A dark aura enveloped the three of them for just one second. It was enough for Elian, who had rushed toward Deymon, to be struck by a sudden force and hurled backward. He managed to regain his balance, but his eyes soon turned toward his companion.
"Caelan!"
"Aaaaaah!"
As soon as the aura disappeared, Caelan let out a scream of pain and clutched his head. His eyes had turned completely white, while his body trembled. Inside his own mind, however, the situation was very different. He saw himself slowly falling into a deep sleep, unable to understand what was happening. His memories were beginning to disappear, as if someone were gradually erasing them.
"Where am I?"
"Caelan, what are you doing? Get up! Enrico wants to see your level now that you've reached Circle Three."
Elian's voice echoed before him. When he opened his eyes, Caelan realized he was in a familiar place, with his companion standing in front of him.
"I made it?"
He looked at his own hands, as if he were still trying to understand that achievement. Then, he turned his attention back to Elian. The thought of finally reaching Circle Three made his heart race. Clenching his fists with excitement, he assumed a fighting stance.
"Very well, Elian! I hope you don't regret accepting my challenge."
Caelan couldn't tell, but Elian had no face at all. He was simply standing in front of him, showing no expression or saying another word. That image was a creation of his own mind, a distorted memory trying to fill the gaps left by his disappearing memories.
'The leader and Enrico will be very pleased with my level. I'm sure of it!'
While Caelan believed in his mind that he was about to have a friendly fight with Elian, reality was much darker. His body remained motionless in front of his companion, his expression completely empty. His skin had taken on a dark hue, and purplish veins spread across his face and arms, giving him a frightening appearance.
Elian stared at his friend, unable to hide his concern.
"Caelan... What happened to you?"
He received no answer. Caelan didn't even seem to recognize his voice.
Realizing he wouldn't be able to get any information from him, Elian turned his gaze toward Deymon, who was watching the situation with a sarcastic smile.
"Deymon, you bastard! Explain what you did!"
"I simply did my job. Although, now that I think about it, I believe I'll quite enjoy seeing Enrico's expression when he finds you all dead."
"You..."
Elian couldn't finish his sentence. A jet of extremely sharp water shot toward him, forcing him to quickly dodge to the side. Even so, the attack was fast enough to strike his arm, opening a deep wound.
'Caelan evolved to Circle Three?'
Elian retreated a few steps, trying to understand the sudden change in his companion's power. There was no time to think too much. Enveloping his body in Wind Magic, he rushed forward and appeared behind Deymon, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to attack him from behind.
However, his advance was stopped by a spinning water barrier that appeared around the enemy. The blow was deflected before reaching its target, causing Elian to miss his attack.
"Damn it! Caelan, wake up!"
"He can't hear you. And please, if you're planning to attack someone, come at me."
Velka extended her hand and positioned herself between Elian and Deymon, assuming a fighting stance. Mist began escaping from her fingers and quickly spread through the air. Elian felt the substance beginning to fill his lungs and immediately started coughing.
Without wasting any time, he concentrated Wind Magic inside his own lungs, forcing the mist out of his body before it could cause greater damage.
"Mist Magic: Eight-Armed Beast!"
The mist gathered in front of Velka, taking the shape of a creature Elian had seen before, during the confrontation against Sylvia and Camila. Recognizing the danger, he immediately ran toward one of the houses and leaped onto its roof, summoning his Wind Eagle as he moved.
'I have a type advantage against her, but Deymon and Caelan, who's being controlled, will interfere at any moment...'
As if they had been waiting for precisely that opportunity, the two attacked simultaneously. A water bullet fired by Caelan came from one side, while a sphere of corruption launched by Deymon approached from the other.
"Gah!"
The attacks struck Elian and hurled him against the wall of a building. He managed to recover quickly, but had to abandon his position to escape the Eight-Armed Beast, which was advancing toward him.
The situation was getting worse and worse. In practice, this battle was four against one. Besides Velka and Deymon, he still had to deal with Caelan, who now seemed to possess far greater power than before.
'Damn it, what do I do...? Wait... I've got it!'
An idea came to his mind. Elian pointed upward and sent a mental command to his Wind Eagle. Immediately, the creature began to ascend, moving farther and farther away from the battlefield.
"What is he doing?"
Velka asked, following the bird's movements.
"It doesn't matter! Let's just kill him..."
Deymon couldn't finish his sentence. When the eagle reached approximately twenty meters in height, its body exploded, releasing an enormous shock wave that spread across the sky.
That was the signal Elian had prepared.
Sylvia, Camila, and Liam, who were nearby, immediately noticed the explosion and ran toward it.
When they arrived, they found Elian trying to escape a series of magical attacks while his enemies pressured his position.
'Shit... I can't dodge this one!'
A corrupted hand advanced toward his face. Elian realized he wouldn't be able to escape in time. After sending the signal, Deymon would probably try to eliminate him as quickly as possible, before anyone could arrive.
"Gray Magic: Fire Sparks!"
Small ash particles began spreading around Deymon. The next moment, the sparks ignited, causing an explosion that sent the man flying away.
Elian released the breath he had been holding in his lungs and looked toward his companions, who had finally arrived.
Sylvia was quite surprised by the situation as she approached.
"Why are you fighting Deymon? And why is Caelan in that state?"
"It's simple! Deymon betrayed the academy and is controlling Caelan somehow. We need to find a way to free him!"
The three were surprised by the revelation, but it didn't take them long to understand how serious the situation was. They all reached the same conclusion: they needed to save Caelan from that control and defeat Deymon and Velka.
Sylvia was the first to act. Using her Vine Magic, she created a sword and charged directly at Velka. With a downward swing, she delivered a powerful blow that struck the ground, opening a large gash in its surface and forcing her opponent to retreat, with a few drops of sweat running down her face.
"Mist Beast, attack her!"
Velka tried to use her creature to pressure Sylvia, but a voice came from behind her.
"Sorry, but she's busy."
When Velka turned around, she saw Camila standing in front of her creation. The Eight-Armed Beast was being struck by a series of magical attacks, which exploded across different parts of its mist-made body, completely destabilizing its form.
"As I thought, eliminating him will be difficult... But I'll find a way."
While Camila kept the creature occupied, Elian tried to approach Caelan. However, Deymon quickly stepped in his way, preventing him from passing. His face was covered in dark veins, and his expression showed his irritation at seeing his plan constantly being interrupted.
"If I can eliminate you, my plan will finally be able to begin."
Elian was confused by Deymon's words.
"What do you mean killing me will make your plan work?"
"It's simple. You're the first friends he's ever had, aren't you? If I kill all of you, I'll be quite satisfied."
"You bastard!"
Elian clenched his fists in anger, ready to face Deymon. At the same time, Liam tried to approach Deymon but was stopped by his own friend, who positioned himself in front of him with completely white eyes.
Liam stopped for a moment. He stared at his companion and realized there wasn't the slightest sign of recognition on his face. Even so, he didn't retreat.
"I don't know what happened to you, Caelan, but don't worry..."
Water Magic began escaping from Caelan's body, spreading through the air around them. At the same time, several white feathers, shining like tiny points of light, appeared around Liam.
He raised his only arm and pointed his spear directly at his friend. His eyes were filled with determination.
"I'll do everything I can to save you, my friend!"
Elsewhere, seated on a throne made of bones, Jago watched the various battles taking place throughout Vesparello. With frightening calmness, he followed the progress of his plans while issuing orders to the Nartheis and corrupted humans under his command.
His eyes shifted toward Liam and Caelan's battle. Upon hearing the boy's words, he simply gave a small smile.
'He can try all he wants... But he'll never be able to do it.'