As Aliya persisted in her interrogation, Cressida, observing the unfolding scene, interjected with a sudden realization.
Cressida: Wait! He might be under a contracted spell. Revealing the truth could cost him his life.
Aliya, momentarily halting, eyed Cressida with a mix of concern and curiosity.
Aliya: (inquiring) What do you mean?
Cressida: (explaining) A spell that binds him to silence. Breaking it might be fatal.
Aliya, absorbing this information, withdrew the knife cautiously, keeping a watchful eye on the blood mage.
Aliya: (addressing the blood mage) Is this true? Speak.
Blood Mage: (grimacing) I can not talk about it. Better pierce my heart and get over with it.
The moonlit clearing, fraught with tension, now held an additional layer of complexity as the possibility of a contracted spell hung in the air. Aliya, Cressida, and the blood mage found themselves entangled in a web of secrets, each question and answer shaping the destiny of the forest.
