His mind is agitated, racing with thoughts of the voice of the Princess taunting him. She was not just mocking them but was warning the. Every step forward felt like it could be their last, but turning back was not an option.
"We're out of time," Kael said suddenly. His voice was grave. "If the Princess finishes the summoning before we stop her, the whole kingdom is doomed."
Nyx had perched herself on a column fallen across the path and glanced back at the youngest prince who trotted behind. "The kid's doing better than I thought," he said.
The prince met Nyx's eyes for a moment and managed a tiny, tired smile. "I cannot really afford to come apart," he said in a watery voice. "Not when so many people are counting on me."
Liam slapped a hand on the shoulder of the prince. "That's the spirit. But this is something more than a throne being taken back. It's about the survival of this kingdom. Think along those lines."
The prince nodded, resolve gleaming in his eyes.Second Sigil
Upon reaching the courtyard designated for the second sigil, the view was evidently worse than one expected. The soil lay blackened and all cracked, with an undulatory green hue pulsing above it. Tall figures clothed around the sigil began chanting, their forms twisted and corrupted by dark magic.
"It's way worse than I thought," Elira whispered, hugging tight to the Queen's book.
"Dark magic feeds on the land," Liam said, jaw tightening. "We have to put a stop to it before it slobbers any further." .
Kael drew his blade, fixing his eyes on the chanting figures. "Then let's not waste time."
As the advance they took, twisted figures turn to them with hollow burning eyes as if glancing at malice. They don't hesitate in coming to attack them: unnaturally fast.
Kael and Liam charged toward the enemies, their blades meeting in a sharp metallic echo. Nyx zipped through the mess, using flash and agility to out accurate the attackers. Elira choice to stay behind, hands trembling as she flipped through the pages of the Queen's book trying to map out the magic of the sigil.
The prince was hesitant but finally joined in. His hit was awkward in the beginning but his determination never wavered. Liam saw him and yelled supportively, "Stay focused! Every swing counts!".
As the fighting continued, one of the the figures attacked Elira. Nyx barely caught him, cutting him out before he could get to her.
"You'd better figure that sigil out fast!" Nyx snarled, his sword dripping dark mist.
"I'm trying!" Elira snapped, her voice shaking. "This magic is ancient-it's not easy to unravel!".
They're not leaving them with much time now that Liam sees the glow of the sigil intensifying: "Kael, cover Elira. Nyx, watch the prince. I will manage the sigil!"
Without allowing time enough for an answer, Liam dashed forward toward the sigil which pulsated with light. The air surrounding it was thick, crushing him with dark magic as though it were a physical pressure. He flipped through the pages of the Queen's tome until he reached a place marked by Elira earlier.
Instructions were vague; a dark magic indeed countered the magics of purification. Liam clenched his jaw. He wasn't a mage, though he had been trying.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, bringing his hand above the sigil. He began to draw in the air those runes he had learned so far. The sigil resisted. Its dark current lashed out at him, but he did not stop.
Kael behind continues fighting two men simultaneously, flashing his sword across the dim light. Nyx breathed in one battle with the prince and starts shouting instructions to improve the technique of the young man.
Then suddenly Elira calls out, "Liam, the sigil is drinking the power from the tainted terrain! You will still have to sever its link!"
"How?'' Liam shouted back as he fought through the growing stress of trying to sustain the glowing rune in the air while sweat poured down his face.
"Focus on the core of the sigil-the center point!" cried Elira. "Destroy that and the rest will fall!"
Liam reoriented, his hand quaking as he readied a concentrated burst of light at the core of the sigil, his runes glowing thicker, and at last-burst of energy-performed piercing light through the black magic.
It was the action by which the sigil broke; heaving in a thunderous roar it then sent out a shock wave that blasted everyone away. The corrupted figures melted into black mist and their hollow screams were swallowed by the night.
A New Threat Emerges
Once everything came crashing down, Liam assisted the prince to his feet. "You alright?" he asked.
The prince nodded, though he was clearly shaken. "What... what was that?"
"Dark magic doesn't go quietly," Liam said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Then, before they could recuperate from the whole scene, the echoing sound of low, muggy laughter reverberated in the courtyard and a figure stepped out from the shadows- a tall man with crimson eyes and an aura of dark power.
"Impressive," the man said, both smooth and mocking in tone. "You got yourself another precious sigil torn from your Princess. But do you really think that's going to stop her?"
"Who are you?" Liam demanded, gripping his sword tightly.
Malrik smiled, sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. "I am Malrik, the Princess's right hand. And I am here to make sure you don't interfere any further."
Nyx stepped forward, his daggers gleaming. "You talk a lot for someone who's about to lose."
Malrik chuckled. "Bold words. Let us see if you can back them up."
With a wave of his hand, Malrik summoned a swirling vortex of dark energy. Beneath their feet, the ground cracked and shadows rose into the air, forming monstrous shapes that lunged at the group.
"Spread out!" Liam shouted. "Don't let him corner us!"They fought well, but this was an unforgiving battle against the stunning powers Malrik wields. Attempts and counterattacks were very few because he was far too precise in aggression.
That was a fight they could never win-not yet. "We have to retreat!" he shouted.
Kael gritted his teeth but nodded. "Fall back!" Nyx took Elira and helped her get to her feet as they retreated past narrow alleys of the kingdom going somewhere. Malrik didn't pursue them; his laughter echoed behind them.
"You can't run forever," he taunted. "The Princess will have her victory, and there's nothing you can do to stop her!"
The group has finally come to rest in an abandoned safe house, their breaths labored and their bodies battered.
"That was much too close for comfort," Kael sulked against a wall.
Liam leaned against the table, his brain racing. Malrik's a much bigger threat than we thought. If he's guarding the Princess, we'll need a better plan to reach her.
Nyx smirked despite the tension. "Oh, I love a good challenge."
Elira turned to the group, her face somber. "If Malrik is this mighty, the Princess must be some worse knot altogether. Are we certain we can stop her?"
The prince stepped forward, voice steady although his eyes showed fear. "We have to. For the Kingdom. For my family... For everyone."
Liam nodded, looking determined. "We will find a way. But first, we need to figure out Malrik's weaknesses. Every enemy has one."
While the group began doing strategy planning, somehow, Liam felt they were walking into a much larger trap. But they could not afford to fail.
To be continue...