.
Taze remained still with Celia in his arms, the weight of the moment rooting him to the spot, and disbelief was etched into every corner of his face.
'She shouldn't be here!' He thought, his mind reeling in shock.
Before he left, he had sent a telepathic message to Lord Scarlett, and Grand Mages Sidian and Patiel, asking them to keep Celia in the hall at all costs.
So how was she...?
'She can't be here!' He denied, stubbornly rejecting what his eyes were seeing... a lifeless Celia in his arms, and he shook his head, as though he could shake himself awake from this nightmare.
But there was no denying this all-too-familiar aura, which was now fading away, and his breath faltered as he whispered, "No… Celia, please, no."
His hands trembled as he gently held her. 'No! I won't let you!' he told himself, desperation surging in his heart, and his mind raced through all the spells he knew.
Soon, the air around them was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and healing herbs, and the floor beneath them was carpeted with soft grass, delicate vines and tender new leaves, as his powers surged, trying desperately to reach her and fill her with every ounce of life he could give.
'Come back, Celia!' He desperately begged. 'You're stronger than this! Just… come back!'
But her chest remained still, her heart remained silent, her skin was growing cold beneath his touch, and no matter how much power he poured into her, there was no response.
"Why…? Why would you do this?!" He demanded in a fierce whisper, his voice broken and raw.
But only the silence replied.
She was gone, and his heart was shattering into a million pieces, as he clutched her to himself, his tears running into her hair.
Moment after moment... Memory after memory... All the times shared together came now to torment him, their previous warmth gone, leaving him without a shred of comfort.
'Not you... Not you...' He endlessly repeated, gently rocking back and forth with her, as his grief tore through him...
.
.
Meanwhile, Celia opened her eyes in a dream.
No. This wasn't a dream.
This was a nightmare!
She had somehow been transported back to that winter night, so many years ago.
She could see Novia, and she could see the magic circle, which gleamed red and fiery against the white snow.
But this time, it was Taze who stood there waiting.
'Taze!' She thought longingly, and the nightmare suddenly vanished into a sweet dream.
In fact, the night turned to day, the harsh winter winds turned to a gentle breeze, the snow turned to the softest spring grass, and Novia had disappeared.
All Celia could see was Taze, and it was Carla who was now putting finishing touches to a golden circle.
Taze stood there with his back to Celia, a white spell book in his hand, and when Carla was done, he snapped his fingers, and Carla vanished...
In the real world, Novia cast a final spell, and red flames sprung up at the cardinal points of the circle. The wind picked up speed and dark shadows surrounded her.
Same as in the past, an unseen force began to strangle Novia, and she turned desperately to Vitav, who stood calmly by, the dark magic book in his hands.
"My Love! Help...!" She choked out. "Help me!" She pleaded, her cry ringing within the dome-like barrier Vitav had created around them.
But despite her cries and pleas, Vitav didn't move, and he simply shook his head.
"Don't fuss, my love. The spell needs a final sacrifice..." He said calmly.
In all the rewritten lives, Novia had barely been any help, and in this life, she had even foolishly led to his first scandal.
So he smiled at her now.
"It's time to go, my love." He finished, as Novia vanished from sight, her screams fading away.
Then he turned to Celia, or rather, Celia's essence, which he had drawn out of her body, leaving his stupid brother to mourn at the far end of the chamber.
"The problem the last time, was that you opposed me, and you cast a curse which led to all this." Vitav said, his smile widening.
"This time, I will give you a beautiful dream till the bitter end...!"
Back in the dream, Taze turned to Celia, and smiled at her.
"Come my love." He said lovingly, holding out his free hand to her, and Celia walked, as if in a trance, to take his hand, letting him guide her to the center of the circle.
He gently helped her sit, and then he sat facing her. "My love, I found this spell I wanted us to try." Taze said, opening the brilliant white spell book to a page.
"Here. This will make us inseparable. But I need your ice powers."
Celia accepted the book with a smile and began reading...
'Wait!'
She hadn't even read a full line of the spell, when a vision, clear as day, flashed in her mind.
Taze sat in a grove, clutching something to himself...
Celia shook her head.
'Nonsense!' She turned her attention back to the book. 'Taze is right in front of me!'
But soon the words were blurry, and she realized it was because tears had filled her eyes.
'Not you... Not you... Not you... Not you...' The vision was back, and it was as if she could hear Taze's thoughts echoing in her head, as he rocked back and forth, clutching...
'Me?!' The realization hit her, and the force of his heartbreak slammed at her heart.
As his tears ran into her hair, a cold feeling settled at the top of her head, and she reached up to touch it.
Her fingers came away wet, and the illusion was broken.
The book in her hand turned into the aged dark magic book with its bloodstained pages, and she dropped it with a surprised gasp. The soft grass beneath her vanished into the cold, cracked floor of the platform, and the day darkened into the dim space around then, lit only by the glowing red lines and flames of the magic circle
She raised her head and gasped to find Vitav smirking at her...
.
Back in the Chamber, it might have been a minute, or several minutes that passed...
But it wasn't too long before another emotion overtook Taze, and soon, the grasses and flowers around him were withering away, turning blacker than black.
The warm haze around him and Celia vanished, and energy from the relics around the chamber effortlessly poured into him...
Taze opened his eyes, and they glowed bright green, golden dust falling off his lashes, as he gently laid Celia down on the floor and rose to his feet.
In the split of a split second, he was already at the centre platform, and the floor beneath his feet shattered from the force.
"VITAV!" He roared, and the entire chamber, no. The entire Palace shook from sheer force!
Vitav stood alone at the centre of the platform, and he turned to face Taze.
"Hello 'brother'!" Vitav greeted with an attack, but Taze easily deflected his spell, and with a string of impossibly fast spells, Vitav was sent flying backwards with so much force that he crashed through the gold pillars...
.
.
Meanwhile, the real Vitav smirked at Celia within a 'dream'.
"You're awake. How sad. Did you not like my dream?" He taunted.
Celia scowled at him. She tried to move, but couldn't, and she quickly recognized why.
It was Vitav's Mental Puppet Spell!
"You're trying to freeze and rewrite time again!" She accused.
"Guilty. Tazeus is a little too clever for his own good. Knowing that, wouldn't I prepare for a backup plan?"
After casting the Saint Mage spell, his goal had been to kill Taze and go after Celia, fully intending to cast the Time Spell again.
But he had lied, so Taze wouldn't pay attention to Novia's actions, as she drew the Time Spell circle.
While fighting Taze, Vitav had caught a glimpe of Celia, and specifically timed his attack, knowing she would jump in.
"That last spell was never meant for Taze... It's designed to pull out a person's spirit, because you see," He picked the book and dusted it. "...my Mental Puppet Spell is far superior when the target is in spirit form. In spirit form, I could make you believe you were dreaming, and you'd innocently cast the spell.
"This way, you wouldn't be able to curse me again and send us into another cycle." He gently placed the book in her hands.
"But I don't have much time, so I'll settle for you being awake.
"Read." He commanded, and Celia found herself doing exactly what she had done in the past...
.