Chapter 122 : Omen [End of volume 2]
It started with small cracks, as if an invisible hand had thrown a stone at a perfect pane of glass. The cracks began to spread violently, like the crackling of ice breaking on a lake.
I stood still.
For the first time since I had arrived in that void, a violent heartbeat shook my chest. Something was about to burst forth.
Then, with a loud noise, the white world exploded. The roar forced me to close my eyes. An annoying ringing sounded in my eardrums... very slowly I opened them, the silence had been replaced by suffocating chaos.
I was in a strange place. Piles of blackened rubble rose around me, like the charred remains of what appeared to be a city. I looked more closely... and realised with a wave of disgust that many of those piles were not rocks, but corpses, piled up without order or respect.
"Ha... ha... ha..."
A broken, shrill laugh tore through the air. I turned abruptly. A few steps away, I saw a figure kneeling, with a sword stuck in the ground. His body was shaking, shaken by laughter so bitter that it seemed to be vomited from the depths of a destroyed person.
The light was hidden in his figure, his silhouette strewn with darkness, concealing his face.
"Cyan... we have lost..." he said in a whisper, looking up.
I followed the direction of his gaze. Then I saw it: the sky itself was cracking, shattering like old porcelain. Thousands of eyes glowed with fury from the cracks. A chorus of savage roars echoed in the distance as formless beasts began to slither into this world, hungry, gaunt, ferocious. Ready to consume everything.
There was no one else. Not a living soul except me and that broken man.
He struggled to his feet, pulled his sword from the ground, and walked straight towards the crack, entering alone into the overflowing horror.
His silhouette was lost in the open jaws of the sky.
***
[Infirmary, moments before]
"Director, what should we do?" asked the alice, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It seems that her condition is due to some kind of magical restriction."
The director frowned, his grey eyes flashing with concern. Then he turned to Alice, who looked tense.
"Alice, how long do you think it will take you to break it?"
Alice swallowed. A slight tremor ran through her fingers before she interlaced them to regain her composure.
"No... this is far beyond my capabilities, headmaster. Maybe if it were the teacher... then there might be a chance."
"Are you talking about Merlin?" The headmaster let out a heavy sigh. "I tried to contact her a few days ago, but she's not answering my calls. I don't know what she's up to this time."
"Well... she..." Alice lowered her gaze, unable to finish the sentence. Her lips barely moved.
The headmaster gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Alice, I understand." He gave her a brief, joyless smile. "Do what you can. Use your magic to at least stabilise him, heal his internal injuries..."
Alice took a deep breath. She extended her fingertips towards Cyan's forehead, murmuring a few words that, although short, had unprecedented energy. Immediately, a faint blue glow lit up her fingers, enveloping Cyan in threads of light that danced across his skin, slowly repairing the hidden damage to his body.
"This will stop the internal bleeding and strengthen his vital flow... but that restriction is still there, relentless. It seems to be an ancient seal."
Alice nodded.
The director had his gaze fixed on Cyan, a hint of guilt shining in the depths of his pupils.
Silence fell over the infirmary, broken only by the whisper of the curtains and the faint crackling of the mana lamps. Outside, an icy wind shook the windows, as if something invisible were waiting beyond, expectant.
***
Three days later, Cyan opened his eyes.
His gaze wandered over the ceiling that always welcomed him when he was injured, nothing in his eyes particularly interesting. There was a strange nuance in his expression: not just physical exhaustion, but something deeper, as if he had gazed into an abyss that no one should look into. His pupils seemed dull, devoid of the beauty that used to shine through.
The director, who was waiting patiently nearby, looked at him with a slight gesture of relief, although his brow remained furrowed.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
Cyan took a moment to react. He moved his head slightly, as if that simple act were an unbearable burden.
"I remember fragments... shadows... chaos," he murmured, his voice raspy and broken, betraying the gravity of the situation. "No... I'm not sure if this is real."
The answer was enough for the director to desist from continuing the interrogation. He placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded sympathetically.
"Rest. Don't strain your memory."
With an almost inaudible sigh, the director walked away, leaving the room in silence.
***
During those three days that Cyan was submerged in unconsciousness, many things had happened around him. The most significant was the abrupt cancellation of the trip to the elven kingdom, which had excited the second-year students so much.
Publicly, the official excuse was simple logistical and time issues. But the truth was different. Internal divisions, assassination attempts and power struggles between the clans meant that they now distrusted each other.
Only a handful of people knew the truth behind this matter. I, of course, was among them. It was inevitable after all, as the same thing happened in the novel. In the end, all those diplomatic dances, verbal alliances, and friction between factions were nothing more than a premeditated plan by the demons.
That was precisely why I had to start preparing for my departure to the elven kingdom, with much more care than before. Fortunately, spring break was not too far away, which would give me the perfect excuse to travel without arousing unnecessary suspicion.
Although the official route was cancelled, the elves always kept secret paths open for those they considered allies...
End of volume 2