The soldiers led me before the Seven Sages.
In silence, I climbed the few steps to a platform that glowed with a soft yet intense light. As soon as I stood on it, a strange sensation coursed through me as if the light was penetrating me, revealing every secret, every uncertainty. It felt as if every fiber of my being was being examined by an invisible force that questioned my entire existence.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as the old man with the snow-white beard leaned forward. His eyes were so piercing, they seemed to cut through darkness itself.
"Ilana," he began, "you are accused of having created a portal and allowed monsters into this city. What do you have to say in your defense?"
I felt my heart pounding in my chest. The room seemed to close in as all eyes focused on me. The walls seemed to shift, and I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me. I opened my mouth, but at first, the words refused to form. When I finally managed to speak, my voice sounded unsure barely loud enough for such a vast hall.
"I'm innocent," I said, my words firmer than I had expected. But the tremble in my voice was still noticeable. "I don't possess portal magic. I was only there because I was following the trail of the monsters. I wanted to help, not cause harm."
The sages exchanged glances that showed no hint of understanding. Their faces remained expressionless, yet I knew they were analyzing everything about me every nuance, every flicker of emotion.
"So you just happened to be at the scene, exactly when the portal opened? A very... unlikely explanation," said the woman with sharp features. Her voice was cold, and every word she spoke seemed to condemn me before I had even finished speaking.
"It's the truth!" I replied quickly. Anger surged within me, but I held it back, knowing I had to stay calm. "I didn't know anything about the portal until I was standing right in front of it."
Another sage, who had remained silent until now, raised his hand. With a soft hum, a soldier stepped forward, holding a strange, shimmering device a crystal that looked like a mirror but was clearly enchanted. He activated it with a short incantation, and suddenly I felt a hidden force pass over me. It was as if the device was searching inside me, lighting up the deepest corners of my soul.
"Her signature is clear and stable," the soldier announced after a brief scan. "It doesn't match the magic used in the portal. However... there is a strange resonance. It appears she may have influenced the portal without consciously creating it."
My throat tightened. A terrifying thought struck me what if they didn't think I was guilty, but dangerous? What if they sensed something inside me I wasn't even aware of?
A quiet murmur spread among the sages. Their eyes bore into me, and I could feel them searching for a weakness in my defense. The old man with the white beard didn't seem convinced, yet he continued calmly:
"Ilana, have you ever come into contact with dark magic? Anything that could have altered or influenced your aura?"
I blinked, confused. What was dark magic? Had I ever touched it? The question seemed absurd, yet I felt the air around me grow colder, as if the very word dark summoned a threatening presence within me. I couldn't say exactly what it was, but something inside me trembled, as though my own memories were slipping away.
"No... at least, I don't think so," I stammered at last, unsure of what to say.
The woman with the sharp features raised an eyebrow, fixing me with her gaze. "We demand a clear answer!" Her voice creaked like an ancient lock on the verge of breaking. "Have you come into contact with dark magic yes or no?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the cold sweat on my forehead, but forced myself to remain calm.
"As far as I can remember: No. I've never come into contact with dark magic. I'm just a regular student at Lovril Academy. Nothing more."
Yet even as I said those words, I knew they didn't reflect the full truth. Something inside me screamed that there was more something I carried within me that I didn't understand. But I couldn't grasp it. It slipped away, like sand through my fingers. And the more I tried to catch it, the more panic gripped me.
The room seemed to close in around me, and I could feel the sages' eyes piercing me.
The golden-eyed sage, who had remained silent, stepped forward and looked at me with an intensity that nearly suffocated me.
"And yet..." he said slowly, weighing each word, "we sense in you a power far beyond what any ordinary human or student should possess. How do you explain that?"
I froze. Could he really sense it? Could he recognize the indescribable thing growing within me, like something undead lurking in the shadows?
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," I said, my voice shaking. The words felt hollow meaningless as if they betrayed everything I was feeling inside. My stomach turned. What was happening to me? What was this power they spoke of?
"Impossible," the sage murmured, his eyes narrowing. "What we sense is too powerful to exist unnoticed in an ordinary person."
"I have no special powers!" I protested again, almost pleading. "I'm just a student at Lovril Academy. Nothing more."
But the sages didn't seem convinced. Their stares bore deeper into me, and I could feel the certainty that they doubted my words. They were searching for something I didn't yet understand a truth perhaps too painful to face.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, and as the person entered, everyone bowed in respect except the Seven Sages, who remained motionless.
"Your Majesty!" the soldiers and onlookers called out in unison.
I turned, my eyes widening as I saw the man whose hair shimmered in deep crimson, while his eyes glowed with crystalline blue light.
Was that the ruler of Hiram?
The aura surrounding him was suffocating, and I could feel it his presence filled the room with overwhelming power and threat.
"What's going on here?" he asked with a bored voice, though the smile on his lips revealed an unreadable calm.
The mage beside me began explaining the situation, but I barely listened. My heart pounded in my chest, my thoughts were a storm, and I could feel the king's gaze locked onto me. It was as if he was peering into every fear, every secret I carried.
As if he knew I was telling the truth or perhaps, exactly the opposite?
The silence that followed my words was nearly unbearable. It was as if the entire room was holding its breath, waiting for the king's response.