Chapter 77: Chapter 77 – Time of Contradiction
Third Person’s POV (12 yrs. and 8 months old)
Suddenly a loud rumble bellowed from nowhere. Immediately the two’s talk was interrupted, Allen and the other five recognized the noise while the others didn’t except for the sleeping princess, it was starting.
“Everyone use a flying or levitation spell!” shouted Allen, his old companions complied along with him and they all flew to the sky, almost leaving the others, Flin looked at him confused.
Allen looked back and knew what Flin was thinking.
“Please do it now or you will be in a world of pain.” just as Allen had said so, Flin, Riyah, Icarus, Coralia, Trunk and Granarados felt their senses tingle urging them to run anywhere but here.
Immediately the rest complied by either summoning wings -in Icarus and Riyah’s case-, Jumped up and floated -Flin’s case-, turned into spirit form -Trunk and Coralia’s case-, summoned vines that lifted them up -Granarados’s case-.
The sound dispersed only to be replaced by earth spikes surging from the ground covering the whole area and tearing through the plants except the trees and the person doing it, what made these spikes different was not only were they many, they also portrayed a motion of a wave,
As if the spikes are being controlled by a machination, allowing them to rise from the ground back and forth in a fluid motion.
“Wha- What’s this?” -Coralia-
“What’s happening?” said Granarados in disbelief, good thing that he had attached the vines on the trees, if not, then he doesn’t know what would happen to him. The others are stunned in place, even though they were floating.
“This is a spell we do not know.” started Allen, looking at the protruding spikes that seemed to put on a performance, but they know how horrible these spikes are.
“We know what it does, but the name is still unknown.” said Glen, floating with the use of the spell Ken taught him.
“And by this point if we know what it does, we mean exactly, we know what this spell can do, watch.” said Celine, and conjured an earth ball fairly the size of two of her head, and dropped it on the spikes.
The earth caught contact with the spikes alerting all as they stopped for a moment before beginning to assault the intruder within their territory as the spikes nearby the intrusion pierced the ball of earth several times before stopping and returning to what it was doing before.
The interaction was done in seconds, but to the others, it felt like their concept of time stopped as a feeling of dread washed over.
“What’s this… feeling?” asked Riyah as her hands trembled, her forehead lined with cold sweat, slightly distorting her concentration. Her brother didn’t fare well as he clenched his hands and his teeth grit.
The others don’t know what is going on with them, Coralia and Trunk felt assaulted by an unknown force, and specifically targeting their brain, Granarados felt like his insanity is slipping as several absurd thoughts appeared in his mind.
As the adults were wreathing in pain, so too did the three started to feel the pain of the same unknown force, forcibly barging into their brains and filling them with thoughts, slowly challenging their mental capacity.
The six who had long prepared for this to happen had already conjured mental barriers for themselves and for their four other companions, but they did not calculate the three adults into the mix, so they hurriedly but securedly applied the spell on the three,
And went to help the adults. Wilbert, Celine, Saber and Lila casted the mental barrier spell on the three adults while Allen took care of the three whom are slowly recovering.
“What was that?” asked Riyah, once she recovered her breath.
“That just now was a mental spell that targeted our brain and make us feel all sorts of emotions, from our experience the spell felt like it targets our most vulnerable memories and make us dwell over it, did it happen to you?” asked Allen.
“Yeah, I think so, images of our… (looks at her brother) bad experiences resurfaced in my head.” replied Riyah softly towards the end, she turned her head to the side. Her brother grinding his teeth in anger.
Allen didn’t quite know what to say, but he kept a soft expression as what he was told by Ken, he knew what comfort was, but presence as what Ken had implied, is much more needed for people whom are reluctant to talk about themselves.
Flin whom had quietly recovered at the side floated near Glen, they looked at each other and quietly approached the three. Flin never knew the discomforts of anything or anyone other than his own, but Riyah’s words reminded him of his own bad experiences.
However as he had already come to terms with his own demons, albeit slightly, he is more intrigued as to how these people of humble origins -or maybe not- seem calm despite what’s happening.
“How are you guys so calm in this situation?” he asked Glen, as he also quietly observed Allen who is offering support to the two.
“Remember those times when Ken would always pick on us and act all mighty and then turned to harass us but then be all apologetic later on?” Glen asked as Flin nodded.
“I don’t know why but maybe it has something to do with this, the spell earlier that invaded our minds was something akin to that of a mental attack -I’ve only known of this since Allen taught me-, and for every mental attack we’ve encountered from Ken,
Had been paid as we were able to cope with this situation.” Glen looked at his four companions who are slowly finishing up in setting the mental barrier on the adults.
“For the past couple of years, Ken has been nothing but a good friend, but he would also be a bad one too whenever he goes and say hurtful words, to which he apologized for, and I think it was for this moment.” Flin nodded as he had noticed that every now and then Ken would just blurt out absurd words that either insult or hurt his friends.
“Then, why endure this?” asked Flin.
“You ask why? Just like we’ve said before, Ken has done a lot for us, he helped us, taught us, and even battled for us, but he never went to go and lets us shoulder even a bit of his burden, for every time we’d interact, we don’t do small talk,
But instead, we talk other things, things that are close to us, but that one thing that never changed until now, is his desire to improve.” Flin stared at him wide-eyed, Glen noticed his look and smiled. “I know, absurd right? But that was something he’d always hold on to.”
“To improve each day.” Flin’s eyes looked around, at a loss for words.
“Uhh, I didn’t really need you to tell me that.” Flin replied.
“Why not?” Glen asked.
“We’re not that really close?” said Flin softly, afraid to sound insulting. Glen just smiled at him.
“Don’t worry, if Ken wasn’t fond of you, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.” Flin stared at him, and just nodded in return.
“Glen, have you casted the spell on the princess?” asked Allen, turning to their direction.
“Yes.” replied Glen.
“Good, then…” Allen looked at the other four who finished setting up the spell and are slowly conversing with the adults, coaxing to them their situation. “Let’s prepare for the next barrage of spells.”
Allen turned around again to take the siblings to another location, near the trees.
“If you don’t mind me asking Glen, exactly how high of a regard do you hold Ken?” asked Flin.
“Hmmm… Probably near as our parents or guardians, since he acts like our second parent and a friend.” said Glen. “Now, the earth spell will most likely last for a minute more, we’ll need that time to prepare for what’s to come.”
Flin did notice as to why they are talking about preparations again so he asked.
“Why?” Glen thought about how he should explain it to him as his eyes wondered about.
“Because we’ll be in big trouble if not? Anyway, just follow what Allen has to say and you’ll be fine.” said Glen while smiling. Flin tilted his head to the side, more confused as to why.
“Oh and just a piece of advice, don’t show your animal or beast traits unless Allen says so, okay?” Flin nodded, reluctantly, good thing he still had his illusion spell active.
“Is everyone alright?” asked Allen, the group nodded. “Good, cause for now on, I need you to follow my lead and do what I say in order to lessen our problems.”
“I don’t need to impose what I have to say, all I want is for everyone to cooperate, if not, then I’m afraid we’ll have a problem.” He added. Suddenly bright light shone from the circle on top of Ken’s body, making another one as its outer ring.
The six felt dread as chills ran down their spines, but the effects were far more so to the three adults and the other three, as for a second they thought that they could not move, but the moment passed just as it had arrived.
The minute has passed, thought Allen, the next fourteen minutes, are here.
“Everyone be ready for my instruction! Soar up!!!” the six immediately flew high up above the tree line, followed by the reluctant six. Just as everyone had grouped up in the air, the spikes rose to match the height of the trees in an instant before retracting to the ground just as fast.
“EEEP!” Riyah could not help but squeak out.
“Scatter!” Allen’s friends obliged, but left the still disoriented new persons of the group. Their senses tingled and they dodged barely as the space in front of them exploded in hot flames.
Riyah, Icarus, Flin, Coralia, Trunk, Granarados, all stared wide eyed at the sudden explosion, they could not fathom how such magic was possible, or how the spell was executed.
“Move in an unpredictable direction!” shouted Allen, as he flew up and did a zigzag to avoid lightning explosions, Glen dropped to the ground and used his affinity over the earth to feel around it, sidestepping the spikes that threaten to impale him.
Celine went to the trees, deactivated her flight spell and jumped from tree to tree, avoiding wind blades coming at her direction, Wilbert flew atop the tree line, diving and soaring abruptly in quick succession to avoid water bubbles that suddenly appeared and floated into the air.
Saber and Lila still flew but brandished their weapon ready at their side, they took up the formation of throwing one another and appearing beside each other to repeat the process again to avoid pollens floating in the air.
This all happened simultaneously leaving the other six, still stunned. Riyah shook her head and held her brother’s arm, looking at him with a hard stare, Icarus nodded at her and the two flew up.
Flin noticed his friends, and stared hard at the surroundings activating his affinity to the spirits of the place, letting him perceive were the next spell will spawn, he doesn’t know what effects the spell would do to him, so he reminded himself to be careful.
Coralia and Trunk snapped out of their stupor and nodded at one another, they turned to their guardian deer form and joined as one to double their effects on one another for a much bigger chance at avoiding, albeit their size being that big, they were swift on their feet.
Granarados upon witnessing his cousins join forces he didn’t know what to do, leaving him helpless, so he resorted to what he can do best, manipulate the nature around him as vines helped him traverse in the air by being pulled or swinging, avoiding any spell coming his way.
The initial part of the phenomenon, Allen thought. We must take the time to figure out how to avoid or at the very least hold on from the effects of the spell, Allen thought as he flew just below the tree line, still zigzagging, and avoid getting electrocuted.
He looked at Ken’s sleeping form and noticed as another ring form outer of the other. His face grew taut, and he pushed himself to fly faster.
“Everyone! Prepare yourself for another assault!” Allen shouted as he noticed the elemental magic circles shine slightly, before the light gathered in one place at the center of the magic circle with its corresponding color.
The gathered light emitted a dreadful force as crackles of energy could be seen coursing around it. It’s here, Allen thought.
“Everyone! Use any spell at your disposal to counter against the barrage of spells that will be coming.” Allen shouted, the group heard and nodded to themselves, as thoughts swarmed their minds, all sorts of ways to defend against’ what was coming.
A bright light burst forth to the sky from the rings, indicating the third ring finished forming, Allen clenched his fist as his magic slowly poured out from him, scales appeared on some parts of his skin revealing his snake features, with cat like eyes and a white tail.
The rest of his friends did the same, as Saber and Lila’s features also protruded, Saber with his black ears and tail, Lila with her white ears and tail, each of them having claws. Glen had his ears and fluffy tail appear, all four of them had their aura’s exude strength.
Wilbert and Celine applied the enchantments taught by Ken to them, increasing their strength, and speed for a period of time, a faint glow eminated from them but the others could tell that the enchantments were strong.
The others enchanted themselves as well, Riyah and Icarus covered themselves in their elements, their horns visible (kind of like Maleficents horns), Flin revealed his nine tails and ears as several small spirits revealed themselves beside him.
The spirits that help him every day. Coralia and Trunk combined their powers as both light and dark auras covered Coralia’s body, a pair of yellow eyes beside her head, as this was Trunk in shadow form.
Granarados antlers shone in a green light as his body got covered in a hard looking wood. All of this was done simultaneously, for the dread they felt from the gathered light on the magic circles made their instincts rise, activating their defenses.
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone