Bright red blood spread across the surface of the once clear blue lake, tainting its clean, fresh waters. Ripples moved across the surface of the water as the mage’s body floated away, ever so slowly.
The tense silence was shattered a moment later as someone fell down. “No!” Theresa whimpered, having fallen on her knees. Her face was pale, her eyes wide. “Instructor…” Her hand reached for the mage’s body as if she could catch him and bring him back. Her fingers trembled, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
That moment of shock and grief seemed frozen in time for a few short moments. Then, footsteps broke that feeling, alerting the grieving students of the Military Academy to the presence of the Apostle and her men.
They stepped out of the woods, wearing white robes and carrying cloaks made of black cloth, and ropes with them. Their mana swirled around them, albeit staying away from the cloaks they carried.
“Who are they?” Someone asked. “They killed the Instructor…” Someone else suddenly noticed. Whispers and murmurs spread as the students slowly backed off towards the lake.
Slowly backing off along with everyone else, Ash glanced over his shoulder towards the lake. Blood had covered most of its surface now, and the mage’s body had begun to sink. The lake was the only direction the Apostle’s men weren’t blocking off. The thought of attempting to swim away occurred, but he knew it was nothing but a desperation that made him even think about it.
“Now then,” The Apostle’s distorted voice rose as she approached them. The pendant she stole from the auction was hanging from a silver chain. Tiny, almost invisible tendrils of dark mana writhed around it. “Do not resist, I’m at the sixth rank – you have no chance of escape, since none of you even have your mana hearts.”
Ash’s heart sank as he turned his gaze from her men to the Apostle. Sixth rank! Her mana heart was augmented with five more. No wonder she had been able to defeat Professor Maple with such ease, though then that made him wonder why she had such trouble stopping him during their altercation at the Auction House.
His gaze fixed on the pendant. That must have been it – dark mana must have made it too dangerous for her to use her own mana. She was probably trying to avoid being tainted by it.
A few moments passed in tense, awkward silence before the Apostle’s lips curled up. “Good.” She stated. “Hurry, now.” She vaguely waved her hand towards them, prompting her men to move.
Ash backed off, making sure to stand behind some other students. He didn’t know what would happen if she saw him. Did she hold a grudge? Would she kill him on the spot? All the possibilities that he could think of had rather grim conclusions.
“Get up!” one of the men growled as he pulled Theresa up by her wrist. The girl seemed dazed, as if she hadn’t even noticed what was happening. She didn’t resist as they tied her hands behind her back and put the cloak over her shoulders. She flinched once, but her gaze never left the slowly sinking body of the mage.
Ash felt oddly numb as one of the men tied his hands behind his back. “Turn.” The man growled, forcing him to turn away from the lake, then threw the cloak over his shoulders, and pulled its hood over his head.
The world seemed to dim for a split second. His vision blurred and darkened, he stumbled sideways as strength drained from his body. A pair of hands caught him as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
“What’s going on?” Someone asked. “What did you do to him?!” A familiar voice cried out.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Enough!” The Apostle’s blood-freezing voice reached his ears as she noticed the ruckus. Her footsteps were silent on the wet grass, but her impatience and annoyance was palpable – even to Ash in his dizzy, half-blind state.
“He was about to collapse, my lady.” A crude voice informed her. It was probably the voice of whoever was keeping him of his feet.
As the masked woman entered his blurry vision, Ash felt fear grip his heart.
“Well, well…” her lips curled up as soon as she saw him. Her gloved hand reached towards him. He instinctively tried to pull his head back, but her men held him in place. She gripped the hood of the cloak they put on him and pulled it back.
The haze in his mind cleared instantly, and so did his vision. The world stopped spinning around him.
“Keep his off unless he acts up.” She said with a smirk. She leaned in closer, prompting Ash to try and take a step back. “We meet again, Ash Morgan.” She caressed her mask gently with her gloved hand. “How do you like it? It’s your handiwork, you know.”
The glow of her eyes behind the mask was enough for Ash to wish he had been the one impaled by that spear of dark mana.
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The Shimmering Woods were about as bright during the night as they were during the day. A few hours had passed since the fight at the lake, and now that it was calm, beasts had once again crawled out of their hiding places.
The once awe inducing glowing butterflies, birds that left behind luminous feathers, and the numerous shining plants now only made Ash feel like they would be the last things he would see. He raised his gaze ahead, towards the Apostle.
She rode on the back of a white horse, leading her men and their newly found captives through the woods. While half a dozen of her men also rode, the rest remained on foot along with Ash and the other students. It had been a few hours since the battle since the mage died since they were captured and dragged away eastward.
Each step took them further away from the camp down southwest. Further away from the other group led by that younger mage. Further away from any help that may come. With each step they took, Ash’s despair grew.
Her ambush was perfect – she had waited patiently until the mage was incapacitated and unable to defend himself. Until the students were gathered around in one place and already exhausted and frightened. She had struck at the perfect time and had enough people with her to prevent any chance of escape.
“Keep up!” Someone growled at one of the students. They had been walking for several hours, so everyone was exhausted. The Apostle didn’t seem to care too much about their wellbeing though, she didn’t slow her pace, or give them a short while to rest.
It was past midnight when they finally stopped at the edge of the Shimmering woods, where the forest met the mountain range housing the Howling Valley.
The Apostle dismounted and handed the reigns of her horse to one of her men. She stood there for a moment, facing steep, rocky mountain, then with a wave of her hand she sent a portion of her mana towards it.
Her mana was a dark blue, mixed with black. Dark mana had already corrupted her. Ash couldn’t help but wonder – was it the corruption that led her here, or was she already insane enough to seek it?
Her mana sank into the steep cliff, revealing a cave entrance hidden behind an illusion. It was a narrow passage that curved soon, making it impossible for anyone outside to see further than a few meters in.
“Take the horses to the others,” She turned to the students. “Come on then,” Her tone was almost mocking them. “You’ll get to rest for a while.”
Pulled towards the dark, narrow tunnel, Ash looked west one last time – there was no help coming. Even if the soldiers back at the camp came to search for them, they wouldn’t stand a chance against so many people, let alone the Apostle herself. They were on their own.
The tunnel was narrow, and it went on for quite a while before finally reaching its end. It led to a large, spacious cavern that was clearly formed naturally, but repurposed by… someone.
It was a round chamber, the ceiling was natural, with stalactites hanging from it. The rest of the cavern, however, was delicately smoothed, with detailed carvings decorating the walls and the ground. It was shaped like a bowl, the ground was a gentle slope, with the lowest point being the centre, which was occupied by a rectangular platform. The platform could be reached by a few steps carved into it.
A stone sarcophagus occupied the rectangular platform. It was clear that this chamber was made to house that sarcophagus.
“Welcome,” The Apostle said as her men ushered the students inside. “To the Burial Grounds.” Her lips curled up with an almost unhinged smile. “To the rebirth of our Lord!”