Adventures of John: Death of Magic
Chapter 10: The Mana Heart
Author's note: I am so sorry for my long absence. I have been busy with so many things lately that I haven't had nearly as much time to write as I would like. I am back now though and to make up for my absence, the last few chapters of this tale will be released one each day until the end. Enjoy!
We reached the bottom of the pit without too much difficulty, my magic shielding us from the worse of the wall as we landed in a place where no light could reach us. I conjured magical spheres of light to show the way, and it turned out that there was more beyond the pit. Along with all the machinery working on digging deeper into the earth, on the edge of the pit directly ahead of us there was an opening that looked suspiciously like a door.
I looked questioningly at both Elsa and Merida and they nodded back, Merida drawing an arrow across her bowstring while Elsa gathered her energy. Together we walked cautiously through the doorway, my little fairy lights leading us. There were no deadly monsters or dangerous Rose soldiers waiting for us on the other side, only a twisting corridor that branched off in several directions, though only one of them headed downwards. Since the Rose were digging deeper to get this Mana Heart, it made sense for the three of us to head down.
"I never would have thought you would end up this way," I told Merida as we walked down the corridor. "You are very comfortable with killing."
"I'm a bounty hunter," she replied with a shrug. "What did ye expect, a whimpering kitten afraid to hurt anybody?"
"I just didn't think that the girl who was worried about how her mother felt about her enough to seek the help of a witch would have so little trouble filling a man with arrows."
Suddenly I was thrown against the wall, Merida's arm against my throat. "How do you know about that?!"
Then Merida was the one to be thrown into a wall as Elsa shot a blast of icy magic that knocked the Scottish archer into another wall and covered her chest with a thick layer of ice, holding her there. "I would prefer if you kept your hands off of my husband, princess."
I rubbed my throat carefully, nodding thankfully to Elsa. "I couldn't have picked a better match," I told her with a smile. "Which is why I am glad I wasn't the one doing the picking. Now, Merida, if you must know, I watched it happen. A bit of 'magic' from my world that allows me to watch certain events in the pasts of other worlds. I really don't think this is something we should be fighting about. We have more important things to deal with, remember?"
"But before we continue, I still have one question. What happened to you? I've killed, but each time I've killed it was like driving a blade into my own heart. What happened to you to make you so comfortable with killing?"
Her answer was short and simple. "I grew up."
Elsa dissolved the ice and Merida landed on her feet, giving both of us a glare before she continued down the walkway and we followed her. After a while the walkway became rougher, the smooth ground changing into massive, ancient slabs of stone placed together. "This place is old," I whispered. "Very old. It looks like the Rose may have found something here after all." As we continued walking the downward slope became steeper, the slabs of stone growing smaller until at some point I realized that we were no longer going down a hallway, but were instead walking down a set of stairs.
The stairs continued for quite some time, leading us deeper and deeper underground. Every minute or so Elsa would cringe in pain. After the first few times I let her lean on me for support, doing my best to alleviate her pain. I knew it was my fault that she was in this situation in the first place, but there was nothing I could do. Above us our army of snow warriors was fighting with the Rose, and each time Elsa's face contorted in pain it meant that another warrior had been destroyed, harming my beloved in a way that no physician could heal. All we could do now was keep moving.
Elsa was just recovering from another attack when we suddenly found ourselves walking through a doorway into an immense cavern. The ground dropped on either side of us into unknown dark depths, with a single walkway barely wide enough for one person leading out into the center of the expanse. There in the center was a massive spherical object hanging suspended in the air, letting off a bright azure glow that filled the cavern.
"You!" We turned around to see Magus Magda staring at us, her clothing disheveled as she breathed heavily and held her staff aloft.
"Late to the party Magda?" I turned towards her and grinned, standing confidently.
"I should have known you fools will be here. Out of my way Adventurer, before I am forced to eliminate you."
"You will be doing nothing of the sort." I waved my hand and her staff disintegrated in her hands. "Do you even realize where we are? This is the heart of this world's magic, and I have spent far more time on this world than you have. I am more attuned to the magic of this world than anyone other than a few. Here I am more powerful than you could imagine."
"Not powerful enough to stop the Rose!" she attempted to blast us with a beam of sapphire energy, only for that energy to freeze in the air between us.
"Oh, did I forget to mention? One of those few more attuned to this world's magic than me is my wife."
"You don't stand any better of a chance against me than you do my husband," Elsa added. "In fact, you stand less of a chance. Unlike my husband, I know how to fight dirty." She winked at me and we both snapped our fingers. Magus Magda was suddenly frozen in place, contained within a prison of ice and gold crystal, the structure humming with power. She wasn't going anywhere.
"I guess that's a wrap." I turned back to the Mana Heart, staring into the swirling energies. It seemed to be drawing me towards it, sucking me into its depths. I shook my head and turned to leave, only for a massive tremor to run through the cavern.
Magda glared at us. "Fools! You have destroyed us all!"
"You underestimated me Magda," a confident voice stated. We all turned towards the Mana Heart and saw Hans standing there, his sword impaled in the Mana Heart. "Everyone always underestimates me. I have the greatest mind in the world, but no one ever saw, because I was the thirteenth son, the thirteenth brother."
"Really Hans?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Throwing a little pity party for yourself? Haven't you done that enough?"
"That is enough from you!" he exclaimed. "I should be King of the Southern Isles! I should be King of Arendelle! You and your wife ruined everything!"
"I don't think you give Anna enough credit. She is the one that actually defeated your plans."
"If there was no magic none of this would have happened!" he exclaimed. "Your magic ruined everything! So let's get rid of it!"
"No!" Hans slammed his blade into the Mana Heart, the blade going through and flying out the other side. Cracks began to appear all over the sphere, sapphire energy roiling chaotically until it exploded.
Energy flew everywhere, sending us all down to our faces and knocking Hans off of the central platform. He managed to grab a hold of the edge, but it was not done. The released energy from the Mana Heart began to swirl around and condense together, shrinking into a single miniscule point. Then it began to draw all magic inward.
I saw my golden energy pulled from me, Elsa's icy energy doing the same. Magda's prison disintegrated and was consumed, but she was in no position to retaliate, as she was in the same position as we were. Even Merida was feeling the effects, her wisp friends being forcefully drawn towards the remnants of the Mana Heart.
Far above us in the main cavern, the warring forces were affected as well. Snow soldiers collapsed into piles of snow and shards of ice, the energy that gave them life swirling downwards. The enchantments left the Rose soldier's armor and weapons, and every Rose magus was curled up on the ground in pain as their magic was ripped from them. The magical collars and chains controlling the magical creatures lost their power, but the magical creatures could not attack their captors as they themselves began to be pulled downwards towards the growing magical singularity.
It hurt me deeply to watch the torment my beloved was in as her magic was ripped from her, but I was in an even worse situation. As my own magic was ripped from me I saw the worst possible scenario begin to take place. My body began to fade and flicker in and out of existence, barely able to keep its form with the energy that sustained it being torn away. If something wasn't done to fix this soon, I would lose not only my magic, but my only link to Arendelle, and to Elsa. Forever.