“Ugh, where is she?” I muttered under my breath, frustration seeping into my voice as I forcefully slammed the door to Ignatius's room. I darted into the shadows awaiting a response.
But nothing. The room was likely empty.
"Tsk! Not here either."
A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead despite the chill in the air. Time was slipping away from me, and with each passing moment, the knot of worry in my stomach tightened its grip.
Earlier, I instructed her to comfort Ignatius and encourage him to try larger explosions before escaping and hiding in the forest. But now, as the clock struck one in the morning, there was still no sign of her escape, panic gnawed at the edges of my mind like a ravenous beast.
Our room was vacant as well, the bedsheets cold to the touch. I had concluded that she was still talking to Ignatius, but that did not seem to be the case.
Comfort Ignatius.
Encourage him to try larger explosions.
Escape.
Hide.
What could have gone wrong? I pondered as I continued sprinting without a proper destination in mind.
Ignatius should have been delighted by Aria's presence, then he would get motivated and practice his magic again hoping to make the deadline. He would have suggested to Aria to hide in her room or somewhere safe, providing enough time for her to escape. After all, he doesn't want Aria injured.
Wait. I stop in my tracks.
All of them disregard human life and inherently enjoy chaos. It echoed through my skull, a sudden realisation that came a little too late.
Ah, I have made a fatal assumption. The notion that he could have dragged a ten-year-old girl into his dangerous experiments was too horrifying to contemplate.
Think, Marine, Think! Where could that pure-blooded brat have gone to practice his explosive technique?
Maybe revenge?
I dashed through the empty corridors, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls. General Aldric's office was quiet and the candles weren't lit. I strike the door. No response.
Hurriedly, I descended a staircase, skipping steps in my haste. Cautiously, I approach the General Aldric's bedroom and survey the surroundings. No one in sight. In fact, the stillness of the air and lack of the usual snores suggested that even General Aldric was not here.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I didn't notice him patrolling the castle tonight. Where could General Aldric have gone at this hour? But the question lingered unanswered as I pushed it aside, my focus narrowing on the task at hand.
Maybe Ignatius simply searched for somewhere that could showcase his destructive might?
Turning towards a nearby window, I scanned the garden outside. Aside from a massive crater in the center, there was nobody present.
"Damn it."
As I rounded a corner towards the main hall, a faint sound reached my ears, sending a shiver down my spine. It was a sizzling sound, like a fuse burning steadily towards its inevitable conclusion, and I knew in that moment that I was close.
"Argh! It's not working," a voice cried out in frustration, the words echoing through the empty halls like a lament. "How can endowing fire on an entire building be so difficult?"
----------------------------------------
"Big bro, How about we take a rest?"
Every pillar in the vast hall glowed a menacing shade of red, fissures snaking their way across their surfaces as wisps of smoke curled upwards. Heat mirages danced around these towering pillars, distorting the space with their shimmering waves. Each breath drawn felt like inhaling the scorching heat of a furnace, searing my nose and throat with its intensity. My tongue, parched and desiccated, clung to the roof of my mouth.
"Huh!"
His response was sharp, his head snapping towards me with a ferocity that sent a shiver down my spine. I recoiled instinctively, my heart pounding in my chest as I met his gaze.
His hands released their grip on the pillar beside him. Massive blisters and charred skin blemished his palms, evidence of the toll his efforts had taken on his body. With each movement he made, the cloud of suspended dust that lay dormant on the floor of the hall stirred, dispersing into the air and causing my nose to prickle with irritation, eliciting coughs from deep within my chest.
"You don’t believe in me either! Just like the others! Even though you said I could do it!"
His dry voice trembled with exhaustion, yet his eyes burned with a feverish intensity that belied his fatigue. Sweat dripped from his brow, sizzling on contact with his overheated skin.
Before I could react, he seized my blouse, pulling me towards him with a strength born of desperation. He stared into me, searching for something I couldn't comprehend, and then, with a sudden shift, he smiled.
"Hahaha! You're right, Aria! So what if it's risky! You want to see big bro succeed, don't you?" His laughter echoed off the walls, a chilling sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
In that moment, I watched as the last vestiges of reason slipped from his grasp, leaving behind only madness in its wake. His mind, once sharp and focused, now danced on the edge of sanity, consumed by a frenzy of obsession.
"Big bro, it hurts..."
"Aria, it seems big bro can't increase the explosive power enough after all," he remarked ignoring my cries of pain, his tone eerily calm in contrast to the chaos that raged around us. His palms flickered sporadically, shifting from red to yellow in a haphazard dance, as if he were still attempting to activate his magic.
"I'm sorry, Aria, but I just thought of something crazy..."
A solitary tear welled up in his right eye, glistening briefly before swiftly evaporating into thin air. My hands trembled as I desperately tried to push his arms away.
"Hey, Aria!"
His grip tightened, and I felt a nauseating and terrifying surge of energy coursing into me.
"Do you think a human body is solid?"