66 The sleeping mage (1/2)
”What the hell???”
After Evlin finished her conversation with the goddess of the east, the last thing she remembers was watching her body fade away as she gave her a final goodbye.
”What's going on!!?? What's the meaning of this???”
She was ready to open her eyes after her short sleep and return to the real world so she could reunite with Ashley and her friends.
”Xadi!!! Marcus!!! Show yourselves, you cowards!!!”
Sadly that did not happen, for despite her being sure she was about to leave the white void, before she realized, she simply saw herself still waiting inside of it once again.
”Hey!!! I know you're in there!!! Heeeeey!!!”
Only this time East wasn't there waiting with her. This time Evlin was once again alone in the void with nowhere to run to and nothing to see.
”Leeeeeeet meeeeee oooooooout!!!!!”
”I can't believe you fell for that...”
”Huh!!??”
She turned around and saw a small girl with black hair standing behind her. The girl was floating in mid-air and wearing a beautiful white dress.
”West...??”
”What are you doing here??? You were supposed to be making the south god indebted to me!! How could you let them trick you like that??”
”Trick me...? W- What are you talking about? What's going on? Why am I still in the white void??”
”Oh for the love of... They set you up, you idiot!!”
”Eh...??”
”The mage that uses the tracking spell... He received a boost in power thanks to your gauntlets... He entrapped you in here!!”
”E- Entrapped me?? I'm stuck in the white void??”
”Yes!! Ugh!!! I can't believe I placed all my hopes in you!! I'm such an idiot!!”
”W- Wait a minute... Hold on... What does this mean?? I'm stuck in here forever?”
”Might as well be... They will keep you in here until they arrive in the kingdom.”
”You mean that... Ugh!! Xadi!! That piece of trash!!! He's trying to take me down while I'm asleep!!! Aaaaagh!!! I'm going to kill him!!! These guys are a bunch of cheaters!!!”
”Of course they are... And they just managed to get rid of their biggest threat. It's honestly a really clever move...”
”No, no, no!! I can't be here!! We are literally in the front gates of the kingdom!! My friends need me!!”
”I know!!! ... I know... But there is nothing that can be done... All we can do is wait.”
”Eh... Is there nothing that can be done?”
”The spell will stay active until the mage dies or loses his power... If you want to get out of here, one of your friends will need to defeat him...”
”Seriously?? You mean I'm benched??”
”I don't know what that means but... Sure...”
”You gotta help me West!! I can't stay here while our biggest fight starts!!”
”I can't do anything about it... This was your fault!”
”Me?? What did I do? Was I supposed to never fall asleep again?”
”No, you moron, its because you exhausted your magic power!”
”Wha...?”
”Your magic was protecting you from other magical attacks like this... But because you kept using it against the demons like a maniac you had nothing left to protect yourself. What were you thinking??”
”I was trying to save my sister! What do you want from me?”
”Your sister...? The one who is a plant demon right now? She was never in danger.”
”... What...?”
”Your sister was not in danger! She was right behind you the whole time!”
”... What are you talking about...? She told us she was about to enter the city...”
”She lied.”
”...??? Wh- Why would she lie about that?”
”Not sure... But this doesn't matter right now... We need to get you out of here!”
”...”
”Evlin!!!”
”Huh!? Oh!! Right! Out, out, gotta get me out...”
Evlin couldn't stop thinking about what West said. Ashley lied to her? Her sister lied about being in danger? Why would she do that? Was West trying to trick her? Maybe West was just as evil as the other gods. But if she wasn't, and Ashley did lie to her, what did that mean exactly?
”Evlin!! Focus!!!”
”Ah, sorry!”
”We need to warn your friends to defeat the tracking mage. It's the only way to free you!”
”My friends...? Defeat Xadi? When he is using my gauntlets??”
”Yes!! ... C- Can they do it...? Please tell me they can do it!! I placed all my bets on your group!! If you fall now I'll have nothing!!”
West looked like she was about to burst into tears as she kept grabbing Evlin's shoulders. She was looking less like a divine being and more like a toddler who just remembered she left her school lunch at home.
”P- Probably... I think... Maybe...”
She tried to cheer her up but West could see the indecision on her face.
”... I'm doomed... It's over... All my effort, all my dreams... Gone because I was stupid enough to trust in a pack of useless humans...”
”Hey!!”
”East is going to win the competition... She will become the next almighty being and will destroy me!! I'm doomed!!”
”Calm down!! Maybe they can do this without me...”
”You don't understand!!! It needs to be you!! You are the only one who can help me with my goal! That's why I trusted you with the secret to kill a god!!”
”Right... That... Wait... Why did it have to be me?”
”You remember the secret right?”
”Yeah...”
Evlin flashed back to her birthday. The night when Marcus attacked them and she barely escaped with her life. Before the night was over, West whispered something inside her ear.
”You told me that the only way to harm a divine diety was by combining the three strongest powers that rule this world... The power of magic that is ruled by humans... The power of curses that is ruled by demons... And the power of blessings that is ruled by gods.”