Chapter 99: Blinding The Eye: Part 5 - Love Across Time

Lukos rushed at Lucia, his glaive gleaming in the dim light of the dungeon as he leveled a slash straight at her chest. Cara leaped at her, pushing Lucia out of the way of the attack clearly meant to execute.

"Get your head in the game, Lucia!" Cara snapped with a seriousness very uncharacteristic of her, yelling Lucia out of her heartbreak-induced stupor.

"This guy's spells are good," Lukos mused, sending a Telekinetic Sweep at Cara, who slashed it cleanly in half with her mana claws, "but they're far too human. Disgusting, really. Maybe if I… Mind Magic: Disruption Nova!"

A large pink blast appeared at his fingertips, and he tapped it, the blast hurtling at Cara, who wasn't able to dodge in time, and so instead brought up her hands in a blocking position, shielding herself from the blast exploding in her face.

"That barely even tickled!" Cara said, brandishing her orange mana claws again… but they were gone. "What the…"

"Yeah, nice little spell, aint it?" Lukos mused in his usual casual manner. "Disrupts your mana control and everything. It's kind of in the name, sooooo…"

"No shit," Cara spat. Lucia stepped forward, the tarot deck already circling around her as she unsheathed her bow from her back - but this time, she didn't pick a Strength card.

She unsheathed a card she was told that it would be unwise to use by many people in her life, even Julius Novachrono himself. The Devil.

Lukos quirked an eyebrow in interest. "What's this?"

Lucia didn't reply, placing the card on her chest. The pain was excruciating, almost tear jerking, but she bit back the scream in her throat, and finally let the magic power flow through her veins.

"It's a shame that this was the only way that I could compete on the same level with Lars," Lucia panted, her breathing heavy, "but it's a necessary sacrifice."

Lukos's eyes raced. She's gotten a significant boost in mana power… for free? No, nothing in life is free. She bit back pain just now - I could feel the spike in mind energy - which means there has to be some sort of drawback.

Lucia nocked another strength card onto her bow, and let it fly at Lukos, who cast Infinite Thought Shield, the card slowing to a halt in midair.

"He markets this barrier as near-infinite, but really, the pure defense is nowhere close to that," Lukos said to himself. "What it does is that it uses the mind energy from his thoughts to slow down the attacks to near zero. Other than that, it's just a slightly above average spell."

Lucia wasn't listening, firing a barrage of Strength cards at Lukos, but the elf halted them all in midair and continued his menacing advance towards the card magic user.

"He's a fool. A fool that underutilises the full potential of his magic. And that pisses me off," Lukos said, gritting his teeth. "Mind Magic: Grand Catharsis!"

That's a signature Lars move! Cara thought, gritting her teeth as she braced herself for the impact.

The emotion-fueled shockwave erupted from the elf's body as it pushed all the cards away, knocking both Lucia and Cara back, as well as scattering the Strength cards in different directions, each hitting the wall with an almighty bang.

"Judging from the wild girl's reaction, it seems like he at least uses those two spells in conjun-"

"Lukos."

Freja's voice cut through Lukos's ranting, carrying a sharp edge characteristic to older sisters everywhere, regardless of time. "That would have killed you, if it had hit," she said, her voice resolute as she summoned King Solomon's Sword and ripped off her eyepatch, the Eye of Wisdom in full display. "I'll finish this quickly. I still have a score to settle with that beastly bastard."

"Don't interrupt me," the elf growled warningly, but Freja knew it was an empty threat. He wouldn't do anything.

She raised her sword, and in the blink of an eye, she was behind the two, coiled up like a serpent ready to strike.

"Amethyst has both the properties of ruby and sapphire," she said, her eyes unfeeling. "Amethyst Crystal Magic: Geslepen Vlam."

The tip of Freja's sword ignited, and she slashed both Lucia and Cara with one fell swoop; two identical, thin cuts appeared on the two girls' backs. Her blade sang as she completed her slash, her precision impeccable. Lucia and Cara crumpled to the ground simultaneously, their bodies hitting the cold dungeon floor with muted thuds. Smoke rose faintly from the cauterised wounds, the metallic tang of burnt flesh filling the air.

Lukos stared at them for a moment, his lips pulling into a faint grimace. "Pathetic," he muttered, his tone more disappointed than angry. "They weren't worth the time we spent on them."

Freja sheathed her sword in one fluid motion, her expression unchanging. "You're too easily distracted, Lukos. Maelys's mana is approaching," she said, her voice sharp and matter-of-fact. "Considering how much that girl loves you, I'd say she should be your first priority." Without warning, she brought her fist down on his head, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the elf.

"Ow! What was that for, Freja?" Lukos exclaimed, rubbing his head as he scowled at her.

Freja merely raised an eyebrow. "Move. Now."

"Yes, yes, I'm going!" Lukos huffed, before darting towards the chamber's exit, a slight flush of embarrassment tinging his cheeks.

Freja lingered only for a moment longer, her piercing gaze sweeping the room as if ensuring no other surprises lay in wait. Satisfied, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the shadows, her footfalls silent against the stone.

As their adversaries left, Lucia's tarot deck began to glow faintly, a single card drifting up from the scattered deck. Though unconscious, her hand twitched slightly as the fusion tarot card she had hidden - The Blessing, a union of The Empress and The Star - activated.

The card pulsed with a soothing golden light, enveloping both Lucia and Cara in a warm aura. Slowly, their wounds began to heal, the magic knitting torn flesh and rejuvenating their bodies.

But such power came at a cost. As the healing process concluded, both girls remained still, their faces pale and drained. The mana toll was steep, leaving them unconscious in the aftermath of the spell

The chamber fell silent once more, the only remnants of the battle being the labored breaths of both girls.

…

The echo of Lukos's hurried footsteps filled the dimly lit corridor as he approached the source of the mana that had tugged at his heart. It grew stronger with every step, each pulse of her energy a lifeline tethering him to the present. His breath hitched when he rounded the final corner, his blue eyes locking onto the figure ahead.

There she stood - Maelys. Her once-playful pigtails were gone, replaced by a sleek ponytail that cascaded down her back, streaked with the same vibrant purple and soft white he remembered so vividly. Her form was still small compared to his towering frame, but the air around her felt changed. Stronger. She wasn't the same girl he had died with, but in her gaze, he saw the same unshakable love that had been in his life since he met her.

Maelys turned, her eyes meeting his, and the world seemed to pause. Tears welled in her violet irises, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. She simply stared, her hands trembling at her sides.

"Maelys…" Lukos breathed, his voice cracking. He barely had time to process the emotions surging through him before she bolted toward him, throwing herself into his arms.

He caught her effortlessly, lifting her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. His arms wrapped around her tightly, as though afraid she might vanish if he let go. She buried her face in his chest, her sobs muffled against him.

"You idiot," she choked out, her fists weakly pounding against his chest. "Do you know how long I've waited for you? How much it hurt to be left behind?"

"I'm sorry," Lukos whispered, his voice breaking. He pressed his forehead to hers, his golden eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I never wanted to leave you. Not for a second. I… I didn't know how to come back. I thought-"

"Don't," she interrupted, pulling back just enough to look at him. Her trembling hands cupped his face, her fingers brushing against the sharp edges of his jawline. "Don't you dare make excuses. It wasn't your fault, and you're here now. That's all that matters."

He nodded, unable to speak as his emotions overwhelmed him. Slowly, he leaned down, closing the distance between them, and their lips met. The kiss was fervent and desperate, a collision of all the years they had lost, all the pain and longing they had endured. She clung to him as though he were the only solid thing in a world that had crumbled around her, and he kissed her back with the same intensity, pouring every unspoken word into the moment.

When they finally parted, both were breathless. Maelys let out a shaky laugh, her tears still streaming. "You're taller than I remember," she teased, resting her forehead against his once more.

Lukos chuckled, his arms tightening around her. "And you're still so small," he murmured, his voice soft but filled with affection. "But you've always been stronger than anyone I've ever known."

Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. "I had to be," she said quietly, her tone carrying the weight of her struggles. "For you. For us."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering as he whispered, "I'll never leave you again. I promise."

"You'd better not," she replied, her voice wavering. "Because if you do, I'll find you. No matter how far you go."

A faint laugh escaped him, but it was tinged with the gravity of his vow. "I believe you," he said, cradling her against his chest as if shielding her from the world.

For a moment, nothing else mattered. Not the battles, not the pain, not the centuries of loss. It was just the two of them, reunited at last, their love unbroken by time or fate.

…

Malakai woke up on a surprisingly comfortable bed. He jolted up, breathing heavily, as his sharp snow-blue eyes took in his surroundings.

They seemed to be in a small log-shack, barely furnished, ; apart from the two beds he and his brother lay upon, there was only a singular table with ointments and bandages gathered around a dim lamp. The bed creaked with age every time Malakai moved a muscle, and there was no pillow - only a bare mattress that was lathered in mildew.

Elijah lay next to him, sleeping peacefully on his back, his chest rising and falling as Malakai supported his own head with one hand.

What the hell happened?
Where are we? And wait - why is my hand fine?
I sense traces of mana on it - healing magic?
It's potent. It completely sealed that long gash…
Who did this?

He ran his hand over Elijah's chest, feeling for the crack which he had obtained in his

"His cracked rib," he murmured, deep in thought. "Who DID this?"

"I believe you're looking for me, sir," a voice rang out.

Malakai's sharp gaze snapped towards the voice, his instincts screaming at him to stay on guard. In the doorway of the cramped shack stood a girl - no, not quite a girl, but something altogether more enigmatic. Her short black hair framed her face in a neat, razor-straight bob, the strands gleaming faintly in the dim lamplight as though they were spun from obsidian. Her amber eyes glowed softly, their piercing intensity locking onto his snow-blue irises with unnerving precision. They seemed to glimmer with an intelligence far beyond her youthful features, assessing him in a way that felt invasive, almost dissecting. Her pale skin was smooth, too smooth, with no sign of blemish or imperfection, giving her an almost unnatural appearance.

She wore a loose white blouse with billowing sleeves that appeared to have once been finely tailored but was now stained and frayed at the edges. A black corset cinched her narrow waist, drawing attention to her slight but athletic build. Her trousers, black and tucked into scuffed boots, were practical and fitted, designed for movement rather than style. Around her wrists and fingers were bands of dull silver engraved with runes that faintly pulsed with mana, hinting at their magical purpose. She was dressed like someone who walked the line between combatant and survivor, a strange juxtaposition of grace and utility.

Her mannerisms, however, were stranger still. As she stepped inside, her movements were fluid, unnervingly so, as if she didn't quite belong to the physical world. Her hands fluttered near her waist before coming to rest on her hips, but the motion was oddly stilted, as though she was mimicking gestures she had observed in others. Her head tilted slightly as she studied him, her lips curving into a faint, unreadable smile. She didn't blink often, and when she did, it felt deliberate, like a calculated pause in an otherwise ceaseless focus.

"Who are you?" Malakai asked, his voice steadier than he felt. There was something about her presence that unnerved him to his core, a strange, unnameable connection he didn't want to examine too closely.

"Just someone passing through," she said, her voice soft but carrying an unsettling weight. She walked over to the table, trailing her fingers along its splintered edge. "You and your brother were practically dead when I found you. I couldn't just leave you like that." She lifted a bandage roll absently, spinning it between her fingers before tossing it back onto the pile. "You should be grateful. Healing magic isn't my usual thing."

Malakai frowned. "If it's not your usual thing, then how did you heal us so effectively?"

The girl turned her glowing amber gaze on him, her smile widening slightly. "I can do it all." She said it casually, as though it were the simplest truth in the world. "Attack, defence, healing… I don't see the point in limiting myself." She waved her hand vaguely, and a spark of mana flickered to life between her fingertips - a bright, crackling current of energy that fizzled out as quickly as it appeared. "It's all just magic, isn't it?"

Malakai's stomach churned at her nonchalance. Her power felt… wrong. Not dark, necessarily, but unrestrained. Wild. Dangerous. He clenched his fists, though his tone remained calm. "You still haven't told me your name."

"Names are funny, don't you think?" she mused, ignoring his question entirely. Her gaze flickered to the Magic Knight cloak folded neatly at the foot of his bed. "You're one of them, aren't you? A Magic Knight?"

"Yes," he replied cautiously. "Why?"

She hesitated for a moment, her head tilting again in that birdlike way of hers. "Do you know Abraham Velcor?" The name came out of nowhere, her voice a little too casual, as if she didn't care about the answer, but Malakai saw the flicker of something in her eyes…hope, perhaps?

He froze. Abraham Velcor. That name was a shadow in the darkest corners of his mind, a spectre of horror tied to the stories Lars had told him. Malakai's chest tightened as he forced himself to keep his expression neutral. "No," he lied. "I've never heard of him."

The girl watched him closely, her gaze lingering for an uncomfortable moment. Then she shrugged, turning back toward the doorway. "Doesn't matter. He's not worth much anyway." She paused at the threshold, glancing over her shoulder with that faint smile still playing on her lips. "Well, good luck, Magic Knight. Try not to die next time."

"Wait," Malakai called after her. "Who are you?"

She looked back, her amber eyes gleaming with a mixture of mischief and something far deeper. "The name's Gwynith," she said simply, before disappearing into the shadows beyond the door.

…

As Zere flew through the corridors on ink-drawn wings, she sensed familiar mana signatures up ahead - those of two elves… Frish and Miron. There was another mana signature that seemed to be in conflict with those two - something that felt like it came from a higher power.

Her eyes flicked back to the spirit trapped in a prism beside her. Liora's form was eerily unmoving in the time trapped prism, her last, haunting expression etched onto her face like a stone tablet.

Still, Zere didn't care. That spirit's bond was with the human inhabiting this body, and not her. It was not of her concern that she was trapped in this state.

Zere rounded the corner, her wings dissipating as she saw Frish and Miron fighting with a human boy, with spiky lilac hair and teal eyes. "Both of you," she said, her voice ringing out across the hall.

Frish's eyes lit up. "Zere!" she yelled, running over from her fight to embrace her tightly. She then flushed a deep shade of red, and realising that her reaction may have been over the top, broke the embrace to face her comrade.

Zere's stoic expression did not change, embracing Frish back. "Welcome back," she said, placing a hand on the younger elf's head. Frish's eyes lit up with delight, and she retracted her hair.

"Go and find Mister Licht and the others," Zere said. "I'll catch up with you."

Frish nodded, and exited the way the ink mage had entered, her heart soaring at learning that another one of her comrades was alive.

Zere spun round, her eyes falling on Miron as she spoke. "Stand down, Mister Miron."

"By what authority, youngling?" Miron sneered.

Zere's eyes narrowed dangerously, and she pulled out her paintbrush, drawing a kanji on the air - the kanji for order, —.

Miron's eyes dimmed, his body slackening, and his will completely subjugated to Zere's control.

"Now, fall back, Mister Miron. Go and find Mister Licht and the others," Zere said, her deadpan voice starting to carry an edge of dangerous emotion. Miron nodded, and rushed off, his body completely in Zoe's control.

Her eyes finally fell on Cade, and the celestial beside him - Zaira. "Interesting," she mused, raising her paintbrush.

"That's…not Zoe," Cade said, the threads of Emotional Thread Resonance swirling at his tips. "Yeah, no shit that's not her. She's glowing yellow!"

Zaira nudged Cade. "T-this mana is e-elven. T-they've been t-taken over by elves…"

"Taken over?" Cade repeated, his blood running cold.

"Reincarnated is more accurate," Zere said. "Your friend's soul has been buried deep in the annals of her body, leaving an empty vessel for me to possess."

Cade's grip on his emotional threads tightened, his teal eyes narrowing. The ink mage before him exuded an overwhelming sense of calm authority, as if every movement was predetermined and unassailable. Zere raised her brush, its bristles dripping with glowing black ink that shimmered like molten obsidian.

"Step aside," Zere said, her tone colder than the ink flowing from her weapon. "You cannot hope to save her."

"That's what you think," Cade growled. His voice, usually measured and tinged with mischief, now carried a rare edge of defiance. The Emotional Threads flared to life around him, each thread pulsating with raw, unfiltered emotion. "Hope That Illuminates the Shadows!"

A radiant beam of golden light shot forth, tearing through the dim corridor and dispelling the eerie ink patterns that Zere had begun to spread across the walls. The light bathed the hall in warmth, forcing shadows to recoil.

Zere remained unfazed, a single elegant stroke of her paintbrush creating a kanji in the air. The symbol for "Nullify" shimmered and dissolved Cade's radiant attack into harmless motes of light.

Cade's jaw clenched. "Courage That Defies the Storm!" he shouted, weaving a protective barrier of swirling mana around himself and Zaira. The barrier pulsed with a defiant energy, standing firm even as Zere's ink began to creep toward them.

Zere's eyes glimmered with faint amusement as she drew a thin line of ink on the air. "Ink Magic: Severance Slash."

The ink transformed into a needle-thin slash, slicing cleanly through Cade's barrier and shattering it like fragile glass. Cade staggered, the force of the broken spell sending him reeling.

She's toying with me, Cade thought, his mind racing.

"Your emotions are strong," Zere observed, her voice betraying neither malice nor approval. "But strength without control is wasted."

Cade gritted his teeth. "Grief That Drowns the Earth!"

A surge of mana erupted from him, manifesting as a tidal wave of sorrow-infused water. The corridor flooded in an instant, the deluge roaring toward Zere with the force of an avalanche. The water gleamed with Cade's anguish, each droplet imbued with the weight of his failure to protect those he cared for.

Zere sighed softly, lifting her paintbrush again. A series of fluid strokes formed the kanji for "Divide," and the wave split cleanly in two, harmlessly cascading past her on either side.

"Enough games," she said, her voice hardening. With a flick of her wrist, she painted a large, intricate kanji on the ground: "Subjugate." Black ink spread like wildfire, twisting into chains that snaked toward Cade and Zaira.

Zaira stepped forward, trembling but resolute. "C-Celestial Convergence!" she cried, her mana flaring as she merged her power with Cade's. The air around them shimmered, and Cade felt a surge of strength as their energies combined.

For a brief moment, he thought they might stand a chance. But Zere merely watched, her expression unchanging.

The ink chains surged forward, wrapping around Cade and Zaira despite their combined power. Cade struggled, pouring his mana into the Emotional Threads. "Hatred That Devours the Sun!" he roared, unleashing a torrent of dark threads that lashed out violently, absorbing and redirecting Zere's ink-based attacks.

For a moment, it seemed to work. The ink recoiled, and Cade felt a glimmer of hope. But Zere moved with unrelenting precision, her paintbrush dancing through the air. She painted a new kanji: "Empty."

The dark threads were swallowed whole by her ink, their energy dissipating into nothingness. Cade fell to his knees, his mana reserves dwindling.

"You fought well," Zere said, stepping closer. "But this is where it ends."

As she raised her paintbrush for the final stroke, a piercing voice cut through the tension.

"Mercury Magic: Shining Silver Barrage!"

A torrent of shimmering mercury spears shot down the corridor, forcing Zere to leap back. Nozel Silva emerged from the shadows, his silver cloak billowing behind him.

"Captain Nozel!" Cade gasped, relief washing over him.

Behind Nozel, the rest of the reinforcements poured in: Yul, his Steel Magic erecting barriers to block Zere's ink, Kian, whose Force Magic shattered the chains binding Cade and Zaira, Vivianne, her tornado carrying the unconscious Lucia and Cara, and En, his mushroom mount bounding into the fray with surprising agility.

Zere's calm demeanour remained unshaken as she faced the new arrivals. "How quaint," she said. "More humans to fail in saving their comrades."

"Fall back, now!" Nozel ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Cade hesitated, his gaze flickering toward Zere. His hands balled into fists. "I can't just-"

"You'll only get yourself killed," Kian snapped, grabbing Cade's arm and pulling him toward the exit.

As they retreated, Cade's mind raced with frustration and self-loathing. He glanced back at Zere, still standing amidst her swirling ink, her golden aura casting an eerie glow over the battlefield.

Once they were safely out of range, Cade slammed his fist against the wall, his composure shattering. "I couldn't save her," he muttered, his voice trembling. "I was right there, and I still couldn't do anything."

"Cade-" Yul began, but Cade cut him off.

"Don't," he snapped, his tone sharper than steel. "Don't try to console me. This is my failure. Mine alone."

He bit his lip so hard it bled, the metallic taste mingling with the bitterness of his defeat. His usual sly confidence was gone, replaced by an uncharacteristic vulnerability.

Vivianne placed a hand on Cade's shoulder, her expression unreadable. "You're still alive," she said curtly. "Focus on that. We'll get her back."

Cade nodded silently, though his heart felt heavier with each step they took away from the battlefield. The image of Zere and the trapped Zoe burned into his mind like a scar he couldn't ignore.

A/N: special chapter is next! the reason why i haven't been uploading as much is because i'm working on my own book (i'm only on chapter 1 tho - worldbuilding is harrrd) and the special chapter :)

once again, thank you all for your support and don't forget to review