It happened all in an instant. One second, it was all calm and serene, the pair enjoying the course of life magic buzzing through them, the next second things seemed to be blowing out of proportion. The whole building looked like it was about to melt away.

Even their surroundings could no longer hold on to their shape and the cave looked like it would cave in at any moment, burying the couple beneath the rubble. It was not an ideal situation to be in.

"What is happening now? I can feel this place getting agitated. My connection to the node might be new but it's painful as well" Kagemori complained, holding her head in her hand. Her face had a pinched expression and her magic seemed to be running a little wild.

Whatever was going on here, it had to be connected to the node. The place itself looked alright and unharmed. Which likely meant that the problem was the key. Or more specifically, Trisha. The princess was also connected to the node familiarly and had formed a connection that could prove to be fatal if not looked after properly.

"I think they're going to perform a ceremony to force the node open. It's a dangerous thing to attempt and I'm not sure if the node will be able to bear the pressure" Kagemori looked tense at the admission.

Maria did not know what the ceremony was entitled to but it didn't sound good to her ear. For Kagemori to sound worried, it must have a huge impact on the node itself.

"They'll try to sacrifice the key to force the space open for everyone. And I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have enough strength to keep a hold on the node if they tried that" Kagemori admitted. She looked a lot paler than before, her face a mask of white.

"Then let's go save Trisha. You'll get a hang of your powers on the way. I'm sure of it" there was a lot of false cheer in Maria's voice but it was well-received. Kagemori let out a small chuckle at her words, her eyes fading to her original color.

The chosen demoness did not say anything but her eyes betrayed everything she wanted to say. She was ready to leave this space but her emotions were not in her grasp. Even the littlest of things would set her off.

Not that they had much of a choice in staying or leaving. Their surroundings were already dissolving at a rapid rate and it would not be long before they would be back in their original setting. The royal room was already starting to come back, as was Lady Elma's silhouette.

"Did you two have fun there? I can feel the power of the node in you" Lady Elma asked, her face pinched. She looked like she had run a marathon a little while ago but had yet to recover.

"I felt like I was about to die there. A warning would be much appreciated next time" Maria complained, not really meaning it. But it did help her feel better to let out her voice in such a way. It helped her feel human and ride down the high of having too much life force inside her.

Lady Elma just laughed back at her words. Maria had no idea what she had found so amusing in those words but it did lighten the mood. It made it easier for Maria to ask the next question and expect to get a straight answer.historical

"Did you locate Trisha? We felt some disturbance in the node once we were finished. Kagemori thinks it's a ritual of some sort" Maria interfered, breaking the mood. The playfulness that had descended down the room instantly evaporated in favor of a more somber atmosphere.

Lady Elma's pale face finally regained some of its previous colors which indicate that the situation was not as grim as Maria had expected it to be at first. There was still hope for them to be able to do something.

"Trisha is alive and well for now. Our sources did detail out the ceremony that is about to take place and there is both good news and bad news" Lady Elma replied, her face straight.

Maria gulped down her nervousness at the answer. Lady Elma had been looking at an agitated Kagemori so Maria did not know what to make of it. This could either go incredibly well or incredibly bad and there was no way to tell which alternative they would end up facing.

"Break the suspense witch, we don't have all day. I won't do anything stupid" Kagemori replied, her annoyance clear in her voice. But she did seem to be in control of herself and that gave everyone some semblance of relief.

Her voice sounded stable and Maria felt like she could trust her. And maybe this is what Lady Elma felt as well since she finally decided to drop her guard and spill all she knew about the topic.

"The bad news is that they've moved the schedule of the sentence to be held in the next hour. However, our intel tells us that this will be a sham. We'll use this opportunity to get Trisha" Lady Elma detailed.

And thinking back at it, it did make sense for Rosewell to not kill Trisha outright if he wanted the node. The key was an important item and a necessity to reach the node. The only reason Maria and Kagemori had been able to bypass the protection for some time was because of Lady Elma.

And even then, Maria could sense the amount of damage Lady Elma had sustained due to this action. She was not going to be a lot of help in this upcoming fight.

"Alright. So we'll attack in an hour?" Kagemori asked, her fingers flexing in a nervous pattern in front of her. Maria watched her cautiously, just in case she somehow lost her temper or the control of her powers. It was a really delicate balance after all and one Maria was sure would be disastrous.