Day 35:
As per Reina's specifications, they gathered the necessary people and went together to the crystal chamber. They made something of a dilapidated bunch. Regis with his cane, Cor stubbornly refusing one and limping as a result, and Clarus in his wheelchair, drugged to the teeth for the pain. And Reina… she was a shadow today. An improvement from some of her other days.
They gathered before the crystal; the room was oddly dim in the absence of the Wall and the power that upheld it.
"Are you ready my dear?" Regis asked Reina.
"Yes." Reina stared blankly at the inert crystal before looking up at him.
He could only guess at what lay beneath those placid features. Would she do as she had said and keep to the limits of her power? Doubtful. She would need to to be watched.
She stepped forward, lifting her left hand. The crystal flared to life at much the same time as the Ring of the Lucii began to glow. Strands of Reina's magic twisted from her through the ring to the heart of the crystal, calling forth power and forming a connection. White-violet light spilled from the geode to bathe them all, so bright Regis was forced to avert his gaze for a moment. And it only built.
She reached through the crystal to pull power and let it loose in the room. Not in a haphazard fashion; the magic that washed over them did so discriminately, welling around Clarus and Cor and, most especially, Regis. But he could not allow himself to become distracted. She would overstep her bounds if that was what it took, and the more magic that poured into the room the more he was certain it would be.
"Reina—!" Regis stepped forward, or tried to. His words seemed to catch in the magic much as his movement did. "This is too dangerous!"
She remained with her back to him, her focus on the crystal. Magic twisted around her and burned through her skin, leaving violet-white cracks across her arms. The light around him grew brighter and brighter until he could see nothing but light, feel nothing but light.
When it cleared, he was on his knees in the crystal chamber. Reina stood before the crystal, though the way she swayed on her feet implied she wouldn't remain there for long.
"Reina!" Regis lurched to his feet and sprinted the few steps to her. She dropped into his arms nearly as soon as he had reached her. He scooped her up in a princess carry. Her body was limp and motionless in his arms—too light.
"Little princess. Do not do this to me. Not again."
She tilted her head back. Regis held his breath. Her eyes fluttered open and swept across his face. Whatever she saw gave her cause to smile.
She reached up and touched his cheek. "You're so handsome, Father."
"I may never forgive you for this, my dear."
"I know. That's alright. Just live, like you were meant to."
Her head sagged, hitting his chest. Her hand fell away from his face.
"Cor." Regis turned around. "Tell me she is still breathing."
Cor only stared at him.
"This instant, Leonis!"
Cor lurched forward. He put all his weight on his right leg and didn't wince or stumble. His fingers probed beneath Reina's chin. Regis held his breath and shut his eyes.
"She's alive." Cor breathed. "She's alright."
"Then I may kill her myself," Regis said.
Cor stooped to run his hands over his previously injured knee. Clarus rose to his feet and tested his balance.
"I am taking this one upstairs." Regis shifted his hold on Reina and moved toward the door. "The two of you old enough to make your own decisions."
He swept out of the room, past the Crownsguards outside who took three extra looks at him while they tried to put the pieces together.
He left his cane on the floor in the crystal chamber.