CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: THE SEAL THAT STOLE LIFE

The corridors of this palace felt colder than any night John had ever walked through. The torches along the walls flickered weakly, as if bowing under the weight of the grief in the air. Every servant moved silently. Every guard’s eyes stayed lowered. Even the marble pillars seemed to stand in mourning.

Every step weighed heavier than the last as John followed King Merlin further inside.

It wasn’t just fear for Elsa.

It was something darker - this sense that nothing here was under control.

That something, well beyond human reach, moved around in the darkness.

Merlin halted near the Moonstone Chamber doors, clasping the handle as if holding on to a heart that was breaking. His shoulders quaked before he drew a sharp breath and whirled towards John.

"Before you see her," Merlin whispered, "you must know what you’re about to face."

John nodded, clenching his fists at his sides. "Tell me."

The king swallowed. His voice cracked, raw with sleepless nights and too many tears. "John... her body is healing. Her scratches, her bones—I fixed everything I could. But...

He paused.

And John’s heartbeat stilled.

"But her heart," Merlin said, continuing, "is not working the way it should. It beats... but not of its own volition. Sometimes it slows. Sometimes it all but stops altogether."

John stared at him. "Why? If you healed her—"

"That’s the problem." Merlin pressed a trembling hand to his forehead. "Whenever she tries to regain consciousness, even a little... something pulls her back down. Something that hurts her. Something that drains her. That—that thing—

Merlin’s voice faltered to a whisper.

"—is the Domain seal that magician left inside her spirit."

A cold wave moved through John’s spine.

"A seal?" he repeated. "Inside her?"

Merlyn nodded. "A cruel one. A bond forged during her torture. Every time she tries to come back to her senses, the seal awakens and releases a surge of poisonous energy. It paralyzes her, numbs her body, attacks her heart, and—"

He swallowed hard.

"And pushes her back toward death."

John’s hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. "That bastard... he trapped her even after he left."

Merlin nodded miserably. "Yes. It’s the trick he used. A way to make sure no magician could stabilize her. Every time I healed her... every time her body tried to wake... the seal attacked. Again. And again. And again."

Anger boiled up in John, but beneath it, there was something else. Something he hadn’t realised until now.

"Uncle..." he murmured, "this kind of seal—it shouldn’t work endlessly. Even dark seals need energy. They can’t activate forever without a source.

Merlyn’s head snapped upward.

He stared at John as if seeing him for the first time.

"What did you just say?"

John stepped closer. "A seal inside of someone’s spirit needs energy to awaken time after time. It can’t act infinitely unless it is fueled by something. So. if Elsa’s seal activates time after time, no matter how many times you heal her. it has to be getting the power from somewhere."

Silence fell.

Then Merlin stumbled a step backward, catching at the wall.

"By the gods..." he whispered. "John... you’re right."

Richard, who had been standing behind them quietly, stiffened, eyes widening. "Your Majesty... the seal is feeding off something in the palace."

Merlin pressed a hand to his chest, his breathing shaking. "John... your father trained you well. You see things clearly."

John shook his head. "I just want to understand why she isn’t waking. If we keep healing her, the seal will keep waking too. We’re wasting strength. We need to cut off the seal’s energy first."

Suddenly, Merlin seized John’s shoulders, his voice trembling with hope.

"Yes... yes! That’s it, John! If we stop the energy feeding the seal, it cannot awaken! It will sleep—forever!"

"But how?" John demanded. "How do we block a seal feeding on the palace’s energy?"

Suddenly, the eyes of Merlin brightened. "A magician’s seal can be disabled only by a warrior’s aura."

John blinked. "A warrior?"

"Yes." Merlin’s voice grew steadier, stronger. "A magician seals with magic. But only a warrior—a true warrior—can disrupt that seal by placing a different aura around the victim. You see... your aura, John, is not magical. It comes from your blood. From your lineage."

John’s chest tightened. "From my father."

Merlin nodded. "You are the son of Lord Eric—the most feared warrior of his era. His aura lives inside you. If I build a counter-seal around Elsa’s room using your energy... then the magician’s seal inside her cannot feed on the palace.

Until then, John didn’t know.

"Your plan, then, is... make a seal barrier around Elsa’s chamber, powered by my aura. Then the bad seal inside her will starve. And once it weakens... you can break it."

Once more, Merlin’s eyes shone, this time with hope rather than despair.

"Yes, my boy... exactly."

John touched his chest. "Then use my energy. Use whatever you need. Elsa. she’s my childhood friend. And she’s the future queen of this kingdom. I’d give anything to bring her back."

The lip of Merlin quivered; he wiped his tears away quickly. "You speak like a true warrior, and your father would be proud."

As Merlin bowed to him, John stepped forward swiftly and grasped his shoulders. "No—please. You are a king. Older than me. Don’t bow to me."

Merlin shook his head. "I bow not as a king... but as a father."

John’s heart tightened.

But he compelled himself to refocus. "Let’s go. Now, I want to see Elsa."

Merlin nodded gently. "Prepare yourself. It... will not be easy."

---

The Moonstone Chamber

The doors opened with a soft creak.

Moonlight filtered through the stained glass window, casting pale blue light over the room. Healing herbs burned in silver bowls. Runes glowed faintly across the walls—Merlin’s desperate attempts to keep Elsa stable.

And in the middle of the bed...

Elsa lay perfectly still.

Her hair, once bright and golden, now hung limply about her shoulders. Her lips were pale, her skin cold, her chest rising only by the faintest inch.

It looked as if even breathing hurt her.

John stepped forward slowly.

His throat tightened painfully.

He had seen Elsa angry.

Laughing.

Shouting.

Training.

Running around in the gardens.

Fighting him with wooden swords when they were younger, insisting she’d beat him someday.

But this... this fragile body on a bed...

It didn’t look like her.

Merlin stood beside her, trembling. "Every time she tries to wake... the seal strikes. Her body stiffens. Her heart slows. She suffers... more than any child should."

He moved closer and gently brushed a strand of Elsa’s hair behind her ear. "Elsa... what have they done to you?"

His voice trembled.

He didn’t care if Merlin or Richard saw it; this pain was real.

Merlin placed his hand on John’s shoulder. "We will save her, John. Your aura gives us a real chance."

John nodded, quickly wiping his eyes. "What do I need to do?"

Merlin straightened up. "Stand at the center of the room. I will draw the warrior’s seal circle around Elsa’s chamber. When you release your aura... I will redirect it into the ritual lines. Once the barrier is formed, the seal inside her will starve."

"And after that?" John asked.

Merlin quietly replied, "Then... using your aura, I will break the Domain seal and free her spirit.

John exhaled hard. "Let’s do it."

As Merlin prepared the circle, Richard gathered rare herbs and containers filled with glowing dust. The room filled with the scent of old magic: ancient, powerful, demanding.

John stepped into the center.

He clenched his fists.

Focused.

And felt his warrior aura rise.

A silver glow materialized from his body and swirled like wind caught in firelight.

Merlin stared at him in awe. "Truly... the son of Lord Eric."

The chalk marks in the floor fluttered.

The walls vibrated.

Elsa’s breath caught faintly.

At that, a burning sensation of determination coursed through John’s veins.

"I will save you, Elsa," he whispered, "even if I have to tear the seal apart myself."

Merlin lifted his hands to begin the ritual—

And that was when everything began to shake.

A seal inside Elsa, which felt dangerous, reacted violently.

Her body jerked. Her fingers twitched. Her lips parted as if she was trying to scream— But no sound came. John’s heart stopped. "Merlin!" he yelled. "Turn it on!

Now! The eyes of Merlin blazed with power as he lifted both hands. "Hold on, my daughter... Your nightmare ends tonight."

Things find out really insane. It’s looked something happen now. Confident Merlin admire now he will healed Elsa properly. Other side Young John who is ready for made the sealing wall to stoped the curse one.

They forget about this that the curse seal was give by An A rank magician. Now it’s time they need to do something. Elsa is also magician raise girl but Domain makes her really weak with paralyzed in a loop. But...