Zed oversaw his knights leaving for a few seconds before the roar from the beast lessened. 'Where is she going??' He thought. Once they were on the joint path back to the palace, he used his second stage of his drift to head back immediately. It obviously didn't take him long, in less than five seconds, he was there. But the presence was lessening, furthering, more and more.
"ALLOY??" He called out. No response.
"ALLOY??!!" Nothing. He then heard the sound of a tree cracking, multiple times, it was loud, like it was falling from a couple branches. Zed walked a mere three steps only for him to catch a glance at the kareki… at least… former kareki… It was destroyed. It looked like a hunk of wood with multiple splinters, holes, and scratches, very deep, highly odd scratches. Zed had an encounter with Alloy's other form when she was a kid, she wasn't as fast, or as angry as she was currently, so he never managed to see what she could do, he just held her down with a fraction of his power and it was quite easier to handle her back then. Now…
"Huh…??" Zed noticed a shadow right below him, he moved back, dodging the projectile. When he looked at what fell, he found the head of the hunk of wood that was demolished a lot more than what Alloy did to it while Peril was around, given she wasn't fully concentrated, he knew she could've taken it down herself, but another situation awaited him immediately he was done checking the piece of wood. He saw the feint glow of a shattered green crystal where a Peril and Ivy were just mere minutes ago. He heard screams, shouts, very distant ones.
'The knights are in that direction… it can't be…' He thought as he bolted back. He heard a roar from there as well, and he sped up, instantly, he was there. He found the knights okay, just startled.
"What happened??!!" He asked.
"The beast…" one of them began. "It moved so fast we couldn't see it, we saw its silhouette, a shadowy figure that seemed to be scanning the area for something. It found the cheetah you defeated earlier and just pounced on it, scratching at it with its claws, we stopped only for one of us to find its wooden head on their hands. The shadow let out another roar then disappeared right as you arrived."
"Okay… go to the palace and give Eliza the cheetah's head, I will find he… it and deal with it."
"YES KING ZEDLIS-SAMA!!" They asserted once more and left to head to the Palace as he went back to the forest. The roar the beast made was loud, so loud it hit quite a few people around a larger radius than just the forest. The palace also held worried people, Eliza, Naja, the incapacitated knights from Peril's first annoyance who finally woke up and heard the news, the royal guards themselves and some of the Nobles in Zeron.
*****
"What… what was that??!!" Naja asked, still on the Zeron bridge.
"We've felt that essence before," Eliza said, her entire body frozen next to Naja.
"My dear, we have to go."
"It's her, isn't it…??" Naja asked as she got confirmation through Eliza's glassy eyes.
"Whatever power that girl holds, it grows along with her… its been nearly a decade since it got loose, back then, it was dangerous…" Eliza continued as Naja called a couple knights to ready hers and Eliza's horses.
"Now… its on a different level… it's lethal, it's unsafe for the kingdom."
"Zed is there as well, Eliza-san, he'll make sure she's handled. But then… if this is what happened… what could've caused it?? Wasn't the last lightning strike Zed himself??" Naja asked, trying to piece everything together as best she could.
"Ivy… something must've happened to her…" Eliza answered. "Before they left, her drift was still there, weak, but there, now… its gone completely…"
Naja's eyes narrowed in her seriousness, they were needed, they had to find out what was going on. She took out a comm-crystal, one of two crystals made for the king and Naja seeing as they were the immediate overseers of Zephro. They were silver, just like the bridge keys, but they also held silver cases, these could reach anywhere in Zephro instantly, as long as they were in the kingdom's palace, that was it. She took it out and activated it, it dimmed and shone until a voice was heard from the other side.
"Naja-san??!!" The voice spoke.
"Kal… where are you??"
"At my barracks in Aubir town. How may I assist you??"
"Get to the palace, Eliza-san and I are leaving it to you until we get back."
"Wha…. what??!! What do you mean Naja-san??!! Is everything okay??!!"
"If everything was fine, I'd leave you to your barracks. Get here. NOW!!"
"Yes ma'am!!" He understood as Naja cut the call. They were ready to leave, Naja opened the bridge and both her and Eliza mounted their horses. Right before they reigned them to begin their journey, Eliza's comm-crystal began shining through her kimono on her lower right side. She picked it up to hear her husband's voice.
"You felt it too??"
"Yes dear, I'm on my way there with Naja now."
"Do you feel Ivy's presence??"
"No… I'll let you know what I find."
"Alright, tak… Naja?? Naja is there??" They heard a female voice through the crystal.
"She wasn't done with her investigation??" Naja asked.
"I didn't even start it!! I just arrived at Navi after my troops told me something was happening in the forest. I'm on my way there now." The voice continued, it was sassy, much like Naja's, but it was also younger, like it needed a few more years before she got it just right.
"Good, follow the king's lead when you get there." Naja replied.
"I know." She said as the crystal dimmed, showing the end of the call.
They both looked at each other and sighed as Eliza put the crystal back in her kimono. They yanked the reins of the horses as they sped off into the lit up Zeron bridge.