“Wow…” The students stood, expressions of awe spreading across their faces as they gazed at the highest peak, the death of thousands of dragons.
“Welcome to Inferno-Pyremourn Summit,” Arkanis announced with pride, his voice carrying as he studied each of them, taking in their expressions.
But then,
“Look at that!” one of the students exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief, “What….. happened there?”
They pointed at a massive crater as if something monumental had crashed from the sky, tearing apart the earth and leaving devastation in its wake.
“Is this what caused the Empire to tilt?” Aqualina asked, her face full of curiosity. “What exactly happened here?”
“Was this caused the Empire to tilt? what exactly happened here?” Aqualina asked with a curious face.
Arkanis cleared his throat and spoke up, “I know you’re all curious, but we don’t have time to linger.” He gestured for them to follow as he led them to a set of spiralling stairs descending sharply downward. They reached the ground in silence, still visibly stunned by their surroundings.
Then, just as before, everyone signed the contract, a solemn formality, and one by one, they entered the Summit, each showing signs of anticipation and wonder.
“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask me,” Lia offered, standing close to Aqualina with a gentle smile.
Aqualina raised an eyebrow, slightly wary of her sudden friendliness. “And where exactly have you been all this time, Lia?” she asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone.
Lia offered a soft chuckle. “Oh, I’ve been preoccupied with… personal matters.”
But the truth was, this wasn’t Lia at all.
It was Celestia, disguised as Lia, under Aether’s orders to protect Aqualina just in case. With Lia currently missing, Aether couldn’t risk anything suspicious happening under his watch.
Aqualina studied her, a trace of suspicion lingering. There was something… different about her, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. Eventually, she nodded, though a small frown remained on her face.
As the last student entered the Summit, Arkanis watched the door and glanced at the Principal, speaking quietly, “I have something urgent to attend to. Will you keep an eye on them until I return?”
The Principal shrugged, waving her hand dismissively. Arkanis offered a quick smile before vanishing, his expression now tense with urgency.
Meanwhile, back at the castle…
Victor stood in Lia’s room, her clothes in his hands as Snowflake sniffed each item carefully, her small tongue flicking out as she tried to catch any lingering scent.
Since Victor couldn’t connect with his clone and Lia had mysteriously gone missing, he figured she must have either gotten caught up trying to help his clone or, worse yet, she might have been captured.
He glanced at Snowflake,
The little snake coiled back, shaking her head as if in confusion. Victor sighed, frustration clouding his face. He rummaged through her bag, pulling out… a bra and a pair of undies. “Nothing? Not even these?”
Snowflake hissed a few times. Meanwhile, Victor found himself momentarily distracted by the red lingerie. He couldn’t help but imagine Lia in it before he shook his head, clearing the image from his mind, “Focus, Victor,” he muttered, clearing his throat. “Snowflake, any luck?”
“Yessss~” she responded with a nod, and then she leapt from his shoulder, beginning to slither slowly toward the door.
Victor followed her quietly, glancing over his shoulder. He knew Arkanis could return at any moment, and considering he’d chosen to stay back from the others.
As they moved through the castle halls, Snowflake suddenly stopped by a small metal pipe. “Thisss is it~” she hissed with a serious expression.
Victor frowned, crouching beside her, “That’s a drainage pipe, Snow. There’s no way Lia could have entered it.”
“But it’s herrre~” she insisted, nudging the pipe with her nose.
Victor shook his head, ‘How in the world did she get in there?’ he thought, activating his crimson veil ability. The world around him shifted into a crimson hue, revealing the intricate winding of the pipe as it snaked through the walls. He could see the direction it took, going deep into the castle. “Alright, Snowflake, go on in. I’ll follow along the outside.”
“Got it~” she responded before slithering inside, disappearing into the pipe.
Victor traced her path from outside, walking along the corridor. A thought struck him as he continued, ‘If this veil lets me see through things…’ A mischievous idea crept into his mind before he dismissed it with a quiet curse. ‘Damn it, Victor! Get it together. You don’t need to be sneaky. You already have a free pass if you wanted to!’ He shook his head, realizing that in anyone else’s hands, this ability would be dangerously… Perverted!!
Finally, he arrived at a section of the castle where… well-guarded door.
Victor frowned, noting the guards stationed firmly outside the room.
“Stop! You are not allowed to enter here.”
“Hold it right there!”
The guards’ hands moved toward their weapons, ready to draw, when—
“Freeze!” Victor commanded, his eyes glowing a fierce crimson as he used his power to manipulate their movements.
The guards stiffened, frozen in place. Victor’s grin widened as he rendered them unconscious with swift precision.
Stepping over them, he peered through the door. His gaze settled on the room beyond, and his expression darkened, “A torture room…” he muttered, noticing various instruments of pain scattered inside.
Victor’s eyes returned to their normal colour as his skill deactivated, leaving a slight itch. He rubbed his eyes, glancing at the locked door that required a key, he checked the guards for a key but found nothing.
“Snow! Can you get it open from the inside?” he shouted, pounding on the door.
Snowflake, from inside, coiled herself and attempted to nudge the lock but quickly hissed in frustration, “It’s locked Mastterrr~.”
Victor clenched his fists, eyeing the sturdy black metal of the castle walls. Even his strength wouldn’t be enough to break through. Biting his lip, he weighed his options, but then a thought struck him: he’d already seen the inside of the room.
That was enough!
Victor smirked, “Activate teleportation,” he murmured, picturing the room with vivid clarity.
For the first time, he was about to try self-teleportation, and a thrill of curiosity washed over him…. But nothing happened, leaving him staring at his hands in confusion.
“Hmm… What’s the issue?” Just as he was about to check his log, a notification appeared.
[Please close your eyes before teleporting!]
Victor raised an eyebrow, “Why? I’d rather see where I’m teleporting.”
[This is your first self-teleportation. Open-eyed teleporting may cause brain imbalance, resulting in headache, nausea, vomiting, temporary mental instability, imbalance while walking—]
“Alright, alright, I get it!” he interrupted, closing his eyes reluctantly. Then, right before teleporting, he opened them just a crack—catching a glimpse of a strange black mist before—
“Waaagh!” Victor doubled over, vomiting as an excruciating pressure squeezed his temples.
“Mastterrrr~!” Snowflake hissed, alarmed, as Victor materialized beside her, gasping and sick.
[Told you so.]
After several minutes, he managed to steady himself, slowly standing and waving Snowflake’s worry away. “I’m… fine,” he said, taking a breath before scanning the room.
“Damn that bastard… what’s he doing in a place like this?” Victor’s fists clenched as the violent energy around him surged, shaking the room. “If he’s done anything to Lia…”
The floor quivered beneath his anger, and a few of the instruments rattled ominously.
“Mastterrr~!” Snowflake hissed, pointing with her tail toward a small compartment in the corner.
Victor frowned, walking over to the compartment and opening it. Inside, only cleaning supplies stared back at him.
“There’s nothing in here,” he muttered, half to himself.
“Her smell… it endssss here~” Snowflake hissed with a serious expression.
Victor’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t tell me…” A wild thought occurred to him. He scanned the compartment, using his crimson vision to detect any hidden mechanisms, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Are you sure her scent ends here?” he asked Snowflake, looking puzzled.
“Yesss~” Snowflake confirmed, unblinking.
Victor wiped his forehead, muttering, “What if this is a switch or… something else?” His gaze fell on an old mop hanging inside. He reached out, grasping the handle, ready to pull when—
Thud!
The entrance door swung open, and Arkanis stood there, his face flushed with fury.
Victor turned slowly, a grin spreading across his face, “Well, well… look who we have here.”
