Teliko Mageia: Curse of the Frozen Flame

by A. J. Carbonell

  Bit by bit Malevolentia’s wolf body crumbled, as did the magickal stamina of the team. Soon, their attacks became less powerful. “No more time to play… I need to finish it now… Dispersio!” Malevolentia uttered. The wolf roared, knocking everyone back with the power of the roar.

  Everyone went tumbling; their stamina was already nearly depleted. When they hit the ground, Vaan and Draken were knocked unconscious; the intensity of the Dispersio spell left Helena and Reighild temporarily disabled. Jael was violently slammed into a hillside. Only Arcthrel was left standing and he protected Jael with his body as the young man recovered. “No! He is going to use Ginnunggagap!” Jael coughed.

  “W… What?… What is that spell?…” Arcthrel asked, and he caught his breath.

  “Ginnunggagap is a Fate magick from the Falakh, the dragon created by Nyxe. Malevolentia successfully sucked it out from Falakh and now he is the bearer of the Fate magick. Ginnunggagap is much like a black hole, devouring everything until it explodes to oblivion!”

  “We… can’t let him… cast that spell…” Arcthrel slowly replied.

  The wolf once again roared. Malevolentia shouted “Ginnunggagap!” The wolf slowly began to suck everything into its mouth, a massive gaping black maw consuming everything that entered.

  “My queen! We made it in time! The Equinox is fully charged!” Viktor said.

  “Aim at the mouth!” Queen Jeannah exclaimed. “The mouth, my queen?” he asked in confusion.

  “Just do it now! I have no time to explain!” Queen Jeannah replied, stricken with great terror.

  “Yes, my queen! Fire!” Viktor shouted. The Equinox too was no force to be trifled with, crafted with magistreck. Its blast fired towards the mouth of the wolf.

  “Very clever… he used the wolf to protect the Ginnunggagap spell from being destroyed…” Arcthrel looked both impressed and furious. He shouted, “Infierga!”

  “Blazierga!” Jael followed. “Jael, together! Dragon’s Shout!”

  “Dragon’s Breath!” They cast in unison in vain hope to alter the Ginnunggagap.

  As the assault of flames from father and son, Arcthrel and Jael, reached the mouth of the wolf, the Ginnunggagap black hole was set ablaze. “What?!” Malevolentia shouted. “You can’t interfere! Dispersio!” he cast once more. The black hole of Ginnunggagap had started to build up. Both Jael and Arcthrel were thrown away and their flames dissipated instantly. All light suddenly vanished, and the city of Fulbor was devoured by darkness. The Equinox Cannon rose overhead, and the only light was a blinding beam of searing white light from the mouth of the cannon.

  “What’s happening?” Jael wondered.

  The Equinox’s thick magickal beam penetrated it and the head of the wolf exploded. Rapidly, the black hole increased in mass and the body crumbled apart, ripped to shreds and inhaled into the black portal, following its destruction piece by piece.

  “This can’t be! Nothing can destroy Ginnunggagap! I can never be defeated! I am Malevolentia!” Malevolentia screeched, and screamed, a deafening wail filling the air. The black hole exploded, along with Excauhalt and Malevolentia. Suddenly, all darkness was gone. A small beam of light dripped upon them, the dark clouds slowly scattering into the heavens. The sun bestowed upon them strength and confidence and they rejoiced.

  The sun arose from the shadows, breaking free from beneath the dark clouds. Blissful clear light shone upon Fulbor, gentle midday light. “We did it!” Viktor exclaimed.

  The survivors from Fulbor hurried from the control station down to the ruined plains before the city upon which the battle for their survival had taken place. Queen Jeannah rushed down as well, picking her way through the rubble towards Jael and Arcthrel. “How are you feeling? Are you all right?”

  “Heh! Of course, my love! As long as you are here by my side, I will always be all right!” Arcthrel joked, a smug little smirk on his face. The two of them giggled, held hands and Jael grimaced.

  “Oh come on… you met again only days ago. Now the two of you suddenly become a couple again. Huh…” Jael said, sounding a little grossed out. “Sheesh!”

  “That’s rude, Jael! He is your father. I am your mother. We have been a couple from the start,” Queen Jeannah said, feeling giddy.

  “Hey boy, you don’t talk to your mother like that,” Arcthrel uttered, bursting into laughter.

  Helena came to light on the ground beside him and smirked at Jael. She touched his cheek, and said, “What, you mean you don’t like romance?”

  He reddened. “What, no, I–” She leaned in and gave him a sudden passionate kiss. Jael gasped and kissed her back.

  “Oh come on… the two of you are still too young for romance!” Arcthrel said sarcastically.

  “Let them be, Arcthrel,” Queen Jeannah said.

  “Oh, I was just playing with them. Today is too wonderful a day to be too serious!” he replied and hugged her.

  They beamed at each other, holding hands before reluctantly releasing each other, and the queen stepped up for a moment to say a few serious, sobering words. “Many have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the kingdom. Now that this is all over, I would like for us to pay respect for our fallen brethren and seize this opportunity to create a new Bristal…” Queen Jeannah said to the other mages, the survivors gathered around. “I am glad we defeated Malevolentia… and I am glad I got you back, Arcthrel…”

  There was a still moment between the two of them as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Arcthrel’s expression became confused. A sudden jolt shook his body. He looked down to his chest. A magickal spear had stuck him from behind, piercing his heart, and blood ran down from the wound. He gasped and coughed blood.

  “Arcthrel!” Jeannah screamed and ran back towards him, grabbing his shoulders, shouting frantically, eyes teeming with tears. “Arcthrel, stay strong. Look at me! Arcthrel! Look at me! Stay with me! Please don’t leave me again! Arcthrel, Please…”

  “No, no, no, no, no… NOOOOO!” Jael shouted.

  “My… love… my… son…”Arcthrel whispered, and tried to stand on his feet.

  “No, Arcthrel! Don’t speak!” Queen Jeannah said. “I will heal you, my love… please rest and don’t move… please…”

  As Jeannah cast a magickal healing spell upon Arcthrel, a silhouette could be seen descending from the sky. It was not unlike an angel, large wings on its back. A voice was heard, a low grumbling from the heavens. “I never knew you had it in you to push me to my limit, to force me to use this form…”

  “It lives. The demon lives,” Viktor murmured.

  “I commend you for reaching my final form,” Malevolentia uttered, the demon’s voice deep enough to be discordantly uncomfortable.

  Malevolentia was wearing what seemed to be the body armour of a knight. Its helmet had two large horns and resembled the mask that covered the face of Dio. The breastplate bore the emblem of a wolf, and its thick wings, twice the size of its body, burned constantly as though hell itself had spit him back out. His greaves were covered in blades that pointed outwards like spikes, while his gauntlets were thick with magickal circles at the palm. His appearance struck terror into the hearts of the mages, most of whom were completely exhausted, wounded. Their greatest lay mortally wounded in the hands of the queen.

  The Equinox would need days to recharge. If Malevolentia had not been killed with the blast, the kingdom’s fate lay in the hands of the one man with an inkling of strength left to fight. Jael, who snarled in an eerie voice, “You… you dare take away my father from me again? I cannot let you do that…” His clothing began to burn off, his body glowing red, then yellow and white like the hottest heart of the flame.

  Helena shirked back in terror. “Jael? What’s happening?” “Get away from him…” Arcthrel whispered. “It is in our blood line… whenever the descendant of Agnus enters a certain rage… the curse begins…”

  “What curse? What will happen to him?” Jeannah asked with worry, motherly concern misplaced in the face of the
flame winged entity now facing them for a final battle on the ruins of Fulbor.

  “It is the Curse of the Frozen Flame… Agnus’ ultimate spell passed down through our bloodline to all of his descendants… do not fear, my love… if Jael successfully controls this immense spell, he will survive it and defeat Malevolentia.” Jeannah continued to heal him, but still blood poured from the wound, and the Flame Maven groaned in pain.

  On the battlefield, Jael screamed a terrorising shout, emitting immense amounts of flames.

  “You dare challenge me one on one?!” Malevolentia asked heinously, discharging malevolent magick all around him. Violet light glowed from the inside of its helmet and it charged towards Jael. “I shall bury you along with Bristal!” he roared.

  “Blazierga!” Jael shouted, and quickly cast an advanced form of Pillar Flare. Tower Flare.

  Malevolentia was caught by it, startled. “He still has such magick in his body? Impossible!”

  As Jeannah’s healing continued to be ineffective, Arcthrel coughed, frustrated. “My love… don’t bother…”

  “Why? I will heal you! I will do my best!” Jeannah replied in frustration.

  “This spear pierced through me is imbued with death magick. I can feel it… inside of me… it is slowly killing me…” he said.

  “No! Don’t say such a thing!” she exclaimed.

  “My love, I am sorry… I am sorry for not spending more time with you… I love you, Jeannah…” he softly whispered.

  “No, no! Please, Arcthrel, no!” she screamed.

  “Worry not, my love. I shall be with our son. Let me help him in fighting Malevolentia… I shall live inside of him and when you look into our son, you will also see me…” he murmured. “Now please… call Jael…”

  Upon hearing the words of Arcthrel, Reighild without thought of the consequence moved to shield Jael, standing between him and the demon. “Jael, go to your father! He is dying… go to him now! I’ll keep Malevolentia occupied.” The knight had no more strength left for physical combat as Jael quickly went to Arcthrel. “As my redemption, I will stop Malevolentia. I call upon thee, The Tail of the Swallow! Pisces!” he shouted. Reighild constricted Malevolentia’s body with the lightning whips of Pisces and cast lightning upon him. Bolts shocked and convulsed the demonic entity.

  “Father!” Jael cried, falling to his knees at his side.

  “My son… listen very carefully. There was a hidden magick inside of you. Your Blazia and Blazierga has a third phase. Mine is Infierja. The third phase of Infierna and Infierga… I know you can muster it up as you have been unlocking the Curse of the Frozen Flame. You will be needing your third phase in order to cast the ultimate spell given to us by Agnus…” he explained, broken and pained. “Now, in order for you to instantly learn it, I will convert my body and spirit into flames. Consume me, my son. Together, we will defeat Malevolentia once and for all…” He held out his hands to Jael.

  “But father! You can’t die! Not now!” Jael shouted.

  “No my son, I am not going to die… I shall live inside of you. As your flames…” Arcthrel stated in a pale way. “Jeannah, I love you… for eternity…” he said, as flames began to cover his body. “Infusio Floga!”

  As the fiery flames of Arcthrel rose up, Jeannah’s and Jael’s tears poured. The flames of Arcthrel united with Jael, rising through his hands and into his core. He felt something immensely powerful, his magickal abilities instantly improved to astronomical levels. The purity of Arcthrel’s flames constantly circulated his body. His neck twitching, his nerves buzzing and his muscles trembling, even his hair started to turn to flames. A faint voice whispered inside of his head. Do it, my son…

  Jael quickly nodded, understood it was his father who spoke to him. “BLAZIERJA!” Jael shouted. Then a sudden burst of flames emanated from Jael’s body.

  With one final blow, Reighild was struck down by Malevolentia, who pierced his gauntlets through the knight’s right shoulder. “Now show me your true power, Flame mage!” Malevolentia uttered and turned on Jael.

  “Hmph. You shall be eradicated from this world. And after I slay you, I will hunt for your brothers and your mother…” Jael replied with intense conviction.

  Malevolentia instantly dashed and punched Jael from all directions. It appeared a one sided battle. Jael was continuously being hammered to the ground. Malevolentia ascended to the sky and cast the spell Death Bringer, a malevolent magickal spell that produced a spectre which brought death upon all it touched. As Malevolentia cast the Death Bringer spell, the apparition headed for Reighild who lay unconscious on the ground. With a quick boost, Jael cast Rokka and charged towards Malevolentia. “Ha! Whoever touches apparition shall die instantly!”

  From the deepest thoughts of Jael, he instantly mastered spell advancement. Jael opened his mouth, and inside of him brewed a powerful kettle of fire. His eyes emitted flames. He shouted, “Dragon’s Bawl!” A rupture of pure flame stormed towards Malevolentia and decimated the Death Bringer. A flame so pure it could incinerate even pure death itself.

  “This is impossible!” Malevolentia exclaimed, and he was struck with the intense flames.

  Malevolentia crashed to the ground and Jael countered. Jael unceasingly brawled with Malevolentia, different spells, strange spells. Arcthrel’s flames were now knit within Jael’s very being. Without a second thought, he learned and mastered the magickal spells of Arcthrel. Infierga and Blazierga together created an exceedingly powerful pool of flames around him.

  The ground began to crack. The immensity of his flaming aura started to burn off nearby debris. Jael… Now! The faint voice once again whispered within his mind.

  Malevolentia roared and Jael was thrown away by the sonic blast. Malevolentia’s armour fell like scales from its angelic form. Its wings disappeared in plumes of dark smoke, and it appeared, a shapeless dark form shifting before them.

  “This is it. Death will rule in all of Bristal! I shall cast upon thee, the forbidden spell of The Mother… Azrael’s Judgement!” Malevolentia screamed. The land once again was denied of the light from the sun; dreadful mists covered the kingdom, a murky blight quickly spread across the land.

  From the cloud that enveloped Fulbor emerged the Angel of Death, Azrael, descending from the skies.

  “Now, all of Bristal shall crumble!” Malevolentia screeched. “Jael… gather your thoughts and throw them all away. Empty your mind and focus on your objective at hand. Now, I want you to focus on your mark of Cherufe, and focus all your energy to it. And when you feel that Cherufe is about to be summoned, give everything you have and cast Frozen Flame,” Arcthrel’s voice was again heard, clear instructions ringing out inside of Jael’s mind, accompanied with encouragement. “You can do it, Jael…”

  Jael bellowed and emitted massive amounts of flames, all throughout his body. Without hesitation he tapped into nothing but focused only on the Frozen Flame.

  “Wait… I know this! This… This feeling!” Malevolentia sensed fear. “That is Arcthrel’s spell! I must destroy him first before he successfully casts that… Azrael!” Malevolentia shouted.

  Azrael, floating in the heavens in silent judgement, swung his scythe violently. The air halted and the winds died. Silence encompassed the city. Beams of light appeared from the ground, vehemently cracking from different directions. It seemed as though there was a colossal bomb wrought within the very earth itself… and it was explode.

  Jael’s mark glowed bright. He shouted with all his might, “Frozen Flame!”

  Suddenly everything stopped, Cherufe emerging before him. “Child, you have successfully called upon the Frozen Flame… I am the Frozen Flame. I am perpetually frozen inside of you until you are able to thaw the spell and call upon the mighty flames. The mark on your back is a curse which you will forever bear. For I am that curse, but I am here to protect you. You are now granted the title Flame Maven…” Cherufe stated.

  Jael was left speechless and overwhelmed.

  “Now, child, u
se the flames to defeat your enemies…”

  Jael, astonished, cast Blazierja. His flames transformed, white and brimming with passion. “Malevolentia! I will send you back to your mother!” Jael shouted, and mustered up strength. His magickal strength was now equivalent to that of his father’s. With intense rage and anger, he shouted, “DRAGON’S BAWL!” Flames blasted towards Malevolentia.

  “I have failed you… Mother…” Malevolentia uttered as he was devoured by the Frozen Flame. The white light corrupted every bit of the devilish entity, slaying it with its purity. As the demon fell by the Frozen Flame, Azrael halted the destruction and returned to the skies, vanishing into the great above.

  “It has finally ended…” Jael murmured. The flames left him and he fell to his knees, crashing facedown to the ground, unconscious.

  “Jael!” Helena shouted, and ran towards him.

  “It is finally over,” Queen Jeannah uttered, tears streaming down her face. Slowly, the stream of light appeared once again, and the sunlight at last reached the skin of the queen. But it never seemed to reach her eyes. “Let’s go home…” she said. They gathered up the unconscious Jael and Reighild, and all returned to Krimmirr, sobered, to rest.

  Days after the battle at Fulbor, Queen Jeannah gathered the citizens to deliver a speech in Erradia. “Many have fallen, knights who fought for our kingdom, our families, our loved ones, our friends. We may yet to recover from all of our losses but I tell you. Bristal shall regain its former glory! Bristal shall be rebuilt!” Queen Jeannah said.

  The crowds rejoiced and everyone chanted “Bristal! Bristal! Bristal!”

  A few more days passed by. Jael woke, recovered, to see Helena there quietly watching him. “How long was I asleep?”

  “About eight days,” Helena replied.

  “Wow, I still can’t believe we defeated Malevolentia…” “Don’t let it get to your head. Your father was a great mage.