Royal Rebel 4 ~ The Return

Chapter 68: Malice Heart | Pt 1

"Idalia," Zelda breathed, eyes still wide in surprise as we could only stare at the trio, still breathless as they stood at the entrance. "You awakened your power." She smiled at us, and we smiled back, but I knew we were both still confused. But our moment was interrupted when Elric started maniacally laughing behind us.

"You may have been able to awaken your power against the darkness, but you are weaker now." Elric grinned deeply as he raised his hand up - which was completely black up to his wrists - and it began to glow purple with a vapor surrounding it. "Now darling princess, don't fight this or it will make it worse."

Dark malice began to form around Idalia's hand, and I gasped. But she didn't seem to fazed by it. She only raised her hand up, waited a moment as the malice became gold and white, and that same malice powered her next attack. A wave shot out at all of us, and it pushed Elric down.

"Really, Elric, I should be thanking you." Idalia said, lowering her hand back to her side as she glared at the man, and Elric sat up and held his head, glaring right back as he tried to figure out how she overpowered him. "I've gained a special immunity to your malice after all the times you tried to corrupt me with it."

"That's impossible, no one is immune to the malice." Elric grunted as he stood up, brushing the dust off his deep blue cloak, and he held his hand out again. But the look on Idalia's face made him stop. He knew it no longer affected her. And that in itself was enough to have him doubting himself. "I will make things difficult if you don't obey this simple order: join my side, and I will allow you to have a spot in my victory."

"Elric." She said, and he listened for her to go on. "Listen to what I tell you now. I am never going to join your side. Not now, and not at any point from here on out." She raised her hand in front of her, but she kept her eyes on him. We didn't know what she was doing until we saw cracks of gold forming in the malice around us. The cracks glowed brightly, and eventually, the malice began to glow fully gold and white.

It lifted from the ground into a vapor, and it all swarmed to Idalia's hand and around it. She smiled as it seemed to empower her, and Elric gasped and his glare deepened. He quickly whistled, and both of the hollows returned to his side. He then pointed at Zelda and I, but they didn't come to us. It was as if _____ and Amirah were trying to fight the malice that held them.

We could see the same golden cracks beginning to form across their bodies, and they looked down at their arms. Elric tried to keep the malice on them strong, but Idalia's power was stronger. She threw a sharp wave of power towards them, and it sped up the destruction process of the malice.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and then she opened them to be gold as she sent another blast of blinding light through the Sanctum. The malice covering Amirah and _____ was destroyed, and Elric shielded himself with a wall of malice so he wouldn't be weakened.

When the light faded, we looked up to see the spirit pair standing side by side, facing Elric as he lowered his wall. _____ to the left and Amirah to the right, just like before. Amirah raised her right arm slightly off targeted at Elric, and _____ raised her left. A ball of golden power formed between their hands, and the power of the elements began to surround it.

We could see it glowing brightly, and they finished powering it up and they both looked up to glare at Elric. He quickly shot a blast of dark magic at the ball, but before it could hit, a golden shield was created between them, blocking the blast and absorbing it.

Idalia ran towards us and jumped, being helped by a gust of wind formed by Azu, and she fell right in front of _____ and Amirah. She shattered the shield just in time for Azu to jump above all four of them, and he sucked in his breath, elements forming at his lips, and when he released his breath, all four elements blasted towards Elric.