Chapter 149 33.3 - Aftermath
Inside a room, two people could be seen looking at each other. One was an old man with a bulky body, his presence commanding the room.
"Is that all?" The man's deep voice resonated in the room.
The other one was the instructor, who had been watching what had happened in the dungeon at that time.
"Yes, that is all, chairman. The healer, Sylvie, demonstrated an unexpected surge in her abilities, successfully treating a severely injured student named Astron. The circumstances surrounding Astron's injuries are unclear, and he left the room shortly after being healed. Sylvie seems to have experienced an awakening of her trait during the healing process."
The academy's chairman, known for his wisdom and experience, listened intently as the instructor recounted the events in the healing room.
The chairman stroked his beard, his eyes reflecting contemplation. "Astron... It is that kid again."
The chairman was well aware of the name Astron Natusalune. After all, that kid was one of the reasons for his headaches in the recent past.
"Do you know him, chairman?"
The instructor asked, looking at the chairman with a curious expression. It was not normal for him to show interest in lower-ranking students, especially the last-ranked ones.
"Partially." The chairman's reply came in a slightly mysterious manner, but it also contained the tone of not wanting to explain any longer.
Understanding that the chairman didn't want to be asked anymore about this, the instructor decided to focus on the main topic.
"So, what do you suggest us to do?" She asked, looking at the chairman.
"I am not sure if the others have also sensed the change." The chairman mumbled, stroking his beard. His eyes shone slightly for a second, as if the mana around was converging to him.
"But, we need to be prepared. The era is changing." The chairman's gaze turned distant as if contemplating unseen threads of destiny. "And this is the first step of the change. The stars have already started their movement."
The instructor looked at the chairman but didn't say anything. Even though those words seemed like they came out of the mouth of a madman, she knew the chairman far had surpassed what was considered normal for humans.
After all, he was one of the holders of the [Venerate] seat and the sole reason why this academy was able to operate without the intervention of external powers.
"Even if they hadn't already sensed it, they will realize the changes soon enough. The girl needs to awaken her fate." With those words sinking, the room suddenly filled with an immense amount of mana.
TOK!
But, with a small hit of the chairman's baton, the mana gathered was dispersed.
"The authority of the First Lord...Many will covet it."
"Authority of the First Lord?" At this point, the instructor couldn't help but ask. What did the words 'First Lord' mean?
"Heh…." A small laugh slipped from the chairman's mouth as he heard this question. "Now, I understand." Turning back, he faced the instructor, looking at her with a small smile.
"There are things you shouldn't peek at." His words seemed arrogant, but the instructor knew what they meant.
"I understand." She nodded and bowed her head. "But what should we do about this situation?"
"What should we do…." The chairman looked at the documents on his desk. There was a special document which contained a picture of a yellow-haired girl.
"He is the catalyst of the girl's awakening. Therefore, he is the possible key for her path."
The instructor nodded, absorbing his words. "What do you suggest we do, chairman?"
"Their proximity is paramount," the chairman stated. "Arrange for Astron to stick with Sylvie. The currents of fate have already brought them together. We must ensure that they navigate this shifting landscape side by side. Their destinies are aligned, and the academy's future hinges on their journey."
The chairman rose from his seat, a sense of urgency in his demeanor. "Prepare for the convergence. The other [Venerates] may have their own pawns in play. Our moves must be calculated and decisive. The era of change has begun, and we shall navigate its currents to ensure the academy's survival."
With those final words, the room fell silent once more as the instructor prepared herself to leave.
"Understood, Father."
And, with that one last word, she disappeared.
*******
In the dimly lit room, draped in shadows, a man sat upon a throne made of ancient, ominous bricks.
-His eyes, dark and inhumane, conveyed a sense of boredom, yet within them flickered a subtle but potent essence of darkness.
-CRACKLE!
The torches crackled, making the room look like an ancient space.
As the air in the room thickened with an ominous aura, a figure emerged from the shadows behind the throne. Veiled in mysterious darkness, their face obscured, they approached the seated man with an air of reverence.
"It has appeared," the veiled figure murmured, their voice carrying a weight of foreboding. From his hands, a bunch of tendrils moved, revealing a small sphere made from glass.
"The prophecy we've been awaiting has begun to unfold."
The man on the throne shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing with interest.
"Sooner than what we have seen." The man's words echoed in the room as his eyes were fixated on the sphere. "This shouldn't have happened."
His eyes were pitch black and looked distant, as if he could see the things behind the walls of the castle where he had been residing.
The veiled figure nodded. "The threads of destiny are unraveling faster than foreseen. The Saintess's awakening had much more time, and we have been prepared accordingly. But this will change everything."
As the veiled figure spoke, they waved their hands, creating a bunch of silhouettes. One was holding a bow; the other was holding a sword. One had a hammer and shield; one was spewing fire from the staff she was holding.
Behind them was a small figure kneeling on the ground in the motion of praying.
"..." The man on the throne didn't reply, but he stood up. His eyes, peering through the skies, suddenly were narrowed.
Turning into the small silhouettes, his eyes were locked onto the black silhouette at the front, holding the spear.
"Something is different."
He mumbled.
"Something which shouldn't be here is here."
As if he was able to sense the future, the figure had goosebumps appearing all around his body.
TICK!
With his long claws, he touched the sphere. Following that, the mana smoothly moved to the sphere, converging into it.
As the mana flowed to the sphere from the top of the man's head, horns appeared as well, and his skin became paler and paler.
From a human, the figure revealed his true form, with its wings spurting from his back.
SWIRL!
Within the sphere held by the veiled figure, the scene unfolded once more.
Six distinct figures emerged, each wielding a weapon symbolic of their roles. One held a sword, another a bow, a third a staff, and the fourth carried both a shield and hammer. The fifth figure was in a prayer stance, and at the forefront stood the one with the spear.
"It is still the same….." The veiled figure mumbled.
The man on the throne observed the familiar vision, his eyes narrowing as the image played out.
It was a depiction they had witnessed years ago—the prophecy of the Saintess and the guardians facing the horde.
"Wait….."
Yet, as the scene progressed, an unforeseen change disrupted the anticipated vision. A mysterious smoke enveloped the sphere, shrouding the figures in uncertainty. Behind the valiant six, a new silhouette emerged. This figure seemed to be different from the other six, as it didn't operate in the same way as them.
"What?"
The man's eyes widened in recognition, a mixture of curiosity and unease spreading across his features. The unexpected addition to the prophecy had stirred something within him as if something inside him was awakening.
It was a subtle sensation, something he hadn't felt for a long time.
'My intuition is warning me.'
As a being that was on the highest rank, that was something he hadn't felt for a lot long time.
"Something has altered the course of fate," he muttered, his voice carrying a cold murderous tone.
But, it was very hard to maintain the sphere's mana consumption. It was large.
TAP!
Blood was already dipping from the horned thing's nose. After all, playing with fate and time had its own restraints, even for a higher being.
"…."
In the sphere, an unexpected phenomenon unfolded.
The moon and sun converged, casting an eerie darkness upon the world. Within this obsidian tapestry, the newfound silhouette radiated a luminosity, seemingly kindled by the celestial bodies' intertwined dance.
The horned overseer sensed the symbolism inherent in this cosmic convergence. "Kin of the moon... One of them is still there," he whispered, the words carrying the weight of ages.
The veiled figure behind him spoke with a surprised tone, "Kin of the moon?"
The horned man's eyes gleamed with a cold intensity, the cosmic machinations within them calculating. "They should no longer be in this world. I ensured their existence was erased—their threads severed from the fabric of destiny."
The revelation puzzled the overseer, a flicker of uncertainty marring his typically stoic demeanor. The existence of the lunar kin…..
"An anomaly," he mused, his voice a low murmur.
It was a threat to his own plans….
"The deal is yet to be fulfilled…." He said as he walked back to his throne. "Find the child of the moon."
Those words were the last words echoing inside the castle, but somewhere in the world, a being with its claws piercing a human received the order.
"Kekekekekeke...It has been a while…."
Under the dark night, the figure laughed eerily.
"Was it seven years ago…..That girl was sure tasty…."
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