Foskar, delighted by the discovery of his new technique, began fighting with greater confidence and ferocity against Vyrsonius. Vyrsonius fought bravely as well, yet he found himself in an extremely disadvantageous position, as he had to face two mages and all of their magical creatures. Thus, the Ōnio performed a legendary invocation of ancient magic, summoning the Demon of Light, Kovelis. This beast is one of the three most powerful spirits of light and possesses a gigantic, terrifying appearance—that of a monstrous demon with horns upon its head.
Jonathan, instinctively witnessing the summoning of the legendary demon, took a few steps back. Foskar, on the contrary, remained calm and ordered Eskeinthos to summon a giant. Nofivos did not stop there; he then invoked Skogisa herself, forcing her to summon a water dragon as well—the Amagotha. Jonathan was astonished by the sheer number of Nofivos' summons, yet he asked nothing. Regaining his courage, he too entered the battle with renewed resolve.
The battlefield turned into true hell, as the demon Kovelis unleashed devastating attacks of light. At times, it struck the ground with its fists, causing localized earthquakes toward Foskir and Jonathan, aiming to disorient them and make them lose control of their beasts. Jonathan stood slightly behind Nofivos, attempting to shield him from the enemy's relentless assaults. Foskir, on the other hand, stood at the front, having taken upon himself an almost solitary, epic duel against Vyrsonius and his powerful spirits.
Ōnio managed to kill some of Foskar's beasts, yet before the fairy could even realize it, Nofivos had already summoned two more to take their place. Inevitably, Vyrsonius' dragon fell, and Kovelis had already begun to exhaust himself significantly. Vyrsonius realized that he was losing the battle, and before Kovelis could be destroyed, he immediately transformed into a small, luminous sphere and fled. Foskir left the continuation of the battle to Jonathan and, using the magic of his Asovi ring, began chasing Vyrsonius as he attempted to escape.
Foskar himself flew swiftly within the white aura of the ring and managed to catch up with the fleeing Vyrsonius. Ōnio attempted to delay him by hurling curses, but the ring granted Foskar great speed and agility, allowing him to evade them with ease. Having no other choice, the fairy decided to turn and face him. Vyrsonius canceled the summoning of the demon Kovelis, who was still on the ground, and instead summoned the dragon Elreus to aid him in the aerial battle.
Meanwhile, Nofivos, unfazed, summoned all the spirits under his control to rise swiftly beside him in the sky, resulting in a fearsome magical duel unfolding high above. Jonathan remained on the ground, watching the teenage mage who had taken upon himself the battle against the fairy alone. Jonathan was left in awe, witnessing Foskar corner Vyrsonius—whereas only moments earlier, all the Cyans together had barely managed to do anything against him.
Thus, a dreadful battle raged high in the sky, filled with countless magical assaults, spell explosions, and the annihilation of spirits. Ultimately, however, the young mage, with the invaluable aid of his many spirits, defeated the legendary dragon and the unfortunate Vyrsonius as well. Foskir immediately canceled his summons and descended beside his commander, Jonathan, within the white aura of Asovi's magic.
"Can you fly as well, like the fairies? Without a magical broom?""Yes. It's been a little while since I acquired that ability…""Our superiors did not inform us of this skill of yours, which is truly remarkable!""I didn't have this ability back then. As I mentioned earlier, it's something I achieved recently. Specifically, I gained the power of flight within the white aura during my summer leave…""Additionally, the allied army had informed us that you could summon magical creatures, but what I witnessed during your battle with Vyrsonius far exceeded all my expectations…""Yes, that I could already do back then, during the battles on the island of Dorous.""Don't tell me you can also transform into flame, like the Vyrsonians? I'd believe it…"
Foskar replied with a smile that he was not capable of that—at least not yet. They eventually decided to fly by broom to Naples and from there teleport to Rome via a magical gate. Upon arriving at the Cyan headquarters, Jonathan explained to the senior officers how their comrades had been lost. He then recounted how the young mage had spectacularly defeated Vyrsonius and avenged the deaths of his fellow soldiers.
"Did you recover the bodies of your fallen comrades?""We did and buried them, Mr. Giovatori, except for two who were vaporized by the fairy's magical attacks. Nevertheless, Ms. Depate, we honored their memory by erecting two cenotaphs bearing their names beside those of the other fallen."
At the same time, all the Cyans present—having heard Jonathan's account of Nofivos' combat abilities—stood stunned, their expressions filled with disbelief. When he added that the sixteen-year-old mage could fly without a magical broom, they were left speechless once more.
"Uh… all right, Jonathan, I did explain how I can fly without a broom… I do it thanks to my magical ring, which bears a Pegasus upon it. It's a family heirloom, gifted to me by my grandmother during my summer leave, when I visited her."
The Cyans took the Asovi ring into their hands and examined it, yet none of them perceived the chill or the white aura it emitted. They returned the ring to him, and the young mage placed it upon the ring finger of his left hand.
At the same time, on the island of Dora, rifts began opening in the sky with increasing frequency, allowing more Vyrsonians to invade Earth. The cause was clearly the arrival of the celestial body—the planet Menesis—which was drawing ever closer to Earth's orbit. In the Kingdom of Knosaion, the reason behind the rift that opened on the island of Dorous was well known; however, the same could not be said for the human Ministry of Magic. There, the connection was slow to be made, yet over time they too realized that the appearance of Menesis within Earth's solar system could not have been coincidental.
Indeed, numerous myths across various civilizations spoke of this legendary celestial body and the calamities that followed its appearance. Thus, they soon understood that it played a significant role in the emergence of the fairies. Consequently, more Ōnia arrived on Earth, gathering on the island of Sekilia, where they had now acquired Vyrsonian lords who led their incursions across the world.
The Vyrsonian lords were far more powerful mages than most Ōnia; for this reason they bore that title and held authority within their race. In a council of their lords, they concluded that now—being sufficiently numerous—they must intervene and completely rupture the magical veil that kept their kin outside the world of Earth. The Vyrsonians knew that in ancient times their race had been imprisoned in Gemonia by an immensely powerful spell known as "Gemon," and now they believed the time was right to be freed entirely and exact their vengeance upon the present inhabitants of Earth.
During their council, they recalled events from that ancient era, noting the great irony that although they themselves had discovered the magic of the Gemon spell, they were ultimately imprisoned within the dimension of Gemonia by their own magical creation. The magic of this spell is truly formidable, as it can halt the very flow of time and open a new space where time does not exist—only absolute void. Thus, thousands of years ago, a global war occurred, in which they were defeated and trapped there by their enemies.
The reason the Vyrsonians survived for so many millennia was that, as a race, they possessed the secret privilege of immortality. Therefore, the fairies decided to launch a massive assault on the island of Dora, break through the allies' defenses, and then shatter the magical veil that prevented their kin from crossing into Earth's dimension. The plan was simple: the main body of their forces would occupy Earth's allies, allowing the Vyrsonian lords the opportunity to approach the magical lattice and free their entire race.
The Vyrsonians were powerful mages and great scholars of magic; thus, they knew that by magically creating a powerful gravitational spectrum upon the veil, it would collapse, releasing all their brethren from the prison of Gemonia. This was the true reason the magical veil weakened approximately every three thousand years. The arrival of the planet Menesis within Earth's solar system caused gravitational changes, resulting in rifts forming in the magical veil of Dorous, through which some of the Ōnia escaped.
The Ōnia gathered early in the morning and, after preparing, began flying toward the island of Dora to activate their plan. Upon their arrival, the allied army sent a distress signal to all magical headquarters, requesting aid against the sudden Vyrsonian attack. The signal reached the headquarters in Rome as well, and the Cyans, together with Foskir, immediately prepared to rush to assist in the war unfolding in the Aegean Sea.
On the island of Dora, forces of mages arrived from all directions through magical gates, as the headquarters had been warned in time. Thus, an epic-scale battle unfolded on the island, driven by the coordinated assault of the fairies. The allied army had at its disposal the support of the United Nations' combined forces, providing ground troops and air fighters, along with assistance from the tribes of the Centocheires and the Giants. Moreover, all the mage races aided under the guidance of the human Ministries of Magic. The only mage race that offered no assistance was, naturally, the elves of Knosaion, who kept their city—and their very existence—hidden from the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, the Ōnia had inflicted significant damage upon the defenses of the allied army and thus managed to breach the magical veil. As a result, entire legions of Vyrsonians succeeded in crossing onto the island, and now united with the remaining Ōnia, they crushed the allied host. Despite the tremendous effort exerted by the allies, they ultimately failed to protect the veil, allowing hundreds of fairies to enter Earth.
This forced the allies to retreat and return to their bases in order to regroup and warn headquarters across the world that hundreds of Vyrsonians had opened the rift and reached Earth. Moreover, they reported that the entire world was now in grave danger, as the enemies' numbers had increased significantly following this operation.
The Vyrsonians, on the other hand, after managing to keep the rift open long enough for as many of their brethren as possible to pass through, finally decided to return immediately to the island of Sekilia. All of them transformed into luminous spheres of various colors and flew toward Sekilia, where their hidden stronghold lay. Upon their arrival, their ten generals decided to convene a council to discuss the conquest of Earth. Now that their numbers were sufficient, they had to begin planning their vengeance against the inhabitants of Earth, who had imprisoned them in Gemonia for millennia.
At the Council of the Ōnia, it was concluded that it was vital to annihilate all major cities of the planet while simultaneously searching for significant sources of magic. The purpose was twofold: first, to gain even greater power in order to completely shatter the magical veil, and second, to deprive their enemies of these sources.
The grim news reached Knosaion as well. The elves now knew that the Ōnia had crushed the allied forces on Dora and had breached the magical spectrum, allowing even more of their kind to enter. As a consequence, the Knosians gathered and, within the royal council, began speaking in earnest about the unfolding developments of the war between the allies and the Ōnia. Thus, after assembling them in council, Begalor took the floor.
"The Ōnia succeeded today in breaching the veil, allowing hundreds of them to infiltrate our world."
"But how, my king, did they manage to open the magical veil?"
"I shall answer that, Elder Lastor. The Ōnia had gathered in great numbers and launched a surprise assault on Dora, thereby opening the veil."
"But how, Elanor? Such an act requires immense magical energy…"
"Clearly, Lastor, the Ōnia must either possess or have discovered some powerful source of magical energy—enough to allow them, using the spell Nyxichor, to rupture the magical barrier, even if only for a short time."
"Then what must we do now, my friends? What do you believe is right, Begalor? Should we finally offer direct aid to the planet's allied army?"
After many hours of discussion and disagreement, they ultimately decided to send volunteer elves to meet with the human Ministry of Magic and provide a portion of their forces. In this way, they would learn the true extent of the allies' strength, their strategic plans against the fairies, and whether there was any realistic hope of victory in this war. This would allow them to better understand how to act against the Ōnia and determine whether it was worth the risk to become more directly involved in the conflict.
Naturally, they would not reveal the location of their hidden kingdom; for now, they would offer only volunteers and knowledge. Among those volunteers were Captain Oxydar and his daughter, Enali. Also among them was Elanor Eithamon, who wished to witness firsthand the true state of the war and the capabilities of the allies. Thus, the group of volunteers assembled and departed to make contact with the officials of the allied army.
At the same time, the allied forces struggled to recover from the devastating blow suffered on the island of Dora. The three most powerful magical headquarters in Europe began drafting new plans, initially aimed at protecting the continent's major cities. One was located in London, another in Paris, and the most significant in Rome, where Foskir served under the command of the wise Giovatori Depate.
Depate assigned Foskar and his team to rush immediately to Cagliari, where Vyrsonians had been detected violating the city's airspace. The primary objective of the team was to intercept the Ōnia and protect the city's inhabitants from their sudden assault. Should the Vyrsonians launch a large-scale attack, the reconnaissance unit was to notify headquarters in time for multiple Cyan platoons to be dispatched. However, on this occasion, only three fairies were detected, and thus Nofivos' unit decided to handle the matter alone.
The Cyans had observed that the Vyrsonians usually sent a few of their kind to fly above a city for a short time; afterward, they either withdrew quickly or suddenly appeared in great numbers and launched a mass assault. It was clear to the Cyans that the Ōnia were searching for something whenever they appeared over major cities. Once they found what they sought, they would begin their invasion of the area, unleashing chaos and destruction.
This time, Nofivos and his team flew on their broomsticks from Rome to Cagliari. They cast the spell "Roverio", through which they detected the presence of three Ōnia, and thus decided not to call for reinforcements. They believed that their numbers and skills were sufficient to drive the Vyrsonians away on their own.
Within a short time, the sixteen mages located the three Vyrsonians, and thanks to their growing experience, they did not engage them directly. Instead, they lured them away from the inhabited city. After several minutes of pursuit, the Cyans landed immediately on the ground, where they could confront the Vyrsonians under more favorable conditions than in the air—where the Ōnia clearly held the advantage.
All three Vyrsonians had the form of angels. Two of them bore black wings and dark cloaks, while the third possessed a truly imposing appearance. His cloak was white and radiant, emitting light, and his wings were made of living flame. The Cyans therefore judged it best to focus their attacks on the luminous Vyrsonian, seeking to eliminate the strongest first.
The platoon split into three groups and the battle with the fairies began. Magical attacks were launched from the Cyans' wands and from the Ōnia's rods. The Vyrsonians continuously struck the Cyans with curses, but the latter evaded them by means of magical leaps surrounded by a blue aura. This form of magic was mastered by all Cyan mages and was the very reason their order bore that name.
At the same time, the Cyans attempted to use their numerical advantage to encircle the Ōnia. However, the fairies transformed into small, luminous spheres, allowing them to slip effortlessly past both strategies and hostile spells.
Thus the battle unfolded with rapid exchanges of magical attacks. At one moment, however, a fairy tore two massive tree trunks from the ground and hurled them at great speed toward two unfortunate Cyans, who were crushed beneath their weight.
Simultaneously, the other two Ōnia summoned one magical creature each to defend themselves. One took the form of a lion made of stone, while the second was a great eagle composed of a white, smoky aura.
Forced to respond in kind, the Cyans summoned a colossal fiery serpent, which incinerated the stone lion, reducing it to molten lava. The Ōnia, however, seized control of the lava, levitating it in the air and hurling it at will against the Cyans. In this manner, two more Cyans were slain by the attack.
Nevertheless, the Cyans did not relent. They summoned two additional demons—one was Skogisa, and the other was summoned by Foskir himself. He called forth the mighty Eskinthos, and thus the Cyans began to regain some balance in the battle. Even so, the air spirit—the Ōnia's eagle—continued to cause them serious trouble with its magical assaults.
As a result, one Cyan summoned a dragon and sent it to engage the eagle spirit, and their battle now raged high in the sky. At that moment, the Vyrsonian with the flaming wings took action and summoned a legendary creature: the dragon Elreû, a powerful spirit of light.
Nofivos attempted to disarm the Vyrsonian with the spell "Esperiarm", but the Ōnia in the white cloak reacted instantly, countering with the very same spell. The two magical forces collided, merging into a clash of red flames erupting from Nofivos' wand and the Vyrsonian's rod.
Now both poured all their strength into overpowering one another. For the moment, neither showed signs of yielding, and the clash continued as the two streams of red fire generated explosions of light and shards around the point of impact. Despite the young mage's tremendous effort, the Vyrsonian ultimately proved far stronger. The spell overwhelmed Foskir, knocking him back, disarming him, and sending his wand flying from his hand.
The Vyrsonian smiled, satisfied with his victory. Suddenly, however, the fallen Foskir, with a swift and coordinated motion of both hands, lifted one of the massive trunks and hurled it at his unsuspecting enemy. The trunk pierced straight through the Ōnia's body, killing him instantly. At the same moment, the fearsome summoned dragon Elreû vanished as well, no longer bound by the will of its now-dead master.
All of the young mage's allies stood in stunned silence. They had witnessed the boy slay a powerful Vyrsonian —and at the same time maintain control over the spirit of Eskinthos—all without even wielding a wand.
Nofivos shouted, "Axios!" and his wand flew directly back into his hand. The remaining Ōnia were equally shocked by the fall of their leader, yet they continued to fight without the slightest hint of fear or doubt. The fairies immediately summoned two more magical beings, but the Cyans responded with an equal number of summons.
The battle raged on, spirits fell, and both sides replaced them whenever necessary and whenever they were able. At one point, a Cyan woman fell victim to the Ōnia when a massive boulder struck her from behind, killing her before she could see or evade it.
This loss sent the Cyans into a fury. They hammered the Vyrsonians from every side, having completely surrounded them. Yet the fairies endured—and as if that were not enough, one Ōnia sacrificed a weaker creature in the form of a werewolf and, in its place, summoned another legendary demon: the terrifying Kovelis.
The monstrous beast struck the ground with its arm, causing fiery fissures to rip open beneath the Cyans. This attack incinerated several Cyan spirits along with one of their companions, a Skodito.
Foskir hesitated for a moment, then—with visible reluctance—summoned a legendary spirit of light himself: the dragon Slavír, after sacrificing Xodeinos along with two additional spirits under his control. The spiritual pressure he felt from the lightning dragon was immense, yet somehow he managed to maintain control—for now.
The two divine beings rose high into the sky, clashing furiously and exchanging devastating blows. With Kovelis now fully occupied battling Slavír, the remaining Cyans seized the opportunity and bombarded the dark-winged angel with successive spells.
The fairy with the black angelic wings could not withstand the onslaught and fell dead. With her demise, the demon Kovelis also vanished, freed from her control. Victory was theirs. The Cyans immediately dismissed their summoned creatures, as there was no longer any need for them.
"Tell us, young one," someone asked, "since when can you wield your magic without using your wand?"
"Oh, that?" he replied. "Yes… the truth is, I can cast some spells without a wand or rod."
"And let's say we accept that," another said. "How do you control the legendary Slavír? Who taught you such spells and the use of magic of this magnitude? You are hiding something from us, boy—it cannot be otherwise."
"I'm… not hiding anything," he answered. "From a young age, I simply had the ability to wield magic without a magical medium, and I've always had the fortune of being able to control magical beings with relative ease. I don't know what to make of it—it's something I possessed as a skill since childhood, back when I was still studying in my homeland."
"I see… Very well. Let us now gather the bodies of our fallen companions, so we may bury them and honor them as they deserve."
After burying their dead, they returned by broomstick to their headquarters in Rome. There, Nofivos' companions recounted the young mage's deeds with awe to the Cyans who had not been present at the battle. As a result, many congratulated and admired him—yet others grew jealous and increasingly suspicious of the teenage mage from the region of Diuria.
Meanwhile, several days passed, and the elves dispatched their delegation to Athens to meet with the officials of the Ministry of Magic. They arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Policy and waited for a few minutes until the Minister of Magic and his aides came to meet them, astonished by the elves' unexpected appearance.
The Athenian Ministry of Magic informed the Cyan headquarters in Rome, which promptly sent a delegation from Italy through an icy portal. The Italian delegation materialized at the Temple of Dionysus and immediately proceeded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, having been alerted to the elves' arrival—beings whose traces they had sought for so long without success.
Once everyone had exchanged the necessary introductions, they politely asked the elven delegation why they had chosen to reveal themselves after remaining hidden so effectively for such a long time.
"The reason," Elanor replied, "is that we have decided to assist you in your struggle against the Ōnia, as recent developments suggest that you have lost some control over the island of Dora."
"Elanor, first of all, we thank you. When you say 'Ōnia,' I assume you are referring to the demons who invaded our world, correct?"
"Indeed. In Knosaion, that is how we refer to this immortal magical race. I believe we have much to offer you regarding the Ōnia, and more broadly, I believe that—if you permit us—we can grant you knowledge and magical power that your Ministries of Magic do not possess."
"We, on the other hand, call them either fairies or Vyrsonians."
"The term 'Vyrsonians,' I must confess, miss, is unfamiliar to us in Knosaion."
"Yes, it is a relatively new designation in our world as well. It has not been long since we began using it."
After further discussion, the Roman delegation proposed teleporting to their headquarters in Rome for greater security. The elves agreed, and together they departed for the Cyan stronghold to discuss the matter of the Ōnia and how the elven race would aid in this dreadful war.
Elanor also mentioned that it would be wiser to meet at their headquarters, as he had something important to reveal to them regarding the Ōnia.