SPELLBOUND

Outside the dark core, the fierce battle against the strange black tentacles continued on. Vampires, dark faes, fire and ice dragons alike, all were giving their all in this battle. Everyone somehow had that feeling as though this would be the final battle that would bring them to the end of this ongoing war that had been going on for too long. Though in actual fact, it was not that long. However, the strain and toll it had taken on the minds and morale of the allied forces was just too immense. If not for some key people who were continuously rallying the rest of the armies through encouragements, through healing magic, through fighting alongside them and even just by staying alive, the soldiers would have long since given up and fallen in battle.

Now, Onyx flew faster than an arrow as Evie who was mounted on his back slashed viciously at the dark tentacle-like thing with her light magic, freeing the caught dragon. Evie had condensed her light magic into the shape of a long blade, having the light edges of her blade sharpened on both ends, making it a double-edged sword, able to kill no matter which way she swung her blade.

The dark core had pulsed twice in a row now. And that pulsation had not been similar to the ones that sent out those strange black tentacles that were causing everyone troubles for now. Both pulsations were strong and sent an abnormal wave of feeling through every single member of the allied forces. Everyone knew that something was going on inside the dark core and Evie believed that it must be related to Vera. When she had received the news that Vera and Azure had been sucked into the core, she was not overcome with devastation. And somehow, that instinctual feeling alone was enough for her to be sure that Vera was still alive, wherever she was in there. Perhaps, she might have even found Gideon.

When the core started sending out strong pulsations, Evie was now even more certain that her earlier hunch was true. Vera was very likely with Gideon right now, and she must be having her very own fight to save her man.

So, Evie rallied everyone to keep putting on a good fight. She reminded them to put their trust in Vera. And indirectly, in Gideon. Though unsaid, everyone knew that they were here to bring Gideon back to them.

After much struggling, with blood, sweat and tears, they had finally completed the job that they had set out to do. They had finally annihilated every single monster around them as Gideon had instructed Vera to do. But though this major goal had been met, they could not even stop to celebrate it yet. Their fight was not completely over just yet. The battle with the monsters had finally ended, but there was still Gideon himself. Gideon, who was now the commander of the dark forces that the core – the darkness itself – had designated for him to be. Evie believed that the answer to destroy this core and ending this battle for good, lies in the hands of Gideon himself.

Evie believed that the rest of the actual fight from now on would solely lie in Vera's hand.

The rest of them could not approach the core even if they had wanted to. They could only support Vera and Azure through prayers and waiting patiently for them to come out victorious from the other side of the dark core with Gideon alongside them.

According to the report that had come from Azrael, Vera was protected by Azure before they were forcefully pulled in by the black tentacles into the core. Evie believed that Azure's body must have been able to withstand the deadly dark magic of the outer wall of that core. Evie did not forget the fact that Azure himself, was an ancient ice dragon. Not only that, but he was also the biggest, and most powerful of his kind that had managed to stay alive up till today to pledge their loyalty to the last of the guardians of the ice dragons – Vera. Its skin that seemed to be made of magical crystals were probably one of the best materials as a shield – ever! And from the reports that stated Azure had actively protected Vera, Evie was quite certain that nothing would have happened to Vera as they crossed over through the wall of deadly dark magic, and into the other side of the dark core. Even if Vera was injured, it would most likely only be superficial wounds on the surface that would not affect her that much.

As Evie thought on this, she also acknowledged that the only other dragon who could probably do the same thing as what Azure did was her very own Onyx. But Evie knew that it was too risky a thing for them to attempt the same thing that Vera and Azure had done. Maybe not for her, but for Onyx and hers and Gav's precious little child that was still growing within her womb.

When the wave of the third pulsation throbbed and spread from the central area of the dark core, outwards over the armies that had surrounded the area, Evie did not know why, but her heart trembled a little. That latest pulsation had sent icy cold shivers crawling down her spine. Something just did not seem right with that last wave. Though it felt the same as the other two from earlier, Evie trusted her instincts that told her something unpleasant must have occurred over on Vera's side.

"Vera..." she uttered. "Please... please be alright..." Evie whispered out, as though saying a prayer.

Clenching her fists, Evie's eyes looked back at the core that was now suddenly acting strange. Something seemed to be about to happen. And whatever it was, she was convinced that it would be something... deadly.

"My Queen!!!" Zolan yelled from behind her. "We need to retreat!!! Now!!! That core, it's behaving exactly the same way as what had happened with those exploding monsters right before they explode!!! I believe that the core is about to explode!!! Please order a retreat right this instant!!!"

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