Chapter 3

    The Sand Castle part II

    Part 3

    That night, Lofen continued to beseech Zal relentlessly about the term break plans.

    It seemed that Lofen really wanted him to come along because they were close friends. It was not that Lofen did not like or was not close to Alan and Talis, but no one could banter with him quite like Zal. Without Zal, Lofen would likely feel quite lonely.

    "Are you really going to be busy the entire break? Can't you find even a day or two to come out?"

    "I'll have to see about that; I can't make any promises yet."

    If he were to tell the professor about Sandro, the chances of being allowed outside would diminish even further. Professor Garris would likely insist he stay within the academy, at least until Sandro was captured or the investigation concluded. With about three months until the term break, Zal hoped everything would be resolved by then.

    Lofen kept nagging him for a long time, not letting up even as the time to turn off the dorm lights approached.

    "This isn't going to end easily, Zal! If you really don't come, you'll have to make up for the lost time during the break!"

    Lofen turned to him, pointing a finger as he walked over to turn off the light.

    "I don't recall our relationship being that serious. You didn’t even give me chocolates on Valentine's Day. Or did I just not notice? Should I find someone to propose to you after we graduate?"

    "Exactly! You only have eyes for Talis! You have no idea how it feels to see you two together!"

    Lofen dramatically pretended to stagger and lean against the wall, clutching his chest in mock pain, which made Zal react with a shocked expression.

    "W...what? Have you really felt that way about me all along!? I never knew... You must have been in so much pain, Lofen..."

    "Zalaras!"

    "Lofen!"

    The two pretended to embrace but stopped and burst out laughing together. Sometimes their nonsensical conversations flowed so smoothly that they turned into a small melodrama like this.

    Lofen went to turn off the light in the room and prepare for bed, but before he could settle down, the school's alarm bells rang, and the night sky suddenly lit up as bright as day.

    The sound was that of an emergency alarm, and the bright sky was due to a massive magic circle appearing above the academy, casting a soft yellow light that made the academy below almost completely illuminated.

    This was the academy's defensive magic circle, activated only in emergencies.

    "What's happening now? Is it a fire? Or what?"

    Both boys were surprised by the events but not panicked. Zal walked to the window to look for any unusual activity but found nothing. Lofen opened the door to check the balcony and saw other students opening their doors to look out with equally puzzled expressions.

    Suddenly, an announcement came from the dormitory's speakers, voiced by Professor Garris himself.

    "At this moment, an intruder has breached the academy premises. All students must remain in their rooms and are strictly prohibited from going outside until further notice."

    Professor Garris's announcement sounded rushed and concise. Shortly after the announcement ended, academy staffs rushed up to the dormitories and instructed all students to lock their doors until the situation was resolved.

    "An intruder? Interesting. Who would dare to infiltrate an adventurer's academy under the 'Peace Keeper's' jurisdiction like this?"

    Lofen seemed unfazed by the situation, almost finding it amusing since it was not an everyday occurrence, unlike Zal, who looked quite pale.

    "No way... could it be him? Daring to come here?"

    Zal's first thought upon hearing the announcement about the intruder was of Sandro.

    He had been worried about this ever since returning from the field test, but since weeks had passed without incident, he thought it unlikely that Sandro would dare come here.

    "Calm down... it might not be him..."

    Zal tried to stay positive and consider other possibilities, but in the three years he had been here, there had never been an incident of an intruder breaking into the academy. It seemed too coincidental that this would happen right after he met Sandro.

    "Hey, look over there! Looks like there's a fight going on."

    Hearing Lofen, who was clinging to the window edge, Zal immediately got up to look.

    In the front garden of the academy, sparks of light indicated a fight was taking place among the trees. Several academy staffs and professors were rushing to that spot, appearing to be where the confrontation with the intruder was happening.

    "It's tough to see from here what exactly is going on."

    "Hmm... Ah! I've got an idea!"

    "What's that?"

    "Summoners have a skill that allows them to see through their minion's eyes. If I send a minion there, I might be able to get a better look at the situation."

    "Awesome idea. What are you waiting for?"

    Zal immediately summoned a wolf, but since they were on the third floor, the poor creature fell to the ground with a thump before dissolving into nothingness.

    "..................."

    ".................."

    Both stood watching the empty space where the wolf had fallen for a while before Lofen spoke.

    "Did you think it was a cat or something?"

    "I thought it wouldn't die just from this height!"

    It turned out his minion was not durable enough to survive the fall from such a height.

    Thinking that academy staffs might be watching the balcony, Zal realized that any minion sent out that way might be mistaken and taken out. The only way to deploy was through the window, but what to do?

    "Hmm... Ah! I've got it! It might seem a bit cruel, but there's no other way."

    He then summoned two wolves simultaneously, with one standing on the back of the other. As they fell near the ground, the top wolf leapt off, using the lower one as a springboard, landing safely while the other wolf hit the ground with a thump sound and dissolved.

    "You really use your minions ruthlessly, don't you? If the minions' rights activists saw this, you’d be sued for sure."

    "Quiet! There was no other way, okay?"

    Zal commanded the last wolf to stealthily navigate through the bushes to the confrontation site. As it neared, he used the skill 'Minion's Vision' to see through the eyes of the summon.

    At the location, a wide-ranging battle ensued because the intruders were not just a single individual.

    Numerous warriors in black armor were engaging with the academy's professors and staffs all over the area.

    Zal felt a chill down his spine because he recognized those warriors.

    They were cladded in completely black armor that appeared worn from heavy use. Under their helmets, which obscured their faces, two green lights shone in the darkness like eyes. These were the armored warriors he had seen Sandro summon before.

    "Is it really him...? Bold enough to come here and launch an outright assault..."

    "Hmm? What do you see? Tell me, Zal."

    Zal continued to watch without responding to Lofen's question. Looking around, he heard the urgent voices of the faculty professors behind him; one of them was Professor Garris.

    "We can't seem to finish them off! We might not be able to hold them off much longer!"

    "What about the reinforcements we requested from the association?"

    "They should arrive in about ten minutes!"

    "Hmm... Still no sign of the summoner?"

    "Not at all! He's not among the summons that invaded. He might still be hiding outside the academyl!"

    "We don’t have enough people to go out and hunt down the summoner... It can’t be helped... Order the evacuation of all students through the teleportation circle! Tell Paraven to ensure Zal's safety during the evacuation!"

    The situation seemed worse than expected, but what caught his attention was Professor Garris' specific order for someone to ensure his safety. Did the professor know Sandro's target was him? But why?

    "Hey, Zal~ Don’t keep all the fun to yourself. Tell me what’s happening."

    "We should get going now."

    Before Lofen could ask anything more, an announcement instructed all students to immediately gather at the academy's auditorium.

    Lofen and Zal left their room and headed downstairs to the auditorium as instructed. In the lower hall, they met Alan, who had arrived there earlier.

    "Are you guys alright?"

    "Oh, Alan, do you know what's happening? Where are we heading?"

    Alan glanced around before leaning close to Lofen and whispering softly,

    "We’re evacuating. They’re moving students out of the academy because there are too many or too strong intruders to hold off..."

    Lofen’s face fell upon hearing this, and he looked questioningly at Zal, who nodded in confirmation, prompting Lofen to silently accept the tense situation.

    In the hall, several academy staffs were organizing students into groups for an orderly and calm evacuation to the auditorium, with many groups having already left the building.

    During this, a handsome young man with brown hair and the full attire of an adventurer rushed into the hall. He looked around until he spotted Zal's group and hurried over.

    "Professor Garris asked me to look after you. Follow me,"

    Said the man, familiar to Zal. After a moment, Zal realized he was the coachman who had driven them to their field test. Perhaps this was Paraven, whom Professor Garris had mentioned. But it was not the time for such questions, so Zal and his friends followed the young man out of the dorm without further discussion.

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    Part 4

    Outside the dormitory, it was eerily quiet as if nothing had happened, likely because the confrontation was near the school's front garden entrance, so not much noise reached the back where the dorms were located.

    The students hurried to the auditorium in an organized manner in groups, guided closely by academy staffs.

    Inside the Ejis Academy's auditorium, a teleportation circle was hidden under the floor, designed to evacuate a large number of students in emergencies, though it could only transport a limited number at a time. Students arriving later had to wait outside the auditorium.

    In the courtyard in front of the auditorium, several groups of students, mostly female, who had been brought there earlier, were waiting to enter.

    Talis, seeing her friends, tried to come over to them but was sternly stopped by an academy staff, so she could only watch from a distance.

    "I’ll talk to the staffs in the auditorium first; you guys wait here,"

    said the adventurer who disappeared into the auditorium after he had made sure they were settled.

    "Great~ Young Master Alan has his personal escort to guide him, probably trying to arrange a queue skip for teleportation."

    "What are you talking about? I don’t know that person."

    "Hmm~ but he said Professor Garris sent him. Maybe the professor is trying to favor your family."

    "I don’t think Professor Garris is like that."

    Hearing Alan's denial, Zal was even more convinced that this was Paraven, specifically sent by Professor Garris to protect him, but he said nothing.

    After a short while, Paraven returned from the auditorium and approached Zal's group directly.

    "You guys, follow me. We're going to teleport right now."

    "But that means we’d be cutting in line. I don’t want special treatment."

    "This isn’t about special privileges. I’ll explain later, but for now, we need to hurry."

    Alan seemed reluctant, but there was no choice. They prepared to head into the auditorium, but suddenly, numerous magical circles appeared all around the courtyard and entrance. Warriors in black armor emerged from these circles, startling both the academy staffs and students in the area.

    "What the hell! How did they get in here?"

    Paraven drew his sword, ready to fight, as did other academy staffs nearby, who were also transitioning into their combat clothing. The students in the area began to panic, but the staffs tried to guide them to move away from the open courtyard.

    Alan responded by changing into his adventurer's attire, and Lofen and Zal prepared their gear, ready to join the fight. However, Paraven gestured for them to hold back, indicating they should not act yet.

    The armored warriors around them started to move, clashing with the academy staffs. Thestaffs resisted, trying to give the students a chance to escape from the combat zone. A group of black-armored warriors near Zal’s group gradually closed in before launching their attack.

    Three black warriors lunged at Paraven from all directions, striking simultaneously. But in a flash, his figure vanished, causing their blades to slash through the air, and one of them even had an arm severed in the process.

    Before they could locate their target, Paraven, reappearing behind them, decapitated two warriors with swift strokes. Their heads had flown off even before his feet touched the ground.

    "Wow... impressive,"

    Lofen exclaimed, watching the fight unfold. Even Alan was speechless, as even the mid-level adventurers he had encountered rarely demonstrated such skill.

    "Is that... Mailbreaker?"

    Zal murmured upon seeing the red glow on Paraven's blade.

    'Mailbreaker,' a power-enhancing technique for swordsmen, allowed the blade to cut through protective gear effectively. Although its effect diminished against high-level or magically resistant armors, it shredded the worn armors of the summoned warriors like paper.

    What astonished them more was Paraven's speed.

    He moved so fast that the students only saw flashes of his blade as red lines marking his swift strikes, the armored warriors collapsing like fallen leaves, quickly becoming nothing more than heaps of debris on the ground even before they could reach the boys.

    "Are those skeletons?"

    Zal saw what lay inside the last knight's armor before it disintegrated.

    Inside was a skeletal warrior, a type of summoned creature typically used by necromancers.

    Though the nearby armored warriors had been dealt with, the overall situation remained chaotic, with academy staffs battling the dark-armored warriors everywhere. But now the path to the auditorium was clear, and Paraven urged everyone to hurry.

    "We should go now."

    "Are we going to leave everyone else behind?"

    "I'll come back out to help them after escorting you. Hurry."

    Zal was still concerned about Talis, who might still be outside, which made him hesitate. But Paraven's rationale made sense; perhaps the attackers would retreat if he was no longer there. So he decided to follow Paraven's instruction.

    Before their conversation ended, a thick fog suddenly enveloped the path to the auditorium, chilling Zal to the bone. This fog and cold were the same as when Sandro had appeared before.

    As expected, a figure slowly emerged from the center of the fog, walking through the misty veil.

    This person was clad in a peculiar black armor that covered the entire body, with a design that suggested a blend of warrior and sorcerer elements, such as a cloak that covered the head or the one that draped down to the ankles. The rest of the attire was solid black metal armor, completely enclosing the figure like a warrior. The face was not the bare white skull Zal had seen before but a skull-shaped metal mask was concealing the entire face.

    Despite the significantly altered appearance, the glowing green eyes, fiery and intense, remained unchanged, confirming to Zal that this was indeed Sandro.

    "You're the summoner, aren't you? How long have you been in here?"

    Paraven challenged, his sword ready, but Sandro ignored him completely.

    "Zalaras Halcyon... Are you ready to come with me yet...?"

    Sandro's words caused both Alan and Lofen to look at Zal in unison, while Paraven kept his gaze firmly on the intruder.

    "...I didn't want to make this messy... But I'm not very patient. That's as long as I can wait... Come now, with me..."

    Zal still could not grasp why Sandro thought he would easily agree to go with him, but before he could respond, Paraven whispered to them first.

    "I'll create an opening. When I do, run into the auditorium."

    The young ones nodded, ready to sprint at the chance. In an instant, Paraven disappeared from sight.

    He reappeared in midair to the right of Sandro, more than ten meters away. He unleashed a series of incredibly fast sword slashes, sending a storm of blade-shaped energy waves towards Sandro like a tempest.

    As the blades struck Sandro, they exploded violently, creating a blast of wind that began to disperse the surrounding fog. The kids used this moment to sprint around the opened path towards the auditorium.

    Despite running at full speed, they could not help but glance back at the ongoing fight.

    As the smoke from the explosions cleared, Sandro was seen standing unscathed as before.

    Sandro turned his gaze towards the fleeing children, showing no sign of moving from his spot. Just as Paraven lunged to strike Sandro's shoulder with his brightly glowing red sword, a metallic clang echoed loudly.

    However, the blade stopped at the armor's surface, unable to penetrate. The red light enveloping the blade was also absorbed, disappearing entirely, leaving Paraven frowning in surprise.

    As Sandro raised his hand as if to cast a spell, Paraven quickly moved away, but Sandro’s attention was not on him; it remained fixed on the children.

    As Sandro clenched his fist, a massive wall formed by densely packed skeletons rose from the ground, spreading out to encircle the auditorium entirely, sealing it off from all sides.

    The wall completely obscured the three-story auditorium, making it almost entirely hidden. Now there was no way for anyone to enter or exit the auditorium, leaving the children no choice but to stop in their tracks and look back at Paraven with panicked expressions.

    Faced with this sudden shift in the situation, Paraven gritted his teeth in frustration, realizing his only option was to deal with this skull-faced sorcerer.

    Paraven positioned himself between Sandro and the group of children, starting to draw his sword through the air in what seemed like a dance, summoning dozens of blue magical circles around him.

    In no time, countless swords of light shot out from each circle, arranging themselves in mid-air and encircling Sandro from every direction before simultaneously striking.

    Every blade hit Sandro with precision, from the first to the last, overlapping until the target looked like a giant pin cushion or a brightly glowing hedgehog.

    The attack was not over yet. Paraven leapt towards Sandro to deliver a final strike, channeling all his energy into his sword, causing a large white flame to surge forth. The flame slowly formed into a giant blade of light, enveloping his sword.

    Paraven brought down the gigantic blade of light onto his enemy, who was impaled by countless swords, creating an explosion so powerful that the ground and surrounding buildings trembled. After unleashing his attack, Paraven flipped back to the children.

    But before he could land, a green beam shot out from the smoke, piercing Paraven's shoulder and causing him to crash to the ground like a broken-winged bird.

    "Agh..."

    "Mister!"

    The children rushed to check on Paraven. The wound might have seemed minor, but the remnants of green magical sparked on the wound, then a purple bruise spread up to his neck, looking venomous, immense pain was evident on his face.

    Meanwhile, Sandro slowly walked out of the crater covered by smoke from the explosion, appearing unscathed.

    "...Come with me... Zalaras."

    The situation seemed hopeless.

    Zal was disheartened by what was unfolding before him, thinking there was no further action to take. But it seemed his friends were not ready to give up.

    Alan and Lofen stood up to face Sandro, positioning themselves to shield Zal. Zal, looking up at his friends' backs, felt a mix of panic and surprise at the unexpected turn of events.

    "If I let my friend be taken away right before our eyes, I could never sleep at night."

    "It's rare for us to agree like this. Not bad."

    Moved by Alan and Lofen's words, Zal felt an overwhelming mix of emotions but was increasingly concerned for their safety. He was about to shout for them to back away when Sandro, witnessing the scene, spoke up first.

    ..."It is indeed a beautiful sight... But do you know... The more beautiful something appears... The more painful it is when it collapses..."

    Sandro continued to speak in riddles, as usual, but now Zal focused only on finding a way to escape safely with everyone, although he saw no feasible way out.

    "...If you follow me willingly... I would let you keep this dream..."

    Those words left Zal speechless.

    Was Sandro suggesting that he would spare the others if Zal agreed to go with him willingly?

    Zal looked around and saw many other students, both boys and girls, hiding behind bushes or buildings, avoiding the fight.

    Considering it carefully, it was impossible for the three children to escape from someone like Sandro. In the worst case, Alan and Lofen might be killed, or all these students might die, which he could not allow.

    "You guys... back off..."

    "Zal!"

    "Don't talk nonsense!"

    Alan and Lofen immediately understood Zal's decision and strongly objected, but Zal had already made up his mind.

    "He probably won't kill me. He would have done it already if he was going to... Even though I don't know where he might take me, I must come back to you all someday..."

    "How can you think like that! We might never see each other again!"

    "If you die now, we won’t see each other anyway!"

    With those words from Zal, both Lofen and Alan fell silent.

    Since he was not planning to fight, they could not do anything. Deep down, Alan and Lofen knew they were no match for the foe before them. Fighting would only lead to death, so letting Zal go to save everyone was the best option. They clenched their lips in pain.

    Zal slowly walked towards Sandro, but suddenly someone grabbed his arm.

    "No, Zal!"

    Turning back, Zal saw that it was Talis, who had previously been taken away with the group of girls. She had sneaked away and come back, worried about them and arrived just in time.

    "I won't let you go... You can't go!"

    Talis said with tears streaming down her face, gripping his hand tightly as if she would never let go. Seeing Talis's tears made Zal hesitate for a moment, but her presence there solidified his decision to go, to protect everyone's lives.

    Meanwhile, Sandro, who had been quietly observing the whole situation, spoke out with a cold voice,

    "...So, this is it... This dream is what holds you back... Taking you away would be pointless... It only makes sense to awaken you first..."

    After speaking, Sandro gestured in the air to cast a spell, and soon multiple green circles appeared on the ground around them. The light from these circles gradually intensified until beams shot up into the sky, colliding with the orange circles of the Ejis Academy.

    "S... stop!!!"

    Paraven, despite his injuries, shouted as loud as he could, but he could not do much else.

    The children were startled, not understanding what the other party was about to do. Talis closed her eyes and clung to Zal's arm as if afraid the light would take him away.

    The green light began to break down the structure of the magic circle of the Ejis Academy. Characters on the circles slowly eroded away, and the lines that formed the circles began to dissolve until they could no longer maintain their original form. Eventually, the circles in the sky shattered into pieces.

    As the circles broke, the atmosphere around them drastically changed, like the collapse of a dimensional dungeon. Zal felt like he was being teleported out of a dungeon, except when he opened his eyes, he was still in the same place.

    With the disappearance of the magic circle’s light from the sky, the surroundings grew intensely dark. However, the scattering orange light from the collapsing circles, combined with the moonlight and street lamps, allowed some visibility.

    Suddenly, Zal noticed something was wrong.

    "Everyone...?"

    There, only Sandro, Zal, and the injured Paraven lying on the ground were present. Alan, Lofen, and even Talis, who had clung to his arm until moments ago, had vanished without a trace.

    Zal tried to look around for the others, but only the confused academy staff remained, as the armored warriors they were fighting had also disappeared.

    Moreover, no one else was left, not even the fellow students Zal saw hiding around various corners.

    "What have you done!! Where did everyone go!?”

    Zal yelled loudly at Sandro, his eyes are mixed with panic, fear, and anger.

    At this moment, he thought that if something really happened to everyone, he would have to kill Sandro, even if it cost him his life.

    "...It's just us here... It's always been just you..."

    Sandro responded calmly, which only infuriated Zal more.

    "What do you mean!! What are you talking about!?"

    "...All the students here... were merely avatar... just figments brought here to create a dreamlike life for you in this academy..."

    Zal's mind stalled, unable to process those words quickly enough. His mind was filled with confusion, and he looked around again, but the confusion only grew as Sandro continued to explain.

    "...The spell I used earlier wasn't just to destroy the magic circle in the sky... It also had the effect of erasing all the magic in this area... That includes the beings created from magic, like those avatar... That's why everyone who was summoned had disappeared..."

    As Zal began to piece everything together, the shock intensified.

    Amidst his confusion, he recalled something he had always thought was illogical.

    But now, linking it with what Sandro had said, everything became painfully clear.

    "...So that's why I couldn't form contracts with everyone? ...Because they were already summoned beings?"

    Zal collapsed to the ground, feeling as if his brain were being squeezed tight, and all his strength was draining from his body.

    "Lofen... Alan... Talis..."

    Zal stared at his left arm, where Talis had clung tightly until moments ago. He could still faintly feel the pressure and warmth on his skin, but now it felt empty.

    "...None of them actually existed here from the beginning... Ever since you came to study here three years ago... Everything that happened over these three years was just an illusion that seemed real..."

    With Sandro's final words, Zal's senses began to fade gradually. The surrounding sounds quieted, his vision slowly darkened, and the last thing he saw was a thick fog slowly enveloping him.

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