Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
The anticipation of reaching Aquamere created a lump in Gisela’s throat that wouldn’t budge.
As they walked down the corridors toward the Great Guardian Tree of Mystic Isle, her footsteps echoed, each one heavier than the last. Her lungs constricted as the pull toward Frosthaven tugged at her like a relentless current.
Each pace toward the tree felt like a battle between her heart’s desire and the urgency of the mission ahead.
The cool, crisp air in the chamber soothed her as they stepped through the door and stood before the grand tree.
Seraphina approached Gisela with a look of concern, taking both of her hands in her own.
Gisela inclined her head. “Thank you for everything, Seraphina.”
“You are always welcome here and if there is anything I can do, you know where to find me.” Seraphina let go of her hands and walked over to Adrian and Eva, ensuring they had everything they needed for the journey.
Eira appeared next to Gisela, her face tense.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to leave, now.”
Gisela’s heart pounded harder. “What’s wrong?”
Eira hesitated, looking over at Ondine and Tempest. The brief silence was more alarming than words could ever be.
“Eira!” Gisela’s voice rose, panic threatening to suffocate her as she rushed toward the Tree. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as Eira’s emotions flooded through her.
“Wait!” Adrian called out, grabbing Eva’s hand and rushing toward the tree.
“What happened?” Seraphina asked.
“Something is wrong in Aquamere.” Gisela pressed her palm onto the surface of the tree.
Adrian and Eva followed her lead.
The moment Gisela’s hand touched the ancient bark, a tingling warmth flowed through her palm, spreading up her arm like wildfire. The rough texture of the tree softened, as if it were melting away. The air around her thickened, vibrating with energy that hummed through her body.
Her heartbeat synchronized with the pulse of the tree, each beat pumping in her veins. She closed her eyes. The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying, like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing you were about to fall, but trusting the plunge would deliver you safely to the other side.
Focusing intently on Aquamere, a sudden rush of cool air brushed against her skin. She opened her eyes and found her footing as the last traces of disorientation faded. They were standing on solid ground again, no longer in the Great Guardian Tree’s chamber in Mystic Isle.
Gisela looked up at Aquamere’s Guardian Tree. It was alive but not as vibrant as it should be.
Chilling screams and cries rose above the violent, crashing waves from the shore. A roar sounded from outside the small, forested area.
They exchanged worried glances and without a second to waste, rushed toward the village center of Aquamere.
Emerging from the Tidelwood forest line, chaos hit all at once.
Villagers sprinted for shelter, their terrified screams tearing through the commotion as twisted, shadowy beasts with glowing crimson eyes and jagged fangs rampaged through the streets.
Stone cracked, wood splintered, and Aquamere’s beauty unraveled in front of her.
Terranox roared a mighty bellow from the center of the village, his flames scorching the earth, incinerating any creature that dared approach. His colossal form loomed like a dark sentinel, each roar making the ground quake.
Nearby, Marina and Ondine fought fiercely, drawing upon the diminishing power of Aquamere’s waters.
Although Marina’s connection to the land of Aquamere should have strengthened her, Gisela saw the strain.
A spray of water arced too far, smashing a nearby crate into splinters, narrowly missing a panicked villager hiding behind it.
The water wavered as Marina fought to keep it under control.
Ondine, summoning water from the earth itself, twisted her arms in precise rhythm, hurling torrents into the beasts’ lungs. Each splash silenced their cries, leaving eerie quiet in the spaces they left behind.
Silas stood firm in the village center, his palms pressed to the ground as the earth shook with his fury. Yet he struggled to summon the power he once commanded so easily. Gisela saw it in the way the earth answered him—boulders breaking apart instead of rising whole.
Crag hurled these small boulders with lethal precision, smashing them into the beasts. Each impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield, and for a brief heartbeat, pride slipped through Silas’s exhaustion.
Gisela’s veins surged with frantic adrenaline as she scanned the mayhem, desperately searching for Thorne.
Adrian sprinted past her as a vortex of air blasted from his hands, sweeping through the village. The cyclone locked onto the beasts, draining the very air from their bodies.
Behind him, Aerion casually twirled a finger, sending a cluster of shadowed creatures spinning into a chaotic whirlwind, his calmness striking against the frantic scene.
Eva stood paralyzed, her hands trembling at her sides. A smaller beast lunged at her, and she stumbled back, narrowly avoiding its fangs.
“Thorne!” Gisela yelled, her voice cutting through the cries of battle. She charged into the fray, shards of ice exploding from her hands in every direction.
Eira moved with her, ice rising and shifting at her sides to deflect incoming threats.
A familiar chill ran down her spine and she spun around. “I’m here,” she projected through their connection.
There he was—surrounded by snarling, red-eyed beasts, with Ignitus at his side. The creatures circled them, closing in.
Ignitus summoned flames from the ground, engulfing the beasts in a searing blaze of fire.
Thorne ran his hand along the blade of his sword, igniting it with flames that flickered along the steel.
He spun with precision, slashing through the beasts with fluid, deadly movements.
The dark fire consumed the creatures as they screeched in agony.
Thorne’s shirt hung in tatters, a deep gash across his chest bleeding through the fabric.
Their eyes finally met. “Gisela!” he bellowed.
A beast lunged at her from behind. She ducked and drove ice upward beneath it, sending the creature crashing to the ground as shards pierced its body.
In a wave of frost, Eira and Gisela froze the remaining beasts circling Thorne, encasing them as statues of snarling faces and glaring eyes.
Gisela and Thorne ran for each other, their bodies crashing together in a frantic hold. When they broke apart, Thorne examined Gisela’s body, checking for injuries.
“I’m fine,” she panted. “But your chest—”
Thorne brought his hand to it, wincing. “I’ll be okay. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
A scream split the air, drawing their attention to Marina. A beast lunged at her with outstretched claws. Her foot slipped on the bloody ground and the creature’s claw grazed her shoulder.
Adrian sprang to her side, summoning a powerful gust of wind that blasted the beast back, its neck snapping from the force. He exchanged a quick, reassuring glance with Marina. Two more beasts jumped in its place, jaws snapping.
Gisela sprinted toward them, with Thorne right behind her. She hurled ice shards through the air, impaling them before they reached her friends.
Terranox landed beside them with a thunderous roar, his fire consuming the remaining cluster of creatures.
Silas staggered over, his chest heaving with exhaustion. The group shared a momentary look of relief—but the devastation around them reminded them that victory came at a cost.
A massive shadow fell over them. A giant creature materialized from thin air. Its dark, shadowy form and razor-sharp claws were unmistakable. It was the same entity Gisela and Thorne had encountered during the Trials of Kharos.
Eva stood frozen to the side, trembling. The creature’s gaze locked onto her, feeding on her fear, twisting it into a weapon. Its claw swiped toward her, and she scrambled toward the group.
The beast hovered above them, its venomous fangs dripping with fluorescent green.
It lunged.
Thorne stepped forward, his bond with Ignitus surging to life as he unleashed a torrent of black flames.
The fire roared and wrapped around the creature, but instead of burning it, the flames sank into its shadowy form, feeding it—deepening the darkness until the creature loomed larger and more menacing than before.
Gisela gritted her teeth and hurled shards of ice in a desperate attempt to slow the beast.
It only snarled, shaking off the ice as if it were nothing more than dust. The beast shrieked, a sound that shook them to their cores, before releasing a blast of green smoke that seared their skin.
Eira launched an icy blast to clear the smoke before it could cause further harm.
Understanding struck Gisela all at once, as the prophecy she heard—the spark that had ignited this journey—echoed in her mind.
“Together!” Gisela yelled.
The creature’s roar sent shockwaves through the square, toppling what little remained of the market stalls. Stones cracked beneath its weight, and the tremor rattled through Gisela’s bones.
Gisela, Marina, Silas, and Adrian unleashed their elements in a relentless, unified assault. Marina’s waters surged. Adrian’s winds howled. Silas’s earth trembled. Gisela’s ice pierced the air.
The ground quaked—but the beast only grew darker, thicker, its roar swallowing their magic.
“It’s not working!” Adrian shouted.
Gisela looked at Thorne as he stood motionless.
He looked down at his hands. “I’m feeding it,” he whispered.
The fear, the shame of what his power had done, reflected in his eyes.
She reached for his hand anyway. “I trust you,” she said. “You and me.”
They each extended their other hand and attacked the creature.
Thorne’s flames spilled out in a dark current until they struck the creature. Red and orange bloomed through his black fire, burning away the shadows that clung to the beast’s form.
She looked at him from the corner of her eye, but persisted, focusing her ice on the predator.
Eva hesitated, watching the others’ power converge on the beast.
Tempest moved closer to Eva, the air around her shimmering as if bracing against a coming strike.
Eva’s shoulders tensed, light flickering faintly beneath her skin.
“Eva, now!” Gisela shouted. “We need you too!”
Eva hesitantly extended her hands. Lightning erupted from her, so bright it nearly blinded them all. The lightning crackled and arced through the beast, joining the combined force of the others’ attacks.
Gisela’s full strength tore loose as they struck together—ice, wind, earth, water, storm, and fire crashing into one blinding surge.
Elements of the gods converged in a blinding torrent of power, consuming the beast. Tendrils of shadow lashed out, but their power held firm.
The creature let out an ear-splitting screech, thrashing wildly as the light consumed it. With one final, collective push, the creature exploded into a cloud of black smoke, which dissipated into the night.
The Mystics collapsed to their knees, bodies trembling.
Eva swayed unsteadily, eyes glassy.
Tempest cried out—a loud, agonizing sound—as Eva’s knees buckled.
“Eva?!” Adrian reached for her.
Her gaze drifted. Before he could get to her, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground.