The Ancient Magus's Bride: Enter the Spell-Breaker

by DragonDaniel31

Chise Hatori and Elias Ainsworth have made it through the threat of Cartaphilus, but now a new threat arises and this threat has real anger and hatred for Chise. The story takes place during the final moments of the final episode of the Ancient Magus' Bride and continues from there. Some things will be changed so in a way it is an AU but still aligns with the canon of the show.

9. Corrupted Souls

Chapter 7: Corrupted Souls

"What do you mean, Lindel is gone?" Elias asked.

"He was taken by some guy in a weird outfit with horns." one of the dragons said.

"The Spell-Breaker." Chise, Elias, and Ruth said to each other.

"Who?" the dragon asked.

"Who's the Spell-Breaker?" another dragon asked.

"The Spell-Breaker is our enemy and he is the one who must have taken Lindel." Chise said.

"(Grunt) Not Lindel too." Elias said.

"What are we going to do now?" Ruth asked.

"Chise, go wait over there with the dragons, I'm going to heal Ruth myself." Elias said as he pointed to a nearby hill.

"Can I just stay here, with you two?" Chise asked.

"Yeah, Elias, leaving Chise alone is a death wish." Ruth pointed out.

"The dragons will protect you. Plus, you will still stay in my line of sight. It's just that this is going to hurt for Ruth, I don't you hearing his pain." Elias said to Chise.

"Ugh, great, thanks Elias. You're like the doctor that describes how much a shot will hurt before he gives it to a sick kid." Ruth said.

"Enough, lay on your side and try not to move too much." Elias said.

Ruth laid gently on his side and Chise and the dragons walked over to the hill. Once Chise was far enough, Elias began suing his magic to carefully remove the bullet from Ruth's lung. As expected, Ruth started to scream in pain and he tried to get up and run away, but Elias held him down.

"Stop struggling, you will just make it worse." Elias said.

"(Grunt) I'd like to see YOU try enduring this without moving, Ainsworth!" Ruth said as he hissed in pain.

As Chise reached the top of the hill, she turned to the baby dragons, who had very quickly blocked her view of the other side of the hill. They decided to start talking with Chise, as Ruth's screams were rather loud.

"Hi Robin, my name is Stryker." One of the dragons said happily.

"I'm Fiona." another dragon said.

"And I'm Francisco." The third dragon said.

"Nice to meet you all. Um, when was Lindel taken?" Chise asked.

"Yesterday, it was so sudden." Francisco said.

"We tried to save Lindel, but the Spell-Breaker was too dangerous." Fiona said.

"What did he do?" Chise asked.

The dragons looked at each other and nodded as they stepped to the side.

"Look down there." Stryker said as he pointed to the other side of the hill.

Chise looked over the other side and gasped in fright at what she saw. In a large field, were the dead bodies of many dragons, young and old. All appeared to have been shot many times in the head and appeared to have their hearts blown out.

"N-No! It can't be. How!?" Chise asked.

"We were too scared to confront him, and he got away with Lindel using some sort of smoke." Stryker said.

"His smoke bombs." Chise said as she remembered how the Spell-Breaker used one of those to suddenly disappear. "It can't be the smoke bombs that let him disappear so suddenly, he's got to be using some sort of teleportation spell. Just like me and Elias use." Chise said.

"That would make sense, because once the smoke cleared, the Spell-Breaker and Lindel were just gone." Fiona said.

""Wait, w-where's Merituuli?" Chise asked.

"He was taken too." Francisco said.

'Damn it! This is going too far!" Chise said.

"AAARGGH! HURRY UP WILL YOU!" Ruth cried as he felt great pain.

"Do you want me to damage your lungs more, or do you want me to safely remove the bullet?" Elias asked.

"GET THE BULLET OUT YOU IDIOT!" Ruth yelled.

"Then stop struggling, damn it!" Elias said as he continued to slowly and carefully remove the bullet from Ruth's lung.

Meanwhile, in a dark room somewhere...

The room was dark, with red lights glowing above. There were metal tools on the floor. Chains were dangling from the ceiling. Potions and spell book were piled on a table. And in the center of the room, was Lindel, strapped and chained to a gurney. Lindel was passed out as the Spell-Breaker approached him with a bucket of water.

"Nap time is over Lindel, so GET UP!" The Spell-Breaker said as he splashed Lindel in the face with freezing cold water.

"(Cough, Cough) What do you want?" Lindel asked as he glared at the Spell-Breaker.

"Oh, nothing much, just wanted to see if I could get some more information from you." The Spell-Breaker said.

"I have given you enough." Lindel said.

"Do I have to kill more of your dragon pets for you to talk?" The Spell-Breaker asked.

"You kill any more of them, and I will-." Lindel started.

"What!? What are you going to do!? Have you forgotten, the chains holding you in place are covered with a magic substance what severely weakens your magic? You can't hurt me! But, at least I can hurt you!" The Spell-Breaker said as he punched Lindel in the face.

"Haven't I told you enough!?" Lindel asked.

"True. You've informed me about Chise's past that she told you, you told me of her immortality, and you have told me about Chise's new friends. But, I think I could use a little more. I need to know my victim before I kill her." The Spell-Breaker said.

"What did she ever do to you?" Lindel asked.

"You could never understand, Lindel. You don't know much hell I went through because of her! She made me suffer for years! And you know what's funny? Chise doesn't care! She almost killed me!" The Spell-Breaker said.

"That's funny, Chise never mentioned making anyone suffer." Lindel said.

"I suggest you lose the attitude before I kill your familiar!" The Spell-Breaker said.

"You forget, you kill Merituuli and you kill me." Lindel said.

"(Chuckle) You think you're smart old man? You think I don't know that!? I'll just forcibly cut off your link with him. Then you can watch as I tear his flesh from his body." The Spell-Breaker said.

"You sick monster!" Lindel yelled.

"Oh, I'M a monster? What about Elias, huh? What is he?" The Spell-Breaker asked.

"Elias is more human than you'll ever be!" Lindel yelled.

"Well, I've got a pal here that would disagree." The Spell-Breaker said.

"Hah! Who could ever want YOU as a friend?" Lindel asked as he almost laughed out lout.

"Who do you think, Lindel?" The voice of Cartaphilus asked as he emerged from the shadows.

"C-Cartaphilus? But, how did you-?" Lindel started.

"Get free? Escape? It's quite easy, Spell-Breaker here helped me out. He separated me and that weakling, Joseph. Now, I'm free!" Cartaphilus said.

"You turn your back on the man who wanted to help you?" Lindel asked.

"Joseph was WEAK! He was pathetic! I needed his body. It was fun to beat the crap out of him when I was freed." Cartaphilus said.

"I will say no more to either of you!" Lindel said.

"Very well, Cartaphilus, bring Merituuli here." The Spell-Breaker said.

"NO!" Lindel yelled.

"You've tested my patience, Lindel. Now you suffer the consequences." The Spell-Breaker said.

Cartaphilus then returned with Merituuli, who was tied up with the same chains that held Lindel in place.

"Unhand me! You will not hurt my master!" Merituuli yelled.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt him. You, however, we have other plans." Cartaphilus said.

"LET HIM GO! MMFF!" Lindel yelled before he was suddenly gagged by the Spell-Breaker.

"Watch closely, Lindel." The Spell-Breaker said as he walked over to Merituuli and started reciting some kind of chant.

Once the chant was finished, Lindel felt his spiritual link with Merituuli shatter.

"This is what awaits those who get in our way, Lindel. A slow, brutal, and painful death!" The Spell-Breaker said as he pulled out a large knife and stabbed Merituuli in the stomach.

Merituuli screamed in pain as the knife impaled him. The Spell-Breaker then jabbed his clawed fingers into Merituuli's eyes, gouging them out. All the while, Lindel was screaming internally for this madness to stop. The sounds of Merituuli's screams was sickening. Cartaphilus then threw Merituuli on the ground hard and summoned a bunch of centipedes to start internally devouring Merituuli.

"Ah the sweet sounds of suffering and pain! Such music to my ears! Give me more, little familiar!" Cartaphilus yelled as he then shot lightning from his hands and started electrocuting Merituuli, all while he was being eaten alive by centipedes.

After a few minutes, Cartaphilus called off the centipedes and stopped electrocuting the familiar. Cartaphilus motioned for the Spell-Breaker to take his turn next. The Spell-Breaker then cut off Merituuli's arms and started to rip his flesh off his body. Once he was done, he stabbed Merituuli one last time in the head and then threw his dead body to the floor like a wet towel. Blood and guts spilled all over the floor. Lindel cried as he stared into Merituuli's dead eyes. The Spell-Breaker walked over to Lindel and yanked the gag off his mouth.

"(Cough) YOU BASTARD! YOU SPINELESS WIMP! YOU MOTHER FUCKER! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Lindel screamed.

"(Laugh) I'm sure you will, Lindel. Now, will you cooperate and tell me what else I need to know about Chise? Or am I going to have to kill someone else?" The Spell-Breaker asked.

"(Spit) I'M DONE! I'M NOT SAYING ANYMORE ABOUT CHISE! AS HORRIBLE AS IT IS, NO MATTER HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE YOU KILL, I WLL NOT BETRAY CHISE ANYMORE! YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO KILL ME!" Lindel yelled.

"Very well. Time to die, old man." The Spell-Breaker said as he pulled out his gun and aimed it right at Lindel's head.

"Ah, ah, ah. What if I change my mind? Maybe I will cooperate, how can you know? You've already killed off the only other people who would know anything about Chise, I'm the last one. You can't kill me!" Lindel said as he gave them a smug smile.

"FUCK YOU, LINDEL! THEN I'LL GO FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO TORTURE!" The Spell-Breaker said as he turned to leave.

"There, may be another alternative." Cartaphilus said.

"What are you talking about?" The Spell-Breaker asked.

"Watch and see my friend." Cartaphilus said as he walked over to Merituuli's body.

Cartaphilus then extended his hand towards Merituuli and then his hand was surrounded by a glowing green essence. Then, from his hand, a green skull emerged and went right into Merituuli's dead body. Cartaphilus then raised his hand quickly and close his hand into a fist.

"Rise up, Merituuli." Cartaphilus said.

Then, a shock to Lindel and The Spell-Breaker, Merituuli's body put itself back together very quickly and Merituuli stood up. When Merituuli opened his eyes, he had bright green eyes in the shape of a skull.

"Now, who do you serve, Merituuli?" Cartaphilus asked.

"I serve... The Great Cartaphilus." Merituuli said as he bowed down to Cartaphilus.

"(Evil Laugh) Excellent." Cartaphilus said as he turned to face Lindel and the Spell-Breaker.

"Merituuli! No!" Lindel cried.

"You are no longer my master, Lindel! I won't serve the man who just let me die!" Merituuli said.

"There was NOTHING I could do!" Lindel argued.

"I should thank you, you freed me. Chise, Ainsworth, all of your allies, I will help Cartaphilus end their lives!" Merituuli said.

"What did you just do?" The Spell-Breaker asked.

"(Chuckle) Using a spell, I simply prevented his soul from ascending. I corrupted his soul, put it back in his body, and now he is loyal to me." Cartaphilus said.

The Spell-Breaker went silent, but then he understood where Cartaphilus was going with this as he laughed and turned to face Lindel.

"Don't you see, we don't need to keep Lindel alive. Why not just kill him and make him one of my new corrupted warriors. That way, he will be much more cooperative." Cartaphilus explained.

"No." Lindel said as he knew what they had planned. "NO! I WILL NOT BE TURNED!" Lindel yelled.

"(Chuckle) You don't have a choice anymore, Lindel. Time to die." The Spell-Breaker said as he walked up to Lindel and aimed his gun at Lindel's head.

"Chise... will stop you." Lindel said as he gave one last smug smile to the Spell-Breaker.

"(Chuckle) I'm sure she will... (BANG!)" The Spell-Breaker said as he shot Lindel in the head, killing him instantly. "I own the sky now Lindel." The Spell-Breaker said as he put his gun away. "The Dragon Aerie is mine now!" The Spell-Breaker said.

"Unbind him." Cartaphilus said.

The Spell-Breaker unlocked the chains and the straps that held Lindel in place and stepped aside so Cartaphilus could do his thing. Cartaphilus walked over to Lindel and extended his hand towards his body and then his hand was surrounded by the glowing green essence. Then, the green skull emerged and went right into Lindel's body. Cartaphilus then raised his hand quickly and close his hand into a fist.

"Rise up, Lindel." Cartaphilus said.

Unlike Merituuli, whose body repaired itself from the brutal death, the bullet wound in Lindel's head remained but there would be no side effects due to the spell. Lindel opened his eyes to reveal the bright green eyes in the shape of a skull. Also, unlike Merituuli, green cracks began to form all over Lindel's skin, even his veins glowed bright green.

"Now, who do you serve, Lindel?" Cartaphilus asked as Lindel stood up off the gurney.

"I serve... The Great Cartaphilus." Lindel said as he bowed down to Cartaphilus.

Both Cartaphilus and The Spell-Breaker laughed as Lindel bowed down on his knee.

"Now, what do you say we go 'clean up' the messes you made at the church and at Angelica's home?" Cartaphilus asked as he smiled wickedly.

"(Chuckle) Sounds good to me. After all, the more the merrier as they say." The Spell-Breaker said as they both laughed maniacally.

Back in the Dragon's Aerie...

Elias had successfully removed the bullet from Ruth's lung and did his best to close the wound. Elias then put the bullet in his pocket.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Elias asked.

"Oh sure, 10 minutes of pain is TOTALLY easy to bear." Ruth said as he gave Elias a sarcastic frown.

"I will run one final test to see if you are fully recovered." Elias said.

"What kind of test?" Ruth asked.

"Do you see what I am holding, Ruth?" Elias asked as he picked up a stick.

"It's a stick." Ruth replied.

"Do you perhaps want the stick?" Elias asked as he waved it around.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I would appreciate it if you gave me the stick." Ruth said as his tail started to wag.

"You want the stick?" Elias asked as he held the stick up higher.

"YES! Give me the god damn stick!" Ruth said as he got up and got in a lunging position. Ruth could feel his dog instincts taking over, and he wasn't going to try to fight it. Besides, it's not like Chise was watching.

"Get the stick!" Elias said as he threw the stick in the opposite direction.

With that, Ruth took off barking as he ran to fetch the stick.

"Dog instincts, poor Ruth, he can't escape it." Elias said as he then walked over to Chise and the baby dragons, who had just seen that whole scene play out.

"Wow, I never thought Ruth would actually do something like that." Chise said.

"Well, when you have animal instincts, it's rather hard to fight them." Elias said.

"It looks like Ruth is better now." Chise said as she saw Ruth running towards them with the stick in his mouth.

Ruth then stopped in front of Chise and Elias and he dropped the stick on the ground and morphed into his human form.

"There, did I pass my test?" Ruth asked.

"With flying colors." Elias said.

"I'm so glad you're all better." Chise said as she hugged Ruth, who hugged her back.

"Same here, Chise. It feel good to be-Oh my god what in gods name happened to those dragons?" Ruth asked as he saw the filed of dead dragons.

Elias was shocked too as he saw the dead dragons.

"Not only did the Spell-Breaker capture Lindel and Merituuli, he also killed a lot of the dragons." Chise explained.

"Thankfully not all of us were killed." Stryker said.

"Yeah, a good amount of us hid after the slaughter." Fiona said.

"We only came out of hiding because we saw you and Ainsworth show up." Francisco said to Chise.

"So, you've all been hiding for a whole day?" Ruth asked.

"We were terrified." Fiona said.

"I can imagine why. If there's a guy out there who can kill so many dragons with ease, I'd be terrified too." Ruth said.

The three dragons nodded at this.

"Well, what now?" Ruth asked.

"Let us examine the bodies, there is something I must confirm." Elias said as he began to walk down the hill, With Chise, Ruth and the 3 dragons following close behind.

"So, Chise, any thoughts as to who this Spell-Breaker could be?" Ruth asked.

"I've given it much thought, I have no idea who this guy is." Chise said.

"Judging by how much he knows about you, we can assume that it is someone you know." Elias said.

"Or someone I USED to know." Chise said.

"What do you mean?" Elias asked.

"In my nightmare, he knew about my mother and what she almost did to me. He knew about my suicide attempt, and he knew of the things I saw when I was little." Chise said.

"True, and if I recall, the only people that we know who know about that are Me, Elias, Lindel, and Angelica." Ruth said.

"It is so weird, this Spell-Breaker knows so much about us, yet we know nothing about him." Chise said.

"We also know that he is pretty dangerous." Ruth said.

"By the way, Ruth, are you just going to carry that stick with you from now on?" Chise asked.

Right as they had began walking down the hill, Ruth morphed back to his dog form and picked up the stick and was taking it with him.

"Chise, as a dog, I must take this stick with me at all times." Ruth said.

"Okay, sure. Anyways, don't worry you guys, we will stop the Spell-Breaker. I know we can. We defeated Cartaphilus, so we can take out the Spell-Breaker." Chise said.

"Your encouragement and confidence is admirable, Chise." Elias said.

"Thank you." Chise said. "So, what do we need to do, exactly?" Chise asked.

"Ah, well I wanted to examine the bullets that are lodged inside of these dead dragons. I have a suspicion that the Spell-Breaker is using some sort of material in his firepower." Elias explained.

"Basically what you're saying is that we need to remove the bullets so you can examine them?" Ruth asked.

"Smart canine." Elias said.

Once they made it to the bottom of the hill, Elias put his hand on Chise's shoulder.

"You all wait here, Chise you come with me. This will make a good opportunity to practice more magic." Elias said as he led Chise through the field.

"WAIT! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?" Ruth called.

"Just keep the dragons company!" Elias called back.

"Oh, come on, are you serious? Well, I guess I have to dragon-sit you three." Ruth said to the three dragons.

"Ooh! Let's play doggy in the middle!" Fiona said.

"First of all, the game is called, Monkey in the Middle. Second off, we need a ball to play. Third, I have no desire to-HEY GIVE THAT BACK!" Ruth yelled as Stryker bit the stick in Ruth's mouth and took it away.

"Catch, Fiona!" Stryker happily called as he flicked the stick to her.

"STOP IT! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! (BARK! BARK!)" Ruth yelled as he tried to catch his stick but to no avail. Ruth was now playing their game.

"(Giggle) That didn't take long." Chise said as she looked back to see Ruth 'playing' with the dragons.

"(Chuckle) I suppose not." Elias said as they continued walking.

"You said, I will practice magic now?" Chise asked.

"Yes, I figured it would be wise to teach you the spell I use to remove objects from fragile or delicate places. The spell I used to remove the bullet from Ruth's lung, is the same spell I will teach you now as we remove the bullets from the dragon's heads." Elias explained.

"I guess it would be smart to learn this spell, especially since we know the Spell-Breaker uses guns." Chise said.

"Yes, indeed." Elias said as they approached one of the bodies. "We will start with this one." Elias said.

"Alright." Chise replied.

"Now this is a spell you don't have to say out loud, but since this is your first time, we will say it verbally. Once you are comfortable, you can do it mentally." Elias said.

"That works with me." Chise said.

Elias: "Wonderful, now repeat after me; Teinei ni yasashi."

Chise: "Teinei ni yasashi."

Elias: Yukkuri to chakujitsuna."

Chise: "Yukkuri to chakujitsuna."

Elias: "Reche no vanak."

Chise: Reche no vanak."

Elias: "Hujami seva motoro."

Chise: "Hujami seva motoro."

Elias: "Chui shite dete kudasai."

Chise: "Chui shite dete kudasai."

"Very good. Now repeat it to yourself a few times and when you are ready, I will teach you the next step." Elias said.

"Okay, I will." Chise said as she repeated the chant a few times until she had it pretty much memorized. "Okay, I've got it." Chise said.

"Let's hear it then." Elias said.

"Teinei ni yasashi, yukkuri to chakujitsuna, reche no vanak, hujami seva motoro, Chui shite dete kudasai." Chise said.

"Yes, very good my puppy. You are learning well." Elias said as he patted Chise.

"(Smiles) Thank you, Elias." Chise said.

"Now, here is the next step. Before you say the chant, open your hand and extend it towards the object you will be enchanting, which in this case is this dragon's head. Make sure you close your eyes and focus. When you begin to say the chant, slowly move your extended arm back so that your hand aligns with your shoulder. Once you finish saying the word, 'Kudasai', close your hand into a fist and raise your hand up to where your fingers align with the top of your head." Elias said while he demonstrated. "Did you get that?" Elias asked.

"Yes, I got it." Chise said.

"Excellent, are you ready to try the spell?" Elias asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready." Chise said.

"Chise, you must be fully focused when you do this, otherwise the spell won't work. How about this, since unfortunately 30 dragons have been killed, why don't you watch me do the spell for the first 2 times, then we both do it together the next 20 times, and then we both do 4 each to finish up the remaining 8? Will that work for you?" Elias asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan." Chise said.

"Very well, watch me then." Elias said as he extended his hand towards the dragon. "Teinei ni yasashi, yukkuri to chakujitsuna, reche no vanak, hujami seva motoro, Chui shite dete kudasai." Elias said as he finished the spell. When the spell was finished 5 bullets came out of the dragon's skull. Elias used his magic to gently place the bullets on the ground beside him.

"Woah, how did you do that?" Chise asked.

"Do what?" Elias asked.

"How did you make the bullets levitate to where you wanted to put them?" Chise asked.

"Ah, yes thank you for asking. After the bullets are removed from the skull, simply open your hand again and use your hand to guide the bullets to where you want to leave them. once you have found the desired spot, using your open hand, snap your fingers and the bullets will fall freely to the ground." Elias explained.

"Oh, okay, I get it now." Chise said.

"Wonderful. Now watch again as I do the next one." Elias said as they walked to the next body.

After this, Chise continued to practice the new spell with Elias they successfully removed the bullets from the heads of all the murdered dragons and piled them up. Elias picked up one of the bullets and closely examined it and then he compared it to the bullet he took out of Ruth's lung.

"Just as I suspected." Elias said.

"What did you find?" Chise asked.

"You see this odd substance on the bullet we removed from the dragons?" Elias asked as he showed Chise the bullet.

"Yeah, I do. What is that purple stuff?" Chise asked as she noticed the entire bullet was smeared and covered with some purplish goo.

"It is a special kind of magic substance that makes an object sharper and more durable. From what I recall from Lindel's teachings, it is called the Plasma Gel." Elias said.

"So, if the gel made the bullets sharper and stronger, then that's how they were able to easily penetrate the dragon's skulls." Chise said.

"Correct, and there is a side effect to this gel as well." Elias stated.

"There's a side effect for the Plasma Gel?" Chise asked.

"Yes, something you will learn is that magic will have consequences. For the Plasma Gel, the side effect is that if the gel remains inside a person too long, they start to feel immense pain." Elias.

"I get that, but if a person gets shot or something like that it hurts anyway." Chise stated.

"That is true yes, but you see there are many substances used to make the Plasma Gel. A couple of ingredients used to make the gel are acidic substances and jellyfish poison." Elias said.

"J-Jellyfish poison!? Why use that!?" Chise cried.

"I am not sure, I asked Lindel the same thing. However, I phrased my question differently. And I didn't make such a bizarre face." Elias said.

"Hmph." Chise said as she playfully crossed her arms.

"Bizarre and adorable." Elias said as he patted Chise on the head.

"(Giggle) But seriously though, what would the jellyfish poison and acid do?" Chise asked.

"Well, if the gel remained in a person too long, the poison and acid would spread into your blood and flow through your veins. The more you move, the faster you spread the acid and poison and the more pain you feel. Leave the gel in your body for too long, you could die due to poisoning." Elias explained.

"So, was there any of that Plasma Gel on the bullet that was in Ruth?" Chise asked.

"When I examined that bullet, there was hardly any gel on it. There was a tiny amount on the back of the bullet. Luckily it was not enough to kill or poison him." Elias said.

"I see. So, can we like use this substance to help us?" Chise asked.

"In a way we can. You see, now that I know that the Spell-Breaker is indeed using Plasma Gel in his bullets, I can make a substances that can counter-act the gel so it won't hurt us. Lindel and I refer to the substance as the Nebula Formula." Elias said.

"So, okay, I know this is a rather cruel example, say like a dog gets put down. Let's say the euthanasia is the gel, and the needle is the bullet. Let's say the dog is given the Nebula Formula. In that case, the needle would still hurt the dig but the euthanasia wouldn't kill the dog?" Chise asked.

"Basically, yes. If we should get shot by those bullets coated with the Plasma Gel, and if we have Nebula Formula within us, the bullet will still hurt us, but the Plasma Gel's effects won't hurt us." Elias said.

"I see. So, you can make the Nebula Formula now?" Chise asked.

"Well, we need to collect some ingredients to make the formula. I have some of the necessary materials needed back at the house, but we still need some more." Elias said.

"Well, I'd say we should get working on the formula right away." Chise stated.

"I most certainly agree with you. Let us return home." Elias said as they walked over to get Ruth, who was still 'playing' with the 3 baby dragons.

"I SAID GIVE IT BACK YOU DAMN WINGED-REPTILES!" Ruth yelled as he barked at the dragons.

"Catch Fiona!" Francisco said as he tossed the stick to Fiona.

"DAMN IT!" Ruth yelled.

"Ruth! It's time to go back home!" Chise called.

"NOT UNTIL I GET BACK MY DAMN STICK!" Ruth said.

"Ruth, I'll get you a new stick once we are back home." Elias said.

"NO! I WANT THIS STICK! I ALREADY OUT MY TEETH MARKS ON IT!" Ruth yelled.

"Ruth. The Spell-Breaker is still out there. Let's go home." Chise said.

"(Sigh) Fine. You 3 can keep the god damn stick." Ruth said as he morphed into his human form and walked over to Chise.

"You 3 go back into hiding and tell the other dragons to stay hidden." Elias said.

"We will." Stryker said boldly.

"We know you'll stop that meanie!" Fiona said.

"Yeah! Avenge our fallen friends! We know you will!" Francisco said.

"Be safe you all." Chise said.

"We will be okay, Robin." Stryker said.

With that, Elias teleported them back home.

Once the three made it home, they were making their way to the front door. Chise was relieved that the house showed no sign of a break-in.

"Doesn't look like anyone broke in." Chise said as they entered the house.

"That is good. Now, let us prepare to take a little trip to the-." Elias stopped talking as he entered the living room and saw something he was not expecting to see.

"Elias? What wro-? Oh, my." Chise said as she saw what Elias was seeing.

In the middle of the living room, was a sight no one could have predicted seeing. Silky and Joseph were actually slow-dancing to a classical love song. Chise, Elias, and Ruth's mouths were agape as they watched the two slow-dance. This went on for about 15 seconds before Joseph finally looked away from Silky and gasped out of embarrassment. Silky also was shocked too see the trio watching them with surprised.

"Uh, uh, um, um, E-Elias! Ch-Chise! R-Ruth! I-It's not what it looks like! I-I can explain! Huh? Silky?" Joseph asked as Silky suddenly walked right up to the trio.

Silky stared at them for about 5 seconds before she suddenly pushed them all outside and then locked the front door.

"I-I guess we got locked out of the house again." Chise said as she was sweating.

"Soo, was Silky slow-dancing with Joseph just now?" Ruth asked as he was sweating too.

"I-I suppose so." Elias said with a flat face.

"I guess we should probably give them some time to recover from that. Why don't we just go for a quick walk." Chise suggested.

"As a dog, I approve of that suggestion." Ruth replied as he morphed into his dog form.

"Very well, let's go." Elias said as they began to walk down the trail.

"Well, that was very unexpected wasn't it?" Ruth asked.

"It sure was. I'm not judging or anything. It's just something none of us could have predicted." Chise said.

"It was most certainly mot something I would have guessed seeing in all my years of living." Elias said.

"Yeah, it kind of reminds me of the time when me and Elias got drunk and sang a duet together while listening to one of his records." Ruth said.

"Ruth! We promised not to speak of that ever again!" Elias said.

"Woah, woah, woah! When did you two get drunk and sing together?" Chise asked as she was very curious as to what caused that to happen.

"Ch-Chise, that is something you do not need to know about." Elias said.

"Well, it's something I would like to know about." Chise said as she playfully nudged him.

"I'll tell you, Chise." Ruth offered.

"Shut up Ruth!" Elias said.

"Come on Elias, didn't you promise not to keep secrets from her?" Ruth asked.

"Ugh, fine you go ahead and tell her, Ruth." Elias said as he face-palmed himself.

"So, after that whole Cartaphilus thing, you were out for a good amount of the day. During the time when you were asleep, me and Elias got very depressed because we felt like it was our fault that Cartaphilus tortured you. So, we started drinking and we got drunk very quickly. The next thing we knew, we were dancing ang singing to one of Elias's records." Ruth explained.

"(Giggle) that would have been fun to see." Chise said.

"Highly doubtful." Elias said.

"(Sigh) I can still picture it in my head." Ruth said.

"NO! RUTH DON'T! DAMN IT!" Elias yelled.

Cutaway

Ruth: Fit as a fiddle, ready for love, I can jump over the moon and above! Fit as a fiddle and ready for love!

Elias: Together again! Flick and flack!

Ruth/Elias: Haven't a worry, haven't a care! Feel like a feather that's floating on air! Fit as a fiddle and ready for love!

Elias: Jump on in, the water is fine!

Ruth/Elias: Soon the church bells will be ringing, and I'll march with ma and pa! All the church bells will be ringing! With a hey naughty-knotty and a hot cha-cha! Hi diddle diddle my baby's okay! Ask me a riddle and what did she say? Fit as a fiddle and ready for love!

Elias and Ruth began to dance in their own unique ways. Elias was swing his wand around like a cane or a dancing stick that men used to use in the old days. Elias also attempted to tap dance but of course, wasn't able to do it properly. Ruth was constantly morphing back and forth into his human and dog form. Whenever Ruth was in his human form, he was doing some very basic dance moves. While he was in his dog form, he would just roll around like if he were playing in the mud.

Ruth/Elias: Soon the church bells will be ringing, and I'll march with ma and pa! All the church bells will be ringing! With a hey naughty-knotty and a hot cha-cha! Hi diddle diddle my baby's okay! Ask me a riddle and what did she say? Fit as a fiddle and ready for love!

"Here is some special tea that will make you two sober, drink it." Silky said as she had waited for Elias and Ruth to finish their song.

Cutaway Complete

Link to the song = watch?v=RuhEcCT9ORY

"Of course, Silky decided to wait until AFTER we finished our song before she offered us the tea." Ruth said.

"I really wish I could have been there. I bet you guys were fantastic." Chise said.

"We were intoxicated Chise. I doubt you would want to see us in that state." Elias said.

"Well, I'm sure you guys can try it again another time." Chise said.

"Yeah, I'm not interested in getting drunk again." Ruth said.

"No, silly. You guys don't have to be drunk to sing and dance again. You have it in you. You just have to not be afraid to embrace your fun side." Chise said.

"Maybe on our anniversary, I'll consider it." Elias said.

"(Giggle) I'll hold you to that." Chise said as she held Elias's hand.

"Jeez, get a room you two." Ruth said.

"RUTH!" Chise cried.

"What is wrong, Chise? We have our own rooms we sleep in." Elias said.

"T-That's not what Ruth means Elias." Chise said as she was sweating nervously.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Elias said innocently.

"Heh, heh, I'll explain it when Chise turns 18." Ruth said.

"Oh, you were talking about...?" Elias started.

"Yes, yes I was." Ruth said.

"Moving on, do you guys think Silky and Joseph have a thing going on?" Chise asked.

"Well, it's rude to make assumptions." Elias said.

"I highly doubt they are actually a thing, I mean Silky specifically said it would take her a month to warm up to Joseph." Ruth said.

"That may be so, but Silky does have a habit of playing pranks or joking around. But then again, she showed no signs of friendliness to Joseph." Elias stated.

"Well, IF they are together now, I think that's sweet." Chise said.

"If they are indeed a couple, I wouldn't say I am 100% supportive of it, but I'm not against it either. I will let it slide." Elias said.

"Same here. Besides, I could care less about Joseph. I still haven't warmed up to him yet." Ruth said.

"(Sigh) I hope you guys will one day accept Joseph." Chise said.

"We will do our best." Elias said.

"Sure, whatever." Ruth said.

"So, Elias, where do we need to go to get the ingredients needed to make the Nebula Formula?" Chise asked.

"There." Elias said as he pointed far off into the distance towards some mountains. "Beyond those mountains are what the humans call, 'The Forest of Thorns'. That is where we must go." Elias said.

"The Forest of Thorns? That sounds like your kind of place, Ainsworth." Ruth said sarcastically.

"An interesting observation, but a false one. It will take a few days for us to make it to the forest." Elias said.

"Can't we just teleport ourselves to the forest?" Chise asked.

"Unfortunately we cannot. You see, within the forest is some strange amount of energy that prevents us from using our magic and powers. It is so strong that even the mountain has this restrictive energy. We will have to travel by foot." Elias said.

"That's probably not good." Chise said.

"Most definitely not, especially since we should be wasting as little time as possible. The best I can do is teleport us to the foot of the mountain." Elias said.

"Its better than nothing. I say we leave early tomorrow morning." Chise suggested.

"Smart. In that case, we should head back and eat a very early dinner. Then get to bed as soon as possible so we can be well rested for tomorrow." Elias said.

"Yeah, or maybe we should give the two dancers some more time to cool off." Ruth said.

"Whether they have 'cooled off' or not, we are going back now." Elias said as he and Chise began walking back home.

"(Sigh) Well, I know for sure who's not getting dinner tonight. Wait up!" Ruth called as he followed.

An hour after the trio returned home, dinner was served very early due to Elias's request. For Chise, Joseph and herself, Silky had prepared a very fancy meal. Both Elias and Ruth's dishes however were rather different.

"So, Chise, Joseph, and Silky get a nice Maine Lobster, with New England Clam Chowder, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and a small bowl of Peas. And for Me and Elias, one big ass f*cking carrot... HOW IS THIS FAIR!?" Ruth cried.

"Something tells me this has something to do with us barging in earlier." Elias said.

Silky nodded as she sipped her tea.

"HEY! CHISE ALSO BARGED IN TOO!" Ruth cried.

"I like her more." Silky said as she gave Chise a warm smile.

"Silky, that's really sweet, but I think we all should eat the same nice meal. We are family after all, aren't we?" Chise asked.

"...…. They will get a portion of my fancy meal once they finish their vegetables." Silky said.

"Seems kind of pointless but okay, I'll be grateful." Ruth said as he eyed the fancy meal.

"Hey, Silky, can I talk to you in the living room for a minute?" Chise asked.

Silky nodded as she got up from her seat and followed Chise to the living room.

"So, Silky, are you and Joseph together now?" Chise asked.

"Stare..." Silky just stared quietly at Chise.

"I-I'm not making fun of you or anything like that." Chise as she nervously waved her arms. "I mean, if you are, then I think that's wonderful." Chise said as she smiled.

"... Yes. We are 'together' as you say." Silky said as she gave Chise a slight bow.

"Aww, I'm so happy for you, Silky." Chise said as she hugged her. "You've got to tell me how it happened, Silky." Chise said excitedly.

"(Laugh) Another time. Let's go back to eating." Silky said as she put her hand on Chise's shoulder.

"(Giggle) Okay, let's go." Chise said as they walked back to the dinner table.

When Chise and Silky were back at their seats, Elias spoke up.

"Ruth, Silky, Joseph, you will remain at the house until me and Chise return from the Forest of Thorns." Elias said.

"Yeah, not happening. I'm coming with you and Chise. Silky and Joseph can stay here. I will stay by her side." Ruth said.

"(Sigh) Fine." Elias said.

"No. We are all going to the forest." Chise said.

"But, Chise-." Elias started.

"We go together. We have lost too many of our friends. I won't risk losing anyone else." Chise said.

"She's right. I mean think about it, we've lost so many people in the span of 2 days. We lost Ariel, Angelica, Althea, Simon, and now Lindel and Merituuli have gone missing. Oh, yeah, and a lot of dragons have been murdered." Ruth said.

"I see your point. Very well, then. We will all go to the Forest of Thorns." Elias said.

"Hey, look I'm all for this plan, but I don't have any powers." Joseph said.

"That doesn't matter where we are going, Joseph." Chise said.

"What do you mean?" Joseph asked.

"You see, we are unable to use our powers in the Forest of Thorns and the mountains we must pass through. The only thing we will have to rely on, is our physical strength and ability to fight." Elias said.

"Oh, I get it. Well, I'm no Rocky Balboa, but I can fight. Or I can help patching up the wounded, I have some experience." Joseph said.

"That should suffice." Elias said.

"I wish I was strong as Rocky Balboa." Ruth said.

"But, what about Silky?" Joseph asked.

"I can fight." Silky said as she stared at Joseph.

"Y-You can?" Joseph asked nervously.

"Joseph, are you saying that Silky is incapable of fighting because she is a woman?" Chise asked.

"W-What? N-No! That's not it at all! It's just that I've never seen Silky physically fight someone. I've seen you all fight, but not her." Joseph as he quickly tried to defend himself.

"I can fight." Silky said again as she got up from the table. "Everyone wait in the front yard." Silky said as she left the room.

"Uh, did I make her mad?" Joseph asked as they all got up and headed to the front yard.

"Probably. Good job dude, you made your dancing queen mad." Ruth said.

"Do not fret, she is not mad, she is just getting something." Elias said as he knew what was coming.

A few moments later Silky exited the house with a large black bag and she set it down on the ground beside her. Silky lifted the bag and dumped its contents on the floor. From the bag fell many kinds of weapons including: 2 Kamas, a Bo weapon, 2 Ninja Sais, a sword, and brass knuckles.

"Ainsworth, would you please?" Silky asked as she picked up her Kamas.

Elias nodded as he used his powers to summon a bunch of large thorn branches in the front yard.

"Stand back!" Silky said as she then started to swiftly and furiously slice down all of the thorn branches, all while Elias would summon more and more.

After a few minutes of this, Silky dropped her Kamas and went to pick up her Bo weapon. Silky then ran to the thorn branches and started to whack them down with her Bo staff. She swung the staff so hard that it was like she was cutting the thorns down with a sword. Silky was striking as if she was a master martial artist. After this, Silky bowed and walked back to the group.

"I can fight." Silky said.

Elias simply chuckled in amusement as Chise, Ruth, and Joseph were all standing in complete shock at the mastery of combat that they just witnessed.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Joseph cried.

"That's amazing, Silky! Elias, could she always do this?" Chise asked.

"Yes, Silky has always been skilled in combat and weaponry." Elias said.

"(Nervous laughter) If I wasn't nervous around her before, I definitely am NOW." Ruth said.

"Joseph." Silky called as she went to pick up her sword.

"Yes?" Joseph asked.

"You will use this." Silky said as she handed Joseph her sword.

"R-Really?" Joseph asked.

Silky nodded as Joseph took the sword.

"Can you even use that thing?" Ruth asked.

"I've used weapons before, not a sword, but something similar. I can use this." Joseph said.

"Well, we are all accounted for." Elias said.

"Yes, now we should finish dinner, the food will get cold." Silky said as she picked up her things and headed back inside, with Elias and Ruth following close behind.

"Hey, Joseph." Chise whispered.

"Huh? Yes, Chise?" Joseph asked.

"Make sure you don't make her mad. She could go full fighting mode on you." Chise said as she nudged him.

"Ha, ha, thanks for making me nervous." Joseph said.

"No problem, come on, let's go finish dinner." Chise said.

"You got it." Joseph said as he followed Chise inside.

After dinner...

"Now that we have finished dinner, it is time for us to go to sleep." Elias said.

"What? Now? But it's only 3 in the afternoon." Joseph said.

"I am aware of that. But we need our rest. We will wake up before the crack of dawn and make haste." Elias said.

"Sounds good, well goodnight people. I'm going to bed." Ruth said as he morphed into his dog form and headed to Chise's room.

"I guess, I'll sleep on the couch." Joseph said as he got up. "Oh, and thanks for the food." Joseph said to Silky.

Silky smiled and bowed.

"Come along, Chise, let us get our sleep." Elias said as he got out of his chair.

"Alright." Chise said as she got up and walked up to Elias. "Goodnight, thanks for the food." Chise said as she smiled to Silky.

"It is my pleasure." Silky said as she bowed.

With that, Elias and Chise walked upstairs. Chise and Elias went to their own rooms to change. Chise found Ruth waiting patiently by her bedroom door, licking his fur.

"Thanks for waiting, Ruth." Chise said as she stepped into her room and gently closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, no problem. Hey, don't take too long in there." Ruth called.

"(Scoffs) Ruth, here's a word of advice; when you get a girlfriend, don't rush her." Chise said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha, thanks for the advice." Ruth said as he shook his head while smiling.

"Anytime, Ruth." Chise said as she began to change into her sleeping attire.

Once Chise was changed she left the room and held it open for Ruth.

"Room's all yours." Chise said.

"Wonderful." Ruth said as he walked into Chise's room and hopped onto her bed.

"Remember, please don't make too much of a mess." Chise asked.

"No promises Chise." Ruth said as he made himself comfortable.

Chise shook her head as she shut the door and walked to Elias's room. Seeing the door was open, she walked right in, expecting to see Elias. However, she was surprised to see Elias wasn't in his room.

"Huh? Elias? Are you in here?" Chise asked as she looked around for Elias, but he was no where to be found.

As Chise scratched her head in confusion, she heard the sound of Elias and Silky's voice coming from downstairs with her enhanced senses. Chise quietly headed towards the stores. When Chise heard Elias say her name, she got the idea that she wasn't supposed to hear this conversation, but curiosity got the better of her. Chise waited at the top of the stairs and listened in.

"I am glad you haven't forgotten about that." Silky said.

"How could I forget. After all, if the Spell-Breaker doesn't kill Chise, the effects of her being a Sleigh Beggy will eventually." Elias said.

"This whole Spell-Breaker thing has interrupted your time for making the cure. This is not good." Silky said.

"I most certainly agree. Do not worry, once we get rid of the Spell-Breaker and Cartaphilus, I will not let anything get in my way of creating a cure for Chise." Elias said.

Chise had to admit, ever since the Spell-Breaker came into their lives, she had basically forgotten about that whole thing about her possibly dying in a few years due to her being a Sleigh Beggy.

"It pains me to think of what could happen to her if we don't find a cure." Silky said, sadly.

"Do not say that. I promised Chise I would find a cure. I do not intend to let her down again. I've done it once, I am not going to do it again." Elias said.

"Very well then. Now, I am sure she awaits you. Sleep well, Ainsworth." Silky said.

"Yes, sleep well too, Silver." Elias said.

Chise quickly ran back to Elias's room as she heard him begin walking back to the stairs. Elias walked t o his room and was happy to see Chise.

"Ah, Chise, wonderful to see you are ready to sleep. After all, we must leave very early." Elias said.

"Yeah. Um, can you explain why we have to sleep THIS early?" Chise asked.

"Well, don't you humans say something like, 'The early bird gets the worm'?" Elias asked.

"Well, yes that is true, but at the time we will wake up, the worms will probably be going to sleep." Chise said.

"Well, the earlier the better. Besides, should we wake up too early, we can take advantage of that time to prepare ourselves for the journey." Elias said.

"Prepare, how so?" Chise asked.

"Well, Silky said that she is going to prepare something for a few of us for tomorrow and we will need to do some physical training if possible." Elias said.

"Okay." Chise replied.

"Ah yes, I have something for you, Chise." Elias said as he walked to his desk.

"Really? What is it?" Chise asked.

"Turn around for a moment." Elias said.

Chise did as she was told and turned away from Elias. She could hear him moving things aside from his desk. Elias found what he was looking for and walked up behind Chise. Chise wondered what Elias was doing when she felt him place something around her neck. Chise looked down and saw it was the necklace Elias had given her on the day of the auction.

"My necklace! Elias, how did you find it?" Chise asked.

"Ah, well, I had Ariel track it down for me the day we married. I was going to give it back to you that day, but I had forgotten to do so." Elias explained.

"Thank you so much Elias." Chise said as she tuned and hugged him.

"You're absolutely welcome. I hope I never do something to anger you again. I hope you can forgive me for what I was going to do." Elias said as he hugged her back.

"Elias, we talked about that remember? I already forgave you." Chise said.

"Wonderful." Elias said.

"It's too bad about Ariel though. I'm really sad she was killed." Chise said as she remembered what happened to Ariel.

"It was very unfortunate. Do not worry, Chise." Elias said.

"I'm no worried, I know we will stop Cartaphilus and the Spell-Breaker." Chise said.

"We shall. Hopefully we can do so before our scheduled honeymoon." Elias said.

"(Giggle) You still going on about that?" Chise asked.

"Absolutely. Until we have our first honeymoon, I will not shut up about it." Elias said.

"You're really funny, Elias." Chise said.

"And you are very adorable and lovely." Elias said.

Chise and Elias just held each other for a few minutes before Elias let go of Chise.

"Lay down, I will join you in a moment, I need to change my form." Elias said as he stood up.

"Change your form? Woah!" Chise said as ELias suddenly shapeshifted into his Pilum Murialis form (humanoid beast form) and crawled into the bed next to Chise. "What are you doing, Elias?" Chise asked.

"I feel the need to protect you. Should anyone come into this room with ill intentions, they will have to get passed me." Elias said as he pulled Chise closer to him. "Are you frightened?" Elias asked.

"No, I'm okay." Chise said.

"Very well, sleep well my dear." Elias said.

"You too, Elias." Chise said as the two laid next to each other and went to sleep.

Meanwhile in the nearby village...

Jonathan was making his way home after going to Simon's grave to pay his respects.

"I hope you will rest peacefully, Simon." Jonathan said to himself as he approached his home.

Unbeknownst to Jonathan, he was being followed by the Spell-Breaker disguised with his large cloak and hood. With the Spell-Breaker were 2 hooded figures. The very moment Jonathan opened his door, he was shoved into his house and the Spell-Breaker walked in and shut the door. The Spell-Breaker removed his cloak and hood and aimed his gun at Jonathan.

"Wh-Who are you?" Jonathan asked as they backed up against the wall in fear.

"You don't need to know who I am. What you do need to know is that I killed Simon and YOU are going to show me where he is buried." The Spell-Breaker said.

"So, you're the murder? You monster! God will punish you for the act you have committed!" Jonathan yelled angrily.

The Spell-Breaker then pulled out a knife and jabbed Jonathan in the side.

"Agh! Damn it!" Jonathan cried.

"I don't have time for your religious crap! You will show me where Simon is buried or so help me, I will burn the church down and castrate you and then drown you with Holy Water!" The Spell-Breaker said.

"Okay, okay! I'll show you!" Jonathan said as he put his hands up.

"Good, now get up, let's go. And if you try to call for help, the church is fucked, you understand?" The Spell-Breaker asked as he put his cloak and hood back on.

"Yes, I understand! I won't try anything!" Jonathan said as he stood up.

"Good, now hurry up!" The Spell-Breaker said.

With that, Jonathan led the Spell-Breaker through the village and to the graveyard where Simon was recently buried. With Jonathan's luck, there was no one else at the graveyard. They eventually made it to Simon's grave.

"H-Here is his grave! Please, let me go and I won't say a word I promise." Jonathan begged.

"Thank you very much Jonathan. For your reward, (BANG!) you get to die quickly." The Spell-Breaker said as he shot Johnathan in the head, killing him instantly. "You two dig up the body. Once we have Simon's body, we go back to base. Make it quick." The Spell-Breaker said to the 2 hooded figures.

The 2 figures said nothing as they began to dig up Simon's body.

"(Evil Chuckle) Your suffering will get more and more intense from here on now, Hatori." The Spell-Breaker said.