Elyana was having a difficult ti keeping her cool.
It’s coming, she thought, trembling visibly. I can feel it. The ti is near.
Even the others were uneasy. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and everyone had their guards up just in case.
Among all of them, only Evan remained calm, his eyes closed as he took on a ditative stance.
All of his Guardians, including Elyana, circled around him in a fixed formation. They stood stiffly, not moving an inch. As much as Elyana wanted to wrap her cloak tightly around her body, she couldn’t.
She could feel the energy surrounding Evan bit by bit.
It was ti.
Elyana took a deep breath, and then she closed her eyes.
At this mont, the sealing process began its initial phase. Basically, each Guardian had to call upon the full power of their Spirit.
Elyana reached into the deep recesses of her heart where the soul of the Spirit rested. Her mind went blank as she concentrated on this single action, reaching out one step at a ti.
Then, she felt the Spirit responding.
At the sa ti, she felt sothing. A magic so warm that it wrapped around her like a cozy blanket.
She sighed softly and relaxed. She recognized this magic.
It was Evan’s.
She could feel Evan’s energy surrounding her Spirit, gently coaxing it to co with him. Normally, as a Summoner, he could summon the Spirit without having to reach into his Guardian’s soul, but this matter was different. He needed the Spirit to rge with him inside his own core, all so that the Final Spirit could be ford.
He would do this with each Guardian, one by one.
When Elyana opened her eyes, the warm feeling of magic was gone. She shivered slightly, sohow missing the tranquility it had given her.
Because now the cold had returned, and the skies were becoming darker and darker.
It’s like a storm, she thought as she wrapped her cloak around her and hugged herself tightly. She did not need to ditate anymore. Her process was done.
She watched as sigil after sigil glowed on the ground, surrounding Evan with radiance.
I have to protect him, she thought determinedly.
At this point, the Summoner’s body would beco the sole vessel of a single powerful energy, the amalgamation of all seven Spirits. This would render Evan vulnerable for a while as he continued to chant and call silently to the constellations.
Elyana turned to the seas, visibly swallowing.
She was afraid. She had never felt anything remotely like this before, except for the ti when she had witnessed the Calamity itself ravage a nearby city, killing hundreds of people in one fell swoop. She hadn’t trained her Guardian skills much back then, so she could only watch helplessly as the other Summoners and Guardians rushed ahead to seal the monster.
She hadn’t been the one to confront the demonic entity, but she had been terrified nonetheless. Its terrifying aura and imnse energy alone were enough to make her take a step back and evacuate with the other citizens.
"Are you okay, Ely?"
She turned to see Ansel approaching, the others following behind. Clay and Mathias were discussing sothing under their breath, Voss was walking beside Ansel, and Blade was hanging back as usual, with Gideon listening at the side.
"I’m okay. Just cold," she assured.
Ansel tugged at the sides of his cloak and pulled them together, shivering a little. "It is very chilly."
"We should probably choose which sections we should defend," Mathias proposed.
"That’s a good idea," Voss said, nodding.
"We might have to assign two people in front of Evan," Clay suggested. "He might get attacked while he’s concentrating, and that area is the most dangerous one."
"Two people it is, then." Mathias looked thoughtful for a mont. "I’ll volunteer. With my magic, it would be easier to defend at the front. Should we do it together, Clay?"
Clay nodded. "I’m fine with that."
"I will be at Evan’s side as we discussed," Ansel interjected. "I’ll make him invisible and temporarily erase his soul aura when he’s ready for the sealing."
"Yes. That way, the Calamity won’t detect his presence," Gideon agreed.
"Blade and I will flank him on the sides," Voss said. "While Gideon will be at the rear since his earth magic can protect Evan like a shield."
"And I’ll protect Gideon while he uses his magic," Elyana said, nodding.
All seven of them turned towards Evan with grim looks on their faces.
"We shouldn’t let him and everyone else down," Clay said quietly.
"I know. Just don’t die, all of you," Elyana said.
At that mont, everything shifted.
Elyana felt another shiver run down her spine. An imnse energy was gathering nearby, seemingly coming from the sky.
As she stared up at the clouds, her mouth fell open in surprise.
What... is that?
Don’t tell ...
She watched in horror as sothing plunged rapidly into the sea. It was too far away for her to see in detail, but there was no doubt about it at this point.
It was the sealing crystal.
The seas began to churn violently, waves rising and crashing against the edge. It was shocking because the magic crystals usually kept the tides at bay, but now it was as if they no longer existed.
Across the surface of the ocean, she could see massive whirlpools forming and then disappearing. The wind was raging, causing her cloak to flutter violently with the gusts. Her hair was blown back as well, strands flapping erratically against her face.
By the gods.
"It’s coming!" Mathias yelled.
"Everyone, take your positions!" Voss shouted.
Mathias, Voss, Blade, and Clay rushed over to Evan, but Elyana, Ansel, and Gideon stayed where they were, frozen in their positions. They were watching the scene with morbid fascination. Fear pooled in their guts, and Elyana held back the urge to vomit.
As the sinister energy grew, an icy wind whipped through the empty streets, sending scraps of paper and other debris flying across the pavent. The temperature dropped by the minute, and the air took on a sharp, biting quality that cut to the bone. It was like a violent storm was happening, but there were no raindrops.
Snapping out of their daze, Elyana, Ansel, and Gideon quickly rushed to their positions. Elyana swallowed as the seven of them exchanged uneasy glances, the wind noisily howling through the corridors between the buildings.
This is horrifying, she thought, breathing heavily. She could barely calm herself down. It hasn’t even appeared yet and I’m already feeling this way.
An oppressive sense of dread hung thick in the air. Evan stood in the center of the giant sigil, eyes closed and brow furrowed in concentration. An intense holy energy radiated from his aura, indicating that he was halfway through the rging process.
However, they still needed more ti, because once the Final Spirit ca forth, it would only be for a limited period. If they couldn’t make it, the sealing would be a failure.
Focus, Elyana, she told herself.
Then, an eerie moan echoed from the surface of the waters, accompanied by tremors beneath both the city and the seas.
It’s here...!
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