"Surrender?" Saruman sneered, looking at Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf, and Kael with deep, mocking eyes.
"You want me to surrender? Impossible!"
A force of Maiar origin, the "power of persuasion," radiated from him, his gaze filled with hypnotic suggestion and his voice laced with magical allure.
"Lay down your hostility, my friends. I am not your enemy. This is all just a misunderstanding! The world needs order. I'm only trying to make it better..."
Kael felt a sudden daze.
In his mind, Saruman's figure became immensely charismatic, his hostility melted away, and the wizard's words seemed utterly reasonable and compelling.
Kael fought to shake off the influence, trying to magically seal his hearing.
But it was no use. Saruman's voice wasn't just entering through the ear. Its subtle spiritual power was quietly invading the mind, seeking to dominate thoughts and will.
Not only Kael, but also Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond all frowned.
Saruman's words were a symphonic curse, no longer mere speech but an assault of magical energy.
"Don't listen! Hear only the lies amidst his words!" Gandalf's voice boomed in Kael's mind.
"He's weaving shadows in our minds. We must break his spell!" Elrond cautioned gravely as he maintained his mental defenses. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⸺fire.net
Saruman's voice couldn't truly corrupt their will, but it filled their minds with discordant noise, shattering their focus.
More dangerously, Smaug and Thorondor fell under his mental sway, turning to attack the group.
Due to magical bonds, Smaug couldn't attack Kael, but the sudden betrayal upended the battlefield. Gandalf and Elrond, worried about hurting Kael's companions, could only defend themselves, not strike back.
Galadriel was forced to maintain a barrier, reducing the power of Saruman's "spell-song" while blocking Smaug and Thorondor's attacks.
Kael, in frustration, used the musical magic he'd learned from Tom Bombadil.
Cheerful, magical music partially countered Saruman's influence, but the difference in magical strength became increasingly obvious. Kael's song began to falter.
But Galadriel and the others' eyes lit up.
Gandalf immediately channeled the Fire Ring's power into Kael, strengthening his spirit.
Galadriel and Elrond did the same, sharing their rings' strength and increasing the music's force.
In an instant, as golden notes danced over the wilderness, Kael's solo became a lively, grand symphony!
Uplifting, joyful music washed away Saruman's spell-song, weakening it until its magical effect vanished.
Smaug and Thorondor, no longer under Saruman's control, recovered their senses and stopped attacking.
But to Saruman, the music was unbearable, loud, jarring, and inescapable.
"Enough! Enough! Stop this noise!" Saruman shouted in pain and rage.
Humiliated and desperate, he began chanting a dark spell over his slain warg. Dark magic corrupted the corpse, transforming it into a monstrous, undead mount.
Saruman leapt onto its back and fled east.
With his fortress Isengard lost, he couldn't return, so he escaped toward Mordor or beyond.
"After him!" Gandalf mounted his broom and gave chase.
Elrond and Galadriel likewise took to the sky, riding Thorondor and Smaug.
Kael simply Apparated, flashing repeatedly around Saruman and harassing him with spells to block and delay his flight.
Since air travel was faster than ground, Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel quickly caught up and moved to encircle Saruman from above.
Saruman, furious, fired bolts of lightning and fireballs as he fled, and summoned storms to negate his pursuers' aerial advantage.
The pursuit continued across the plains of Rohan, lightning and fire lighting the sky, explosions echoing everywhere.
When they arrived at the banks of the Entwash River, Elrond summoned a flood, transforming it into a charging legion to cut off Saruman's escape.
"Saruman, you have nowhere left to run!" Gandalf thundered, launching a bolt of lightning at him.
Saruman answered with lightning of his own. The two met midair and erupted in brilliant, blinding flashes.
"Expelliarmus!" Kael appeared behind Saruman and disarmed him.
Caught off guard, Saruman's staff flew from his grasp.
Kael struck again, snatching up the staff and retreating.
Without his staff, Saruman's threat diminished.
Immediately, Gandalf hammered him with a blast of magical force and knocked Saruman into the river.
Elrond controlled the water, spinning it into a massive vortex that trapped Saruman and left him no chance to struggle.
"Saruman, you've lost!" Gandalf called.
"Surrender, and for the sake of old friendship, we will not harm you. We will imprison you until all is finished. If you truly repent, perhaps you may be forgiven, perhaps even return to the West."
Saruman, struggling in the water, sneered bitterly.
"I did nothing wrong! I only sought power. What is so wrong about that? The gods' age has passed! Why should I return to the West to be a slave or servant? Just because they're born stronger, must we serve and obey?"
"I will stay in this world. I will rule it!"
Gandalf frowned. He had always thought Saruman's downfall was due to Sauron's corrupting temptation, but now he heard not just ambition but explicit resentment against the Valar.
Hearing this, Kael saw Saruman in a new light.
In this world, hierarchy was absolute: above all was the One, Eru Ilúvatar, then the Valar, the mightiest Ainur, then the Maiar, lesser but still divine.
Melkor, later Morgoth, had been the first to rebel against the divine order, then Sauron. Now Saruman too openly rebelled.
Yet in truth, neither Melkor, Sauron, nor Saruman truly wanted to end the divine order. They were simply dissatisfied, wanting to rule in the gods' place.
Kael might respect Saruman's struggle a little, but it didn't erase his dislike.
So he stated. "Enough talking. Let's finish him before anything unexpected happens!"
He raised his wand, ready to end Saruman if the others agreed.
Seeing this, Saruman showed no fear but sneered and cursed.
"I see your hunger for power. I see your dark magic! I look forward to the day you fall to darkness, just as I have, and turn against these companions of yours."
The others, hearing that, looked at Kael in concern, fearing Saruman's words might sway him.
But Kael shrugged it off, replying coldly and confidently.
"I do seek power, but only to protect those I care for. I have no interest in ruling like you. For me, light and darkness are like day and night, both necessary parts of Arda's world."
Saruman, hearing this, was briefly stunned. He couldn't comprehend such a philosophy.
In his view, anyone who sought power must want to rule.
Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond, hearing Kael's declaration, truly understood his heart for the first time. Their surprise was mingled with admiration.
Kael had no desire to discuss it further. He pointed his wand at Saruman and cast. "Expelliarmus!"
The spell struck Saruman, and with a cry of rage and despair, his power ring was flung from his finger and landed on the riverbank.
Ignoring Saruman's shouts, Kael carefully lifted the golden ring with his wand, studying a ring as mighty as the Three Elven Rings.