Ayana repeated the process, a second offering of her blood mingling with the spring water. Still, nothing. Leon watched her, a mixture of gratitude and concern swirling within him.
"Ayana, you don't have to do this," he said, his voice low.
She ignored him, her focus entirely on the spring. She made a third cut, her blood blooming in the clear water.
This time, something shifted.
A sudden chill emanated from the spring, the air around it growing noticeably colder. Then, just as quickly, the water began to bubble and churn, as if it were boiling from within. Its color started to change, swirling through shades of deep blue, then violet, then a shimmering silver.
Leon and Ayana held their breath, their eyes glued to the mesmerizing transformation. The boiling subsided, the colors settled into a soft, ethereal glow, and the surface of the spring became perfectly still, like a mirror reflecting something unseen.
Then, a figure began to coalesce within the water. It was tall and slender, wreathed in a shimmering mist, its features ancient and wise. Its eyes, though seemingly without pupils, held a profound depth of knowledge.
A voice, ancient and resonant, echoed in the thin mountain air, seemingly coming from the figure itself. "You seek the whereabouts of the Queen Sasha."
Leon stepped forward, his heart pounding. "Yes! Do you know where she is?"
The figure remained still for a moment, its gaze seemingly piercing through them. "The path to unveiling her prison is not simple. It requires a key… an artifact of her captor."
Ayana frowned. "Mistress Para?"
The figure nodded slowly. "To truly see where the Queen is held, you must bring one amongst the five mirrors of Mistress Para. Only through her own magic can the truth be revealed."
Leon stared at Ayana, a new challenge laid before them. "Her mirrors? But where would we even find one?"
Ayana's expression was grim. "She had them in her lair when we were at the Eagle's Feast. But getting close to her again."
The figure in the spring began to fade, its form becoming less distinct. "Time is fleeting. The Queen remains imprisoned. The mirrors they hold the key." The voice softened, becoming a mere whisper. "Seek the reflections…"
Then, the figure was gone, the spring water returning to its clear, undisturbed state. The weight of the new task settled heavily upon Leon and Ayana. To find Sasha, they would have to confront Mistress Para and steal one of her powerful, mystical mirrors. The journey to the Climax of Unveiling had revealed the path forward, but it was a path fraught with immense danger.
Leon stared in the direction the figure had vanished, the weight of their new task heavy in the mountain air. "Mistress Para's mirrors, How in the world are we supposed to get one of those?"
Ayana sighed, running a hand through her hair. "That is the question, isn't it? She wouldn't just leave them lying around."
"And where do we even start looking for her?" Leon asked, his voice laced with frustration. "The Mystical Eagle didn't say where she lives. Even her own daughter, Lucy, seemed surprised when she showed up."
Ayana nodded grimly. "Her lair is well hidden, that's for sure. If even her close ones don't know"
"So, we're back to square one," Leon said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Find a powerful sorceress who lives in secret and steal one of her magical objects. Easy peasy."
Ayana placed a hand on his arm, her gaze thoughtful. "Not entirely. We need to think strategically. Where would Mistress Para feel most secure? Where would she keep her powerful artifacts?"
Leon frowned. "Probably somewhere we can't easily get to."
"Perhaps," Ayana conceded. "But think about her. She rose from the lake, her power seems tied to water. Maybe her lair is somewhere aquatic?"
"Like the Mysterious Kingdom?" Leon suggested.
"Possibly," Ayana replied. "But she was exiled from there. Would she risk returning?"
A new thought sparked in Ayana's eyes. "There's another possibility. A place of power for her, somewhere she has influence… my kingdom."
Leon looked at her, surprised. "Your kingdom? The Darsh lands?"
"She has history there," Ayana explained, her voice hardening. "The old tales speak of her influence, even before her exile. If she has a hidden base, somewhere she can draw power it might be there."
"But going back to your kingdom… won't that put them in danger?" Leon asked, concern etched on his face.
Ayana shook her head. "My people are strong. And they deserve to know the threat that looms. Besides…" A small smile touched her lips. "It's been too long. I need to see my home again."
"Alright," Leon agreed, a sense of purpose returning. "The Darsh kingdom it is. You know the land. You might have a better idea of where she could be hiding."
With a shared nod, they spread their wings and turned west, leaving the silent peak of the Climax of Unveiling behind them. They flew for days and nights, the familiar landscapes of the surface world eventually giving way to the unique beauty of the Darsh kingdom.
As they descended towards a large, bustling city, a wave of cheers erupted from below. People flooded the streets, their faces alight with joy.
"Ayana! Our Queen has returned!" they shouted, their voices echoing through the air.
Then, a new chant began, spreading through the crowd like wildfire. "The Queen has returned! With our King! Hail Queen Ayana and King…?"
Leon landed beside Ayana, a look of utter confusion on his face. "King? What are they talking about?"
Ayana's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's a prophecy. An old legend in our kingdom. It spoke of a warrior queen returning with a king by her side."
Before Leon could process this revelation, their attention was drawn elsewhere.
In the shadowy depths of her hidden lair, Mistress Para stood before her five mystical mirrors. Usually, they shimmered with captured images, reflecting glimpses of the world and the magic she manipulated. But one mirror, the third from the left, was behaving strangely.
Its surface flickered erratically, the images within it blurry and indistinct. It wasn't providing the clear surveillance she had come to rely on.
"What is wrong with you?" Mistress Para hissed at the unresponsive reflection. She waved a hand over its surface, a dark energy crackling around her fingertips, but the mirror remained stubbornly unclear.
"It's as if something is blocking it," she murmured, her cold eyes narrowed in suspicion. Normally, her mirrors were extensions of her will, flawless in their function. This disruption was unsettling.
She studied the other four mirrors. They showed their usual array of scenes: glimpses of the surface world, the shimmering depths of the ocean, even fleeting images of the Climax of Unveiling before the connection seemed to sever.
"Why only this one?" she asked herself, her voice low and thoughtful. The third mirror what was it usually focused on? She tried to recall. It often showed her the surface world, particularly areas of significant magical resonance.
A sudden, chilling thought struck her. "Something is about to happen," she murmured, a sense of unease creeping into her usually confident demeanor. The malfunctioning mirror felt like a warning, a disruption in the fabric of her carefully controlled world. Something was stirring, something she hadn't anticipated. And she didn't like surprises.