Elsewhere Ralian woke up, as she coughed after feeling damaged from a lightning bolt from Hazard. But was she is awoken, she noticed she was laying on a mattress made of straws, she looked around onto her odd situation she's in as she noticed her bow and her arrows are gone, along with her book she carries with her everywhere from the start of her leaving her people years ago. Until she saws sparks of dark flames flowing by themselves as they light the room she is in with a dark purple light glow as they all lead towards someone sitting of a soft handmade chair, as she looks focus more on the chair she notice it is made from the remains of skeletons within and the outside made of scales from dragons. Horrified by the sight she attempts to use her magic on the person sitting on the chair, but suddenly notices her magic isn't working, she is quick to notice there's a chain latched onto her leg that has a binding spell on it.
"You're quite versatile, any person who realizes they've been captured would try to scream pathetic sorrows. But you went on the offensive instead of the defensive."
"I know who you are Alison I seen you through Moria's head"
"And I still remember that remarkable lightning strike, it could even be more powerful than your former friend Hazard" as she can sense there is no sign of a life signal of Hazard as she smirks "looks like your friends took care of him sooner than I expected"
"And you're completely fine with it?" Ralian cocked her eyebrow in confusion. "We defeated all of your elites, even one joined us, how could be happy when your at a disadvantage."
Alison chuckles "that may be true, but in times of war anyone is expendable, while each played their part whether they knew or not. But you want to know why I didn't put a seal on his neck. That's because it was for your blood caster to extract information from him"
"You made him the bait"
"Indeed, no doubt the traps my minions will have their fun sooner or later".
Ralian looks around as she notices there are remains from many mythical creatures, dragons, sirens, ogres, even creatures of the dark and magical artifacts "why are you doing this. Moria told us all about you, manipulating the poorless who experience trauma, and having these remains of dragons" "I know that looking a sign of curiosity is always the first thing we always think of" "we?" Alison grabs onto her hood lowering it down revealing to Ralian, her dark green hair, her purple glowing eyes, and her darkened antlers, same appearance as all of Ralian's people as she immediately knew Alison is a druid. "your a druid" she said shocked.
"Indeed, and like you, I also have a high curiosity of all types of creature, places, and culture. Though I was born with a high intellect and proficient in all spells, but I was also despise by my people"
"No that's not true there was no record written from you in anything I read"
"That's because the high elders erased all my presence within the world of druid"
"Why would they do that?"
"That's because they knew I would turn out this way" her voice started to raise her voice more violent. Alison rolled up her sleeves revealing her arm covered in scales like a dragon while dark veins had spread throughout her arm and onto her face.
"What happened to you? I never seen a Druid with dragon skin"
"It was my own curiosity. When I got banished from our people"
"They banished you, for what reason?"
Many centuries ago in the world of the Druids, from what the Enchantress can remember, in her home she was one of the best of her people, able to use magic better than any known Druid who lived back them. But one day when she was reading and practicing more spells to cast, in a secret room no Druid should ever find, she stumbled upon a room filled with powerful ancient magic she ever saw and used. She looked at one book and spoke an incantation and felt more power she ever felt in her life, she felt a craving for the power she felt, reading more books and figuring out the spells she could ever get her hands on, but then she had a thought wanting to show the new power to the people, no Druid has ever found this secret place and wanted to show everyone to use. But as she tries to leave a high ranking elder stopped her in her tracks, the elder wasn't happy to see Alison in a room restricted to all who entered, she quickly pleaded with questions of curiosity, wondering why this room was kept away. But was given nothing but a stern look as the elder presented the staff to her ready to fight her, she had to fight back, though as she tried to use the power she just discovered it was all for nothing as one blast pierced through all her attacks and hit her stripping away from all her powers, as a portal was opened and without a second through Alison was pushed through as she was teleported to the world of humans.
Ralian was shocked that her people would hide information Alison mentioned, or that the high elder had the power to strip away the power of anyone who dared to oppose him. "So the elder did this to you?"
"Yes, he was the one who stripped away any form of power I used to wield, such as the ones you wield today. I needed a new source of power to defend myself from threats" Alison points towards a full skeletal remains of a dragon missing one of it's claws "and how I got these powers was from those remains as I found out I can siphon power and used them as my own, though it was only temporary. But I push through the limit to do the unthinkable, I hacked off one of my fingers and attaches this dragon's claw onto one of my fingers as it gave me the ability to control the dark flames this dragon can spew" Alison demonstrating summoning a small of fire from the finger it was turned into the claw and threw it towards the skeletal remains of another dragon "after that encounter it gave me a new feeling I have never experience, a surge of power I have never felt before from those useless lessons of our people"
"So what is that what you do, cut off a limb from those who can exert power and attach it to your own to keep it for yourself!"
"You are precisely correct, Ralian. And the power was fun to wield, though I haven't forgot how my people used to treat me with their care for any mythical creatures, or their love for nature"
"We druids are known for respecting nature, healing those who cannot protect themselves while bestowing wisdom on them, and we are a symbolism of a cultural belief of god himself"
"Indeed, I do believe in those beliefs as well, but our high elder was always corrupt. And I too have helped others to exact revenge for who wronged them"
"And you think that will quell their sorrows, if they have revenge, it will not make them feel better"
"Is it, tell me about Moria. I do keen her sense of bloodlust of those fishermen from the east of killing the only person who loved her thus I bestowed upon her the power over water. And now I see after her revenge she has found a better life for herself"
"That was not your doing, that was made from us who cut those chains of your control".
Alison smiled deviously as she got up from her seat "I do say, you have intrigued me from our talk. As I'll tell you something as to where we are". She then summons more balls of dark fire as she levitates them towards each candle eventually lighting up the entire room of her quarters. Ralian suddenly notice in the center of Alison's quarters. A large orange burning core.
"Isn't that a burning core. Found in deep caves inhabited by dragons"
"Indeed it is, and this is the same burning core diminishing with power from the caves underneath mountains where you colleague known as Ezrael used to live"
"You killed every dragon! What is wrong with you!"
"Dragons are very powerful, and have the most elemental energy. You should have seen their desperate faces as I told them I could help them, and with our connection from a dragon and druid they were quick to accept my offer and gave them gifts to satisfy their hunger of power"
"You lied to them! How dare you". Ralian tries to move but her body suddenly stops from her upper body then her lower body "what is this!?" Ralian looks at Alison as she notice her body was surging with black reddish lightning, a certain surge of electricity only she saw from "how did you know how to use Venny's blood magic?" "You must thank your friend's actions ten years ago. That little bait from Handikiz gave me the opportunity to wield his power. However, I would also like to thank the Nightly Crew for helping before" on the other hand of Alison, she started to summon a small portion of wind. "Wait... That's Jin's wind magic" "indeed though I was worried since he is the most versatile person to fight against, but thanks to Ossom fighting him. That fact quickly shifted away".
"You're using the powers from my friends, why you have the powers of dragons why need them"
"Because their powers can rival gods, you don't know what limits they have, with Venny I felt death when I use his powers, for Jin my body felt light as it I was about to fade away" she looked at her hands pulsating with energy from Ralian's hands "but there is something I still miss, something I craved to wield one day. And that is to have be a Druid again" Alison raised her hands towards Ralian "despite what I done, would you be so kindly and help me gain my heritage again as I may be a Druid like you once more, and in return I will give you knowledge you too deeply craved as you were shunned by our people, this is my offer to you"
Ralian looked at Alison's hands, thinking about her offer, deeply remembering her past during her time in the world of Druids as she was different from all the others due to her vast in knowledge and power, but was shunned like her ever respected by her people. But now an offer was placed before her to gain more knowledge she could ever wish for, but something began to swirl in her, a sight of doubt. She remembers nearly hating everything, and headed for the human world wanted t get away from her people and learn of the knowledge there, where later she met the people who would become her teammates, friends and family, a bond she had never felt in a long time. Eventually nearly losing one friend after another and making a home to properly rest herself till the time is right to regain the trust she once thought to be lost, Gale their leader, and Yamma her mentor at the time, those were the best people she had met who helped her when she needed to learn of the world and trusted fewer before the split. Then there was Jin, Geek, Ezrael, Moria, Venny and Dani, friends who she made with Gale's help opening her circle of people she could trust as there were only she only trusted back then. She looked back at Alison's hands and just spat at her hands.
"Disgusting" she said
"you think you could offer me some bullshit knowledge and power in serving you then think again. I will never make a deal with you even if my life depended on it, despite what I've been through Gale, Yamma, and the others were always there for me even if my anger gets the best of my unlike you who takes what you want with no remorse, no deal."
Alison sighs in disappointment "then you have sealed your fate" both of Alison's hands started to pulsate with wind and blood preparing to use the power on Ralian, as she takes a deep breath preparing for the full impact.
Suddenly they hear explosions from afar as it is rumbling within Alison's quarters, she noticed and snickers to herself "perfect timing as always, it has begun" she smiles as she begins to walk away.
"No, you get away from them!" She shouted as Ralian tries to follow but she still couldn't move her body "oh having trouble to move. Let me help you with that" with a snap of her fingers she allowed Ralian to move but she is still limited by the reach of the chain shackle to her leg. All she could do is watch as Alison leaves her in her quarters alone, knowing she couldn't do anything to stop her and would know to pay dearly for it. But in that moment of weakness and grief, Ralian notices from the chains are old yet frail. Weak enough to break the chains not the cuff, Ralian quickly tries to find something to break off the chains, pulling onto the chain but to no avail, "I wish I can still use my magic, but thanks to this binding spell I cannot". Until she notices her mattress made of straws may have something within as the cuffs on her have blood from a victim before. Searching within the mattress of straws trying to feel it in her hands, as she felt something made of metal.
"Perfect" grabbing onto the metal thing and pulling out of the mattress she saw it was a sickle "this hay must have been stolen from a barn". Ralian uses the sickle slashing it onto the weakened chain to hope to break free and help her friend in any way possible.
(end of chapter 54)