Elincia's Point of View

Helmsforth

Another Noble had come to the Temple to prattle on about Sir Arthur Pendragon and that he was breaking Lestranian law. Many had come to do the same time and time again. It was growing old. Arthur was smart and acted in old laws that still existed that most didn't know about. I was honestly impressed with how quickly he moved in securing his influence throughout the bottom rung. Now it was spreading to other towns as well.

"We must act quickly if we are to halt these changes!" The Elven Noble babbled.

Left here to deal with this on my own, I had to listen to the full complaint and idea behind stopping our Knight to seem somewhat attentive. On the other hand, my sister was busy training Kine, Floyd, Ayda and Cassidy. Ayda and Cassidy were especially irritated, and she was taken special care to speak with them.

Cassidy and her grandfather were not happy about Austin being on the airship Arthur was on. They even demanded that they return. We explained the importance of the mission and that this could be a learning experience for the boy, and that Arthur had guaranteed his safety. Only then did they relent, and I couldn't blame them. This was no one's fault, and Arthur had even suggested upon returning. They didn't know that though, but he would no doubt bring it up when he got back.

However, it wasn't until Typhon was mentioned that they really understood the situation. Typhon Delmaris had our name, and if we allowed him to stay on the mission, Austin would be considered safe. Unfortunately, none of us felt that way. Arceana, Ayda, and I, were all rather irked that the boy had pulled this stunt. Lucia had said it would be good for him to observe this mission and informed us they would not be returning until the mission was complete.

That was a few weeks ago now. "Priestess, surely you can see-"

The door opened to reveal my sister with General Kheri in tow. Behind them were Ayda and Cassidy. Both looked a little more than frustrated. Typhon was like family to Ayda, and they spent most of their time together. He did it without even speaking to her, which definitely hurt her in some manner.

Arceana smiled at the Noble. "Please excuse us for the day. My sister and I have things we must discuss but do not worry about Sir Arthur Pendragon. We are currently looking into him." I felt a small twitch on my face from her statement.

Cassidy also gave my sister a small look that showed she disapproved but was wise enough to stay silent. The Noble gave a quick bow before he moved to leave. The Zugal General moved to her usual spot to my side as Arceana sat on the other. Cassidy and Ayda looked up at us as my sister sighed.

"I take it the two of you have some grievances you wish to air?" My question was met with subtle nods. "No doubt relating to the two boys?" Another series of nods. "There has been no word on Typhon or Aust-" My eyes slammed open as I felt a large surge of magical power far in the distance.

Standing in alarm, I heard Arceana do the same as well, as we both looked in the direction it came from. It was far away. Far enough to the point we couldn't sense who it was or determine the magic's nature, but its power was strong enough to be felt where we were.

However, a pressure soon could be felt as my blood ran cold as a vile magical signature appeared above Helmsforth. Running down the dais, my sister and I made our way to the balcony with the others and several Town Guards in tow. Looking into the sky, a portal hung in the air, and from it came magic far darker than Rudnurth's.

Spreading my wings, I felt into the air. "TO ARMS!" My shout rang across the top of the mountain. "RAISE THE ALARM ACROSS HELMSFORTH! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" General Kheri quickly appeared by my side while Arceana summoned her magic from below.

I did the same as several Zugal took to the sky, and Elves poured into the streets with their magic activated and at the ready. Summoning my magic swords, we waited for the first of the foul beasts to come through. Demons were behind this. Of that, I had little doubt. No living creatures possessed such foul magic anywhere else.

Rain began to pour from the portal before it disappeared. Many were confused as to what was happening, and I felt similar. However, it wasn't a moment later when several portals opened. Though this time, it was different. Glass, wood, cloth, and other objects fell through directly above us. Many of us were alarmed by the falling debris. As I was about to create a shield around us, I saw people appear from the portals.

It wasn't until I recognized people from the same crew that Arthur had taken on his mission that I acted. "Save those who cannot fly and stop the debris from crushing any of those below!" I ordered and flew towards the groups of people.

Using my magic, I reached out to grasp as many of them as I could. It wasn't until it kept opening and closing with more and more people that I began to struggle. Lucia appeared and aided me with her magic and she helped me lower everyone, and everything, to the ground gently. However, it wasn't enough. There was so much debris that we needed help.

"Sister!" I called out.

Her magical aura quickly came to our aid, as did Ayda's. When everyone was on the ground with the debris taken care of, we quickly got to work. Healers started running throughout the group as we did our best to organize things. However, my eyes quickly found Lucia and made my way over to her. As I moved through the crew, I noticed that many were missing, and more were injured, with Arthur nowhere to be found.

"Lucia!" Turning towards my call from surprise, she looked at me and quickly wrapped me in a hug before her knees gave out. "Are you okay?!" She shook in my grasp as I patted her cheeks in a comforting manner. "What happened?"

"Austin!" Cassidy cried out before almost knocking the boy over as she picked him up in a shaky hug.

Ayda and Arceana looked around before the others were spotted. "Alwin! Typhon!" Ayda's voice cried out in relief before she and my sister rushed over to them.

Alwin appeared to be unconscious, but I assumed he would live. They didn't appear to be too concerned, and Typhon was standing. That was good enough for me. It wasn't until I looked back down at Lucia that I felt my smile drop. Her eyes were wide as she looked down with a fearful look. My heart tightened as my gaze once again drifted around the crowd of injured and non-injured to see similar looks on all of their faces. Including the two boys.

"Lucia…" I said softly and in a concerned tone. "How did you return here?" She didn't look at me until both my hands touched her cheeks. "What happened?" My question was met with a fearful and confused gaze.