The Hidden Realm

Chapter 32 – RED SMOKE OF DESTRUCTION

“s**t! Your wings are distracting me.” Althy complained when they reached their hunting ground.

“Deal with it,” Eleand chuckled. He joined the hunting party while waiting for his mana recovery to shift back to his normal form. They were hiding behind an enormous rock and patiently waiting for the white lion to come out.

The cousins chose this animal only for a thrill. They were inside the deepest forest of Velidia. The glacier was thick, and the snow fell heavily. Eleand blanketed himself of a thin fire to prevent him from hypothermia.

“Be quiet. How can we lure the lion if you are shouting there?” Rade snapped.

The white lion was lurking at a safe distance from them.

“Wait, how can we be sure that lion is not a shapeshifter?” he asked. He suddenly remembered Harewyn, the Guardian of the Forest.

“No, that is a wild animal. Shifters are usually in Gwiazda. They have a distinct marking in their body to be recognized.” Rade sounded sure.

“Okay, you say so. My apologies for my ignorance.” He giggled. Eleand waited in silence, still irritated with his flapping wings.

“Stay here, leave this to us,” Althy warned him.

The cousins wasted no time when they found the perfect timing to attack. Eleand remained hidden behind the rock.

He watched in awe as he witnessed them trying to ensnare the beast. Their movement was calculated. The poor lion was unaware and simply stood in the middle of a massive glacier.

When the cousins were busy with their hunt, Eleand calmed himself to feel if he already recovered. He gently closed his eyes and meditated, then shoved away all the distractions. He chanted the ancient spell, making sure it was correct. He knew the magic properly worked because he sensed the movement of his bones on his back.

Eleand bent his knees, hardly gritting his teeth, trying to control his scream. The pain was excruciating, just like before. But he never regretted it because he managed to go back to his wingless form.

Yes! He panted and punched the snow on the ground. He touched his bareback to make sure he made it right. His wings were gone. He swore he would never try shapeshifting again. What happened what very embarrassing and humiliating!

When he slowly regained his strength, Eleand stood up and peeked at the location of the cousins. They were having fun wrestling the animal. They were not using magic, only their brute strength.

Eleand was amazed as he watched them fighting the beast. They would attack together and laugh. He leaned on the rock and crossed his arms while looking at them.

 Until horrible-looking creatures suddenly emerged circling Althy and Rade, there were twelve creatures surrounded the two. It was like a slow-motion in his eyes, but things happened so fast.

The white lion roared and ran away. The cousins leaned on each other’s back; both alerted to the danger.

Enemies! Eleand could tell based on how the cousins reacted.

They were extraordinary tall faeries wearing a black cloak. He immediately noticed their weird eyes; black sclera and blood-red iris!

In just a blink, the enemies attacked. The cousins held their swords, and then there was chaos. The enemies used red smoke from their hands. And the two blocked the attack with their ice magic.

Eleand was in terror when he saw the ice melted away by the red smoke. Althy and Rade fought hard with their magic and combat skills. Their attackers suddenly changed forms to pure red particles trying to get inside the body of the two. When they failed, they would go back to their cloaked form.

He didn’t know what to do. Would he run going back to the temple and ask for help? But it would take him long. Even he used the Vanire. He was not that confident in his transportation magic. Most of the time, he was lost.

Eleand felt his heart beating fast that it would come out from his chest. But he halted as he observed that the enemies were incredibly strong. He couldn’t just run away while the cousins were fighting for their life. He gathered all his courage to help them.

Don’t panic. He calmed himself and started to chant the spell to summon the hottest flame.

Eleand had overcome his fear when he saw the cousins. They were severely wounded now. In their knees, still fighting. They eliminated four among enemies somehow, but they were still outnumbered.

The red smoke attempted to engulf the bodies of the cousins, but they barely blocked the attack.

Eleand released his blue flame from his location, and it made the enemies halt.

Now he got their attention. He used the Protexerium to shield his friends and released his fire magic. He succeeded somehow because the enemies couldn’t go near the two.

But he was in a rage when he witnessed his friends vomiting blood. And their blue blood continued to spill from their wounds, too. Until they lay down on the icy ground—motionless.

Eleand went berserk when the enemies attacked him. He chanted in faerie language to unleash hell. He didn’t control his firepower. Even his body felt burning.

He strengthened the shield to protect Althy and Rade and let the destruction fell upon his attackers. His blue flame was gone entirely. The black fire consumed it.

“I will kill you for hurting my friends!” His eyes glared with hatred. He motioned his hands for every attack.

The black fire surrounded the cloaked figures. They attempted to exterminate the fire, but they could not make it. His fire released was so strong that even the ground vibrated, the glaciers cracked. His black fire could not be extinguished. The trees near them plummeted, and the thud reverberated around.

Eleand released all his remaining mana to make his fire magic stronger. It grew larger until the enemies couldn’t escape, even if they attempted to vaporized themselves in the form of the red smoke. He was satisfied to see them burned into ash and scattered in the icy air.

But he immediately lost his balance, and his body collapsed. He crawled in the direction of Rade and Althy because his energy was nearly drained.

His hands trembled as he touched the unconscious body of the two.

“No...no...wake up!” He gently patted them. There was no response.

He touched their necks to feel their pulses.

It was barely pulsating.

He wouldn’t let them die like this.

“Enkille… Kharyn… Please help us!” Eleand felt hopeless. His eyes clouded as he looked at his dying friends, and he couldn’t do anything to save them.

As a man, he was taught not to cry. But in this situation, he could not hold back the tears in his eyes.

Why am I so weak? He punched the ground until his knuckles bleed. He couldn’t think of any possible way to prevent them from certain death.

“Help us… please.” Eleand murmured. His consciousness was betraying him as his eyes started to be blurry. But he prayed hard to whoever listened to his pleading.

Please.

He would never forgive himself that Althy and Rade died because of him.