nohea's hands in both her own, the princess pleaded, "Please, Nohea! Help me to save them!"
Nohea considered the request, and then she answered, "Destroy the towers by the one who rules them. Return to the lake."
"That will save them?" Estelle asked, desperate. The noise was overwhelming now, and the wind felt as if it would pull her far away. She held fast to Nohea in the hopes of receiving clarity. "I don't understand!"
"Goodbye, Princess Estellise," Nohea said, gently. "I am so very sorry."
Black energy swept up and then carried the white-haired woman away, swallowing her and silencing her. Estelle gasped and stumbled back. A new presence became apparent then, though this one put such a weight on the princess' chest that she found herself unable to breath. It was overwhelming and suffocating. She looked all around and saw nothing but darkness.
"So this is where you were," said a powerful voice that shook the entire world around Estelle. "To think you had survived."
"Gameliel!" Estelle called out, searching the darkness but finding nothing. "Do you remember? You were an Entelexeia once. Nohea was a Child of the Full Moon, and she never meant to, but her power hurt you. You must be able to understand what happened to you."
"Is that what she told you, Princess?" questioned the leader of the shadows, his voice filling the darkness.
Again, the world was spinning. Estelle saw humans looking at her then, their eyes harsh and judgmental. Spin. And suddenly, there were humans standing below her armed with swords and spears. They cursed at her and condemned her. Spin. And then Nohea was screaming as an infant was taken from her arms. Spin. A village was burning to the ground, and people were burning alive. Spin. Nohea was looking up at her, for Estelle was standing somewhere high. The white-haired woman was crying, but she had made up her mind.
"I am so sorry," she said. "I never meant for this to happen. Gameliel…"
Her next words came as a whisper, but they felt like a dagger to Estelle's heart, cold and sharp and piercing.
"I have to kill you."
Estelle choked and could not breathe. She snapped back to reality and dropped the crystal she had been holding, falling back. Everything she had thought she pieced together was suddenly rattled apart. Turquoise eyes fell upon the crystal on the ground in front of her, and then she turned her head and found Riddick and Repede standing nearby. She swallowed hard before gazing upon the crystal again. What had happened that had caused all of this grief?
"You okay?" Riddick asked her, frowning. He had his arms folded over his chest.
"I am," Estelle answered.
Despite everything, she felt stronger than ever. Climbing to her feet, she glanced at Natz, the man still unconscious on the floor nearby. The princess then turned toward Riddick, her expression severe.
"The towers? What happened to them?"
"They're spreading out again," he answered her.
"Are they near?"
"Should be. Why?"
"Because I am going to destroy them," she said.
Estelle got to her feet and collected her sword from the ground. She repositioned her shield and then faced the mercenary, who looked surprised. The princess gave her two companions one last look, and then she stepped around them, her walk quickly becoming a sprint. Repede barked at her before pursuing her. Riddick's lips parted slightly, but he was stunned to silence. It took a moment to collect himself and begin to chase after her.
"And how are you planning on destroying that thing?" questioned the mercenary in disbelief as he pursued her through the streets of Nordopolica.
"I will find a way," Estelle responded, adamant.
Her eyes lifted to the object suspended in the sky. The tower was moving far slower than the others, which had already moved from the area. This one was almost holding entirely still, blocking their view of the stars that were being drowned out by rising sunlight. The princess rushed toward it without hesitation.
"And how are you going to even reach it?" Riddick asked.
"With help," replied the princess.
Estelle slid to a stop just outside the city and beyond the edge of the massive object floating in the sky. Her eyes narrowed slightly and her lips pursed together. Repede and Riddick slowed to a stop at her side, both looking up to the sky above before peering back down at her. The princess leered upwards, and then she suddenly dropped her torso parallel to the ground, bowing at nothing.
"Gnome!" she said, her voice desperate. "Please help us to reach the surface of the tower. Please help me to save everyone!"
All at once, a flash of brown light erupted from her feet before a brown and white creature appeared out of it and stood before her on four legs. Sylph reappeared nearby in a flash of green light. The princess standing before them continued to bow. She spoke politely, but little could conceal her anxiety.
"Please!" she begged.
Gnome, the spreader of roots, raised his head and gazed at the item hanging over their heads, its shadow dark and its presence ominous. Then he bowed his head slightly, releasing a soft and gentle cry. Estelle glanced up and looked to Sylph for a translation.
"He says, 'You shall continue to have my support'," said the spirit of wind. Gnome spoke again in his own unique way, and so Sylph was led to add, "He says, 'Hold on'."
"Hold on?" Riddick asked, raising an eyebrow. He folded his arms over his chest.
Estelle stood straight, and as she did so, Gnome disappeared in glittering lights. Sylph flitted around the princess a moment before smiling and disappearing in a green flash.
"You should probably hold on," she said as she vanished.
"Hold on to what?" questioned the mercenary, annoyed.
As soon as the spirits had disappeared in wisps of light, the ground began to tremble under their feet. All three looked down and found a crack in the earth spreading around them in a circle. Estelle gasped and immediately grabbed a hold of the belt around Repede. Meanwhile, Riddick flinched and grabbed the back of Estelle's top and the belt on the dog.
Then the ground tore from its place and rose under their feet, thrusting them towards the heavens with such speed that it brought them to their knees. The earth rose and created a pillar of stone, with Estelle, Riddick, and Repede perched on the very top. They cried out as it went, but they all managed to keep their balance. The pillar lifted them to the very top of the tower in only a matter of seconds.
Reaching the top, the trio rose above it briefly before Riddick, keeping a grip on his two comrades, jumped off the stone pillar and onto the floating object itself. As soon as their feet left the stone, the rock pillar crumbled to pieces and fell back to the earth. As if it had been waiting just for them, the large object began to move more quickly across the sky after they had boarded it, putting distance between itself and Nordopolica.
The top of the tower the heroes found themselves on was nothing more than a broad, flat platform made of solid stone. As the small group of invaders climbed to their feet, they found that they were not alone. Two creatures made of shadow were waiting for them there: the leader of the shadows, and then a second that had both shadow limbs and the flesh of man.
"Gameliel," Estelle breathed, taking a few steps forward toward them.
"Riddick, was it?" spoke the leader known as Gameliel, ignoring the princess entirely. His crimson eyes fell to the mercenary, a wicked grin rising to his lips. He paused before speaking tender words to the man, "Thanks for the bodies."
Riddick flinched and then lunged forward in anger with axe in hand. He swept the massive blade at Gameliel, but the dark being simply disappeared in a wisp of smoke and reappeared just behind Estelle. The princess gasped and turned, but Repede had immediately caught on and attacked, causing the enemy to disappear again and reappear nearby. The second shadow creature jumped out of Riddick's immediate range.
"Why can't our weapons touch you?" Riddick mused, mostly to himself. He turned and leered at the leader of the shadows before extending his axe in his direction. "Where the hell are you hiding?"
Gameliel merely laughed at him. Estelle scowled at him.
"You're an illusion," she said.
"Am I?" questioned the shadow leader with another wicked laugh.
All at once, the second shadow on the platform lunged forward and attacked Riddick with a sword made of darkness. The mercenary spun and caught the blade with his axe, blasting the creature away with a powerful swing. The humanoid shadow moved quickly and effectively pushed Riddick back with a barrage of shadow strikes, both from his sword and from slivers of shadow that he launched from his own form. Repede engaged him as well and helped the large man avoid critical damage from the creature that was stronger than them both.
Estelle began to rush forward in order to aid them, but then she paused. She turned and scowled at the former Entelexeia known as Gameliel, her eyes narrowing as she met gleeful, crimson eyes. Without a second thought, the princess spun her sword around as if to strike him. He vanished in a flash and reappeared just a step away, and she immediately swung at him again. He played this teasing game of cat and mouse for a while, always flitting just out of reach of her blade.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You cared for humans! So why this?"
Gameliel did not answer her, though he allowed her blade to fly through him without evading. His form fluttered and swayed but was otherwise unaffected. Meanwhile, he extended a hand to her head, creating a pulse of shadow that traveled from his fingertips down into her. She gasped and fell back, bringing her hands to her head as pain shot through every inch of her.
Pain was not the worst problem. Rather, visions of violence danced through her mind while words of hostility and condemnation echoed through her head. She flinched as Alexei's voice rang loud and clear, along with the voices of Phaeroh, Duke, the Council, and all of her closest friends. Crumbling, the princess caught herself only by pushing the tip of her sword into the ground. Then, in defiance, she pushed herself back to her feet. Gameliel's smile faded briefly as she rose despite the turmoil in her head. She struggled to steady her breathing.
"Tell me how… to save my friends," she demanded. Then, as she swung her sword through him to separate him from her, she yelled, "Tell me!"
Reappearing a short distance from her, the leader of the shadows regained his composure, smirked, and then pointed at the battle being waged on the other end of the platform. His long and jagged finger pointed at the humanoid shadow ferociously battling Riddick and Repede. As it stood, the dark creature was winning.
"Defeat him," Gameliel said. "In doing so, the tower will be destroyed."
Estelle faced him, stunned.
"W-why would you tell me that?"
"All good things must come to an end," replied the former Entelexeia with a smile.
Estelle leered at him, then turned and hurried to aid her comrades. All the while, the visions and voices never left her head. The world was spinning around her, and she was having trouble focusing. Visions of Nohea, the infant, the dragon Entelexeia, and a certain human man continued to move around her, existing as a parallel world over the top of the real world around her, making it hard to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Estelle staggered and watched as the man dancing with Nohea through her mind spun over Gameliel's shadowy form on the platform, disappearing into him before spinning out again. It was an unusually perfect fit. She twisted again and watched as Nohea was struck by the full weight of the mighty dragon Gameliel, and both collapsed over the side of the platform. And then she watched as a shadow lunged seemingly out of the lake and thrust a blade through Riddick's shoulder.
"Ah!" Estelle gasped, shaking her head. At once, she used her artes to heal Riddick's shoulder before rushing over to aid in the fight. "Hang on!"
Estelle joined the fray, making the fight more fair with three on one. Together, they managed to push back the monster until Riddick was finally able to land a blow. The blade of his axe tore through shadow. Black and red flew through the air and splashed onto the ground at Estelle's feet. The princess looked down, surprised.
"Blood?" she asked.
"Look out!" Riddick snapped at her.
The shadow spun around and aimed for her. She gasped and was nearly taken down until Repede smashed into the creature with his full weight and hurled him aside.
"Thank you, Repede," Estelle said.
Her eyes fell to the blood again before looking at the injury that had been inflicted on the creature. There was definitely a mix of darkness and red blood dripping from his gaping wound. And then she saw someone racing through her mind who looked far too much like this shadow creature, though in her head he was entirely human. He was at a desert lake along with a host of his comrades, and shadows devoured them all. And then she saw him, both in her vision as a much younger man wielding a sword and as an axe-wielder in the present. Riddick was standing at the lake, and the shadows were trying to devour him, too. Estelle staggered back, bewildered, before looking back at the creature they were battling. One last time, she looked at Gameliel.
"You possess bodies…" she breathed. She turned and looked at their current opponent. "He's also human!" Immediately, Estelle ran to the side and hollered for Riddick and Repede's attention. "He's human! We have to help him!"
"What!?" snapped Riddick as he narrowly dodged a blow that would have severed his head. "Are you crazy!?"
Gameliel's lips turned upward further, and his eyes glowed from absolute delight as he watched the events unfolding before him. Estelle stepped back as she tried to assess the situation, but Riddick and Repede had no choice but to continue to fight for their lives.
"A human possessed by an Adephagos?" Estelle murmured to herself, raising a hand to her lips.
She flinched and then turned her head to the side, frowning. Through the voices and all of the images running through her mind, she saw Nohea again being taken down by the dragon Gameliel. And then she lifted her head. She was incredibly dizzy then, and her body felt as though it would no longer move at her command. Still, stubbornness was one of her most pervasive qualities.
"No, a human possessed by an Entelexeia," she decided.
Slowly, she dropped her sword and raised her hands together just beneath her chin. Estelle closed her eyes. Using whatever concentration she could muster given the circumstances, she began to use her healing artes specifically on their enemy.
"What are you doing!?" Riddick yelled at her, baffled.
To his surprise as well as Repede's, the shadow turned from them and aimed for the princess as her healing spell began to engulf him. He armed himself and lunged at her, though as her magic worked through him, bits of shadow fell from him and revealed human flesh beneath.
"Please," Estelle whispered, opening her eyes briefly. She saw him coming despite all of the visions confusing her mind. Even so, she closed her eyes again and continued, unwavering. "Please be free."
"Look out!" screamed the mercenary at her, dashing after the foe in pursuit of the princess.
Estelle did not flinch but continued to concentrate her magic on their enemy. She opened her eyes as the blade of his shadow sword thrust at her, the enemy just a step away with intent to kill. And then the princess gasped when the massive blade of an axe slashed through the center of the humanoid shadow creature and tore him in half.