Return of the Fallen Volume 9 Chapter 56
“Damn, I didn’t take his Aura Breath into consideration. How could I have made such a grave mistake.”
Danny turned to Asuna and the others and shook his head.
“I messed up. I didn’t consider Zetrazz would surround the mountain base with his Aura Breath and now, we cannot leave this place.”
The soldiers and Mages felt a cold chill run down their spine. Can’t leave this place, did those words not ring their ultimate doom. Was this not the final nail in the coffin. Their hearts sank and it felt like a heavy stone fell to the pit of their stomachs, yet none shouted or screamed. The hope they had, the magic gate right in front of their eyes that was lit up with bright light suddenly being snuffed out. It hit them all, yet they remained calm. After Danny’s speech, there was fear but it was overshadowed by pride.
They would not collapse to the ground in self-pity. They would not go out as cowards but as loyal subjects and proud soldiers.
The soldiers and Mages alike, all came to the same conclusion now, there was no way out. Eerily calm, they all just decided to sit down. It was a weird atmosphere and with this weird atmosphere, a weird feeling quickly spread throughout the grand hall. The feeling was similar to Danny’s aura suppressing them but this power was obviously not coming from him.
It was like a weight of some kind was all around them but instead of physically pushing them to the ground, there was a terribly uncomfortable feeling coming from deep within. Not the body but instead from the soul.
Everyone looked for the source but they couldn’t quite pinpoint it. King Brian though put two and two together.
“Danny, this feeling right now, is it the Aura Breath you mentioned?”
Danny nodded before explaining.
“The Titan called Zetrazz, this is his doing. He has a power that can directly affect one’s soul. Aura Breath is its name. A technique that combines both magic and aura and is released as a breath. It can directly put pressure on the body of a being and also on the soul of a being but it seems since Zetrazz is fighting his brother, another Titan, using the physical side to pressure Torzz’s body is pointless as he isn’t really a physical creature. This power of his has a great range of effects. From slight discomfort which we all are experiencing now, to suppressing another person’s aura. It can cause a small amount of pain or can make it feel as if you are in the worst of agonies, all the way to the extreme end where he can directly destroy another’s soul. As you all know, once your soul is destroyed, you are no more than a puppet with its strings cut waiting to die.”
Asuna didn’t quite understand how these connected with the gates failing.
“Danny what does that have to do with the gates. We just have to power them and then they should work again right?”
King Brian spoke up before Danny could speak.
“Asuna, have you already forgotten what Garn taught you about magic. Magic is connected with a person’s soul. That weird discomfort you are feeling now inside, try for yourself and see. Even now, I am trying to use my scepter but I can’t seem to draw any energy from my Mage core.”
Asuna quickly tried to control a small amount of space element around her but she was shocked to find that her magic did not respond to her will or thoughts. This alarmed her greatly. Being without magic, she felt almost naked and unguarded. Not just her, all-around many Mages’ eyes widened in absolute shock.
To Asuna who had only been using magic for a few years, it was already alarming but to these Mages who had magic nearly all of their lives, to suddenly be without, was a terrifying feeling, to say the least. This was the final straw for some. A few began to hyperventilate while others simply curled up in the fetal position and began to cry. The pride they had from Danny’s speech, from their loyalty to the king to their duty as a soldier, all of it fell away, crumbling along with their egos and anything else tied to their identities.
“Zetrazz is in no mood it seems. Whatever is happening outside, it looks like it’s getting serious.”
“Danny how can that be. Are you telling me up until now, they weren’t serious?”
Asuna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“It’s true. Just sense the world around us. That dome of theirs is proof. I’ve learned many new things traveling with Kazuki. Apparently, this world is some legacy, left behind by another and there is a powerful Titan called Detra who watches over it. If the world is in danger of becoming destroyed, she will personally step in and handle it. The fact that Zetrazz and Torzz placed a dome of their own power around this area means that the world around them won’t be destroyed as they fight and they can go all out. Not only that, Zetrazz is using Aura Breath for the creation of the dome and not just plain dark energy. It means he’s actively trying to suppress his brother’s soul and gain the advantage, that is why I say things are getting serious.”
“So what do we do now, we can’t just give up. Even if we can’t use our power, we can still do something right. You have a plan right Danny?”
Danny went quiet.
“Danny, answer me, you have some other idea or plan or something we can do. We can’t just sit here, waiting around to die. So talk already, what do we do next?”
Danny didn’t have an answer. Looking at the options, there was very little they could do. The fact that his soul was being suppressed very little by Zetrezz’s aura breath and he was already having a difficult time controlling his body was already putting him in a bind. If things took a turn and Zetrezz increased his suppression over this mountain base, Danny was unsure of the outcome but his theories left a bad aftertaste. One such outcome he hoped would not happen was him losing complete control over his body. After all, Danny moved his metal frame by using his aura, and aura and soul were connected. If he couldn’t move his body, how could he protect his friends? This was something he feared. The other outcome he didn’t wish to see was absolute suppression. He didn’t know if that would lead to his Magic core being suppressed fully. His soul was attached to the Magic core in his chest if it was suppressed to a point where his consciousness faded or his soul was destroyed…That was not something he liked to think about but the thought sat in the back of his mind nonetheless.
“Asuna, I…I don’t know.”
Asuna found this hard to believe. The Danny she knew was incredibly smart and always thought 2-3 steps ahead. For him to have nothing, was shocking.
“What do you mean you don’t know!? This is not what Danny would say. After dying did you become soft in the head. I know you have something in there just tell us!”
Danny went quiet once again. He didn’t care for the insults but he knew Asuna was just upset and didn’t take it personally. Still, to her words, he could not come up with anything and couldn’t help but think of Kazuki.
(What would Kazuki do? Back to the wall, no way out, not all of my magic but most of it is being suppressed. What can I do? How can we leave this prison and live?)
Danny’s thoughts ran a million miles an hour but he could come up with nothing useful. Asuna on the other hand sat in a now unbearable silence, the only thing to be heard was the sad weeping from a few Mages in the background.
“Fine, if it’s too difficult to come up with anything on your own then we’ll all just have to do it together.”
Asuna looked over the crowd and called out loudly.
“We can’t give up just yet. Even if we can’t teleport there has to be another way. If anyone has a plan or idea, I’ll listen. We have to figure this out, we can’t abandon hope, not yet!”
…
Silence remained.
Looking at the faces of the people in the crowd, Asuna saw no more hope. Some were pale and terrified but most had simply accepted their fate. There was no burning will of fire in their eyes, only resignation to whatever comes.
Asuna then looked at SHaila and the others but even they had no clue. Shaila was clever but she was not one for planning. Tozu and Sasai were never idea guys in te first place. Looking at them was pointless. Asuna could see they had nothing just like her and she became disheartened knowing this. Danny only added more cold water on top of everything else.
“Asuna, we can not leave here. Going outside in that chaos is death and not only that, even if we could somehow survive two Titans’ clashing, you are forgetting one major detail. That dome of theirs contains the powers of not one Titan but two. There is none here who can destroy it and pass through to the other side unharmed. Our best chance is to stay here and wait it out.”
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