When Aether was enjoying his date with Delphine…
Meanwhile, in the academy,
“Arrrhhh!” A piercing scream echoed through the halls, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“P-Please stop!!” another voice cried out, trembling with sheer terror.
“KYAAAAAA!!” A girl’s scream was filled with a primal fear that made others’ blood run cold.
“What the hell was that!!!”
Students shouted in fear, scattering like leaves in the wind.
Chaos erupted in the academy, a cacophony of screams and frantic footsteps filling the air.
The once beautiful red-black petals that adorned the academy grounds had now transformed into swarms of spiders… These creatures, crawling at a terrifying speed, raced towards the students, latching onto the backs of their necks with sickening precision.
Chucckkk
“Arrh!!” A boy’s anguished cry pierced the chaos as he felt the spider dig into his flesh.
“P-Pull it out, pull it out, pull it out!!” he screamed, desperation and fear contorting his face as he clawed at the creature. His nails scratched the small spider’s body frantically.
BOMFF!
Splatter!!
A girl nearby screamed as she was drenched in blood and gore. The boy’s head had exploded, splattering her with the horrific remnants.
“KYAAAAAA!!” she shrieked, her voice raw with terror.
The entire academy was in pandemonium….. Fear and confusion reigned supreme.
“Burn it!!!” Thalia commanded, her voice strong and unwavering as she hurled fireballs at the petals and spiders, trying to stem the tide of horror.
“Everyone, calm down!!” Aqaualina shouted, her face a mask of determination despite the chaos. She tried to soothe the panicking students, but her words were lost in the sea of screams and cries.
Snap
Leon snapped his fingers, and numerous bubbles appeared, enveloping the panicking students in an attempt to protect and calm them.
But it was not enough. The sheer number of students running around in blind terror made it nearly impossible to maintain control.
Focus was slipping away from them, and then,
“QUIET!!!”
Everyone froze at the commanding voice. They turned their eyes upwards to see Alaric hovering in the sky, his gaze intense and unyielding.
“Listen to me!” he ordered, his voice resonating with authority, “Group together without panicking. Now!”
Slowly, as if emerging from a nightmare, the students began to gather, forming lines as instructed. It took a few minutes, but eventually, everyone was lined up, including professors, servants, staff, and guards.
Alaric surveyed the crowd with a steely gaze before snapping his fingers again.
SsssssssssshhhhhhHHHHHH
A tornado of wind materialized, sucking in the petals and spiders that had caused so much terror. The swirling vortex pulled them all in, and with a clench of his hand, Alaric crushed the tornado, obliterating everything inside it.
Relief washed over the crowd. The students, professors, and staff looked at Alaric with a mixture of awe and gratitude, their eyes wide with the realization of his immense power.
“First, listen to me,” Alaric said, his voice carrying over the hushed crowd, “Those who got spiders, move to my left side. Those who didn’t, move to my right side.”
Faces turned wry, but they obeyed his order. Slowly, reluctantly, everyone moved to the left side.
“Not even a single one?” Alaric’s surprise was evident as he frowned at the Chosen Ones who had lowered their heads in shame. ’Well, it’s not like I have done better…’ he thought, feeling a numbing sensation on his neck. Just as he was about to speak again,
“!!!”
A sudden wave of weakness washed over him. It felt as if he had been severed from the Arcane energy. His body swayed, and he landed gracefully on the ground.
Thud
It wasn’t just him. Everyone in the academy felt it.
The connection to Arcane energy had vanished!
“V-Vice Principal, I can’t feel A-Arcane energy,” one of the professors mumbled, their voice trembling with fear.
“I know….” Alaric replied a deep frown etched on his face. He looked up at the sky and saw a dome-like structure enveloping them. It was transparent, but in the darkness of night, it was barely visible.
While most couldn’t sense the energy, Alaric, the former Arcane King, could still feel a faint trace of it. Discover exclusive content at freewebnovel
Which meant the dome was not strong enough to hold someone as powerful as Alaric.
With a small grin on his face, he was about to snap the dome or whatever it was when,
“Don’t do that, Alaric!”
A mechanical voice echoed everywhere, making everyone flinch in surprise.
Alaric, with a composed expression, asked, “Who are you?” His anger was barely contained.
If the Principal saw this, his image would surely plummet to the ground. The embarrassment, the shame, and the disappointment would be too much to bear. His reputation, carefully built over years, was hanging by a thread.
The mechanical voice instead responded coldly, “The toys attached to your necks will blast your heads off in a matter of seconds.”
Everyone’s faces turned to dread as they glanced at the already fallen people. The sight of their classmates lying motionless, their heads blown off, sent shivers down their spines. They gulped visibly, their eyes wide with fear.
The mechanical voice continued, “To avoid this, all you need to do is follow these simple instructions:
Do not touch those toys.
Do not try to be funny by being smart.
Do not try to touch the dome.
Do not try to break the dome.
The moment you disregard these warnings, your head will go ’PUFF!’”
“!!!”
The tension in the air was palpable.
Everyone’s faces turned pale, the colour draining away as the realization of their predicament sank in. The hair on their backs stood up in fear, their breaths coming in shallow, panicked gasps.
However, the mechanical voice wasn’t finished, “Especially, if anyone from inside or outside tries to break the dome, Every one of those toys will go ’PUFFFFFFFFF!!!’”
“!!!!!!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in deep shock as they looked at Alaric. His face twitched with annoyance and anger, a storm of emotions brewing within him. “Whoever you are, you will pay for this!!!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the silent hall.
His anger was barely contained. One wrong step and every one of their students would die pathetically, their lives snuffed out in an instant.
Suddenly, there was a calm silence, as if everyone was waiting for their fate, the tension in the air almost suffocating.
“Haha…”
The mechanical voice let out an amused laugh, a chilling sound that made everyone’s blood run cold, “Stay in the stadium,” it commanded.
“What do you want?” Alaric shouted in anger, his voice filled with a mix of fury and desperation. However, there was no response from the mechanical voice, only a haunting silence.
The professors and Alaric gritted their teeth in frustration before guiding the students to the stadium, trying to keep them from panicking again.
As they arrived at the open stadium, the ground filled with students, Alaric ordered the professors to search around the stadium for any strange objects or anything that seemed out of place, “Spread out and look for anything unusual,” he instructed, his voice tense.
Meanwhile, he looked at the students, staff, and servants, whose faces were filled with dread and fear, “Listen here, students, there is no need to panic. The professors and I will handle the situation,” he said, trying to project calm and confidence.
“We are trained for this, and we will find a way to get through this safely.” He continued to speak, his voice steady and reassuring, trying to calm the panicking groups.
After a minute or so, everyone calmed down more or less, the initial shock wearing off. Alaric then looked at the Chosen Ones and called them over, “Think of this as a test. I want you guys to look after everyone here,” he said, addressing the nine students, “Keep them calm and safe. We need to work together to get through this.”
However,
“What about us?” Thalia interjected, her face serious. She looked determined, ready to take action.
Alaric paused and looked at Thalia, Selene, Lia, Ashara and…. Suddenly, he frowned. “Where is Victor?” he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Everyone glanced at each other before shrugging.
No one seemed to know where Victor was. Alaric’s lips twitched as he frowned suddenly, ’Don’t tell me… he is the one behind this?’ he wondered, a sly smile erupted on his lips.
“I-It’s not what you think, Professor,” Ashara said hesitantly, her voice shaky. It was clear to everyone what he was thinking.
“Tsk, we will see about that… but first, I need you guys….” Alaric began, his voice firm as he gave instructions. He needed them to stay focused and work together.
After listening to his words, everyone nodded with determination, their faces set with resolve.
Jack then asked curiously, “Where are you going, Professor?”
“To find the person responsible for this,” Alaric replied.