3 . 6 . 14

The Fanciest of the Fancy ~ Chapter 34

(Astrid's P.O.V.)

"I call upon the darkness of my soul, to play a game so unfair. Grant me a weapon of my demand, and let me fight whoever dare. Let them feel my demon's wrath, let them be my bloodbath. Let them play this game with me; let us see who'll be on one knee, begging for the slightest bit of mercy. Oh demon, who will my next victim be? Darkness' Game!" Kathrine recited.

In her hand appeared the most beautiful gleaming silver sword I have ever seen. It's sheath was forged of pure silver, so beautifully decorated with dazzling diamonds of every size. As Kathrine unsheathed the blade, its beauty increased hundredfold. Engraved upon the weapon's front were words in a foreign lettering. Beneath those words, its handle sparkled in the moonlight, nearly blinding my eyes. Kathrine raised the sword, in awe as well in its glory. She adjusted her stance and prepared to lounge and attack the stone upon the ground.

And in this very moment, all hell broke loose.

The stone, upon contact with the sword broke into two pieces. A perfectly straight line separated the two halves. The very moment the stone was split, an earthquake shook the ground. The trees collapsed. The ground shook horrendously in an attempt to exterminate all living existence upon its soil. It was as though the sky turned red. It felt like we were in hell.

Kathrine reached out to me  as we held hands and so desperately chanted: "Ancient Defence: Enchantment Thirty-four, Prolonged Barrier; strengthen twofold." A green barrier appeared before us and drained our mana terribly. Staffs raised, we sought cover, and the very second the barrier collapsed, we ran at nearly (totally) the speed of light and raced out of the woods.

"*huff, huff, huff* Kathrine, shhh. I hear something." I silenced her and brought a hand to my ear.

The sound reached my earshot and was registered by my brain. A small tiny whisper echoed in my ears.

"We must use it. Together, my brethren, before calamity strikes, we must."
"Yes, master."
"Defy the laws of space and time. O great lord of the universe, I beseech your will. Undo this mayhem, o god divine. Through your ancient power, time you still. Erase this disaster. Unleash thy power. O Lost Ancient Magic, taken from thine, I summon thy holy Arc of Time!"

What.

My eyes went bleary, my vision was all hazy. My memory was jogged up, and my mind just so suddenly went blank. I was face to face with the Aceon Gemstone, completely intact, yet my memory was still there. What happened?

"What happened..?" Clint drowsily asked as he approached us.
"We told you not to leave! Then the forest was just turning to ruins then we arrived back here! What's happening?!" Tiberius scowled.
"I...I don't know...we broke the stone in half...then everything just happened. I don' know...I just don't know." Kathrine replied.
"...I think I understand a bit..." I interrupted.
"Remember how they kept saying the stone was the life of the forest? Its very soul? No wonder the Elders refuse to give up the stone to just anyone! To retrieve the stone to us means to sacrifice the very life force of this entire forest."
"And how do you explain how we're back here?" Clint questioned.
"I get it." Kathrine said.
"Mhm. Precisely." I nodded at her.
"What?" Tiberius asked.
"They cast a spell. Forbidden...lost...ancient magic..." Kathrine told them.
"Time magic. The power to control time. Lost...ancient...forbidden abilities. Banished long long ago, I'm assuming. They turned back time for our surroundings; thus, affecting the way we perceive it. The way everyone does. However...for us, our memories are intact because we weren't affected by the spell...what creepy magic..."

"Indeed, Agent Agent, Agent Komaru." A familiar voice said weakly.

I turned my head in surprise.