Chapter 11: Shadow Sorcery and Pudding Power
The grand hall was bathed in eerie blue light from the sorcerer's barrier. Guests transformed into formidable warriors and sorcerers, preparing to defend the kingdom and their queen. However, Hiroto, Luna, and Riku stood at the forefront, ready to face the shadowy menace.
The sorcerer, a tall, hooded figure, his face obscured by darkness, stepped forward. "So, the Goblin Prince returns, and with...friends?"
Hiroto glared. "For the last time, I'm not a prince. But I am someone who's going to stop you."
Luna began murmuring an incantation, her hands glowing as she tried to decipher the magic of the barrier. "Hiroto, Riku, keep him distracted!"
Riku, always one for the dramatic, scooped up a handful of pudding and flung it towards the sorcerer, shouting, "Taste the power of moss!"
As the pudding splattered, the sorcerer staggered back, momentarily blinded. This gave Hiroto the chance to charge, using his newfound goblin agility to dodge dark spells and launch his own attacks.
The battle raged on, with the hall becoming a chaotic dance of light, shadow, and the occasional splash of dessert.
Luna, with the help of the realm's most powerful mages, managed to weaken the barrier. However, the sorcerer was no pushover. He cast a massive shadow, morphing it into terrifying creatures that lunged at our heroes.
Riku, inspired, shouted, "Hey, Luna! Can you reverse the sorcerer's spell with that glowy thing you're doing?"
Luna, concentrating hard, nodded. "If we combine our strengths... yes, but we need to sync our energies."
Hiroto, dashing between shadows, yelled, "How about a distraction, then?" He reached for an amulet Luna had given him earlier, focusing his energy and sending a beam of light towards the sorcerer, which Luna and Riku amplified with their magic.
The light pierced the shadowy veil, revealing the sorcerer's true form - a young, scared-looking boy, no older than Hiroto. The realm's magic had been manipulated, but not out of malice, but out of fear and loneliness.
The barrier fell, and the room fell silent. The boy, tears in his eyes, muttered, "I just wanted to belong somewhere..."
Hiroto knelt beside him. "You don't have to destroy to belong. Sometimes, you just need to ask."
As the banquet resumed, with guests warier but more united than before, Riku handed the young boy a spoonful of moss pudding. "A peace offering. And trust me, it's pretty legendary."