No more words were needed. Although they risked their lives, they both decided to believe her.
«What is your name?» Herega asked, letting the knife fall.
«Rensean. You can call me Ren.» She said, waiting for one of them to speak.
«Nice to meet you, Ren. My name is Eavelin, and my friend here is Herega.» The girl replied. Looking at her companion, she noticed his thoughtful look.
«Maybe your hypothesis isn't entirely correct, Ren. Eimin Nustier described Meta as a man whose only desire was justice. If you are now free from mental corruption, it is surely because your action was driven by justice. I am convinced of one thing. This sorcery is reversible.» Herega said.
Both Ren and Eavelin looked at him with fairly confused expressions. To arrive at such an insight in so little time was indeed strange, furthermore, no one could be certain that it was correct.
«I hope so, but even if it were, we wouldn't have a way reverse it. The only sorcerer known in Aostra is Meta. Only he might be able to undo it, but unfortunately, that is not possible at the moment.» Rensean replied with a downcast tone.
Herega began to think, looking at the sky with his curious eyes. From his backpack, he took out the library book.
«This book talks about sorcery. If this sorcery is mentioned in these pages, there might be a way to reverse it.» The young man hoped, running his hand through his hair.
Ren remained confused, as if two people she had just met could free her from a curse she had carried for years. Herega leafed through the book for several minutes until, in the silence, his eye fell upon a spell called "Gestio Hominum", also called "Orderer of Men". The young man began to read the description of that sorcery.
«The Orderer of Men requires two people: a Sorcerer and a Willing person. Once a territory is chosen, and a characteristic is selected that a person may possess, all people who meet that characteristic will be brought to that territory, with no possibility of escape. The smaller the territory and the more ethically questionable the characteristic are, the less mana (the life force of the willing person) will be used.
[]Requirements for the Sorcerer:
• Chain Spell
• Imaginary Characterization
[]Requirements for Reversibility:
• Repentance from the guilty person and the use of the two previous magics on the repentant.» He recited.
«The procedure is well explained, both for making it possible and for reversing it, but none of us can use these spells.» Eavelin said.
The little hope that Ren had accumulated on her face vanished, leaving room for a desperate expression.
«It all makes sense. When we used the carriage, I took the opportunity to read the book. There are two types of sorcery "Characterization":
"Imaginary Characterization" has to be combined with other spells. For example, it allows you to shape an imaginary chain, that is, a costraint, if combined with "Chain Spell". There is another type of Characterization, called "Solid Characterization," which, if combined with, for example, "Fire Spell", will allow you to create a real flame. This is how Meta created a costraint through imaginary chains. The only way to reverse it is for the subject to be repentant... A corrupted being could never be repentant, but Ren is, so the only one on whom reversibility can take effect is you... Since I came into contact with that entity in the cave at Nustia, I've been having strange sensations... Ren, let me try to free you from this curse. Please.» Herega proposed.
Eavelin was astonished by what her companion was saying. She had no understanding of his sensations, much less that he knew so much about sorcery despite having read the book while she slept. Ren, on the other hand, knew that Herega would never be able to free her, but her life, by now, had no real meaning, and in the worst-case scenario, she would continue to live on that sad island, so she decided to give him a chance.
♦️
Ren stood up, in front of the book, Herega facing her. He reached out his hand, concentrating. "If I were a sorcerer, how would I do it?" He thought. He closed his eyes, imagining a chain forming and then breaking. A black aura rose from Ren's body, then turned white. A metallic sound, like that of a breaking chain, echoed. The red-haired girl felt much lighter, as if a portion of her weight had been lifted from her body. Ren ran to the gate, climbed over it, and managed to cross the threshold that had always blocked her. Tearfully, she returned to the two young people.
«Thank you, thank you.» She repeated, bowing in front of Herega. He too was incredulous at what he had done, as was Eavelin.
«That entity must have done something to me. I felt capable of doing it but... Why?» Herega asked himself in a rather low voice. An aura of strangeness characterized the atmosphere. The confused looks, the youths lack of understanding... Too many strange things were happening.
«Herega...» Eavelin said, a little tearfully.
For a moment, she hadn't recognized the person who had always been by her side, no matter what happened. He turned to her, wiping the tears from her face.
«Don't worry. If I'm able to do it, there must be a reason. Remember? As long as we're together, nothing will happen to us.» He said, trying to reassure her.
Eavelin tried to calm herself. Herega hugged her until she completely stopped crying. Then, the young man turned to Ren, who had now stood up.
«Don't thank me. I did it by my own choice, but I have a question for you. Have you by any chance seen a youth dressed in green on horseback?»
That question intrigued Ren, still emotionally unstable from what had happened.
«Yes, he went straight ahead. At the end of the road, there's another gate. Usually, the last corrupted people to arrive are there, which is why the entrance is the safest area. That youth is probably looking for someone just as I did some time ago.» Ren replied, not understanding, however, the reason behind that question.
«If we were brought here, there should be a reason. Ren, I need to kill a man who is here, so I can obtain an invaluable reward.»
After saying that, Ren immediately replied.
«You can't do it, otherwise, your mind would also become corrupted.»
She knew what it felt like to live locked in a cage. Surely, she wouldn't want her savior to be condemned to the same fate.
«This spell is bound to the people on the island, and not just the inhabitants.» Herega said, seeming to have something in mind, «The assassin should attack me trying to kill me because of his corrupted mind of a thief. If I were to kill him in self-defense it would be considered justice... In that case my mind would not be corrupted, and therefore I would be able to repent, so I could use the reversibility on myself too...» Eavelin stopped Herega.
In fact, what he was thinking of doing was too risky and dangerous.
«But the youth on the horse intended to return to the square after killing the assassin. There must be a way.» Herega thought.
«Let's follow the boy on the horse and reach the gate. Hoping we are fast enough, we will see his actions.» The young man finished.
Eavelin was not convinced but, Ren's presence, at least, made her feel safer, and the same was for Herega. So, picking up what they had dropped, they began to run following the road in a straight line.