EP.184 Omen (3)
Kalt ran through the forest with Rania on his back.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Despite his long experience on the battlefield, he was never one to lose his composure in any situation… but not this time.
He couldn’t understand the situation.
His mind was a chaotic mess due to the sudden turn of events.
Yet, amidst the confusion, Kalt kept running. His body, having begun to step into the realm of superhuman, did not tire from carrying just one person on his back.
“It’s cold.”
Rania’s arm brushed against the nape of his neck.
Her limp arm felt as cold as ice.
Kalt ran faster. He kicked the ground and burst out of the forest, crossing Apuria. People who saw him gasped, but he had no time to care.
Where to go?
Kalt asked himself.
The closest place. A place where he could check on the state of his mentor, the mage. Also, a place that could keep his mentor’s secrets safe.
He found his answer quickly.
Without stopping, he tilted his head up.
The structure built in the royal capital. The tower, which humans constructed to reach the truths of the sky, was clearly visible from here as well.
The black tower that seemed to pierce the heavens.
The so-called Tower of Magi.
While looking at the tower, Kalt muttered.
“Master of the Black Tower.”
A figure known to have a high possibility of cooperating in such an incident, even while aware of Rania’s true identity. He quickened his pace towards the tower.
2.
“Please enter carefully, Chloe.”
“Yes, it’s truly an honor to have this conversation!”
The girl slightly bowed, her body filled with tension. Anyone could see she looked nervous. Ayla couldn’t help but smile gently at her.
“You can act more comfortably. We’ve met three times already, and nothing has changed since the first.”
“I’ll be careful…”
“No need to be that cautious. I’ll see you next time.”
Trembling, Chloe stepped out of the room.
Once the door closed, Ayla finally dropped her raised hand. The benevolent smile she wore as a mask melted away in an instant.
“…Phew.”
Ayla sighed and lifted a hand mirror.
She gazed into the mirror at her own face, checking her eyes.
Golden eyes symbolizing the royal family.
Yet, there was no glimmer representing Ayla within them.
“As expected, it’s of no use.”
The platinum light in her eyes still wouldn’t stir.
Candidate for a hero, Chloe.
She thought that if she stayed close to that girl tied to the stars, perhaps the stars would grant her a revelation again… but no such fortunate thing occurred.
The stars remained silent.
It had been almost two weeks since she started living in the stars’ silence. For those fourteen days, Ayla had to remain in fear.
Her heart raced at the slightest incident. Everyone passing by seemed like an assassin targeting her. The “prophecy” cast before the stars fell silent only forced Ayla into solitude.
“What should I do…”
Time flowed on endlessly.
Her time was shackled by the stars’ language, unable to move forward. Shadows fell across Ayla’s face.
“Huh…”
Yet another sigh escaped her lips.
Just as she sighed again, the voice of a guard knight came from outside.
“Princess, the Royal Guard has come.”
“…Royal Guard?”
“Yes, they have something to convey…”
Royal Guard.
The loyal hunting dogs of the royal family, Hound.
“Why is the Royal Guard here suddenly?”
Ayla tilted her head but still allowed them in. Shortly after, the door opened, and a man walked in, dressed in the garb of the Hound.
“Greetings, Princess.”
His expression was blank, and his voice lifeless.
“I have something to deliver.”
He handed Ayla an object.
“The restoration of the royal palace’s communication network has reached its end. Once completed, this magical tool will allow direct connection to the Royal Castle.”
It was a crystal ball he presented.
Ayla accepted it without suspicion.
“…It’s black?”
“That’s because it hasn’t been activated. Once activated, it will shine in the golden color of the royal family.”
Having said that, the Hound turned to leave.
After he left, Ayla stared at the crystal ball for a long while. A black crystal ball. There was something ominous about its color.
“It seems suspicious, but…”
Since it was offered by the loyal hunting dog who would easily sacrifice his life for the prosperity of the royal family, Ayla tried to dismiss her doubts.
Just as she was about to set aside her apprehensions.
“Trust nothing.”
The prophecy left by the stars echoed in her ears.
“Habel.”
Ayla called out the name of the guard knight.
However, no reply returned.
“…Habel?”
Even when she called again, there was still no answer.
Ayla sensed that something was wrong. Swallowing hard, she opened the tightly closed door.
“…Gak, cough.”
As she opened the door, the first thing that caught her eye was Habel, choking with his neck in a grip. With trembling eyes, Ayla looked at the person gripping Habel’s neck.
“You…”
The Hound, who had sworn loyalty to the royal family.
“…”
He looked down at her with chilling eyes. Finally, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Didn’t I block the starlight? How is this possible?”
The voice came from a human, but it was not human. Something else was speaking through a human body. A chilling sound that scraped like bones echoed in Ayla’s ears.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
He waved his hand.
A haze of light rose along his fingers. The shimmering black mana, as dark as the abyss, enveloped Ayla.
“Prepare to receive him, child of the stars.”
Her vision went dark.
3.
“To be honest, this is quite disconcerting.”
Yetual looked at the Hound glaring at him with eyes full of blood as he removed his bloody gloves. Despite the sharp look, he had to voice his thoughts.
“What on earth happened…”
On the highest floor of the Black Tower.
Yetual turned his gaze to the girl lying on the bed. She looked young and innocent on the outside… but Yetual understood that what resided within was the Ashen Mage.
Pointing at the girl, Yetual said.
“What happened for the Ashen Mage to end up in this state?”
Who is the Ashen Mage?
A figure who had once stood alone against the notorious Gletus. Yet now, that person lay unconscious, showing no signs of waking.
“When I first came here, she was coughing up blood, right? I have no idea what’s going on…”
Staring at the unbelievable situation, Yetual was interrupted as Kalt spoke.
“I don’t know the details either. So, how is my mentor? She seems a bit stable now, but…”
“Stable? This?”
Yetual shook his head.
“All I did was stop the bleeding. That’s just a temporary fix. It won’t be long before it starts again.”
“What do you mean by that? What’s her condition…”
“How do I explain this? Inside her is completely messed up. It’s beyond something I can touch.”
Yetual pointed at Rania, who was lying down.
The girl was slick with cold sweat.
“It’s a miracle she’s even alive. On the surface, she seems fine, but inside, she’s completely wrecked.”
His finger pointed towards Rania’s heart.
“Something unknown is embedded in her heart. It contaminates her mana periodically.”
Contamination of mana.
Kalt frowned at those words.
“You mean contamination? Like mana addiction?”
“It’s different. Mana addiction can be purified easily. Contaminated mana is like death to a mage.”
The moment contaminated mana flows through the pathways, it spreads everywhere. The more it circulates, the more every channel in the body shatters, and the body collapses. That is why, for mages, mana contamination is akin to death.
“Contamination induces the erratic behavior of mana. Uncontrolled mana will tear the body apart from the inside. The more mana you possess, the greater the severity. And for an Ashen Mage…”
You could expect explosions from within.
Yetual rubbed his temples.
“Therefore, normally, the moment mana gets contaminated, it’s over. If a bomb explodes inside someone, who would survive?”
Surprisingly, someone was alive. Right here.
Yetual glared at the girl.
The situation was absurd the more he stared.
“The Ashen Mage seems to be suppressing it with some unknown means. She’s purifying the contaminated mana. Getting contaminated, purifying it, getting contaminated again…”
He pointed at Rania’s chest.
Intricate circuits glimmered through her thin shirt.
“This unknown circuit is repeating that insane act. Yet, it seems something triggered it, causing contamination to rise rapidly. The circuit’s purifying speed can’t keep up, leading to this disaster.”
That was all Yetual could conclude.
“To be blunt, I don’t know. There’s too much I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s lodged in her heart, I don’t know what’s causing the rising contamination, and I don’t even know what this circuit is.”
“I don’t know.”
Repeating such answers made Yetual feel powerless. He even felt ashamed of himself for not being able to arrive at any answers.
“I may be the Master of the Tower, but…”
He thought he knew a lot.
He thought he had learned many things. However, in the face of the unknown, there was nothing he could do. Yetual couldn’t fathom what was in front of him.
“…Is there any way to remove that from her heart?”
“If it were possible, the Ashen Mage would have done so already. This is different. It’s not something that can be removed.”*
Yetual shook his head.
“It’s intertwined with the center of her mana. It’s tangled with the very foundation of her soul. The moment you remove it…”
He declared.
“She will die. Definitely.”
Crack, Kalt gritted his teeth.
“Then, is there nothing we can do right now?”
“I don’t know. What should I do…”
That was as far as he got.
Creek, there was a sound as the bed shifted beside them. Kalt and Yetual both turned their heads. The girl who was lying in bed slowly got up.
“Mentor!”
“Shut up, I can’t hear myself think.”
She swayed, raising her hand.
With five fingers sharply extended, she stabbed her fingers into her own chest. Thump! Half of her fingernail sank into her skin, and blood oozed from the tip.
Squish, squish…
She moved her fingers.
The circuit carved itself into her white skin. A sizzling sound echoed. Even while vomiting up dark clots of blood repeatedly, she showed no signs of stopping.
“…She’s insane.”
Yetual muttered as he watched.
She was engraving circuits on her body while still in her right mind. Not only enduring the searing pain but also forcibly controlling the thrashing mana to draw circuits.
It was pain beyond imagination.
In that level of suffering, the girl remained sane while reinforcing the intricate circuit. Her fiercely wide blue eyes were glued to the circuit on her chest. There was even a sense of madness in her gaze.
“You wouldn’t do this without losing your mind.”
Finally, she pulled out her finger.
Thud, blood droplets fell onto the bed. She spat out the last of the clotted blood.
“Haah, haah…”
Breathing heavily, she raised her blood-stained hand. Slowly bringing her thumb and middle finger together, she snapped her fingers.
Crackle!
A spark of blue shot out.
Crackle, crackle. The sparking responded to the communication circuits inscribed in this room. The circuits in the room turned a deeper red from heating up.
Kaboom!
Then, with a sound like thunder, the communication circuits shattered completely. As Yetual’s eyes grew wide, Rania gasped for breath and looked up.
“Master of the Black Tower.”
With half-closed eyes.
Cold sweat dripped down to her chin.
She looked so weak that it seemed difficult even to maintain consciousness. In that state, she managed to utter her next words.
“A guest will arrive soon.”
“…A guest?”
“I’ve sent a signal; they will come. Whether it be an old man or a young elf, whoever looks unique…”
Please open the door.
With that last remark, Rania collapsed. Watching her say everything she had to say, Yetual couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“…A guest is coming?”
Whether an old man or a young person who looked unique.
What did that vague description mean?
Yetual tilted his head. However, it didn’t take long for him to realize what those words implied.
“Master, a guest has arrived.”
About thirty minutes later, communication came from the lobby of the tower.
“An old man introducing himself as ‘Cardi’… or perhaps young? I’m not sure. In any case, an unknown person has arrived and is threatening to destroy the tower unless we send him to the top floor…”
Yetual furrowed his brow.
“…Let him in.”
A friend of the Ashen Mage.
Someone who could provide help in this situation.
If that person were to really demolish the tower, it was possible that it wasn’t an idle threat.
“Make sure to guide him quickly and courteously.”
With that last remark, Yetual cut off the communication.
Was today truly a chaotic day?
“…You there, Hound.”
“Yes?”
“Do candidates for the Ashen Mage not understand what a peaceful resolution is?”
“What do you mean?”
“Forget it…”
You’re the same.
Yetual sighed deeply.
“It’s urgent. I need help right now.”
This man in front of him had just moments ago beaten up a guard blocking his way and seized communication devices, threatening to force them to clear a path.
“This is maddening. Seriously.”
Yetual shook his head.
The expensive communication circuit he had painstakingly inscribed was shattered, and the prestige of the tower had plummeted to the ground. Amidst superhumans or those close to them, Yetual felt incredibly small.
“…I understand a bit of the feelings of the White.”
Author’s Note:
I intended to write a bit more, but it ended up getting shorter as I wrote and rewrote.
I’ll write more and bring it tomorrow…
