Agnes' eyes widened, at that moment she wondered if she had made the wrong decision to protect him.
If she can't seal his powers now, he would get detected by the Emperors.
A shriek tore from her throat, drops of blood flowed out from her chest in the air, then, as if they had a mind of their own, they flew towards Kaelith, their forms turned into a sharp needle.
A small wave pulsed from their collision with the barrier. The blood-like needles pierce through it, causing a small crack on the barrier.
A small smile tugged on Agnes' lips. She raised her hands up, the energy swirled in the air, and with her hands down, they came down with a strong force, shattering the barrier.
Kaelith's eyes widened, before they burned with rage. 'Unbelievable, she broke through my defense.'
The magic gushed into him, kaelith's blood boiled like he had been thrown into a river of lava. Red veins poked out from underneath his skin. The magic pulsed, creating a tremendous blast in the air. His powers fought back, however the magic pressed against his chest like a mountain.
His little heart hammered against his chest, his blood rushed down his veins, as his magic flowed back into his core.
A wail escaped from his lips, it was like he was being torn apart in two separate pieces.
His body was drenched in sweat, slowly, his Snow White hair turned to the shade of black, his golden eyes returned to the shade of grey.
...
(Inside Kaelith mind)
Lightning flashed through the sky, the thunder exploded. One savage roar after another slammed into the air, as if the dark red clouds were tearing themselves apart in fury.
'Where am I?' Kaelith scanned his surroundings.
The lava hissed and bubbled like it was alive, chaotic waves splashing violently around the rough black rock where little Kaelith sat. His small form looked fragile in the middle of the molten sea, but his grey eyes stayed sharp. The heat didn't burn him. It welcomed him, like it knew who he was. Yet the chaos around him wasn't calming—it only grew more intense and wild, as if it sensed what was coming.
He blinked slowly, sweat dripping down his temple, when something above caught his eye.
His gaze lifted, and his heart stumbled in his chest.
Floating just above him was another baby. One that looked exactly like him, yet completely different. The same face, the same shape—but the hair was white like snow, glowing faintly. His eyes were closed, and his tiny hands rested together over a strange, broken piece of a translucent object. The energy around him pulsed quietly.
Kaelith's lips parted in awe. That was him. No… that was his primordial spirit.
'The sealed form,' he thought. His heartbeat quickened. 'The one white lotus locked away.'
His small hand reached out, trembling slightly. That broken artifact between the floating baby's palms—he recognized it immediately. His chest tightened with surprise. A piece of the Chaos Artifact. How? Why was it with him?
But before he could feel the full weight of that realization, the sea beneath him trembled with a strange sound.
'Wha…'
His thoughts cut off as thick white smoke burst from the depths. It coiled around the lava like living mist, swallowing everything in sight. The heat faded. The fire dimmed. In seconds, the entire sea vanished, erased from existence.
"No!" Kaelith screamed, reaching out toward his primordial form.
But it was too late.
The domain collapsed on itself. The last thing he saw was the baby version of himself being sealed in light again, drifting away like dust caught in a wind.
And then…
…..
His body jerked.
Kaelith's eyes flew open. Air crashed into his lungs like a wave, and pain tore through his chest. His small fingers trembled as they reached out, as if trying to grasp something already lost.
'Agnes…' his eyes burned with so much anger and hatred, he was just a step away from destroying those bastards. But she had to seal his powers! He would never forgive her for this.
His gaze tilted toward the blurry figure in front of him. Agnes stumbled backward, blood splattered from her mouth. Her body convulsed before falling to the ground.
Kaelith blinked in confusion, his own body too weak to respond. The power that had been inside him just moments ago—wild and terrifying—was gone. Sealed again. He wanted to fight it, to scream, but instead, his head slumped to the side.
Darkness dragged him down.
Only Plum's frantic voice echoed in his ears, growing smaller and smaller.
"Kaelith?! My Lady!"
His consciousness slipped.
...
Back in the arena, the change in the air was almost instant.
The aggressive rain of fireballs that had threatened to tear the arena apart suddenly stopped midair, like someone had slammed the brakes on the sky itself. One by one, they fizzled out, turning into sparks that rained down gently onto the destroyed ground.
Dimitri turned his head slowly, the magical rings around him began to disappear one after the other.
Aura's brows furrowed, her eyes reflecting the red sky. "It stopped…" she whispered.
They both scanned the air, sensing the change in energy.
Dimitri's eyes turned to the normal shade of blue. "It's over. Whatever it was… it has ended."
Aura looked around. "Not just ended. It was like it was swallowed whole."
They didn't waste time. Together, they made their way back toward the center platform.
Ragnar and Frederik were already there, waiting in silence. The arena around them was nearly unrecognizable. Massive scorch marks cut across the ground, the stone walls had collapsed. Some of the crowds lay unconscious, others groaned and crawled away from the wreckage.
"This is the best competition that has ever been arranged." Ragnar snickered, his voice low, his eyes danced with mischievous glint. "Even our best warriors have been wounded."
Dimitri's jaw clenched. The shame of incompetence made his face turn red. "I'll make sure to get to the bottom of this."
"This power is very familiar," Aura drawled, her gaze distant, her brows furrowed. "This is the power of the demon from 100 years ago."
"You mean the lover you betrayed and plunged a knife into his chest?" Federick grinned, however underneath his joking eyes, an unreadable glint flickered.
Aura's gaze darkened, her fingers clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white. "I did that for the good of the world. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't be here ruling an empire!"
Federick's eyes glowed golden red, his chest heaved. "Don't talk to me in that manner Aura, I earned my position with dignity, I didn't betray someone for it." Flames danced around his fingers.
Spikes of ice floated beside Aura, ready to fight.
"Enough!" Dimitri yelled, he stood between them. "This is not the time to fight, if this is truly the demon from 100 years ago, we need to find a plan to hunt him down now, before he grows stronger."
"I heard there was a huge slaughter in this empire five months ago. New born babies were killed like chicken." Ragnar chipped in.
Dimitri closed his eyes, he already knew the other Emperors would never miss a chance to judge and overthrow him as the main head of the Empires.
And now, they had a reason.