Tamara put up a calm air while she sang the last lines of the second song. Charles and Rowe didn't look any different. However, their eyes said they were internally panicking. If the Twelve did not come back, what in the world would they do? They just couldn't leave them hanging like this!
Rowe ended the last song softly with a strum of his guitar, looking over Tamara as she hesitated for a moment. Charles gave them a knowing look and sighed softly. The audience cheered, but not as loudly as they did in the opening.
"Alright!" She smiled. "Well, I hope you liked those two songs. It's finally time to get the rest of the Twelve to continue the rest of the show. I'm guessing you all want to get at it, yes?"
"YES!"
"Oh well, we'll take a short moment. We promise to get your blood pumping in no time at all."
They stood from the stage and exited, taking shelter under the arena as they waited for the others. Tamara was slowly becoming restless. Zion, Brindon, Keelan, Aneeka, Elfre, and Raziel had finally come back. Only Valeriana and Corvan were left.
"So how was it?" asked Tamara.
"The situation in the DevDept was solved," Zion said. "It wasn't a regular demon but not too powerful either. But it was conscious."
"Same thing goes for us," Elfre said.
"How is the situation with the barrier?"
"The instructors are all defending the academy from outside. We weren't able to see the battle but it doesn't seem that bad," Elfre said. "I'm sure they'll be able to handle it just fine. I saw a couple of Celestes out there."
"So they already called for help," Rowe thoughtfully said.
"Attacks aren't unusual, but a full-scale one such as this . . ." Charles trailed off. "Not to mention they even appeared within the academy. I don't understand just what is going on."
"The arena is clear, isn't it? If there was going to be a place of attack, this would be the most suitable," Elfre told them.
"But there hadn't been any so far. If ever anything happens, we're still here," Tamara said.
The audience were going restless.
"Let's assemble and test the instruments," Charles told them. "Just keep a watch out for any suspicious movements. If anything happens, prepare to evacuate the audience. Usual protocols."
They nodded in agreement and entered the arena. The spectators were enlivened at the sight of them, cheering riotously as they took their places once more. A couple of minutes tuning the instrument and they pretended to adjust the strings just to put on a show.
Later on, Valeriana and Corvan came running in. The fifth-ranker was drenched with sweat as she took her place and Corvan himself looked exhausted. He took his place behind the piano.
"What took you guys so long?"
"We had to drop something in the containment area," said Corvan. "We'll talk about that later, let's just finish this show."
Although they successfully apprehended the demon, Valeriana could not calm down. Her senses were picking up an ominous presence which made her break in cold sweat. This wasn't the usual aura she was feeling around the academy. Despite the entire continent being filled with demons, the presence was not as strong.
This wasn't over. She wanted to warn the others, but they already started.
"The next song is Alone!" Tamara exclaimed.
"One, two . . . one, two, three."
Valeriana struck at the drums in chorus with the electric guitarist. This piece was rock so it demanded a lot from the players. Even so, the song was wild and carefree, even a bit badass. Tamara could feel the song as she hit the high notes. The energy of the song brought up the spirits they lost a while ago and successfully gave them a comeback.
"You're so obvious! You're so oblivious. And now you wonder why, you're the one alone."
Right now, the Twelve was intent on ending this entire thing smoothly without letting anything go wrong with the audience. For sure, they weren't stupid and caught up on something.
The show must go on. If it was sabotaged, then how would they handle this? It wasn't Celeste Academy to let such a festivity be ruined, especially since it was the last day.
"If you want to be my, uh uh oh. You know you can't play games, and you know what I mean. Sorry, but you don't, get my, my-y-y-y. I'm gone. You're still dreaming about me over and over and over and over and over again!"
The good thing about the band was that the songs they did covers had a unique style. The pieces were expanded and though the original music did not have an instrument playing for it, they did adjustments while relying on the original notes, adding more flair to it that made the music their own.
Alone ended with a soft finish just like when it started. The audience liked the performance with all the wildness and energy. Now, they had to calm it all once again to bridge themselves going to the finale and end this entire thing once and for all.
"Brave is next!" Tamara said. "I just want to tell everyone that this song choice was mine. There's no use listening to the people around you who cannot appreciate your strengths and focus on your weakness. But what can you do?"
The song started. "You can be amazing. You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug. You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love. Or you can start speaking up."
Tamara sang from the bottom of her heart. For sure, she knew very well what the song was trying to get across. Valeriana was unaware of what life she led, but it did not feel simple at all.
Corvan took a big part in this song. But like always, Valeriana was ever active. The drums took part in all the songs. Although this one had a lot of calm, it revitalized the determination in a person and was honestly very encouraging.
"Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do when they settle 'neath your skin. Kept on the inside and no sunlight. Sometimes a shadow wins. But I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say! And let the words flow out! Honestly, I wanna see you be brave!"
The audience waved their hands with the chorus. Even though the whole performance was unusual, no doubt that it was such a huge change of pace. If human technology was like this, what was it about the entire human civilization? Valeriana was determined in getting this point across. There was more to being human than whatever notion they might have.
"Everybody's been there. Everybody's been stared down by the enemy. Fallen for the fear. And done some disappearing, bow down to the mighty. Don't run, just stop holding your tongue. Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live. Maybe one of these days you can let the light in. Show me how big your brave is!" Tamara's voice reverberated strongly, the tremor sending hearts running.
"SAY WHAT YOU WANNA SAY! AND LET THE WORDS FLOW OUT!"
They caught on quick, really. Just after going through the chorus a couple of times, they would sing along at the final round.
"I just wanna see you, I just wanna see you!"
The ending was smooth and the audience were moved to tears. It seemed as though good music had this sort of effect. The Twelve could feel it as well. The message and the notes had slowly crept in their hearts. Performing live was another thing. The connection with the people they were playing for was a different but satisfying feeling.
The last beat was dropped and they all took a few moments to breathe.
"Guys, we have to be careful." Valeriana leaned forward to warn the Twelve the moment she could. Corvan seemed to have heard her, his eyes raking across the arena. With the chaos among the crowd, it was hard to determine whether or not anything suspicious was happening.
"Where?" Rowe asked her.
She shook her head. "There's something, though. I'm sure of it."
Their guards were up from the very start but it rose even more.
"I hope some of you got encouraged by that song." Tamara smiled at them. "When Valeriana first came here, I was wondering what sort of life humans lead. One thing I've learned so far is they're no different. If they can produce such good music and movies, what sort of people are they? I'll want to visit Earth at least once these days!"
"Movies?" echoed people.
"Yeah, that's a story for another time. For now, let's end this all with Long Live!"
Zion hit the guitar at that along with Charles and Rowe. Calm as it was, they all joined along. Tamara took a deep breath and prepared herself for the first line.
"I said remember this moment in the back of my mind." The way she said it was beseeching, as though she was burying this very scene in the deepest recesses of her brain like what the song entailed. "The time we stood with our shaking hands, the crowds in stands went wild."
Valeriana felt herself smile with everyone else. Her hands were steady and she had yet to come in, so she took her time. Still, this aura . . .
"You held your head like a hero on a history book page. It was the end of a decade but the start of an age!" The drum beats rolled in, slow and soft.
The beat was amplified and the energy skyrocketed. They all braced themselves for the shift in the gear but maintained the music's delicateness, like handling sweet and fragile memories.
"Long live the walls we crashed through. How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you. I was screaming long live all the magic we made. And bring on all the pretenders! I'm not afraid."
They all cheered.
"Long live all the mountains we moved. I had the time of my life fighting demons with you! I was screaming long live that look on your face! And bring on all the pretenders! One day, we will be remembered . . ."
The audience joined in with the long live chorus, but they were unable to pick up just yet. Even so, the way they were moving with the music was more than gratifying. The Twelve were further determined to amp up their performance.
"Hold on to spinning around. Confetti falls to the ground. May these memories break our fall!"
The music toned down and an emotional bridge came in. Corvan carefully ran his fingers down the piano. He had a few moments to himself before Valeriana subtly entered in the background.
"Will you take a moment? Promise me this-that you'll stand by me forever. But if the gods forbid, fate should step in and force us into a goodbye. If you have children someday, when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name." The last note was high and sentimental, but the next few that dropped roused the spirits. "Tell them how the crowds went wild. Tell them how I hope they shine! Long live, the walls we crashed through. I had the time of my life . . . with you!"
The music regained its energy.
"Singing long live all the mountains we moved. I had the time of my life fighting demons with you. And long, long live the look on your face. And bring on all the pretenders! One day . . . we will be remembered." Tamara ended it all softly, a huge smile on her face as the cheering crowd got wilder.
"LORD ROWE, PLEASE MARRY ME!" yelled a girl from the audience audaciously.
Rowe smiled and saluted gracefully at the crowd, earning more screams. On the other hand, Zion was showered with praises as well. His performance deserved an applause, of course. The way he rocked his guitar earned him the admiration of the spectators.
"Thank you all so much," Tamara said, chuckling. "On the other hand, thank you all for coming to see the festival. We recommend you leaving immediately-"
"Quick to act are we?" a dark voice boomed. "What's with the rush?"
Valeriana felt the demonic energy within the vicinity spike, making her nearly collapse on her knees. The Twelve looked around in alert and straightened their spines warily. In just a snap of a finger, the atmosphere took a one-eighty.
"I must say I like your performance, truly I wish you, long live."
"Valeriana, can you somehow detect where it's coming from?" Charles asked.
"It's all over the place!" she exclaimed.
"Evacuate the audience, hurry!" Corvan exclaimed. "Keelan, Elfre, Raziel, go and guide everyone out! Make sure no one strays! Get them all through the portal at once!"
The said three set out the moment Corvan finished speaking.
"We recommend everyone to leave at once. Leave without panicking. The students will guide you out." Tamara calmly projected her voice despite the people starting to panic. The students posted in every point throughout the arena immediately got to work.
"Not so fast, how can I let these people leave? I suggest you all stay put. If you as much as move, I am telling you, the casualties will be massive."
Corvan raised his hand and signaled Tamara. They weren't taking chances, especially when it was life at stake. "Tell them."
"Everyone, please remain in place. Students, make sure the audience stay put."
"Good, good, now we're understanding each other."
"It seems ending this festival peacefully is a failure," Rowe said. "I did not expect them to make this much of a scene. Everything we have done so far have been in vain."
"They enjoyed seeing us like this, didn't they?" Aneeka frowned.
"Who is this guy and why is he ruining things?" Zion asked furiously.
"I respected your show and now that it has all ended, I think my time to shine has come," the deep voice continued. It reverberated throughout the entire arena as the soft chatters from the audience rang in chorus. "You should've evacuated the audience while you had the chance. You've had many opportunities. But it just couldn't be, right?"
Smoke curled and seemed to thicken before them. The Twelve stared at the condensing black figure in front of them and drew all their weapons.
"Constantly underestimating. Did you really think it was so simple? Planning to pass this all off as though nothing's happening? My, my, your hubris is really something."
"This guy talks too much. Damn it, just appear already." Tamara rolled her eyes.
The voice became firmer rather than disembodied. First were the feet, then the legs, the arms, and finally the face. Red and black clothes came to view and the pale face of a demon man smiled up at the Twelve. Long black hair rested on his back with the darkest eye staring up at them through lashes. What was fascinating about this demon was that the right half of his face had on a mask and he was dressed rather conservatively around the right half of his body. The left showed more skin.
"Until now I cannot bear to realize how much pride you have in those bodies," he said, laughing. "Why do you not just acknowledge it? Ah, you people really are something."
"Can you stop speaking like that and tell us what the heck are you doing here and who you are?" Valeriana could not help but spit out. The anger was raging within her veins as she thought back on how hard they worked their rears off for this festival, only for all of it to be ruined in the end.
"Val, calm." Tamara placed a hand on her back.
"It's not like we don't feast on other's failures, in fact, I'm thankful." He spread his arms like an eagle and turned to face the people in the arena. Everyone had been dead quiet, watching everything happen. "Do you see this, everyone? This proud academy before you, your kingdom of glory, your valiant knights! You should embrace the truth! Your glorious days are no more! Your king is weak! Your prince is a demon!"
Gasps of outrage rang and chatters broke. Corvan's frown deepened and Valeriana's heart skipped a beat. The Twelve themselves were confused at the declaration and instantly felt the urge to seek out the truth. No doubt everyone else felt the same.
"What?" he asked as he examined the looks on people's faces. "You didn't know? My, what a disappointment! If you must, storm the palace and see for yourselves the truth!"
Charles was more than ready to speak up when someone else beat him to it.
"You don't need to!" yelled someone from the crowd. "This demon is spouting lies. You must not lose faith in your king!"
The demon's eyes traced the audience area and sought the speaker. "Who? Show yourself and prove who among us spouts lies!"
The crowd parted as a hooded boy walked up to the front. Eyes were pinned on the individual as he showed himself. Valeriana's heart was running a marathon and everyone else watched with baited breath.
"No one should believe a demon who is absolutely untrustworthy. He desires to mislead the hearts and sow chaos among the citizens of this world!" the boy continued, his hand sweeping out with regality.
"And who are you to say such a thing?"
He pulled back his hood. Gold hair and eyes glistened under the dimming skies. "I am Prince Bertram von Seigmond de la Rosellevienne, heir to the high throne, esteemed descendant of the first king Friedel, and son of the king! Lay your eyes on me, am I a demon?"
With the golden hair and matching eyes, no one dared contradict that this person was who he called himself to be. Valeriana blinked, the breath she held released through her nose. Not a trace of black hair, not a speck of darkness in the eyes. The Twelve themselves looked relieved but could not help but question as to why the prince was here.
"Impossible," the demon muttered. "It should've taken effect . . ."
"You ruin the festival and dare spout nonsense! It is as though eternal damnation is not enough of a punishment for your kind. You even evoke the wrath of the gods with your degradation of the royal family's name!"
The doubts in the hearts of the people were instantaneously erased.
"All hail!" Charles shouted all of a sudden. "His Highness has appeared!"
A mighty chorus of movements thundered as everyone broke into a low bow, prostrating themselves before the prince. Heads were lowered and knees pressed against the ground. Valeriana was pulled out of her reverie and bowed as well, following the others beside her as they did. Charles, Tamara, Brindon, and the others were no exceptions.
This was a show of trust to the crown. At this moment, bowing was not an obligation, but a display of faith.
The demons turned and gazed at the scene around him dubiously. His efforts of sowing discord among the people had been an utter failure. "How can this be?"
"Admit it now, demon. We are walls you cannot break down!" Prince Bertram's voice echoed throughout the entire arena, rousing the dampened spirits of the people even more. "This kingdom will forever remain glorious, this academy forever proud, and the knights more valiant!"
The demon roared, enraged. "I do not know how you managed to pull this off, but trust that this victory will remain short-lived!"
"Knights," he began, gazing at the Twelve. "Seize him at once."
The Celestial Circle moved forward and besieged the demon on all sides. Weapons were drawn ready and pointed threateningly. The academy did not forbid carrying weapons around. One way or another, the Twelve was always prepared.
Dark eyes scanned the faces of each member as he burst out laughing.
"Why do villains always have to laugh?" Valeriana whispered to herself.
"It's a way to show they aren't distressed," Tamara told her.
"Oh, I get it now."
"The Celestial Twelve," he said, chuckling. "What do these fledglings have against me? I shall have you know who I am, I killed stronger soldiers from your legions! Generals, commanders!"
He moved and the demonic energy became more oppressive. Valeriana's heart fluttered but she kept her legs firm. His hand shot out and grabbed Tamara's wrist before she could react. In one, big motion, the third-ranker was flung and thrown to Brindon, causing the both of them to fall back.
Valeriana did not know how to react. In fact, she was clueless as usual. Serious confrontations had her flabbergasted because of her inexperience. Aside from one-on-one combat, she did not know how she would manage working with others to fight one demon.
Corvan, however, did not stand still. He stepped forward with no hesitation and swung for the demon's neck. The enemy leaned to the side, evading the attack. At the same time, one of his legs stuck out and kicked away an advancing Charles. After that, he moved fluidly at the waist with certainty. His arms flung out and grabbed Corvan at the shoulder and wrist with the sword. Twisting, he lifted himself and pressed his back against the first-ranker's, swinging out both legs to kick away the weapon in Valeriana's hands before landing on the other side. The way he fought had been on point, targeting the various weak-points and holes in their forms.
"What the-" Valeriana skidded to get her sword but accidentally collided with somebody else.
"This guy isn't simple," said Rowe. "We can't move separately, we must take him down together!"
"Arland," Corvan muttered as he attempted to take hold of the demon on his back, his fingers grasping the clothes to pull him down.
The demon made no move to resist Corvan's movements, letting himself be dragged off. In fact, he even pushed against the ground towards the direction he was pulled to, resulting to a flip midair.
He landed on the middle of the circle the Twelve had formed once again, leaving him besieged once more.
"You seriously think you can fight me. You kids are a million years too early!"
While the fight went on, Keelan, Elfre and Raziel moved and had the entire arena evacuated. People rushed out of the doors, panicking. Despite how much they all want to see the battle, life was priority. The eleventh-ranker approached the crown prince and brought him to a place he thought safe. Vallore was among the crowd, but he did not desire to leave. No matter how sudden, he had become part of the academy.
"Corvan." She looked at the first-ranker. She was being pathetic, but the helplessness was overwhelming.
"It's alright," he told her as he kept his eyes on the demon. "Move with me, just like back then."
She grabbed onto his arm without thinking, her grip tight around his wrist. He made no move to shake her off, his face firming. In fact, to her shock, he flipped their hands and grabbed her wrist just like how she held onto his. His sword fell onto his left hand and he swiftly pointed it at the demon.
Zion, who caught this moment, found his face turning sour.
The remaining members of the Twelve started to move in synchronization-at least they tried to. Valeriana was pulled along by Corvan.
"Hey! Don't bump into me, move out of the way!" Aneeka backed away and shot a couple of rounds at the demon.
"You're a long-distance shooter so you should not be in here!" Tamara told her. "You and Brindon should be in the far back, protecting us close-combat fighters!"
"I was! You moved in!"
Arguing in the middle of a fight?
Corvan pulled Valeriana forward before stopping. After giving her a knowing look, he pulled on her hands and said one word. "Jump."
She did so with a split second of hesitation, not knowing what he was up to. She found a few moments later when he gave her some more boost by pushing on her stomach, causing her to flip in the air. She kicked out her legs to balance out the momentum, and coincidentally struck the demon at the face. The kick forced him back, giving Rowe an opportunity to assault. The first-ranker then harshly pulled her to him and steadied her on her feet. The landing was perfect and she didn't even stumble one bit.
"Nice move," Tamara said as she dove in as well.
A slash from the right, a swing from the left. Southeast, southwest, north, and east. Every direction had an attack. This demon, however, was like Rowe said. He wasn't simple. His movements were fluid and slippery. Hard to catch and hard to bait like a fish. They tried to attack alternately, but the coordination lacked practice. As a result, hole after hole, the demon managed to slip.
However, Corvan and Valeriana were somewhat different. For some reason, they were perfectly synchronized. The demon had had trouble trying to fend himself off from these two, and with the other rankers from the Twelve covering their backs, the fight was becoming more of a challenge.
Arrows were shot and gunfire echoed. Clangs and whistles in chorus with foot shifting against dirt. Grunts and growls filled the air. Minutes passed by and the Twelve were growing rather frustrated with this guy.
Tamara swept low and tripped the demon while Rowe drove in a blade at the demon's face. However, he moved swiftly, pulling himself up to meet with Zion who had swung at his neck. This was becoming tricky. Despite the initial hesitations, these kids were starting to move better together.
A critical strike was made by Valeriana as she caught his right arm with her blade, leaving him wounded and his sleeve half-open. Instead of smooth skin, they got a peek of burn scars.
The demon looked infuriated that they managed to score from him and released a strange energy that forced all of them back. They landed a good few feet away. Tamara ended up crashing on a trunk of tree while some backs hit rocks, some hit the dirt. Unfortunately for Charles, he crashed against the drums and destroyed the set.
"You're all no match for me," he said. "Did you really think I'll go out here if I wouldn't be able to protect myself?"
The Twelve stood, grunting.
"You call yourself a team when you can't even move together? Shame on you," he told them. "But I do commend you for your efforts. Unfortunately, I think I'm overstaying my welcome."
Charles got up on his feet. "We have to apologize, but you are not allowed to leave."
"Says who?" he asked.
"Says us!" Two voices said in chorus. The demon turned and found his shoulder and stomach pierced by blades covered in flames. It had been too fast for him to react. With the Twelve's distractions, they managed to catch him unaware.
"Burn up!" echoed one voice and the fire flared, eating at his clothes.
"Fire . . . I hate fire . . . I hate fire . . ." He screamed.
The Twelve looked up.
"Zevlin!" Valeriana gaped.
The older of the twin had messy hair and had a shirt half-open. His eyes were fierce as Genevieve acted as support, his arms around her shoulder. Vallore was on one side. With a flick of his wrist, the demon was covered with a dome of fire. Light flared once again and a barrier appeared as another layer, light flickering like a golden glass.
A scream resounded from within. It was shrill and desperate. "You will never keep me here! Ahaha, you will see! I had a way in, I have a way out!"
Prince Bertram later reappeared, his fists clenched in front of him.
"Your Highness," Rowe tipped his head politely as he spoke. "Were the audience evacuated safely?"
"They're leaving through the portals and are temporarily dropped off in the Rosellevienne Palace at the Central Continent," the crown prince said as he came forward, Keelan trailing behind him. "Good job."
"Good job? That was horrible," Tamara said. "We weren't even working properly together, what's up with all of you?"
"What's up with us?" Aneeka's voice rose. "Why don't you ask yourself?!"
"Stop it, why are you arguing?" Valeriana asked, going between Tamara and Aneeka. "I don't think it's anyone's fault. There are more important things to focus on right now. We need to check out the situation in the entire academy, we have no room to fight with each other."
"It all worked out in the end, let's just be thankful," Charles said.
Their teamwork needed some work. As of the moment, they weren't moving properly. This was probably a first for all of them fighting together like this. Working with one or two was manageable, but with a full team that consisted of four or more was much harder to work with. No wonder the disarray.
Still, for a first time, their performance and results were somewhat satisfactory. This was Valeriana's opinion. For the others, it might as well have been considered unspeakable.
There was a resounding explosion from within the barrier that made the ground tremble a bit. Valeriana shivered at the intensity. If that demon did that initially, no doubt they'd have a much harder time. Bertram grimaced.
"I had a way in, I have a way out." Those were the words that reverberated before the barrier broke apart. Vallore's fire dome dissipated in an instant and black smoke scattered. "Remember this, our blood will prevail!"
A new energy spiked that was different from the demon's. It was subtle, but Valeriana managed to catch it. Her head turned to its direction and she shot forward before anyone could react. To the surprise of the others, she ran for the exit and sought out the aura that came in.
It wasn't in the arena, but like a thread, the presence seamed through the air. She held onto it tightly like a rope and followed the source. Zion ran after her with no second thoughts. Corvan hesitated for a moment, but seeing the situation, decided to come as well.
It hadn't been too far. Just a few walks from the arena was an abandoned watchtower before the gates. This was a place Valeriana did not know about especially since it was inconspicuous. It wasn't too tall but tall enough to overlook the gates and look into the distance.
She dashed right in without thinking and was confronted by a strange sight. The doors were open. She grasped the frame and stopped, blinking and breathing heavily.
A mix of cries and laughter, voice cutting its own in a layer of dialogues. It was a befuddling sight. Valeriana was too confused to understand as well as overwhelmed. Eyes looked up to meet hers, emotions flashing-anger, sadness, desperation, guilt, and joy.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her lips moving and her voice harsh. "I didn't want to do it." She gazed into Valeriana's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered before her voice reached high octaves. "What are you doing here? You found me out . . . stop it, stop it. Stupid girl."
She pulled on her hair and scratched her tear-filled face. Her French braid was in utter mess and she was at war with herself. However, she struggled to move. Half of her body was trying to stay in place while the other tried to leave. It was only then that Valeriana realized she was sitting within a five-pointed star.
"Haha," she laughed madly before crying out. "It's too late . . . no it's not. Stop it. Stop me! It's already happening. Why don't you just go along with it?"
Zion and Corvan entered.
"Arland," Corvan muttered. He caused the drawing on the floor to erupt in flames with just a thought. After the formation was broken, he and Zion broke in and restrained the girl.
Valeriana was in utter disbelief that she could not manage a word, her fingers wound around her mouth. Even if she did, she was choking back the words. Seeing her struggle and give in at the same time, her voice ringing high-pitched and soft. It almost seemed as though there were two people. In one body.
"It's been done . . . it's been done." She laughed before sobbing. "Stop crying, the blood has prevailed."
"By the gods, what is up with this girl?" Zion asked, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her up by the arm. Her right palm was soaked with blood and left a pool beneath her. "What did you do?"
"This is absolutely a form of summoning, but much more powerful," Corvan said, holding her other arm. "To summon five demons at the same time, this is serious business."
The watchtower was thick with demonic energy. Valeriana wanted to breathe freely. This space was suffocating, literally and figuratively.
"It seems our primary assumptions were correct." The first-ranker looked down at the girl he and the blue-haired lad held. "You've been behind this all along."
"You're that girl," Zion said. "Chavi, right?"
Unfortunately, the damage was done.
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