Elise fell backwards at the utterance of his words.
Gwyn's eyes turned beady and white, just as the King of Terror's. He spoke once more.
"What? Why the surprise, Sylvian? Still upset that I killed your mommy? That was ninety years ago. You need to learn to let things go."
The voice didn't match Gwyn's appearance. The Chosen One smiled wickedly. There was no sign of Gwyn at all. Only Terror remained.
Elise shuttered.
"Get out of her!"
"Hmmm? I don't think I will. It feels quite nice in here. But you and Artero can vouch for that, now can't you?"
"Artero? What are you..."
Elise shook her head and pointed her catalyst at Gwyn.
"Sleep Surrender!"
A flash and the spell struck. Gwyn fell over, the demented smile fading.
"Don't keep me waiting, Sylvian."
Elise wiped her nose and caught Gwyn before she fell to the ground.
"Wow, that was weird." The Head Whisperer poked his head out from behind his desk. "Is it safe to come out now?"
"Yes, thanks for your help, by the way!"
"Ah, don't mention it. When she started speaking all deep, I was like no thanks! Me and Jerry are out of here!"
Elise yelled in frustration.
"What is wrong with you, Head Whisperer?!"
"Nothing! I'm as I've always been." He hurriedly walked over with Jerry's water dish and held it up to Elise. "Thirsty?"
"No! Head Whisperer! Grab her feet."
He hobbled over. Jerry was humping Gwyn's leg in some sort of sign to establish dominance.
"Transporting unconscious bodies... Now this is what I call a party."
"I'd do it myself, but I may need your help with where we are going."
"Is it the candy store?"
They laboriously carried Gwyn out of the Gilded Towers into the street. By now, it was getting dark out, and only a few glances were met with concern and confusion.
"We could've summoned a thinner Chosen One, or another fish. Do you remember the fish? He was quite tasty. Wait. You probably weren't alive. No matter. Can we eat this one?"
"Shut up, Head Whisperer."
The Head Whisperer blinked in surprise as Jerry followed behind them.
"I wish I knew how!"
When they reached their destination, Elise knocked on the door. No one answered, and she searched for the right knob on the crowded door.
"Normally this is fun and whimsical, but right now is not the time."
She finally found the correct knob, a large hook that was heavily rusted. A firm turn and the door swung open.
Opal was in the middle of a calisthenics regimen, her face lifted to look at Elise.
"Banging on the door like I owe you money... come to think of it, you—"
Opal's words were cut short. She saw the wrinkled, maciated, balding, maybe even drooling a little bit, face of Ren Drakefire. The Head Whisperer.
"—whose your friend over there?"
Elise looked to Opal and Ren.
"Head Whisperer, most powerful mage in all of Keceo?"
"Never heard of him." She strode seductively up to the tall elf. "Hey, hot stuff." She placed a finger on his chest. "How does a tall glass of milk like yourself find little 'ol me in my curiosity shop?"
Ren was clearly sweating.
"My mommy said to never talk to strangers." He paused, recognition crossed his face. "Did you say milk?"
Opal bit her flat, wrinkled lip and nodded.
"I did big boy."
Elise bore witness to the geriatric flirting and felt bile crawl up her throat.
"Can you help me with this, Opal?"
She said, referring to the Chosen One.
"Help you with what—oh my goodness! Okay... this is fine. I know how to hide a body. We can first vaporise the hair so that—"
Elise set Gwyn in a nearby chair.
"Opal! This is the new Chosen One, and she needs help! I don't want to hide the body. Wait... how do you know how to hide a body?"
"What are you, a fucking cop?"
"Ooo! If we are playing pretend, I want to be a cop!" He points a pretend sword at Jerry. "Stop resisting!" Jerry rolled over on his stomach, playing dead. "Ah, now we can kneel on him. Law-abiding officers always permit the use of excessive force."
Opal and Elise looked at one another.
"Um, Elise. What is that abomination on the ground?"
"I don't know, he calls it Jerry."
"Never mind that, what's wrong with your friend?" Recognition suddenly crossed her face. "Wait... this is the new Chosen One. The one you said you were in lov—"
Elise rushed over and covered Opal's mouth with her hand.
"Shush! She might still be conscious."
"I'm sorry... I'm confused, Elise. What do you want to do with the body?"
"She isn't dead! She's like... possessed or something. I heard her speak as though she were the King of Terror."
Opal swallowed hard.
"Did you say..."
Elise nodded.
"King of Terror! King of TerrORRR," Travis, the petrovid squawked.
The Head Whisperer shot up. He had finished arresting Jerry.
"King of Terror? That guy sounds... pretty bad."
Elise rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, no shit, Darkbeyond."
She said sarcastically, knowing the current Head Whisperer was nothing like Darkbeyond, one of the most knowledgeable Whisperers ever.
Opal was furiously searching throughout her shop. She hasn't had to deal with possessions for a long time. Opal learned the term during her extensive travels around the world. She's heard the term thrown around now and again.
There was a curtained section in the shop that Elise had never gone to before. Opal called her over, and soon, Elise, Ren, and Jerry carried Gwyn to the room behind the curtain, which was illuminated in a dark purple. Runes and magical inscriptions covered the entire room, similar to Elise's room at the Gilded Towers. These inscriptions had a more purposeful design.
"The trick he has used isn't elven magic, it is something else."
"Something else?" Elise exclaimed.
"Something similar to orc tribal rituals."
Elise nearly stumbled.
"Orcs? Tribal Rituals?"
Opal nodded.
"When I was younger and really hot." She fluffed her hair. "I had the privilege of travelling the empty continents to gather research."
"Okay...?"
Elise had never heard any of the things that she spoke of right now.
"Long and short of it. 'The Speaking Ritual.'" Opal unfurled a paper in a language Elise didn't recognise. "This essentially says that if you create an item that only one person can open and that person opens it, you can inhabit a space in their mind. Wearing down the user, until their eyes, mind, and body are your own."
The language written on the red-stained paper was brutish and chaotic, littered with shapes and symbols.
"How do we fix Gwynevere?"
Opal muttered under her breath.
"I've never done anything like this before and—Hey! Don't touch that!"
The Head Whisperer was opening various bottles of potions and sniffing their contents.
"This one smells like... Ocean's Breeze."
Opal walked over and pushed the Head Whisperer over to a runic circle in the center of the room.
"Come, place Gwyn in the center. We must start the ritual quickly."
Elise dragged the unconscious body of the Chosen One to the center of the runic circle.
"Now, join hands."
Opal commanded, greedily taking the Head Whisperer's hand, who held Elise's, Elise who held Jerry's paw, and Jerry completed the circle with Opal again.
"If this is what I think it is. This will be simple, but painful. Orc magic is nothing compared to Elven magic. It's surface-level magic. A simple purging spell will undo it."
"Okay..."
"Just leave it to me."
Opal began to chant in that crude language. The Head Whisperer also began to chant, but Opal crushed his hand whenever he spoke.
Ren tried to escape her grasp, but Opal was much stronger than she looked.
Gwynevere Grim's eyes shot open.
"Your people will perish for what they did."
It was the King of Terror's voice.
Elise held a contemptuous look.
"You'll die, and I'll make sure of that."
A smirk.
"I'd love to see you try, Sylvian Princess."
A dark purple mist began to expel from Gwyn. Seeping through her skin, out of her eyes like a purple dust. A cloud enveloped her.
The King of Terror did not laugh.
He did not shout.
"She is alive, because I deem it so. I will have an audience with Gwynevere Grim, or I will destroy everything you've ever known."
And just like that. He was gone. No spectacle or explosion. His presence was forcibly removed. They all let go of each other's hands, and Gwyn leaned up, looking much healthier than before.
"Where am I?"
Elise enveloped her whole body around the Chosen One.
"You're okay! I'm so relieved."
Gwyn choked out a laugh, placing an arm around Elise.
"I feel fine. What happened?"
Opal stood, still firmly grasping the Head Whisperer's hand, who was trying to escape her.
Ren used his super-secret language technique on Jerry to communicate that he should attack Opal, but Jerry hadn't learned the language yet. Ren's gestures fell on deaf ears.
They've been practicing the language for a few days now, but Jerry just isn't getting it. The Head Whisperer has considered hiring a tutor.
Opal looked towards the women.
"You were possessed by very crude magic, my dear. Your lover over here brought you to the right person."
"Lover? I—"
Despite the embarrassed outburst, Elise still held Gwyn firmly.
"You are very fortunate that the magic he used is powerless in comparison to Elven magic. You sounded just like him, dear. The King of Terror," Opal said.
Powerless? Sound like him?
Gwyn felt as though she had skipped several chapters in a storybook.
"I did?"
A look of recognition on the Head Whisperer's face.
"Oh! That's who that was? I thought Gwyn was just going through puberty or something."
The young women looked at one another and laughed.
Opal released the Head Whisperer's hand and twirled what was left of the hair on his balding head.
"How about we get a nice tall glass of milk after this?"
A feeling brewed inside the Head Whisperer.
"Sorry, milk lady, but only one woman holds my heart."
He held up the grotesque body of Jerry, who happily panted.
Disappointed, Opal said.
"I'll wear you down, hot stuff."
The young women looked at one another. Words were not necessary to understand the meaning.
"We're just going to go, if that's okay," Elise said, not really sure if she liked where this was going.
"Ah, yes. Thanks for bringing this hot sack of skin over here. I'll owe you one."
"I'm pretty sure it's the other way around, but thanks for your help!"
"Bye... um..."
Gwyn had never met this woman, but she sure appreciated her help.
"Opal. Soon to be Opal... What's your last name again?"
The Head Whisperer looked pretty desperate. He clearly hasn't experienced any flirting in a very long time.
He looked around the room for a sufficient answer in place of his last name.
"Ren... Creepy Jar! That's me!"
That was the last thing the young women heard as Opal wrapped an arm around the Head Whisperer.
"Sorry, I had to get out of there. Old people love creeps me out."
"I think it's kind of sweet," Gwyn said.
They stood in the streets of Capital City, and the warm night air felt soothing. Gwyn's earlier words rang true. She didn't feel any different. If she hadn't seen the King of Terror every now and again, she wouldn't have even noticed anything changed.
"I'm assuming you'll fill me in on what happened?"
"That and so much more." Elise wrapped her arms around Gwyn's neck. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Me..."
Gwyn didn't finish the sentence. A kiss reached her lips. A kiss that led into another, and another.
Elise was relieved that Gwyn was now back to normal. Seeing her speak like the King of Terror was the last thing the Sylvian ever wanted to see. The adrenaline from saving Gwyn hadn't worn off yet.
A feeling stirred in Elise. She wanted to tell the Chosen One how she felt.
But not tonight.
Not right now.