"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Ella chanted. The sound of her claw scratching the stone.
Hikari sat in the center of the flat circular clearing in the middle of the cavern. Her eyes closed in deep meditation.
Her salamander armour has recovered enough to cover her chest, pelvis and all of her joints.
Before her, the core of the elemental stuck into the ground. The cryptic runes engraved on its smooth surface glowed.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Ella circled her, drawing rune after rune. The screeching sound of her claws sinking into the stone and dragging it through forcefully.
The air stirred as each of her words echoed through the chamber. The runes etched onto her scales glimmered with power.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
The half wyvern completed the round. All at once, the ring of runes lit up.
The air suddenly got heavy. Hikari tightened her chest, keeping her breathing steady.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Ella continued. Slithering along the runes she just carved, deepening each rune as the claw was dragged through it a second time.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
The second round of etching was complete. The retracing was quicker than etching on the empty flat stone surface for the first time.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
The mana in the circle was intensifying. Hikari sank deeper and deeper into meditation like sinking deeper and deeper into the water.
She could still hear Ella's voice echoing in her head. The sound of the howling wind outside the cavern got fainter and fainter.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
Ella finished her third round. She crawled out of the circle, briefly flicking away a pebble suspended in mid air.
She grabbed a pot. It was filled up a quarter of the way with dust.
Ella dragged the pot back into the circle
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
She dipped her claw into the pot, applying a coating of the powder, before retracing the runes again.
The rune glowed even brighter as the powder settled into the stone slit.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Round the circle she goes.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
It was done. She filled the runes with the Illenium powder.
She slithered back out the circle and grabbed another pot. This one was filled with her shedded scales.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
She began scattering the scales on the outer circle. The scales rattled as it was exposed to the mana in the circle. Bouncing up and down in bursts of energy.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Hikari's body stiffened in response to the scales. Her breathing briefly hastened and stabilized.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
Half the circumference was laden with wyvern scales. The half wyvern made her way out of the circle for the rest.
Cough! Hikari let out a sudden cough. Several shards of wyvern scale flew outwards, sinking themselves into the walls of the cavern.
Ella immediately slithered back behind Hikari and pressed her claws onto her back.
She pulled the excess mana out of Hikari's body. The runes on her body glowed with power as it was filled up.
She quickly made her way back out the ritual circle, grabbed a large depleted mana crystal, sank her teeth in and vented.
Behind her, Hikari stabilized. The bouncing of the scales had stopped. Ella hopped out of the cavern entrance into the cold winds outside.
A minute later, she returned. With a twirl of her body, she shook off the snow that gathered.
She grabbed the other pot of wyvern scales and made it back into the circle.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
The wyvern scales were poured onto the stone. They glowed with energy but stood still.
Hikari's breathing was stable. Her back was straight.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
More wyvern scales landed on the stone. The ritual was almost complete.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
Ella tossed the pot out of the circle.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Ella crawled along the outermost rim of the circle. Her wings unfolded.
The core of the fire elemental crackled as more and more power was drawn from it.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
The wyvern scales began rattling again.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
Slowly, they left the ground. Shivering in mid air.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Around the circle, Ella crawled. Her chant stoked the ritual.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
The scales rose higher and higher, until they formed up in what could be described as a gallery of mirrors.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
Ella finished the last syllable. She crawled to her position behind Hikari, sitting down in a meditating position behind her.
Suddenly, the runes on her body lit up all at once in a searing golden light.
Her body straightened stiff as it was inserted into the invisible torrent of mana raging in the ritual circle. Her wings spread out in a full span as the scales ringed with power.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Her words echoed through the cavern, stronger than before.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… " She repeated the same phrase and then paused.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… " She repeated again and waited.
"Esh… " After a pause, Hikari finally forced out a word. The wyvern scales suspended in mid air ringed in response.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… " Ella repeated the phrase.
"Esh… " Hikari struggled with the first syllable.
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"Esh… "
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"Esh… Li… "
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"Esh… Li… prie… agir… elr… "
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"Esh… Li… prie… "
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"Esh… Li… prie… agir… elr… qeb…"
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"elr… qeb…"
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
"elr… qeb…"
"Esh.. Li…. prie… agir… elr… qeb… parvi… "
Badum! Badum! Ella could feel Hikari's heartbeat reverberating through the stone.
Badum! Badum! Hikari sat still.
The sound of the howling wind outside the cavern.
"Esh…" Hikari paused. The wyvern scales resonated like wind chimes.
"Li…"
Pause.
"prie… agir… elr…"
Pause.
"qeb…"
The scales ringed at her last syllable.
"parvi… "
Everything stopped.
The sound of dripping water.
Pause.
All at once, the scales began humming. Like a flock of humming birds, the suspension of scales darted towards her and abruptly stopped midway.
A section of the runes turned brilliant white it was filled with Hikari's mana.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Ella began the second phrase.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
She repeated.
And paused, allowing Hikari time to process.
"ha… yilen… "
Hikari managed the first two syllables.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Ella repeated and paused.
"ha… yilen… "
Hikari tripped over her tongue.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
Ella repeated and paused again.
Ella waited, but Hikari remained silent.
Just as she was about to repeat the phrase again, she felt Hikari taking a deep breath.
"ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… qeb… parvi… di… "
She said the whole phrase in one go. Every term was precise.
The mana in her words was so strong that it made the half wyvern's skin shiver.
A second section of the runes turned brilliant white. The suspension of wyvern scales got closer and began revolving around Hikari within half arm's length.
"Saa… ha.. Yilen… esh… Li… prie… saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… "
"Saa…" Just as Ella began the third phrase, Hikari began.
"Saa…"
She paused.
"ha... Yilen… "
Pause. The scales revolved faster and faster around her. The first three runes of the last section turned brilliant white.
"esh… Li… prie…"
Another three runes turned white.
Ella stayed silent as Hikari attempted to finish the chant.
Hikari took a deep breath.
"saa… ha… yilen… te… sti… elr… ! "
The entire circle of runes turned white. The wyvern scales stopped dead in midair.
Slowly, they floated towards Hikari's body, assembling themselves onto her black salamander armour.