Chapter 359: Terrible Price
A quiet hush fell over the tower as every soul within shuddered at once. The crystal focus beneath my hand let out a high-pitched whine and began to vibrate violently, glowing brighter and brighter as the supercharged Dispel Magic ravaged the delicate runes and circles maintaining the curse.
And then it shattered.
The room rocked from the shockwave, tiny knives of crystal shrapnel flying in all directions. The Blade Ward kept them from my hand, but I still stumbled back, looking up in awe as the golden chains binding the Shard shook. Black, jagged cracks ran through the polished metal, and link by link, it began to break. Gold rained from the sky in flecks and fragments, peppering the ground and the spell collapsed in on itself.
The crystal hummed as thousands of black threads snapped at once, seeming relieved to be free of the burden. It brightened momentarily as the mana it was mustering no longer had anywhere to go, but quickly dispersed it.
As the Shard dimmed, my strength followed and my legs buckled. Fable was at my side in a flash of silver, and I draped an arm around his neck, holding myself up. I let the Oracle of Eternity slip away from me, feeling no small amount of reluctance as the stars faded and left me in the normal, mundane world again.
The clatter of steel rang loud in the silence, and I looked up to see the soldier closest to me staring at his empty hand, his dropped sword on the stone underfoot. His face grew pale and tears gathered in his eyes as he slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.
"What have I done?" he whispered brokenly.
He wasn’t alone. Soldiers of the Last Light Company staggered in shock as the curse left their souls, their eyes growing wide and haunted. The fighting stopped at once as my companions dismissed their spells and auras, letting the soldiers come to terms with their freedom.
"That was...unexpected."
Alverin’s silky voice brought tension back to my shoulders, and I drew myself up to my full height. My body was weak and trembling from handling so much mana at once, but I’d managed to cut the spell before it did any harm. As long as no one told Elinore, I would be just fine. Probably.
"It’s over, Alverin," Bethiv said, striding toward the king. He lifted his sword, and by the feral look in his eye, ending things peacefully was far from his mind.