In Ferber...
Everyone was now gathered near the massive amber crystal that was exuding a light glow all around its surface.
King Belial and Queen Beatrice were right behind Evie while the rest, including Gideon and Vera as well as Luc and Reed, were standing a little farther away. Luc and Reed were the only ones among Evie's elite knights that went along with her to the Underlands as Evie had the rest, including Zanya, staying back in Crescia with her son. Though it was already a time of unity and peace in the Kingdom of Lirea, she still could not let down her guard and take any chances, lest her little precious one might be harmed in any way.
The general atmosphere all around was tense. They knew the risks that were involved and what could be the worst-case scenario that might happen the moment Gavrael was freed from his entrapment. All of them knew that.
Everyone had chosen to believe in Evie. And all of them would be right there to support and help her. All of them would do anything and everything to make things go as smoothly as possible.
Evie's plan had included Onyx and an ancient spell she had learnt in certain ancient ruins in Crescia. For the last five years after the war in the abyss, Evie had been searching for a way to deal with Gav's power once he was freed from the crystal. She had been digging and researching tirelessly, never giving up even when she hit a dead end from time to time. That only pushed her on to dig deeper and further to search for that perfect - or at least something close to it - solution for this problem.
When she had disclosed everything she had learnt and planned to her family, everyone had been more than supportive. They all could see Evie's longing to finally free her husband from his entrapment and they could also see the unbreakable will the Light Queen had been exuding. They could see how Evie truly believed that she could do it. And that was something no one could argue about. Most especially since everyone was also aware of how powerful she had grown to be since the war.
Evie was now the real queen of light. She was the most powerful in the entire land of Lirea. So they believed that no matter how powerful Gavrael had become, the Light Queen would be able to handle him.
However, there were few who had secretly been feeling uneasy. They felt that this move was going to be a gamble. A make it or break it kind of move. It was true that the Light Queen was far more powerful now than she was before, but... they did not really have any idea about the extent of the power the king of darkness possesses.
But despite whatever they were feeling, none of them ever voiced anything out. They knew this was now or never. If they leave Gavrael to stay trapped in that crystal any longer, he would only become even more powerful. There truly was no better choice than this point in time to let him out.
So, all they could do now was to brace themselves for what is to come and believe that the Light Queen's plan would succeed.
Once Onyx settled at the exact spot where Evie had wanted him to be, Evie finally moved her feet and approached the crystal.
"Gav..." she whispered his name, smiling gently at him before she slowly closed her eyes.
Every time Evie sees her husband trapped and unmoving in the massive crystal, the ache in her heart never ceases to grip her entire being. It worsens every time, in fact. And her longing for him... was getting more unbearable every time she saw him.
But the day had finally arrived. She can finally free him from her own spell. Five years of waiting was done. And now, it is time at last. It is the moment to allow Gav to step back into the flow of time and not just remain frozen, alienated from everyone else.
All preparations had been done. The only thing left was the blood spell.
When she opened her eyes, lights shone in them. A dagger made of light appeared in her opened palm that she then gripped and held at her side, before she extended her other arm towards the crystal, palm facing Gav's figure.
One last time, she turned to look at everyone over her shoulder and nodded at them. Her gaze then settled on Onyx last and the dragon made a low and soft rumbling sound, as if telling her he was ready.
Returning her gaze before her, Evie drew in a deep breath and shut her eyes closed again. Her lips parted and she started to mutter a spell.
Amber lights rose from her body and swirled upwards, increasing in intensity until the powerful lights enveloped the entire massive crystal. The magic was so powerful that amber colored lightning were appearing all over the crystal and an extreme pressure was threatening to push everyone and everything away.
Evie's eyes snapped open as soon as her lips stopped moving. She lifted the dagger to slash at her own flesh.
Faster than a blink of an eye, she threw the dagger upwards before the blade could cut her skin. It flew up powerfully and fast as lightning.
Everyone was shocked the moment they realized that the dagger had been aimed at a target and had not been just thrown out recklessly and without thought.
The dagger was blocked mid-flight, and light and dark magic collided in a shower of sparks. The wave of dark magic was so familiar that it gave everyone goosebumps when they sensed it. Even Evie had her eyes widening. Because the crystal had not even shattered yet. Gavrael was still on the inside! So, who...?!
Before anyone could react, Evie was about to divert her power from the crystal to her target when a voice echoed.
"I'm not here to fight, Light Queen." He said and Evie was shocked at the sight of the man that had appeared a few steps from her. Dark hair... grey eyes... who...
"W-who are you?" she managed to ask, still not dropping her guard and fully prepared to strike him at any time if she felt the threat from this seemingly familiar stranger.
The grey eyed stranger met Evie's eyes and replied. "I'm Ezekiel."