"Lechem Urum Enkatentem!"
Mousack’s roar echoed through the ruined Citadel.
A surge of whitish-gray energy exploded from his body, spreading across the hall like a wave of light.
Before anyone could react, everything inside the dome froze.
Star and Dante, who were moments away from colliding, remained suspended in midair. The two women holding daggers against Mousack’s back froze as well, their expressions trapped in place.
Mousack had been silently preparing the time-freezing spell from the beginning. But that was not all. While casting it, he had also been weaving in another spell.
The Constraining Spell.
However, Inside the dome, only Mousack could move. Without wasting another second, he rushed toward Queen Aurelia, who had collapsed beside her son.
The moment his hand touched her shoulder, time returned to her body. She gasped sharply, her eyes widening as she struggled to understand what was happening.
Mousack quickly grabbed her hand. "It’s me... it’s me, my queen."
Aurelia stared at him in confusion.Then recognition filled her tearful eyes. "Oh... universe... Mousack." Her voice trembled.
"Come," he said urgently. "We need to get you out of here."
He pulled her up, but Aurelia immediately resisted. "No, Mousack... no."
Mousack frowned deeply. "There is no time, my lady. The time spell will not hold the Golden Phoenix forever. We have to leave now."
Aurelia shook her head, tears flowing freely. "Then take my son and go."
Mousack froze. "My lady..."
"That is an order, Mousack." She cut in sharply. "I don’t care what he has become. He is my child. The same child I held in my arms. The same child who called me mother."
For a fleeting moment she closed her eyes, then she exhaled calmly as she gently took Mousack’s hand. "please," tears rolled down her eyes, "just... just save him for me."
For a moment, the High Mage said nothing. Then he lowered his head.
"As you command."
He then glanced at Star. The Constraining Spell was ready, but it required something belonging to someone he loved. Something that carried a strong emotional connection.
"May I have your ring?" he asked.
A crack suddenly appeared across the dome.
Aurelia looked at the spreading fracture, she didn’t even ask questions, she immediately removed her engagement ring and placed it into Mousack’s hand.
"Please," she whispered again. "Protect him for me."
Mousack nodded reassuringly before placing it on his palm.
With a deep breath, he began the final incantation. The ring slowly rose from his palm. At first, it spun gently, but then its speed increased until it became a blur of golden and crimson light.
A powerful hum filled the hall as it shot toward Star.
Still frozen in his monstrous form, Star remained suspended in midair.
As the ring approached him, it expanded, becoming large enough to fit around his clawed finger.
The moment it touched him, a brilliant light erupted. White energy spread across Star’s body. His claws began shrinking. His fangs slowly receded. The dark scales covering his body faded away.
The terrifying beast gradually disappeared. And once again, Star Crestfold stood in his place.
The twelve-year-old prince. Now bare bodied and frozen in time.
Although Star had returned to normal, the cracks spreading across the dome continued to widen.
Mousack knew he had only moments left.
"I will complete the binding once we are safe," he said quickly.
Aurelia looked at her son one final time. More tears streamed down her face.
"You know the secret exit, don’t you?"
Mousack nodded.
"There is a boat waiting there," she whispered. "Follow the river and get him somewhere safe."
Elder Mousack hesitated. "My lady I..."
"Just go!" The queen yelled, wiping off her tears, to show how serious she was.
Elder Mousack lowered his head.
"I swear I will protect him with my life."
The queen smiled weakly.
"Go."
Carrying Star carefully in his arms, Mousack turned and disappeared into the hallway.
Behind him, Aurelia closed her eyes.
"May the heavens guide you, my sweet boy... and may the earth be your shield." Her prayer faded beneath the chaos consuming the Citadel.
The cracks across the dome spread rapidly until the entire structure shattered.
BOOM!
Prince Dante stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing. The other two women also recovered from the shock.
Dante’s fists clenched immediately. "Where the fuck are they?" he growled.
His exhaled in rage as his gaze swept across the ruined hall.
"No...! No...!" He quickly turned to the two women. "Gather the soldiers and find them immediately! I want them dead or alive!"
The two women nodded and hurried away.
Of course, Dante knew that as long as Star remained alive, his claim to the throne would remain shaky.
"Hahahahaha." An irritating laugh reached his ears.
It was Queen Aurelia.
Even with tears on her face, there was something different in her eyes.... Pity.
Dante walked toward her and grabbed her chin roughly.
"What’s so funny?" he demanded through clenched teeth.
Queen Aurelia managed an annoying smile.
"You will never find him... He’s long gone."
Dante stared at her for a moment before a cruel smile spread across his face.
"You don’t know who I am, my lady." He replied mockingly. "If I was able to pull this off tonight, right under your pathetic husband’s nose... then finding your wretched son won’t be a problem."
The smile on Aurelia’s face vanished instantly.
Dante leaned forward, savoring every bit of her bitter expression.
"In fact, I promise you this—I will kill him before your very eyes and mount his head on a stake for all to see."
He released her roughly.
"But for now, you can rot in the dungeons."
Queen Aurelia collapsed unto the floor and began to weep harder.
Meanwhile, deep within the underground tunnels, Mousack continued running with Star in his arms. The sound of footsteps echoed behind him as he reached a junction where the tunnel split into two paths.
He stopped. The passage leading to the hidden exit was on the left. And those behind them were closing in.
Closing his eyes, Mousack allowed his magical energy to surge through his body. A faint glow surrounded him and Star as the air around them began to tremble. Slowly, his form started to ripple, and a second figure began separating from him... made entirely of magic.
The figure soon took shape, becoming a perfect copy of Mousack, even carrying an identical copy of Star in his arms.
The real Mousack nodded.
The clone nodded back.
Without wasting another second, the real Mousack took the left path and disappeared into the darkness.
The clone remained behind for a brief moment. Then, when it noticed the two women and the soldiers had spotted it, it turned and sprinted down the right tunnel, drawing all of them after it.
When Mousack finally reached the end of the tunnel, a cool breeze greeted him.
Beyond the cave entrance, the sea stretched into the darkness, its waves rolling gently onto the shore.
And just as Queen Aurelia had said, a small boat rested beside the jagged rocks surrounding the mouth of the cave.
Mousack did not stop. His irises glowed with a sharp golden ring, and the boat was immediately wrapped in a gray light.
The magical force lifted it from the shore along with its paddle, causing it to float beside him as he ran toward the water with Star still cradled in his arms.
Within moments, Star was lowered into the boat, and Mousack climbed in after him.
Ignoring the paddle entirely, he raised a hand and chanted in a deep, hurried voice,
"Kinatee Evoluerum."
One moment the boat was sitting still, the next, it shot across the sea with astonishing speed.
Water exploded outward on both sides as the boat sliced through the waves like an arrow. A long trail of white foam stretched behind it while the sea parted before its path, allowing it to glide forward with unnatural swiftness.
Mousack kept his eyes fixed on Nethros as it gradually shrank in the distance.
He shook his head bitterly. A prosperous kingdom that had known peace for generations had just been struck at its very heart.
He knew that with King Ikaris gone and the treacherous Prince Dante taking the throne, a darkness greater than anyone could imagine had fallen upon Nethros and, perhaps, the entire Seven Kingdoms.
No one needed to be told that King Ikaris had been the greatest ruler of his age—a man of dignity, wisdom, and compassion who had guided his people through an era of peace and prosperity while shielding them from the darkness that constantly threatened humanity.
Mousack lowered his head in grief. His heart felt heavy with sorrow and guilt.
He had served the king faithfully for years, yet despite all his power and wisdom, he had been unable to save him when it mattered most.
He had...
Failed.
However, something else was happening.
Something dangerous.
The ring on Star’s finger, which had temporarily stabilized his condition, began to slip loose.
Mousack had been lost in guilt and had forgotten to complete the final binding spell that would permanently seal the monster within Star unless the ring was deliberately removed.
Fortunately, Mousack was no ordinary mage. He noticed it immediately, and at once his irises began to glow.
Automatically, the ring began to push itself back onto Star’s finger.
But it wasn’t very simple.
As Mousack forced the ring inward, the demon within Star pushed it outward with more than equal force, fighting desperately for its freedom.
The cursed vial contained a terrifying demon.
Legend claimed it was the first demon to ever exist, a creature as old as time itself. Since ancient times, it had been a threat to the sacred beast vials passed down through the royal bloodlines.
Even the Crestfold lineage, which possessed the strongest sacred beast vial among the seven kingdoms, had faced its wrath throughout history.
Centuries ago, Derius Crestfold and his Icheon beast were the first to defeat the demon, sealing it within the Pinnacle of Eranok Mountain at the heart of the Deathly Hallows, where its darkness could no longer spread.
But fate had a habit of being cruel.
Mousack knew all of this.
He knew his power was insignificant compared to the monster lurking within Star. Yet he had made a promise. And he intended to fulfill it no matter the cost.
So he fought.
Spell after spell left his lips as he struggled to force the ring into place. But it wasn’t working. The cursed demon was simply too powerful.
The ring continued slipping outward: Slowly, steadily, until—
It shot off Star’s finger with violent a force.
Mousack lunged forward and caught it instantly. Then he rushed to force it back onto Star’s hand. But he was already too late.
Star had transformed once more. His crimson eyes blazed with fury.
Without hesitation, he slammed a massive foot into the boat. The impact shattered its balance and the vessel spun violently through the air as waves exploded beneath it.
Fortunately, they had already neared the shore, therefore, both of them were hurled onto the sand.
Star stood up. His vision blurred, and he shook his head violently to regain his senses.
Before he could understand anything, a thick lasso rope wrapped around him. It coiled around him nearly twenty times, binding him tightly and lifting him into the air.
Star snarled and thrashed violently, but the rope pinned his arms tightly against his body.
His crimson eyes glared maliciously at Elder Mousack, who controlled the rope with a clenched fist while holding the ring in his other hand.
As he approached, he muttered the final spell. Permanently binding the constraining spell to the ring.
He raised the ring toward Star’s finger, but at the last moment, Star shut his eyes and vanished into tiny embers. The rope crumbled to the floor.
Mousack’s eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, a thick, scaly-clawed hand burst through his stomach, blood gushing out like a fountain.
Star had appeared behind him, and without the slightest hesitation, had driven his arm through the old mage’s back. His arm erupted from his stomach, and the ring fell to the ground.
Mousack’s scream tore through the night, as he was effortlessly lifted into the air.
Blood trickled from the corner of his lips as death slowly crept into his eyes.
Yet...
he refused to give up.
With his dying breath, he muttered,
"I, Mousack, Transcended Archmage of Nethros Kingdom, Sorcerer of the First Elites, and a servant of fate, hereby bind you to this ring."
The moment he spoke, the ring spun across the sand. Then, in a crimson blur, it shot onto Star’s finger—the same hand that had pierced Mousack’s stomach.
Star’s roar shook the night. He ripped his arm free, and Mousack collapsed heavily to the ground.
Snarling in pain, Star began reverting to his human form.
However, as he changed back, he angrily clawed his way toward Mousack. The want to kill him blazing clearly in his eyes.
Even though Mousack knew death was near, he did not wish to suffer any further pain.
Weakly, he raised his hand. A bright light shone from his palm, and at once, a spherical white force field enclosed Star.
Mousack weakly
pointed toward the sky, and the force field immediately shot upward, carrying Star with it and disappearing into the darkness above.
Mousack then smiled as his hand fell back to his side.
"May fate be kind to you, young prince," he murmured weakly.
Slowly, his eyes closed.
And then he died.