It's six A.M and I pulled another all nighter so what better way to start the day than to write a new chapter?
Third Person POV
"We'll be getting straight into the action today, and we'll start with Elijah Knight's point of view. The point of view is gonna switch around a bit today."
"I thought we were reacting to Arthur and Grey? Why are we seeing something from Elijah's point of view?" Alice asked, worry evident in her tone. She had grown to care for Elijah as if he were her own child along the way ever since he started living with their family.
"Because at this time, Arthur's just laying in bed. You'll see him later, now lets begin.
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"GET DOWN!" I roared as I conjured an earthen wall between the mana beasts and the other students behind me.
"ATTENTION RENOWNED STUDENTS OF XYRUS ACADEMY!" A rather high-pitched grating voice echoed throughout the campus. "AS YOU MAY ALL BE AWARE, YOUR INSTITUTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER ATTACK BY MY LITTLE PETS. NO NEED TO FEAR FOR I AM BOTH JUST AND MERCIFUL!" The voice seemed to taunt us as he said this because there was a dwarven student in the jaws of a discolored black-fanged wolf, a B class mana beast.
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Cynthia Goodsky stared at the screen in shock. "I thought we had more time?" She asked, to seemingly nobody.
"You didn't. The traitors infiltrated the school and the attack was set in motion. You weren't even there to help the students." The Librarian told her, and the regret in her eyes was visible.
"Okay." She lowered her head in shame and looked at her feet.
"You knew this would happen, director?" Claire Bladeheart spoke up.
Cynthia simply nodded her head, and Claire couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed.
"Why didn't you tell us? The whole point in the Disciplinary Committee was to stop things like this. We could have helped." Claire said, and Theodore started nodding.
"We could have saved more people, director." He said simply, and Claire nodded in agreement.
"You are only children. You would have gotten targeted more if the radical group had noticed you. I couldn't risk you all, your prodigies. This continent needs you." She told them, her head still down, and they stayed silent after that.
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Even as I conjured up a rock spear underneath the belly of the black-fanged wolf, it still had the time to take the student's life before collapsing. Gnashing my teeth, I looked away from the dimming gaze of the dwarf that was pleading with his eyes before passing away. If I didn't have experience as an Adventurer, I would've thrown up as the student's insides spilled from the fatal wound caused by the mana beast.
Instead, I calmed myself using a brief meditation technique that I had learned from cla.s.s that steadied the flow of my mana core before scouting for any other students to save.
"HUMAN STUDENTS, AS LONG AS YOU RAISE BOTH YOUR HANDS AND SWEAR YOUR ALLEGIANCE WITH ME, THE MANA BEASTS WILL NOT ATTACK YOU! ELVES AND DWARVES, DO NOT STRUGGLE AND ALLOW MY PETS TO DESTROY YOUR MANA CORE AND YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE~ KEKEKEKE!!!" The voice's deranged laugh sent a shiver down my spine. It was enjoying the carnage that was going on in this school that had been so peaceful just hours before.
Although the radical group had been escalating their terroristic activity, this was on a completely different level. It happened so suddenly that there was no way to prepare for an event like this. As far as I could tell, though, at this point was that this stage of their plan was meticulously executed. There were no places to escape to and no way to call for help.
The once clear barrier formation that kept any intruders, including mana beasts, from entering the campus, had already turned into a translucent red cage, making the sky look like it was dipped in blood, keeping anyone or anything from leaving.
I didn't know who the voice belonged to, but its motives were clear. He was willing to take human captives, but wanted all nonhuman mages either dead or incapacitated. I could see pillars of smoke from different buildings of the academy where fights were happening. From time to time, I locked eyes with some of the Disciplinary Committee members as they were fighting off several mana beasts, acknowledging each other since we had no time to brief each other on the situation elsewhere.
There were obviously traitors in the academy, because some of the professors were now being held off by other professors while cloaked figures, as well as the mana beasts, were taking care of the students.
It was strange; I've seen some of the mana beasts while I was an Adventurer, but the only thing different about them was the coloration, or lack of color to be more exact. Except for their matching red eyes, all of the mana beasts that flooded Xyrus Academy looked like they had their colors drained, as they were just different hues of gray.
I couldn't tell how many hours had passed since the invasion started, but there were no signs of help arriving for some reason, like we were closed off from the rest of Xyrus.
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"Where were the lances while this was happening? This is practically a declaration of war!" Blaine Glayder slammed his fist down on the hand rest of his seat, causing a loud thud to resound in the theater room.
"There was a barrier set up so that the connection to the world outside the academy was cut off. Nobody could get in or out." Scythe Seris said, and The Librarian nodded his head, glad to not have to explain something for once.
"That and the floating castle was pretty far from the academy. The barrier didn't help any, and it took time for news of the attack to reach the lances." The Librarian continued on for Seris.
"How useless! We get attacked and we can barely do anything because of a stupid barrier?" Blaine was still fuming with anger.
"Yes, all because of a stupid barrier. Now shut up and watch." The Librarian told him, and he gazed back at the screen.
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I trudged on through the campus quad where bodies laid limp and pools of blood formed around them. This academy was supposed to be the safe haven for future mages of this continent. It pissed me off more than anything that there weren't proper measures implemented for this type of scenario. Since the unification of the three Kingdoms, did The Council not think that there would be enemies?
Just as I was about to follow after a cloaked figure into one of the Alchemy labs, a throaty growl caught my attention enough to avoid a thorned growler's jaw. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid its pounce and was hammered into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me.
"Grrrrr," as the giant, furry lizard-shaped mana beast's saliva was drenching my uniform, its red eyes were staring at me, as if waiting for me to do something.
"Screw off!" I grunted as I simultaneously conjured a pillar from the ground, launching the two-meter long mana beast in the air before it flipped agilely to regain its ground.
Before I had the chance to do anything more, a sword flew down from the sky, skewering the thorned growler's head to the ground. The mana beast squirmed helplessly for a couple of seconds before its body also sank to the ground lifelessly.
"Thanks," I grunted, too tired for pleasant formalities. It was Curtis Glayder who came down from the top of a nearby statue to retrieve his weapon. His bond, a world lion, following briskly behind him.
"No problem. You should get somewhere safe until we get reinforcements; it's too dangerous out here in the open," he said, nodding back.
"I'll be fine. There are too many enemies for you guys to handle while I hide. I can still help." I bandaged my bleeding arm that had been cut open just now with a torn sleeve and turned my back to follow after the cloaked figure.
Suddenly, a sound that could only have been amplified with mana boomed like thunder. I couldn't even hear myself scream in pain as both Curtis and I reeled in pain. The ear-numbing ring from the watchtower's bell didn't reverberate in my chest. I felt it in my feet as the whole earth shook from it.
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"There was no need for Curtis to help them, he should have just hid and survived with Kathyln. Those commoners aren't worth dying for." Blaine scoffed, berating his children for something that didn't even happen yet.
Dawsid Greysunders spoke up next, "Screw your children, it's for the better of the continent." He said, only enraging Blaine more.
"Shut up, you infertile fuck. You wouldn't understand since you literally can't have children, Dawsid." Blaine cussed him out, shocking many people.
'Damn.' Was all the Librarian could think at this point.
He cleared his throat, then spoke, "Okay well um... Lets move on?" He said, still shocked at what Blaine said.
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As the earsplitting sound of the bell tower faded into a dull ring, the same grating voice, that was most likely the cause of all this, cleared his throat before speaking.
"AHEM! TESTING... AH AH... PERFECT!" The sound was coming from the bell tower near the center of campus. "STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS OF XYRUS ACADEMY. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO JOIN US FOR THE FINAL CEREMONY THAT WE HAVE IN STORE TODAY. I ADVISE EVERY ONE OF YOU LEFT OUT THERE TO COME TOWARDS THE BELL TOWER, AS THIS IS SOMETHING YOU GUYS WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS! DON'T WORRY, MY LITTLE PETS WON'T BITE ANYMORE~ I PROMISE."
With a quick glance and nod at each other, Curtis and I immediately headed towards the bell tower. "Get on, quick!" Curtis beckoned with his left arm stretched out as he rode atop his world lion, Grawder.
Grawder let out a dissatisfied grunt, but otherwise kept to himself as I hopped onto its back behind Curtis, using this time to circulate mana towards my injuries in hopes of easing some of the injuries.
As we got closer to the bell tower, I could see flashes of spells go off in that vicinity. "What do you think is going on?" Curtis asked. I couldn't see his face, but from just his voice I could imagine the sort of anxious expression he had on his frustratingly handsome face.
"Some of the students and professors are firing spells at the bell tower," I commented the obvious, not knowing what else to say.
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"Should have just stayed silent, dipshit." Blaine mumbled under his breath.
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"It looks like there's some sort of barrier surrounding the bell tower," Curtis pointed out as a translucent wall flickered after receiving a spell cast by a professor.
It wasn't long until we came into full view of what was happening as the 'main event'. There was a large stone platform that wasn't there before, most likely erected by magic. The once flawless marble floor around the bell tower, which marked the center of the academy, was cracked and splintered, pools of blood still not dry. While there was no one near the platform, the various races of discolored mana beasts were all gathered around the platform, waiting patiently, almost robotically, ignoring the frightened students just outside the barrier.
[Earthen Javelin Barrage]
[Supernova]
[Thunder Spear]
[Windblade Twister]
After a jumbled drone of chanting, several high-leveled spells were cast in the direction of the bell tower, but despite the huge manifestations of elements bombarded onto a single point, the mana shield that closed off the bell tower only fizzed harmlessly before eating up all of the spells. Seeing the trees on the inside of the barrier not even sway proved how impenetrable this barrier was.
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"Something of that level would take a lance or someone near that strong." Kathyln said under her breath, and the other D.C. members nodded at her words.
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There was a large crowd of both students and faculty members in front of the bell tower, injured and scared, not knowing what to do as the professors made fruitless attempts at breaking through the protective field.
"Stay here while I try to find the rest of the DC members," Curtis instructed before dropping me off near the front of the barrier. Before I could say anything, Grawder raced off with his master riding on top, leaving me anxiously waiting for something to happen.
The crowd of dishevelled students were all anxiously chatting with their friends and peers about the disaster that fell upon them today. Some were crying, while other red-eyed students had already passed that phase and were waiting with hardened expressions. I could only wait as well. With the cage keeping us from leaving the academy grounds and mana beasts that seemed ready to jump and devour any disobedient students only to be leashed by a lunatic, I could see the hope in their eyes flickering away. We were prisoners of this ma.s.sacre, awaiting our sentence.
Although most of the students in the crowd seemed only lightly injured and battered, which indicated that they caved in rather quickly, there were a few fighters whose injuries were more serious. Fortunately, some of the professors were adept in the medical magic field. While they couldn't compare to Emitters, they were able to save a few lives today.
"WELL IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE ALIVE HAS MADE IT TO THE GRAND FINALE OF TODAY'S SHOW! I THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING!" The high-pitched tenor had a piercing quality that made everyone turn their attention back towards the bell tower.
Then he appeared... as if manifesting out of the shadows. The source of the jarring voice that sounded like rusted nails scraping against a chalkboard. He wore a gaudy red robe, decorated with an unreasonable amount of jewelry, reminding me of the second son of a King's brother; a figure who was so down the line of power that his only defining aspect was his inherited wealth. The man wore a rather creepy mask that didn't match his attire. It was a simple white mask with two slits for his eyes, and a crudely drawn jagged smile the color of blood. Behind his mask was a head of crimson hair that flowed past his shoulder blades.
While he had his hands behind his back, it looked like he was holding something, but I couldn't make out what it was because of his shadow.
At the sight of the bold figure, the murmuring of everyone ceased, creating a rather eerie atmosphere. There was an expectant silence as all eyes fell on the mysterious masked man, both curious and afraid of what he would do next.
It was so quiet that I could hear the sound of water droplets hitting the ground.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
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"Wait, but, I don't think it's raining though?" Doradrea said. "Maybe the pretty boy's head got hit and he's imagining things." She shrugged.
"Yeah, I don't think it was raining, so it's weird." Theodore said to her.
The Librarian couldn't help but pity those two as the scene continued.
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All of a sudden, an earthen spear barrelled directly at him until it smashed into the protective shield, shattering into pieces.
Unfazed, he stood there as students began chanting in desperate hopes that somehow, the barrier had weakened enough for us to somehow break through.
There were strings of curses shouted out at the masked figure as everyone realized that it was impossible to break through. I heard familiar voices cry out insults and profanities as they didn't know what else to do at this point.
"Pfft..." The man's shoulder bobbed up and down as he tried to contain his laughter.
"PUAHAHAHAHAHA!" His manic laughter, unaided by mana, echoed throughout the area, somehow drowning out everyone else's voices.
I could see a mixture of emotions in the students' and professors' expressions: Fear, anger, desperation, confusion, frustration, and helplessness as they were all stunned into silence.
It was then that the masked man tossed the object he was holding behind his back onto the floor.
With a dull thud, the spherical object rolled into view close enough for the people in the front to see.
It was a hea...
It was a real head.
It wasn't the sound of water dripping that I heard, it was blood from the head.
It took my mind a couple of seconds of blank staring to process what was going on before a wave of nausea hit me like a bat.
I threw up.
Over and over again.
The stench of last night's dinner mixed with an acidic twist made me gag more until I was left with a couple of dry heaves.
By the time I composed myself, I could see students and professors alike either looking away, pale-faced, or clutching their stomachs as they continued vomiting on the ground.
I didn't want to look again, but my eyes were itching to look back at the decapitated head. When I saw it again, I noticed it was a dwarf's. I'd seen her before, but hair covered some of her face as a pool of blood expanded from underneath with only the bone of her spine jutting out...it was so white.
I was drawn to the gore. My mind was screaming at my head to look away, but my eyes stayed fixated on the gruesome sight as everything else blurred out of focus.
As his disturbing laughter continued, his whole body shaking in delight, a booming howl caught everyone's attention.
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"NO! DORADREA!" Theodore called out as soon as he recognized the head.
Doradrea stared at the screen in shock, hands now trembling at her sides. "No... Wait that can't be real? I-I'm plenty alive." She said, but she was mostly trying to convince herself.
Theodore had tears in his eyes as he stared at the screen.
The other D.C. members stared at the screen in shock, some in tears. Kai still had that weird ass smile on his face, probably since he was a traitor.
"I'm so sorry, Doradrea. But your still alive, so we can change things. You won't die." Claire said, trying to calm Doradrea down.
"Yup, your still alive!" The Librarian said, a smile still on his face.
Nobody caught that he mumbled "not for long" under his breath, though.
A/N: Never realized how fuckin long the attack on Xyrus was. Like damn, shit got me writing a thousand words and I'm like a third of the way through.
I'll be splitting this chapter up into several parts, each will be like 3k words long.
Next chapters coming out whenever I feel like writing it, it's 7:17 now and I gotta go eat something.
Thanks for reading. See yall in like a couple of hours or something.