Chapter 358: A lava pillar
Guards burst forth from the Spire's ornate doors, their enchanted armour gleaming in the afternoon sun. They formed a protective ring around the entrance, swords at the ready, prepared to defend against any threat.
Within moments, an ear-piercing siren echoed throughout the grounds, its magical resonance alerting everyone within the Spire's walls. Enjoy new stories from empire
The air crackled with tension as members of the Council emerged from the Spire, their faces etched with confusion.
Yasmine led the procession, her silver hair billowing in the magical breeze that always seemed to surround her. Flanking her were the other council members.
As the last of the council members stepped out into the open, the gravity of the situation became painfully clear. The guard women, council of witches, apprentice witches of the spire, all of them were now gathered before the entrance, watching Jaegar.
Satvi also came out with the rest of the girls and she managed to move forward to the front where she saw Jaegar, standing against Madam Keeling.
She rubbed her eyes and saw him again. He was fighting against her. Just a few minutes before, he was smiling and talking gently with her, but now he seemed completely different.
When she first saw him in the compartment, she was greatly surprised and took a chance to talk to him. When she looked him in the eyes, she could tell that he was sad; she didn't know why, but there was certain sadness in his eyes.
Satvi had been an empathetic soul from a very young age, a trait that seemed to shine brighter with each passing year. Even as a child, her kindness was apparent to everyone around her. In her village, people were drawn to her naturally, as if her warmth and gentle spirit radiated outwards, making those in her presence feel at ease.
Seeing Jaegar in such a state, she couldn't ignore him. Of course, she was a little intimidated by his presence at first, and as she wanted to help him, she dared herself to talk to him. To ease his mind, even a little.
But now, all she could see was only the rage. In his eyes, there was so much anger and intense rage that seemed to consume him.
Jaegar now stood alone against the entire might of the Spire.
The odds were overwhelmingly stacked against him—a fact that everyone present was acutely aware of.
With a single command, the combined power of the council could obliterate Jaegar in seconds.
But Jaegar's resolve remain unshaken. His eyes, burning with a mixture of pure rage, locked onto Evanore. "I demand to see my master!" he shouted, his voice carrying across the tense silence that had fallen over the entrance.
The people on the street gathered around, staring at the scene unfolding before them. Of course, everyone recognised him and started to whisper among themselves.
Yasmine's brow furrowed as she studied the young wizard before her. "Jaegar," she began, her voice calm, "you know we cannot allow that. Please, stand down. We can discuss this rationally—"
But Jaegar was beyond reason. He could see that they weren't going to go down that easily. He wanted to show just how serious he was, no matter the consequences.
With a guttural cry, he summoned his earth flame, channelling every ounce of his power. The previous purple mist disappeared from his hands, and orange flames lit up in his hands, hovering above his palm.
The flame grew in intensity, morphing from a flickering orange glow into a roiling sphere of magma that hovered above his outstretched palm. The heat emanating from the lava ball was so intense that those nearest to Jaegar instinctively took a step back, shielding their faces from the scorching waves.
Just as Jaegar prepared to unleash his devastating attack, a voice boomed inside his head, causing him to falter momentarily.
"Hey brat, what the hell are you doing!?" The voice was gruff, annoyed, and unmistakable.
It belonged to the flame deity that resided within Jaegar's mind space—a constant, often unwelcome companion since that fateful day when Jaegar had accidentally bound himself to the ancient spirit.
Jaegar tried to ignore the intrusion, focusing instead on maintaining the swirling ball of lava hovering before him. But the deity was not to be dismissed so easily.
"Hey, stupid brat!" the voice bellowed, anger colouring its tone. "You dare ignore me? You foolish human! What is that? Aren't you gonna listen?!!!"
Jaegar clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What!" he snapped back mentally, careful not to let his external composure slip in front of the assembled witches.
The deity's response was tinged with a mixture of excitement and urgency. "I sensed a flame underneath that building. One of my three divine flames."
"I don't care," Jaegar retorted, his mental voice dripping with frustration. "I need to meet my master. I don't have time to deal with it. I need to find my aunt."
The deity's anger rose to new heights at Jaegar's dismissal. "You ignorant fool of a human! Do you know what that flame even is? Foolish mortal! I need that flame now, and I am sending you there."
Before Jaegar could fully process the deity's words or form a response, he felt an overwhelming surge of power course through his body. The lava ball he had been maintaining suddenly expanded, engulfing him in a cocoon of flames.
Abruptly, a pillar of blindingly bright, red-hot energy shot skyward, directly in front of the Spire's entrance.
The assembled crowd gasped in unison, shielding their eyes from the intense light.
The council members raised their staffs, preparing defensive spells, but they were too late.
A lava like beam shot from the very spot where Jaegar stood.
In the blink of an eye, Jaegar vanished into the lava beam.
As if guided by an invisible force, the beam shot instantly flew down from the sky, towards a certain place, right in front of the Spire's main entrance.
All of the women who were at the entrance quickly cleared the way, seeing the red lave-like beam coming down at great speed.