Emilia had passed all three trials, a feat she never would have thought possible, not until someone showed complete faith in her and gave her the push she needed to discover her own strength. Thanks to that, the half-elf was determined to keep growing.
After breaking the barrier's spell, Emilia emerged from the tomb and found herself in a landscape radically different from the one she knew. A white blanket covered everything visible, and a perpetual blizzard lashed the region. Emilia quickly noticed the absence of the crowd that had accompanied her throughout each break between trials.
It took Emilia a while to notice the rocky dome located in front of the cemetery entrance. Clearly, that enormous stone formation hadn't been there before. Although the snow had covered any footprints and the blizzard made it difficult to see or hear, Emilia sensed that the dome wasn't empty and walked toward it.
"Lady Emilia!"
Indeed, there were people there. The villagers of Arlam and the residents of the Sanctuary called out to the half-elf upon seeing her. They all wore expressions of dismay.
"Everyone, what happened? This snow..."
"We don't know." Milde explained. "It started snowing a while ago, but it's already accumulated quite a bit. Young Garfiel built this dome so we could take shelter. It seems he knew there would be a storm..."
"How strange... And the others?"
"Everyone who isn't here left with young Garfiel. They looked very serious, as if something serious was about to happen."
Emilia looked in the direction of the settlement. A distant noise reached her ears through the strong wind. It sounded like a series of thunderclaps. Moreover, the surrounding mana was unusually restless, as if a great deal of magic were being used nearby.
"I see." She said, glancing back at the villagers and residents. "I've finished the trials. The barrier is gone, but we can't leave the Sanctuary right now, not in this snow."
She pointed to the stone temple.
"You must take refuge in the tomb." She said, then turned to the demi-human who stood at the head of his group. "Can you protect everyone in the meantime?"
The man jumped at the half-elf's unexpected request, but a second later he responded firmly, like a soldier obeying a superior's order.
"Yes!"
"What will you do, Miss Emilia?" Milde asked.
"I'll go check on everyone else." She said, glancing at the crowd with a reassuring look. "Will you be waiting for me safe and sound?"
Everyone nodded enthusiastically.
"You stay safe too."
Without another word, Emilia set off for the settlement. As she approached, the sounds grew clearer, and the disturbance of the mana became more noticeable. Finally, she reached the source of the noises and magical activity.
The half-elf was perplexed when she saw Garfiel, Rem, Ram, and several Ryuzu fighting Roswaal. Spells and physical attacks flew back and forth, but even outnumbered, it was the kingdom's most powerful sorcerer who held the reins of battle, constantly pushing back his adversaries with his great skill.
"Stop this, Master Roswaal!" Rem tried to reason with him, but the only response she got was a fireball that she barely dodged.
"You fucking clown! I'm going to kick your ass!" Garfiel tried to close the distance to hit the wizard, but was repelled by a series of spells.
Meanwhile, Ram and the Ryuzu sought to wear down Roswaal's reserves, constantly casting spells to force him to block them.
The entire plan went awry from the start, as Roswaal was never affected by the blizzard spell. Whether Leandro gave incorrect instructions or misinterpreted information from the original story, the fact remains that Roswaal received the group of conspirators in perfect condition.
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A Random in Re:Zero
FanfictionWhat would happen if someone else took Subaru's place in the story? What would his path, his decisions, and his relationship with the characters be like? Would he have more power or intelligence than Subaru? Would he choose the same route, take an a...
