Victor reacted in an instant. With a flash of purple flames, his sword appeared in his hand and he lunged out the door. A ferocious swipe of his sword slashed through its tentacles, and the creature tumbled squealing to the floor.
Theo, Darian, and Mirage ran outside as well, entering a wide, airy hallway. Tentacles were scattered across the marble floor like glowing ropes, but the jellyfish itself had taken to the air again, its flight jerky and erratic but still determinedly heading down the hall.
"Help! Help! We're under attack!" it kept screaming at the top of its lungs. It high-pitched voice stabbed at Theo's skull, but also wrenched at his heart. Whatever this creature was, it pretty much seemed like a little kid.
Victor seemed to have no such qualms. Once again he lunged, sword augmented by a glowing purple sharpening spell, and he stabbed straight through the jellyfish's shimmering bell. The bell deflated like a punctured balloon, its light flickering and fading, and the jellyfish sagged in a useless heap to the floor.
But incredibly, it was still alive, twitching and sputtering up a storm. Victor stomped on the middle of its bell to hold it in place.
He glanced at Darian over his shoulder. "What now?"
Darian blinked. "We – "
Her voice cut off in a sharp gasp. And no wonder, because at that moment the golden Levia surged, flashing like an alarm flare. The sound of footsteps soon followed – dozens of them, marching down the hall straight toward them.
Victor immediately took a position in front, hefting his sword. Theo got ready to cast a strengthening spell on him, only to feel Darian's firm grip on his arm.
"Theo," she said, piercing him with her stern dark eyes. "Form a contract with me. We're going to have to fight our way out."
Theo nodded. Darian let go of him, and Theo stepped forward and raised his staff, which he had picked up off the floor before leaving the chamber.
It took no effort to call on his Levia, drawing the dawn light out from the core of his being. The diagram appeared in his mind next, the same one he had used to create his contract with Zenith. One of the many spells Mom had left him. Her legacy.
The diagram flared in place beneath his feet, flooding the hall with brilliant pink light. As it spread to encompass Darian, his power flowed in waves across her vast cosmos. So much like her father's, yet its stars were more numerous and shone far brighter, making it feel more alive and inviting.
Theo didn't feel nearly as overwhelmed as he had the first time he'd formed a contract with Darian. Of course not. He had gotten so much stronger. Now he held nearly the complete Star of Miriel. Now he knew who he truly was.
When the light faded, Darian stood proud and straight-backed before him. He could feel her power pulsing inside him, the stars of her cosmos glimmering as bright as his dawn light.
And just in time. A row of figures appeared at the end of the hall, advancing upon their group in perfect lockstep. Their silver armor, covered in elaborate golden inlay, gleamed so bright it hurt Theo's eyes. As they drew closer, he began to have the uncanny sense that no faces lay behind their helmets.
"Here! Here!" wheezed out the fallen jellyfish. "Guards, save me!"
The guards at the front charged, sabers extended. Victor's icy Levia bloomed in the air and he met them head-on, his sword engulfed in purple flames. A single slash cut off the nearest one's right hand, and its gauntlet thudded to the floor, saber still clutched in its fist.
Darian immediately dove for it. After tugging the saber free, she jumped into the fray herself. For a stunned moment Theo watched her lunge and stab and parry before his senses slammed back into him. He cast a basic strengthening spell, and engulfed in dawn light, Darian thrust her saber straight through the chest of the nearest guard.
Theo started when the scent of rose petals stirred through his Levia.He glanced around, but didn't see a hint of Mirage. When a blade suddenly protruded from the chest of a guard who had rounded on Victor from his blind side,Theo realized what Mirage must be up to.
Sparks flared as the saber yanked itself free, making Theo blink. Were these suits of armor homunculi?
No time to wonder. More and more guards were pouring down the hall, and though his companions fought valiantly, they were starting to get pushed back. Quick, Theo needed to cast strengthening spells on all of them – or maybe –
"Darian!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Darian caught on in a flash. As she charged right into the thicket of guards, Theo cast an elemental spell. The diagram erupted beneath her, throwing rippling pink highlights upon the guards' gleaming armor. Darian stabbed her saber into the air and Theo felt her power deepening within him, the cosmos coming alive with intention.
With an earsplitting crack, lightning engulfed her saber and lashed out across the fray in blazing blue whips. Theo clenched his teeth, gripping his staff until his fingers went numb, pouring all the power he could across their contract. The lightning flashed so bright dark spots danced in his vision.
Another crack, then a boom, and the stinging scent of ozone flooded the hall. Theo stumbled despite himself, and with his concentration interrupted, the elemental spell went up in sparks. Its loss wrenched through his chest, and he hurried to cast it again, but that was when the lightning died down completely.
Now he had a clear view of the hall. Every single guard lay unmoving on the floor, lightning sizzling around their joints. Darian loomed above them, saber still raised, her harsh breathing echoing in the air.
"Well." Mirage appeared again out of nowhere, giving his hair a toss. "Magnificently done, my prince."
"That was Theo," Darian said with an impatient wave of her hand. "Come on, let's get – "
At that moment, the golden Levia thrummed again. It came so sudden and intense Theo almost fell to his knees. This was far more than the alarm that had summoned the guards; no, it was almost...a warning.
When Victor hissed and stepped forward, Theo made himself focus on the end of the hall. Someone was advancing toward them, armor clanking with every deliberate step. A horrifyingly familiar sound, wrenching through Theo's chest.
As the person came closer, Theo's heart twisted into an ever-tighter knot. Inlaid with blood-red rubies, his armor gleamed far brighter than those of the guards, and he wore a cape as well, fading from orange to scarlet like the sky at sunset.
His hair was just as red, a messy mop that he blinked out of intense golden eyes. With his lanky build and warm brown skin, he didn't look a thing like Zenith – but his armor, his sword and shield, and the disciplined way he moved, were so familiar the wound in Theo's heart began to ache anew.
The young man – the knight – came to a stop, then lifted his arm and pointed his sword. A gesture so Zenith-like Theo almost forgot how to breathe.
"I am Sir Equinox of Miria. Upon my honor as a Knight of the Firmament, I will not permit you to take a single step further."