Chapter 79: The Uninvited Guest of the Darkness (2)

Chapter 79: The Uninvited Guest of the Darkness (2)

Nade picked up a pen and wrote something on his palm. His friends did the same, etching the words carefully.

- I have lost my memory. Those who know the keyword can be trusted. The keyword is Polaris.

Satisfied, Shirone and his group examined their palms. With this mark, even if they lost their memories, they would be able to cooperate.

"Alright, that should do it. Let's go out now."

Regaining his confidence, Shirone exited Estas the Magic Warehouse.

Students were wandering the campus as classes ended. Looking around calmly, Shirone noticed several oddities. Normally, students would move in groups, but now they were all walking individually. More strangely, their movements seemed aimless and disorganized.

"Guys, look at those people"

"I know. I feel it too. They're just wandering without a purpose."

Nade spotted Gabe, a classmate from Class Five.

"Hey, Gabe! Where are you heading?"

Gabe approached them but responded as if meeting strangers for the first time.

"Who are you?"

Nade was puzzled but quickly shifted his focus to the more pressing matter.

"Never mind that. Where are you going?"

"Where am I going?"

Nade, frustrated, pressed further.

"Youve been walking continuously. Where's your destination?"

"My destination?"

Gabe looked down at his legs as if realizing something. Suddenly, he looked around, bewildered.

"Where is this? What's my name?"

Panic-stricken, Gabe grasped at his head. Nade cautiously stepped back, ready for any sudden outburst. Thankfully, Gabe didn't become aggressive, only increasingly distressed.

"What's this noise? Why do I keep hearing these strange sounds!"

As he shouted, his speech began to distort, eventually becoming incomprehensible.

Shirone's eyes shook with shock, realizing Gabe's condition. Yiruki, still unaware of the true nature of the sounds, listened intently.

"What noise? Are you hearing hallucinations?"

Shirone, with a trembling voice, clarified.

"No, he's hearing his own voice."

"His own voice?"

"He's lost the meaning of language. He's speaking habitually but without understanding. Naturally, its terrifying for him."

Gabe had completely lost his language structure, now sounding almost primal.

Shirone's group felt a chill. The speed of Gabe's mental degradation indicated that memories were fading rapidly.

As time passed, Gabe's voice subsided, his eyes lost their spark, and he eventually lost motor skills. Simultaneously, everyone on the streets froze.

A haunting silence enveloped the Magic Academy, with everyone standing still like wax figures, devoid of movement.

"What on earth is happening?"

"Remember, if you interfere again, I won't hold back."

"Such fuss over a bit of fun. Where's our master anyway?"

"Master is preparing something important. We're to handle this simple matter ourselves."

Arcane was currently hidden, recovering the mental energy expended casting Abyss Nova. Canis, however, chose to keep this information hidden.

"Yeah, sure."

Lucas turned away, his eyes briefly flaring with intensity.

'He must be resting somewhere.'

Lucas understood the concept of equivalent exchange in magic. A spell that blocked the memories of hundreds was not something an ordinary mage could cast. Even an archmage would be significantly weakened for a while.

'This charade won't last, kid. I won't miss this entertaining opportunity.'

As Arin finished her task, the Advanced Class and Advanced Class students began to move en masse. Shirone's group emerged from their hiding only after the crowd had dispersed. It seemed the intruders intended to take the entire school somewhere.

"Who are those people?"

"No time to ponder. They might not do anything for a while, but once they reach their destination, anything could happen. And the teachers are captive too."

Shirone remarked.

"The magic that the girl cast looked like dark magic. Could this situation be their doing?"

"It's unlikely. Such a large-scale spell requires an enormous Spirit Zone. Two are too young, and the third, armed, is likely not a mage."

"A third party involved, then?"

"It seems so. Let's focus on tracking them. If danger arises, we can intervene."

"Controlling the Magic Academy... Madness, especially with dark magic..."

With an ominous sense, Shirone's group followed the trail of the unwelcome visitors.

Ethella, dressed as she was the day before, remained in the training hall, motionless in meditation. Her eyebrows twitched, and her face contorted in agony. Clenching her teeth, her body shook violently.

The entire building vibrated with her, dust raining down. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and she fell forward, gasping for air.

"What was that?"

She couldn't pinpoint it, but it was a form of dark magic that infiltrated the mind to block memories. Its malicious nature pushed Ethella's vigilance to the extreme. Had it not been for the Karsis Order's laws, she too would have lost her memories.

'Dark magic in the academy?'

Checking the time, she realized it was well past class hours.

'I've been trapped by the evil spirit for over 12 hours?'

Considering Ethella's supreme mental fortitude, it was an incredibly powerful spell. What puzzled her more was that no one had come to check on her.

She wasn't the only target.

With this realization, Ethella rushed out of the hall without even changing her clothes.

A flash streaked across the sky above the Magic Academy, then plummeted to the ground like a magnet. A man landed without a sound.

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