Empress Sofia sits on her throne.
The city is in chaos, but Sofia has calmed down. At this moment, everyone else might be at a loss, but not her. She must issue clear and unambiguous commands to guide others.
"Lady Yaga, I need to know the location of the Royal Guard and the situation at the Ancestral Mausoleum."
With such a severe disturbance, the Royal Guard should have appeared by her side immediately, but they were still missing, which was highly unusual.
"But if I leave here, no one will be able to protect you," said Lady Yaga.
"I believe it shouldn't take too long just to confirm such simple information. Moreover... I'm not a powerless figurehead," the Empress said, drawing a wand from behind her.
Hesitantly, Lady Yaga instructed a few servants, "Go, take your wands. Do not allow anyone to step into the audience hall before I return."
Then, she left, transforming into a gust of wind and quickly departing the palace, heading towards a nearby barracks.
The Royal Guard was stationed there, tasked with protecting the Emperor, hence the barracks was only a hundred yards from the Spring Palace.
However, just a few steps out, she noticed a thin mist rising in the air. Breathing it in, she detected something wrong, "This mist is poisonous... no, not poison, it's magical... seems like... a sleeping charm?"
Frowning, she arrived at the barracks only to find all the guards had fallen into a deep sleep.
With a wave of her wand, "All Spells Cease!"
The guards woke up from their slumber. After a brief inquiry, Lady Yaga learned they had been taken down silently, with everyone succumbing to the charm before they could react. The twelve-member guard team had all been incapacitated.
Lady Yaga dispelled the magic, "Summon the spirit of protection to ward off the mist's influence and return to the Empress's side!"
She then summoned a broomstick, flew into the sky, and investigated the mist's origin.
Upon gaining altitude, she saw a thin layer of mist enveloping the area near the top of Arkaim, covering the palace and the Holy Forest of the Ancestral Mausoleum. The mist seemed to be spreading downwards, intending to envelop the entire city.
But, with wizards all over the city noticing the abnormal mist and resisting its invasion with spells, Lady Yaga searched for the source.
Soon, she found it.
A column of mist was pouring magical fog from a slope near the palace continuously downwards.
She flew there immediately, finding seven black-robed clerics lying dead on the ground, their bodies shriveled as if drained of blood, moisture, and even their souls.
In their midst, at the top of the column, was a huge painting.
The painting depicted a lake surrounded by forests, with castles in the distance and people playing on a lakeside lawn.
Mist from the lake in the painting was seeping out and falling downwards.
The mist covering the mountaintop originated from a painting.
Though unaware of the magic behind it, Lady Yaga knew how to handle it. She raised her wand, "All Spells Cease!"
The spell hit the painting, causing it to twist and shake. Then, "Boom!" The canvas exploded, water splashed out, and Lady Yaga quickly erected a spell to block the water.
However, the water that splashed onto areas where her spell seemed to corrode, creating holes.
On the ground, the water turned the affected plants transparent, and even half a cleric's corpse became semi-transparent. Upon sunlight exposure, it dissipated, leaving only a partially erased body.
Shocked, Lady Yaga wondered what kind of water this was.
But now wasn't the time to delve into details. She flipped her wand, stabbing it into the ground like a sword, and released "All Spells Cease" again.
Her powerful magic spread out, acting like a light wall, and the mist began to dissipate under her force.
Lady Yaga's magic was immense, but even for her, clearing the fog over hundreds of meters was her limit. Just as she was about to move and cast "All Spells Cease" again, a figure appeared nearby, connecting their spell to hers.
Looking up, she saw Sofia, accompanied by a dozen Royal Guards, mimicking her actions.
Soon, the connected dispelling spells spread wider, joining with other wizards' spells in the city, expanding and resonating until they exploded, clearing the mist entirely.
Lady Yaga breathed a sigh of relief, advising the Empress to return to the palace for safety within its numerous protective magics.
Sofia agreed, concerned about the Ancestral Mausoleum.
"I'll check it now," Lady Yaga said, assuring Sofia's safety with the Royal Guard's protection. In the absence of the Great Shaman taken by Murphy, she must assess the mausoleum's situation. "You should contact Murphy Darkholme. Only the Holy Wall can ensure the city's safety."
"Alright," Sofia nodded, urging Lady Yaga to be careful.
...
Back in the palace, with two more guard teams arriving, Sofia felt relieved. She left two teams by her side and sent one to gather the populace.
The attack on Arkaim was sudden, catching the city's wizards unprepared.
But with tens of thousands of wizards in the city, Sofia was confident in facing any attack once they were rallied.
She also began to contact Murphy, knowing she could reach him through the thunderbolt crows he left behind.
However, there seemed to be a problem with the crows' connection to Murphy, showing no sign of delivering her urgent messages.
Sofia frowned, sensing something blocking the connection between the crows and Murphy.
But what could it be? Even with the Holy Wall, Murphy could communicate with her through the crows. The force blocking their link must be immensely powerful.
As she pondered, she asked a maid about a painting of the Holy Mother Lady Yaga had brought for study, meant to be burned.
"Your Majesty, do you mean the one behind you?" the maid asked.
"What?" Sofia turned, seeing only a mirror.
But then, she saw a woman standing behind her in the reflection.
"Destroying the holy image is a blasphemy against the Holy Mother," the maid's voice turned gentle and soothing, chilling Sofia, "Descendant of Milian, the oathbreaker, you have hidden for a thousand years. Now, the moment of judgment has arrived."
Suddenly, a black dagger aimed at Sofia's heart from behind.
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