Take Care of Them

The protections Elenwen had set in place snapped into action as Api attempted to breach the summoning circle. Api's fire was being contained within the circle, as the protective barrier created by the warding runes flickered from the strain.

"Elenwen!" Savina shouted over the noise of the fire. "End the ritual, send Api back before he causes an incursion."

The pages of Elenwen's grimoire rapidly flipped to a new page. Holding her hands together in prayer, the ground around the summoning circle illuminated in an orange glow.

"I-" The first layer of warding runes shattered, as the ball of fire expanded, hitting the next layer with an audible thud. "I can't end the ritual, Api's forcibly keeping the ritual open in order to break into this world. I got too cocky, even with all the power of my god. Thinking I could actually contain a Greater Demon Lord was foolish."

Running up to them, Rio grabbed Elenwen's shoulder. "Elenwen, focus. What can we do?"

Looking at him, Elenwen quickly shook her head. "Right. You three, keep Api contained. I need to grab something."

"Wait what?" Watching Elenwen run back into her home, Rio called after her. "How are we supposed to keep Api contained!"

"Just don't let him break through the third summoning circle. I believe in you!"

Turning back to Savina, Rio held his hands up. "Thoughts?"

"Just one. Speaker, are you there?"

Only Savina could hear as Speaker's calm voice whispered in her ears. "I am always here. How may I be of service."

Fiddling with the ring on her finger, Savina squinted at the blue ball of fire. "Before, you said you can analyse objects and people, correct?"

"That is what I said. Is there anything you would like me to analyse?"

"Yes. Analyse the warding runes Elenwen created. Is there anything we can do to fortify them?"

"Understood." The few seconds that Speaker analysed the situation felt like hours, all Savina could do was look at the ever-burning fire. "I have detected an impending breach within the veil between worlds. This breach can be staunched by a user of spatial based magic. This will weaken the magic that is attempting to breach the barrier."

"A user of spatial magic? We don't have anyone like that…" Savina muttered. "Unless. Rio!" Grabbing Rio's shoulders, Savina shook him. "You use spatial magic right, you make those portals that you store things in."

Holding her wrists, Rio took her off him. "Yeah, I do that? Why?"

Savina pointed to the summoning circle. "I need you to use your spatial magic to try to weaken Api's magic."

"Weaken his magic, how am I supposed to do that. If Elenwen can't contain Api how am I supposed to?" Rio asked, anxious about the impending disaster.

"That's the thing, we messed up in trying to contain Api, but I'm not asking you to contain Api. The only reason that Api is able to be present in this world is because of the hole Elenwen made between here and Hell."

"Yeah, yeah I know that already-"

"Shut up, let me finish. You have spatial magic, use that magic to make the hole smaller. The smaller the hole, the less power Api will be able to manifest and the less power that Api can manifest."

"The weaker Api will be." Rio finished, finally catching onto what Savina was thinking. "Ok." Walking up to the circle. Rio stopped. "Savina, I- I don't know how to do that?"

"You don't? Rio, how much do you know about magic?"

"The basics? Enough to create my portals."

Rubbing her face, Savina put her hands together. "Ok, ok, just listen and do what I say. Put your hands up."

Nodding, Rio did as he was told.

"You need to find the hole in the world. Reach out for it with your mana, sense it, find it. There's nothing to find with your body, you have to feel for it with your mind. Close your eyes."

Closing his eyes, Rio focused on his mana. Blocking out the sounds of the fire, Rio breathed.

This was a new feeling, spreading his mana out, Rio could feel the surrounding space. The grass, the dirt beneath the grass, the stones beneath the dirt. Four sources of mana in his vicinity, the summoning circle, agitated mana. There it was.

Reaching out with his mana, Rio wrapped his mana around the hole in the world like threads stitching up a wound. Rio's magic could only close the hole so much.

Dropping to his knees, Rio opened his eyes. "I tried my best, but the hole, it wouldn't fully close."

Rubbing his back, Savina smiled. "That's ok Rio, there wasn't a chance of you closing the hole with Api still here. But look."

Tilting his head up to look at the summoning circle, Rio was surprised to see how effective partially sealing the hole had been.

The fire within the summoning circle had subsided. Api's body had come back into view now.

"How very, surprising. You've tightened the hole so much that I can hardly manifest my fire…" Clenching his first, Api smirked. "You should have started with that." Punching the second barrier, it shattered upon impact.

"What- what's happening?" Rio spluttered.

"Api's flames had already weakened the second barrier enough that a single one of his punches was enough to shatter it. Wait, Api. Please, surely we can talk about this."

Walking up to the third and final layer of runes, Api frowned. "I'm sorry Savina. If I don't try, then the others would have my head." Straitening his claws, Api looked away from Savina's eyes. "Do not try to forgive me." Stabbing the barrier, Api attempted to force his hand through.

"No, no, no." Savina stammered. "If he gets through the last barrier. Where the hell is Elenwen! We need to stop him. No matter what."

Conjuring a meagre fireball in her hands, Savina felt helpless.

Running past Savina and Rio, Iseul balled his fists. Punching the Api's palm with all of his might, Iseul's attempt only served to push the Greater Demon Lord back a few inches.

"Isn't that cute." Pausing, the fire around Api's hand flared. "Move!"

Attempting to burn Iseul, Api's attack was halted as three tendrils grew out from the barrier, wrapping around his hand holding it in place.

"Sorry, that took me so long." Rushing out of the hut, Elenwen passed Savina and Rio. Holding a skeletal finger in one hand, Elenwen stabbed Api's hand.

Expecting for the finger to simply pass through the fire that made up the majority of his arms, Api snarled, pulling back his arm. "What is this, how could you have something capable of harming me?" Pulling the finger out of his palm, Api's pupils dilated as the finger pulsed with a nauseating aura, an aura so strong even the Greater Demon Lord hesitated upon feeling it. "This, this doesn't belong in this world…" Api muttered, shifting his gaze back to the witch.

"Neither do you." Clasping her hands together, the summoning circle began to glow brighter. "Return to the place you belong, Lord of Fire."

As Elenwen spoke. The ground beneath Api's feet began to change. The ground lost its red colouring as Elenwen began to sever the connection between the world and Hell.

Straining against the force pulling him back into Hell, Api couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Savina, I hope the next time we meet, I don't have to play the part of your enemy. I won't tell the Demon King that you are alive, but I will do my best to buy you time."

Within a flash of light, the ritual ended. Light returned to the forest as the black moon faded from the sky.

The bone finger dropped out of the air, landing with a clatter on the ground.

Eagerly approaching the burnt ground, Rio. Breathed a sigh of relief. "So, I can't quite tell. Was summoning a Demon Lord actually a good thing in the end? It feels like nothing came of this. Nothing good anyway."

Walking into the circle, Elenwen picked the finger up. "I don't know." Holding the finger, Elenwen looked to Savina. "Was it."

Holding her head with one hand, Savina was trying to process this.

"Api wouldn't have attempted to cause an incursion if he Deauri wasn't about to go to war with Ruoroa. The other Demon Lords will learn that he was summoned here. If they realise he was summoned here and didn't try and break into this world. They might turn on him…" Gritting her teeth, the ring on Savina's finger flared. Clenching her fist, Savina yelled. "Damn it! I hate this, I just wanted to talk to a friend, is that too much to want!"

"Savina," Rio hesitated as he was about to touch her shoulder.

"I'm fine." Savina snapped. Taking a deep breath, Savina exhaled. "I'm fine." This time, Savina smiled at Rio. "Whilst I didn't get two of the three things I needed. Api says he will buy us time. It's a shame I wasn't able to get his fire… or for him to pass along the fact I'm alive. I recently acquired a skill that could come in quite handy."

"Well, that's good. I think. What do you think Iseul?"

Looking at Rio, Iseul rolled his eyes. Leaving them, Iseul went inside.

"Talkative as always." Rio shrugged. "So." Rubbing his hands together, Rio glanced at the burnt grass. Not only was the grass burnt from the runes Elenwen had made, but also from Api's attempted incursion. "Have we spent enough time here? If Api's buying us time, we should capitalise on what time we have."

Taking another deep breath, Savina nodded. "Mhm. We've just eaten, so I guess we've no reason to delay."

~~

"And that's that." Stepping back from the horse, Rio patted its mane. "The horse is all saddled up! We should really give you a name, shouldn't we girl."

Finishing tying the horse to the wagon, Iseul stepped into the wagon, dropping onto one of the benches. Not wanting to be weighed down as they travelled, Iseul had asked Rio to store his armour away for when it was needed.

"Thank you for your help, Elenwen." Savina lightly smiled as she held out a hand.

Looking at Savina's hand, Elenwen shook her head. "It was the least I could do after you dealt with those golems for me." Taking Savina's hand, Elenwen nodded to Rio and Iseul. "Take care of them. I know Iseul and Rio seem to have it all together, but Iseul's just a kid and Rio… He's a nice guy, but there's something strange about him."

Leaning closer, Savina whispered. "You mean how he doesn't know anything about the world we live in?"

Pausing for a moment, they both laughed.

"I do have one question, Elenwen. That finger, the bone finger. What is it? It made Api pause, and before I talked to Nama. I was in this dark place, I was attacked by some kind of skeleton monster. Nama said it tried to piggyback on the mental connection she was making between our minds."

Looking away, Elenwen frowned. "I do know what that was, but I can't answer… I'm sorry to say nothing, but I've made a promise to someone. I'm watching over something for them."

"I understand. We all have our secrets. Rio!" Savina called to him. "Are we good to go?"

Hopping onto the wagon, Rio grabbed the reins. "All good."

"Well then, I guess this is where we say…" Her words trailing off, Elenwen turned her head to look into the woods.

"Elenwen? Is something wrong?"

"Something just activated one of the runes I have littering the forest, I'm sure it's nothing." Crossing her arms, Elenwen watched Savina. "It'll be a shame to see you three go, it gets so lonely here at times." Sighing, Elenwen smiled. "If you need me, you'll know where to find me."

With a hand from Iseul, Savina climbed onto the wagon.

"Don't worry Elenwen. When this is all over. I'm throwing a tea party, and you're cordially invited!"

Watched as Rio got the horse moving. Elenwen waved to her three friends as they disappeared into the forest.

Unable to see them anymore, Elenwen decided it was time to head inside.

~~

"So. Where are we going next?" Rio asked, looking over his shoulder.

"The only place we can go. North." Savina shrugged. "There's nothing else in our way, so we should really just get to Deauri with time to spare."

"That's good. I hope nothing else comes up, I think I've had enough freights over the last week." As Rio spoke, the wagon abruptly came to a stop. "The hell," Rio muttered, turning around to see what had caused their horse to stop.

Rio's eyes rested on a lone figure standing in the middle of the road.

It was a tall woman, her pale hands holding a staff adorned in light blue crystals, made from a light brown wood. She wore robes that looked to be made from silk. Her eyes were covered by a silk cloth, and two pointy ears stuck out from her hair.

"An elf." Rio squinted. Rio didn't know much about Elves, all he had heard was that they didn't like Humans, almost as much as most Humans didn't like them.

Sticking her head out of the wagon, Savina looked at Rio. "Why've we stopped?" Following his gaze, Savina sighed upon seeing the elf woman. "So much for nothing else coming up."