Queen Xilya and her elite entourage surged into the eerily vacant palace halls. Stella was nowhere to be seen. Five streaks of emerald light flashed; the palace guards wrestling with Rocksolid and Rockforce crumpled, emerald-hued short arrows piercing their skulls with lethal precision. Grief for their slaughtered kin had extinguished the elves' customary mercy. The three guards previously incapacitated by A'dai's energy suppression shuddered inwardly, eyes squeezed shut, praying their feigned death under the dim light would go unnoticed by the winged figures.
"The Princess Petal!" Queen Xilya's voice cut through the silence, sharp as a blade. "She's above us!"
A'dai scanned the grand hall – no staircase in sight. Time was liquid fire, seeping away. He crouched, explosive power coiling within him. With a grunt, he launched upwards. A three-foot blade of condensed, viridian energy flared in his hand. He slashed upward in a precise square pattern. *CRUNCH!* A section of the thick stone ceiling above, neatly severed, plummeted downwards, revealing faint light from above. A'dai kicked off the falling slab, a nimbus of pearly-white protective energy flaring around him as he sailed through the opening into the palace's upper sanctum.
Stella sat rigid on a lavish, cold bed. Hope warred with dread in her heart. The familiar, radiant pulse of her mother's life-force surged closer, an agonizing beacon. The chaos below echoed in her prison. She longed to cry out, but her voice was stolen, sealed by her captors. A violent tremor shook her slight frame.
Suddenly, a section of the ornate floor near her bed *vanished* in a burst of ochre and jade light. A figure wreathed in sacred, luminous energy landed soundlessly before her. A dark blade of energy shimmered in his hand. Human. Young. Not one of her people.
A'dai's eyes locked onto the ethereal, trapped beauty – the wings, the pointed ears – confirmed it. "Stella?" He darted forward, gripping her slender arm, urgency straining his voice. "Your mother sent us. We're here to rescue you." The familiar cadence of the Federated Tongues struck Stella like a physical blow. Tears erupted uncontrollably. She threw herself into A'dai's arms, her body racked with silent, desperate sobs. A'dai froze, momentarily bewildered by the sudden embrace.
Queen Xilya and the Four Elder Leafs soared through the gap. Others remained vigilant below. The sight of her daughter weeping in a stranger's arms shattered the Queen's composure. Two years of anguish convulsed through her. "Stella!" The name tore from her throat, a raw sound of agony and love.
Stella jerked her head up. Her mother's face swam into view through her tears – the beloved features now etched with a profound weariness and grief she knew was her doing. *Momma?* The attempt died in her throat. Finally reacting, A'dai recognized the magical binding. Surging Sylvanus Vitalis energy poured into Stella, shattering the fetter that bound her voice.
"MOTHER!" The cry burst forth, choked with tears. She instinctively fluttered her wings towards her mother, only to be violently yanked back by the heavy manacle chaining her ankle. She fell back into A'dai's steadying arms. Queen Xilya flew the distance, gathering her child against her in a crushing embrace that spoke of primal relief and an almost painful love. The shared resonance of the Royal Line flooded her senses, blanking all thought. She held her daughter as if she were spun glass, terrified the vision would vanish.
Elder Leaf Audene gently broke the spell. "We must move. This is the Chancellor's stronghold," his voice a low rasp. "Every moment here bleeds danger." He gathered Stella's weakened form.
Queen Xilya, regaining her regal facade but eyes still wet, nodded firmly. "Yes. Quickly."
A'dai was already wrestling with the chain on Stella's ankle. To his astonishment, his normally unstoppable Life Rockforce Manifestation blade clanged against the dark metal, leaving only a shallow notch. He swore under his breath, focusing on the groove, hacking relentlessly. The notch deepened, but the stubborn chain held.
"What *is* this alloy?" Queen Xilya breathed, alarmed. She had seen the terrifying potency of A'dai's technique moments before. Every second stretched into an eternity of rising panic. Escape now felt terrifyingly precarious.
"Unknown. Unbelievably resilient," A'dai gritted out between concentrated strikes.
Rocksolid scrambled up through the hole just as A'dai grunted in frustration. "A'dai," Rock's voice was calm, pragmatic. "If your Manifestation can mimic any form... why not a saw blade?"
The suggestion was blindingly obvious. A'dai channeled his will. The glowing energy blade shimmered, morphing into a vicious, jagged serrated edge. He applied it to the notch. *SHRIEK!* Sparks erupted as orange heat bloomed on the tortured metal. The gap widened rapidly under the relentless assault. *PING!* The accursed chain finally parted, ending two years of captivity.
"Out! NOW!" Queen Xilya commanded. Elder Leaf Audene scooped up Stella, and the group plunged back down, exiting the desecrated palace just as a voice sharp as cut ice echoed through the shadowed gardens.
"Leaving? So easily? The Chancellor's Citadel isn't a tavern you stroll into and out of!" Master Lockhart materialized atop a nearby spire, his Twilight Staff pulsing with malevolent green energy. His gaze swept the group, stopping cold on the Queen, sensing her formidable, though diminished, power – the aftereffects of a devastating working clung to her like smoke. Tension crackled in the air.
Lockhart's own confidence wavered. *Twenty Elite Elves? Including a Queen radiating near-Arcanum levels? Damn it all.* The ongoing chaos in the citadel meant reinforcements were delayed or scattered. Against this force, even his power felt insufficient. He began weaving a complex assault spell, his focus sharpening on the Queen.
A'dai saw the exhaustion flicker in Queen Xilya's eyes. Time was their enemy, far more immediate than Lockhart. "Your Majesty! Fall back!" A'dai's voice was urgent, telepathic. "My Manifestation shields against magic. I'll hold him!"
"Foolishness! Together we rout him!" Queen Xilya countered instantly, her voice tight.
A'dai's grip tightened on her arm. "For the Lineage! For your people!" His tone brooked no argument. With surprising strength, he *lifted* the startled Queen, propelling her with surprising gentleness through the air towards their retreating path. "Go!"
Understanding dawned on Elder Leaf Audene. "Grace of the Forest upon you!" he called to A'dai, signaling the retreat. The remaining Elves unleashed a devastating volley – the Seven Archer Guardians sending seven arrows screaming towards Lockhart before melting away into the shadows. The attack shattered his assault casting, forcing a desperate shield burst that cracked under the onslaught. He staggered, breath catching in his throat.
Rocksolid knew his limits. "Survive, Brother!" he growled to A'dai, grabbing Rockforce and sprinting towards the outer defenses. It was his task to shield the Elven magi and archers as they retreated through the labyrinthine citadel.
Lockhart blinked. His foes had vanished. Only a single, plain-faced youth remained, facing him across a plaza still choked by uncanny, monstrous flora. But those eyes... cold, focused, radiating a power that washed over Lockhart like a physical tide. It was pure, overwhelming, terrifying in its intensity. Decades of experience offered no comparison. Instinct screamed *danger*. Lockhart hastily invoked layered wind barriers, the hissing vortex-wall making him feel marginally less exposed.
A'dai took a slow breath. Calm settled over him. The vast reservoir of power from his Argentum Core surged, thrumming through every fiber. He felt incredible clarity, a deep sense of command over the energy within and around him. His doubts vanished, replaced by a potent certainty. He *was* the shield.
Lockhart ascended effortlessly, levitating fifty feet above the shattered stonework, chanting arcane syllables laden with destructive promise. *He'll paint a beacon for every guard in the sector.* A'dai knew he had to disrupt this, *now*. He muttered words of power in a near-forgotten tongue. Blue radiance flashed. The heavy, blackened form of the Ironroot Stave solidified in his hands – the Orichalcum Bow. His Manifestation energy coalesced, forming a long, humming arrow of golden-green light. He drew the enormous bowstring with practiced ease, gritting his teeth against the titanic strain, the arrowhead fixed unwaveringly on the floating Archmage.
The sheer pressure radiating from the drawn Orichalcum Bow struck Lockhart like a physical blow. That glowing arrow became the focal point of pure, impending annihilation. Cold, paralyzing dread seized his ancient heart – a sensation alien since his ascension to the Arcanum Council. The unfinished words of his ritual nearly choked him. He *pushed*, desperation fueling his magic.
"HUAAARGH!" A'dai released. The arrow vanished, leaving behind only the banshee scream of shredded air. Lockhart's potent gale-force vortex *dilated*, then *ruptured* as the Manifestation arrow punched through like paper. Terror seized Lockhart's spine. He raised the Twilight Staff by blind reflex—
*FWIIISSHHH!* The arrow's scorching heat grazed his ear, the sonic boom punching his eardrums like a hammer blow.
Lockhart froze. His barrier shattered around him, dissipating into motes. His mind went utterly blank, consumed by a single, horrifying realization: *That shot was meant to miss. Or... he miscalculated? Why? WHY?* The chilling paradox, the raw power, the inexplicable mercy – it struck deeper than any wound. He hovered, suspended in shock and profound, gnawing relief.
Shouts erupted nearby. Guards converging. Seeing the Archmage immobilized, A'dai didn't hesitate. He spun, a phantom cloaked in residual emerald and pearlescent light, melting into the manicured labyrinth after his comrades.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!* Chancellor Spring's personal vanguard – the Four Elements (Aqua Tien, Pyros, Terra, Maiden Cloudos) – landed near the gaping hole in the upper floor. Aqua Tien scanned the wreckage. "Master Lockhart? The assailants? The Princess Petal...?"
Lockhart drifted down, his ancient face pale beneath his hood. Cold sweat plastered his robes to his back. "Formidable," he rasped. "Far beyond foresight. They escaped... with the Princess Petal. Inform the Chancellor – immediate city-wide lockdown. No one enters or exits Sunset City. Comb every tavern, tenement, and alley. Search for groups matching their description. Find them. Use any force necessary to retrieve the Princess Petal." He gave the orders with the hollow conviction of shaken authority. "I will apprise Chancellor Spring." Summoning the winds, he flew towards the Chancellor's inner sanctum, the phantom scream of the arrow echoing in his skull.
Queen Xilya and her group sheltered in the deep shadows of a forgotten colonnade, well beyond the Citadel walls. The grotesque plant life shielding their retreat had withered to normal dimensions. Panic fluttered in the Queen's chest as she scanned the dark bulk of the palace complex. *Where is he?*
A shape dropped soundlessly beside them. A'dai. Relief washed through the group like a cool wave. "Move!" Elder Leaf Audene commanded. They flowed like silent ghosts, navigating the warren of upper-city streets until they slipped through the window of their sanctuary – the "Unity's Refuge" inn. As the latch clicked shut, a collective sigh filled the room.
Queen Xilya cradled Stella close, stroking her daughter's tear-streaked face, finding fresh tears welling. "My jewel... what horrors they inflicted upon you." Her voice broke. Stella burrowed deeper into her embrace.
A'dai watched, a profound weariness laced with satisfaction settling over him. *She's safe. We did it.*
The Queen finally looked up at A'dai. "Young Oak... you were unharmed? That Archmage... he seemed formidable."
A'dai shook his head, a faint smile touching his lips. "I'm whole, Your Majesty. The Orichalcum Arrow startled him deeply. A pity my aim wasn't truer..." He shrugged.
Tears still glistened on the Queen's cheeks, but strength returned to her voice. "Whole is enough. More than enough. A'dai... we must depart soon. The Chancellor will scour Sunset City stone by stone. Remain here, stay unseen. When the storm calms... *then* journey onwards. Watch over Stella. Your safety... her safety... is paramount."
Stella jerked upright, clinging to her mother. "Mother? What? Why? Stella swears! Stella obeys! Do not abandon Stella!" The plea was desperate.
The Queen's heart twisted anew. "Oh, Bright Leaf..." She stroked Stella's vibrant green hair. "I would never forsake you. But we came... through the Ancestral Gateways. Our time here dwindles. You know the Forest Heart calls its Guardians... and I cannot forsake it for long. Listen to A'dai. He will guide you home through the tangled roots of this realm. Soon... soon we embrace beneath the Ancient Trees once more." Her voice was thick with sorrow and promise.
Rocksolid stepped forward, his gaze troubled yet steady. "Your Majesty... the Princess Petal... her spirit remains unbroken? Untainted?" He needed to know she wouldn't choose darkness upon awakening.
The Queen understood, offering a fragile, hopeful smile. "The Royal Spark burns pure within her. Only the chains touched her flesh. Deliver her to our shores within the turning of a year, and the Grove will restore her completely. Faithful Rocksolid... you and Rockforce shoulder our profound debt once again."
Bodies began shimmering, their edges fraying with emerald light. Queen Xilya cupped Stella's face one last time, her smile a bittersweet benediction. "Shine bright, my seedling. I await you in the Heartwood. A'dai, Rocksolid, Rockforce – the Song of the Ancient Forests honors your valor. May swift winds and safe paths guide you." Then, she and the Elder Leafs dissolved into a shower of glittering green sparks, leaving only silence and an empty ache.
"MOOOTHERRR!" Stella's cry echoed into the void where her mother had stood.
Cloud pulled the shaking Princess Petal close. "Peace, Stella," she murmured softly. "Soon the trees will whisper your mother's welcome."
Rocksolid's voice was gravelly with practicality masking emotion. "Our course: escape Sunset City. Beyond its walls, we take the hidden veins of the land. Once we cross borders into the Federation Republic or the Holy Conclave, safety blossoms." He glanced at Stella, slumped against Cloud in exhausted despair. "The Queen is wise. Now, during this uproar, we must remain shadows. Rest. We'll need strength."
Cloud, aided by A'dai, gently steered the emotionally and physically spent princess towards a separate chamber. Exhaustion, profound and inescapable, finally claimed them all as dawn's pale light crept across a city now gripped in furious lockdown.
*Thump Thump Thump.* The Innkeeper, face drawn, hammered on their door long before true dawn broke.
Rocksolid opened it a sliver. "What stirs?"
"The city... it boils," the Innkeeper muttered, wringing his hands. "Lockdown. None leave. Armed Vigilance Squads rummage through every haunt, hunting a score of Citadel attackers. They approach. Fear emptied my common room." He eyed the relatively small group behind Rocksolid. "Four guests... should seem ordinary enough... right?" His forced smile did nothing to mask his dread.