Released from the throes of spellcasting, Shantotto, with an air of serenity, directed her magic to converse directly with Zeid's mind, akin to the communication she once had with Adachi.
Her voice echoed, "We can finally set her free."
Without granting Zeid a moment to respond, Shantotto, with a swift and decisive incantation, cast Flare, unleashing a radiant burst of magical energy that illuminated the cavern.
Shantotto then ripped yet another paper from her grimoire. With a soft voice, as if surrendering to an inevitable truth, she uttered, "Bind."
The Bind spell activated, conjuring a dark violet spell circle beneath Fenrir. The wolf, sensing the encroaching enchantment, attempted to leap out of the circle, but an unseen force held him captive. Dark silver metallic chains materialized, wrapping around Fenrir, binding him in an ethereal prison.
Shantotto did not halt her efforts. Closing in on the magical circle, she smacked her grimoire beside it, murmuring, "Il Gazan," intensifying the gravity within the circle. The chains tightened, the weight of the enchantment bearing down on the struggling wolf.
"My spell weaves through the air.
Flare."
Shantotto, her work with the binding spell completed, floated away from the magical circle, dragging Zeid with her. As she sought to ensure their safety in the face of the arcane spectacle.
Her unfolded. A radiant sun orb materialized above Fenrir, initially a mere shimmer in the air. However, with each passing moment, the celestial sphere grew in both size and brilliance. It drew upon the surrounding aether, absorbing the life essence that permeated the cavern.
The sun orb, now a formidable entity, loomed closer to the wolf beneath it. The expanding brilliance hinted at the unrestrained power encapsulated within. The atmosphere vibrated with the anticipation of an imminent release, a celestial force ready to descend upon Fenrir.
Prepared to release the Flare spell, she raising her hand to signal the impending descent, Fenrir's shouts echoed through the cavern. Unbeknownst to the sorceress, the wolf's cries were not borne of fear but recognition, a scent that cut through the magical chaos.
Suddenly, out of the mine entrance, Leon emerged unexpectedly. The poor lass found herself ensnared by the Bind spell, entwined with Fenrir in the ethereal chains.
Shantotto, caught off guard, lowered her hand inadvertently, inadvertently triggering the release of the Flare spell upon the wolf.
Zeid, witnessing the tragic turn of events, felt a profound loss grip his heart. Another dear one lost before his eyes, the weight of inevitability breaking him.
Adachi, following behind Lion, saw the binds closing in on her. Despite the uncertainty of the situation, he leaped to protect her, driven by an instinct to shield, reminiscent of a past moment when protected the girl from Truck-Kun before coming to this world. He though to himself "I'm Doing it again".
As the chaotic scene unfolded, Shantotto, desperately searching for a way to halt her own powerful spell, tore three more pages from her grimoire.
Frustration and regret welled within her as she shouted, "You stupid lass, couldn't you listen to this hag, or that father of a brick!"
Even for herself, Shantotto found breaking her own spell to be a formidable challenge. The intricate perfection woven into the Flare spell made it resistant to her attempts at intervention. The very brilliance that made it a formidable force now posed a barrier to any swift alteration. The magical currents, once set in motion, seemed to possess a stubborn persistence, resisting the sorceress's attempts to cease the impending cataclysm. In the face of her own creation, Shantotto grappled with the consequences of perfection.
A distant voice, echoed through the cavern. "Ripe Braincandy for making new flosssugar, much more young ones than old fireballs... Gobbies must have missed this new one? Gobbies would like to make friend with, young one."
Leon, ensnared in the ethereal chains and burdened by the weight of the intensified gravity spell, felt a mixture of despair and physical strain. Tears welled in her eyes as the binds tightened, but the little girl brightened up when she heard the echoed voice.
The voice, now addressing Zeid, continued, "No sad, knight. Gobbies have plan. What do to, Shantotto?"
Shantotto, though momentarily confused, recognized the source. She declared, "Ohohoho! It appears we're entangled in a troublesome web. My magical expertise, unmatched as it is, suggests we promptly remove the young ones from this intricate bind. Swiftly, lest we witness the unfortunate consequences of these enchantments. Ohohoho!"
Zeid, not one to play around, felt frustration and anger building within him. He shouted at the sorceress, "What's wrong with you!" As he directed his gaze towards Shantotto, he was surprised to find her putting on a performance of laughter. Yet, in the midst of her theatrics, he noticed something unexpected.
Though she appeared to be lost in laughter, Shantotto was, in reality, channeling her life aether out. The act became evident as aura energy lines extended from her, weaving a path towards Brayflox's encapsulating crystal.
Zeid, his eyes fixed on the descending sphere, felt a growing sense of dread. Despite the gradual descent, he knew it harbored destructive potential, a force capable of disintegrating everything in its path.
Brayflox's encapsulating crystal shattered, but instead of dispersing, it grew back around the kids.
The sphere drew nearer, now almost three yalm's above Fenrir, a realization struck Zeid. The impending catastrophe would spare no one, the sphere continued its descent, enveloping both the wolf and the children.
The voice echoed once more "Gobbies won't make this one out. Gobbie loves old friends, new ones alike."
Zeid, witnessed everyone around him succumbing to the inevitable. Brayflox's crystal shattered to dust, Shantotto, drained of aether, collapsed to the ground. The Flare spell transformed the primal into dust, alongside his daughter and Adachi.
The knight fell on his knees, a solitary tear tracing its path down his left cheek before joining the icy expanse beneath. Unwilling to dwell on the heart-wrenching scene, Zeid, with a heavy heart, rose from his kneeling position.
In the grim aftermath, he picked up the only body left – the weight of loss heavy upon his shoulders – and walked out of the desolate cave, leaving behind the dust of a loved one.
As the knight made his solemn journey back to the kingdom, Shantotto's lifeless form slumped over his left shoulder, he found himself lost in a tempest of introspection. Each step weighed heavily upon him, and with every footfall, his thoughts echoed through the caverns of his mind.
Zeid reflected on the myriad disappointments that had shaped his life. His wife had abandoned him for the allure of wealth, the king he served revealed a darker nature, and the goblin friend he cherished had disappeared, only to reappear and then turn to dust alongside his daughter and the newfound companion.
A profound sense of failure gnawed at him. He questioned the purpose of his existence, grappling with the weight of his perceived inadequacy to protect those dear to him.
In the midst of his search for someone or something to blame, his gaze drifted to Shantotto's lifeless form slung over his shoulder. An inexplicable urge welled within him as he approached her small Tarutaru head with his right hand. It was in that moment, as he touched her lifeless form, that he snapped out of his despair, thoughts crystallizing with determination. A silent resolve echoed within his mind: "She will have to pay for it."
Feeling the burden of his armor and the sorceress he carried, Zeid, succumbing to his own turmoil, abruptly tilted his shoulder, allowing Shantotto's unconscious form to slide off unceremoniously. The weight of her unconscious form no longer rested on him, providing a momentary respite from the physical strain.
As he began the process of removing his armor, Shantotto emitted groaning noises, her words garbled but discernible. "Itaaas et ovr, theeer kapar, pilet clover." Though the phrases were unclear, Zeid caught the words "Talekeeper" and "Pirates' Cove," or at least he hoped that was what she had uttered.
Zeid's mind latched onto a possibility. "Talekeeper." The word reverberated within him as he recalled the spell in Shantotto's arsenal. A teleportation magic that linked two locations, and one of those ends was often her grimoire. The realization struck him like a bolt.
In the midst of despair, a glimmer of hope surfaced. He considered the notion that Shantotto, might have utilized Talekeeper. The children might have been teleported to a place connected to her grimoire.
Not one to endure delays, the knight, fueled by a potent mix of grief and frustration, seized Shantotto by the nape of her robe. Unwilling to wait for her to regain consciousness naturally, he delivered two resounding slaps, one on each cheek.
Despite the swollon red cheeks and the forceful attempts to wake her, Shantotto remained unresponsive. A change of heart swept through Zeid as he stood.
Abandoning his initial intention to return to the kingdom, his purpose unclear, Zeid couldn't fully trust Shantotto's warnings of being labeled a traitor. Nevertheless, he found himself without a clear plan and no knowledge of the way to her hideout.
A spark of hope ignited within him, prompting a new decision. Rather than seeking answers in the kingdom, Zeid opted to nurse Shantotto back to health in the nearest village he could find. Once a heart of tragedy, now the silent resolve of a knight grappling a future.
