{Melisa}
The square was pandemonium, a blur of screaming voices, stomping feet, and the occasional crash of overturned carts as the crowd scrambled to flee.
Melisa barely registered the chaos. Her focus was locked entirely on Lady Belstadt, whose violet eyes gleamed with malicious intent.
"Well... so much for keeping things civil," Melisa muttered, raising her wand.
Behind her, Isabella, Javir, Raven, and Armia sprang into action, their own Essence flaring as other Shadow Mages stepped out from the crowd.
"Melisa!" Isabella called, her voice sharp. "We’ll handle the goons. You take care of her!"
"Goons?" one of the Shadow Mages sneered, a whip of dark energy coiling from his hand. "We’re a lot more than that, little fox!"
[... Are you really, though?]
Isabella responded with a smirk, her wand moving in a blur.
"Inferni, ortis, stria!" A streak of flame surged forward, forcing the Shadow Mage to leap aside.
Melisa’s heart hammered as she turned her attention back to Belstadt. The woman’s poise was unnerving, like she already knew she had the upper hand.
"Think you can keep up, little nim?" she taunted, her fingers tracing the air in intricate patterns. "Tenebris, fervor, confluere!"
Dark energy erupted from her hands, twisting like living shadows as it surged toward Melisa.
Melisa’s wand was up in an instant.
"Lumin, aegis, verita!" A dome of light sprang into existence, the dark magic slamming into it with a deafening roar. The shield held, but the impact sent a shudder through Melisa’s body.
[Okay, okay. She’s fast. Really fast. Like "I’ve been training for decades so I could make pelts out of your kind’s skin" fast. But you’ve got options. Lots of options.]
Ever since she’d reincarnated into this world, Melisa had made it her mission to memorize every spell she could get her hands on. Her casting wasn’t refined, and her control wasn’t perfect, but what she lacked in mastery, she made up for in sheer variety.
[Sorry, Zephyra. I know this is something I need to work on, but, right now, I’m pretty glad I memorized so many different spells!]
"Frigum, tempest, gelida!" she shouted, her wand carving an arc through the air. A storm of icy shards hurtled toward Belstadt, glinting in the sunlight like jagged diamonds.
Belstadt’s lips curled into a sneer.
"Ventus, parma, reverta!" A barrier of wind spiraled around her, deflecting the shards with ease. "Is that it? Tricks and toys, like a child playing dress-up in their parents’ clothes."
Melisa’s tail lashed behind her, her frustration bubbling to the surface.
"Call them what you want," she snapped, her wand already moving again. "I don’t need to wield magic like a human. I’ll do it my way."
Belstadt’s eyes narrowed as Melisa unleashed a barrage of spells.
"Ignis, spirare, flecta!" A wave of fire. "Aqua, spira, submersa!" A torrent of water. "Terra, spica, surgere!" Jagged stone spikes erupted from the ground, forcing Belstadt to leap back.
[Keep her moving. Don’t give her time to counter.] Melisa nodded to herself. [You sucked so much kitsune cock just to have the Essence to make this moment happen (and cause it was very, very fun), so take advantage of it!]
The plan worked—at least for a moment. But then Belstadt’s hand shot out, her voice ringing clear and cold.
"Tenebris, funis, ligare!" Tendrils of shadow burst forth, snaking toward Melisa with terrifying speed.
[Oh, shoot.]
She barely managed to dodge, her tail whipping out of reach as she scrambled back.
"You’re resourceful," Belstadt admitted, her tone almost grudging. "But it won’t be enough."
---
{Aria}
The palace was eerily quiet, the distant sounds of chaos in the square barely audible through the thick stone walls.
Aria stood motionless over her father’s body, her silver hair spilling over her shoulders like liquid moonlight. He looked... peaceful, almost. Except for the faint lines of Essence that crisscrossed his skin, glowing softly in the dim light.
She thought back to when she’d read the reports from the gala. That moment she realized someone had made an attempt on her father’s life while she’d been gone.
A successful attempt, apparently. Just one that Melisa Blackflame remedied.
[Well, at least I was here for this one,] she thought bitterly, her hands clenched at her sides. Her chest felt hollow, her mind spinning with the weight of what had just happened.
"My lady." The voice broke through her thoughts. It was one of the attendants, their face pale and uncertain. "What are your orders?"
Orders.
The word hit her like a punch to the gut. Her gaze drifted back to her father’s still form, and the realization sank in like lead. She wasn’t just his daughter anymore. She was queen.
She inhaled slowly, forcing the panic down.
[Am I ready for this? No. But it doesn’t matter, does it? Ready or not, it’s mine to bear now.]
"Prepare a state funeral," she said at last, her voice steadier than she felt. She turned to Lord Caelum, who stood silently near the door, his expression unreadable. "You’ll serve as my hand, effective immediately. I trust you to oversee the arrangements."
Caelum inclined his head, his voice calm.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
The title felt foreign, almost jarring, but Aria didn’t flinch. She understood the importance of appearances.
"Good. Leave me for now. I need a moment."
The room emptied, the attendants and guards filing out until she was alone. She exhaled, the silence pressing down on her like a physical weight. Her eyes lingered on her father’s body, the lines of Essence dimming slowly as his second death claimed him.
She knelt beside him, her fingers brushing against his hand.
"I’ll protect them," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I’ll protect Syux. I promise."
But there was more to do—more than anyone here could know. She had another goal, one that she couldn’t share, not even with Caelum.
The Shadow Mages’ roots ran deep, and if her father was right, they were intertwined with everything: the court, the queen’s death, the chaos spreading through the city.
[And I’m going to find out just how deep those roots go.]
---
{Melisa}
The fight raged on, spells colliding in bursts of light and sound that echoed across the square.
Each clash sent shockwaves through the ground, kicking up dust and scattering loose debris. Belstadt was relentless, her movements precise and calculated, each spell executed with the confidence of someone who’d spent decades honing her craft. Stay connected with freewebnovel
Melisa, by contrast, felt like she was juggling too many knives, hoping one would hit its target. Her magic wasn’t sloppy—she wouldn’t let it be—but she couldn’t help but feel like she was throwing rocks at a tank.
"Ventus, arcus, fulgera!" she shouted, her wand slicing through the air. A crescent of wind tore forward, sharp as a blade.
Belstadt responded almost lazily.
"Terra, parma, firma!" With a flick of her wrist, a wall of stone erupted from the ground, shattering the wind spell with a resounding crack. She stepped out from behind it, her expression dripping with disdain. "This is pointless," she said, her voice smooth but cutting. "You’re outmatched, little nim. Why keep fighting? Is it pride? Or just stupidity?"
Melisa’s grip on her wand tightened, her teeth grinding as her tail lashed behind her.
"Why?" she snapped, tracing a new spellsign with deliberate precision. "Because I’m not about to let someone like you walk all over me!"
"Oh, brave words," Belstadt said, laughing coldly. "But that’s all they are. Words."
[Yeah, okay, lady. We get it. You’re old, bitter, and probably lonely. Can we skip to the part where I shut you the hell up?]
Melisa inhaled deeply, steadying her nerves. She raised her wand again, the runes along its length glowing faintly.
"Ignis, radius, ferra!" A searing beam of fire shot toward Belstadt, its heat distorting the air.
Belstadt’s movements were quick, fluid. She darted to the side, the beam slicing through the stone where she’d stood just moments before. Her expression shifted—not fear, not panic, but a flicker of annoyance.
[Good. Got under her skin.]
Melisa pressed the attack, her wand moving in a blur as she unleashed another spell.
"Aqua, spirare, oppressa!" A torrent of water surged forward, crashing down like a tidal wave.
Belstadt gritted her teeth, her hands moving in a sharp, precise arc.
"Ventus, fervor, exsolvo!" A gust of hot air countered the wave, dispersing it into harmless steam. The square filled with mist, the damp air clinging to Melisa’s skin as she struggled to see through the haze.
[This is it. If I keep her guessing, maybe I can—]
"Tenebris, ferra, corrumpere!" Belstadt’s voice cut through the mist, sharp and commanding. Melisa barely registered the spell before it slammed into her, a wave of dark energy that knocked the wand from her hand and sent her sprawling across the ground.
Her tail curled protectively as she skidded to a stop, the impact leaving her breathless. The cold, rough stone of the square bit into her palms as she pushed herself up, her head spinning.
Belstadt loomed over her, violet eyes blazing with triumph. Her shadow stretched across Melisa, long and ominous in the misty light.
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"It’s over," she said, her voice low and final, like a gavel striking down judgment.
Melisa glared up at her, defiance burning in her chest despite the ache in her limbs. Her tail flicked behind her, curling defensively as she slowly adjusted her position.
"Not... yet," she hissed, her voice strained but unwavering.
Her fingers twitched toward the discarded wand, her mind racing through the remaining spells in her arsenal. Her body ached.
But her spirit was far from broken.