BATTLE OF THE MINDS

Damien saw the chaos at the edge of the camp. Knights stationed at the front where fighting the mind controlled ones. But he noticed that there was a certain area where if anyone enters it, they would be controlled too. He studied the knights and in what particular area would they start acting strange.

Minutes passed, and he saw the incoming knights brought by General Hiro. He willed himself to think faster, and in no time, he identified the line that marked the edge of his former Chief's power.

He then spread his power to reach the knights. He knew he couldn't fight against the greatest mind control magician in Aenario, but he has to at least try and take back some of their knights.

He watched as Denaire's dragon flew up to the sky, before releasing his magic towards the knights.

As soon as he reached that invisible wall, he was met by an extremely powerful force. He was pushed back, but he gritted his teeth and bore it all. Everyone's safety depends on him now. If more and more knights are succumbed in their control, he couldn't imagine the consequences.

And so, he pushed once again. He pushed and pushed until he could reach a knight. When his magic grasped the knight's mind, he was met with yet another extremely powerful force. He endured and pushed with all his might. He felt blood trickling down from his nose. From the way he was doing, it would be a miracle if he could revive two more knights.

He shook his head to dispel the negative things running through his mind. He thought of the people fighting for his people, for him. He thought of Denaire, who was not yet fully recovered but is now charging towards the enemy lines.

He gritted his teeth and willed himself to push more – for his family and friends and for his beloved Oniro.

He pushed that magic wall head on, but whatever he did, the wall would not budge. He stopped and took a deep breath. He remembered the necklace Denaire had worn when he tried to control her. He felt its magic; it felt for something that enabled it to penetrate the mind undetected.

It found a weakness. Yes a weakness! His weakness was his family, and the magic latched onto it, thereby accessing his mind but without detection. It was a smooth and deceptive magic. But what he needed to do was to destroy completely that wall and shoo away the one controlling it.

He couldn't think of something but settled on just punching it. So he gave it a try. He sought again a knight and tested his theory. When he was then again face to face with the wall, he tried to think of what could possibly be the weakness of the knight. But he was met with another dilemma – he didn't know what it is! Added to the fact that he didn't know who the knight was, how could he possibly know his weakness!

He remembered the magic from Denaire's necklace. It asked him to give something important to him, something very close to his heart. And his mind gave him an image of his family in just a heartbeat. Hmmm

He gave it a try. He asked the mind hidden behind the wall, "What do you love the most?"

And what shocked him was that an image of a house and an old, sick woman lying on a bed came to his mind. He pushed that image to the wall. And lo and behold, the wall started crumbling. He felt the tendrils of the chief's magic holding on for something to remain lodged on the knight's mind, but Damien pushed another image of the woman caressing the knight's cheek.

The last tendrils of magic left the knight's mind and Damien seized control immediately. He soothed the knight's mind and instructed him about that wall. He said that within that invisible wall he pictured was the safe zone. He instructed that whenever someone was free of the control, immediately pull them behind it.

And so Damien continued searching for the knights that were controlled, a happy smile evident on his red and bloodied face.

***

On the opposite side of the camp, a middle-aged man was smiling and laughing maniacally as he witnessed how his student overcame his powerful magic.

"You think that pathetic magic can defeat me?! You are wrong! I'll show you what I can do!"

He spread his hands and released another barrage of his magic, one that was three times stronger than the one he used earlier. His magic shot out towards the knights who were behind that last reach of his magic. He grinned evilly as he saw tendrils of magic reaching the knights.

But before he could reach them, he was met by a fiery shield. He was shocked; his mind was left blank of the abrupt appearance of the shield. It was the first time his magic was blocked; no one in all of his life could block his magic. This was new to him.

He stood up, dazed. He tried again to release his magic, one stronger than the previous. But as soon as he reached that wall, his magic would immediately disperse and disappear. Whatever he does, the wall would never budge.

He looked for the source of it, and saw Denaire sitting on top of her dragon, smiling mockingly at him behind the impenetrable wall.