Chương 45: The Door Beneath the Academy

The crimson light continued to rise. It pierced the darkness above the academy and illuminated the surrounding buildings with an unnatural glow, turning every window into a dull red mirror. For several seconds, even the instructors seemed uncertain about what they were supposed to do. They had trained for magical accidents, monster attacks, and hostile intrusions, but none of those preparations had included something buried beneath the capital speaking directly to them. Then Professor Gareth moved.

"Everyone to the eastern courtyard. Now." His voice carried across the entire academy. The hesitation disappeared. Teachers began directing the students through the corridors while defensive formations appeared around the groups. Those who were capable of combat were placed toward the rear, while the younger and less experienced students were kept in the center. Leo walked with Alice, Amon, and Masha. The academy continued to shake beneath their feet. Alice glanced at him.

"Leo." He looked at her.

"You have been unusually quiet."

"I am thinking."

"About the voice?"

"Yes." Amon, walking beside them, frowned.

"You heard it too, right? I thought I was imagining it."

"You weren't." Masha looked toward the ceiling as another tremor passed through the building.

"What exactly is underneath the academy?"

"No one seems to know," Alice replied. Leo said nothing. That was not entirely true. Professor Gareth had mentioned a sealed chamber, and Professor Elara had previously told him that one of its seals had been broken. But there was something neither of them had explained. The creatures. The altered training construct. The eastern conduit. They were not separate incidents. Someone had been preparing the academy for this. And whatever was beneath it had not awakened by accident.

The eastern courtyard was already filled with students when Leo and the others arrived. A temporary defensive formation had been established around the perimeter. Blue-white magical barriers rose from the ground and connected above them, creating a dome over the courtyard. Several instructors stood outside the formation. Gareth was among them. Elara stood a few steps away, her attention fixed on the crimson column rising beyond the academy walls.

For the first time, Leo noticed something unusual about her expression. She was afraid. Not nervous. Not concerned. Afraid. Gareth turned toward the students.

"Remain inside the barrier. Nobody leaves the courtyard unless ordered." A student shouted from the crowd.

"What about the people still inside?"

"The instructors will retrieve them."

"What about the city?"

"We don't know the situation beyond the academy." The answer caused another wave of whispers. Leo looked toward the western wall. The crimson light had begun spreading through the clouds. It was moving slowly, almost like ink dissolving in water. Then something appeared within it. A shape. Too distant to identify. It remained in the sky for only a moment before disappearing. Leo's eyes narrowed. Alice noticed.

"What did you see?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I don't know." That answer was honest. The academy shook again. This time, the barrier around the courtyard flickered. Gareth immediately raised his hand.

"Strengthen the formation!" Six instructors stepped forward. Sixfold Arcane Reinforcement. Six rings of light formed beneath the barrier and began rotating in opposite directions. The protective dome stabilized. For a moment, everything became still. Then the voice returned. Not from beneath the academy this time. It came from everywhere. From the walls. From the ground. From the air. Even from the magical barrier surrounding them.

"You built your city over my grave." The students fell silent.

"You built your academy over my prison." Amon slowly tightened his grip around his sword. Masha's face had gone pale. Alice stared at the ground. Leo remained motionless. The voice continued.

"And you forgot who sealed me." The crimson light suddenly vanished. The darkness returned. For a single heartbeat, there was no sound. Then— A tremendous impact struck the academy. The barrier cracked. Several instructors were thrown backward. Students screamed as the courtyard shook violently. Leo immediately moved toward Alice.

"Stay behind the barrier."

"I can fight."

"I know." He looked at her.

"That isn't the problem." Before she could answer, the eastern section of the courtyard collapsed. A portion of the stone floor sank several meters, revealing an enormous circular structure beneath it. Ancient stone. Blackened by age. Covered in symbols. At its center stood a massive door. The door was almost completely buried. Almost. A narrow vertical opening had appeared down its middle. Red light leaked through the gap. Professor Elara stared at it.

"No…" Gareth stepped toward her.

"What is it?"

"The lower seal."

"You said it was damaged, not broken."

"It wasn't." Elara's voice trembled.

"It was repaired." Gareth looked at her.

"Then who broke it?" She slowly turned toward the other side of the courtyard. Nobody answered. Because everyone had begun to understand the same thing. This had not been an accident. Someone had deliberately opened the door. Leo watched the ancient structure from a distance. There was something strange about the symbols. They were not written in the common magical script used throughout the kingdom. He recognized several patterns, but not their meaning. The energy surrounding them was also unusual.

It did not behave like ordinary mana. It was dense. Compressed. Almost physical. Amon approached him.

"Do you understand any of that?"

"No."

"You're staring at it like you do."

"I am trying to understand it." Amon gave him a skeptical look.

"That is exactly what someone who understands it would say." Leo ignored him. Alice stepped closer.

"What do you think is behind the door?" Leo looked at the narrow opening.

"Something that has been waiting for a very long time." The ground trembled. The door opened another fraction. A wave of pressure spread across the courtyard. Every magical light went out. For an instant, Leo felt something touch his mind. Not physically. It was more like a presence had noticed him. He felt watched. Studied. Then the sensation disappeared. Leo's expression changed. Someone else had noticed him. Something beneath the academy had sensed his existence. And that was more disturbing than the voice.

Professor Gareth stepped forward.

"Everyone behind me." The instructors formed a line. Gareth drew his sword. Magic gathered around the blade. Royal Sword Art: Sovereign Edge. A brilliant arc of light appeared along the weapon. Elara raised both hands. Arcane Seal: Eight Chains. Eight enormous chains of magic descended toward the underground door. They wrapped around the stone structure. The door stopped moving. For a moment, it seemed to work. Then one of the chains shattered. Elara staggered.

"It's resisting the seal!" Gareth stepped forward.

"Then we reinforce it." The other instructors joined them. More spells were activated. The courtyard filled with light. Leo watched silently. Something about the scene bothered him. They were trying to close the door. But the door was not the source of the problem. The source was whoever had opened it. And that person was probably still somewhere inside the academy. His gaze moved across the courtyard. Hundreds of students. Dozens of instructors. Everyone was watching the underground chamber.

Everyone except one person. A man standing near the rear entrance. He was dressed like an ordinary academy worker. He wasn't looking at the door. He was looking at the students. More precisely— He was looking at Leo. Their eyes met. The man immediately turned away. Leo's attention sharpened. He began walking toward him. Alice noticed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back."

"Leo—" But he was already moving through the crowd. The man disappeared through the entrance. Leo followed. The corridor was empty. The noise of the courtyard faded behind him. Leo walked slowly. There was no reason to rush. If the man was responsible, he would eventually make a mistake. A faint sound came from ahead. Footsteps. Leo stopped. Then continued. The corridor divided into three directions. The footsteps had vanished. Leo looked toward the left passage. Nothing. The center. Nothing. The right.

A faint draft. He walked toward it. At the end of the corridor was a small storage room. The door was open. Inside, shelves had been overturned. A dark cloak lay on the floor. Leo crouched beside it. There was a symbol embroidered into the fabric. The same symbol he had seen on the altered construct. He touched it. A faint pulse traveled through his fingers. Leo's eyes narrowed.

"So you're still here." A voice answered from behind him.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would notice." Leo turned. The man from the courtyard stood at the end of the corridor. But he no longer looked like an academy worker. His uniform had been removed. Beneath it was a dark combat suit covered with thin silver markings. His face remained calm.

"You shouldn't have followed me." Leo stood.

"Who are you?" The man smiled faintly.

"That is the wrong question."

"What is the right one?"

"Why did it notice you?" Leo's expression remained unchanged. The man continued.

"The thing beneath this academy reacted when you entered the courtyard." Leo said nothing.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Silence. The man's smile disappeared.

"That means you are not ordinary." Leo slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. The man noticed.

"I am not here to fight you."

"Then why are you here?"

"To open the door." The answer was so direct that Leo remained silent for a moment. Then the man turned toward the corridor.

"But you have already made things complicated." A red mark appeared beneath his feet. Leo immediately recognized the energy. The same energy surrounding the underground chamber. The man smiled.

"Perhaps we'll meet again." The magic activated. Leo lunged forward. Moon-Cutting Step. His body crossed the corridor in an instant. His sword passed through the man's shoulder. But there was no resistance. The figure dissolved into black particles. A magical projection. Leo stopped. The particles disappeared. Only the symbol remained on the floor. He stared at it. Then he heard a distant explosion from the courtyard. Leo immediately turned around. The underground door had opened. Not completely.

Only enough for something on the other side to look through. Two red lights appeared within the darkness. They were not eyes. They were something far larger. And for the first time, the voice did not speak to the academy. It spoke directly to Leo.

"I remember you." Leo froze. He had never seen whatever was behind that door. Yet something beneath the capital had just claimed to remember him. And for the first time in this life, Leo wondered whether some memories were capable of surviving death. End of Chapter 45.