43 Interlude: Helena

Helena gives another half-hearted tug at the chains binding her but she knows they won't relent.

No, if she wanted to be free she should have avoided them in the first place.

It comes as no surprise that the mages would seek to restrain her even after her surrender.

Still when she allowed herself to be chained she didn't expect to feel what she's feeling now.

The moment she felt Kent's control snap she knew she'd made the wrong decision.

Her only comfort is that Eri knows it too.

"He's a mage?"

The shock in Eri's voice is satisfying.

It's so rare to catch her off guard.

Helena frowns as the chains holding her go slack.

"A high-level mage that you pissed off."

She frowns when the mages try to conjure up some magic only to fail.

"Deeply, by the looks of things. What were you trying to do?"

Eri doesn't answer.

It's not like any response she could give would make a difference.

A very enraged high-level mage was making his way towards them with probably every intention to kill, after all.

Helena watches as it slowly dawns on the mages that they are completely cut off from the source of their magic.

It looks like Lord Auron's hypothesis is correct.

A sufficiently high-level mage with a strong enough emotion could effectively render lower level mages useless by pulling in all available magic.

Helena wonders if he'd be proud that it's Kent proving him right.

Then she decides it doesn't matter as Kent shatters the door to the room with a barrage of ice.

One look at him surrounded by ice and practically humming with magic and she knows.

He's no longer the subservient Kent she's used to.

No, standing before her is a determined high-level mage in his element.