A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Thundersnow roared. Icy-white lightning and electrified grains of snow raged on this room-turned-platform, atop the city's highest tower. A pressure settled on the surroundings, and nearly every Enkarian in the city looked up at the tower to see and hear a raging, ice-cold storm of power.

Erik, his body transforming as it surged with the power of Elorium, sailed straight towards Enkai with murderous intentions… and the old man knew for a fact there was no way to survive this attack. They may both be third-rankers, but Erik's current attack was on par with the one that nearly killed both himself and Edda when he was a second-ranker… and Enkai was far weaker than Edda.

Roaring furiously without a word, Erik fist was about to blow a hole in Enkai's chest, when a desperate, panicked cry barely penetrated his anger: "No!"

It was Naeku, and her cry came accompanied by a burst of emotions through their bond that punched a tiny bit of clarity in Erik's anger-fueled mind.

He snarled… but adjusted his strike a little, right at the end.

Boom

Snap

With a sickening crunch, Erik's fist impacted Enkai's chest… but didn't go through it. With a cry of pain and fear, Enkai was blasted back. It was his fortune that his back was facing the way they came in, rather than any of the open space that now surrounded them. With another sickening crunch, he crashed against the walls of the spire's core and crumpled to the ground, unconcious.

Unfortunately, Erik still wasn't strong enough to actually perform such a strike without serious consequences, and immediately sank to one knee, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Cracks appeared on the skin beneath his fur, coloring it red.

Another silence descended on the area. Too many shocking things happened in too short a time, and everyone was either stunned into silence, or somberly considering next steps. Naeku covered her mouth with her hands, tears shimmering in her eyes as she glanced between Erik and Enkai.

Finally, some people moved. Astrid, Emily, and Runa quickly moved to support Erik, and Nadia, Ankhur's Arcanist wife, moved towards Enkai. Yet, after taking merely one step, Erik growled: "Do not… help him. He's alive, and he'll continue to live, but do not hasten his recovery!"

His actions and tone terrified her, but she was a brave woman, and Enkai was her friend. She halted her steps, but glanced at Ankhur. The sombre king of Enkare Nkai looked at his wife, at Erik, and then at Enkai, and sighed. Slowly, he shook his head, and Nadia, albeit a little unwillingly, stepped back again.

After a few more seconds, with the help of his loved ones, Erik got back to his feet. All three of them looked horified at both his wounds, and the idea of Elora's disappearance. Even Emily, who still wasn't on particularly good terms with Elora, felt anxious.

After getting up, Erik immediately turned towards Naeku. She looked at him with fear and anguish.

Erik stumbled closer, clutching his side, and looked at her with a gentleness she didn't expect. "I know he's like an uncle to you, Naeku, and I've tolerated his antagonism towards me because of that, and because it was harmless, but this time he went too far…" he grumbled hoarsely.

He turned to Ankhur. "I held back this time, but this was his last chance. If he antagonizes me one more time, his head will roll, regardless of your feelings for him. If you think he can't manage to keep it to himself, than I suggest you send him somewhere I won't encounter him again… for his own safety."

With his eyes closed and thoughts unknown, Ankhur crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded somberly.

Meanwhile, Erik turned to Naeku again. "I don't want to make you choose between him and me, Naeku, but I hope you realize which one of us caused this."

Naeku, tears now streaming down her face, glanced at Enkai one more time, but then nodded miserably at Erik. "I— I know…" she whispered, hoarsely.

Somberly, Erik nodded. He knew this would be difficult for Naeku, but he had a limit, and Enkai bulldozed right over it.

Fortunately, unleashing some rage on Enkai had actually cleared his mind, allowing him to think rationally again. He needed to save Elora, and he already had an idea of where to start.

"Eira…" he muttered, and the nervous, slightly transparent form of a different minotaur sigil construct appeared. Instantly, the unnamed sigil construct looked at Eira with an interpretation of surprise.

"Tell me you can do something here," Erik demanded as he looked at her.

"I—" she muttered, poking her fingers together anxiously. "Y— Yeah, maybe… b— but—!"

"I don't care about the consequences," Erik growled impatiently. "If you can do something, do it."

With that order, Eira found her resolution and nodded confidently, before turning around. Yet, before she could move, Erik grasped her transparent, but solid shoulder. "Wait," he whispered, a little strained. "It won't hurt you… right?"

Eira glanced back at him with a hint of surprise… but then smiled brightly. "I'll be fine, Master! Promise! I want to help!"

Sighing deeply, Erik nodded and released her shoulder. He knew it was foolish not to listen to the consequences, but he simply couldn't allow himself to be concerned with that right now. All he cared about right now was getting Elora back, and anything else was unnecessary.

Instantly, Eira shot forward. The unnamed sigil construct stared at her with surprisingly genuine astonishment. "You are—"

But before she could finish, Eira disappeared into the statue and the unnamed construct began to flicker and fizzle. "W— What a—a—are youuuuu doinnnng?!" she groaned with wide eyes.

Crossing his arms, Erik stared at the suffering construct with cold eyes and a hard gaze. He simply waited for Eira to be done with whatever she was doing.

Meanwhile, Runa and Astrid stood on either side of him, worried about his trembling, bleeding body, and Emily suddenly swiveled to glare at Nadia. "You!" she snarled furiously. "You have healing spells, right?! Heal him!" she demanded, pointing at Erik.

But, despite fear in her eyes, she glared resolutely at her. Nadia was only a second-ranker, and she knew Emily was at the third-rank, but Enkai was not only a friend, he was also a distant family member for her.

"I'll help him if you let me help Enkai, first!" she demanded, standing her ground.

Corrupted red flashed in Emily's eyes as fury and sadistic delight flared up. Pitch black magic circles appeared and spat out a dozen black orbs. "I did not say you had a choice!" she snarled.

"Do not threaten my wives!" Ankhur immediately roared, instantly loosing his calm but sombre demeanor from before. Sand started swirling around his hands as he stepped in between Nadia and Emily.

Emily's grin only widened. She looked excited to go up against Ankhur, and her shadow clone of Erik immediately rose from the ground.

Tensions were escalating… but did Erik want to stop them?