WARNING: Character death, possibly suicide?? Maybe????
~*~
As much as Ryan wanted to celebrate, he didn't have time for it. Not only was Samakah still trapped, but the corrupted Levia was steadily creeping back in.
Fia must have felt the same, because they extended a tendril of Levia toward Samakah. But it was weak and hesitant, sputtering into almost nothing halfway between them and the spirit.
Not if Ryan had anything to say about it. Gritting his teeth, he sent a surge of Levia into Fia's. As he tore the green light from his veins, a sharp pain stabbed his heart. How much did he have left to spare?
But Fia's gratitude made up for it, just a little. Together, their power brushed Samakah's.
Samakah's iridescent light shone brighter. Even trapped inside her bonds, she shifted toward Ryan and Fia.
In this mental landscape, all Ryan could see of the ocean spirit was her glowing outline. Yet somehow, he had the overpowering sense that she was staring right at the two of them.
For a moment, Fia hesitated. Then they took a deep breath and faced Samakah head-on. "Samakah. It's me, Fia. The medium."
Slow and strained, the spirit lifted her head. Other than that, she didn't react.
Fia's Levia shuddered with doubt. Heart thumping, Ryan tried to send more of his power their way.
"Samakah...?" Fia said again. "I...I'm here. Can you hear me?"
The dim part of Ryan still aware of his physical body sensed Fia's hand trembling inside his. He gripped tighter, even though he knew it wouldn't help.
Dammit, wasn't there something he could do? He'd had it, had it, with being useless.
"Samakah?" When Fia spoke again, their voice trembled like they were going to cry.
All right, Ryan couldn't take another second of his. His fury boiling over, he whirled upon the placidly glowing spirit.
"Hey! You blind or deaf or what? We're right in front of you! The least you could do is answer us!"
"Ryan!" Fia's shock hit him like a punch. "What are you – "
Ryan didn't care. He'd shout until he was blue in the face, whatever it took to get that overgrown eel's attention. But that was when Samakah shifted her head again, her Levia glowing just the slightest bit brighter.
"Child." The voice throbbed in the core of Ryan's soul, low and deep but strangely calming. "You...are not the medium."
"No, I'm not," Ryan declared, gripping Fia's hand tighter. "I'm their wizard."
He said it with all the pride he could muster. And he was proud, prouder than he could ever put into words. Just like Avia, Fia had chosen him out of all the wizards in the world.
Now Samakah turned her attention onto Fia. "You...my child."
The warmth in her voice sent a strange ache through Ryan's soul. And he wasn't the only one, judging by the way Fia's Levia quivered.
"Samakah," they breathed, their voice thick with tears.
"My child," Samakah said again, gentler. "Please...forgive me. I was too weak to fight this corruption. I have made you...endure too much."
"It's – it's okay," Fia said quickly. "I'm just glad I could finally reach you. Samakah, we've come to save you."
"Do your part too," Ryan couldn't resist adding. "You've still got plenty of Levia, haven't you? So help us out."
"Ryan!" Fia squeaked, but Samakah nodded slowly.
"I shall do what I can."
All right. Ryan reached for his Levia again, relieved that it didn't take long to find. Weaker than before, but steady. As he released it, Fia sent out a stream of their own Levia.
As their power flowed toward Samakah, her iridescent light surged brighter. It shed rippling rays across the mindscape, drowning out the harsh glow of her shackles.
And when his and Fia's Levia finally reached Samakah, he felt it resound through his entire soul. Like a note of music, pure and liquid, wiping away aches and exhaustion everywhere it touched.
Just like that, her shackles scattered into useless wisps. Samakah unfurled her massive body, spreading her fins like wings and unleashing a high, musical cry.
Awe flooded Ryan, but only for a moment. The next thing he knew, he slammed violently back into his body. All of a sudden, he felt the rain drenching his hair again, the wind pummeling his face.
But Samakah's Levia still glowed bright. When he opened his eyes, he saw her iridescent light washing across the ocean, sparkling at the crests of the waves and illuminating the undersides of the clouds.
There wasn't a trace left of the corrupted Levia's foul glow. Though that didn't astonish Ryan half as much as the fact that he was floating midair.
"Whoa, what?" he yelled, kicking his legs back and forth. A diagram blazed beneath him, every line bright and clear – the Crowley elemental spell. Even then, he could barely make it out through Samakah's Levia.
The spirit herself loomed directly ahead, glowing just like in the mindscape. But now she was solid flesh, not just an outline. The light pulsed within her scales, rippled in rainbows across her fins.
And in front of her floated a tiny figure with their arms spread. Wings fluttering behind them, hair billowing with the wind.
Ryan's heart throbbed. Some incredibly petty part of him felt annoyed that he was no longer holding onto Fia, but it was easy to ignore beneath the awe gripping his entire body.
The awe swelled to a crescendo when Fia's eyes snapped open. No longer black, they glimmered with Samakah's pearly Levia. It was eerily similar to how the corrupted power had glowed in Hellebore's eyes, but different too. Because this power had always belonged to Fia.
As for Hellebore himself, he was still sitting atop Samakah. Her glow illuminated every line of his ashen face, eyes huge like a spooked deer.
"General Hellebore." Fia's voice echoed across the night sky – but it wasn't just their voice. Behind every word, Ryan heard Samakah's ancient rumble as well.
"Your reign of terror ends now. I will permit no more harm to my people."
With that, Samakah gave a tremendous toss of her head. Hellebore flew off like a rag doll, but twisted around midair before righting himself, lashing vines at Samakah like furious whips. She rolled to the side, easily dodging, but Hellebore didn't stop.
"So you got the spirit back?" he snarled. "Doesn't mean shit. I'll defeat you anyway!"
"Will you leave?" Fia asked, floating above Samakah. "Though you have harmed us, we have no desire to harm you. If you and your troops quietly leave, we will let you go."
"NEVER!" Hellebore blasted a vine straight at Samakah's face.
Ryan lunged, instinctively preparing to cast a shield spell. But before he could, Samakah flicked her fins and an enormous wave surged from the sea beneath her. As it swelled, her light sparkled inside it like hundreds of stars. Beautiful, but deadly.
The wave arced above Hellebore, making him look tinier than ever. And that was the truth, wasn't he? Just a single man with delusions of power.
Even now, he was still trying to fight. He raised his hand, the vines uncoiling around his arm.
Too late. The wave descended, crashing over him with a ferocious roar.
As it did, Samakah's and Fia's combined Levia thrummed in Ryan's bones until he thought he might explode. Even so, he did his best to keep his wits about him. Though the elemental diagram was beginning to flicker, he poured every last ounce of his power into it.
Until the very end, he'd do his best to help Fia. This is something only I can do.
The water swirled and stormed, blazing with iridescent light. Beneath it, Ryan couldn't glimpse so much as a hint of Hellebore's body.
With a bone-pounding crash, the wave slammed back into the ocean. Water erupted, splashing so high icy droplets battered Ryan's body. He kicked back and forth, trying to escape the deluge, before diving toward Fia.
Just in time. Not only had their body gone limp, but the aura of Levia around them was beginning to flicker. Ryan pushed himself faster, knowing he only had seconds before the connection between them and Samakah snapped.
Just when his arms wrapped around Fia's waist, Samakah's light died into nothing. Eyes shut, Fia slumped in Ryan's arms.
The elemental diagram shattered, raining green sparks everywhere. And the two of them went plummeting.
Beneath the scream tearing from his throat, he heard a steadily rising rumble. The next thing he knew, his back hit an oddly bouncy surface. It flung him and Fia back into the air, but after a heart-stopping moment, they landed again. This time, they sank into the soft jelly of Blue's bell.
His heart was hammering a mile a minute and all the breath had been knocked out of his lungs, but he pulled Fia tight to his chest.
No matter what, he wouldn't let go.
~*~
Water everywhere. Storming, surging, crushing his chest, pushing him deeper under.
But the Levia still flickered somewhere in his core. If he just reached for it, if he just tried, he could – he could still –
It wasn't over. Hellebore could still win this battle. Reclaim his power.
Yet the water kept tugging at him, and the strength was bleeding from his muscles. As his vision dimmed, images rose from his memory. A pale face contorted in pain. A child staring at him with awed purple eyes. So long ago, he'd almost forgotten.
His fists uncurled, the vines going slack.
Maybe...maybe it was fine like this.
'Soon, Vera,' Hellebore thought as he drifted into the darkness. 'Soon...I'll see you again.'