The magic began spreading long before anyone truly noticed.
From the place where Eileen had fallen, thin streams of pure blue light emerged…quiet at first, almost hesitant..then multiplied, flowing through the forest like glowing veins beneath living skin. The energy moved with intent, weaving between roots and stone, climbing tree trunks, slipping into the air as if searching for a way beyond the boundaries of the enchanted forest.
This was not ordinary magic.
It was alive.
With every pulse, the forest trembled. Leaves shook violently, the ground groaned, and ancient trees bent under a pressure they were never meant to endure. The land itself seemed to recoil, as though awakening to something it had long forgotten.
High above, on a dark cliff overlooking the forest, the mysterious sorcerer appeared.
He stood still, his robes unmoving despite the violent surge below. Yet his eyes-usually calm, distant..widened as wave after wave of blue energy reached him. He extended one hand forward. Blue sparks curled around his fingers, not summoned, not controlled, the power itself brushed against him.
He whispered, almost in disbelief:
"…Pure energy."
The air around him tightened, heavy and aware, as if the magic were testing his presence.
"This power does not belong to this era," he murmured.
"Nor to any ordinary sorcerer."
Another surge rose…stronger, sharper.
It split stone, crossed mountains, and tore through the sky with the force of something breaking free.
The sorcerer inhaled deeply, genuine awe flickering across his face.
"If it continues like this," he said slowly, "it will break the borders of the enchanted forest… and reach every kingdom."
His gaze hardened as it locked onto the source.
"How did this power reach you, Eileen?"
A pause.
"…Are you of royal blood?"
The air rippled.
And he vanished.
Only the blue wave remained-stretching, cleansing, awakening…as if the world itself were remembering something ancient.
The light had not traveled far when reality snapped back to the battlefield.
Smoke drifted through the shattered clearing.
Eileen stood at its center, her right arm glowing violently, trembling beneath the strain. Blue sparks broke from her limb like fragments of living crystal. Around her, the royal prison shimmered—but its surface began to crack, dark pressure striking from within.
"Eileen!" Sera shouted. "Something's happening inside the prison!"
Eileen raised her hand, forcing her remaining strength into the barrier…
but the air in front of her suddenly stilled.
A calm blue light formed.
From it, the woman appeared once more.
She stood directly before Eileen, her presence steady, ancient, untouched by the chaos. Her eyes carried a quiet authority that silenced the air itself.
"The royal prison does not break, Eileen," she said softly.
And then she vanished…like a thought dissolving before it could be grasped.
And for a brief moment…
the forest fell silent.
No wind stirred the leaves.
No roots shifted beneath the soil.
Even the blue light seemed to hesitate, as if the world itself was listening.
Eileen stood frozen, her arm still trembling with power she did not understand,
the echo of the woman's voice lingering deep within her chest.
The royal prison remained intact…
but something far greater had already begun to crack.
Far beyond the forest, unseen eyes had awakened.
Ancient forces had felt the call.
And paths long buried beneath history had started to open once more.
This was no longer a single battle.
It was the first sign of a return.
And the world had just remembered her name.