Chapter 60 Zora’s Tower (2)
Chapter 60 Zora’s Tower (2)
Yumi carefully picked up one of the many plates lined along the tables. Each held a modest portion of vegetables—but nothing else, as if the rest of the meal had vanished mid-bite.
“Did something happen in the middle of lunch?” she murmured, glancing at Iryoku. “Or are all the mages here just vegetarian?”
Iryoku didn’t answer right away. His expression remained serious as he scanned the room.
Halim stepped closer to Yumi, taking the opportunity to speak despite the tension in the air. “Some mages are vegetarian, yeah… but not all of them. It’s strange. It’s like all the meat was eaten—and only that.”
Before they could speculate further, Iryoku’s voice cut through the silence. “This way. Let’s keep moving.”
The two quickly followed him.
Not long after, they found another stairway leading upward—and climbed to the next floor in tense, uneasy silence.
They continued climbing floor after floor, the endless ascent beginning to feel surreal—like they were going in circles, or nowhere at all.
“Ugh, what is going on?” Yumi finally groaned, stopping in her tracks and turning toward Iryoku. “We’ve been walking forever.”
Iryoku, still in the lead with unreadable poker face, didn’t even turn around. “Let’s keep going,” he muttered.
With a sigh, Yumi and Halim followed. Hours seemed to pass, yet not a single soul appeared. The silence was oppressive.
Eventually, they arrived on another floor. A wide hallway stretched before them, lined with countless doors on either side.
“Doesn’t this look like the—” Yumi started to say, but trailed off, eyeing the space warily.
Halim was visibly struggling—his nerves fraying, his body heavy with exhaustion. Then, he felt a gentle poke on his arm.
He nearly jumped but held it in. Turning his head, he found Yumi close beside him.
“Yes, Sister Yumi?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
She leaned in, her tone soft and laced with an almost enchanting grace. “Halim, you’re really talented, right?”
The way she said it made his heart skip. Her beauty and presence nearly overwhelmed him.
He straightened up immediately. “Just say the word—what do you need?”
“I wanted to ask…” she said softly, her voice sincere. “When the time comes… could you protect me, please?”
Halim flushed a deep red, trembling slightly as if electrified by her request. “Of course! I’ll protect you with my life!”
Yumi gave him a small, grateful smile—her cheeks tinged with red. She then gently held his arm as they continued walking.
But as she glanced ahead at Iryoku, her expression changed. The softness faded, replaced by unreadable mask.
Iryoku, just a few steps ahead, checked room after room. Most were empty—just beds, scrolls, and magical clutter.
Until they reached a large door at the end of the hallway. It looked different—more reinforced, more important.
“Let’s go inside,” Iryoku said, still flat-toned.
They stepped through.
The chamber was massive—a grand laboratory. Tables were strewn with magical instruments, glowing crystals, and arcane devices. One wall bore a huge chalkboard covered in scribbled formulas and spell diagrams.
“Whoa…” Halim breathed. “This must be the research room of one of the Grand Masters…”
But then, Halim felt Yumi’s grip on his arm tighten sharply. Before he could turn to look at her, she whispered urgently:
“Put up a barrier. Now.”
Startled, Halim’s heart raced. He thought they were under attack. Instinct took over—he began to chant, channeling energy into a protective shield.
But then, to his horror, Yumi stepped forward, notched an arrow, and aimed it directly at Iryoku’s back.
“Wait—Sister, what—?”
THWIP—THUNK!
The arrow flew with deadly precision, piercing the back of Iryoku’s head and dropping him instantly to the floor.
Halim froze in shock, staring at the lifeless body. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.
“Prepare, Halim!” Yumi snapped, her voice tight with urgency. Another arrow was already notched—this one glowing, surrounded by a rotating spell matrix of magical energy. Her hand trembled slightly.
Then, Iryoku’s body twitched.
And moved.
It rose to its feet in one unnatural motion—joints stiff, limbs straight—as if pulled upright by invisible strings.
Its head turned slowly, jerkily, toward them. The arrow was still embedded squarely between its eyes.
Dead… yet staring.
Its mouth stretched open—unnaturally wide—revealing rows of jagged, inhuman fangs.
Then came the sound.
A shriek—high, piercing, and otherworldly.
A sound that chilled the soul.
Yumi let the glowing arrow fly.
“Piercing Arrow!” she shouted—a quicker, more compact version of her signature spell.
CLARSH!
The arrow struck the creature wearing Iryoku’s face square in the head. The magical energy ignited instantly, drilling through the skull and upper body like an arcane meat grinder. The body spasmed violently as it was torn apart.
“Now, Halim—fire spell!” Yumi commanded, urgency in her voice.
Halim stood frozen, unable to process what he had just seen.
“That’s not Iryoku!” she yelled again, snapping him back to reality.
With shaking hands, Halim began chanting, the heat of fire magic swirling in his palms.
Suddenly, the lower half of Iryoku’s mangled body lurched—and something began to pull itself free.
From where his legs had been, a creature emerged. It still bore a vague shape of legs at first, but they quickly twisted and reshaped—flesh bubbling and reforming. Spindly, jagged limbs grew from its core, each one ending in long, pointed bones.
It stood on its many limbs like some kind of grotesque spider—unnatural, twitching, wrong.
An aberration.
It let out a gurgling hiss and launched itself toward them with terrifying speed.
“AHHH!” Halim screamed, recoiling in horror.
But Yumi was faster.
She loosed another arrow—this one normal—but it flew true, striking the creature square in its fleshy core and pinning it to the floor.
“Now, Halim!” she shouted again.
Seizing the moment, Halim gathered his strength and unleashed a fireball.
WHOOSH—BOOM!
The sphere of flame collided with the creature and erupted into a blaze. The thing let out a hideous, inhuman screech as it writhed in the fire.
SHHCKRREEESHHH!
The cry echoed through the tower like that of a tortured soul—until, finally, it went still. Its twisted form lay blackened and smoldering.
Smoke hung in the air. Yumi lowered her bow, breathing heavily and trembling slightly. Halim stood frozen, hands shaking as he stared at the burning remains.
“H-How could this happen?” Halim stammered. “Since when…?”
Yumi’s eyes remained fixed on the charred corpse, then slowly shifted to the mangled remains that still bore Iryoku’s likeness. A single tear welled up. Her bow slipped from her hands as she dropped to her knees and vomited.
“Ahh… aahh… mmmah…uuhhh...” she half-cried between choked gasps.
After several painful seconds, she forced herself upright and wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Then, with trembling hands, she picked up her bow from the ground—regaining, if only barely, a sliver of composure.
Halim stepped forward, his voice low with sympathy. “I’m sorry… for what happened to him.”
He reached out, to comfort her—but stopped short.
Her eyes flickered—but then hardened. When she finally looked at him, her voice was sharp, almost venomous.
“Nothing happened to Iryoku!”
She struggled to catch her breath. “Ah… ahh…”
“I only felt bad because… it felt like I attacked him. But I know he’s alive. This—” she gestured to the corpse, “—this is nothing. He’s survived worse. Foes we couldn’t even comprehend. He’s alive. Somewhere. That’s the kind of man he is.”
Halim flinched slightly at her intensity. For a moment, he thought she might be exaggerating. But something in her voice—calm, certain—kept him from saying anything.
“Since when do you think that thing took Brother Iryoku’s place?” he asked, hesitant.
Yumi didn’t miss a beat. “Probably at the library. That’s when he started acting strange. I tested him a few times—small things, subtle things, just to see how he’d react. And the last test… was the arrow I shot. The real Iryoku would’ve dodged that without blinking.”
Halim just nodded slowly. He didn’t have any choice but to believe her. After all, he barely knew either of them.
Yumi began to pace the chamber, her sharp eyes scanning the room.
“Let’s see if we can find some clues,” she murmured. “That thing brought us here for a reason…”
She stopped abruptly in front of the board, her eyes widening as she looked at a small corner where small letters were written. "A message… in Japanese," she whispered, leaning in.
But before she could say more, a strange sound echoed through the room, a hidden mechanism suddenly springing to life.
Suddenly, the door and walls lit up with glowing magical energy.
Both Yumi and Halim turned toward the entrance, alarmed. Halim rushed to the door and tried to open it—but a powerful magical barrier repelled him with a crackling pulse.
“We’re trapped,” Yumi said grimly.