"Arggghh.." Kazimir was in grievous pain as Carolina forcefully guided the last fragment to come to dwell inside his body.
'No…' Tears flowed at Kazimir's eyes as he did not have the strength to reject the evil thing from entering his body.
"Do not defile my brother!" He could hear Leon and Antoine's voices as they tried to stop Carolina from merging his body with the fragment but to no avail.
No one could stop Carolina now…
Kazimir's eyes looked at the heavens for the third time since the attack, pleading to the One on High to make these all stop. Wished that he would just have to close his eyes and the chaos around him would disappear instantly.
What scares him the most was what would 'himself' do when the spirit fragment was completely mended into his body.
'Somebody… someone… please..' He pleaded desperately.
In his mind, he could see that as his soul stood at the center of a calm endless lake, a black flame started to appear and created chaos in the waters.
Vrrrr!!!
The water trembled violently marking the start of the turbulent waves. Kazimir's soul trembled in fear as he could feel that the spirit fragment was nothing but malicious.
He started to move back in fear as the black flame approached, he ran faster and faster, just for his soul to escape from the fragment's pursuit.
But the sinister flames appeared to be all-powerful the longer Kazimir ran from it. Finally, the turbulent waves surrounding him completely moved according to the will of the fragment.
Trapping him inside a wall of violent waves, Kazimir's soul was drowned by the wave's might, no longer in control of his movement.
He could just only see that as the waves tossed his soul too and fro, the fragment finally approached his defenseless being.
"Noooo!!" He could only shout in protest as hope dissipated when the fragment finally touched his soul.
He felt the sensation of his soul being tormented and shackled by the fragment, absolutely taking away his freedom.
There was only despair in Kazimir's soul, no more hope, no more life… no more freedom.
Everything went dark, as the surroundings turned as black as the sinister flame that had already claimed control of his soul.
The chains covering his soul turned colder as his vision got darker and darker, putting his consciousness into slumber.
Puff!!!
Just when his consciousness was slowly fading, a tiny red flame, blazing fiercely at the core of his soul, seemed to have been ignited.
His soul shuddered at the appearance of the red flame and he could feel that the black flame was in a panic.
Then a violent fight between the red and the black flame ensued. Each wants to swallow the other, making Kazimir's soul become the battlefield of their showdown.
"Urrkkk!!" On the outside, Kazimir suddenly let out a mouthful of blood and started convulsing severely.
Carolina did not expect this reaction to happen. She was extremely surprised that she immediately let go of her hold on Kazimir's neck.
With his absence of restriction, Kazimir's entire body squirmed uncontrollably, a violent seizure!
The pupil of his eyes turned and all Carolina could see was white, his face drained with color and his mouth wide open gasping for air.
"What's happening!!! Kazimir!!!!" Caught totally unaware, Empress Carolina trembled beside Kazimir, his condition was so grave that Carolina took his body down on the ground not minding the people around.
"No… this isn't supposed to be like this… You!!! Are you a doctor?! Get here and take a look!" She ignored the entire situation and only beckoned Kayden who was attending to General Farauld.
Everyone was on tenterhooks. Sending Kayden on that side was extremely dangerous, but Kazimir was already suffering.
"I'll go with you…" Leon dragged his injured body and escorted his friend to Kazimir's side.
Checking his condition, Kazimir performed certain procedures for Kazimir to avoid hurting his body further. But he immediately shook his head and looked at Leon in a regretful manner.
"All his vital organs have burst because of two clashing powers… even if I use healing magic, it would be futile… We can only hope for a miracle, but that miracle… could not be created by my hands…" Kazimir explained slowly.
The silence went over the entire battlefield, their eyes looked at a certain person who had caused it all - Carolina.
"You witch! It's all because of you!!! How could you do that! Now our son will have no choice but to die!!" Emperor Valentin accused Carolina, disregarding the extreme condition that he was in.
Who could he blame but her and her endless evil? Who in the right mind would do that to their own children?
Empress Carolina stood blankly, surprised by Kayden and Emperor Valentin's words.
'No! I don't believe it… It's not my fault. I clearly just wanted him to be stronger than he really was…'
'I just wanted for him to understand why I wield this power…'
"No… You are lying!!!" Convinced that she had no fault in what happened to Kazimir, she glared at the temple priest and demanded them. "All of you!! Use your holy powers to heal my son!!!"
High Priest Enoch sighed and gestured to everyone to just stay put. He was the one who stepped forward instead.
His aged eyes looked at Kazimir, pity and compassion rose in his heart, 'What an unfortunate young man…'
He stretched out his hands and decided to use his remaining vitality to transfer it to Kazimir, which was already showing signs of imminent death.
But before he was able to do these things, a delicate yet unwavering voice came out from the inner part of the temple, "No need to do that, Your Eminence High Priest… For what had happened to the First Prince was clearly the Empress's doing."
Empress Carolina turned to see the owner of the voice, it was none other than First Queen Lucia. On her side was the Second Queen, Tehila.
"You… Why are you both here??" Shocked at the fact that the queens were still in the vicinity, Emperor Valentin asked with a shocked tone.
"We need to…" Queen Tehila answered as she supported First Queen Lucia who did not take away her stare towards Empress Carolina.
"Empress… You have committed a lot of mistakes in your life… But let me tell you… As a mother… This is your biggest mistake!" First Queen Lucia was a woman of few words.
But it was the first time that the people around witnessed her say so many words.
"No!" Empress Carolina still insists on denying her sins. "Go away!" She waved her hand and forced the people away from her at a certain distance.
"Mixing the sinister spirit on a soul blessed by the guardian Ignis… Are you saying that you have not even thought of the consequences of your actions? You clearly… tried to murder your own son!" Lucia insisted.
"What of the fact that he had Seirende blood? The Vesala's power is flowing into his veins! He had the power to accept another blessing from a heavenly being!!! No matter how hard he denies his Vesala blood, it still flows to every part of his body!!" Empress Carolina rampaged and let out her powers in anger.
'Why do people insist that it was her fault?'
'Why does her son reject her powers?'
'Why don't they recognize Vesala's powers?'
"Why? Why? Why!!!!" She finally lost it and caused the entire land to tremble.
The ground started to crack and the wind started to violently throw everyone away.
From the ground, boulders of earth started to lift off the ground and float mid-air. A threatening rain of rocks and earth was again suddenly starting.
"To those who do not accept… then might as well perish… All of you shall perish!" She declared.
Everyone just watched with their eyes looking at the sky.
No one panicked, no one trembled either. For their reactions, one might conclude that they had all accepted their impending deaths, but not a trace of surrender appeared in their eyes.
They did not know why, but in their hearts, they were waiting for something… no someone…
Someone who could deliver a miracle…
Someone who could deliver them from doom…
Zoooooom!!!! And as the rocks and boulders started to fall and crush them, they heard a loud buzzing sound and saw a momentary pause in the surroundings.
Then like fireworks, blazing golden lights started to shoot over the sky and down to the ground tracing a certain pattern that eventually revealed a giant array.
It created a protective dome in the air and a soothing effect on the ground. Everyone even felt refreshed and their wounds started healing.
Even Kazimir, who was in a hopeless condition, started to calm down.
Everyone inside the array only experiences beneficial effects from the grand array that was activated.
Except for one person - Empress Carolina who was now down on the ground, bound by a golden chain of light.
"Aaaaah!!" She shouted in panic as she could not even make the chains budge even with her enormous power.
Finally, in the sky, was a figure descending like a messenger from the heavens, wearing a pure white robe and a face covered with a full face mask. Eyes and Hair covered, no one could identify what was his or her identity.
It was until they heard an ethereal voice coming from her that they identified her as a woman.
"The heavens have decided to end your oppression and pronounce judgment." She told as she landed like a light feather in front of the bounded Carolina.
Leon looked at the woman covered in sacred garments and his heart shook… he knew that the person he was waiting for had finally come.