Chapter One Hundred-Eleven: Shining Union
"So, how do you think the others are doing? You think they're having better luck than us?"
With almost everyone that entered Shadow Palace having either engaged or were currently in the middle of a battle, the focus shifted to a pair that had seen neither, that pair consisting of Kenos and Zuka.
The solar mage slung his arms behind his head. "They should be doing fine, we all got to rest and recharge after all," he answered her first question. "As for luck, maybe they are, maybe they're not,"
"I see," Zuka said, her attention transitioning to the heavenly grimoire. "Emmanuel, did you know that we'd get split up once we entered?"
The grimoire glowed and opened up. "I was completely unaware. I may have helped create the Shadow Palace, but I never entered it. However, the separation wouldn't happen for no reason, so I'm sure the ones who established it did so with a purpose in mind,"
"What kind of purpose?" Kenos then asked.
From within the grimoire, Emmanuel shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they knew that something like this could've happened and acted accordingly?"
"This path is pretty long. I wonder where it leads to?" the sparkle mage wondered aloud.
"Hopefully, to an Apostle," her fellow royal knight replied. "Us not running into anyone can come back to bite us later. For all we know, Patri could be doing what he set out to do right now,"
"Okay, maybe not right now, but you're right, time is of the essence," the angel said.
The three then grew silent, having nothing further to discuss, and it stayed like that for five whole minutes, but then, Zuka broke it. "...Hey, Kenos," she spoke up, her tone nervous.
"Yeah?"
She fidgeted with her fingers. "I know this might seem uncomfortable, but…how long has all that stuff been going on? Y'know…between you and your dad?"
That one question stopped Kenos in his tracks, but the boy didn't turn to face her. "...I found out that he sent Zaxon after me a little while before the Royal Knights Entrance Exam," he replied, resuming his walking.
Zuka noted that his tone was nearly monotone, like he didn't care, or at least, was trying not to care. "So, during the exam, before our first match…when you had your breakdown, it was because of him, wasn't it?" she asked. "Sylvester did say it happened after he called,"
Kenos stopped once again. "My dad asked Ves if he saw me around, I was freaking out," he replied, turning to face her at last. "I'm…I'm sorry for trying to lie and not telling you back then, it was just the assassination attempt just happened and I wanted to keep everything on a low profile in case anyone else found out and-,"
"Hey," the sparkle mage cut him off, putting up her hands. "It's alright, you don't have to explain anything to me, I did say you could tell me when you were ready. Seeing that you had no problem telling the rest of your family earlier tonight, I think it's safe to say you were ready,"
"Um, yeah, I guess I was,"
Zuka then moved a little closer, leaning on his shoulder. "And in a way, I'm glad I finally know, that just means you have another person to lean on if you just want to talk, plus, I get to repay you at last," she then smiled cutely.
In an almost involuntary movement, Kenos' eyes darted away from her gaze. "R-Repay me? Are you talking about the thing with Nathan and Levi? You don't owe me anything for that, after all, that was me repaying you,"
"I guess you brought up a fair point there," she moved away from him, putting her arms behind her back. "Then consider this helping someone I care about,"
"Um, sure, someone you..care about," Kenos whispered the last two words. "And while we're still talking about my father, you kinda spooked me when you yelled at him the way you did. I don't think I've ever seen you so mad before,"
She sighed. "Because what he did to you pissed me off. The bond between a father and his children is special and is supposed to be cherished, but he was ready to throw it and you away for essentially nothing. Besides, who sends an assassin after their own kid? He deserved to hear everything I said about him,"
"Well, even you were scary while doing it…you were also kinda cool,"
"You…really think so?"
"Yeah,"
"Not to be rude and interrupt your moment, but you two may want to look over there," Emmanuel said as they looked ahead, seeing the path curve northeast, and at the end of the path was the entrance to a room.
"Good eye, partner," the solar mage praised him as they broke into a dash, reaching the end of the path as they entered the room in question.
"Wow, this place is huge," Zuka commented, looking all around.
"What you said," Kenos agreed as he did the same. "But nobody seems to be here, and I'm not picking up any traces of mana either. We're probably the first ones in here. That's pretty cool, don't you think?"
"AHHH!" the girl's sudden screaming startled both him and the angel. He turned to see her body hunched over, sweat forming at a rapid rate as she clenched her fists tightly.
"Zuka, what's wrong?!" he ran over to her immediately.
"It's…Yoveen, I can feel her fighting back!" she replied, her fists clenched even tighter, her fingernails digging into her palm, threatening to draw blood.
Kenos needed to act fast, so he placed his hands over Zuka's, forcing them to unravel from their balled-up form before he intertwined his with hers. The eyes of the commoner widened as she looked straight at him, seeing him smile back at her.
"It's going to be okay, I'm right here with you to lend my strength. Do whatever you need to get her under control," he said, beginning to take slow and deep breaths, going in and out. Zuka started to relax, doing the same breathing exercise at the same rate as him, the two in unison.
Kenos stopped early as the girl did it two more times before also ceasing. "Okay, I'm beginning to feel less resistance," she said with relief before her cheeks bloomed a light pink, staring down at their coupled hands. Deep down, she wanted to keep them like that, but she let go of her own accord, now wasn't the time. "Um…thanks for that,"
The solar mage tried his best not to appear flustered. "No problem, I'm just glad I was here to help,"
The angelic grimoire floated over to the two. "Are you feeling better now, Zuka?"
"Yes, I am. Thanks for asking," she answered.
But that put a question in Emmanuel's head. "I wonder though, why did Yoveen choose to fight back now? She could've had a better chance of doing so back before we entered the Shadow Palace when your guard was lowered,"
Kenos held his chin. "Maybe it's because she knows something we don't?"
"It's unlikely, but possible," Zuka replied. "The only question is: what exactly does she know?"
"It's you, I've finally found you!"
The answer to their question appeared as their attention shifted over to the other door that led to the room, there they spotted a lone elf that had dark blue hair that was tied in a messy bun, wearing the uniform of the Golden Dawn. The elf in question was none other than Yurim.
"She's not wearing that getup Gauche and Dorothy were wearing, I don't think she's an Apostle," Kenos said. "But then how is she here?"
"It's possible for her to have come while we didn't notice," Emmanuel suggested a reason.
Zuka nodded while keeping her guard. "That makes sense. But who was she just talking to right now?"
She got her answer as the possessed plant mage started slowly moving closer. "Yoveen, it's…it's me. Yurim, your big sister. Don't you recognize me?" her tone was ecstatic. "I could feel your mana a bit from where I was and I came running. I can't believe I get to see you again,"
"Yurim?" the sparkle mage repeated, putting a hand up. "You're wasting your time, Yoveen isn't in charge anymore, she's inside me now. I'm Zuka,"
The elf stopped herself. "Zuka? Not Yoveen?" she repeated the words, her happy expression slowly descending into one of deranged anger. "You bitch! Give her back! Give her back to me! I want to see my baby sister!"
"Well that's too bad," Kenos interjected, extending an arm protectively in front of his friend. "She isn't coming back out, I won't allow it,"
"Who cares what you'll allow?" she spat with venom. "If Yoveen's host had managed to get her body back, the solution is simple: I beat you into submission, then my sister will regain control,"
"Good luck with that, there's two of us and one of you. All that fighting us will do is get your ass kicked," the solar mage retorted.
However, his expression changed as he felt Zuka move his arm aside, a look of determination present. "It won't be two against one, it'll be one against one. Kenos, you go on ahead, leave her to me,"
"Are you sure? We'll take her down faster together,"
"Maybe, but we can't forget time isn't exactly on our side. Stopping Patri is our prime objective, and you're the stronger one between us," she told him.
"You heard her, human, run along," Yurim added.
Kenos sighed, choosing to relent. "Okay, I'm leaving this to you, but don't lose,"
Zuka crossed her arms. "Are you doubting my ability?" she playfully questioned.
He chuckled. "No way, I know better than that. I guess I'm just a little worried," he began, turning away from her so she wouldn't see the small blush on his face. "I don't want to lose you to Yoveen again,"
The girl smiled at what he said. "I'll be alright, don't worry,"
"Good luck then," he said his last words to her before running out through the other door.
The elf slightly turned her head, watching as the solar mage was now out of sight. "He seemed concerned. Is that your boyfriend or something?"
"If fate is in my corner, he will be in time, but enough talk about him," Zuka now eyed Yurim, already assuming her stance. "Prepare to go down,"
"Those are confident words for someone who's going to lose," the elf fired back. "You're just a human,"
"Not exactly. Even though I took back control from your sister, the reincarnation magic affecting my body is still active, which is making me stronger overall,"
"Then let's see how strong you are. Yoveen, sorry if this hurts! Plant Creation Magic: Deadly Flytrap!" Yurim slammed her hands on the ground, creating her terrifying soldier.
"We move together!" the elf advanced with the flytrap, running slightly ahead.
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Shimmering Bow!" Zuka created her long-range weapon, pulling on the bowstring, and releasing a powerful arrow that moved faster than she was expecting.
Yurim was surprised by the speed but managed to weave out of the way in time, however, the flytrap wasn't as nimble, getting hit directly. It suffered notable damage, but it wasn't destroyed.
"Okay, I'll admit it, your power is impressive, but all it means is that Yoveen is amazing!" Yurim channeled mana into her legs, speeding up as she closed the distance between them, raising a leg up for a high kick.
Zuka's bow dispersed before quickly crossing her arms as it came down, but she wasn't ready for the force behind it to be as powerful as it was, her legs buckling under the pressure, dropping to her knees.
"And soon, she and I will be back together!" she retracted her leg, spinning around to come in with a side kick, this one hitting her directly as she skidded across the ground.
Zuka quickly rose to her feet, dusting herself off before rubbing her left shoulder which took the brunt of the kick. "That's not happening! The reason I was able to overpower Yoveen's will is by remembering I have a life of my own, a life that's given me people I can't live without. Now that I'm back, I won't let anything or anyone try to take it from me again!"
"Yoveen is in the exact same boat!" Yurim countered as the plant monster closed in on Zuka, opening its mouth halfway to inflict low damage, but the sparkle mage did a series of backflips to establish distance. "She has me, not to mention all of our family and friends, you fighting back takes her away from us! Is that what you want, you hypocrite?!"
The commoner pointed at her. "It's not hypocrisy! Due to our situation, only one of us can have what they want, and if I had to choose between me and her to get the short end of the stick, I'd pick her!"
"And that's where I come in, to switch that around!" Yurim charged at her, commanding her grimoire to flip to a page. "Plant Creation Magic: Aldrovanda Scourge!" she waved a hand above her head as a whip of the spell's namesake formed. She gripped it tightly and sent it out.
Zuka backed up, dodging the whip, but her expression contorted to one of confusion as she noticed the whip appear as it was gripping the ground. Focusing further, her eyes widened as she saw there were tiny mouths all over the weapon, adorned with tiny sharp teeth.
"What the fuck?" she mumbled, but then a shadow loomed over her, and from its odd shape, she knew what it belonged to, the flytrap was back.
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Barrier!" she didn't even bother to turn around as she put up her defense, only doing so when she heard it banging its head against her spell. "That's not going to work,"
Yurim retracted her whip, the weapon rolling itself up as she hung it by her satchel before rushing forward, reeling a fist back before striking the barrier on the other side, but it stood strong, so she let loose a barrage of mana-enhanced punches. "Go down already!"
Zuka now stood in the middle of her barrier, spreading her arms out to maintain the integrity of the left and right sides. "C'mon, I need to keep my defense up, I'm not exactly in the most advantageous position. If it falls, I won't have enough time to get away,"
"Yoveen! Yoveen!" the possessed plant mage exclaimed, her tone a mix of happy and crazy. "Hold on, I'm going to get you back! Soon, everything will go back to normal! We'll be able to talk and laugh together again, we can hang out with Romit, and I can make your favorite pastries, it'll be perfect! Just wait for me while I get this bitch out of the way!"
"Damn, this girl is insane," Zuka thought, but her attention was diverted elsewhere as she noticed cracks forming on the barrier's surface. "Shit!"
Yurim noticed it too, and she was happy. "That's what I'm talking about! Back up, we'll charge in unison and take it down!" she ordered as both she and the plant monster took a number of steps back.
"Now!" she then exclaimed as they were on the move.
However, what Yurim hadn't realized was that she had inadvertently done Zuka a favor, the sparkle mage waited a few seconds before she dropped her barrier and did a few backflips, now watching the possessed plant mage and her creation try to slow down their charge, but their attempts didn't matter.
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Lance!" she created her trusty weapon and rushed forward, leaping a few inches up in the air as she kicked Yurim back with both legs, using it as leverage to perform a backflip to land on top of the flytrap.
"This is where you go down!" she changed up her grip on the lance, driving it into the center of its head, the creature screeching in pain as it slowly wilted. "Nice, now I'm back to only having one person to worry about,"
Just as she said that, Yurim took her whip out and launched it, the weapon successfully wrapping around her right wrist. "What the?" Zuka was momentarily stunned, but in a few seconds, she could feel a sharp pain.
"Shit! Get away!" the girl exclaimed, switching her weapon to her other hand, and slamming the whip with the side of her lance multiple times until it retreated. She then inspected her wrist, seeing that the mouths had chewed through her sleeve and into a layer of her skin, blood leaking out, worrying her. "Okay, I got lucky and was able to get rid of it before it inflicted more damage. It doesn't hurt too bad, so I should still be able to use my lance with it,"
"Ready for another one?" the elf taunted.
"No, I think I'll be fine," the sparkle mage hopped off the dead monster and sprinted toward her, impressed by her speed. "Damn, this elven boost is the real deal,"
The distance was closed in a matter of seconds, not granting Yurim the time to try another lashing attack. Zuka came in hot, swinging the side of her lance toward her head, attempting to knock her out, however, the possessed plant mage limboed, evading it, but not missing the chance to grab her arm.
"Now I've got you!" she tried to twist the royal knight's arm behind her back, but she was met with resistance as Zuka struggled to let herself in the compromising position.
"Think again!" the sparkle mage channeled mana into her arm and began to overpower the opposing grip. Deciding to cut her losses, Yurim let go of her, but not before kicking her violently in the back, distance forming between them once again, and with that, she was ready to resume her former means of attack.
"Why don't we go for your legs next?! That'll slow you down!" she launched her whip, aiming for the human's right leg, but upon quickly recovering from the kick, Zuka dodged it. Yurim then transitioned into a barrage of lashes, but none hit, her anger rising with each miss. "Just stay still already!" she shrieked, her voice somewhat cracking as she moved faster.
Zuka was starting to feel the increase as she almost found herself unable to keep up, but she wasn't worried. "No way that's happening, in fact, I'll do the exact opposite. If you're going to move faster, so will I! Sparkle Magic: Dance of the Fluttering Fairy!" her feet lit up as her movement quickened.
Yurim's attacks transitioned from rapid and narrow to rapid and wide, forcing the deer to pair her evasion with jumps and cartwheels. "Damn bitch, I'm going to get you!" the elf launched one last attack, but this one was different as Zuka raised her lance, the whip wrapping around it instead of one of her limbs.
"Let's see those pesky mouths try to chew through that," she smirked, her attention back on the enemy. "You say you're going to get me, but you've got it all wrong. It's going to be hard to do that when you're so far away. Why don't you come a little closer?!" she strengthened her grip as she abruptly pulled on her lance, taking the elf along for the ride.
Once she was close enough, Zuka balled up her other fist, punching her right in the face, the force not sending her to the ground, but was more than enough to make her drop her whip and stumble back, leaving her stunned for a few seconds. The sparkle mage didn't waste any time striking the whip with her weapon, removing it from existence, now planning to jump Yurim, but to her dismay, the elf quickly regained her coordination.
And she was pissed.
"You fucking skank!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, wiping whatever blood that mixed with her saliva dripped down from her mouth.
Zuka wagged a finger at her confidently. "Ah ah ah, your Annalise is showing,"
"I don't even know who that is, and I don't care! The only thing that matters to me is winning and making you regret ever taking back control!" the possessed plant now sprinted at her, both hands glowing as she closed the gap between them in no time. Zuka's reflexes were fast though, she came in with the direct attack with her lance, but Yurim's reflexes grew even faster, sidestepping before grabbing her injured wrist, and squeezing it tightly.
"Ahh!" she let out a pained yell as she dropped her lance, the elf kicking it far away as she now tried to throw a punch. "Payback time!"
However, Zuka was able to catch her fist, spinning her whole body around to free herself from the opposing grip as she let go. "Neither of us have weapons now! Let's see if you're as good with your hands as Yoveen!"
Just like that, the two females were now engaged in an intense melee exchange. Yurim was the first to act, coming in with a right hook, Zuka bringing up her left arm to block it, the elf then threw a devastating uppercut, the human dodging it in the nick of time by moving her head to the side, but was still able to feel the residual wind coming off from it. Not wishing to wait any longer, the sparkle mage now went on the offensive, throwing a straight punch with her right fist, but rather than block or dodge, Yurim met it with her own punch, the two canceling each other out, however, Zuka was more affected as she winced in pain.
"Great, I know all these different moves, but somehow, someway, I still haven't gotten around to getting a recovery spell. Having one would really be useful right about now," she mentally complained, but was brought out of her head as the possessed plant mage opened her mouth to speak.
"Stop making this difficult. Why won't you just give up and give me back my sister?!"
"I already answered that! What, did my punch from earlier screw with your memory or something?!" she taunted.
"Shut up, I'm trying to make a point!" the elf let loose a barrage of various types of punches and uppercuts while her opponent was doing everything she could to prevent one from getting anywhere near her face. "Let me ask you a question, do you have brothers or sisters?"
"No," she quickly replied. "I'm an only child,"
"I see, then let me ask a different question," she put a temporary end to the exchange, backing up. "Have you ever lost someone important to you?"
That managed to get the result Yurim was looking for as Zuka's expression saddened. "I can see that look on her face. Don't you dare lie to me,"
"You don't have to worry about that," she began, sighing. "Yeah, I lost someone important, one of the most important people in the world to me,"
"So you can relate to my plight. Let me ask you another question: if you had the chance to not just see them again, but continue living with them, what would you do to make it happen?"
"I'd do anything," Zuka began, but then she stared at her defiantly. "Anything except making the innocent suffer, and even then, it's just wishful thinking. I know what it's like to lose someone and think it's unfair, to know you should've had more time with them, but no matter how unfair, loss is a part of life, and we have to accept that if we want to find peace. I won't say what happened to you and your kind was right, but you need to let go, taking the bodies of these people, stripping them of their lives and their autonomy, it's just wrong,"
"But it's for the sake of someone you care about, shouldn't that sacrifice be worth making?!" the elf protested angrily.
"No, even if it's for someone close, we shouldn't throw away our morals, that's not what they would want," she answered.
"Bullshit!" the possessed plant mage was furious. "If you're not ready to throw away everything in order to have them back, maybe you didn't care about them as much as you thought you did!"
Zuka's expression became serious. "Is that really what you think? That's sad!"
"Don't you dare think for a second that your kind has the right to lecture me!" she rushed in again.
However, Zuka strengthened her legs, allowing her to jump back further, she needed to be out of the range of her next attack. "Sparkle Magic: Glittering Star Shower!" the silver stars rained from above.
Yurim looked up at them, a confused look on her face. "What the hell do these do?" she curiously wondered, firing a magic bullet at one, startled by the explosion that it resulted in, she then began jumping around as the stars touched the ground, doing her best to not let one land.
With the elf distracted, Zuka could do what she needed to, closing her eyes. "Focus and feel it, just focus," she told herself as she opened her eyes, happy to see the beads of mana around her once again. She then extended her hands. "The boost Yoveen has given me powered up all my other bases from what I've seen, and if that's true with everything, it should increase my control,"
Her theory was proven correct as the beads came to her at a quicker rate than when they did the first time she tried, the silver circle in front of her being the same size as Kenos'. "Here we go then, Sparkle Creation Magic - Mana Charge: Shimmering Bow!"
The long-range weapon appeared again as she pulled on the bowstring, waiting for the second the last star would fall and Yurim would come to a temporary halt. She just had to wait.
.
.
"Now!" she thought, seeing the elf stand still as she let the arrow fly, the force pushing her back.
"Huh?" Yurim could feel the strong mana coming from behind her, turning to see the attack, her grimoire turning to a different page. "Not so fast! Plant Creation Magic: Triphyophyllum Blast Eater!"
At her command, she extended a hand, vines quickly amalgamating into a large plant monster akin to her Deadly Flytrap that stood in front of her. The carnivorous creature opened its mouth and breathed in, creating a vacuum that sucked the arrow in, but not without a little difficulty.
"Shit," she snapped her fingers.
The possessed plant mage glared at her. "What the hell did you do just then? That attack was stronger than the first time. You called it Mana Charge. How does it work?"
"You don't need to know that, what you do need to know, however, is that you're through!" Zuka tugged on the bowstring once more, breaking into a curved dash. "That spell of yours won't be able to cover you now!" she exclaimed, firing another arrow.
And she was right as Yurim jumped out of the way, watching as the arrow hit a nearby wall, dealing incredible damage. "Whatever this Mana Charge is, it's no joke," she muttered, undoing her defense spell. "I need to weaken her, but I'll have to be careful," she turned her grimoire to a page. "Plant Curse Magic: Darling Cobra!"
Zuka ceased her fire upon hearing the spell's declaration, watching the snake appear next to her. "A curse spell, you say? Then I shouldn't let it bite me,"
"You catch on quick, but knowing it's coming won't do you any good! Go after her and administer the minimum poison dosage, don't forget we need her body alive!" she commanded, the cobra nimbly slithering across the ground.
Zuka jumped backward with huge strides while firing multiple arrows at a low angle, trying to strike down the snake, but all she succeeded in destroying were portions of the ground. "Shit, it's too fast, I should just prioritize getting away then,"
The elf smirked as she heard what the royal knight said. "Good luck with that," she extended a hand, focusing on the space the sparkle mage was on the way to reach. "Plant Binding Magic: Sundew Devourer!"
The hexagonal pattern appeared on that space, quickly expanding as Zuka landed on it, now finding herself unable to jump. "What the hell is this?!"
"You fell into my trap, you won't be able to escape now!" Yurim exclaimed crazily.
"I might not be able to escape, but don't forget, I'm not defenseless! Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Barrier!" she responded as she formed the sparkling dome once more, the snake now halting to ram its head against it, but like the flytrap, there was no success. "There we go, you can't get me now,"
To her surprise though, the possessed plant mage didn't appear worried by the result, on the contrary, she appeared pleased. "That'll change real soon, I assure you, but that means I'll finally get to see it in action. Sorry again for the discomfort, Yoveen,"
"It? What are you talking about?" Zuka questioned with confusion, but in a matter of seconds, she would get her answer as she could feel a burning sensation under her feet. "Argh, what's going on?"
"Sundew Devourer doesn't just keep you in place, the adhesive it secretes is corrosive. Give it some time and it'll burn through your shoes and eventually make its way to your skin and bones until you're essentially gone. The spell will last as long as I have enough mana to supply it, and as I'm sure you're aware, I have plenty. If you drop your barrier and let my cobra bite you, I'll call the spell off, and if you don't, well, I think you know what will happen, so make your choice, though I personally prefer you select the former, I wouldn't want my little sister to be crippled,"
"How about I create a third option? Neither," Zuka pointed her bow down at it. "Once it's gone, I'm free and your plan goes bye-bye,"
"Clever, but pointless," Yurim snapped her fingers, vine erupting and wrapping around her wrists, forcing them down as she dropped her weapon, the bow dispersing. "You have no choice but to comply,"
Zuka could feel the burning sensation grow, if she let it continue, it wouldn't end well for her, but there was no way in hell she was going to let herself get poisoned, so she made her decision, and it was going to be a tough one. Channeling mana into her arms, she pulled against the grip with all her might.
"Why are you trying to resist? You can't win, so just make this easy for me and give up!"
"I told you this already, but I'll tell you again," the sparkle mage began, sweating beginning to form on her forehead from the struggle. "That's not…going to happen!" she made one last triumphant exclamation, the vines snapping.
"What?!"
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Lance!" she conjured her weapon, stabbing it into the flower beneath her multiple times until it withered away, freeing herself from the entrapment as she grinned. "I guess it wasn't so pointless after all! Control of the situation is back in my corner!"
Yurim was now gnashing her teeth, her frustration visible for anyone to see. "I have had it with you! Humans in general are nothing but pains in the ass, but you, you're the biggest pain of them all!" she yelled, her grimoire flipping to a certain page. "I didn't want to have to use this, but you've left me no choice!"
"Plant Creation Magic: Attenborough Armor!"
Upon making her declaration, a gigantic pitcher plant formed behind her, matching the species of the spell's namesake. But in a twist that surprised the sparkle mage, instead of making any movement toward her, it moved toward Yurim, encasing her in its pitcher as it slowly shrank, but instead of crushing her, the plant's entire body morphed, becoming multiple pieces of leaf-esque armor that covered her body from the neck down, at the same time, markings appeared on her face, complimenting her elven marking.
Zuka was in awe, not just by the armor's appearance, but by how strong it felt. "What is that?"
"Say hello to the strongest spell in my host's repertoire," she replied as she walked over, now standing directly in front of the barrier. "And you're about to see why," she reeled her fist back and launched a powerful punch, destroying the defense spell in one blow.
"No way!" the sparkle mage gasped, but she wasn't done there. After taking down her barrier, the elf closed the distance between them and punched her right in the gut, sending her back a number of feet, the girl erupting into a coughing fit. "That one hurt,"
But just then, her eyes widened as she registered another source of pain. Looking at her leg, she spotted the cobra, its teeth sinking into her shin for a second or two before it backed up and ceased to exist. Zuka shot up, but as fast as she did that, she could feel her body lose strength. "Oh no,"
"Relax, it's like I said, the cobra only gave you the lowest effective dosage of poison," Yurim repeated. "However, it's more than enough to weaken you. Victory is mine,"
Zuka did her best to fight the sensation. "As long as I can still fight, victory won't be yours,"
"Talk is cheap. I'm using my strongest spell while you're no longer at your best, there's way too much of a power differential between us, saying you can win is nothing more than a pathetic attempt at deceiving yourself," Yurim scoffed.
The human shook her head. "I mean it, I have some tricks up my sleeve, like this. Sparkle Reinforcement Magic: Rampage Force!" she exclaimed, becoming enveloped in the glittering aura. "It may not even our power out, but it will still help,"
"You're going to need more than just help, you're going to need a miracle," that was the last thing Yurim said before she came rushing.
Zuka did the same, but at a significantly slower pace. Once the distance between them dropped to fifteen or so meters, the royal knight jumped into the air, both hands gripping her lance as she descended toward her enemy, prepared to strike with the tip. Unfortunately, it was an action done in vain as Yurim stopped and crossed her arms, contact forming, but the lance's tip was unable to pierce through her armor.
"Shit,"
"I couldn't have said it better myself," the possessed plant mage taunted as she spread her arms, the opposing force pushing Zuka back a few inches, but the human wasn't done as she closed in, weaving over to the side.
"That armor of yours may be strong enough to protect your body, but it can't protect what it's not covering!" she attempted to go for the head with a blunt strike.
"Nice try, but it won't work," Yurim quickly put up her hand to counter the attack, she then hurried behind the opponent, roughly pulling her ponytail.
"Hey, hands off!" it was clear from the tone of her voice that she was annoyed.
"Not a chance!" she just pulled harder, getting ready to throw a punch.
Although she was in a janky position, Zuka was able to turn her body around enough to use the side of her lance to defend herself, but the force of the punch was immense, Yurim letting go of her at just the right time for her to be pushed back.
With distance between them, the deer could assess the situation. "This isn't good, not good at all. Even with Rampage Force, I couldn't put a dent in her defense, however, that was from close up, so perhaps long-range will give me more luck. Sparkle Magic: Glittering Star Shower!"
Yurim looked up to see the silver stars falling her way once more. "These things again?"
"That's not it," Zuka thought as she changed up the grip on her lance, closing one eye as she aimed carefully. "Time for a double team!" she exclaimed in her head as she launched the lance, letting it fly her way.
The possessed plant mage noticed both attacks coming for her. "So, this is your new plan of attack? It's just as useless as your last one, and I'll prove it by doing this!" she responded, choosing to stand perfectly still, the stars dropping on her first, exploding and forming a cloud of dust, the lance then entering the cloud.
Zuka couldn't believe it. "She…let herself get hit? Is she an idiot, surely two attacks would have to do something,"
Alas, that wasn't the case, for as the dust settled, the sparkle mage saw that the elf was completely unscathed. As for the location of her lance, it was currently lodged in her shoulder region, but she then pulled it out with ease, revealing it was only lodged deep enough for it to be held up. Despite that, there was another feature that caught her attention, and it was the fact that her head was glowing.
Zuka shook her head in disbelief. "That's impossible. Your head is a weak point and you made no motion to defend it, so how are you uninjured?!"
"The head is a part of the body like any other limb, meaning it too can be reinforced," the elf explained as the glow around her head died out, but then she clutched her forehead and groaned audibly.
"What's up with you?"
"It's just a little discomfort. The skull isn't like our muscles, it's not used to being directly charged such high amounts of mana, but I'll be fine," she replied, now holding the lance with both hands as she snapped it in two. "I digress though. Where were we?"
As soon as she said that, she broke into a dash, but instead of running at her, Zuka decided to run away from her, a direct confrontation would only result in her losing, that being said, even with the increase in speed, Yurim was catching up fast. "I need to find a way to lose her," she thought. She then noticed that if she kept going, she'd soon reach a wall, and that fact pleased her.
"You can't outrun me for much longer, human, I'm going to catch you!" Yurim exclaimed, about to throw another punch, but that's when Zuka reached the wall, running across the surface for a bit before doing a backflip, now in the air while the elf ended up punching the wall.
"You're right, I can't outrun you, so I'll outmaneuver you instead!" the girl declared, her left fist lighting up with mana as she fell, but not before slamming it on top of Yurim's head.
"AHHH!" the elf yelled in pain, grasping her head as the opponent made significant distance between them. "Why you little," she growled.
"Don't blame me, blame yourself," Zuka retorted. The elven enemy was stunned, but it would only be for a short handful of seconds. She needed to finish this battle and catch up with Kenos, and she knew what would get it done.
"It's my second time using it today, let's just hope the boost helps out," she thought, closing her eyes and focusing once more, slowly opening them to now see the beads once again. "Alright, it worked, now to bring it over," she extended her hands, doing so.
Yurim was beginning to regain her coordination, and that's when she saw what Zuka was in the middle of doing. "That increase in mana, she's doing that thing again,"
The girl observed the circle she had created, it was an optimal size, she was ready. "I'm putting an end to this fight once and for all! Sparkle Creation Magic - Mana Charge: Scintillating Aurora!" the goddess appeared behind her, bringing her hands together as she released a blast more powerful than she ever had before, scorch marks forming on the ground beneath it.
"I won't lose until I have who I came for! Plant Creation Magic: Triphyophyllum Blast Eater!"
The plant monster from before appeared in front of its caster, opening its mouth as it began to suck in the blast. However, it became quickly evident that it wouldn't be enough as the creature's body began to inflate from the power, meanwhile, the opposing blast was nowhere near being done.
"It's like I said, the fight ends here!" Zuka exclaimed one last time as the plant monster erupted, allowing the rest of the blast to hit Yurim head-on, shooting her through the wall and completely out of the room.
It was over.
Zuka breathed a sigh of relief as Aurora vanished and she sank to her knees, breathing heavily, taking about a minute to calm down, she then rose to her feet. "I did it, now I can get the hell out of here," she began to slowly walk over to the exit. "Hopefully, Kenos didn't get too far, I can really use a bit of recovery right about now,"
"What? Leaving so soon?"
The sparkle mage immediately halted, a fearful look of disbelief on her face as her head slowly turned to where the hole was, and there she was…Yurim walked back into the room, her armor only suffering minor scuff marks while debris was in her hair.
"But…how?"
"Hahahaha!" the possessed plant mage burst into a fit of crazy laughter. "Did you really think that would finish me off?! You are such a fool!" she wiped the debris from her hair. "It's like I said, I won't lose until I have who I came for," she parroted Zuka's words before rushing at her.
The human tried to act, but after the poison and pulling off two Mana Charge attacks, she was nearly spent, and that also came at the cost of her speed and reflexes, allowing Yurim to reach her and grab her neck with a hand, lifting her up.
Zuka was doing her best to fight against her grip, but it was nearly pointless. "Yes, I'm the one who ended up winning. Suffer like we did and grow weak, let my sister take hold of you once more,"
"Why are you…so obsessed with making…us suffer?" the girl asked, struggling to breathe.
"You're a host, you know exactly why. You took everything from us, you made us suffer a fate none should ever have to. I had to watch my sister die,"
"But…the stuff you're doing…it's no better,"
"So what? Who cares if I have to do what your kind did? Who cares if I have to stoop to your lows? None of that matters, not one bit! As long as Yoveen is back with me, I'll be just as evil as you are!" Yurim crazily exclaimed as she violently threw Zuka at an upward angle, the sparkle mage slamming into a wall back-first before dropping and landing with a thud.
Zuka coughed erratically, taking deep breaths. Despite the amount of pain she was in, she couldn't lose here. In her mind, an image of Kenos formed, more specifically, the image of him writhing and screaming in pain, a sight she never wanted to see again, a sight that only happened because of the elf within her. If she lost control, there was a chance she'd have to see that another time, and she couldn't let that happen.
She did her best to stand up, but before she was halfway, a familiar pain shot through her entire body. "AHHH!" she dropped to her knees.
Yurim, on the other hand, was ecstatic, she knew what this meant. "There you go, fight against her, take back control, I want to see you again!"
Zuka banged her hands on the ground in an attempt to fight it off. "This sensation, this pain, it's similar to what I felt before, but something feels different about it. I have to go and check this out," she closed her eyes.
The sparkle mage's eyes stayed closed for a little while, but once she opened them, she was no longer in the battlefield, but instead in her headspace. "I need to hurry," she said to herself, running in a direction.
Within the sea of umbra, it was hard to tell if a distance was being traveled, but in Zuka's case, she knew as she could find herself getting closer and closer to the mind cage, but more importantly, the elf inside of it.
"Yoveen, what is your problem?! You can try to fight back all you want, but I won't let you take control of me again! I have too much at stake, and not just me, everyone I know will be at stake too, so you better-,"
Zuka had made her outburst while she was still some meters away from the cage, but once she got close enough, she stopped right then and there. Yoveen was giving the girl her back, but despite that, it was easy to see that the elf was doing something.
She was crying.
The sparkle mage was confused at that, but then she placed a hand on her heart, putting the pieces together. "So that's why the sensation felt different this time. I wasn't feeling her resistance, I was feeling her sadness," with that clarified, she couldn't help but feel a little bad for the elven female.
"Hey…are you okay?"
The elf sniffled. "No, I'm not okay,"
"Well, I can imagine why, after all, I did stop you from trying to take me over the first time," the human's voice held a bit of hostility.
"No, that's not it. When I first tried to fight back, it was because I could sense Yurim's mana coming closer, I just wanted to see here, but I was able to through you,"
"I see. So why are you crying?"
"Because…that isn't my sister,"
"What?" Zuka was flabbergasted. "I'm pretty sure that's her, she's made it abundantly clear,"
The elf finally turned around, giving Zuka a chance to see her watery eyes and saddened expression. "That's not what I meant. Yurim has always been such a kind person, so full of love for everything around her, she was caring and peaceful, and she never liked to see people suffer. But this Yurim, she's different, the way she talks, the way she acts, she's angry, vindictive, cruel, that isn't who my big sister is at all,"
As she said this, more tears welled up and fell down her face. "She talks about making others suffer, but I can feel it, she's the one who suffering the most, having to go against her nature,"
Zuka thought about it. "Yeah, that does check out. Back before I took back control from you, you were regretting everything you were doing, but then you did a complete 180,"
Yoveen walked to the edge of her cage, grasping the bars. "Please, I beg of you, save my sister, end her suffering! I can't stand to see her like this any longer!"
"Even if I wanted to do that, I'm just not strong enough, my best spell is only capable of denting her," the human replied.
"Then I'll help you, I'll do whatever it takes!" the elf persisted.
"Help me? And how exactly would you do that?" Zuka asked, quickly narrowing her eyes at the girl. "In fact, why should I even trust you? After what you've done? After what you made me do to the boy I like and his family?! You're my enemy!"
Yoveen let go of the bars and rubbed her arm nervously. "Because…I saw it,"
"Saw what?"
"When Yurim asked you if you lost someone important, I was able to see a portion of your memories…and I was able to see what happened to your father,"
Zuka looked away. "Did you now?
"Yeah. He was your light, the happiest person in your life, he made your world brighter, just like Yurim did for me, but you'll never see him again,"
The sparkle mage crossed her arms and leaned back against the cage. "Yeah…I won't. What's your point?"
"...I'm sorry,"
Yoveen may have ignored her question, but what she said got Zuka's attention more as she broke her stance and turned around, seeing the elf in tears again. "I'm so sorry, for everything I said, for everything I've done. I thought you couldn't understand my pain and what I've gone through, but you have, you know what it's like to lose someone, to watch their life fade before your very eyes while you can't do a thing about it, but you pushed forward and lived on. You faced grief, but you didn't become consumed by hatred, you're better than me,"
Zuka was still taken aback. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that…I'm done fighting against you. Humans in general may be my enemy, but you aren't, not anymore, I want to fight with you, I want to help you save Yurim,"
The sparkle mage couldn't believe what she was hearing the elf say, but in her heart, she knew her words were genuine. Backing up, Zuka extended a hand, the cage rupturing before it began to disintegrate, Yoveen looking around her in shock as the construct ceased to exist, she then walked over to the human.
"Thank you,"
"You're welcome, just make sure I don't end up regretting this," she said back. "Now, when I said I wasn't strong enough to beat her, you said you'd help me. How is that going to work?"
"When the reincarnation spell was activated, my soul was placed within your body, and the magic of a mage is tied to their soul. So if my soul works alongside yours, whatever's left of my cloth magic should do the same," Yoveen explained.
Zuka was understandably skeptical. "Are you sure that's going to work?"
The elf shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, but it's the best thing we have,"
The commoner sighed. "I guess you have a point there. Alright then, I'll save your sister, but only under two conditions,"
Yoveen dropped to her knees in front of the girl, putting her hands together. "Whatever it is, I'll do it, I swear!" she begged desperately.
Zuka stared at her with an almost playful expression as she grabbed ahold of her wrists and lifted them up, prompting her to stand. "For starters, try giving humanity another chance, we're not all bad,"
"...Okay, if you say so. And the second condition?" she agreed before asking, but instead of getting an immediate verbal response, Zuka let go of her, now bringing her pointer fingers to the ends of Yoveen's lips, lifting them.
"Smile for me," she matched the expression. "I haven't seen you do it once since we've spoken to each other. Y'know, if you have the strength to smile, you can overcome almost anything," she said, moving her fingers away.
"Almost anything? Well, what if the obstacle is too tough? Then what?"
Zuka put her hands on her hips. "That's what I'm here for, when something is too hard, you count on the people beside you,"
With that, Yoveen took a deep breath, and then, she smiled happily. "You're right, I do feel stronger,"
"That's what I like to see. So, let's do this," she extended her hand, the elf doing the same as they shook, the black space of her mind lighting up around their vicinity, becoming white that contrasted the surrounding black.
"Let's work together,"
A shadow loomed over Zuka's face as her body stood up, her expression entirely blank. At the same time, her grimoire opened and flipped to a blank page as words were inscribed on it.
The sight before her made Yurim feel hopeful. "Yoveen…is that you over there? Did you finally manage to do it?"
The shadow over her eyes faded as she looked up at her, and her expression shifted from a blank one to a confident smile. "Nope, it's still me in control, but things have changed, I'm here with a message from Yoveen,"
"And what did she say?"
"She wanted me to save you from yourself, and that's what I'm going to do, by beating you,"
"You lie!" the possessed plant mage barked. "I don't need to be saved, and you can't beat me! Have you forgotten your failed attempt just minutes ago?!"
"No, I haven't, but as you can clearly see, I'm working with something new, so you had better watch out!" she looked down at the new spell in her tome, activating it with a triumphant declaration.
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Shining Battle Garment!"
The pages in question lit up brightly, shooting a bit of light into the air that condensed into an orb, said orb then bursting as it released a wave of glitter. A portion of that glitter closed in on Zuka, surrounding the top half of her as well as her arms, condensing into a simple pale silver and dull cyan garment, the style resembling the equivalent sections on a Jin-age Hanfu, it also sparkled brightly, creating a contrast of brightness between it and what remained of her royal knight uniform. Another portion of glitter traveled down her back and sides, creating two long coattails and sidetails of the same color and brightness that touched the ground, leaving her legs exposed. Finally, the remaining glitter traveled to her head, unraveling the band that held her ponytail, letting her long hair flow freely as it changed from magenta and blue to a bright silver color.
Yurim was overwhelmed by a mix of shock and awe. "What the hell?"
Zuka, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by surprise and joy. "It actually worked!" she squealed as she inspected herself. "And I look good! Not to mention this is pretty comfy!"
Once she recovered from her shock, all Yurim could see was red. "No! That wasn't supposed to happen! You were supposed to give me back my sister!" she shot two large magic bullets.
The transformed sparkle mage jumped some meters to the side with speed and elegance, dodging the projectiles. "I told you it wasn't going to happen, you were pretty much setting yourself up for failure there. Now, why don't I take this fight to a different place?!" she then leaped into the air, but was surprised to find herself falling back down.
"Huh? I can't fly? That sucks. So what can I do?" the girl absent-mindedly swiped her right arm, the wide sleeves flapping as glitter emerged from it, suspending itself in the air.
"Cool," she moved to touch it, but once she did, she noticed something. "It's solid, like some kind of wall. But does it stay like that?" she asked herself, concentrating as her hand now passed through it and the glitter began to fall, vanishing soon after. "So, my garment can produce and disperse glitter, and from there, I can make it more or less dense. Hey, that's pretty neat,"
"Who cares what your spell does?! You're finished!" Yurim dashed her way.
Zuka stood still, her gaze on the elf, but then it shifted to the empty space above her. "I wonder," she mused, spinning around and swiping her arms, dispersing the glitter to that specific area, from there, she jumped up at an angle, landing atop it as it acted like a platform.
"I have the high ground, or I guess you can say I made the high ground! Sparkle Creation Magic: Shimmering Bow!" she created her weapon and fired a flurry of arrows, the transformed plant mage weaving around the evade them, but these were the fastest they had ever been, as such, she couldn't stop two from hitting her in the shoulder and chest regions.
As the attacks made contact, she winced at how much pain she was in, but as well as that, she noticed something else. "My armor…you've gotten through it?" and she wasn't lying, the portions where the arrows hit were now exposed.
"Did I now? Then this fight will end even sooner than I thought," Zuka replied with a grin.
"Get down here! Plant Creation Magic: Aldrovanda Scourge!" Yurim created her whip and launched it as far as she could, but the opponent positioned herself out of the way, holding her bow as she waved her sleeve, dispersing glitter in the shape of a slide that began southwest before eventually curving east.
"As you wish!" the commoner hopped on the dense material, firing more arrows and she slid down, but rather than dodging, Yurim sprinted out of range. Once Zuka reached the ground, she began sprinting too. "It's my turn to chase you down!"
Yurim clenched both of her fists. "How dare you mock me?!" she turned around and now charged at the girl. The sparkle mage did away with her bow, choosing to once more engage in hand-to-hand combat, but once the distance was closed and the first punch was thrown, she could tell it was more erratic.
"Take this!" the elf's punch was on its way, but Zuka caught it with her hand, responding wordlessly as she threw her punch, landing on her face. Yurim stumbled back, but she wasn't done. "Bitch!"
Like before, Zuka watched as she closed in on her, but her attention was once again on her new attire. "I wonder," she waved her sleeves just as the opponent was a few feet away with a fist already coming in, the glittering forming between them, but unlike before, it wasn't solid as the elf's fist went right through it.
"Ha! Did you not have enough time to do your little trick?! Such a-," she paused midway as her fist suddenly stopped advancing, the glitter had densified midway, trapping it in place.
"Well, what do you know? It worked,"
"Why you little?!" Yurim tried to get her with her other fist, but Zuka moved around, doing the same thing, effectively restraining her, however, that didn't mean she didn't struggle. "You think this is enough?! I still have my legs!"
The transformed sparkle mage stood at her side. "They're not going to do you much good now,"
Yurim tried everything, struggling, flailing, but it all amounted to nothing. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she cried. "No, it's not fair! I just wanted to see her again to tell her that I miss her, and that I love her!"
Zuka now stood in front of her, a compassionate look on her face. "Hey, it's alright. Yoveen is right in here with me, and she's saying the same things, she misses you too,"
Yurim gazed at her. "Really?"
Zuka smiled back. "Really," she then gathered mana into her fist and delivered a devastating punch to the elf's gut, knocking her out cold as her armor spell disappeared, the glitter still binding her.
The fight was truly over this time.
The sparkle mage said nothing more to her as she turned around and began walking towards the exit, but before fully leaving the room, she gave the elf one last look.
"Maybe, if there's a way, you can someday have what you wish for,"
"Can you believe it, Rhya? We're actually here," Patri said, his voice brimming with excitement as he and the copy mage stood on a wide platform. "After 500 long years, our revenge on the humans is almost complete. At last, their sinful race will pay for what they've done,"
However, the light mage's statement went without a response, so he turned his head, seeing an almost sad look in the copy mage's eyes. "Are you alright?"
"What?" he was a bit startled. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about something,"
Patri became curious. "A yul for your thoughts?"
"...It's nothing, I mean, it's not nothing, it's just…embarrassing, that's all," he stumbled through his words. "I'm worried that when this is all over, I'm going to start pouring my eyes out in a humiliating display of emotion,"
The light mage walked a few steps and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is that what you're so worried about? Don't be, after what we've been through, not a single one of us would think less of you, in fact, we'll probably be crying with you,"
Rhya chuckled. "Yeah, thanks," he said before his eyes fell on where Ronne was. The copy mage flew down and over to him.
"Hey. Whatcha doing?"
"Looking at it," the elf replied in his usual monotone voice. Rhya did the same, his eyes now beholding another platform that was adorned in markings, but the most notable feature was a space in the center that had the shape of a stone.
"Yup, there she is. Once the final Magic Stone is placed in there, we'll have won,"
"Speaking of the Magic Stone, take your positions, I can sense him closing in!" Patri called out.
"Looks like the moment of truth has arrived," Rhya flew back up, and soon enough, Yuno descended from the room's sole entrance.
The wind mage could sense their presence before coming in, already on guard. "Three elves, and just one of me, it's a shame Charmy couldn't be here,"
"Greetings, Yuno! We meet at last! I am Licht, or rather, I am Patri," the elf exclaimed, his arms spread out. "How long we have waited for you to find us!"
Yuno didn't say anything further, his eyes were narrowed. "You, what's wrong with your mana? Why do you…why do you feel like my captain?!"
The light mage grinned evilly. "Oh, that's right, he never told you. William and I are one and the same. Since the days of his childhood, I was there. Under my guidance, he became a magic knight; under my guidance, he formed the Golden Dawn; under my guidance, he only recruited humans who could be possessed, with one exception,"
Yuno's eyes widened. "You're lying! That's not true!"
"Alas, it is true, you know it is, deep in your heart," Patri retorted. "But that's enough about him, you have something we want, and we're ready to take it,"
"Not in your wettest dreams! Wind Magic: Tornado Fang!"
"Copy Water Magic: Secure Revolution!" Rhya countered.
"Yuno, let's take these guys down quick," Bell said.
He nodded. "You got it. Wind Spirit Assimilation: Spirit Dive!" he transformed.
"Let's double-team him! Light Magic: Light Swords of Conviction!"
"I'm with you! Copy Light Magic: Light Swords of Conviction!"
Yuno was undaunted by the flurry of swords coming his way. "Wind Spirit Magic - Mana Zone: Spirit's Hushed Dance!" he gracefully moved around them. "Wind Magic: Spirit-amped Towering Tornado!"
The hair of the two elves blew in the wind, but Rhya wasn't too worried as he yawned. "Mind if I take care of it?"
"If it's no problem,"
"Copy Magic: Calidos Bestia + Ray of Divine Punishment!" he shot the two blasts, dispersing the tornado in an instant, but that ended up being a mistake as Yuno was now just feet away from them.
"He used that to get closer to us!" they both realized.
"Wind Spirit Magic - Mana Zone: Double Spirit Storm!" he responded with his own pair of blasts, hitting them head-on. "There we go, now for-,"
He stopped himself as he turned, seeing Ronne was almost inches from him, his hand outstretched. The royal knight blasted wind in all directions as he backed up. "What the hell? I couldn't even sense him. And how did he get so close without making a sound?"
Both mages landed on the ground, Yuno glared at the switching mage. When he arrived, his signature was the lowest of the trio, leading him to believe he'd be the least threatening, but he was wrong.
He was the most dangerous one here.
"Wind Magic: Wind Blades Shower!" he let loose the barrage of swords, but in an instant, Ronne was on the other side of them. "What?"
The elf closed in on him once again, his hand outstretched, but this time, he didn't leave empty-handed as he now had the boy's stone in his hand.
Yuno's eyes darted down, seeing it was in fact gone. "Hey, that's not yours!" he screamed with fury. "Give it back!"
Rhya and Patri stood up, light particles healing their wounds, the former flying over to the elf, landing before closing in. "Nice work, Ronne, it looks like you haven't lost it,"
"Yes," he said back, turning around, a small smile present. "Now we can create the perfect life for all elfkind,"
However, as soon as he said that, the copy mage's eyes narrowed. "Hey, Ronne, you were always good at things like tag and hide-and-seek. But do you remember what I was good at?"
The switching mage paused before answering. "You were good at telling when a person was lying,"
"That's right, and I still am, so tell me something," he began. "Why did you lie to me just now?"
"What are you talking about?" Patri inquired.
But then it happened. Ronne's smile grew, but as it did, it began blacker and more twisted, something he couldn't be capable of.
"Pierce,"
In just a second, Rhya felt an immense amount of pain, and for good reason too, after all…there was a hole in his stomach.