Back? # **Chapter Twenty-Six: Halls Get Decked** *The Magispace, 8:55 PM* *Music: Joy To The World (Intro) - Lindsey Stirling* Astral twirled and stamped her foot against the ground, sending a shockwave through the crowd. The festivalgoers’ icy shells cracked and fell away, as did the performers. “Well, that was a cute trick,” Eira spat petulantly, peeved that Astral had outwitted him. “But it doesn’t matter! Your friend’s body is under my control, and you can’t hurt me without hurting her! Ha! Take that!” The performers exchanged worried glances, frozen by fear. At least, that was what Eira saw, unaware that the heroes had already made their first move. Taron had snuck up behind him during his boast, and the demon’s senses had fallen victim to his illusion magic. The crowd, however, saw Symphony3 and the remainder of the performers prepare their instruments and voices to cheer StrangeNation on. “Everyone, make some noise!” Nimue cheered as Jilaiya’s drumbeats counted them in. “ONE, TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR!” *Music: Joy To The World - Lindsey Stirling* A melodic swell drifted through the air, triumphant and defiant. Suddenly, Eira heard a loud snap from the stage’s wings. Mirina had severed a rope holding the heavy velvet curtains, sending one hurtling towards him. “Agh! No! Stop!” He cried, barely managing to catch the heavy fabric and toss it away before it crushed him. Intercepting it took immense magic and concentration, and by the end, Eira was panting and puffing from exhaustion. He turned to face his opponents, seething with pure rage. “Oh, I’ll get you for that, you…huh?” The heroes had disappeared! With a scowl, he noticed an insipid pop trio mid-song, and the crowd was cheerily singing along, all with his enemies nowhere to be seen. Looking around, he heard a whistle from above him as Nimue pointed to the skies with a smirk. Mercury and Burgundy swooped down from the rafters, strings of brightly-coloured lights as their makeshift rope. Eira tried to dodge as they hurtled towards him, but found he could not move. As his powers weakened, so did his control over his vessel. Willow willed herself to remain completely still, leaving Eira frozen helplessly as the heroes wrapped him in the cords, securing the demon’s arms firmly to his sides. As he writhed inside the restraints, Eira felt a cool rush of air against his back, accompanied by a tap on the shoulder. He awkwardly hopped around to face it, just in time for Nuro to kick his legs out from beneath him and send him crashing. Fortunately for Eira, he landed on a pillow, cushioning the fall. Spencer had placed it before Nuro’s ambush — he didn’t want his sister to get hurt. To finish him off, Astral pinned his wrists and ankles to the ground while Spencer encased them in a thick coating of ice. Pyx held her sword to his throat, Fileran brandished two of his knives against his back, and Burgundy gagged him with her whip. Finally, adding insult to injury, Mirina took a shiny plastic bow from her pocket and stuck it to Eira’s hair. Combined with the cocoon of lights, he looked like a festively wrapped present, quashing any last ounce of his remaining dignity. Eira tried his hardest to hang onto his vessel, but the spell that kept him bound to the Underworld had caught up to him, calling him home. Drained and dazed, he knew he couldn’t fight its pull any longer. Not even mustering the effort to make a final defiant retort, he keeled over, his vision beginning to swim. The last thing he heard was the crowd’s wild cheers as his hold on Willow’s body faded once and for all.