The hallway inside the university building was covered by the moonlight shining down. Complete silence swallowed everything; there were no people and no sounds. In the center of the hallway was a small garden. Inside, there was a fountain with continuously flowing water, reflecting the moonlight and sparkling.
He slowly emerged from a dark corner where the moonlight could not reach. His footsteps were very light, as he carefully intended not to make any sound. Opposite to him, Lonner also emerged from the shadows, but his demeanor looked colorless and lifeless.
"What do you want...??"
Lonner asked, holding his arms tightly across his chest to ward off the cold night. His clothing was still his student uniform, topped only with a short coat.
View slowly walked closer, trying to avoid his gaze, as he was still unsure of what he wanted to say or do. But after a split second, he looked up and met Lonner's eyes firmly.
"...I saw it..."
Everything was clear through their locked eyes. They immediately understood what had happened and quickly pushed off their feet, rushing out of the building. View sped up, running ahead of Lonner to clearly show the path they had to take. They jumped out of the second-floor window of the building easily and skillfully. Their feet gently and silently hit the grass below.
Immediately upon landing on the grass, they quickly ran out of the university's boundaries, plunging straight into the forest to the south. This forest was dark and filled with a vast, eerie emptiness. Mana energy was accumulated and compacted in every part of the area. View slowed his movement and paused for a moment to wait for Lonner to catch up. A golden light appeared in Lonner's hand as he ran. His energy was faint and calm, as if he could control it precisely and perfectly.
The golden light from Lonner's hand was like a guiding light in the dark forest, helping them to see the path much easier. They rushed out with all their might, relying on all their physical abilities and skills. They ran until they reached an old, dilapidated building full of debris. The building's collapse was not severe, only minor damage. They stopped their fast movement, changing to cautiously sneaking into the area.
But suddenly, they heard footsteps stomping out of the deep forest. The sound came from a different direction and not from the path they had just taken. Lonner instantly drew his sword from its sheath and quickly turned to face the direction of the sound he heard. As for View Waller, he prepared himself as if he were about to cast a certain spell quickly, out of panic. They slowly backed closer to each other cautiously until their backs gently touched.
The sound of footsteps came from all directions simultaneously, making them feel surrounded, as if the sound was controlled by a spell. The sound of footsteps moved closer to them relentlessly. A woman's scream of surprise came out, "Ahhhh!!" Suddenly, Rylia darted out of the forest at high speed. Her body was thrown to the ground. Rylia looked up at View and Lonner, who were standing in front of her.
View asked her with obvious surprise, immediately reaching out his hand to help Rylia. "What are you doing here...?"
Rylia took his hand and gave a faint smile that conveyed an apology, while looking alternately at the two men. Lonner, who was standing with his arms crossed, was smirking like never before. View continued to stare at her, waiting for the answer he needed. Rylia said nothing. She only met View's eyes with a pleading look. That gaze implied that she had been trying to sneak and run after them the whole way.
View sighed slightly, along with a reluctant faint smile. He looked at Rylia, then turned to look at Lonner, who stood with a solemn posture and didn't say a word. Finally, he used his hand to rub his forehead and looked away.
"...Oh well...."
They decided to head into the old university building, allowing Rylia to join them. Upon entering, they found the old building full of cracks from the passage of time, rough surfaces, and covered in many cobwebs. Lonner scanned the area with his eyes to assess the situation before deciding to ask with a serious demeanor.
"...You remember the way, right?"
Darkness covered every direction. Only the light from Lonner's hand shone out, like the light of a hair. Rylia anxiously scanned her surroundings intensely, and when looking behind her, she felt a chill of fear. View led Lonner, allowing Lonner to remain within the light's range.
"Follow me..."
When they reached their destination, the darkness was indescribable. Only the small light from Lonner's hand shone out, creating a circle of light amidst the dense darkness. Seeing the situation, View gently touched his lips with his index finger, while using a tone that signaled everyone to be silent immediately. He nodded slightly, a silent sign and communication about what they were about to do.
They quickly backed away from their original spot and positioned themselves behind Lonner. Lonner had become the critical card they had to rely on, the key to confronting what was about to happen. Suddenly, the golden energy, the guiding light in the dark, intensely flashed. The blinding light instantly covered the entire area, revealing a vast and empty hall. All the walls were decorated with artwork and statues of ancestors.
When Rylia saw the scene before her, her eyes were instantly wide with astonishment and sparkling with surprise. View immediately turned to look at her with serious eyes, causing Rylia to quickly conceal her stunned feeling, out of self-forgetfulness. When the light revealed every nook and cranny, View stepped up to be the leader again, taking on the role of guiding them along the path he knew well.
Everything was as if forbidden rules of this place controlled it, making them afraid to express themselves or do anything excessive. The deeper they walked into it, the more they sensed a certain energy wave emanating from the depths inside. That energy wave was like an enormous pressure that exceeded what ordinary humans could endure. Even mages with power like them still had to feel the heavy pressure. As this happened, View quickly turned back to look at Lonner behind him again, but this time his eyes changed.
"...Someone got here before us!"
.. They widened their eyes and decided to ignore the ancient rules of this place. They kicked off their feet and rushed forward quickly as if their lives depended on it. In front of them was a three-way intersection: left, right, and straight ahead. View didn't hesitate, rushing straight to the left. But Rylia ran in panic, plunging into the straight path in the wrong direction. While View was running, Lonner, seeing this, didn't hesitate. He quickly ran and scooped up Rylia from behind, then plunged after View in the same direction immediately.
Since View had run ahead first, he arrived before anyone else. Below was a large hall full of gigantic, imposing knight statues. It was truly incredible artwork from a past era. In the center of the hall stood an ancient coffin. Its surface was covered with ancient inscriptions. A white beam of light emerged and surrounded the edges of the ancient coffin, indicating some energy was awakening.
View quickly raised one hand, chanting some spell in his mind, while his lips moved in rhythm with the incantation. Lonner and Rylia arrived at the hall just as the white light was appearing around the coffin. View clenched his jaw tensely before uttering some important words.
"...You are not the Goddess Irinkaren. That person is gone from this world!"
"Goddess Irinkaren, listen to my words... I, View Waller, your direct Mage!!"
.. Suddenly, the white light radiated even more intensely, as if it would swallow everything to oblivion. All three of them sensed an enormous pressure erupting in the area. At the same moment, white Prana appeared and quickly gathered at View's fingertips to deal with the enormous pressure. With no other choice, Lonner and Rylia quickly grabbed View's shoulders on either side, combining their power to face the pressure.
While enduring the enormous pressure from the erupting white light, View clenched his jaw and fought against it with all his might. In his heart, he could only lament...
"...Damn it! Who would dare steal it... and I can't even tell others the truth about this place."
When Lonner saw View clenching his jaw and fighting the pressure with all his ability, he decided to do something to help his friend. View, seeing this, quickly used his left hand to grab his friend's hand, before warning in a stern voice,
"Don't, man! Do you want to break your arm or something..."
Rylia's eyes widened with extreme shock. She stared intently at what was before her without blinking. "That is...!!"
The pressure from the white light surprisingly decreased instantly. Everything quickly began to dissipate, as if someone had sealed it. But the feeling that arose wasn't completely relieved. Something made all three of them get goosebumps and stand frozen like stone with tension. Suddenly, a black hand, like a pure shadow, appeared and struggled to tear its way out of the coffin.
Seeing the terrifying black hand, they immediately merged all their power into View Waller to seal that thing back down to where it came from. But it fought back even harder. The enormous energy pressure returned again in a more violent form, as if it would destroy everything. Plaster on the wall even peeled off from the vibration. In the final moments of life that were about to arrive, they did not choose to flee, but instead threw all their strength into fiercely fighting that power.
Heavy footsteps suddenly appeared from behind them, coming from a side entrance. Simultaneously, the sound of some kind of energy wave began to enter from behind. It was a chilling sound that slowly faded away and then slowly returned. Lonner immediately observed the floor. He found small plant debris strangely stuck to the ruins of the floor. Those debris swayed as if blown by the wind before standing straight up for no reason.
A rhythmic clapping sound rang out from behind, along with the increasing vibration of the energy wave. The sound was not ordinary; it was Mana energy transformed to appear as a terrifying clapping sound. They spun around to look behind them with an intense feeling of dread, and upon seeing what was in front of them, their eyes widened in astonishment.
Professor Klas slowly walked in, clapping his hands rhythmically. It was this clapping sound that made the white energy radiating out begin to fade. In utter surprise, they cried out simultaneously "Professor Klas!..."
He didn't even look at the students who were standing there facing the dread, but instead focused his gaze only on the erupting target in front. He quickly quickened the rhythm of his clapping, while uttering words that echoed loudly. The energy wave radiating out immediately vibrated in response to his voice.
"The Goddess Irinkaren is extinct... Stop pretending! You are not her!"
"The true hero is long gone... You are merely a fake hero!"
Those words burst from Walienna's mouth. His hands were covered in bruises from the counter-force. The radiating energy wave was thus like a double-edged sword, ready to destroy and turn back to harm him. In a second, the power of darkness emanating from the pitch-black figure intensified, as if to crush the light that dared to confront it.
Even though he was a professor who trained many mages, the truth was he wasn't as strong as everyone expected. He clenched his jaw until his usually composed and cold face instantly disappeared, replaced by the demeanor of an adult ready to protect the students behind him. While fighting through clenched teeth, Professor Klas glanced at Lonner and thought firmly in his heart,
"It's your turn..."
Everyone watched his changed demeanor, but Lonner saw it most clearly. Professor Klas nodded slightly at him, a signal indicating that it was time for Lonner to do something. Rylia saw the signal. She immediately gripped View's shoulder tightly. Pure white magical energy, the foundation of all magical power, was quickly transferred and rushed into View's body.
Lonner didn't hesitate to let go of View's shoulder and turned back, running along the way they came in, plunging into the darkness to follow the plan. A brilliant golden light appeared from the dark passage he had just run into. Lonner ran out of the shadows in a split second. His left hand was covered in golden energy, while the sword in his hand glowed brightly. He clenched his jaw tightly while his body trembled from the heavy power he had to bear, but still continued to fight without giving up.
He decided to throw his sword decisively. The sword shot straight and accurately plunged into the coffin, causing all the erupting energy to stop still and disappear in the blink of an eye. In the moment they were about to think they had won, Professor Klas sensed a certain wave that was so sharp, it was as if it had stabbed into his ear.
"Everyone, get out!!!..."
He shouted at the top of his lungs in a panic he had never shown before.
"This is... Destructive Sorcery!!!..."
They ran out of the hall for their lives, with Professor Klas quickly carrying the exhausted Lonner on his back. The white light reappeared quickly, along with a violent vibration of the ground that nearly made them fall. Amidst the confusion of what was happening, he turned back to look at the hall behind him again and spread an intensely serious gaze, a demeanor no one had ever seen before. He firmly and angrily said in his heart,
"You people... you've gone beyond twisted!"
When the situation momentarily calmed down, they all decided to run away completely, leaving only Professor Klas still standing in front of that thing. He was still surprised and heavily contemplating what truly had just happened. As he scanned his surroundings and stopped walking, Professor Klas sensed a touch... A woman was embracing him from behind... He tightly held her hand, though he couldn't see her form. He closed his eyes again, as if to erase everything that had just happened, and walked out of the hall along the path his students had taken.
Stay tuned for the next episode....