For a moment, Savayna paused. She didn’t know white magicks that well. She didn’t study magick as extensively as Nadeline did. She didn’t carry around a giant tome that housed information about everyone and everything to exist in Ivalice, so the form that Nadeline took was foreign to her. However, right as she began that incantation, she realized just what the blonde was doing. The problem with it was that she realized it a second too late.
Savayna started mumbling and as her Mist would focus into her hand and she would thrust it forward, it would appear she was intending to shoot a wave of blizzaja straight for Nadeline and Grant. That was a spell powerful enough to freeze anyone at absolute zero temperatures. However, just as her mouth had opened, no doubt to speak the single word necessary to cast that spell, Nadeline beat her to the punch. Suddenly, as a glyph appeared before her, Savayna was stuck. The Ice Queen was now the one who was frozen.
And boy did she feel every inch of her body writhe as the powerful spell began to affect every hair on her body and attacking her at every possible angle that it could. She struggled, finding herself only able to move within the glyph. Each time she would be able to bang on the forcefield that had surrounded her, the agony of the spell would increase twice of what it was before. And each time Savayna would move an inch, it would increase even more. No matter what she tried and no matter what little room she was allowed to move, none of it worked.
After moments of fighting it, Savayna’s energy had been drained to such a level that she could only stand where she was, still as water as...something happened to her. She shrieked louder than she had before. And after a while, the shrieking went from being human to her tone becoming twisted. It also got to the point where it was no longer feminine. No longer the tone that Savayna normally had. Instead, it seemed to have sounded almost nonhuman - demonic even.
“What..is happening?” Shinto asked. He, along with everyone else, was witnessing a literal demonic exorcism. He just couldn’t believe it. And more to the point, what exactly was in Savayna that was causing this to happen.
What strength it must’ve taken Nadeline to keep it up. As she would, the results of her hard work would finally be seen. Savayna’s skin would see its natural color once more and the dark blue and green smoke rise from Savayna’s body. It was like an evil shadow of some sort as. The longer the spell remained active the more apparent it became that something lingered inside Savayna - something that wasn’t quite human. This shadow looked - and more importantly felt - like something oddly familar. The shadow that was expelled seemed to loiter around in the air was making the same demonic sounds that Savayna herself was making at the start of it.
It was pure black. Shapeless. It had eyes all over its body that ranged from jade green to sapphire blue to even a deep red garnet. It blinked and looked at everyone. And for a moment, it seemed to contemplate its options. But as that moment faded, so did the mystery of what it was planning to do.
This black demonic creature had started to swirl around everyone, trapping them inside a gathering whirlpool of blackness. Though it started out small and only one inch thick, it would soon be the height of five feet and trapping the group of Humes inside its claws. In that, the black creature began to show its true form. The black color would fade into various hues of orange and yellow, its shape starting to reveal itself.
“There..in the shadow. You see it?” Shinto pointed out, looking closely. It was going too quick, so Shinto would try to make it slow down more. “Slowga,” he said. A glyph of a counterclockwise clock appeared over the gathering typhoon of mist and it would slow its movements just enough for Shinto make it out. When he finally saw, he almost lost his thought at what - or rather, whom - he saw.
With all that he could, Shinto extended his arm out and jerked it back. Using his prowess of the technik of Telekinesis, he forced that creature that had trapped Grant, Nadeline, and the now-unconscious Savayna inside its clutches out and coming towards the others. With one last good measure, his other hand - which was glowing a wicked gold - created chains of a similar shade, laced with the same cleanse-like magick he used to help Lorenzo heal Lannit. In this case, he reverse engineered it to cleanse this creature of the blackness that concealed its identity.
Once it was brought to the ground, chained and unable to escape, the black smoke Mist would fade. Slowly but surely, its face would be revealed. Though Shinto had ideas on who it was, he was surprised. And a bit confused. He was sure he knew who it is.
“I was sure it was Halmarut,” Shinto sounded almost disappointed.
The man simply laughed. He had a dark mane that was nearly as black as the shadow that once cloaked him. Eyes like two garnet stones and his skin was a medium tan shade and slightly wrinkled but not too much. It showed age but also still some youth. He had a weird, almost-animated tattoo that ran from his shoulder along the side of his face that broke into two branches of sorts that stopped at his eyes and continuously flashed red as his eyes would sparkle of the same shade.
He looked around, seeing all of the intrigued faces. He then returned a gaze to Shinto as he simply chuckled “You’re obviously one who has done his research. But, I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything less from a student of the great and wise Blue Rose.” As he would speak, his eyes went to Shion, “I see his mark is well on its way to corrupting your soil. Perhaps a week if you don’t use any magick - three days if you do.” Then, finally, his eyes went to the Archadian Prince in which was being guarded by a wary, protective Lorenzo. It was as if it was a father protecting his son. Or uncle protecting his nephew..“As for him..” He closed his eyes and smiled. “Not the time, huh? Very well.”
“What?” Shinto asked, feeling way out of the loop.
“Oh, you’ll find out soon--”
Before he could even say anything, down from the sky came a pale green shadow, As its feet would crash to the ground, an aftershock of mist was created, sending most of everyone back about five paces. Inside the pale green shadow, a form was revealed. First, the bare feet of sickly fleshy green and slowly, as smoke cleared, more of the form was revealed. It would eventually clear and as did the mystery of whom it was. Multiple arms and a cloak of simple beige and a giant tome in two of its hands.
“You’re late.” The man in chains said.
“I figured I’d let you have your fun.” The all-too familiar voice said, looking around. He seemed pleased with what happened here.
“Zodiark!” Shinto yelled, attempting to rush forward. He was murmuring incantations. But he was too late, for Zodiark was ten steps ahead of him.
As his multiple arms gripped just about everyone who was near: Shinto, Shion, Grant, Savayna, Nadeline, and Lorenzo, the tome would float and surround them all in transparent magick. Before any of them would realize what happened, they would be forced five feet back, wrapped in the same chains that Shinto had created before.
After he had done that simple act, he was over the unconscious Jaakuna. He knelt down to the blond, smiling down at him. “]You continue to impress me, Jackson. You may be ready for it now.”
Zodiark’s left upper-arm touched Jaakuna’s face. Almost instantaneously, Jaakuna’s eyes opened up, and he sat upright.. “SAVAYNA NO! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE—” Just as Jaakuna had said that, he was gone, sucked into a vacuum of space-time magick.
Zodiark stood up and looked at everyone who was no doubt fearing what the almighty Zodiark was planning. “]Rest easy, Humes and Viera. The cradle will rock once again and all of its filth shall be cleansed.” Zodiark would form a portal behind him, “]Blue Rose, if you truly wish to make amends to these Humes, come to my Sky Fortress. Bring them if you wish, but know that if you’re not here within the next sunrise, The Time Scion and The Prodigal Sun will meet fates worse than death. This I can promise you.”
