"Wow, that's a really good idea! Let's do it!" Lena said.
Suddenly, Lena changed how she stood. She started using her magic in a new way. The shiny energy around her beat with a different rhythm, like the deep sound of the ocean. Her room filled with strange powers, and everything around her started to break.
Right away, Mistress Para appeared.
"What in the world are you doing?" Mistress Para demanded, looking a little worried.
"Remember Lily?" Lena asked, her voice soft but strong. "She knew what this realm's magic was really about. It's not just about being strong, is it?"
As Lena spoke, the water in the throne room began to move. Not in a wild way, but gently, almost like it was alive. It swirled around Lena, doing what she wanted, remembering her feelings, her love for her sister and her people.
Lucy looked confused. "The water, what's happening?"
Mistress Para got even more worried. "Stop this, Lena! Now!"
But Lena didn't stop. She closed her eyes again, this time not because she felt hopeless, but because she was focusing. She reached out with her heart, and Lily's spirit guided her, showing her a different way to use the old magic.
The water around Lena started to shine with a gentle, magical light. It wasn't breaking things, but it felt different familiar in a strange way, but also strong and new.
"You cut off your link once, Mother," Lena said, opening her eyes. Now, her eyes glowed with the same soft light as the water around her. "Maybe it can be cut off again."
The water rushed forward, not like a crashing wave, but as a focused, shiny stream, heading right for Mistress Para.
WHOOSH! Sound of fast-moving water, followed by a surprised gasp.
"This is it," Lena murmured, her gaze fixed on Mistress Para. "Lily did it once I can do it too. A big risk, sure, but what choice do I have? It's the only way the only way to even the odds." A determined glint sparked in her eyes. "For Lily for everyone."
She would cut off their connection to the Water Torrent, messing up their strong power and breaking their tight hold on the old magic.
But she couldn't do it by herself. She needed something to distract them, a quick moment when they weren't ready, a chance to attack. And she knew exactly who could make that happen.
Taking a deep breath, Lena lowered her shiny shield for just a second, just long enough to get their attention. Mistress Para and Lucy felt her defense suddenly get weaker and rushed forward even harder, their combined magic getting stronger, their attack becoming even more fierce.
"Now!" Lena shouted, her voice echoing with the new power of Lily's spirit and a feeling of urgency.
And right at that moment, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Someone who had been watching the fight, waiting patiently for the right time to jump in. It was Leon. He had finally arrived, drawn by the strong sounds of magic, sensing the danger that threatened his world.
With a loud shout, he jumped at Mistress Para and Lucy, his own magic bursting out in a spinning cloud of pure energy. His surprise attack messed up their teamwork, making the small opening that Lena really needed.
"Do it, Lena!" Leon yelled, his voice full of raw urgency and determination.
Taking that quick chance, Lena focused all her will, using every bit of her strength, every link she had to the old magic. But instead of aiming her energy right at her mother and sister, she directed it very carefully at the thing that gave them their power, the unseen link that tied them to the Water Torrent.
With a burst of focused energy, she cut the connection.
The effect was quick and big. Mistress Para and Lucy jumped back as if something invisible had hit them, their faces twisting in shock and terrible pain.
CRACK! A sharp breaking sound, followed by two gasps of pain at the same time.
"We have to stop this!" Leon shouted over the loud chaos, his voice strained. "Before it destroys everything!"
Lena nodded, her face serious. "But how? It's like trying to hold back the whole ocean."
Lucy, holding her arm, looked around with wide, scared eyes. "Mother, what's going on?"
Mistress Para, still shaky, could only stutter, "I don't know. It's never been like this."
"It's just pure power," Lena realized, her voice very quiet. "Wild. We cut the link, but we didn't trap it."
"So, what do we do?" Leon asked, moving quickly to avoid a falling piece of coral. "Fight it?"
"We can't fight raw energy," Lena replied, thinking fast. "We have to guide it, change its direction."
"Change its direction to where?" Leon shouted back, as another piece of the ceiling fell down.
Lena's eyes landed on the broken middle pillar of the throne room, a thing that glowed faintly with leftover magic. "The pillar," she said, a new idea lighting up her eyes. "It used to carry the Water Torrent's power. Maybe... maybe we can use it again."
"It's not safe!" Mistress Para warned, finally able to speak clearly. "It could fall apart!"
"It's the only way," Lena argued. "Leon, can you help me get to it?"
Leon nodded seriously. "Coming!" He pushed through the spinning broken pieces, heading towards Lena.
Lucy hesitated, looking from her mother to Lena. "What should I do?"
Mistress Para looked at her younger daughter, a bit of her old strong personality coming back into her eyes. "Stay back, Lucy. This is between Lena and me."
But Lena shook her head. "No, Mother. This is about all of us. If we don't work together, there won't be anything left to fight over."
The wild energy of the Water Torrent got stronger, and the air itself felt electric. The middle pillar made a loud, creaking sound.
"We're running out of time!" Leon yelled, reaching Lena's side. "What's the plan?"
Lena pointed to the glowing pillar. "We need to put our magic into it, together. Try to make it stable again, make it a new place for the Torrent's power to focus."
Mistress Para stared at the pillar, then at Lena, a hint of understanding in her eyes. "Together?"
"If we want to live," Lena said firmly. "We have to."
The ground under their feet shook hard.
"Then let's do it," Leon said, standing next to Lena. "What do we do first?"