64.2. The Battle of Prague - Part 2

"Aefener, what should we do?" Liana flies to us. She's confused because she didn't receive any orders from me. Nor did Soren who is right behind her.

"Li, do you think you could manage to cast the Ice Barrier? The same spell I did in New York," I ask, being well-aware that this is no small matter but there's no one else who would be at least potentially able to do it.

"N-not sure," she answers hesitantly. "I know how the spell works and should feel like but I don't think my channelling technique is good enough for it yet."

"Soren, could you help her?" I turn to the new royal guard. "Cast a levitation platform for her so that she doesn't have to focus on flapping her wings and lend her some of her mana if she runs out."

"Mana channelling to another Celestial?" he widens his eyes. "That wasn't possible in the game, Your Majesty."

"Forget about the game, it is possible here," I say firmly even though I honestly have no idea where are my confidence and assurance coming from. I just somehow know it should be possible. Is it because I'm the embodiment of magic? I'm still reluctant to admit it but when it comes to magic, it does come naturally to me.

"I don't think I can do it, it's a level 15 spell," Liana starts to panic.

"Li, you're my Viceroy, trust your magical ability a bit more," I try to encourage her. "Soren will back you up, you can rely on him."

"Rely on...," Liana gulps and I feel she's experiencing inner struggle.

I know she hates relying on other people if it's something super important but she'll have to learn it. And right now, the hard way I'm afraid. Just as I had to stop being afraid of my true self, she has to learn how to open up. So far, I'm the only person she trusts completely but I see a ray of hope that Soren might change that.

"Am I going to do mana channelling as well, love?" Gotrid asks.

"No, I don't need your mana," I shake my head and quickly speak to all the Celestials again: Hold the heligorrs with Ice Spears and the tripoderra with Fire Blasts for now! We need time to prepare.

"S-so?" he chews his lip nervously.

"I want us to combine Fierce Flames," I reveal my plan.

"B-but that's a level 20 spell, I can't...," Gotrid has even greater doubts than Liana.

"This isn't the game anymore," I caress his face. "The level system is only a guide now, it doesn't bind us. We should be able to do spells a few levels above our current skill. As for the mana, take mine, I have more than enough for both of us. Trust yourself. Trust me. We can do it."

"I trust you with my life," he dares to go for a quick kiss despite the heat of the battle.

"Then close your eyes and follow my guidance," I kiss him back and it works like magic. Because love is magic.

We hold our hands, close our eyes and start with the initial mana channelling technique. The moment I let my tremendous mana out, the monsters below us roar and switch aggro to us. So they can feel mana after all, at least to a certain extent. We've just pretty much confirmed it.

We're quite high up but Gotrid is still anxious that they'll hit us. Heligorrs are known to be able to throw things into astonishing distances with their claws and tripoderras can spit venomous acid for dozens of metres.

Don't let them distract you, the guards will protect us, I assure him. I know it's hard so focus on me instead.

He does and his channelling gets more precise. When we accumulate enough mana, I show him the spell. He knows most Celestial spells by heart but it's very different to have purely theoretical knowledge when the game system helps you execute it and to materialise the transfiguration symbol yourself.

I'm proud to discover that my subjects are quite efficient at slowing the heligorrs' progress through the city which gives humans more time to evacuate. And I'm overjoyed when I feel other races finally arriving as well. I decide to trust they'll do their best while Gotrid and I are doing our part.

The monsters are attacking repeatedly and my guards are busy keeping the venom and thrown objects from us. I feel Liana fiercely focusing on the spell that's beyond her current comfortable level but she can do it, I believe in her. She's the best caster after me.

The only thing that's distracting me is the panic and suffering down below. People in distress, a lot of them injured—very hard to just ignore. But the incoming Earthborn are on the job now while Clawfangs are trying to keep monsters away and the Dragonkin dealing some serious damage. Will they be able to take out at least one heligorr on their own I wonder?

Love, you're not responsible for everyone, Gotrid send me his tender thought because now it's me who's not focusing properly. We're taking down that ugly spider, that's our target.

I lean closer and kiss him again. I connect our minds, hug him with my wings and we keep casting in a feathery embrace. Since there's no such ridiculous thing as having to stretch our hands, we can create our spell at a distance away from us.

Gotrid is draining himself quickly so I channel some of my mana to him. He's a very good caster for his current level and I have no doubt he'll become a master battle mage in future. But for now, his mana channelling is lacking so I back him up. He gobbles my mana hungrily, enjoying the boost of energy and the fact that it's coming from me.

I don't think that dual casting is possible for anyone who isn't a telepath or the embodiment of magic. Two spells would clash under normal circumstances but since we know each other's intentions, we smoothly interweave our transfigurations into one another.

Something like this definitely wasn't possible in the game and even I might be able to do it exclusively with my partners and no one else. What Liana's attempting isn't even close, she's just getting a mana boost from Soren. But even that's extremely handy, we've discovered a new application any Celestial can use if needed.

Are you ready, love? I make sure when our complex spell is finally finished. It's hard to track time but I suspect it took at least ten minutes during which we were completely defenceless. Such is a disadvantage of high-tier spells and the caster's main vulnerability.

I am, he answers firmly.

Don't worry, I'll steer it, I assure him as I toss our spell at the tripoderra.

The monster tries to avoid it, of course, but I'm not just throwing the spell, I'm manoeuvring it with my very mind so it hits the target straight ahead. Our combined spell explodes monumentally and tears the tripoderra apart. Instant kill. If the Dragonkin want some parts, they'll have to scrape them from the pavement.

Liana releases her Ice Barrier just a few seconds after us and manages to freeze the head of one of the heligorrs. Instant kill as well, that's my Viceroy! She's totally drained afterwards and falls to her knees but she did it. I'm grateful to Soren who comes to her aid immediately.

"Two more to go," Gotrid is also tired but not exhausted because he has access to my mana. He can still go on.

"Or not," I point towards the heligorr to our right. It's surrounded by the horde of the Dragonkin, it looks pretty beaten and...

"Are some of them holding swords?!" I can't believe my eyes.

"They are," Gotrid confirms. "They don't look like the Dragonkin weaponry just yet, probably bought from some medieval hobbyist, but they seem to be working."

"Let's focus on that one then," I say quickly because I notice that several Draconians got injured and are being carried away from the battlefield. I don't feel anyone dying but it still makes me worried.

Gotrid nods, much more confident now. We close our eyes again and even though I'm perfectly capable of executing the Ice Barrier all by myself, Gotrid's contribution is significant when it comes to focusing so I won't be so mentally strained afterwards. I'm starting to love dual-casting.

The Ice Barrier doesn't take as long with both of us working on the spell so the second heligorr goes down in just three minutes. We want to help with the third one but it seems our help won't be needed after all. The Dragonkin look unwilling to let Celestials near their prey anyway and, soon enough, the last monster is eradicated.

"We did it!!!" Draconians start celebrating but I know it's too early for that.

While we arrived early and had a lot of people on the job, many humans were still injured. But I don't think we lost anyone, at least I didn't feel anyone dying. Injuries are another matter, though. I feel pain all around me and it's maddening.