The void of darkness soon began to collapse with a single clap from the god I had just spoken with. A black hole appeared from the nothingness as it swallowed everything and everyone, including me but not the god, who simply waved as I got sucked into the hole.
Naturally, I screamed the entire ride back as I moved extremely fast, thinking of dark voids and stars. I had seen horrifying things, but I would've never imagined seeing things go by so fast to be scarier than all of that.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed as I seemingly returned to my body still covered in the dark mist that quickly dissipated once I regained consciousness. Just what the fuck had I seen?! I wanted to ask that until I felt Nora's arm yanking me outside my cell.
"You're a demon! You must die here and now! That dark aura, you foul beast, you almost killed me!" Nora shouted while she wrapped her hands around my neck with so much strength I began to fade. Yet, something by the grace of the gods saved me as Edwina crossed the portal.
"Ayo! What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Edwina pushed Nora away from me, forcing her to let me go, causing me to gasp for air. Nora, clearly irritated, soon went against Edwina herself, but Edwina quickly put her in her place.
"You don't get it! THIS CHILD IS THE DEVIL'S SPAWN! She broke her slave seal! You've got to trust me! Killing her is the only way to be safe!" Edwina didn't care about Nora's excuse as she simply kept her pinned against the ground.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Edwina asked while I began to try Nora's keys on Vera's cell to see if any of them would open her cage. Vera looked worse than I had imagined; she was extremely pale and skinny. Vera was practically a talking skeleton.
"You haven't noticed?! SHE IS NO LONGER UNDER OUR CONTROL!" Nora shouted, making Edwina turn her head to me, noticing my actions which made me drop the keys in an instant; oh fuck. That couldn't be good! I needed to come up with a plan, but what!?
"Yoimiya, return to your cell, and nobody will hurt you. Don't make me side with Nora." Edwina sounded even more menacing than the demon I had faced multiple times already, so I felt like I couldn't fight her, and just when I thought I would be put into the same loop, a loud tremble and intense shaking made the entire place unstable.
{BOOM! BANG!}
The intense shaking made me lose footing, but I recognized the sound far too well. The sound and the shake of explosions. Yet it would be unexplainable as there shouldn't be any bombs in this fantasy land. Yet the shaking intensified as Edwina began to explain.
"Damn it, I almost forgot. The entire nation is under attack; not even this place is safe. I came to take you all to the teleportation room, but it seems like the new one will be a problem." Nora soon relaxed as the news got to her. The witch forest was under attack. Surely she cared, right?
Stolen story; please report.
"I can take care of her, but the sick one stays to die. They're worthless." Was Nora referring to my friend as "Useless?" How dare she!? Vera wasn't worthless. She was a great companion who showed me more than anyone else. I would've never known about many things if it weren't for her.
"You're not leaving Vera behind! I won't let you leave them behind!" Edwina scuffs at my rebellious attitude, responding with her strange immobilization magic, which sends me directly to my knees. Yet something felt different; I could still move and speak.
My aura slowly began to manifest again as the pendant gleaned bright green, allowing me to feel the flow of dark power much better than before. It felt like a nozzle put into the flow of dark magic, which limited the amount that could go through, but it was enough to manifest the dark mist.
"What the?" "I told you she was the devil!" "Shut up! She is just a stupid kid!" "Yet that stupid kid is breaking free from your strongest spell."
That was right. The pressure from Edwina's magic reduced in the same instant my body got engulfed in the dark mist. Not long after, just like Vera had described, words began to flow into my mind as I concentrated on the control of my magic.
"Dark magic, Covered in darkness. Retaliate with the power of darkness and apply their curse on themselves. First full counter!" I followed the text that appeared before my eyes until a mysterious magical circle redirected the entire dark mist toward Nora and Edwina, getting them to their knees.
"AHHHHG!! What the fuck is that spell?!" "You got a demon this time! Uhg!" Neither Edwina nor Nora could move while the mist acted against them. It was like the spell had reserved and gone against them instead of me, but that wasn't what mattered. I had to get Vera out of there. She knew far more than me, and I needed her with me.
"I'm jealous of your "Dark" magic," Vera says until I finally open her door with Nora's keys. I was glad she could still somewhat take things lightly, but how would I get her out of there? I doubt she could run.
"Is there any spell or skill that lets you heal yourself?! Can I heal you somehow?! You're so pale!" Vera merely laughed while extending her hand toward me.
"There is drain touch, but it'll hurt. I will only steal a little, though 1,000 HP points should be enough to run." I didn't care if it hurt as long as she wouldn't be on the brink of colla-"AHHHHHHGGGG!!!"
Whatever spell Vera had used hurt like nothing I had felt before. An indescribable pain that all focused around my abdomen. It felt like a vacuum cleaner was stuck against it, but it was strong enough to suck my organs out. Vera gradually became less pale, and her body regained sufficient mass to cover her ribs with meat.
"That should be enough. I'll end up taking too much if I keep going. I already feel much better." And she looked much better. Vera was practically a walking skeleton by the time I rescued her. At least now, she seemed somewhat malnourished but not to the brink of death.
"You know how to get out?" I asked Vera, who took my hand and ran outside toward the portal, leaving Edwina and Nora stuck within the spell, yet I knew they would be free soon enough as a timer ran out in the corner of my vision. [10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5]
"You damn brat! You dare steal my merchandise!? I'll make sure you PAY!" Edwina screamed as we left her behind with Nora, but that wouldn't be for long, and Vera was still their slave, wasn't she? Could I break her seal, too? I didn't even remember how I broke mine, so probably not, but it would be worth trying.