In the heart of the Moon Fair Festival, under the watchful gaze of the village and the gods they secretly worshiped, Lynna stood trapped in an invisible cage of Erytheis's making, bound by forces she couldn't comprehend or see. Despite her inability to move, she listened intently as Erytheis continued to speak, oblivious to her silent resistance.
"You stand at the core of my power," Erytheis proclaimed, his voice resonating with a mix of pride and ambition. "Here, surrounded by the faith of every villager who believes in me, my strength is unparalleled. I have never been so powerful."
From the shadows, Wil joined the conversation, his voice a soft undertone. "It took some time, but your instructions have been met. The village is ready, Erytheis." Behind him, the Mayor stood, his posture embodying a solemn dignity, as if he were ready to accept a well-earned benediction for his tireless efforts.
Erytheis, with a captivating allure, addressed the mesmerized villagers. "My dearest followers, the path I offer you is one of eternal life, a realm beyond the grasp of mere mortals. My promise to you will be fulfilled this very night. As your guardian and guide, I will lead you to a destiny free from the shackles of time."
A murmur of anticipation rippled through the crowd. The Mayor, his face etched with worry, stepped forward hesitantly. "Erytheis, about Lynna... Like we agreed she won't be harmed, right?"
Erytheis turned his attention to Lynna, still imprisoned within her invisible confines. "I always kept my promises, didn't I? Lynna, as the official village mage, is part of our pact. The majority have consented, and thus, she too is part of this grand design." A slight smile played on his lips as he continued, "It is only fitting that she takes her place as my personal apostle, a role destined for her since her arrival."
In the midst of her panic, Lynna tried to piece together the puzzle unfolding before her. She realized she was not simply fighting magic; this was a religious ritual, fueled by the belief and prayers of hundreds of villagers. I'm not just fighting against him but against my whole village; her heart sank. Her mind mockingly recalled Father Elandor's words: "Belief, Lynna, stems from the heart… and miracles are to be felt and received."
"You should be honored, Lynna. As my first apostle, you will elevate me to the highest echelons of divinity. Together, we will reshape not just this village, but the very fabric of belief across the lands."
As he spoke, he made some very precise movements and Lynna felt something within her unravel, a force snapping free from its bonds. Her body, which had been rigid and unresponsive, suddenly began to move of its own accord. She watched, a mixture of horror and fascination, as her hands started to weave an intricate spell, her lips murmuring incantations she had never learned.
She needed to stop but the spell unfolding before her eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen or studied. It was a symphony of all the elements, converging in a magnificent display of power. Elements of fire, wind, and earth rose in towering spires far and wide, and water swirled those elements in harmonious patterns. The scope and scale were breathtaking, extending far beyond the festival grounds, seeming to continue far beyond the outskirts of the village.
As her body was entirely devoted to the spell, Lynna realized there was something more to the formulas she was chanting, an unknown aspect she couldn't identify. It was as if Erytheis had tapped into a deeper, more primal source of magic, one that transcended the known elemental boundaries.
The burden of the spell weighed heavily on her, both physically and mentally. She felt her mind stretching thin, struggling to maintain coherence under the spell's immense pressure. In desperation, she tried to focus on her staff, using it as an anchor to keep her sanity intact. The staff, a conduit of her power, seemed to pulse with a life of its own, helping her bear the load of the magic Erytheis had forced upon her.
As the spell continued to grow in intensity, Lynna realized the futility of resistance. The elements around her wove into an increasingly complex and intense tapestry, far beyond the realms of ordinary magic. Amidst this elemental chaos, an unknown force began to assert itself, overshadowing the others, its nature mysterious and overpowering.
Inside Lynna, a battle raged—not of physical strength, but of pure will to maintain her sanity. She recognized the terrifying truth: this was no longer a spell but something akin to a miracle, a display of power that transcended human understanding. And she was the conduit for it to become real, she felt incredibly scared, Will I even survive this?
The escalating intensity of the spell mirrored her growing fear, which then transformed into a curse — Damn the power of the gods! The curse instantly gave way to a profound sadness. Why... no... She thought of Steia, the goddess of healing, the irony of those miracles never touching her life. And now, here she was, a puppet in the hands of a so-called deity, wielding her power underhandedly by the so-called power of miracle.
In a moment of desperation, Lynna turned her thoughts skyward, her mind reaching out to any deity that might listen. "Steia, Tenor, Alar... anyone... please help me," she implored silently, her voice lost in the cacophony of magic only she could hear. "...Roan, Elara, where are you?"
As if in response to her plea, or perhaps as an inevitable progression of the spell, the unknown element shifted, its energy propagating with Lynna as the epicenter. The villagers watched in stunned silence as they were enveloped by the spell, a bright aura expanding rapidly, engulfing everything in its path. Time itself seemed to warp and bend around Lynna, distorting reality as the villagers stood immobile, their expressions of fear and awe frozen. It was as if they had been caught in a moment that was both eternal and frozen, forever suspended in the grip of time.
In those final moments, as Lynna's mind teetered on the brink of madness, she felt the spell consume her. She collapsed. Her identity, her memories, her hopes—all were drowned out by the god's overwhelming presence. Her vision blurred, the world around her lost its color, and her consciousness fractured under the weight of the power she wielded.
The night grew darker, and the Moon Fair Festival came to an abrupt and haunting end. Enveloped in the moon's pallid glow, the village lay motionless and colorless. And in the heart of the village, where Lynna once stood, there was nothing but silence and a lingering echo of what once has been.