"Mr. Broken..."
The faint, desperate sound of his na echoed again, and Broken searched frantically for its
source.
"It's Cecilia," he murmured. "But... where is she?"
"Broken? Did you hear sothing?"
"I did. A voice-did you hear it too?"
Alora shook her head slowly, straining to listen. "No, I didn't hear anything."
"Mr. Broken..." The voice reached him once more.
"Cecilia, is that you? Where are you? Where is Elaine?" he called out, unsure if his words would reach her.
"Mr. Broken... Lady Elaine needs help. She's suffering terribly, and it's all my fault. Please, help her, Mr. Broken," the voice pleaded, raw and desperate.
"Cecilia, where are you?"
He could hear the strain in her voice, thick with emotion, as though she was weeping heavily.
"Cecilia, tell exactly where you and Elaine are."
"We're in the volcano, the place we showed you before," she replied.
"Alright, I'll be there soon," Broken replied. "Let's go, Polly."
Polly shot forward, her wings slicing through the air as their destination beca clear. But doubts crept into Broken's mind. If Morel was dead, shouldn't Elaine be free? Why hadn't she freed herself? Or was she truly trapped, unable to act?
Midnight was approaching, and with it, Elaine's full transformation into her Eternal Fla form. But hadn't the Eternal Flas they encountered already achieved that form, even before midnight?
Just what kind of chaos was unfolding in this place?
"You said Cecilia was the only one among them who could open the remote portal, didn't you?" Alora asked.
"Yes," Broken replied slowly. "She's likely the one who allowed the forest guardians to reach Deadbay City and cause all that destruction."
"So, she might be in a situation where soone is forcing her to do that?"
"I think so," he said firmly. "It seems they're willing to go to any lengths to get revenge on . And the only one bold enough to push her like that was probably Morel. But he's dead now."
At that mont, Polly began to sprint, her steps so light and swift they barely seed to touch the ground as she weaved through the withered, moonlit trees.
In the distance, a burst of red fire flared against the night sky, blazing from the direction of the volcano.
They arrived at the barren land near the volcano, and the sight that t them was shocking. A desolate field stretched out before them, with the volcano looming in the distance, spewing flas into the night sky, the full moon casting an eerie glow over the landscape.
Dozens of iron cages lined the field, each containing a creature of various shapes and forms!
Broken murmured in a low, shaken voice, "They're the Fae. I can see most of them have already transford into Eternal Fla."
As Polly moved closer, the creatures within the cages roared and thrashed as if driven mad, their eyes blazing with a relentless fury.
"They've all turned," Alora whispered. "Almost every Fae has taken the Eternal Fla form- just as you suspected."
Broken nodded grimly, "The Moonlight Fae confine all Fae on full moon nights, just in case any transform into Eternal Fla, so they can be contained. That's why they're all in iron cages."
He paused before continuing, "But it looks like tonight has brought their worst nightmare to life. Every single Fae has transford. There isn't a single one left in their normal form."
"This... this is a truly devastating reality," Alora said.
Broken called out again, "Cecilia?" hoping desperately she would respond, but only silence filled the air.
Polly sprinted past each iron cage, finally stopping before two cages holding figures Broken imdiately recognized.
In one cage was Cedric, his body nearly consud by a dark, shadowy energy. His eyes were pitch black, and his teeth had sharpened into fangs. He pounded furiously on the iron bars, roaring with a rage that seed to shake the cage itself.
In the adjacent cage, Cecilia was shrouded in white fur, mid-transformation into a beastly form, her features distorted. Her eyes, however, still glistened with tears, and she continued to wail softly, her voice filled with despair.
Both of them had unmistakably transford into their beast forms.
Broken dismounted from Polly, with Alora following, her face tense as she took in the heartbreaking scene.
He knelt to level himself with Cedric and Cecilia, who were both sitting within their cages, though each reacted in starkly different ways.
Cedric thrashed violently against the cage bars, snarling and throwing himself forward in a frenzy, his rage-filled voice echoing as he tried to attack, slamming his own body into the
iron bars repeatedly.
Beside him, Cecilia wept loudly, tears streaming down her face as her body, now covered in white fur, trembled. Her once blonde hair had transford to pure white, matching the rest of her beastly form.
"Cecilia!" Broken called out, his voice firm yet desperate. "It's , Broken! Can you hear ?"
He turned to Cedric, trying to reach him through the rage. "Stop attacking if you recognize , Cedric!"
But it was clear-they no longer seed aware of their surroundings.
"Cecilia, can you hear ?!" he pressed, trying once more to reach through her despair.
"Tell where Elaine is! Tell how I can save you both!"
They didn't answer. Not a single response. Even Cecilia seed unable to reach out to him in the strange way she had before.
"Cecilia! You're the one who brought here-tell how to save you!"
His desperation grew as he spoke, realizing this was more urgent than ever. He had to act, and
quickly.
Morel had reverted back to his normal form after coming close to death. He thought, clinging to the hope that Cedric and Cecilia could undergo the sa transformation.
Around them, the air filled with the roars and thrashing of the other Fae Beasts, their anger echoing through the area. Broken sensed that the overwhelming noise was drowning out whatever connection he'd shared with Cecilia before.
"Mr. Broken... get out of here imdiately... leave now..."
A voice-a faint, desperate echo-sounded in his ears once again.
It was Cecilia's voice, but the Cecilia before him, tear-streaked, showed no recognition, only
endless, helpless weeping.
"Cecilia?! Tell , where is Elaine?" he called again, gripping the iron bars.
"Leave here imdiately..."
"Everyone will not be safe..."
"Mr. Broken... get out of here at once..."
"This is my fault..."
"Everything will be destroyed..."
Cecilia's voice repeated, desperate and fractured, over and over.
"How could she be communicating with you if she's clearly lost consciousness?"
Broken shook his head. "I'm not sure myself, Princess."
"Will their curse really be lifted if we kill Elaine? Is it possible for them to revert to their
original form?"
"Elaine only said that no more Fae would turn into Eternal Fla if the curse was lifted," Broken answered, "but I don't know what would happen to the ones who have already
transford."
Realizing there was no ti to spare, Broken made a quick decision to search for Elaine. He
had a faint idea of where she might be.
"Let's go, Polly," he said, urgency in his voice.
***
(Author's Note:)
Whew, this chapter was tough-Cecilia's pleas, Cedric's rage, and Broken caught in the
middle.
Sotis, even heroes can't save everyone... but maybe, just maybe, Broken can find a way to break the curse for those he cares about.
If you're feeling the emotional toll but still want to see if Broken can pull off a miracle, let know with a Power Stone and Golden Ticket.
Stay tuned, everyone. The darkest monts often lead to the brightest victories... or the
hardest lessons.☐☐
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