Chapter 42: Mira

Chapter 42: Mira

A deep, resonating hum filled the air. The ancient runes carved into the stone pulsed with eerie light, their glow flickering like dying embers. The seal was breaking.
Mira stood before it, her fingers weaving through the air, each movement unraveling the ancient magic keeping Mondryn imprisoned. Her expression was unreadable, but her intent was clear.
Arie and Lea had no time to stop her—not yet.
Because standing between them and Mira were the two Dead Vessels.
Their empty eyes locked onto them, their soulless presence thick like a suffocating fog. The air was heavy, thick with the scent of decay and mana.
Arie thrust out his hand, willing his destruction magic to tear through his opponent. Nothing happened.
His breath hitched. Why isn't it working?
The vessel before him moved with inhuman precision, blade flashing toward him. Arie barely dodged, feeling the cold bite of steel scrape past his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, trying again—channeling his magic, reaching deep within. But there was nothing.
A sharp impact sent him stumbling back. The vessel didn't slow. Its attacks were relentless, precise, like a puppet controlled by an unseen force. Arie kept moving, barely holding on, but the more he dodged, the more he realized—he was being pushed back.
His mind raced. What's happening to me?
He tried again—nothing. His magic, his greatest weapon, wasn't responding. A terrifying thought crept in.
Am I useless without it?
His heart pounded.
Arie gritted his teeth as he swung his blade, parrying another relentless strike. His heart pounded in his chest, but something was off—his magic wasn't responding. He had tried casting destruction magic, but nothing happened.
Why?
It wasn't nullified by the opponent, nor was he out of mana. Yet, no matter how much he tried, the magic wouldn't manifest.
As he deflected another blow, his mind churned with confusion. What am I even doing?
His breath came in ragged gasps as his opponent pressed forward. The weight of uncertainty bore down on him like an invisible chain. 
Why am I fighting? he questioned himself. What am I fighting for?
Is it for revenge?
The thought lingered in his mind, filling the silence with an eerie void. For so long, revenge had been his driving force. But now, standing amidst the chaos, he felt something missing.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her.
Lea.
She was backed into a corner, her body pressed against the cold stone wall. Her sword trembled in her grip as the enemy advanced toward her.
Arie's breath hitched.
The world around him dulled, fading into a distant hum as memories crashed over him like a tidal wave.
He remembered the past—the promise he made to Lea. The words echoed in his mind, clear as day. 
"I will protect you."
Then, another voice. Sara's.
"Be strong. Don't let revenge consume you."
Two promises. Two conflicting desires.
But no… they weren't conflicting at all.
Arie clenched his jaw.
His body moved on instinct.
The dead vessel raised its blade, ready to strike Lea down. The air grew heavy with anticipation, death looming over her like a shadow.
Then, before the final blow could land—
SLAM!
The creature's arm stopped mid-swing.
A black mass burst from his arm, writhing like living shadow. The vessel's blade froze mid-air, caught in Arie's weaponer technique—a formless, inky darkness tightening around its hand.
Arie exhaled, eyes steady.
And his answer… was both.
Arie and Lea stood side by side, breathing heavily as the two dead vessels loomed before them. The air crackled with energy, the ground beneath them fractured from the earlier clashes.
Lea, gripping her sword tightly, glanced at Arie. "We have to finish this now."
Arie nodded, his weaponer technique coiling around his arm like living shadows. "Yeah… together."
The first vessel lunged at Lea with inhuman speed, its blade aimed directly at her heart. She barely managed to deflect it, but the force sent her skidding backward. The second vessel went for Arie, striking in a relentless flurry of attacks. Arie parried each one, but the sheer strength behind the blows pushed him back.
"Lea, switch!" Arie called.
Without hesitation, they moved in sync—Lea dodged to the left while Arie dashed to the right, swapping opponents mid-movement. Arie's weaponer technique extended, forming a jagged blade that he drove into the first vessel's side, but it barely reacted, its body already regenerating.
"Tch… these things don't go down easy," he muttered.
Lea took advantage of the moment, channeling her magic into her sword. "Then we'll just have to overwhelm them!" She swung downward, releasing a crescent-shaped arc of energy that tore through the ground and struck the second vessel. The force sent it staggering.
Arie capitalized on the opening. His weaponer technique wrapped around his arm, morphing into a massive, jagged lance. He launched forward, driving the weapon straight through the first vessel's chest. It shrieked but grabbed the lance, attempting to break free.
Lea didn't let it. She dashed in, slashing at its arm, severing it at the elbow. "Now!"
Arie twisted the lance, forcing an explosion of energy through it. The vessel was blown backward, its body splintering into fragments.
The second vessel roared and rushed toward Lea, its eyes glowing with an eerie light. Before it could reach her, Arie's weaponer technique shot out like tendrils, wrapping around its limbs and holding it in place.
"Lea, finish it!" Arie shouted.
Lea's sword pulsed with divine energy. With a deep breath, she leaped into the air, her blade glowing brilliantly. "This ends now!" She swung down with all her might, slicing through the second vessel's body in a single, decisive strike.
For a moment, silence filled the battlefield. Then, both vessels crumbled, their bodies dissolving into dust.
Arie let out a breath of relief. "We did it…"
Lea nodded, gripping her sword tightly. But the victory felt hollow. Because as the dust settled, they turned their gaze to the horizon—where the war raged on, fires consuming everything in sight.
"This is far from over," Lea said, her voice firm.
Arie clenched his fists. 
"Yeah… but we'll keep fighting."
They both took their eyes, turned to the very reason they're in here in the first place. Mira. They were ready to finally stop Mira. So they wasted no time, and walk towards her... 
... 
Arie and Lea rushed forward, determination burning in their eyes as they approached Mira. She stood at the center of the ancient ruins, her hands raised, channeling a dark energy that pulsed through the air. The ground trembled beneath them, and at the heart of it all, the seal that bound Mondryn was beginning to crack.
"We have to stop her now!" Arie shouted, gripping his weapon tighter. Lea nodded, her own resolve unwavering.
Just as they were about to strike, a sudden force knocked them back. A shimmering barrier of swirling energy erupted between them and Mira, forming an impenetrable wall. Arie slammed his fist against it, but it didn't budge. Lea struck it with her magic, but it absorbed her attack effortlessly.
"It's no use," Lea gritted her teeth. "This thing isn't breaking."
Mira turned her head slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. "You're too late," she said, her voice laced with triumph. "Mondryn will be free, and no one can stop it now."
Arie clenched his fists, frustration building. "Damn it!" He tried casting destruction magic, but nothing happened. Again, his power refused to respond. His heart pounded—was this the same hesitation from before?
Before either of them could react further, a sudden gust of ice and steel tore through the air. A massive crack spread across the barrier.
Arie and Lea turned to see Icelyn and Eldren standing at their side.
"You two seriously thought you'd handle this alone?" Icelyn smirked, her sword glowing with icy energy.
Eldren spun his axe, confidence in his stance. "Step aside. We're bringing this thing down together."
Arie exhaled, steadying himself. "Fine. Let's end this."
Together, all four of them launched a combined assault. Icelyn's ice surged along the barrier, freezing its structure. Eldren's strikes created fractures. Lea poured in her light magic, making the cracks grow. And finally, Arie, finding his resolve once more, unleashed his weaponer ability—black tendrils lashing out like whips, breaking through the last of the barrier's resistance.
With a deafening shatter, the barrier crumbled. Mira's eyes widened in shock as the four of them charged forward, ready to stop her once and for all... 

... 
As Mira stood there, her plan unraveling before her, a surge of magic forced her consciousness inward. Suddenly, she found herself trapped in her own memories—visions flashing before her like fragments of a broken mirror.
She saw herself as a child, standing in the ruins of her home, flames consuming everything. Screams echoed in the distance. A younger Mira clung to the body of someone dear—a sibling, perhaps, or a mentor—lifeless and cold.
Then, the image shifted. Nobles sneering at her, dismissing her as weak. Soldiers ignoring her pleas for help. A kingdom that turned its back on her suffering.
"If they let it happen once, they'll let it happen again," a voice whispered in her mind—her own, but twisted by years of pain.
She saw herself seeking power, grasping at anything that could make her strong enough to force change. And then... the day she learned of Mondryn. He had been sealed away for a reason, but to her, he was a tool. A means to bring destruction, so she could rebuild the world in her own vision.
But as she relived these moments, the anger and determination she once held felt distant. The suffering she endured was real—but was this truly the only way?
The memory shattered.
Mira gasped, snapping back to reality. The ritual was failing, Mondryn's seal restoring. Around her stood Arie, Lea, Icelyn, and Eldren, weapons raised.
Icelyn's voice cut through the tension. "It's over, Mira. The war—is over."
Mira staggered back, breath shaky. The weight of her actions hit her like a tidal wave.
Had she really become the very thing she despised?
Slowly, she exhaled. 
With the last of her strength, she released a pulse of magic—one not of destruction, but of command. Across the battlefield, soldiers halted, the raging war slowing as Mira's voice echoed in their minds. "Stand down. The war is over."
As the dust settled, they turned their attention to the wounded. Liana and Agin were among the first to be healed, their pain replaced by relief. One by one, survivors were tended to.
But for Mira, there was no relief—only the weight of what she had done.
And the long road to redemption ahead.