Cursed With You

Her Destructive Power

Raffin fought alongside the first army. The creatures numbered in the hundreds, still nothing compared to Ostelux's first army of two thousand five hundred. They vanquished all the creatures before hundreds more appeared. Each light wizard captured five to seven creatures at a time, and the soldiers finished them.

Raffin saw Jacina just below the portal. She had both hands outstretched. She tried to close the portal, but to no avail. Not long after, Magus Uxar and Magus Ivys joined her, and the three of them tried again. The portal flickered, but when more creatures jumped out, they forced the three wizards to protect themselves. After that, the portal opened wider and wider.

Just as the first chime sounded, Raffin caught Ferula out of the corner of his eye. She captured the creature with purple tendrils of light. Unlike the light wizards, Ferula pulled the magic seeds from the creature's neck with her bare hands.

The second chime sounded. Raffin and the first army retreated, while the second army emerged from the palace's protective barrier.

"Why do you disobey me, Raffin?" asked Ames as Raffin passed through the barrier. Raffin had tried to keep his distance from his brothers during the battle. But now he could not avoid them.

"I told you I wanted to join the fight," Raffin said. "Are you going to lock me up now?"

"You—"

"Your Majesty." Helman grabbed Ames by the shoulders. "Save your strength for the next round. If Raffin wants to fight, let him. It's already done."

Their gauntlets clanked as Ames slapped Helman's hand away. "Let him?" he snapped at Helman. "Fine. But if anything happens to Raffin, you're responsible."

"He's going to kill me," Helman muttered as Ames walked away.

"Thank you, Helman," Raffin said.

Helman patted Raffin on the back. "No problem. Our enemy is out there." He jerked his head to the outside of the palace. "Not in here. Promise me you'll stay alive."

"I'll try."

After what seemed like hours of waiting, the second bell rang. Raffin, along with his brothers and the king's guards, joined the vanguard of the first army to emerge from the magic barrier. They still outnumbered them.

Raffin raised his shield to ward off the claws that came for him. He cut off the creature's hands and feet, slashed its head, and sliced its neck until the magic seed jumped out. Raffin stomped on it as he turned to face another, leaving his first opponent to wither and lie in the street with the other carcasses. He did it again and again.

At the turn of the next two chimes, the portal opened wider. It was bigger than the town square. The number of creatures coming out was no longer in the hundreds. Perhaps their numbers would soon be even. From behind the palace's protective barrier, Raffin and the first army watched the battle intensify and expand.

The first chime sounded. The creatures coming out of the portal were twice as many as before. Some of the second army fell. All the wizards were still standing, having had no rest since the battle began. Some tried to help the wounded soldiers. But the growing number of creatures forced them to continue fighting undistracted.

The second chime sounded. It was the first army's turn to advance again. This time, the maneuver was a struggle, as the monstrous creatures outnumbered the second army and continued to advance. The battle moved to the front of the palace.

General Tibor, fighting alongside the second army, reported to Ames as soon as he entered the barrier. "They outnumber us, Your Majesty. We must deploy all our troops."