COF 6: The Last Oracle

18 | Stop (I)

Got it, Xanthy spread her hands and felt the static energy of her magic thrum in her veins. It won't go wrong.

She didn't hear the Arbotro's reply over the roar of magic in her ears but she assumed it was probably along the lines of I doubt it. Well, whatever. Praying to all the gods out there, Xanthy exhaled and forced all of her magic to come to the surface and at the ready. She squeezed her eyes shut and slowly, sank to the depths of her soul towards where the Virtakios lay pulsing. With her mind, she reached carefully for the door that the Arbotro put to keep the destructive magic contained.

Then, she kicked that door down.

Fire filled her veins as the Virtakios raged out of its prison. Xanthy's vision tunneled as her other senses sharpened. Bird songs from miles and cities away filled her ears. The shuffle of clouds whistled inside her head. Footsteps and the screams of death were a blaring gong in her mind.

Find the Heiress and the Sovereign. Xanthy exhaled again, wrestling her mind to where she wanted it to go. Focus.

Her magic slipped in and out of trails, of souls, and of the very threads of what's keeping their world stable. For the first time, she understood how dangerous the Virtakios could be. One wrong move and she could destroy Fantasilia instead of saving it.

Light twirled with Xanthy's magic, kissing it gently on some places while warring with it on most. Such a brand of magic was unwelcome here. It went against everything the foundations of the world stood for. Xanthy swayed. Her feet stuck in between worlds of magic and reality. Hurry.

Xanthy blew a breath and wrenched control of her hazy magic. She sped forward without actually moving, her senses picking up every detail in agonizing clarity. Blood had never looked so red...

Focus.

Her magic slammed into a barrier, sending reverberations up her arms. What...?

She must have found it.

Xanthy bit her lip and flexed her fingers. Her mind directed her magic to do what it's supposed to do. The Virtakios raged forward, using Xanthy's battered synnavaim as a channel. In truth, Xanthy had the synnavaim of the nature fairies but it was burned to fractured residues the last time she lost control with the Virtakios. Now, it existed as a hollow shell inside Xanthy's soul that the Virtakios took and filled without hesitation.

It's like the world's way of telling her that she'd be nothing more than the Virtakios.

Xanthy ground her teeth and focused on altering the trails of that barrier. Whatever that was, it's protecting something important.

In the eyes of her magic, the barrier glowed orange. When her magic wrapped around the barrier again, it slowly turned bright green as the Virtakios got to work. After a while, cracks spread from the glass-like barrier before shattering into a million pieces, the sound loud in Xanthy's ears.

Then, a column of pure magic sped towards her.

Xanthy gasped and directed the Virtakios to meet it. Magic against magic. Explosions racked her mind as multi-colored lights blinded her. What...

Plumes of energy attacked from everywhere. All headed for Xanthy. Oh gods. They sensed her. Gods. Gods. Gods. Fool. A single, damning voice tore through Xanthy's concentration.

Fool. Perhaps she was, no matter what her friends say.

Panic rose to her throat. The Virtakios sensed this and began rebelling against her control. Xanthy cursed as she swept her magic around, stopping the hostile magic from hitting her. The sound of explosions throbbed in Xanthy's head. Too much...