Free Web NovelChapter 26: Forgetfulness Reversal
"Why did he faint?" Kai asked, her brow furrowing as she looked down at him.
"I think you scared him," Selena said, shaking her head with a weary sigh.
Yuki pursed her lips as she thought aloud. "I believe it’s because Rhys used Phantom Passage to drag him here. He might just be motion sick."
A sharp scoff escaped Rhys’s mouth as he pointed a finger at his own chest. "Come on, don’t throw blame at the innocent. He obviously fainted because of you three. If you don’t believe me, ask them." He gestured with his chin toward the other passengers in the carriage.
The poor travelers, who had been silently observing the drama, instantly stiffened the moment Rhys dragged them into the conversation. They collectively averted their eyes before the three women could even glance their way.
Inwardly, every passenger cried, ’You’re an Adept mage! Solve your own problems! Why involve us?’
Rhys’s lips twitched at their blatant cowardice.
Selena swiftly revived Malric, knowing they didn’t have the luxury of time for him to take a nap. The moment the young man regained consciousness, the mere mention of battling Dark Elves thoroughly terrified him. He practically wept like a child.
"Whoa, whoa! I am scared! I don’t want to fight those monsters!"
"Shut up," Kai snapped. "You are a sect disciple." She pointed directly at the sect token hanging from his waist. He always wore it out in the open just to show off, but right now, he deeply regretted that decision.
Malric swore to himself that he would never wear his sect token in public again.
"So what? Can’t sect disciples be scared?" he shot back.
Rhys involuntarily nodded at the question. Sect disciples were human, after all.
Kai raised her leg, ready to kick Malric, but Selena quickly intervened to stop her.
"I need him safe and sound. At least until I cast that spell," Selena stated firmly.
"What do you mean, ’at least until I cast that spell’? How ominous," Rhys remarked. Malric nodded in hurried agreement. Feeling like the man who had kidnapped him was actually the sanest person among the group, Malric shuffled a bit closer to Rhys.
Selena laid out the plan clearly.
"The magic I am going to cast is an Apprentice-level spell called Forgetfulness Reversal. I will be using the brain of the Sphenomorphus dussumieri as a catalyst."
It was a Curse-type spell possessing dual rare properties. The first property caused those caught in its radius to completely forget what they were doing right before the magic struck. The second property forced them to subconsciously execute the exact opposite of their true intentions.
Rhys inhaled sharply upon hearing the explanation. In simpler terms, this spell would make the Dark Elves forget to fire their arrows while simultaneously forcing them to do the reverse of what they wanted: which meant they would hunt each other instead.
’Curse spells are certainly vicious,’ Rhys thought.
[Aren’t all spells the same? Their morality depends entirely on whose side they are used for.]
’True...’
"Then you need me for..." Malric swallowed hard.
"Yes. Your sole purpose is to disperse the spell toward them." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"Will it affect us?" he questioned again.
"That is precisely why I am asking you to blow it away from us," Selena replied with a shrug.
’Crazy,’ Rhys and Malric thought simultaneously, exchanging a brief look. While Malric’s eyes practically screamed for rescue, Rhys’s gaze silently begged him not to fail the dispersal.
And just like that, an unspoken bond forged by sheer helplessness developed in the corner of the carriage.
*
* *
The brain of the Sphenomorphus dussumieri was roughly the size of a football. The moment Selena brought it out, its pungent, sharp odor flooded the carriage.
"The spell will travel through this scent," Selena murmured, seemingly savoring the foul aroma. "If anyone breathes in even an ounce of it once the catalyst activates..." She trailed off, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air. Everyone understood.
"Malric, my friend, you carry the hopes of every living soul on this train. Give it your all, alright?" Rhys patted the young man’s shoulder, a gesture that only amplified the crushing weight of Malric’s task. Malric found himself deeply regretting ever accepting this mission.
"You will have three seconds at most," Selena warned. "If you fail to drive the scent away from us..."
Malric swallowed hard and nodded.
Selena held his gaze for a few seconds longer, silently praying for the young man’s success. If he failed, the magical backlash of canceling the spell would be devastating.
While a mage could technically recall a casted spell, doing so required returning the magic to its original structural form with the exact same mana output and precision.
For a magic as intricate as Forgetfulness Reversal, Selena knew she couldn’t abort it without facing severe, possibly fatal, consequences. Yet, she had no other choice.
Rhys watched her tense expression and sighed. Honestly, if he truly wanted to, he could use Phantom Passage to phase through the incoming arrows and hunt down the Dark Elves himself.
However, unveiling that kind of power would draw far too much attention. He had already turned enough heads with his previous shenanigans: he had no desire to cause an even grander spectacle.
So, he simply hoped Selena’s plan would succeed.
[Not because you too scared of Dark Elves..]
’Shut up..’
Malric tensed as Selena closed her eyes. It was time. He began channeling the apprentice-level wind spell, Gale’s Embrace.
"Gather around me! Keep within a five-meter radius," Malric commanded. The passengers quickly shuffled to comply. "I’m going to push the scent outward in a localized cyclone. The other carriages will remain safe, as the secure zone will expand before the vapor can reach them."
The moment Selena’s eyes snapped open, signaling the activation of her magic, Malric unleashed his own.
With the train acting as the epicenter, a massive cyclone erupted, spiraling outward. It expanded so rapidly that escape was impossible, but just as quickly as it formed, it vanished.
Along with the storm, the rhythmic thud of incoming arrows ceased. Inside the carriage, everyone held their breath, waiting in dead silence until the sudden sounds of infighting and panicked cries echoed from outside the train.
The Dark Elves were turning on each other. The spell had worked.
"Let’s go clear them out before the effects wear off," Selena said, offering a weak smile. Her face was deathly pale, her mana stores nearly depleted.
Rhys was the first to slip out of the train, with Kai and Yuki following closely at his heels.
