Sofia whirled around. A few meters away stood a gaunt old man, pointing a sword at her.
"The Royal Advisor of Kryevka," Sofia exclaimed. She had seem him at royal banquets before, but she had never learned his name. She definitely didn't care enough to learn it now.
"And former Royal Sorcerer. I had to sacrifice all my magic to plug that fountain. Don't you dare unplug it now," he said, brandishing the sword as a threat. He was holding it at an awkward angle, and was clearly struggling to hold it up, judging by the way his arms were shaking. This was a man who had spent his entire life holding a wand instead of a sword.
"Sir, I'm genuinely sorry for your loss. But people's lives are at stake right now. I don't have a choice."
"I don't think you understand, this is not about a few people's lives. This is for the greater good. A revolution. Equality for everyone. I am removing the evil and corruption from society."
Great! Why don't you remove yourself? She didn't say that out loud, of course, but she was tired of hearing the same words being parroted meaninglessly. Friedrich and the advisor weren't fooling anyone. They masked their greed in the guise of benefitting others. What about all the lives they had ruined? Axel's, Hugo's, the entirety of the Mystic Isles which had been sucked dry of magic.
"It's very hypocritical to talk about corruption when you're the one who stole the throne of Kryevka for yourself," Sofia said angrily.
The old man looked taken aback. "My dear girl, I think you're a bit too naïve to understand what actually happened--"
"No, don't talk down on me like that. You led Axel to his death, on purpose, and you told Hugo to leave so you could take over."
He shook his head. "Axel led himself to his own death. I loved him like a son, but he was just too hotheaded and irresponsible to uphold the agreement." He added, "I loved both Axel and Hugo as if they were my sons. Everything I did was in their best interest. I told Hugo to leave to protect him."
Sofia was livid. This man had went from threatening, to condescending, to manipulative in a matter of seconds. She now understood how Axel and Hugo had gotten caught in the Advisor's web of lies. After all he had done, he still had the nerve to pretend that he actually cared.
"Well, if you truly cared about Hugo you'd let me do this," Sofia said. In a swift movement, before Kreyvka's Royal advisor could react, she had unplugged the fountain and water started to flow out. "If I were you, I'd get out of the way," said Sofia, already running towards the shore.
"NOOOOOO" he screamed angrily. Sofia thought he was going to attack her, but instead he charged at the fountain, smashing and stabbing with all his might, as if he could crack the impassive marble. He didn't make a dent in it. The fountain stood tall, regal as ever.
But the moment he had struck the fountain, Sofia had felt a shift in the atmosphere. The faint sounds of the birds in the background had quieted, and the rumbling beneath her feet intensified. Sofia needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
She had safely made it to the shore and was now boarding the kite. Just as she took off, she saw a humongous burst of water explode out of the fountain below her, creating a giant wave.
The advisor stood in the middle of the river bed, stupefied, as the water engulfed him.