CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: POWER COST

The chamber was trembling again—not with danger this time, but with the unbearable pressure of power being forced into a narrow path. The ritual circle beneath them flickered bright white, its symbols spiraling like living stars. Raviel was already drenched in sweat, his fingers forming rapid sealing signs, his aura turning sharp and dense like compressed wind.

Akumo’s voice thundered through the chamber.

"This is my final move. We can still do it."

Raviel didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t. His lord’s tone was not a suggestion—it was fate being spoken aloud.

He slammed both palms against the floor.

"SEAL—FULL RELEASE!"

A roar of spiritual energy erupted from Raviel’s hands, forming a dense, shimmering barrier that wrapped around the wild aura floating between Akumo and Richard. For the first time in minutes, the unstable mass of white spirit-light stopped thrashing and settled—contained, locked in place.

Raviel gasped. "I—I caught it. But I can’t hold it long, Lord Akumo!"

Akumo stepped forward, his ancient, death-born power swirling around him like a dark hurricane. His shadow loomed over the captured aura.

"Hold it long enough."

His hands pressed against the glowing mass.

"Because now... I push."

A shockwave blasted outward. Even Raviel slid backward on the stone floor.

Richard—still unconscious, still cracked like a fragile sculpture—lay only a few feet away.

The aura moved.

Slowly.

Painfully.

Inches at a time.

Raviel clenched his teeth. "It’s working! It’s moving toward him!"

Akumo growled, pouring every fragment of strength from his divided soul into the push.

The glowing spirit mass drifted closer—now only the width of a finger away from touching Richard’s chest.

"Just a little more!" Raviel shouted.

The aura trembled, resisting, then—

Raviel thrust both hands forward, releasing the last surge of sealing power.

FWOOOOM!

The aura shot forward like a comet, slamming straight into Richard’s body.

A blinding explosion of white light swallowed the chamber.

The walls shook.

The air screamed.

And for a moment—there was only silence.

---

Richard Awakens

Richard’s eyes snapped open.

He sucked in a breath like a drowning man breaking through the surface of water. His body jerked violently, and every muscle shook as the new spirit force rushed inside him.

His voice broke into a painful, sharp gasp.

"A—ah...!!"

Akumo immediately stepped closer. "He’s awake. Raviel—check the stabilization!"

But Raviel didn’t answer.

He was staring at Richard with horror.

"Lord Akumo..." his voice trembled. "His—his cells. They’re... breaking."

A soft sound echoed—a faint crack... crack... crack—as thin fractures of light began spreading across Richard’s chest and shoulders. Every breath he took widened them.

Richard’s body was rejecting the massive aura.

"No..." Richard whispered, realizing what was happening. "No, I— I can’t—stop it—my body—"

Raviel grabbed Akumo’s arm. "We must stop the ritual! If this continues, he’ll disintegrate completely—beyond recovery!"

Richard collapsed onto his knees, hands digging into the floor. The cracks crawled up his neck and down his arms. He felt himself fading—like his soul was dissolving.

"Akumo... help—" Richard gasped.

Akumo’s expression hardened.

It wasn’t fear.

It wasn’t shock.

It was the look of a man who already knew the truth.

"Raviel," he said quietly.

"It’s time."

Raviel froze. "Time... for what?"

Akumo stared at Richard—the boy he had revived, taught, tested, and in a strange way... protected.

"The time for sacrifice."

Raviel’s eyes widened. "No—Lord, you can’t mean—"

"I do," Akumo said simply. "There is no other way."

---

The Cost Revealed

Richard lifted his head, struggling to speak through the pain.

"Sacrifice...? What do you mean...?"

Akumo knelt in front of him, placing a hand over the center of Richard’s cracking chest. A soft black glow spread from his palm.

"Richard, listen," he said, voice lower than ever before. "Your body is breaking because the aura is too powerful for you alone."

Richard coughed, the cracks widening. "Then—take it back—remove it—"

"That would kill you instantly," Akumo replied.

Raviel stepped forward desperately. "Lord Akumo, don’t do this. Using your own life force—your primal essence—if you sacrifice even a piece of it—your already fragile form could—"

"Could what?" Akumo snapped. "Kill me?"

Silence.

Raviel lowered his head.

Akumo continued, softer:

"I have lived more than three hundred years. I do not fear losing parts of myself... not if it means saving the one I chose."

Richard stared at him.

He didn’t understand everything.

But he understood one thing:

Akumo was about to give up something he would never get back.

"Why...?" Richard whispered. "Why do that for me?"

Akumo smiled faintly.

"Because I believe in you, idiot."

Richard’s heart twisted at those words.

Raviel breathed shakily. "Lord... please think again. If you perform this sacrifice, your spirit might never return to full form. You may never reach your prime—"

Akumo rose to his feet, shadows swirling around him.

"My prime is useless if my chosen vessel dies."

He placed his other hand on Richard’s forehead.

The chamber darkened.

The symbols pulsed.

Even the air grew heavier.

Akumo’s voice echoed like a command to the world itself:

"Prepare yourself, Richard. To stabilize your body... I must give you what none has ever received."

Raviel stepped back in fear.

"Lord—don’t—if you give him that—"

Akumo ignored him.

Richard’s eyes widened.

"What are you going to give me...?"

Akumo whispered:

"A piece of my eternal core."

Raviel gasped. "L-Lord Akumo! That’s madness! If you break the core—your immortality—your remaining centuries—!"

But Akumo’s decision was already sealed.

He placed both hands on Richard’s body.

The chamber erupted in a cyclone of dark and white aura.

Richard screamed—the light inside him clashing violently with the darkness Akumo controlled. The cracks on his body pulsed faster, brighter, threatening to explode completely.

Raviel covered his face from the violent blast.

"Lord Akumo—STOP! You’ll both die at this rate!"

But Akumo didn’t stop.

His voice thundered through the storm:

"Hold on, Richard! Take it—accept it—before your body shatters!"

Richard grit his teeth, trying—fighting—to contain the impossible force ripping through him.

But he could barely breathe.

"I—can’t—!!"

"Yes you can!" Akumo roared. "You must!"

Richard screamed again as the aura surged like a hurricane through every cell in his body.

The cracks glowed—

—then flickered—

—then froze.

Akumo’s eyes widened with shock.

Raviel whispered:

"...it’s stabilizing."

The violent aura slowly sank into Richard’s body, sealing the fractures one by one.

The chamber finally stopped shaking.

Richard collapsed, panting, but alive—barely.

Raviel dropped to his knees in relief. "We... we did it."

But Akumo didn’t answer.

He was swaying.

His hands trembled.

Half his aura was fading into smoke.

"Lord Akumo—!" Raviel shouted.

Richard looked up in horror.

"A—Akumo...!? What’s happening to you!?"

Akumo smiled weakly.

"The... price."

His body flickered like a dying flame.

Raviel reached out. "Your core—it’s collapsing! You gave too much—!"

"I know," Akumo whispered.

He looked at Richard one last time.

"Remember, boy... power always demands something in return."

His aura wavered, turning transparent—

Other side of story-

Everyone ot jungle walking

But behind him followed Kael, Fenrick, and the remaining guards, all watching him with worried eyes.

"John," Kael murmured, stepping closer to the anxious prince. "You’re breathing too fast again."

"I’m fine," John said sharply, though his fingers trembled on the reins.

Fenrick exchanged a look with Kael. Then he placed a heavy, steadying hand on John’s shoulder. "No, you’re not. And that’s normal. But panicking will only slow us down."

John swallowed hard. His chest tightened. "She’s out there—injured—or worse. You expect me to be calm?"

"No," Fenrick replied softly, "I expect you to stay strong. That’s different."

Kael nodded, voice low and firm. "We will find Princess Elsa. Every clue, every trail—we’ll follow them. But first, we reach her palace. That’s where answers begin."

John clenched his fists, forcing the panic down his throat like poison. He nodded, though his eyes still burned with fear.

They continued forward, the jungle thinning as the land opened into rolling hills. The wind carried the smell of dust... and something else. Something urgent.

A figure appeared in the distance—stumbling, half-running, half-dragged by exhaustion. His armor was dented; blood crusted down his neck. One of John’s guards stiffened.

"That... that’s one of our palace riders!"

John froze. "Rider! Over here!"

The man nearly collapsed as he reached them, dropping to one knee. He gasped for breath, clutching his side.

"P-Prince John... thank the heavens I found you."

"What happened!?" John demanded, stepping forward. "Is it Elsa? Do you know where she is?"

The rider’s eyes shifted with guilt and fear. "Your Highness... we received a message from Princess Elsa’s palace. They reported... they reported that the princess is missing."

The world stopped.

John’s heartbeat slammed in his ears. "Missing?! She was taken? Kidnapped?"

The rider shook his head desperately. "I—I don’t know, my prince. All the messenger said was that she disappeared after the battle. No one saw where the magician dragged her... or if she escaped... or if—"

Kael took a step closer, eyes narrowed. "Who sent this message?"

"King Merlin," the rider replied. "He sent it directly to King Eric. He wanted you informed immediately. I rode here without rest."

Fenrick inhaled sharply. "If Merlin personally sent it... then the situation is truly dire."

John’s vision blurred with rage and fear. "I should have been there... I should have protected her...!"

Kael grabbed his shoulders. "You will protect her. But only if you don’t break now."

The rider continued, voice trembling, "No one knows where Princess Elsa is... no one..."

John’s breath hitched.

"No," the rider whispered, "not even King Merlin knows where she is now."

And the road ahead suddenly felt darker than ever.