The boar seal was furious and thought about chasing the Nightgloom Puppet but Camus had been seriously wounded and needed mending.He took a few deep breaths to calm his rage before glancing at his unconscious disciple. He slumped on the ground and nursed Camus back to health one more time. His disciple was strong and only needed a few hours of rest to fully recover.
He could leave right at that moment and kill the Nightgloom Puppet but he also wanted to wait for his disciple to wake up.Fortunately, he did not wait that long.
"Master…" Camus quickly sat up and bowed low to the ground. "Forgive me."
"Master…" the boar seal clenched his fist. "Do you still see me as your master?"
"Yes, Master!" Camus closed his eyes and waited for his punishment.
"You made a pact with the Nightgloom Puppet!" The boar seal summoned crimson vines and wrapped it tightly around Camus. "Why did you offer your life to him that easily?!" he furiously bellowed and seized the neck of his most trusted disciple. "How did he convince you to betray me? WHAT DID HE OFFER YOU?! POWER?! IMMORTALITY?!" He tossed his guard against a tree.
"Forgive me, Master," Camus dropped on the ground and coughed out blood."All I asked from him… is your safety. We both know… that if you refuse to surrender your seal to him… it will corrupt you. I don't want to see you… become an evil fairy…"
"I rather get corrupted than surrender my seal to that Nightgloom Puppet!!!" The boar seal summoned a crimson broadsword. "That is the only way we can protect the Fairy Realm from the Evil Witch!"
"Asuren is different from the rumors that we heard, Master," Camus lowered his head on the ground. "I believe he can still save the Fairy Realm. He and his extraordinary allies."
"Asuren can save the Fairy Realm?!" the boar seal laughed. "That Nightgloom Puppet had completely fooled you!"he tied Camus against a tree. "You have failed me. You are no longer my disciple."
"Master…"
"Stop calling me master!!!" The boar seal raised his crimson blade. "Die, traitor!!!" he furiously bellowed before stabbing Camus to death.
^###########^
Asuren jerked awake. He looked around and found himself lying in a room filled with beds. He was in a ward, but it was different from the one in Indigo Ville. That building was smaller. There were four beds but he was the only patient there. Thea was also in the room but she was sitting on a chair near his bed and looking at him with worry.
"Where are the others?" he nervously asked as he remembered collapsing in front of the boar seal with Henry on his back.
"They are all safe," Thea reassured him. "Riz, Sel, Ayhan, and Calix are patrolling around this village. Gia, Henry, and Juliann are preparing for the extraction of the seal without killing its keeper."
"He already found a solution?" Asuren was astounded and then remembered Camus. "I need to go."
"Go where?" Thea asked.
"Camus—"
Asuren was interrupted when the door to their room banged open. Camus came in. He looked badly beaten but there was no stab wound on his body.
"Master will attack this village," he whispered before collapsing on the floor. "He is coming…" he crawled on the floor and knelt in front of Asuren. "Please… don't kill him…"
"I will not kill him," Asuren promised and pulled Camus up on his feet.
"Our friends are already working on a solution to keep your master alive after we destroy the seal inside him," Thea informed the tall blonde fairy. "We only need to keep your master away from this village until they are done with it."
"I'll help," Camus tried but failed to stand on his own.
"If you still have an energy to fight, stay here and protect this place. Call Juliann if you need backup. He is with Gia and Henry at the medicine brewing station," Thea helped Camus settle on an empty bed and then glanced at Asuren, "I'll inform General Kali about the boar seal. We need extra fairies in protecting this village. I'll join you later," Thea hurried out of the room.
Asuren also spread his wings and looked for the boar seal.
^#########^
Riz, Sel, Ayhan, and Calix were at the entrance of Emerald Wind Ville when they noticed an ominous shift in the air.
"Flesh eaters…" Riz felt her heart skipped a beat. They encountered a lot of flesh eaters in the past week that she had somewhat memorized their scent. "Not just a few of them… but an army…" she summoned her flaming spear. "Sel, you need to gather the village warriors and stop those flesh eaters from breaking into the village."
"Emerald Wind Ville will be well-protected," General Kali had arrived with a few village warriors. "Princess Thea had given me an update about the boar seal. She and Asuren are on their way to intercept him. We will make sure that no flesh eater will enter the village. Go and help those two."
"I'll stay here," Sel said.
"I will also stay here," Calix understood the reason she wanted to stay in the village, as far away from Asuren as she could.
"Be careful," Riz spread her wings and soared away from the village.
"You too!" Calix bellowed as Ayhan followed her. "Call us if you need more fighters!"
^######^
Thea flapped her wings as fast as she could and was grateful that she managed to catch up with Asuren before he crossed paths with the boar seal.
"Camus warned you, didn't he?" The boar seal clenched his fist. "How did you convince my most loyal disciple to betray me? What did you offer him?" he summoned a crimson broadsword.
"Your life," Asuren summoned his wind blades. "All he wants is to keep you alive and uncorrupted."
"Lies!" the boar seal attacked. "You can see through my mind because of the pact Camus made with you. When will you stop pestering me?!" he kept slashing his sword against Asuren who only dodged everything with ease. "When will you stop taking my disciples?! I used to have hundreds. Now only two remains loyal to me and those monstrous flesh eaters!"
"Camus remains loyal to you," Asuren tried to knock the boar seal unconscious but he dodged his daggers and countered.
He grazed Asuren in the neck and followed up another quick slash. Asuren parried and hurled the boar seal away with a powerful wind gust.
"I will kill all your so-called friends and everyone in that village! I will show you the wrath of the boar seal!!!"
His furious bellow shook the ground and all the vegetations around them had moved. Six withered trees had come to life and attacked Thea.
"That should be enough to keep you busy, Princess Gailbreeze," the boar seal focused on Asuren. "Until I kill this Nightgloom Puppet."
^#############^