➨ You watched the ground move as the group soared over it. For a bird made of mercury it was moving quite quickly. Hopefully you don't start becoming motion sick all of a sudden. Just below, there was another explosion. Not a fiery one, but it looked like vines and roots coming up from the ground.

With a closer look, there was a small village down there. The greenery sprouted up through one of the houses but that's all you could see from the distance. "Look at that." You pointed down there.

Mimosa, and Yuno both leaned down to see over the sharp edges of the mercury. Out of the two of them, Yuno had a more reactive response. "That's... no, it can't be."

Asta joined up, also taking a look to see what's got Yuno so riled up. You too were a little confused about what the big deal was. "Our village!" He shouted and immediately turned towards Nozel. "We have to go down there right now and help them!"

"Absolutely not." He countered. "We do not have time for matters like that."

Probably not the best people to try and tell that to. Yuno looked just about ready to throw him overboard. "We grew up there. I'm not going to turn my back on the people that raised me."

Nozel peered over his shoulder, looking between the two of them. "Listen, you two are vital to what needs to be done to end this. So don't you dare waste too much time on this." That pretty much sounded like a 'go, but don't die' answer to you. Coming from Nozel, that's actually a decent one.

With that, it takes a little under twenty seconds for Asta and Yuno to fly off the eagle and go help their village. You smiled as they left, watching them leave in streaks of color. Yuno always goes on about being the Wizard King and that he's competing with Asta for that position. Not many people listen to him, but you always would and entertain his goals.

One of them will definitely become the Wizard King.

The ride continued on without them, and you brought yourself sitting down on the ground. You didn't realize how exhausted you were until your legs started to give out. It's been a long day, and now it's turning into a long night. You'd been exposed to so many levels of magic within the last few hours that you felt drained by contact.

Your head constantly hurts, sometimes it hurts less than others. You had to wonder if the fully possessed felt like this—on a constant sickness.

Maybe if the elf just stopped being a coward and fully took over it wouldn't be so bad.

Whew, not a good thought to have though.

Mimosa came over and placed her arms gently on your shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay? I can heal anything even if it's minor."

You shook your head. "Just a headache, nothing physical. I'll be fiine though, promise." Whether or not that'd make her feel at ease you didn't know. This was also the same girl who watched all her teammates transform right in front of her eyes. She was probably taking everything with a grain of salt right about now.

"If you say so, just let me know, alright?"

"I got it."

She nodded and silently took a seat next to you.

"They're going to be fine." You told her, knowing everything was on her mind. "We'll bring everyone back."

Mimosa pushed her hair back behind her shoulders. "I know. I'm just worried about the process before that happens."

You weren't good with words. Especially not with ones about your own squad. You wanted to tell her you knew they'd be okay, but you didn't know. Right about now though, you hoped your silence conveyed more than what you could say.

The ride to the Royal Capital took a little under twenty minutes. In that time you were able to close your eyes just for a couple of those passing moments. Letting that constant static in the back of your head shut the hell up for a brief period of time.

Even that small bit of rest made you feel the slightest bit better. When you opened your eyes back up the scenery had completely changed. Now, when you looked forward, you saw the Royal Castle, one that you remembered houses three of the royal families. Silva, Vermillion, and Kira.

And the entrance was completely trashed.

There were possessed knights knocked out on the ground, and in the midst of it, the Black Bulls Captain and the... You took a second to remember who it was. Right, that's the Green Mantis Captain. The insane one who likes to slice shit to pieces.

He's kinda cool though.

You stood up just as Yami started yelling at Zora. "Oh, you look sort of familiar, huh? Hey, what's your name again?"

That ticked him off instantly. "Yeah that's real cute but like it or not I am a part of your band of goddamn misfits! You're the one who gave me this stupid robe so before you have anything to say you can start by blaming yourself!"

"Geez." You mumbled at his outburst. "That's how you greet your captain after who knows how long?"

"You mind your own business." He grumbled while pulling his rightful cloak over his head. He had long ditched the uniform with a hole in it, you don't remember seeing him do it or when he did. Not that it mattered.

"Silence." Nozel was irritated for whatever reason. You did hear Yami throw an insult at his hairstyle a few moments ago, so that might be why. "There are knights on their way for Mereoleona, the rest of you, we're going to save everybody inside the castle."

He was very quick to not want to stop for a commoner village, but when it comes to his home he's up in arms. Maybe you'd be like that if you lived in a place like this. He split you up into two different teams while Yami and Jack charged through the center, towards the Kira estate. The mushroom guy, Kirsch and Mimosa were going towards the left, the Vermillion house, while you, Zora, Noelle, and Nozel took on the right; House of Silva.

Once his giant eagle was gone, he made another creation. A silver sphere-shaped object with a flat opening for all four of you to stand on. Now, for the second big fight. You could feel it about to happen.

Inside the house, it was incredibly regal. Despite the slashes on the inside, broken windows, and bodies littered on the ground of course. You've had silly dreams about being inside a palace like this. Not having to worry about anything besides frolicng around the beautiful rooms in clothes that cost way too much. With both your parents sitting on thrones and crowns too big for them to wear straight. Now, it seems that dreams are only meant to stay as such.

"Alright puppeteer, let's go." Zora left a rough hit on your back as he jumped off the sphere. Which was nowhere near what you wanted to do.

"Go where? You don't even know the layout of this place." You told him as he ran off in a different direction.

Nozel didn't seem phased by him leaving. Nor did he entertain your judgment to stay or go. However, this was the House of Silva. It's their house. You didn't want to stick around and feel like a third wheel around the siblings, but you also didn't want to roam a royal mansion with a deviant like Zora.

Which one was the lesser of two evils though?

Zora turned around with his hands on his hips. Waiting for the choice you were going to make.

"If we get killed, it's your fault." You jumped down to join him and watched as the Silva's continued onwards.

He continued walking through the hallway. Of course, not without touching and breaking everything in sight. The first was a glass figurine, which you had to bet wasn't too important if it was collecting dust on a random shelf. Then again, royals probably don't care about leaving valuables in the open when they live in a secured place like this.

"What do you think this is?" He held it up to the light, twirling it around with his fingers. "Maybe it's some really special item that they got from a relative who's long gone."

Then he threw it across the room.

"You're an asshole, I really hope you know that." You watched it shatter and fall to the ground.

"Oh come on." He stretches his arms out on either side of him. Walking through the halls as if he had a crown on his head and he owns this entire castle. "You've never wanted to destroy anything that belongs to a royal?"

While he was gallivanting around, you were on your guard. You could feel elven magic from all around you. Particularly up on the higher levels. "Wasn't really raised to be destructive, so no."

"Neither was I." He returns, reaching up to knock a framed photo off the wall. It was a picture of one of Noelle's siblings, but you didn't look at which one before it fell to the ground face down and broke into pieces. From a distance, they all looked the same anyway.

You brought your grimoire out. Now would be a good time for any of the three puppets to make an appearance. The pages flipped and you looked down to see the lucky one. Sylvania rose up from the ground, her arms by her sides, and her head tilted down.

Zora's lip curled. "You ever wonder why all your creations look so freakin' demonic?"

Yes, you have. Multiple times in fact. Anybody would be curious about why everything they create has horns.

"Don't know." You lied. Right now wasn't a good time to be sharing your life story to him.

Sylvania's steps were basically silent next to you. The strings on her arms swayed gently as she moved. But the more you look at her, the more you can't help but feel guilty. Or maybe it was a bubbling anger for why everything looks so demonic.

It's the Spade blood running through your veins.

There was a cry from out in the distance, at the end of the hall, and then one of the walls broke down. Following that, was a young boy screaming and running for his life. Right on his tail there was another mage.

You didn't waste time with Zora's petty misdemeanors and took off in the direction that they were running. Judging from the clothing of the guy being chased down, he must've been a servant, for lack of a better term. The knight who was trying to get him had some form of stone magic. Rocks were rising up from the ground in front of the poor guy, making him just barely dodge being impaled every time.

"Why are you running, human? You're going to tire yourself out." The mage wasn't familiar but he was from the Silver Eagles.

Your grimoire glowed brightly, ready to attack.

Puppeteer's Tempest.

The storm of wild, rampant puppets attacked the stone user. Taking him by surprise and also halted his next attack. It gave the servant enough time to run far enough to be out of sight. You pissed off the knight though.

"I sensed other humans in the area but I didn't think any of them were stupid enough to involve themselves in a fight that wasn't theirs."

Now isn't the time to talk back though. You guided the tempest towards him again, this time making them come at him from every angle. One of them jumped on his head and started screeching. Another was on his arm. Two gnawed at his leg as he tried to shake them all off.

Zora stretched his arms over his head as he walked up. "Can you handle this yourself, or do you need a 2v1?"

"I don't need you at all." You stated clearly.

"What if you lose your control?" He says it because he knows it's a definite and not a 'what if'.

"If that's the case, then I'll tear apart this entire building before I let an elf completely take over. Anyway, where do you intend on going now?"

The elf shakes one puppet of his arm and pushes it forward, bringing a sharp jagged rock straight for you. Zora put his palm out and his white magic circle appeared in front of you. The rock gets sucked up into it and instead of it getting spit back out, it actually turns to sand on the other end.

Right into your face.

You rubbed your eyes and coughed out the sand that he intentionally brought your way. "I don't even care where you go, just be far away from me."

The attack put Sylvania into immediate healer mode. Except she can't remove the dust in your face, so she did the next best thing. A swift chop to Zora's head.

He groaned and rubbed the top of his head. Then he raised a hand to hit her back, but the flashbacks from the last time he attacked her must've flooded his memory because he didn't carry that out. "Yeah yeah whatever."

Zora ran right past the knight, and you noticed it was the direction that the servant had scurried off to. Must he torment everybody in the castle?

"Hm..." The sand guy pushed his fists together, and bracers made of tan stone grew on both his arms. "...I can sense inhuman power within you. But you don't look like you've fully awakened. Even the marks on your face say you've been affected by the reincarnation spell."

"Affected, but not fully reincarnated." You stepped back as he charged at you, his right arm going in for a punch as you swiftly moved out of the way. He turned just as fast, and used his left arm to swing again.

You touched his arm and the rough texture of the bracer dug into your palm. Joint lock. His arm stiffened, and when he moved again, he couldn't reach you. He stomped one leg into the ground and a spike shot out from the ground.

Illusionist.

A wooden doll took your place as you jumped out of the way.

When it broke, you dispelled Sylvania and tried for another one. She fizzed out from where she was and shortly was replaced with Aegis. Perfect.

Since Aegis was extremely slow, you had to forcefully manually move him with your strings. You landed behind his towering form and moved him forward. The first hit was a miss, the second one collided with the stone gauntlet of the knight's working arm.

Normally, Aegis should've shattered something like that on direct contact. That material was insanely strong.

"Do you think I'd let you best me?" His voice carried all around you in the empty and destroyed hall.

His power surged and his aura expanded. All in all though, that arm of his was still useless.

Right when his aura reached you, your vision blurred.

Not right now.

The elf raced up towards you again, using that one arm like a fencing foil. Forcing you to go on the immediate defense. Illusionist. That gave you just half a second to dodge out of the range of his strikes.

Your head started pounding just that fast. It was happening just like Zora assumed it would. But you're alone, and nobody else would help you if you lost it.

A mad grin spread across his face. "Oh? Are you coming to your senses?"

"I'm to my senses." You summoned Aegis to appear right in front of you and block the next strike that came from him. When that happened you moved around him.

Your hand was on his shoulder and he pulled back but you were able to disable that arm just before he did. With both of them out of commission, he only had so many options.

Your vision was starting to tunnel, and flashing black and gray.

The knight stomped his foot again and this time a large crack made its way towards you. When you tried to move, your legs wouldn't go anywhere. You called for Aegis, and when you looked over he was fizzing away as if you dispelled him even though you didn't.

Shit.

When the fissure reached you, you had no choice but to fall through the hole it created. Down into a dark, dusty cavern that was created five seconds ago. He created a spike in the ground right where you fell to impale you.

And he succeeded in that much.

Or half succeeded.

You moved just enough so it went through your right shoulder and not your heart which is where you knew he was aiming.

It was a thin spike, and it would've pierced your heart.

"Well damn." He floated down into the hole, arms limp by his side. "Missed you, but I still poked you." Even though he had no access to his hands, he could still use his powers. You watched him carefully, and before you knew it, that thin spike expanded.

It was lodged in your shoulder, and he was slowly making it grow. The diameter went from that of a needle, to a soda can.

"That's not... that won't kill me." Your words were slurred as you took in a deep breath and pulled yourself off the pointed rock. It took a lot of swearing and effort, but eventually you got your body off of it. The blood dripped down your cape, a shame since the fabric was so nice.

He frowned. "Didn't you ever learn that you're not supposed to remove anything that impales you?"

You ignored him. Partially because you were relishing in that stinging pain. Another part because your mind was blanking. You watched the crimson fall down your arm, and sucked in the gut-wrenching feel of there being a literal hole in your body.

"Silent treatment." He licks his lips and even without arms, he could still use enough magic to beat you in this state.

You lifted your hand, shakily, but upright. "Strike..." The words muddled on your lips.

The attack would give you just enough time to get away from him. You needed to move fast though if you wanted to drag yourself out before you passed out.

"What was that?" He got a little closer, just within touching range. "Oh, you must be telling me your last words–"

"...Of the phantom." You finished and slashed your hand across his neck.

A bright light left your fingertips. Something that's never happened before when you used that attack. Nothing is supposed to be visual, hence the phantom part.

Whatever, nothing made sense anyway,

Confused by what was going on, you held your head up with your other hand. It was dropping lower and you needed to stay straight.

You heard a strange popping noise. Suddenly, blood was spraying across your face.

And the knight's head slid right off his body.