Getting her magic to cooperate was like boiling the ocean. Her magic and her mind were the ocean having a constant shift in phases. It made pinpointing a single incident very difficult for her. Not only was there no indication, but Maria did not have a guide as well.

This all was made even more difficult by the fact that they had a time limit and keeping her mind empty was a near-impossible task for Maria to be able to accomplish. Every time she tried, her mind flashed back to the current situation they were in. The clash of magic around her made it impossible to even concentrate.

"Any progress so far?" Kagemori asked as she shielded yet another attack. Her face had sweat running down at all sides and Maria could see the fatigue lining up her brows. She was reaching the end of her endurance.

No matter how much magic one had, there was a limit to how much they could use safely. Physical power was just as important as mental and magical power for a demonic candidate. And Kagemroi did not have it all. They had made her a candidate because there had been no other choice for them.

"I am making progress. How long can you hold the attack off for?" Maria asked, her voice small. The magic inside her was in disharmony, fighting against itself to not let her see. It had to be some kind of protective measure to not allow the Oracle to do as they wish to.

[Warning. Forbidden territory. Users are warned not to force a vision to come. Breaching the terms can have dire consequences for the user]

Maria gritted her teeth as she forced herself to ignore the warning and force her way through her magic. She could feel the force repelling her out of the ocean of magic and mana around her.

"Sorry" Maria heard before she felt her body being tossed around. The shock caused her to lose her concentration and lose the connection she had with her magic. It stung but it also might have just saved her life.

Lucas lurked inches away from her face, his feather logged in the place where Maria had just been as she felt herself react. Her chains rose up from beneath Lucas's body, causing the winged man to dodge out of the way.

Maria was totally out of her zone now, her concentration broken. She was not even sure if it was worth it to try and force herself back into the zone for another try.

"Trying something new? Too bad I can't allow it" Lucas attacked the pair again but this time it was easy to parry. Maria could still feel the pull of magic in her core that gave her an incredible amount of life force. All Maria had to do was to pull from the pool.

But it would have consequences later. Her body was not made for carrying so much life force and she also did not have protection from the after-effects. Maria might as well make the best of it while she still could move.

"Kagemori, I don't think I have enough time to look for Trisha. We need to settle things and get the location out of Lucas somehow" Maria complained, knowing her own limits. She was sure that she would be able to force her vision one day, but it was not today.

Maria needed more practice and more training before even attempting to push herself into that sea again. And Kagemori must have understood that as well because she did not complain or even say a word of the curse. She just took her place in front of Maria in a defensive position.

"I see. If that's the case, then I can't allow you to die here. You have a mission to fulfill, right?" Kagemori asked in a neutral tone. She did not sound either encouraging or discouraging. She spoke it like she was speaking a fact and that was how Maria knew that Kagemroi believed in her.

"Yup. We cannot fall here" and Maria did mean it. Lucas might have a significant edge above them but he was not invincible. His wings already showed signs of wear and tear. He was not going to last long as well.

In the end, Lucas was human as well and even his body had a limit. Continuously using magic could be taxing for a trained body, never mind a human one that looked like it had not seen any hardships.

Maria readied her chains, positioning her to use them as soon as Lucas stepped ahead. Her chains were not demonic of origin and had an essence of holding magic in them. Lucas won't be able to stop them and that would be their hidden card.

Kagemori was the bait and the lure to get Lucas in position while Maria was to be the executioner. They had not discussed this strategy beforehand but they both could tell what the other was thinking. Maybe it was because they had shared the node's energy or maybe it was just how in-tune they were with each other.

Lucas was arrogant, too drunk on his own power to see the trap he was hearing for. This was going to be his downfall. Maria could almost see it, the way he would move and the way he would be captured.

She moved her magic around Kagemori, assisting the other in getting Lucas to the right spot. The winges man was none the wiser, following after the demoness with a cheerful vigor.

Maria readied her chains, her muscles tense and she pulled them up just as Kagemori passed through her magical net. Her chains sprang forward, rising up to capture her target and she saw Lucas's eyes widen.

And then she watched as he dodged her attacks. It happened in a distorted way, her eyes forced to shut at the light, and Maria barely made out what was happening. Had she been too late? Too early? Had Lucas caught on to what they had been planning?

It was too difficult to tell and Maria reflexively pushed her chains in a trajectory that would not have allowed Lucas to get out, even if he did pull the same move again.historical

She heard a yelp and then a curse as she opened her eyes. But instead of having escaped, there Lucas was, in the bundle of her chains. He had been captured and did not loo happy about it. Even Kagemori looked spooked so Maria was sure that something must have changed during their execution.

"I would appreciate a warning before you pull something like that" Kagemori warned and Maria just looked on in shock.