Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Return to Lsengard

"Achoo—"

Charles sneezed and jolted awake. The sky was beginning to lighten, and the early morning breeze felt chilly against his face.

He noticed a familiar black blanket draped over him. Taking a deep breath, he caught the faint scent of pure heart flower, the same fragrance that clung to Aria.

"This is the blanket I gave Aria in the ancient tomb... She kept it all this time?" Charles thought, slightly stunned as he looked around.

Aria was nowhere to be seen, but the grass beside him bore a shallow indentation, still warm from where she had been lying.

As Charles made his way down the mountain, a powerful force suddenly struck him. Instinctively, he drew his ice and fire supreme spear and summoned Max and mousie.

But the oppressive force was so overwhelming, like a thousand-pound weight pressing down on him, that he couldn't move an inch. Even Max and mousie were frozen in place, unable to budge.