Taking a deep breath, Melina stood straight, her mind coming to life as she closed her eyes, focusing on how she had managed to cloak herself that day.
Berlin had called it a cloaking spell but as far as she was concerned, she didn't mutter any spell and had only wished for it.
She tried to believe she was invisible again to everyone and somehow, it happened.
The redhead felt the shift in her body like something changed.
She could feel her magic.
Opening her eyes, she gazed at her body, bringing her hand forth and looking over it while touching her body parts rigidly but she still appeared visible to herself.
To be honest, she expected nothing less. She was supposed to be able to see herself.
However, to be sure, she walked confidently towards the pavilion of the infirmary where the guards stood, her heart thumping loudly in her chest but she remained on the path, wanting to assume her powers worked.
Stopping abruptly in front of the guard, she noticed how they didn't flinch or even move their gaze to her.
Their prying eyes still looked round the alley when the intruder they searched for was before them.
Melina smiled in triumph, staring at her body with intrigue and fascination.
Where had this power been since she was oppressed in this palace? She could easily have used it hide from people like Ms Carlos who was always on her neck.
It could have saved herself so much stress.
With unwavering confidence, she stepped inside the pavilion, leading to the main door of the infirmary. Her small frame kept walking to the door, thinking she would pass so easily when she suddenly hit the door frame, jamming her head on the header and pushing her back. The screeching sound of her body hitting the door alerted the guards as they turned to look behind them.
Her face turned red in embarrassment as she feebly moaned in pain, rubbing her hand on her forehead to soothe it.
The only thing saving her was that she couldn't be seen else she would have been more humiliated.
"What was that?" One of the guards asked, pulling the attention of the others.
Melina, in slight trepidation, realized she was only invisible and could not pass through objects.
She stood frozen as the guards looked around for a while, their hands gripping the hilt of their swords in alarm.
One of them walked closer to the door, passing Melina and if only they bad heightened hearing, they could have heard her heartbeat.
Already sleepy tired though, the guard brushed the noise off as someone inside doing something. Signalling to the rest to relax, he came forward and sat on the pavement of the pillar, his eyes drowsy.
When their attention shifted from her, she sighed in relief, moving closer to the door and running her hands through it.
She closed her eyes again, concentrating and imagining herself passing through and suddenly, her hand that had been placed on the door pulled inside along with her body, making her open her eyes and gasp in surprise.
She looked around and saw that she had entered the infirmary without much effort.
Her eyes brightened again at this and her stomach bubbled with excitement. She was surely going to practice more of these.
It was pure fun!
She rubbed her hand again on her head, the pain there already susbsiding.
Nonetheless, her excitement didn't last for long when the strong force of dark magic consumed her, making her draw her attention to the two men in the room that held such energy.
One of the bodies was covered whole with a white cloth, placed on the other side and Melina presumed that was the dead person.
Her face churned as the thought of seeing a dead man. She had seen enough dead bodies yesterday. She hadn't even recovered from it and now...
She sighed.
She surprisingly found no one around in the infirmary, not even the physician or practitioners were here to attend to the patients and they were all asleep in their battered state.
Turning her gaze, she walked over to the other body, a familiar one that seemed to have turned blue and pale, she grimaced from the sight.
Hadn't it been only yesterday?
What sought of dark magic had been used on them to rot their bodies in such a short time?
She observed the other guards who were asleep on their beds and there was no trace of magic on them.
What really happened after she passed out in the woods? Nothing made sense.
Brushing that aside, her mind went back to Kilgharrah and as though the dragoness had been waiting, she connected the mind-link and spoke almost immediately.
"You found it. Now draw them out," Kilgharrah urged her.
Melina was almost about to reply that she didn't know what to do when Kilgharrah beat her to it, "Place your hand on the body. Channel your focus," she said to her.
Melina could still hear the turmoil in the dragoness's voice.
Cautiously, she approached Matthew's body and somehow, she recognized this person.
It was the same knight who had slaughtered the enemy soldier and she knew him to be the King's Advisor.
She was sure that when she had used her magic in the battlefield, this man was perfectly fine, not even as injured or scraped as the other men.
Looking at his condition, however, she was sure he would be dead before morning.
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The priest, Conner had used some herbs laced with recited rituals to reduce the dark magic spreading in him but Dasha's magic was too dark for it. It did barely anything to better his condition.
Alice had intended to come spend the night with him after she left Albert but was stopped by the guards who let her know that the priest had forbade anyone from seeing him till morning.
Conner knew there was high possibility they wouldn't find the dark magic user before Matthew gave up and he would prefer no one be close by when it happened.
Back to Melina, the young maid simply wondered how someone as important as Advisor Matthew was this close to death and no one did or said anything about it.
There hadn't even been rumours spreading about his illness. Leon had made sure to cover it well.
Nevertheless, Melina opened his bandaged wounds and placed her hand on it.
The wound had turned slimy and disgusting, it made Melina gross out as she tried to keep her hands and gaze fixed there, waiting for something... anything to happen.
At first, it seemed like there was no force or pull coming from there and she patiently waited for Kilgharrah to guide her through the mind-link but there was nothing.
Eager and willing, Melina still left her hands there, covering the wound and trying to focus.
"Now, chant after me..." She finally heard Kilgharrah's hypnotic voice and her mind eased.
Kilgharrah said a spell, an incantation Melina believed to be ancient.
Melina listened and repeated the spell again and again until she perfected it.
"Now use it..." The dragoness told her.
The redhead nodded in enthusiasm.
Concentrating, she whispered the spell and this time, a blue light shone, glowing on Matthew's wounds which soon turned red, pulling out a thick layer of wisp.
It took time for Melina to gain control over the situation as she whispered the spell again, a soft symphony.
'Exsilio, emergas, et dissolvere...'
'By force of will and ancient right, come forth, be cast, and undone tonight!'
She closed her eyes and opened it again, listening to Kilgharrah's chiming and distress through the mind-link.
'Evoco te, egredere, dissolvere ad nihilum!'
'By my command, break, disperse, return to void, none shall reverse!'
Matthew's body convulsed slightly as the black smoke rose from the wound, swirling beneath Melina's hand.
Melina lifted her hands up, still whispering the spell consistently. She could feel the magic and it was resisting her, hungering to stay embedded in Matthew's flesh.
Her body contorted slightly in pain. She was just a first time magic user and had not gained mastery.
It was difficult to keep up.
"Pull it out, young kin," Kilgharrah's soothing voice, despite also in discomfort warmed her heart and she focused more, saying the spell continuously.
She closed her eyes, focusing on Kilgharrah's presence in her mind, lending her strength.
With a sharp tug of her will, the dark magic began to unravel. The black smoke thickened, spiraling into the air as Melina chanted louder, her voice gaining power.
Matthew, who had not shown any sign of leaving his comatose, finally groaned in despair.
His body arched involuntarily, his face contorting in pain as the dark force left him. Black mist began to seep from the wound, curling upward like vapor being sucked out.
Melina's hands shook, the dark magic pushing against her as it fought to remain deep within Matthew.
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she pushed harder, forcing the wild energy to obey her command.
The mist thickened, coiling like a serpent around her hands, and she gritted her teeth, keeping her focus.
"Easy now..." Kilgharrah chided her as she saw the last of the magic surge out of the knight's body.
It hovered above Matthew for a moment, pushing his chest up and twisting him around in agony. A mass of blackness that seemed to fill the air came out. Then, with a final word from Melina, the magic dissipated into thin air, vanishing as if it had never been there in the first place.
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Immediately it disappeared, Melina's small figure fell back in exhaustion, slumping on the next bed stand behind her that was empty.
Her chest heaved for breath as she looked at the Advisor who gasped, his body collapsing back onto the bed like he had been holding his breath for hours.
The wound on his skin, although still there now looked like any normal injury that was healing. The black slimes had been gone.
Melina smiled seeing the young man's breath steady and his chest rising and falling in normal rate.
Relief washed over her as she gaped at Matthew, his pale skin returning back to their normal colour.
She had just expelled dark magic!
She exclaimed in her heart with joy as she never believed one day, a mere and lowly servant girl like her could do so much as lift a finger, talkless of expelling dark magic from someone.
Practically, she had just saved someone's life!
"Well-done, kin," Kilgharrah praised her and somehow, Melina noticed a shift in her tone like she had been relieved of some discomfort.
She could tell the magic had greatly affected the dragoness but it was far from over.
Away from her, Melina's happiness was short-lived when she suddenly felt something stir from the corner.
She stiffened, her body freezing at the sudden rustled movement of something from her side.
What was that? She asked herself when she turned around slowly and her heart jumped in her throat, her mouth running dry on seeing who it was.