The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

In a blink of an eye, Meirga floated up against her will toward the vortex. In seconds, her human-form body arrived at the mouth of the black swirling hole, bringing her inch by inch, meter by meter, toward the middle.

Everyone panicked to the extent of shouting and wishing to fly to bring her back down. If there was anyone expected to react first, it was Nianshi.

His dragon claw swung up, caught her, and pulled her from being swallowed, but the weight of the swirls was hundred times heavier than she was in her dragon form. But he wouldn't let go of her. He too was being pulled in a slow pace.

"Everyone hold tight." His voice was heavy, while exerting all he had.

Ah Lam, Xinyi, and Ming also hastily responded at the same time with Nianshi. 

With an extended hand, Ah Lam flung her steel web on Meirga, wrapping it around her mark's waists. Somehow, the whirling blackness seemed to have a brain of its own that it untangled the web off Meirga's body effortlessly. But Ah Lam wouldn't give up yet. 

She raised another hand and before the first strand of web totally unfurled; she hurled another one while rolling back the previous one around Meirga.

Xinyi, who was behind Nianshi, lifted her hand and a strong vine tangled around Meirga's leg. Ming plunged a wind to engulf Meirga, fighting against the vortex's gravitational pull. Yet, their effort was not enough.

Lofey hit the vortex with his fire, hoping to burn whatever was holding Meirga and stop it. 

The others sent their powers too, aside from Guang and Tyriece. The last had no stones with him, either to pull Meirga or to barrage the vortex with anything they had. But the blackness in the hole formed tentacles, untwining the other powers holding while covering Meirga as well.

Meirga looked like a mummy with the black tentacles wrapped around her upper body while the group's powers were on her lower parts, and Nianshi's clasping claw was on her. The hole also fought back against Lofey's attacks and sent his fires back to them.

This astounded them, but didn't go into a daze. They hurriedly ducked or took cover around Nianshi's body or shielded themselves with their powers.

Xinyi's blue shield activated too and covered them all in time before Lofey's fires hit them. An enormous resounding boom exploded as the flames struck them.

"Meirga, what is that thing?" Xinyi asked. She tried to communicate to the hole, in case someone was manipulating it, but got silence as a reply. 

"I don't know," Meirga said, gritting her teeth as she tried to transform back into a massive dragon, but she felt a familiar power locking her. 

She yanked her head back and shouted, "Father?" But no reply.

Suddenly, Ming felt an urgency, anger, and pride harboring in his chest. And had no other way to erase such feelings but to release it. "Stop!" He yelled, sounding like a massive thunder. Everyone irked in its loudness. His Ruler's Influence worked into play. 

The entire group stood still, the vortex stopped swirling, Meirga stayed afloat above them, and the pulling entirely halted.

"Who is so daring to stop me from taking my daughter back?" A domineering male voice said from the hole.

"Father! Father!" Meirga shouted. "Please, let me go."

Nianshi took Meirga's hint and pleaded. "I beg you, your majesty. Please, release Meirga." 

The father didn't reply to Nianshi. This aggravated the latter. He knew a time would come that he would face the dragon king, but not this soon.

"It is me." Ming replied with equal dominance as the person's voice behind the vortex.

"Such fearsome power from a mere human like you. Impressive. But I see that you're not in control with it. It won't last long. Stop using it for now, and I will be merciful. Harness it first so it won't devour you." 

This devouring warning again. Ming's hold on the rein tightened until his knuckles turned white. But he wouldn't listen to it, for now, for Meirga's sake. "Let go of her. Come out from where you are. Let's talk peacefully. "

"I wish I could and bring my daughter back, but the gateway isn't large enough. I have no grudges against you. Release her. Her mother has been ill for years. She is waiting for her return. Come home, daughter, before it's too late." The dragon king's voice softened with a slight hint of loneliness and anxiousness it it.

Hearing her mother's condition clutched Meirga's chest. A squeezing pain, shame, and guilt flooded her. She agonizingly wept.

"Mama. Mama. I'm sorry." Her sobbings affected the sympathizing onlookers. No one could bear to see their mother suffer because of one's ignorance. She was in remorse for leaving their realm despite of her mother's cries when she left. "It's my fault Mama is sick."

Her weeping broke Nianshi's heart. He was the reason she left the dragon realm, but he wouldn't let go of her if releasing her would mean their separation, again. He pondered deep on how to convince his wife's old dragon father.

"Then open a larger one." Ming said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It was my daughter who opened it. On how she did it, I have to ask her 'bout it. I'm only holding it as the gatekeeper. But… never think she can close it back. I still hold the power over this hole."

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Before Ming could answer, Meirga spoke. "Father, please release me. I will go home." Nianshi was about to protest, but Meirga continued. "But I'm married now. I will bring my husband home."

"What?!?" The dragon father yelled, a deafening one, like a sonar vibrating to their ears, striking their brains. They cringed, hands on their heads, including Nianshi. It was only Ming, Xinyi, and Shijian who were not affected. Ming's new power canceled the power when it reached them.

"That's not true. How could it be? No one can bind you two unless…" The dragon king's voice trailed.

"Your Majesty, I'm a Sorceress and the present Chief Guardian of this world. I did it at their request. They are in love with each other. Please let them be." Xinyi said in a calm voice. There was no fear in her. Her blue shield engulfed her the whole time. It activated on its own when the king cried out, protecting her.

"You! You and your kind were the reason the gateway closed and buried my family in this loathsome mountain. And yet you still have the audacity to marry off my daughter without my permission? You are despicable." 

Thunder boomed. Lightning sizzled in the hole, emanating the king's anger.

Then, Xinyi heard a voice inside her, from the late Sorceress. Xinyi understood the reason then. Same as the rest, the power chain absorbed all the essences it could hold to keep Chiji from dying. It didn't spare the dragons and the dragon land.

"You are mistaken, your majesty. My predecessor didn't close your land. The weakening power chain made this world and your clan suffer. She saved her daughter from dying outside your realm. She had to make her a spirit guardian to keep her safe." Xinyi told him what the late Sorceress said.

"That's not true. I saw that blue-haired lady sent her light to the gate." 

"My predecessor tried to stop it from closing. She sacrificed so much of her essence that day, but she couldn't stop it from closing."

"If not for my daughter's power, I might not see her again today."

"She became stronger after I gave her my mark. We also partly restored the power chain with her help."

Silence fell. The dragon king brought back in memory on what happened that fateful day and connected it to what Xinyi explained. And realized that what Xinyi said was true. With this, the century old hatred melted. He saw he owed Xinyi and the previous Xinyi for her daughter's life and power.

"You could be right. I can feel the Kore getting stronger now." It was also the reason he could hold the gateway today. The dragon clan was in a weakening state for over a century, and this was a fact that every dragon knew, aside from the protected and the previously amnesiac Meirga. 

"But it doesn't mean I will hand my daughter to her so-called husband." He said. An immense burden fell on Nianshi's claw that clasped Meirga's body.

That was an insult for Nianshi. However, he didn't give it too much thought. Rather, he was optimistic. He had to impress this royal-father-in-law. "I am not someone so-called, your majesty. I am Nianshi, the last of the lion-dragons. I'm the sole heir of my king's throne. I am also the Sorceress' mount. I am somebody worthy of your daughter."

"Is that so? Why didn't I hear of this before?" 

The answer seemed brightening the prospect of his acceptance in the royal family. "You didn't give me a chance to explain."

His words brought memories to the three dragons. He was talking about when Nianshi was in their realm and met Meirga. He faced the king for Meirga's hand, but the king didn't allow Nianshi to speak, not even to relate about his background. 

"Your relentless disapproval made me ask the Sorceress to bind us." Nianshi said, owning the fault, though Meirga was the one who asked and even hid it as engagement to the naïve Xinyi. "Remember, whoever the Chief Guardian binds, no one could put asunder." He finished, giving the father-in-law the blow.

"We'll see about that young dragon. My dear daughter, bring that dragon here and let him prove himself." His voice was still as water now. This brought a smile to their faces.

"Everyone, please let go of Meirga." Xinyi said, sweeping her gaze to her companions. Everyone let go, but the black tentacles and Nianshi's claw were still holding her from falling.

"My lady?" Nianshi asked.

Xinyi felt Nianshi's and Meirga's pleas. "Bring us to our destination first and heal the forest before you go."

"This hole won't hold longer. I must close it now or it will swallow my daughter to an abyss of nothingness," the dragon king said.

"I can bring you there in no time and fly into the hole," Nianshi said. "But I can't help with the healing."

Xinyi went quiet, thinking. 

"Don't worry, Xinyi. I think I know what to do with the beasts in the forest." And he turned to Nianshi. "Go ahead, Sir. Just do what you must." 

"But come back soon." Xinyi said, sadness filled her. The parting was harder than she thought. Mostly when the Hutyuns were in hibernation and Lifen's whereabouts were still unknown.

"We can't promise, but we'll do what we can," Nianshi said. He let go of Meirga. They all silently watched as the black hole swallowed Meirga, who was in tears, extending a hand. Her actions spoke volumes to Nianshi — telling Nianshi to hold her hand, to go with her, to not delay. Until she vanished. 

The vortex inch by inch closed in.

Nianshi didn't waste time. A claw dragged Shijian and flew with his lightning speed. As usual, Xinyi's shield sheltered them. Before they arrived in the forest, Ming offered that his and Shijian's winds would bring them down. This was a part of his plan. And told Nianshi to leave right away.

Nianshi thanked them and zoomed toward the now three-meter hole. Instantly, he morphed into his human form and dove into the closing blackness. And it popped. Nothing was left of it.

Peace reigned again in the skies. No trace of Nianshi, Meirga, and the hole. Nothing stirred the passing clouds aside from Ming's whirlwind, bringing them down in the middle of the forest, amid the angry and red-eyed beasts.

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