Javir gritted her teeth, her hands raised as she pushed against Belstadt, forcing her back.
"You’re... not winning this," she managed, her voice strained but defiant.
Melisa panted, breathing in and out quickly, her grip on her wand tightening until her knuckles turned white.
[I think we’re just about reaching our limits here,] she thought, looking around. [We have to end this. I really don’t want to see what Belstadt has in store for us once we’re all exhausted and spent.]
She took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto Belstadt, her determination hardening.
[All I need is one more opening. That blue-flame spell fucking hurts. If I can just land it one more time...]
"Raven, Armia," Melisa’s voice was steady. "Let’s finish this."
Raven nodded, her knives at the ready, her expression fierce. Armia stepped forward, her sword raised.
Then, together, they moved, their focus on Belstadt, their determination unwavering.
[This ends now.]
Melisa leaned in close to her friends, her voice barely a whisper.
"All I need is an opening. If I can land the blue-flame spell again, it’ll be over." She glanced down at Javir, her wound still oozing blood. Melisa quickly knelt beside her, her wand glowing faintly as she attempted to cast a healing spell.
"Just hold on, Javir," she said, her voice tight. "Once this is over, I’ll get you patched up properly."
Javir forced a weak smile, her hand covering Melisa’s.
"I’ll manage, Melisa. Do what you have to do. I’ll give myself enough healing to stay in this."
With a grimace, Javir chanted under her breath, her hands glowing as she mended some of her own injuries—just enough to stand, just enough to fight.
Belstadt, however, wasn’t going to wait.
She lunged forward, her sword slicing through the air, her power radiating with every step. She was faster, sharper, and deadlier now, her bloodthirsty aura growing with every heartbeat. Melisa felt a pang of worry.
[If she keeps getting stronger, we might not be able to stop her.]
Raven, Armia, and Javir moved in tandem, each trying to break through Belstadt’s defenses. Armia swung her sword while Raven danced around Belstadt. Javir cast spells in rapid succession, each one aimed to disorient or distract.
But Belstadt was ready for them all. She parried Armia’s blows with ease, dodged Raven’s swift strikes, and leaped away from all of Javir’s magic. Then, in a split second, she turned her focus to Melisa.
[Oh, shoot.]
"AGH!"
A dark tendril of red energy lashed out, catching Melisa in her gut and sending her sprawling to the ground.
"Melisa!" Raven shouted.
Melisa groaned, her vision blurring as pain shot through her body.
[Damn it. Come on, Mel... How are you screwing up like this in the last moments of your biggest fight? Get it together!] She struggled to push herself up, her limbs trembling.
Belstadt moved in, her eyes filled with cold satisfaction.
And then, a burst of light exploded across the square.
"Back off, bitch!"
Isabella’s voice rang out, clear and fierce as she jumped in, raining down spells on Belstadt.
A powerful spell shot from Isabella’s wand, slamming into Belstadt and forcing her to turn, her focus shifting just for a heartbeat.
Melisa’s eyes widened.
She took the moment in. Belstadt was responding to Isabella’s offenses, Raven was rushing in to strike her at the same time as Armia, and while Javir healed herself the older woman made sure to throw in spells of her own. Even with these enhanced defenses, it required all of Belstadt’s attention to contend with all of them.
Leaving her back completely open and vulnerable to Melisa.
It was all Melisa needed.
[Now, now, now, now, now! GO! GO, YOU HORNY NIM FOOL, DO IT!]
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Melisa’s hand tightened around her wand, her voice steady as she spoke the incantation.
"Illumi, nerca, var fal!"
The blue flame burst from her wand, a brilliant blaze that shot out toward the enemy.
Instantly, it wrapped around Belstadt, engulfing her in a searing light.
"AAAAAAAAAGH!" There it was again, that blood-curdling scream that usually resulted from the use of this spell.
But Melisa didn’t stop there. She fired again. And again.
One. Two. Four. Six blue flames erupted from her wand, each one wrapping around Belstadt. Her blood-red aura was quickly overtaken by the burning glow of sapphire.
The square was filled with the roar of the flames, the heat intense as they consumed the Shadow Mage.
Melisa’s heart pounded, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
[This is it. I can finish this.] She raised her wand one last time, her eyes locked on Belstadt, ready to end it.
But then, a hand caught her wrist.
"Melisa, stop!"
"Huh?"
Javir’s voice was urgent, her eyes wide with pain and determination.
"We need her alive. Remember? We need her information."
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Melisa hesitated, her chest heaving.
"O-Oh..."
She looked at Belstadt, barely clinging to life, her body trembling under the weight of the flames.
Slowly, Melisa lowered her wand, her eyes never leaving Belstadt’s charred figure.
She exhaled, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away, replaced by exhaustion.
"Right, right," she muttered, her voice barely audible. "Sorry."
The square fell silent, the crackling of the blue flames fading as Melisa let them dissipate. She turned to her friends, her eyes meeting each of theirs in turn.
They had done it. They had won.
Javir nodded, her face pale but resolute.
"We did it," she said, her voice soft but filled with pride.
Armia stepped forward, her eyes fierce.
"Yeah, but it’s not over yet. We still need to find out where our dear friends have been hiding all this time."
Raven sheathed her knives, her expression unreadable.
"And we need to make sure she doesn’t get another chance to pull something like this."
Melisa nodded, her gaze shifting back to Belstadt, who lay on the ground, barely conscious.
[This isn’t over. Not yet.] But for now, they had won. And that was enough.
"Let’s get her secured," Melisa said, her voice steady despite the exhaustion. "And then... we get those answers."
---
Just as they began to move, the distant sound of marching footsteps filled the air.
Melisa’s eyes widened as a group of armored guards entered the square, their helmets glinting in the dim light. The lead guard, a tall woman with a stern face, pointed directly at them.
"By order of the queen, you’re all under arrest!"
Melisa blinked, confusion washing over her.
"Huh?" She glanced at her friends, who looked equally bewildered.
[Queen? Arrest? All? You’re?]
The guards moved in, surrounding them swiftly. Belstadt, a barely breathing pile of charred limbs, was unceremoniously bound and hoisted onto a stretcher.
Melisa felt her heart pound as her wrists were shackled, the cold metal biting into her skin.
"Wait, what is going on?" she demanded, her voice sharp. But the guards offered no explanation, their faces impassive as they herded the group toward the palace.
The journey through the streets felt longer than it was, every step weighed down by uncertainty. They moved through winding alleyways and broad avenues, the city still reeling from the chaos of the battle. Melisa could see people peeking out from windows, their eyes wide with curiosity.
[Well... We still ended up being a spectacle, huh? Just a different kind, I guess.]
Finally, they arrived at the palace.
The grand doors swung open, their heavy creak echoing. At the far end, seated on a raised platform, was Aria.
Melisa’s eyes scanned the room, her gaze searching every corner, but there was no sign of the king. A knot formed in her stomach as she stepped forward, her voice hesitant.
"Where is the king?"
Aria’s eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing.
"The king has passed," she said, her tone clipped and emotionless.
Melisa’s heart sank.
"Oh," she whispered, the weight of the news hitting her harder than she expected.
[Shit... I couldn’t save him.]
The silence was deafening, stretching on as Aria stood, her gaze sweeping over the group.
"I will be speaking with each of you individually regarding the events of today and the appropriate charges that must be handed out," she announced. Her voice echoed in the grand hall, leaving no room for argument. "We will begin with Melisa. Everyone else, leave us."
Javir, Raven, and Armia exchanged glances before they were escorted out by the guards, their eyes lingering on Melisa until the doors closed behind them. The heavy thud of the doors shutting seemed to reverberate through Melisa’s bones. She took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Aria’s as the princess descended the steps, her posture rigid.
For a moment, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Melisa stood still, her hands still bound, her mind racing. Then, as soon as they were alone, Aria’s demeanor shifted, her shoulders relaxing slightly, her eyes softening.
"I know this wasn’t your fault, Melisa," she said quietly, her tone almost gentle.
Melisa let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, her body relaxing just a fraction.
"Thank you. I was starting to wonder if I was about to be thrown in a dungeon for defending myself."
Aria’s lips curved into the smallest of smiles, a flicker of warmth breaking through her otherwise stern expression, before her face turned serious again.
"You’re being detained because I need your help," she said. "There are things going on in this palace that even I can’t fully address alone."
Melisa’s brows shot to the ceiling.
"What?"
Aria glanced around, as if making sure they were truly alone, then stepped closer, her voice dropping.
"I want to speak to you about the Shadow Mages," Aria stated, her expression dead serious.