STAGE THIRTEEN: Freyja Lenfiare Leafen

"Astrid is human?" Kirin was expecting a dragon-like monster, but instead found a lean young man who appears to be in his late twenties.

Alaric used a spell to unfreeze him, but it didn't work. There isn't a single crystal of ice melted, much to his disappointment. Kirin too, materialized his black blade. With a very strong strike, he slashed the ice... but failed to make even a single scratch. The two of them simultaneously attacked the Ice pillar, but their efforts are completely useless.

"Let me do it." Freyja said, touching her forehead onto the pillar's surface. She closed her eyes, and imagined all her energy concentrated in her forehead. Just like what happened to the inscriptions on the wall, the pillar immediately reacted. The inside of the pillar started to glow little by little. Kirin and Alaric could only stare as the pillar started sucking Freyja's aura out. Slowly, a faint wing-like insignia started to form on Astrid's chest. "I can't believe this..." Alaric fell onto his knees.

They thought everything is going smoothly, but they were wrong. Both Kirin and Alaric suddenly felt a strange, sinister aura starting to leak from the ice pillar. And, it's not white aura. Instead, it very much resembles Kirin's.

"Freyja stand back!" Kirin felt a surge of ominous aura from inside Astrid's frozen cage. But Freyja couldn't hear him. Pitch black aura started to gush out of the ice prison! The air inside the cave grew colder and the ground began to shake violently! Kirin rushed to get Freyja, but she subconsciously erected a barrier, isolating her and Astrid from the rest of them. Seeing that Freyja is somehow safe and protected by a barrier, Kirin ran to Alaric, who pierced his staff onto the ground and conjured a rune barrier that protected them from the falling rocks from the cave's ceiling.

The ominous dark aura started clumping together, forming a serpent like shadow. Little by little, the shadow materialized. Not for long, right before their eyes is a monster they have never ever seen before: A gigantic black serpent guarding, with thick black scales and sharp-as-blade thorns on its long tail. The ground shook harder and harder as the monster's tail pounded the ground like a giant hammer.

The monster whipped his tail at Alaric's barrier, shattering his spell in an instant. The young rune master was sent flying against a cave wall while Kirin managed to roll and cushion the force. Freyja is still in a trance, her white aura continuously flowing to Astrid.

Kirin materialized his aura sword and charged at monster head on. With his best agility, he slashed off its tail into pieces before jumping to its front, piercing his sword right through the monster's eye. The serpent fell down.

"You did it Kirin!" Alaric ran to the heavily sweating Kirin, but was told to stand back. "It's still alive!" Once again, he slashed the monster's body into smaller pieces. But it just kept on clumping together and reforming. Kirin could damage the body, but not the aura that keeps it alive.

The monster's fast movements made it hard for Kirin to deliver his strongest attacks. But Kirin had no choice but to keep on going. The serpent's tail came rushing from behind Kirin. It's too fast, that Kirin could only minimize the damage. His left thigh, despite covered in his black aura, started bleeding. The monster's tail still stuck in his flesh. "This thing is strong..." Kirin cursed, forcing himself to stand.

"FREEZE!" Alaric froze the monster's tail, but all it could do is to slow its attack down.

They never expected the monster guarding Astrid, to be this strong. Insanely strong that they all knew a miracle has to happen for them to defeat it. They looked at Freyja, hoping she can do something. But she's still isn't aware of what's happening to them. Interestingly enough, the monster doesn't seem to target her at all. Kirin had an idea. "Alaric! Use Freyja as a shield! It can't attack her and Astrid!"

Kirin materialized his dark aura sword again, before charging straight at the monster one more time. He slashed its eye, agitating it even more. When it tried to run after him, he ran towards Freyja and hid behind her. The monster's attack stopped just before it could hit Freyja's white aura barrier. Using this chance, Alaric used his most powerful freezing spell. Blades of ice emerged from the ground, holding the monster down. Pushing himself even harder, Alaric summoned another of his strongest freezing spells to completely freeze the monster's body. He succeeded. "Kirin! Finish him!" Alaric fell onto his knees, energy drained.

Kirin made his aura sword twice longer, twice bigger, and far sharper. He almost used all of his aura for this attack. Kirin jumped over the serpent monster and with his dark aura blade, slashed the monster into two, into four, into as many tiny frozen pieces he could. Not for long, Kirin too, fell onto his knees, catching his breath. His dark sword vanished.

"I..." He said between breaths, "I can't feel its energy.... lumping... again." Alaric sighed in relief. "We still have one problem." Freyja is still in a trance, the barrier around them is still there, but the ice around Astrid started melting.

The cold air grew warmer and warmer as Astrid's pale flesh is exposed. Soon, they can no longer tell they're in Mount Tristiss.

Freyja opened her eyes, finally. The ice pillar is gone, but her white aura continued to escape her body. In front of her is a man with pale skin and long silver hair, standing. He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of bright crimson orbs. She gazed at him, feeling heavy nostalgia.

"Freyja Lenfiare Leafen" Astrid's spoke, in a deep, cold, almost monotonic voice, his face is completely devoid of emotion. He closed his eyes again, and his entire body dissolved into pure white aura. The aura enveloped Freyja's entire body, until she fainted and fell down the ground. The aura vanished completely, without a trace, and her leaking white aura too, disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Kirin tried to wake her up, but she's in a deep sleep. "Hey Freyja! Hey!" Her companions are at a loss. Astrid disappeared, and though she doesn't seem to be in danger, Freyja won't wake up.

Kirin is convinced that all the bad luck in the world has come to them. Just as when they finally managed to stop the serpent monster, the least person he wanted to see appeared.

"Amazing! To be honest I never thought it actually exists. Father's obsession is for a reason, now I understand!" Ahrin Aethelmaer's voice echoed around the cave's secret room. "Thank you for taking care of that monster. Now, hand Astrid and the girl over."

Trembling in frustration, Kirin held the unconscious Freyja in his arms tightly.

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