Horizon's Edge

by TurtleMe

  ELIJAH KNIGHT’S POV:

  “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.

  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 class 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.

  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.

  Chapter 92: Bird’s Cage

  ELIJAH KNIGHT’S POV:

  As the earsplitting sound of the bell tower faded into a dull ring, the owner of 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 ALL OF YOU TO JOIN US FOR THE FINAL CEREMONY. I ADVISE EVERY ONE OF YOU TO MAKE YOUR WAY 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 the 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.

  “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 hadn’t been 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 with pools of wet crimson blood. Various species of discolored mana beasts had 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 that leaves of the trees on the inside of the barrier had not the slightest rustle proved how impenetrable this barrier was.

  There was a large crowd of both students and faculty members in front of
the bell tower, who were both injured and scared; unsure of 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 its back, leaving me anxiously waiting for something to happen.

  The crowd of disheveled 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 who disobeyed, I could see the hope in their eyes flickering away. We were prisoners of this massacre awaiting our sentence.

  Although most of the students in the crowd seemed only lightly injured and battered—indicating 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 field of healing. 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.

  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 some second son of a king; 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. A deafening silence descended upon the crowd as all eyes fell on the mysterious masked man, depicting both curiosity and fear of what he would do next.

  Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of small droplets splashing on the ground echoed through the entire space, further adding to the uneasy suspense.

  All of a sudden, an earthen spear barreled directly at the masked culprit, unfortunately its trajectory ended as 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 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’ faces: Fear, anger, desperation, confusion, frustration, and helplessness as they were all stunned into silence by the abrupt laughter.

  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 only dry heaves and watery eyes.

  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 to turn 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.

  “NOOOOOOO! DORADREA!” I spotted Theodore as he roared, charging furiously towards the masked man. He knocked aside the students that weren’t quick enough to get out of his one man stampede.

  “DORADREA!” Theodore screamed, his voice cracking as he hammered his fists against the translucent barrier.

  There were only two sounds that could be heard. It was the sound of delighted laughter coming from the masked man, and the sound of Theodore’s thunderous pounding against the barrier.

  BOOM!

  It was one of the Disciplinary Committee members…

  BOOM!

  The same group Arthur was in...

  BOOM!

  A crater was formed underneath Theodore as the marble floor around him continued to crumble and cave under the pressure of his might. As he continued smashing against the barrier, blood began streaming down his arms as his hands were shattered by his own strength. Despite that, the fury never left Theodore’s eyes as his icy gaze never left the masked man.

  “COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME, YOU COWARD!” Theodore howled, a deranged look shrouding his eyes.

  Suddenly, the masked man stopped his laughter and he removed his mask. His face was narrow and sharp, with skin that glowed in a hue of gray. In spite of the sharp and the attractive features he boasted, it was hard to miss the crazy, almost psychotic expression that seems to have been permanently ingrained into his being. His face was wrinkled in a scowl as he tilted his head to the side, as if he was confused by Theodore’s last statement.

  “Coward? Me?” The masked figure began walking towards Theodore with the easy arrogance of someone who knew that everything in the world existed for his taking, every one of his steps seeming to drive a nail into the minds of everyone present.

  “Yes, you! Stop hiding behind this barrier and fight me!” He growled back, blood continuing to drip from his broken hands.

  “Coward? Me? The mighty and reborn Draneeve… hiding?” The person called Draneeve blinked out of view and appeared in front of Theodore with a speed so fast, Theodore wasn’t even able to react as Draneeve pulled him to the other side of the barrier. He threw the Disciplinary Committee member easily onto the erected platform.

  Caught off guard, Theodore landed less than elegantly on his back before squirming to his knees as he had trouble putting weight on his crippled hands.

  Again, Draneeve blinked in a sudden flash of speed and squatted down facing Theodore. “Why don’t you fight me now?” A sinister smirk curved on the red-haired man’s face.

  With a desperate yell, Theodore jumped up, bringing his leg down, executing a heel kick towards Draneeve’s shoulder.

  BOOM!

  As the platform splintered and a cloud of dust formed, it was obvious that Theodore imbued enough mana into his leg to crumble a building.

  There were a few cheers from the students as we all waited for the cloud to clear. I too hoped that the attack was enough to warrant cheering, but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

  A howl of pain amidst the cloud of debris rendered the
cheers moot as we waited with bated breath. As the dust cleared, none of us were prepared for what we saw.

  It wasn’t a secret to everyone here that Theodore was a deviant, capable of using mana to manipulate gravity. Just from the fact that the stone platform shattered like glass, we knew that Theodore hadn’t held back during his attack just then, but what we did not expect was for Theodore’s leg to still be positioned atop Draneeve’s shoulder where it landed... except... Draneeve was fine while Theodore’s leg had been snapped cleanly in half.

  We all stood there with our mouths agape. Even the professors were baffled by the clear difference in strength between the two. Theodore’s attack would’ve even made the professors do everything that they could to dodge the attack, yet this mysterious man here had taken it head on and come out unscathed despite the freshly made fissures.

  “Come on! The Great Draneeve isn’t hiding. Let’s fight!” The smirk never left his face as he kicked Theodore away like rag doll.

  “I’m fighting you like you wanted, right? What’s wrong?” Draneeve tilted his head again in mock confusion as he continued to beat Theodore into a stupor. His face was no longer even recognizable as he was pummeled to a bloody and broken mess. The rest of us couldn’t even do anything… only watch as our fellow schoolmate was tortured right in front of our eyes.

  “....cker,” Theodore managed to croak before vomiting out blood.

  “Hmm? What was that?” Draneeve landed another solid kick to his side, a loud crack of a broken bone accompanying it.

  Lifting his battered head, Theodore looked straight up into his assailant’s eyes with a look of pure hatred and disdain before he spat the blood congealed in his mouth at Draneeve’s foot.

  I could see veins popping on Draneeve’s forehead but he simply took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his red hair, peering down in disdain at the bloody mess that was Theodore like a squashed insect.

  “I see you still have a bit of fight left in you! Hmm… it is too bad though, you seem to be on the verge of dying from blood loss. Let me help you with that.”