The air thickens, and time itself almost seems to stop, as if accommodating the unfathomable entity above. I can’t help but fixate on the golden eyes suspended in the sky- vast, and all consuming. I stare, forgetting myself, letting everything else slip, their presence no longer holding any value. Slowly, my heartbeat quickens, my skin prickles with dread, every cell within my body begs for me to look away, and still, I remain captivated.

‘...Beautiful…’

A sharp, searing pain pierces my foot, jolting me back to reality. I flinch, catching a whispered warning from Adam. “Look away, if you want to keep your mind intact, you fool.”

Gasping, I finally tear my gaze away, but the terror lingers. My heart still thunders in my chest, the only difference being that I am now excruciatingly aware of it.

‘T-this.. this is no human…!’

I force myself to heed Adam’s warning, I should never have looked. Those golden eyes… they’re not something a human should ever come into contact with. Even now, their weight is unmistakable. I feel them sweeping over the battlefield and the gruesome sights contained within it. They’re detached, unfazed by the horrors below them. Then, they drift to Adam’s figure, as if appraising him.

[I see you’ve been taught manners, boy, but you hold your head far too high.]

The pressure, which had already been insufferable before, increases tenfold. My chest feels as though it might cave in. I clutch it, my vision blurring as tears prick my eyes. I can sense it in my bones, this is not some ability, or even a curse, just an emanation of pure, inevitable power. My state is merely a warning, my instincts warn me that these eyes are here to deliver death. I believed I was ready to die moments before, but I now find myself trembling, terrified.

Gasping for air, Adam drops to one knee, then two. He tries to resist it, to hold his ground, but rapidly, both his palms hit the ground, and finally his face does so too. He’s now on all fours prostrating himself, driven to the ground by the mighty Sirius Do FullCastle.

Despite this, he grits his teeth, and still, the defiance in his voice remains. “It’s…an honor...to finally meet you…” He rasps.

The voice which resonates in response, almost seems…amused. [Are you not afraid? I could erase you with a thought.]

Adam’s voice is a strangled murmur, but the unwillingness to surrender remains. “Terrified… but… I was also told that you wouldn't interfere.. No matter…what…”

A chill cuts through the air as the voice deepens, underlined with discontent. [Is that so? Your teacher, I suppose?]

Before he can answer, Adam finds himself spurting blood from his mouth, crushed by the overwhelming pressure.

Still, he forces out a response. “...Yes.” He mutters.

A pause hangs in the air, and then the voice speaks, ringing colder than before. […And how much do you trust him?]

Again, the pressure increases, now greater than it ever was before. This is too much - I’m barely holding on, my body spasming furiously, foam spilling from my lips as my control slips away. Adam fares better, but only by a small margin. He bites into his lips, both his hands clawing at his chest, his breathing uneven and labored.

‘I-I can’t endure for much longer..!’

This goes on for an eternity, or perhaps a moment - hard to tell when subjected to such potent and unfiltered dread. Ultimately though, when the entity has had enough, the pressure dissipates, and the weight is lifted. I painstakingly attempt to recover from the shock, and Adam breathes heavily as he does the same.

A hint of melancholy can be heard. [I should really have killed that man long ago...What a plague he has become…]

For a moment, Sirius’ gaze appears to land on me, and immediately, more fear wells up within. I remember what I’ve been told since I was a child.

Nothing escapes the eyes of the FullCastle.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

If he were to discover a link between Soulweaver and I…he will not stop at just killing me, though I’ve never met him before, I know it. Adam mentioned that he could not interfere, but even if that is true, Melodica belongs to FullCastle. If he decides I’m a threat, nothing will shield me from his grasp.

A multitude of desperate scenarios flood into my mind. Then, just as suddenly, they shift away, dismissing my presence entirely. A wave of relief washes over me, but it is short-lived.

[Selena.] The voice commands, firm and unyielding. [Bring Sylvia back…and that boy too.]

As soon as the order is spoken, the pair of golden eyes dissipate, allowing the clouds to reclaim their rightful place.

‘He knows…! And did he say… Selena!?’

Something stirs, the world itself is affected. Behind me, reality is parted. A sharpsong, blue as the sea, opens a rift, resembling a knife cutting through a curtain. The fissure soon expands, revealing a glimpse of what lies beyond.

‘... A palace?’

A blinding white radiates from the other side. From the floor to the ceiling lies a white so untouched, it seems to have been pulled straight out of dream. From within the palace, stepping through the portal, a lone figure emerges, and it closes behind her.

“As you wish, father.”

My eyes fixate on the figure.

‘Unbelievable..!’

It is truly her, Selena FullCastle now stands right in front of my eyes, her grace unmistakable. Her long dark hair dances in the wind, framing a face of a beauty only matched by the moonlit sea. Her deep blue eyes, the same as Sylvia’s, shimmer with an intensity that seems to pierce the world itself. Her ethereal figure is covered by a pristine white suit of armor, crafted by the most intelligent minds this world has to offer. While it resembles those issued by DaiKar, I can tell at a glance that they are worlds apart.

At her sides rest her legendary instruments, renowned throughout the world. Under her usage, they’ve both etched their names in the annals of history,

Left is a sharpsong of a blue as deep as the sea, mirroring her eyes - Siren. To her right is a sharpsong as pearlescent as the moon - Nocturne. She places her right hand on Siren, and her left on Nocturne, drawing them with flawless fluidity.

Her eyes scan the terrain, and they lock onto Adam. “Are you not going to greet me the same way you did my father, young man?”

“...”

Adam’s hand curls, his fingers approaching each other. “Forgive me for being rude, but you don’t strike me as the talkative type...”

“Indeed.” With a flick of her wrist, Nocturne falls, and Adam’s finger falls with it.

His dismembered thumb hits the ground, bloodying the frozen lake even more. Yet, he does not seem too gravely affected. He balls his fist to stop the bleeding and grins.

Selena arches an eyebrow, a glint of intrigue in her gaze. “I meant to cut off your head… interesting. An artifact?”

In a flash, he snaps his remaining fingers, and commands the beasts. “Snap out of it and kill them all!” Adam yells.

This time, Siren falls, hitting a single note that reverberates through the air. In response, all of the nine creature’s heads roll, and they stagger.

However, they do not fall.

“T-Their hearts…!! Destroy them!!” I manage to shout, ignoring the pain burning my every fiber.

Her expression remains calm, but the creatures resume their movements, their hearts still beating. “I see. Thank you.” She mutters, her voice caressing my ears

I do not even see the next set of movements, only the air it displaced. Perhaps she swung a hundred, a thousand times even, I do not know. What I do know, however, is that before the beasts could take another step, they were vaporized, nothing left behind, only swirling clouds of crimson dust.

I kneel speechless, my mind struggling to understand the power she wields. This…is this the third stage? What took eight of us, she accomplished, but against nine of the enemy, and with a single attack.

She lets her sharpsongs rest at her side once more, this seemingly trivial task accomplished. Then, Selena sighs, her voice steady but slightly irritated. “Come out.”

No one answers, but she doubles down. She points Nocturne at Adam. “Come out if you value your student’s life.”

Still, no reply. However, Selena is not one to utter empty threats. She raises Siren, the tip pointing toward the sky. Her intent is clear, and we are all well aware. I can see it on Adam’s face. While he does not panic, he knows. The moment Siren falls, he will perish.

Selena waits, perhaps hoping for the one she called out to show themselves, but still nothing happens. When the stillness drags on for longer than she’d like, with an impassive expression, she begins the motion. Before she can really begin, however, a figure finally emerges from the trees.

“You’re so serious all the time, little Selena. You were much cuter when you were still a little girl, you know?”

I almost do not believe it when I see it, but strangely enough, the voice belongs to the Professor who had been teaching the class on the various ways to utilize pureflow. My mind reels, too much is happening. Just what is he doing here? Is he also a traitor?

Though.. Even if he is a traitor, I can tell… he’s still only in the second stage…What can he do against Selena FullCastle..?’

The professor’s gaze darts to me, and a wide smile covers his lips. “Ah! It’s been so long! How have you been?!”

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. Our last class was not that long ago, and we were never that close.

Adam, an air of recognition in his eyes, straightens. He cusps his hands together and bows, much more respect contained within this one than he’s shown so far. “Thank you for saving me, teacher!”

This only causes my confusion to grow. Almost muttering to myself, a few words escape my mouth. “I thought your teacher was..cough cough… ”

The Professor tilts his head, perplexed. After a moment, however, his finger perks up. “Ah. I see the issue!” And his soul morphs, it grows brighter, much brighter, but also much uglier, a dark star blooming in the void.

It transforms, leaving no vestige of what it once was. The change baffles me, but what truly unsettles me is when I recognize it. Upon the realization, my stomach churns.

My voice cracks in my stupor. “T-that’s..how?! I… I’ve looked… I didn’t even want to… but still… I looked at all the Professors and almost all of the students..!!” I’m confused, lost. “You cannot be that person… I made sure of it!!”

He bursts out in laughter, that familiar, crazed laughter. “HAHA! Great! How great!!” He then brings a finger to his mouth, chewing on it furiously, and his eyes lose the semblance of sanity lodged within them only a moment ago.

“What a foolish boy, haha!! You are but an ant! Did you believe that I could not hide from you?!” His voice echoes throughout the terrain, sinister and nauseating.

“I gave you that power, remember? Why would you ever think you were the one in control?”