Chapter 30

A wave burst out from Suikara's seal, shaking windows nearby, as light erupted into the sky.

Keira's eyes shot open.

The horses neighed and stomped their feet as birds and small wildlife scattered.

Oh no. Keira ran out from the stables and looked to the sky where the beam of light burst from the seal. Already?! Dammit all. Why now? I thought they were upping their security. Please don't be fully broken.

Keira took off running, several other guards also on their way. She rushed up the back wall and looked out at the seal, completely shattered, with a woman standing in front of it above the water.

"Aria?" What's she doing? Is she trying to fix it?

"Finally!" Aria cheered and spun around, water swirling around her as she held several shards in her hands.

Guess not... Keira hopped over the short stone wall beside her, focusing her magic on her feet. As she landed on the water, her feet froze it beneath her.

She dashed toward Aria, leaving a frozen path in her wake.

"Clever use of your powers, but it's too late. The seals won't hold without these." Aria held up the six crystals. "One from each seal I attacked."

Keira's eyes widened. "Why?"

"To do what you couldn't; save Wakaru."

She trembled, holding her hand over the crystal necklace. "What are you talking about? Wakaru is gone, and there's nothing we can do about it, no matter how much we want to."

"That's where you're wrong, Ice Queen. Now that the seals have all been weakened, and I have these crystals, he'll bring him back."

"He?" Who can resurrect people? She shook her head. Even if he were somehow brought back, I doubt it would really be him. If those crystals are the keys, the missing pieces of the seal, does that mean they're linked to the original creators? Either way, I have to get them back.

Aria made the water rise in front of her and pushed it at Keira.

Keira froze the wave and smashed through it as she charged toward Aria.

"Even you can't beat me in my territory." Aria whipped water at her repeatedly.

Keira quietly dodged, froze, and fought her way closer with ease. Just a little more. She took a deep breath and sent ice magic at Aria, freezing her legs and the water around her. "Give it up."

A shadow flew overhead. "Need some help, love?"

Aria looked up at him and smiled. "Azroth," she whispered.

Above them, the winged archdemon that attacked Keira before floated, staring down at them with an amused smile.

Crap. Keira sent icicles at him, and he smacked them away.

"Definitely won't work on me now that my power has been released." He held his hands out to the sides, red eyes glowing. "You're too weak, Ice Queen."

"Tch." I can't hold back if I have to fight him.

"Keira!" faint yelling came from the castle wall.

They can't come out here.

Refusing to look back, Keira moved toward Aria again.

The archdemon swooped down and smashed the line of ice between Aria and Keira before picking Aria up and flying back into the air.

Keira braced herself so she wouldn't fall into the water. Dammit all to hell. I was too slow. I was too naive. I should've known Aria was up to something.

Aria handed the archdemon the crystals.

"Thank you, love."

"You'll do as you promised, right? You'll bring Wakaru back?"

Keira strained her ears, trying to listen to them. Promised? She trusted a demon? Why? How? Dire straits? "Aria, he's a demon; don't listen to him. Even if he brings back something that looks like Wakaru, it won't be him!"

"Tch. Be quiet, you..." Aria trailed off, remembering how Keira had saved her. She shook her head and took a deep breath, Azroth's arm firmly around her waist. "It's more than you can do. And I wouldn't have had to do this if you had kept him safe in the first place."

Azroth closed his hand around the crystals, and they glowed.

Caw, caw. The first crow demon came out of the broken seal.

Keira looked between the seal and Azroth. I can't let more come through. I need to fix it.

The water froze as Keira ran up to the seal.

One after another, demons started pouring out.

Keira focused her energy on the crystal, trying to reform it. Please, even if you're not as strong, I can't let the kingdom be flooded.

"Can't have that happening." Red energy beamed down at Keira.

She braced for impact, still trying to heal the seal.

Someone bumped into her back as the beam hit.

"Ah!" Aki yelped as the red beam ran into the green fire shield he attempted to make.

"Aki? How did you get here?"

"Across your ice."

His shield absorbed Azroth's magic.

"Interesting." Azroth distanced himself. "Never knew a human could do that."

"Stop playing with them and bring back Wakaru before they fix the seal," Aria complained in his arm.

He absorbed it? Way to go, Aki.

The crow demon swooped toward them. Lightning struck it, dropping it into the water.

Guess the others are here.

"This is getting messy already," Azroth grumbled. "Come forth, Wakaru!" he called out, holding up the crystals formed into one.

A wave of energy flew out of the seal, pushing Keira and Aki away from it, nearly into the water.

Red light burst from the seal, blinding everyone.

A man in a blue cloak climbed out of the seal. His skin was pale, but his grey eyes were as clear as Keira remembered.

"Wakaru," she whispered his name in disbelief, her heart wrenching.

"That name. Aria's brother?" Aki stared up at him. "How?"

"No time... it's not really him. It can't be. He's gone."

"Wakaru!" Aria yelled, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much." She hugged Azroth, and he smiled.

"Of course, it is as promised," Azroth said. "But now that my powers have been unleashed, I suppose it's time to take over."

"What?"

"Why else would I want my power back? Though I wouldn't mind if they sealed it after my horde of demons finished coming through. I wouldn't want any of the other archdemons to come out to compete. Such a hassle."

"Y-you'll let me and Wakaru go, right?"

His arm around her tightened. "Wakaru is now linked to me, so he listens to my orders, but why would you want to leave me now?"

Aria paled. "What do you mean? You never said anything about keeping Wakaru as a minion. Nor did you say anything about keeping me with you." She pushed on his chest, and he gripped her hands there, smiling.

"To be fair, I never really said what would happen after, and you were too focused on getting your brother back to even ask. Don't worry, I won't kill either of you. Promise."

Wakaru stood on top of the broken seal, unmoving.

Ignore Wakaru, and fix the seal. Keira fought off the smaller demons that came through as she inched closer to the seal.

"Ah!" Rui yelled over them as he flew through the air, wind magic swirling around his feet. "Wakaru?" He slashed at a few lesser demons and tumbled straight into Wakaru, knocking him into the water alongside him with a splash.

"Rui!" Aki called out to him, rushing to the edge of his ice platform.

"He can swim," Keira said as she rushed back up to the seal. Come on, even a temp fix for now, so I can deal with the archdemon. She blasted ice to the side near Rui to give him a platform and focused on the seal again.

Lightning ripped through the sky, electrifying multiple demons at once.

Come on, work faster.

Malik aimed at Azroth with his lightning, but he easily dodged a few feet to the side.

"Really? You think you can take me? Not only that, but you don't seem to care about hitting Aria." Azroth laughed. "So much for comrades."

"I betrayed them first," Aria mumbled, her eyes glued to the water as she watched Wakaru resurface. "They have every right to be angry..."

Rui resurfaced, gasping for air, and latched onto a nearby ice block. "Had to be water, didn't it?"

"Rui!" Aki called out to him, kneeling down with his hand out.

"Thanks." Rui took his hand.

Keira stared up at the crystal as it finished forming. Finally.

The crystal pendant under Keira's armour warmed up.

Slam!

A wave of water with Wakaru in it ran straight into Keira, knocking her off the ice and into the water. He kept going, his hand gripping her throat as they went deeper into the water.

"Arg." Keira struggled to hold her breath. Air bubbles came from her mouth. She thumped on his hand, trying to break his grip. Since when is Wakaru this strong? More proof it isn't really him?

Wakaru accelerated in the water, propelled forward by his magic. He changed direction, bursting out of the water, his hand still gripping Keira's throat.

High in the air, Wakaru used the water still pushing him to head toward the kingdom wall.

What is he doing? Keira's eyes widened as she stared at him. Ice flowed from her hand, attempting to freeze his.

With the stone wall closing in on her, Keira focused her ice magic behind her.

Smash! Crash!

Wakaru and Keira crashed through the stone wall, her ice shield breaking.

"Keira!" Aki screamed.