After a few days of grueling, yet productive, training, Shalyn had begun to notice subtle changes in herself. The once foreign tingling sensation that accompanied her magic now felt almost natural, as if it had always been a part of her.
Lazare's lessons were grueling, pushing Shalyn to the brink of her endurance every time, to the point where the nightly fever, sparked by sheer exhaustion, became an expected part of her routine. Over the course of those few days, Sylleth's condition shifted dramatically. With Lazare's magic at work, the rot had halted at his shoulder, keeping it from spreading further. However, this containment came at a cost, as his entire arm began to slowly decay.
Shalyn studied her reflection as she sat by the pond, the very same one that had been a constant presence during her training. The tranquil water mirrored her weariness and the faint glimmer of newfound strength and desperation.
"How much time do we have left?" the girl inquired, her mind plagued by the worst possible scenarios.
"We have a maximum of 2 days before his entire arm deteriorates." Lazare responded from behind her, her voice steady and composed despite the gravity of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Shalyn felt her heart freeze in her chest.
"Two days?! There’s no way I can open that gate in such a short time." she thought to herself, her panic rising.
"You’ll manage, I have faith in you." Lazare said, her tone carrying a reassuring certainty, as if she had read Shalyn’s mind.
"Will... will they really be able to help him?" Shalyn’s voice wavered, betraying her growing despair.
"Advanced magic has the power to save lives, believe me." Lazare stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on Shalyn's shoulder. "Are you ready to start today’s training?"
"Can I... try to activate a teleportation circle today?" Shalyn asked, her gaze still fixed on her reflection in the water.
"I'm not sure you're ready yet, but it’s worth a try. Wait here for a moment." Lazare said, as she walked towards the house. A few moments later, she returned, a scroll held carefully in her hands.
The woman placed the scroll on the ground between the pond and the large tree, then extended her hand over it. Shalyn watched her intently, analyzing every move. Lazare whispered something under her breath, and a moment later, orbs of pure mana began to hover around her. Their color shifted between black and purple, and the crystal on her necklace turned a dark shade of purple.
Shalyn felt a sense of unease emanating from the mana surrounding the woman, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. Her instincts screamed at her to flee, as if she was in imminent danger. The sky darkened, turning black as the orbs of mana rose high into the air, each one gathering deep within the clouds to finally all converge and descend as a beam of pure mana, striking directly at the scroll lying in front of Lazare.
To Shalyn, the beam seemed extremely powerful, as if even a slight contact with it would erase her entire existence. The girl tried to stand and move away, but all her muscles refused to obey her. She could only hear a faint buzzing emanating from the beam, unable even to avert her gaze, as if her eyes were in a sort of trance. However, Shalyn didn’t feel anything that suggested the beam affected her surroundings. She didn’t even feel a slight breeze or a drop of water from the pond, and even the animals in the trees seemed indifferent to what was happening.
The beam itself seemed endless, as if Lazare was expending all the mana she had gathered throughout her life. Yet, there was no trace of fatigue on her face, as if this was just part of her daily routine. Finally, the beam vanished, fully absorbed into the scroll, and the sky returned to its original color as Shalyn’s senses returned to normal. The pattern on the scroll was black, but it radiated a purple glow around it. Lazare turned towards Shalyn, her eyes as black as coal, but her face bore a wide smile, as if she had returned to a hobby she had long abandoned.
"It’s ready now. We can begin our training." Lazare's voice betrayed a hint of genuine excitement, though she tried to conceal it beneath her usual façade of calm and elegance.
Shalyn scanned her surroundings, making sure all her senses had fully returned.
"What on earth was that..." she mused internally as she slowly rose from her knees. "And yet, she claims she doesn’t have enough mana?"
"Come on now, we don’t have much time." Lazare urged her, clapping her hands lightly.
Shalyn stepped forward and positioned herself in front of the scroll. At first glance, the scroll appeared rather ordinary, but the mana emanating from its pattern carried an undercurrent of unease and fear. The light radiating from it twisted and writhed like tentacles, as if the scroll itself were a living entity, eager to engulf the girl.
"What kind of mana is this?!" Shalyn’s thoughts wandered, filled with increasing regret over her decision to attempt this.
"Stay calm, my dear. Try to extend your hand over the scroll." Lazare instructed, circling the scroll slowly.
Shalyn hesitantly extended her hand over the scroll. The light wrapped around her arm, preventing her from pulling it back.
"What’s happening?!" Shalyn exclaimed, trying to break free from the light's grip.
Lazare approached Shalyn from her left side.
"Relax, it’s normal... Try using your magic as I taught you." Lazare whispered gently, continuing her slow circle around the scroll. "And remember not to get lost in it... Power is like a river—once you tap into its current, it can either guide you or sweep you away."
Shalyn closed her eyes, trying to invoke the familiar shivers, but nothing happened. Just as she was about to open her eyes in frustration, she felt a sharp pain in her hand.
"Ouch!" she cried out, instinctively trying to pull her hand back, but the shadowy tentacles held her in place. "What was that for?"
"Power often demands sacrifices, Shalyn. The greater the power, the greater the price." Lazare said coldly, her expression unmoved as she sheathed the dagger. "Try again."
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Shalyn winced, her hand throbbing from the cut. Her mind raced with confusion and pain, but she didn’t voice her doubts. She closed her eyes once more, determined to succeed despite the discomfort.
This time, something shifted within her. A surge of mana coursed through her body, as if a hidden barrier had been broken. Energy began to flow from her hands, pouring out in streams of blue light and streaming into the circular pattern on the scroll. The connection to her blood was unclear, but the vortex of blue-purple light that formed was undeniable.
The vortex grew larger with every second as Shalyn channeled her mana into it, expanding until it reached the ground beneath her. Lazare positioned herself beside Shalyn, stepping into the circle's radius, her eyes full of an unusual for her excitement and... hope?
In an instant, a shimmering wall of blue energy encased them, only to dissolve moments later, unveiling an entirely new landscape: a serene lake bordered by the charred remains of a once-vibrant forest. As the mana ceased to flow from Shalyn’s hands, she collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.
"Excellent job." Lazare praised, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
"W-Where are we?" The girl asked, her voice faint and her breath coming in heavy, labored gasps.
"We're behind my house. This is where I managed to contain the fire." Lazare explained, kneeling beside her.
Shalyn surveyed the charred, barren landscape. Amidst the blackened remains, small green shoots signaled that the forest was beginning to reclaim the land. Behind her, she noticed a stone wall encircled by a high hedge.
"Am I ready now?" Shalyn asked, struggling to her feet.
"I believe so..." Lazare responded, standing up and moving towards a small cottage. "...Tomorrow, you'll attempt to open the way to Naso."
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The next day, Shalyn awoke with great enthusiasm, eager to finally reach their destination. However, a lingering sense of unease from the previous day remained at the back of her mind, but she brushed aside all the negative thoughts and immediately went to visit Sylleth.
She sat in the chair beside his bed and took his healthy hand in hers.
"Sylleth... Today we’ll finally be at Naso... they’ll save you." Shalyn whispered to him, holding onto a sliver of hope that he might wake up. "I... I really miss your company." She squeezed his hand gently, waiting for a response, which... came in the form of a faint squeeze of her hand. Shalyn’s head shot up in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Sylleth?" the girl asked, but received no response.
"Maybe I just imagined it..." Shalyn thought to herself as she let go of her friend's hand.
She then turned to leave towards the door, but just as she was about to open it, Lazare entered the room.
"Oh, good that you're here." Lazare said, approaching Sylleth's bed. "Could you help me move him?" she asked, beginning to remove the blanket from the boy.
"Move him?" Shalyn asked, also approaching the bed.
"How else do you plan to get him through the circle? You won’t be able to open it here." Lazare replied, gently lifting Sylleth's body. "But never mind... he’s surprisingly light"
Lazare carefully carried Sylleth out of the room, making sure not to disturb any of the seals on him.
Once everyone was in the garden, Lazare placed Sylleth on the grass and set up a large, ancient scroll beside him. The scroll appeared old, slightly torn, and the pattern on it looked well-worn, which raised some doubts in Shalyn's mind.
"Do the same thing as yesterday, but this time try to open a portal instead of just transporting us." Lazare instructed, stepping aside. "Just focus your mana in front of you, instead of below."
"Okay, but... could we avoid the blood sacrifice part?" Shalyn asked, wincing slightly.
"You can try, but I wouldn’t count on success," Lazare replied coldly. "Do as you see fit."
Shalyn rolled her eyes, assuming her position above the scroll and extending her hands. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, and closed her eyes. She visualized the same blue energy and attempted to tap into it... but nothing happened. She tried again, concentrating harder, yet she felt no tingling sensation, nor any rush of energy.
With a sigh, she withdrew her hand and glanced at Lazare. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lazare had already drawn her dagger, preparing to give Shalyn another incentive.
"You know we don't have much time..." She sighed, handing Shalyn the dagger.
"Okay..." Shalyn extended her hand over the circle and quickly cut her hand. "Ouch!" She she choked out.
The blood started pouring down on the paper, and as soon as it made contact with the circle, a magical projectile shot towards Lazare.
Lazare deflected it with her hand and smiled at Shalyn, though she seemed slightly irritated.
"It’s probably a bit unstable..." she said, taking a few steps back.
"Probably so..." Shalyn's doubts were growing with each passing second, the unpleasant feeling intensifying however she was too close now to give up.
Once again, she extended her hand over the scroll. This time, streams of mana emerged, wrapping around her hand. The mana began to flow from Shalyn's palm, faster and more forcefully than before, quickly draining her strength. She tried to focus all her energy in front of her, and it partially worked, forming a vortex that soon began to expand into a growing portal.
"I can do this! I will succeed!" Shalyn screamed in her mind, occasionally glancing at Sylleth lying beside her
The portal expanded with each passing second, until it began to release smaller pulses of mana, indicating that it was nearly finished.
"Excellent work!" Lazare shouted, her usual mask of calm and composure falling away to reveal a face alight with unrestrained excitement and enthusiasm.
However, Shalyn was too focused on maintaining the flow of magic to pay much attention to Lazare. The waves of mana grew more intense and powerful, until finally, one of them struck Sylleth directly, while another surged into the surrounding flowers and trees, causing them to bloom instantly.
Shalyn was in a trance-like state, teetering on the edge of exhaustion, her entire focus locked on the portal. When she finally succeeded, the mana stopped flowing from her hands as she fell on the ground, and the portal's wild surges of energy ceased, stabilizing at last. Only then did Lazare move closer.
"I can't believe it... finally!" Her voice, once soft and elegant, now rang out with chaotic, uncontrolled excitement.
Shalyn turned toward Sylleth, whose eyes were wide open.
"Sylleth? Are you al-" Before she could finish, Lazare cut her off, using her magic to hurl Shalyn onto the grass beside Sylleth
Shalyn hit the ground hard, skidding across the earth with brutal force. Her vision blurred as she began coughing up blood.
"At last... finally!" Lazare's eyes darkened to a pitch-black hue, just as they had the day before. Her smile twisted unnaturally wide, the crystal hanging from her neck now dull and cracked, while shadowy tendrils crept out from beneath her robes. "I will return to Avarel and take my revenge... once again as the nightmare of Bosques!"