Vell barely registered the battle raging behind him. Clashing steel, crackling magic—just background noise compared to the raw energy pulsing before him.
The crystal.
It loomed over the cauldron, dripping liquefied mana into the cauldron below.
Each drop sent ripples of power across the surface, and Vell could feel it—a current of pure magic, waiting to be wielded.
It was a power source like no other, yet Griffonage wasn't refining it, wasn't shaping it into anything new. He was just siphoning, leeching.
What a hack.
"All that power, and he doesn't create anything with it? Maybe he can't. He never was known for skill," Vell said to himself.
But then he narrowed his eyes. If Griffonage could tap into it, so could someone else.
His fingers twitched, tempted. But no—right now, he wasn't the wizard. He was the consultant.
Sonder was the wizard.
He turned sharply to her. She was struggling, barely holding up weak barriers against Griffonage's attacks.
And Griffonage was drawing more power than before.
"Sonder!" He yelled.
She barely spared him a glance, focused on raising another barrier—but with what little power she had left, it was pitiful.
"Forget defense! Take from the crystal! If he can, so can you!"
For a moment, she hesitated. The crystal pulsed, another tendril of mana wrapping around Griffonage's arm, feeding him. He was preparing something big.
Sonder's eyes locked onto the crystal. She reached out.
Griffonage sensed it instantly. His head snapped toward her, eyes wide with rage. "No—!"
Sonder tore the power from his grasp, yanking it toward herself like an opponent snatching a ball mid-throw. The mana recoiled, suddenly unclaimed—then surged into her.
The moment the mana hit her, Sonder felt like she'd been struck by lightning. Her veins burned, her vision swam, and for a terrifying moment, she thought she'd lose control.
But she didn't.
The power wasn't free yet—Griffonage still clung to it, his grip like a vice, his will crashing against hers in waves of raw magic.
A tug-of-war.
Griffonage was the more experienced mage, but he was weak, and she had the stronger will.
She didn't need the crystal. He did.
She forced it to flow with her will and tightened her hold, molding the energy.
Griffonage snarled, sweat beading at his temple as he yanked back, desperate.
The mana screamed between them, a flood of energy tearing free from Griffonage's grasp. He stumbled, his connection severed, his body shaking as the stolen power was ripped from him.
Sonder took all from the crystal.
Vell had expected her to release it, to let it burn out naturally. Instead, she kept it.
His eyebrows shot up. "Huh."
Even Sonder looked surprised. Her hands trembled, fingertips glowing faintly.
She felt stronger. Lighter. More aware.
The magic inside her didn't rage or fight against her control. Instead, it settled.
Griffonage gasped, sagging against the wall. His fingers twitched, grasping for something, anything—but there was nothing left.
He only had what little remained inside him.
His voice rasped, weak. "No… That was mine—"
As he lay helpless on the ground, the knight stepped forward and ended both the wizard and his protest.
It was over.