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Resurgence
[A2] Episode 25 – Ruby's Comeback

[A2] Episode 25 – Ruby's Comeback

Standing idle in front of team Hydra's hideout, Ali and Sophia got together and sat back to back. The sudden appearance of a timer on their peripherals worried them of what it could've implied. With no word from the king nor their Paladin, they could do nothing but speculate.

RK Ali: [Do you see the timer?]

RK Sophia: [Yeah. We have a little more than three days.]

RK Ali: [What do you think it could mean?]

RK Sophia: [There's only one reasonable answer.]

Sophia curled up her legs and wrapped her arms around her thighs. Ali looked over his shoulder.

RK Sophia: [He's coming sooner than I expected.]

RK Ali: [Then we've gotta get back to the king.]

RK Sophia: [Not until our job here is done.]

She looked over to Faith as she laughed talking with the Paladin.

Anderson sat beside the sorceress that had him shaking a few moments ago. Her upbeat personality and giddy nature made talking to her pretty easy for him. Whatever she displayed earlier was nothing to ignore, but Anderson felt that whatever that was passed. She was just like any other person.

Paladin Anderson: [That was quite the battle, huh?]

Faith turned to him and watched as he put anchored his hands behind him. She let out a small sound that gave Anderson the answer he needed.

Paladin Anderson: [It was exhilarating! There wasn't a moment when I felt safe.]

Faith: [That's a weird way to put it.]

Anderson chuckled.

Paladin Anderson: [I'm not wrong though, am I? A lot of shit happened during that fight. I went back in time, learned more about the vampire's backstory, then you came in with that scary shit! What was that, by the way?!]

Faith chuckled.

Faith: [Something not even I understand.]

Anderson chuckled as he opened his inventory. Faith looked over to her ability list and stared at the void full of different skills.

Faith: [Hey, do you know much about Sorceresses? I've been one for a few months, but still feel lost whenever I look at my skills.]

Anderson closed his inventory and looked her way. He softly shook his head.

Paladin Anderson: [No, sorceresses aren't very common in the Northeast? It'd be a miracle if you found one in this day and age.]

Faith: [Is it because of the king's distaste for them?]

Paladin Anderson: [Not really. I guess most people saw them as a threat and pushed them out.]

Faith watched as Anderson stood up and raised his arms, stretching his body with a grunt.

Paladin Anderson: [If you want to know more about them, you'd have to ask Sophia, but she doesn't have the best opinion on you. Be careful of what you say and make sure you don't break anything.]

After softly nodding, the two of them heard a cry coming from the Royal Knights.

RK Sophia: [Hey!]

Sophia stood up behind Ali and called for them. Faith and Anderson looked her way.

RK Sophia: [Let's go look for the others! We don't have a lot of time.]

Paladin Anderson: [Why? What's the rush?]

The two of them began making their way to the Royal Knights.

RK Ali: [That must mean you don't see the timer?]

Paladin Anderson: [Timer?]

He turned to Faith, who also shrugged.

Paladin Anderson: [I've been getting notifications about my curry, but I doubt that's what you're talking about.]

RK Sophia: [Then that means it's a Leviere problem. We need to find Zack and end this before the timer hits zero.]

Faith: [How much time is there?]

RK Ali: [Three days. Anderson, could you use your Omni-search and tell me their location?]

After a nod, Anderson shut his eyes and collapsed to the ground. Faith caught him before he could hit the floor. It didn't take long for Anderson to open his eyes again and thank the sorceress for lifting him up.

Paladin Anderson: [They're at some outpost north of here.]

RK Ali: [That doesn't help at all...]

Faith brought up her Blue Phoenix, and everyone agreed.

Calling out the blue bird was as simple as letting her hand out. The cry of a bird came from the sky, and out of nowhere, a bright blue light appeared in thin air. The giant flame bird grew out from a small light particle and landed in between the four.

Everyone jumped on the bird, and most were surprised to feel the lack of heat radiating from the creature. Though it was the color of hot flames, it was almost like sitting on a soft, warm cloud. The bird took off towards the war zone.

-

Anderson took charge of the group's flight, guiding them through the air for several minutes until they finally arrived at Paladin OJ's location. To their surprise, Zack was nowhere to be found. As they safely landed beside OJ's group, they watched in awe as the flame bird disintegrated into countless particles that swiftly vanished into the air. Overjoyed to see Faith again, Ruby quickly ran towards her and embraced her tightly. However, Faith recoiled in pain, waiting patiently until Ruby finally let go. Parker soon approached Faith and provided her with a detailed explanation of everything that had happened.

From the situation with Heirloom to figuring out how to restore everyone's memories, Faith knew everything, and so did the Head Knights. They continued to inform the other party about what happened with Omar and Vijan.

Parker: [So that leads us to this point in time. What are we supposed to do?]

Faith: [We end all of this, right? Should be pretty easy.]

Ruby released Faith from her clutches and watched as the blue-haired sorceress walked into the forest.

Sean: [What exactly are we going to do?!]

As dedication and sincerity coursed through her veins, Faith came to a halt and turned to face the trio. She shrugged, wearing a smirk on her face.

Sean: [You gotta be kidding me...]

Faith: [Standing around and catching up won't speed any of this up! We need to subdue the enemy soldiers and then wipe Hydra's memory clean.]

Parker: [Do you even know what subdue means?]

Faith flinched and Parker rolled his eyes.

Ruby: [Yeah, but what's the plan?]

Faith stood in silence as she stared at Ruby.

Ruby: [You don't have one, do you?]

Faith turned around with a pout and continued walking.

Ruby: [Hey! You can't leave us behind!]

Everyone followed Faith into the forest.

During their journey towards the Western battlefront, OJ came up with a strategic plan for the team of eleven. He proposed dividing them into two groups to conquer the two battlefields. Those who lacked magical knowledge would follow Faith toward the East, while those with experience would head to the Western battlefront.

Faith's team comprised of Faith, Sean, Ruby, Sophia, Musa, and Abdimalik - evenly divided by those who knew how to use magic and those who didn't. OJ's team, on the other hand, included OJ, Parker, Anderson, Ali, and Abrianna - who provided extra healing power. Despite Ruby's reluctance to separate after their reunion, OJ insisted on following his orders and commanded her to join Faith's team.

Paladin OJ: [The team heading East, you guys should have it easy over there. From what I've been told, the Jime forces have had everything under control with their modern-day weapons and gear. What I want you guys to do is get into contact with the Hydra forces captain and try to come up with a compromise.]

Ruby: [Is that where I come into play?]

OJ nodded.

Faith: [What's she supposed to do?]

RK Sophia: [Since she's the princess of Penn, the kingdom that the Hydra forces are fighting for, talking with their leader should let her gain control over everything.]

Sean: [What does the leader look like?]

Ruby turned to OJ and waited for a response from him, but then he turned to Musa and Abdimalik. They looked at him while confused.

Paladin OJ: [They managed to sneak past the Penn forces by wearing their armor. Maybe if Sophia could get into their memories, we could learn something important.]

RK Sophia: [Retrieving lost memories is something only the eraser can do.]

She turned to Sean and waited for him to respond.

RK Sophia: [HURRY!]

Sean flinched with a gasp as Sophia shouted.

Sean: [Sorry!]

He trampled about and opened his skill inventory, from there he noticed two red books and pulled them out.

Sean: [Musa and Abdimalik...]

Paladin OJ: [STOP WASTING TIME!]

Sean's entire face turned red as he panicked and forced Musa's book open. He began to read the pages of the book from a moment before the two met up with Anthony and Lek.

Sean: [Looks like it's a guy named Alysuim.]

He closed the books and slid them back into his inventory.

Musa: [Why don't you just return our memories? That'll make everything easier, won't it?]

RK Sophia: [Returning memories takes a lot longer than taking them. Depending on how much was taken, you could experience severe headaches.]

Sophia turned to the soldier with a smug smirk as he flinched.

RK Sophia: [We don't have the time to wait for you, and I doubt you'd want to go through that.]

Paladin OJ: [Anyway, I don't recognize that name, but still, try not to kill everyone that gets in your path. Get Alysuim, Sophia uses an ability to alter people's moods, and Ruby gives a speech on why he should end the war.]

Ruby: [Being vague isn't a great idea right now.]

As OJ and his teammates ran westward, he let out a chuckle. Meanwhile, team Faith traveled eastward and felt no sign of evil forces in the vicinity. Faith's mind wandered to the possible opinions of the soldiers, but she found herself unable to focus. In an attempt to clear her thoughts, she summoned the blue Phoenix, which illuminated the sky with a bright blue light.

Faith: [You guys remember the plan?]

Everyone behind her nodded as the Phoenix landed in front of her.

Faith: [Good, because I don't.]

The Phoenix flapped its wings and went airborne as Faith sat on its back.

Faith: [I'll meet you guys at the battlefield! Try your best not to take too long!]

The Phoenix and Faith went flying ahead of everyone and disappeared from sight.

Sean: [Why that little–!]

Abdimalik: [The trans just left us here!]

Musa: [He didn't even offer us a ride!]

Ruby stared in the direction where she watched Faith disappear, then suddenly began to hear Sophia's voice in her head.

Sophia: [Is everything alright?]

Ruby jumped when she first heard Sophia's voice, which startled everyone around her, but she quickly calmed herself and looked at Sophia. The telepathic mage wasn't even making eye contact. This confused her, making her think she was hearing things.

Ruby nervously to Sophia telepathically.

Ruby: [Don't scare me like that...]

RK Sophia: [Sorry, but I need to talk to you,]

Ruby: [If it's about the plan, I already know what I have to do. I just need to prepare a speech to stop a war, no sweat.]

RK Sophia: [Do you know what to say for the speech?]

Ruby lowered her head,

RK Sophia: [That's a no.]

Ruby: [I don't understand how anyone expects me to prepare something that–]

RK Sophia: [If there's anyone else in this world that would know how to deal with this, it's you.]

Ruby: [I'm not the same Ruby you remember. Compared to the princess of a kingdom... I'm pathetic.]

Ruby looked back at Sophia and noticed her smiling her way. She had a soft smile that gave Ruby a sense of hope and determination to carry out the task.

RK Sophia: [Self-doubt will never do you any good. Just believe in yourself and you will get through anything.]

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

She looked back ahead and a strand of her hair began to glow.

RK Sophia: [I learned that the hard way.]

As Sophia soared into the air, her companions were shocked to find themselves lifted up as well and levitating alongside her. She used her powers to propel them eastward at a speed that surpassed running. Musa and Abdimalik were overjoyed and couldn't help but scream as they experienced the sensation of flying. Although they lacked control over their movements, their excitement was infectious. Watching their exuberance reminded Sean of his own early experiences with magic, and he smiled to himself as they continued.

----------------------------------------

Faith flew swiftly above the clouds and arrived at the battlefield sooner than anticipated. However, upon seeing the two armies engaged in combat below her, she felt disappointed and began to descend. It was clear from her aerial vantage point that the Jime forces held the upper hand, with greater numbers and superior gear. They were aggressively pushing forward against the Hydra forces, intending to surround them with a ring of soldiers.

When Faith noticed, she felt useless, and being there just felt like a chore. Riding on her blue Phoenix, she stood atop its back, feeling her blue and white hair blowing upwards and the wind pushing against her face. As she leaped off the bird and landed on her feet, she laughed loudly. Her sudden descent stirred up dust clouds that made both armies anxious.

Faith coughed as she blew the dust away from her.

Faith: [Wow, I was not... expecting this,]

Once the dust settled and Faith could be seen by everyone, she slipped her hands into her robe's pockets and looked at the Hydra forces.

Faith: [I'm looking for someone that goes by Allison!]

Everyone began to talk amongst themselves as they tried to figure out who he was talking about, but a sudden hand rose from the crowd of Hydra soldiers, and out came a man in his early thirties. The man had a dark brown beard, lighter hair, and the body of a hard-working farmer. He had armor no different from a Hydra soldier's equipped, but it was beaten up to break point.

Kurt: [I did not permit my wife to come with me to the battlefield.]

Faith looked up at the tall farmer looking down at her. His face was gentle despite his size and vocal tone.

Kurt: [Is there something you need from her?]

Faith gulped down some saliva and cleared her throat.

Faith: [Who might you be?]

Kurt: [The leader of the Penn forces, Kurt Alysuim. May I ask you the same?]

Faith: [A friend of Paladin Zack's, Faith Himari.]

Kurt's narrow, fearless eyes scared Faith. He looked like he was prepared to cut her down at any moment. When they heard Zack's name, all of the Jime forces put their weapons down and stepped back.

Faith: [Now that I think about it, you might be the person I'm looking for.]

Kurt: [I'd be more than happy to help out one of Sir Chagnon's friends,]

Kurt released his grip from his sword and sheathed it.

Kurt: [How may I help you?]

Faith tried to think back to the orders OJ gave her team before they split apart, but nothing was coming to mind. She silently stared at the fearless soldier and made a fool of herself.

Faith: [The princess of Penn will be here shortly with the Head Knight of Leviere,]

Kurt's eyes slightly widened in shock.

Faith: [She has a message for all of you. I'd advise you listen to her well.]

Jime soldier: [The goddess is on her way?!]

Multiple Jime soldiers jumped for joy and the Penn soldiers became noticeably happier at the mention of Princess Ruby. They released their circle around the Penn forces and huddled up behind Faith. The Penn forces did the same behind Kurt, and that was when she realized that she messed everything up. As she stared blankly at the two forces, she heard a voice play in her head.

Sophia: [How's everything going over there?]

Faith jumped at Sophia's voice suddenly appearing in her head.

Faith: [Don't scare me like that!]

Her face turned red, which made Kurt confused.

Faith: [When I got here, it seemed like Jime had the upper hand, but once I started talking–]

Sean: [WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, FELIX?!]

From above, Sean, Sophia, and the others could be seen diving down towards the ground. At the sight of the princess, all of the Hydra soldiers began cheering as she slowly descended from the sky. Before her, Sean landed and ran for Faith, surprising everyone around.

Sean: [You idiot!]

Sean made a fist when he came close to Faith and instantly punched her in the gut when at arm's reach. On the receiving end of the punch, it felt like her entire soul had flown out of her body, or her entire back changed in shape and bent backward. Her eyes went white and her saliva started seeping out of her mouth. Faith fell to the ground while holding her stomach.

Faith gasping for air.

Faith: [... Why...]

Sean: [YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO RUN AHEAD! This was supposed to be a group effort but you went ahead and ruined everything!]

Faith's eyes went soulless as Sean continued to shout at her. Musa and Abdimalik watched with narrow eyes as Sophia and Ruby spoke to Kurt.

Kurt with a smile

Kurt: [Princess, you're alive?]

Ruby with a nervous chuckle:

Ruby: [And well.]

The Hydra soldiers continued to cheer until Kurt raised a hand. Everyone went silent with light mumbles here and there.

Ruby: [You have a pretty good hold on them, huh?]

Kurt turned to the soldiers,

Kurt: [They respect me like a king. I don't really deserve their respect, but I appreciate every last ounce of it.]

He turned back to Ruby and Sophia with a calming smile.

Kurt: [Anyway, it came as a shocker to everyone that you were alive. When Ms. Himari told us that you have a message, I almost lost my mind. What could be so important that you would have to come here yourself, your Highness?]

Ruby blanked out the moment he ended his sentence. She stared at him for a moment then turned to the female with a familiar name. Sophia noticed Ruby's nervous glance but decided not to say anything. Rather, she gave the princess the same smile from earlier, and with that, Ruby turned back to Kurt and gulped.

Faith got back up and Sean stopped screaming. The battlefield fell silent as Ruby collected herself and calmed her nerves. It seemed that Sophia had activated her mood-altering magic that encapsulated the entire battlefield. After a simple breath, she opened her eyes and looked straight at Kurt. A mystical red light emitted out of her eyes in the form of a trail that followed her pupils wherever they went.

Ruby: [I, Ruby Ly, the new queen of the kingdom of Penn, command my people to stop this fighting at once.]

She caught everyone's attention, which made the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter. However, she didn't let that get the best of her. She continued on bravely,

Ruby: [Under the spell of a conniving bastard, we happened to have caused a lot of misery and death for our allies! As it turns out, it wasn't them who were being brainwashed... it was us.]

Placing her hand on her chest and looking down in sorrow, Ruby was genuinely saddened by the acts and position she let herself and her people get into. After a moment of silence, she raised her head and continued,

Ruby: [However, things have changed! We've been given a second chance to get ourselves together and make up for everything we did wrong. We, as the kingdom of Penn, need to break the chains we've been kept under for a few days, and fight back for the kingdom that was taken from us!]

Kurt saw the light in Ruby's eyes and was mesmerized by her words as they came out of her mouth. The tears that formed in her eyes glistened as she occasionally looked all around her to speak to all of the Hydra soldiers. Without him saying a word, he began to hear the sound of rough steel falling onto a soft snowy surface. All of the soldiers, from Jime and Penn, laid down their weapons and bowed before the queen. Faith watched as they all did so simultaneously and chuckled in awe.

Before she could finish, Ruby turned to Sophia to get approval, but all she saw was the smirk of someone after their point was proven. Sophia handed Ruby a light sword and watched as she struggled to hold one for the first time in her life. Once she got the hang of it, Ruby stabbed the snow beneath her with the tip of the blade and wiped the tears out of her eyes.

Ruby with strength

Ruby: [Our capital might be ruined and the kingdom might have been brought to a point of no return, but I see our predicament as nothing but a message! It's our turn to turn a new leaf, and start over from zero! All in favor, shout out loud at the top of your lungs: New Beginnings!]

Every soldier on the battlefield, excluding Kurt, cheered from the top of their lungs,

Soldiers: [NEW BEGINNINGS!]

Faith couldn't help herself and ended up joining in on the cheer. Everyone began to cheer right after. It seemed as if everything had been cleared up and that life was beginning to arise for the soldiers of Penn, but just before anything could happen, Kurt lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Kurt seriously:

Kurt: [I'm sorry princess!]

Everyone stopped cheering and turned his way. The farmer in heavy armor had his fingers clenched and teeth grinding.

Kurt: [I made a promise to the man that saved my life. Regardless if he's a bastard or the man that brought down our kingdom... I owe that man my life.]

Ruby's mind blanked once again and she lowered her head in defeat. It wasn't until she heard the voice of a familiar, careless acquaintance make their way towards the two of them.

Sean: [So what if you made a promise? Unless you're some type of royal, those things are as fragile as an iPhone.]

Surprised, Ruby turned towards Sean and watched as he rolled up his sleeves.

Sean: [I've seen all sorts of scenarios like this one, and might've been through one myself, so believe me when I tell you: unless you have some documentation of you agreeing with this promise, it means nothing more than one fish in the sea.]

Kurt painfully

Kurt: [But he saved my life.

Ruby felt the heavy weight he was carrying from the tone of his voice.

Kurt: [My wife and I... we owe him our lives.]

The sound of flapping wings filled the skies before Sean could respond to the loyal farmer. Surprising everyone, they all looked up and saw the dragon tamer covered from head to toe in his special armor. He looked down at everyone on the battlefield with a distasteful glare.

Heirloom concerned

Heirloom: [What's going on here, Alysuim?]

As he landed on the ground, Kurt hurried over to the dragon tamer, pushing the princess out of his path in the process. He proceeded to inform Heirloom all about the speech that Ruby gave and how all of his forces switched sides.

Once he finished, Heirloom looked forward at the princess as she stood in front of all of Penn's soldiers.

RK Sophia: [You might've been capable of forming an army on your own, but you made the mistake of keeping the princess alive.]

Sean: [It's not too late to change your mind, Kurt!]

Heirloom coldly

Heirloom: [Kurt.]

The farmer turned to him,

Heirloom: [You're going to stay by my side no matter what, right?]

Kurt clenched his grasp on his sheathed sword and stared daggers at the princess. Tension grew as they waited for Kurt's response. Ruby grew anxious and Heirloom reached for his blade.

Kurt: [Of course.]

Heirloom lowered his reaching hand and Ruby lowered her head. She lost to the dragon tamer once again.

Heirloom: [Good.]

He pointed towards the princess. Over to the side, Faith and Sean were whispering to one another.

Heirloom: [Our goal is to kill the princess.]

Ruby's eyes widened in fear, but Sophia's gentle hand rested on her shoulder.

RK Sophia: [We won't let you get close to her!]

The Penn soldiers behind them cheered and threw their swords in the air.

RK Sophia: [If so much as a finger lays a hand on her, we'll reign hell on your life.]

Heirloom: [Watch us–]

Four large black spikes sprouted from the floor and surrounded Heirloom as if they were prison bars. In shock, he looked around and noticed the blue sorceress holding her hand out, and the wizard that once shocked him begin a chant. He couldn't move in between the four spikes, like a force had been holding him in place. His wings wouldn't sprout and his interface was being jammed.

Heirloom: [Shit!]

Twelve light blue magic circles appeared above Heirloom's head one after another and faced down at him.

Heirloom: [Kurt!]

Heirloom called for the farmer like his life depended on him. The magic circles, all varying in size, reached up to the clouds and began to spin like cogs.

The farmer attempted to pull the black spikes apart, but placing his hands on them melted through his armor and burned his skin.

Sean chanting

Sean: [Tôi, Sean Soukone, đang cầu xin những linh hồn sấm sét ném một tia sét dữ dội vào kẻ thù lớn nhất của tôi. Tôi hiểu rằng đó là một nhiệm vụ đau thương cho dự trữ mana của tôi, nhưng xin vui lòng lấy bất cứ điều gì tôi có để giúp tôi ra ngoài.]

For some reason, though it was a language Heirloom had never heard before, he could understand every single word coming out of Sean's mouth.

Heirloom scared

Heirloom: [HURRY KURT!]

The magic circles above him began to shoot out sparks of lightning that spread, and the clouds in the sky turned a dark grey.

Sean shouting

Sean: [I call upon you! ZEUS' WRATH!!]

Heirloom screaming

Heirloom: [DAMN YOU WIZARD!]

The battlefield flashed in a blinding white light, and within a fraction of a second an extremely strong burst of wind swept everyone off of their feet and a loud booming sound played a little after. The white battlefield was bright enough to blind nearly everyone within a hundred meters. As the light faded, a long bright zigzag of blue light centered within Sean's magic circles slowly faded into the night sky.

Ruby, Sophia, Abdimalik, and Musa were protected by an opaque purple barrier wrapped around them by Faith, while she was halfway across the field and hanging on a tree branch. Sean remained on his spot as he stared at the black spikes that remained visible during the flash and looked to see if the Dragon Tamer remained.

As soon as everything settled down, a figure could be seen standing in between the circle of black spikes. It was staring up at the sky with basically no clothing on them; only wearing a torn t-shirt and shorts. Sean narrowed his eyes to get a better view. The flash had temporarily damaged his vision, but it wasn't as bad as the other soldiers. He ran up to the figure and saw Heirloom standing there with ash over his head and shoulders. He had his head staring at the dark sky and was completely silent.

Heirloom turned to Sean, clenched his teeth, and made a fist. Sean was surprised to see the Dragon Tamer still standing but didn't feel threatened to be around him. There were severe burns all over his body and his eyes were clouded by something within them. Sean knew that Heirloom could barely see and moving any muscles would be impossible for him to pull off, so he stood there, staring at the Dragon Tamer until one of his allies came by.

Sophia and Ruby were attempting to help Faith out of the tree while Abdimalik and Musa were commanded to help any of the fallen soldiers. It had been discovered that Abdimalik had some Druid skills, so low-level healing was a possibility for him.

Once saved, Faith made her way to Sean with Ruby and Sophia.

Faith cheering

Faith: [WE DID IT!!]

She laughed and giggled as she ran around. Ruby and Sophia watched her goof around with smiles.

Faith: [Now all we need to do is save everyone and report to OJ!]

Sophia with a chuckle

RK Sophia: [Easier said than done,]

They noticed that Sean hadn't taken a step away from the Dragon Tamer.

RK Sophia: [Sean! We'll need your help with–]

Sophia suddenly stopped moving as she stared at the wizard.

Whispering

RK Sophia: [No way–]

She sprinted towards Sean without telling the others anything. Shocked, they both decided to follow after.

Ruby concerned

Ruby: [Sophia! What happened?]

They appeared at the scene and stared at the black spikes, and noticed the figure standing tall.

Faith shocked

Faith: [How did–]

Sean interrupting

Sean: [I don't know... but he can't move.]

Sophia turned to him.

Sean: [He wasn't struck, but he was close enough to take the backlash. Third-degree burns all over his body, and I think he can't see or hear.]

Ruby relieved

Ruby: [Nothing a Max Potion can't heal.]

Faith: [Actually, I looked into those. They can't heal any status effects, like deafening and blindness. His burns may be a possibility though.]

RK Sophia: [Wait, where's Kurt?]

She looked all around but couldn't see him. Heirloom suddenly collapsed to his knees and shut his eyes.

RK Sophia: [Did he–]

A strand of her hair began to glow purple.

RK Sopia: [I was right.]

Her hair returned to normal.

RK Sophia: [He jumped in the lightning's path, taking all of the damage and eventually burning to a crisp.]

Faith closed her eyes in sorrow. A moment went by as everyone stood in silence.

Sean: [So we don't have to worry about him anymore.]

Sean opened his inventory and pulled out a mana potion.

Abdimalik from afar

Abdimalik: [How did you guys do that?!]

The two Magi-Knights were making their way towards their allies with several injured soldiers behind them, on their shoulders, and floating in the air with an aura around them.

Abdimalik: [That was so cool!]

Sean began to drink the potion as if it were a bottle of water.

Musa: [Yeah! I want to know how it works too!]

Faith turned to them and forced a smile.

Faith: [We mixed science and magic together!]

Musa and Abdimalik continued to laugh. Faith turned back to Heirloom and stopped smiling.

Faith: [Since Kurt is gone and Heirloom is incapable of fighting back, we need to make sure that he confesses for everything he's done, and make up for what he's done wrong. Ruby and Sophia, teleport him to Leviere and take him to King Didus. If anything, I'm sure he'll come up with a justifiable way to punish him.]

The both of them nodded.

Sean: [What about us?]

Faith turned him and looked at the soft smile he was making her way.

Sean: [Well?]

Faith was overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, from the clash with Omar and Vijan to coming up with a plan on taking down Heirloom. Hearing the person that once wanted to throw her away for being a waste of space, suddenly looking up to her and asking for instructions, caught her by surprise and made tears of joy come out of her eyes.

Faith: [Sorry, being a girl has suddenly made me emotional.]

Sean rolled his eyes with a smile.

Faith: [We go to OJ and report our status! There's a chance that they just appeared on the western battlefield, so we should help them out as much as possible!]

Sean softly nodded as Faith wiped the tears off her face with her wrist. Ruby and Sophia were making their way to Heirloom and lifted him with their shoulders. They formed a bright red portal in front of them but waved before leaving. The Hydra soldiers that were still standing watched as their princess went off without them.

Musa: [What about us?]

Faith turned back to the two soldiers.

Musa: [Do you want us to take care of these guys?]

Faith stood silently as she thought up a plan for them.

Musa: [We can do that if there's nothing else for us-]

Faith interrupting

Faith: [Actually,]

Musa flinched.

Faith: [Sean, can you make a portal to Jime?]

Sean nodded and let an arm out. In front of him, a large ripple formed in midair.

Faith: [I need to teach you two how to use your magic, but you need to take the soldiers to Keshab, Jime's king. Having the soldiers around you should allow you to get near him. Once there, you need to tell him EVERYTHING about what happened.]

Musa and Abdimalik nodded then began commanding every soldier to go through the massive invisible portal in front of them. As they all left, one by one, Faith and Sean remained standing on the eastern battlefield. The instant that the portal closed was when the two started making their way toward the opposing field.