74

74
Princess Elowen Starfire.

As soon as I heard the rapid footsteps echoing through the room, I felt my knees buckle in relief. Aric appeared first, his eyes wide at the sight of Aeloria trapped in the center of the room, still surrounded by the dark magic that pulsed in suffocating spirals around her small body. Ronnie and the others came in right behind him, all stopping abruptly at the scene.
“By the Gods...” whispered Ronnie, taking a step back.
“She's alive, but she's trapped,” I murmured, breathing heavily. “The magic... it's corroding everything around her. What kind of dark spell is this? I've never seen anything like it; I can't break it; I might hurt my sister.” I looked at Render, who stood beside me, his face serious.
“It looks like a spell of containment and dominance. But it's not common... not like the ones I've seen,” he replied, his voice tense. “There's ancient magic here... twisted. As if it were made to imprison, control, and suck energy.”
I turned to Aric, my eyes teary.
“What about you, Aric? Have you ever seen anything like this?” I asked, wanting him to offer some solution.
He approached, his face covered in sweat and blood, but his eyes remained cold and calculating.
"Never. This... this is not the work of just any wizard. It is the magic of deep darkness. From the darkness that existed before the first elven songs, it should no longer exist,“ he said with a serious, worried face.
I swallowed hard.
”But it exists,“ I muttered, looking at my sister. ”And it's using her body as a vessel," I said, gritting my teeth.
That's when I heard a low growl. One of the wolves, Varyn, the oldest of those who belonged to my father's pack, approached slowly. His yellow eyes were fixed on me. His voice came into my mind, soft but firm.

The blood bond is stronger than their prison.

I frowned.

What do you mean? I asked mentally, looking at him, trying to understand.

You are sisters. Of the same blood. You carry the same essence, the same ancestral bond. If you want to free her mind... you will have to connect with her. Find her through the link that no magic can break.

I felt my heart race, looked at Aric, then at Render.
“He said that the blood connection can bring her out of this trance. I... I need to reach her, but I don't know how. What if I mess up?”
Aric approached me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.
“You won't mess up. But you'll have to trust yourself and stay calm. This magic doesn't just want to drive you away; it wants to destroy you,” he said in a firm voice.
I nodded slowly and looked back at Aeloria.
She was crying.
Even through the dark cloak of magic, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. The black chains around her pulsed faster and faster, as if reacting to my advance. I took two steps; another spell was cast, so fast that I barely had time to conjure a wind barrier. The impact threw me backwards, and I hit one of the columns hard, blurring my vision.
Shit...
“Elowen!” I heard Aric shout, running towards me.
But I raised my hand, stopping him.
“I need to do this alone. It's okay.” I assured him and then struggled to my feet, feeling the blood trickle down my forehead.
My arm hurt, but not enough to stop me. I took another step forward. Another spell. Earth barrier. I felt every bone in my body shake with the effort to resist.
“Stop, Aeloria!” I shouted. “Please, stop!”
But even as she launched another blast, I heard her voice. Trembling, weak.
“Forgive me,” she said slowly, her voice faltering.
She was sobbing.
“They want you, Elowen… this was the plan from the beginning... I... I'm just baited.”
My eyes widened.
“What are you saying?”
“They know… they know you're powerful… They want that. They want your blood. Enemies want… you.”
She screamed in pain, and something inside me broke.
They knew.
Enemies knew about my blood; they knew about my heritage. And they wanted to use it… possibly for rituals, maybe to create weapons, or might be to resurrect things that should never come back to life. But they used my sister, a child, as a tool. That… I could never forgive.
My power began to vibrate around me, a whirlwind of wind and leaves forming as I approached again. More spells came. I blocked one with water, another with an explosion of roots that shot out of the ground, intercepting the attack before it could hit me. It was getting harder. Each blow demanded more of me. But I kept going; I wouldn't stop.
“Aeloria!” I shouted with all my remaining strength. “You're stronger than this! You're my sister! We're made of the same light, the same blood! Don't let them control you!”
She began to tremble, her eyes filling with tears.
“I... I can't.”
“Yes, you can!” I shouted back, reaching out my hand, even though my fingers were throbbing with pain. “Remember us, remember Aetheria, remember the flowers in our mother's garden… remember the wolves that protected us when you had nightmares. I'm here!”
Another attack came. It grazed my shoulder, tearing the skin. I groaned, but I held my ground. Strong for her. Strong for us.
“And I came. Now come back to me, Aeloria. Come back…” I said, looking at her with all the affection and love I felt for her.
She screamed.
A long scream, and the black chains began to writhe around her body. The walls shook. A cutting wind spread through the chamber.
“It's working!” Render shouted. “She's fighting!”
“Keep going!” Aric yelled. “Don't stop!”
“Come back to me, my little sister.” I whispered, falling to my knees, my hands outstretched, my whole body burning with pain. “I… need you.”
And then… something broke.
A dull sound, like glass cracking.
The chains shook, the black light flickered, and for a second, just a second, I saw Aeloria's eyes clear, blue again, shining with tears.
“Elowen…”
Her body floated slowly to the floor.
I ran to her without thinking, without considering the risks. I hugged her tightly, wrapping her in my arms. Her chest was still moving.
She was alive. I could feel my sister now, in my arms.