"Someone from the Juris might be present for tomorrow's graduation rites."
The image of the bloodstained invitation card and his own words made Winslow sleepless. Despite the exhaustion, Winslow wore a mask of calmness as his class marched down the stadium. An island with an impressive size of two hundred and fifty acres was prepared just for the graduation rites, surrounded by lavish seats in a stadium.
It was like an arena, and the students were dressed for the part. Each of them were equipped with combat gear suited to their abilities. Winslow could see prominent and well-dressed figures in the audience, but he only felt uneasy. The murmurs and excited chatter of his classmates helped ease his mind temporarily, but the wariness was still there.
Adrenaline began to boil within the students' bodies as a pre-recorded speech from an administrator resounded, as if to highlight the students that descended and place the spotlight on them entirely.
"For years, the Nonaphrontistery served as the foundation for the wordsmiths that shaped societies all across the Empire. This is where rigorous training push the students to their limit and burn away their imperfections, rebirthing them as raging phoenixes that will continue to burn the skies with their brilliance!"
Winslow paused when he passed by a table occupied by several men in white robes. He recognized a familiar face: Bishop Fedorov. As if sensing Winslow's presence, the bishop turned around and smiled gently at the young man.
"Winslow, our young prodigy," he said, and Winslow paused by their table while his batchmates continued to walk. "The Radiance shines upon you, Bishop Fedorov," Winslow greeted.
"But it continues to shine greater upon you," the bishop laughed lightly and patted his shoulder warmly, "Make us proud, my boy. This event is held to specially hold you in high regards."
"Of course…" Winslow muttered, his gaze turning to the open skies above the stadium. "Well, don't let us keep you! Off you go now," Bishop Fedorov said pleasantly, "Let the other factions witness the power of the Radiance Church."
Winslow bowed his head in response and followed his batchmates to the stadium, his lips pursed grimly. At this very moment, there could be someone hostile watching them… The idea felt unpleasant, but not impossible.
Claps brought life to the stadium as each student became visible to the audience. Among the claps, polite and supportive, was a figure in a distant table away from the grouped factions. Their eyes beneath the hood were of contrasting hues; sometimes red and blue, sometimes yellow and green.
It's time.
"Time to wake up, Miss CK! Your trial will begin in a few hours, and you cannot afford to sleep in!"
"Urgh… Five more minutes…" CK frowned as she turned over on the hospital bed sleepily. The voices beyond her door were loud, deliberately taking her out of her dream world.
"I'm afraid you must wake up. The peace officers will come to escort you soon!" the nurse behind the door implored. CK grumbled for a few more moments before forcing herself upright, "Fine, fine… I'm up."
CK yawned and tried to get up, only to be yanked back ungraciously by a tug, "Oof!"
She turned a sleepy gaze on the handcuff latched to her wrist and to the bed railings. Her grogginess turned into irritation, "What the hell? How am I supposed to get ready if I'm still freaking cuffed to this bed?!"
CK muttered her morning curses as the sunlight poured in from the windows. Malphas, perched atop the opened windows, stared at CK silently before flapping his wings and taking off to the skies. A few feathers drifted in his trails, but they would turn into specks of shadows that burned in sunlight, not a single trace left behind.
Malphas flew towards the sounds of applauses and a distant voice amplified to a degree. Hundreds of people occupied the tables, ranging from human, to anthropomorphs, to spirit folk, all the way to dragonkin. They were noticeably powerful and plenty, but none paid attention to the black crow that silently perched itself in the distance.
Malphas stared at the man standing atop a podium above the stadium. He looked mostly human, but Malphas could see the scales beneath the man's robes and on the back of his palms. Two eyes were blue with white slits, and a pair of dragon wings flapped close on his back.
The administration panel hardly make public appearances, but Administrator Duarte was different. Out of all the administrators, he was the sociable one. Perhaps it is because of his upbringing and culture as a dragon, but he adored the lower beings—like a human does a newborn puppy or kitten. Small, tiny, and harmless. Either way, Administrator Duarte was fond of the students of the Nonaphrontistery.
Staring at the batch of human younglings below him felt like he was staring at lovely puppies that he brought up himself. Seeing the excitement on their faces made the administrator's face glow with adoration. They're so lovely.
But Malphas felt otherwise. Had CK been there to see such a face, she might feel offended. The administrator's pleasant smile was not truly of adoration. It looked more like the face of belittlement. Malphas would know—This was a face he makes upon seeing a foolish opponent, after all.
Administrator Duarte raised his arms, and the stadium slowly silenced. A smile graced his lips, "Today is a truly auspicious day. Friends from various worlds across the Empire, I thank you on behalf of the Nonaphrontistery's administration for lending time to join us as we hold the 362nd Graduation Ceremony and Rites for Completion. Though it may be a simple ceremony as a school, we could not be anymore prouder to present our graduating students. They have successfully completed each and every task given by the school and have proven themselves worthy of the wordsmith name. Today, let us bear witness to the students' final performance as students, and their first greeting as the newest members of an advancing society!"
Claps resonated as Administrator Duarte finished addressing the audience. He turned his attention to the students, giving them a soft, proud smile, "My dear wordsmiths, you are the stars that will adorn today's special event. Be not afraid of the final task and claim your diplomas. You deserve it."
He gestured his palm in a raising gesture, causing the stadium to rumble and emerge, causing the students to panic slightly. The stadium separated and became a separate islet, giving the audience a clearer view of the venue.
Winslow and the rest of the students watched in amazement as the plain floors of the stadium morphed. Trees emerged from the grounds, hills began to build into small mountain ranges, and the flat terrains mimicked a forest trail. Trees began to shield the view of the students on the outside world at the same time as monitors propped itself on each and every occupied table for viewing.
"73 diplomas are scattered across the stadium for the 73 graduates standing here today. Your only task is to take them for yourself. But there's a catch: the locations of the diplomas will change every fifteen minutes, so be efficient with your strategy. There are several portals in the stadium that may help you…or hinder you. Whether you take them or not is up to you," Administrator Duarte smiled, "You are all talented younglings. This will be easy for you."
"Winslow? You look uneasy," a young man next to Winslow muttered, "You good?" "I'm well," Winslow replied, but the frown on his face remained, "I haven't gotten much sleep last night."
That, and the uneasy feeling is growing. A shrill sound echoed in Winslow's head, causing him to wince in the middle of the administrator's speech. "W-Winslow?" the other students looked at him worryingly.
"I'm…fine…" Winslow gritted his teeth as he is the only one who could hear the sound. "That is all," the Administrator grinned and raised his arms, "Let the graduation rites commence!"
A burst of momentary colors boomed above the stadium, signaling the beginning of the rites. The rest of the students rushed into the forest energetically, while those who noticed Winslow hesitated to leave him behind.
"Don't let me distract you. Go," Winslow urged them. "You're worrying us, Winslow…" a student sighed and prepared to run, "Don't go collapsing on us."
"I won't. Now go," Winslow said, successfully sending his companions off. Once they were out of sight, Winslow looked around warily. Something is off.
There was no need to rush to get the diploma. Winslow watched as the rest of the students headed deeper into the forest, some helping each other acquire the diplomas while some ventured solo. The table reserved for the Radiance Church were pensive to see Winslow stand his ground, looking around warily.
"What is he doing?" a vicar asked confusingly. Winslow observed the surroundings, keeping CK's warning in mind. CK would never joke about something so serious. But would the Juris really make themselves known? Right in front of hundreds of elites in the audience?
Winslow's fist opened and closed as he looked out into the skies for the umpteenth time. He stopped in his tracks, surprised to see a crow with a golden necklace perched on a tree branch. Winslow's eyes widened slightly to meet its gaze. It was both amused and subconsciously familiar.
'Have I seen this bird before?' Winslow thought. Malphas' golden eyes glimmered in fascination before flying away. Winslow was about to follow it when the shrill sound in his head went off once again, causing him to grunt.
[Warning: A surge of hostile aura is about to expand. Please prepare for the incoming attack.]
Winslow became alert at this mental warning. That means—!
A pair of students in another part of the stadium was prepared to conjure an incantation to snatch a diploma from a tiger's mouth. "Bestia custodia!" a student flicked a ribbon in her hand, which swiftly flew out to form a cage around the tiger.
However, the ribbons fell limp just as it was about to tie the striped beast, causing the students to frown. "Huh? That was a proper incantation! Why did it—" the student paused when the tiger dissipated in pixels of light, dropping the diploma on the ground.
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"What is…?" her companion froze in shock when her animal familiar disappeared. Several other students across the islet frowned and muttered complaints until a large explosion erupted in the skies above them.
Boom!
Winslow looked up in alert as a black spider web spread and surrounded the entire islet like a dome, engulfing them in artificial night.
Stupefied and alerted reactions erupted in the audience as a sinister bronze figure appeared on top of the dome. The orbs atop the scales hanging from its elbows glowed intensely. The lips of the unwelcomed visitor curled into a smile.
"Hello, scum of the Empire... Are you enjoying the show?"
Responding to this sleepy introduction was a cacophony of horrified reactions. Some guests stood from their seats in alert, some were staring in shock.
"N-No way..."
"The Juris! What are they doing here?!"
"It's been years since they've appeared. What are they doing here of all places?"
Amongst the horrified reactions, only Administrator Duarte was different. A curious look fell on his face while observing the figure in the skies. A Juris Vindicator. Hm…Must be the one who breached the school the day before.
"I wouldn't do anything hasty if I were you... Inside this dome are 73 promising individuals…each of their lives now in my control," a cube glowed and twisted menacingly atop the palm of the Juris Vindicator, "One wrong move…and I will annihilate all of them."
Winslow managed to reach the walls of the dome and tried to summon his Muse's power to destroy it. He only produced empty results. "As expected," he muttered and tried to touch the walls.
Bzzt!
Winslow frowned and retracted his hand from the violent spark of electricity. Everybody's Muses have been nullified by the Juris' technology. His frowned deepened as he began to sprint back into the stadium, "I'm thankful for your warning, CK, but I hate how you're right."
"So you've taken the students hostage. How low and desperate, but it is expected of you," Administrator Duarte said disinterestedly, "What do you want?"
"What I want…? Simple. The same thing…the Juris wants," the Juris Vindicator replied as several orbs appeared in the skies, each of them growing intensely and ready to reap destruction.
"The extinction of wordsmiths," the Vindicator spoke coldly, "This entire school…is a landfill. Produces nothing but trash that feed…on the purity of Syntaxis to thrive. You're scum…and must be cleansed."
"I have been bestowed with the honor to destroy the problem in the roots… And I will do so with pleasure," the Juris Vindicator's voice suddenly boomed, "This school shall fall today! Starting with your 'pride and joy'!"
The students began to panic as a menacing red orb appeared in the dome of artificial night, like a red star ready to burst and destroy space. The Vindicator's eyes beneath the blindfold glowed in horror.
"Allow me to show you…the new laws of power!"
"שומר בית הכוכבים, אני קורא לך," Winslow's incantation erupted from within the dome as he called, "Harahel!"
The Vindicator paused as an invisible ripple surged, and the clouds in the skies morphed as if the sky had been water. A large rupture in the skies suddenly tore open, the daylight revealing a wound of night skies as a gigantic being made of night skies descended, casting a shadow upon the entire stadium.
Among the spectators, Bishop Fedorov's companions were the most surprised. The being wore a cloak over its upper body, yet two pairs of arms arched behind like a halo. Several constellations were inscribed upon its body, its featureless face still able to cast discomfort on those who stared for too long.
"Harahel, the angel that guards over the night skies…" Bishop Fedorov said in familiarity. He burst out laughing, "Hahaha! Wonderful, Winslow. Wonderful! I expect no less of you!"
'It's a good thing I prepared the inscription outside the stadium beforehand,' Winslow thought as he breathed heavily.
Liquid light poured from his hands and dripped unto the ground. Were it not for this substance, an invocation without the power of his Muse would be impossible.
"Winslow Danchev," Administrator Duarte smirked. An astounding boy with outstanding power. Unfazed by the ginormous entity hovering above the stadium, he gestured a palm towards the Vindicator.
"Security, clean up this unpleasant stain I see," he commanded. The nearby peace officers immediately complied and rushed towards the Vindicator, "At your command, Administrator!"
"Tsk! Filthy wordsmith," the Vindicator hissed in annoyance, easily dodging each attack fired by the armed officers. It saw Winslow's figure with the eyes inside the dome, and it watched as Winslow gathered his classmates as a group.
"Just as troublesome as the brat with the glass pen," the Vindicator muttered. The orbs inside the dome began to fly towards Winslow, rapidly shooting lasers with the intent to kill. Winslow broke a sweat as he dodged and evaded each beam.
"Gather the rest and forget about the diplomas. Find a place to hide!" he yelled at the others. "Got it!" a student said. "Be careful, Winslow!" another bid before running ahead.
Winslow immediately separated as soon as he realized he was the target. The Vindicator continued directing attacks at him while avoiding the groups of officers at the same time. However, its attention broke when it sensed an impending attack from above.
The Vindicator froze when the angel, Harahel, clasped its hands into an arc. The space around the Vindicator morphed before a constellation emerged. The Vindicator phased away in time as the constellation tried to encase it in violent spikes of light.
Still, it only distracted the Vindicator temporarily. It continued to dodge the attacks outside while its attention focused on Winslow. The young man continued to run, leaving violent explosions behind him as he dodged each attack from the orbs zooming close.
Sooner or later, the stadium will be destroyed. Winslow breathed heavily as he picked his speed. He could not take the offensive as long as Muses are nullified in the dome. Winslow gritted his teeth.
Harahel was not fit for battle. Winslow invoked this angel to protect the masses and direct any large-scale attacks using its spatial abilities. He could only hope that the people outside the dome could do something.
Winslow jumped across a crevice to avoid another burst of lasers. However, his blood run cold to find an orb right beneath him, staring at him dead in the eye. Winslow's eyes widened while the Vindicator grinned.
"Die."
Winslow braced for impact, only to be swiftly carried away by a flock of crows. The orbs were rained upon by black feathers that soon erupted in a series of explosions, successfully destroying them.
Winslow stared at this in surprise. A Muse? No… It's a separate source of Syntaxis energy.
The same crow with golden eyes landed before him, and Winslow immediately concluded it was no ordinary bird. "You…What are you?" Winslow frowned.
"If you know how to be rid of it, I'm listening," Winslow said as he followed after the crow. He watched warily as the orbs following them were attacked by crows made of shadows. Where is this daemon getting his energy from?
Winslow stared at the bottom of the sinkhole, eyes narrowing at the translucent outlines of a magic circle outlined with electricity. Or at least, it resembled a magic circle. There wasn't a trace of Syntax energy. Just strong volts of energy.
'This boy hardly questions what I tell him,' Malphas thought. Probably because he was assured that he was there in CK's interest. Malphas chuckled and flew faster,
Winslow eventually arrived at the center of the stadium, where a large tree towered over the rest of the trees. Its roots converged to shape a glass door, where several diplomas were encased in layers of thinner roots.
Malphas opened his beak and blast out a golden fireball, creating a gaping hole in the tree trunk. Winslow fanned away the smoke and stared into the hole, where a large motherboard was stuck to the trunk.
Several translucent circuits led a little pathway, serving as the power source for the energy circle that expanded beneath them.
"I can't destroy this physically. It also nullifies my Muse's incantation.> Winslow said.
"…Corrupt the code or send a virus into the system," Winslow muttered, realization dawning over him.
Winslow tapped his wristwatch. It projected several holographic screens, which he rapidly began typing against and gesturing. He directed one of the screens to display before the motherboard in the tree, breaching its cyber defenses easily.
"[Whisper of Merlin], pardon me for tampering with technology that does not have your blessing," Winslow muttered before confirming a code he typed into a screen. The circuits around the motherboard twitched and the lights fluctuated.
Seconds later, lines of codes displayed before Winslow, who stared firmly. He's in. Without any hesitation, he placed the virus into the program's code and watched the lines glitched.
The Vindicator skillfully retaliated each attack, causing a wave of arms to erupt from the ground and tear off the legs of the officers rushing towards it. A large arrays of light erupted around the skies, failing to strike the Vindicator.
A sudden surge of energy emerged from inside the dome, causing everyone's attention to fall on it. The Vindicator gasped, "This can't be… How was it destroyed?!"
The dome dispersed into pixels, revealing the unsightly mess of the stadium. Several students that skillfully hid squinted and covered their faces at the sudden sunlight. The Vindicator shrieked angrily.
"I've had enough…of this game!" the Vindicator declared and reappeared before Harahel's featureless face. Before the face of the angel, the Vindicator was merely the size of a palm. It pointed a palm against Harahel's face.
"Begone," the Vindicator spoke. A blast erupted, but Harahel's figure dissipated into countless stardust before it could be struck by the blast. The Vindicator stared in shock. Another trick?!
From the curtain of smoke, the Vindicator froze upon seeing a pair of glowing yet emotionless eyes. Winslow stood before the Vindicator, a pair of wings on his back. The Vindicator was motionless from shock, fear, and confusion.
"How… How did…"
Winslow grabbed the face of the Vindicator with a palm, "She was one step ahead of you."
Splat!
The head burst into black blood and Winslow allowed the body of the Vindicator to fall, dropping unto the grounds of the stadium limply.
First, it was silent. Then, a round of impressed applause caused the stadium to vibrate with life. Cheers and claps in Winslow's name made the ears go numb as some of the ambassadors of the dragonkin roared in their own way of expressing ovation.
"Winslow! Winslow! Winslow!"
Winslow landed back on ground, his face no longer able to hide the exhaustion. His classmates rushed to him, cheering for him while also supporting him in case he collapsed.
"That was awesome! You're freaking awesome, Winslow!"
"That was amazing! How did you do it?!"
"Give him space, you idiots! He's tired!"
"Then stop yelling so close to his ears! You're the idiot here!"
Winslow sighed. "It's good that everyone is safe," he said and looked around weakly, "But where is that bird…?"
The crow was nowhere to be seen, causing him to frown in confusion. Where did it go?
CK yawned as she wobbled on her way to the administration building. Unlike the first time, she was escorted by only two armed officers. It was initially a squad, which might have been overdone. But given CK's recent mischief, it was a valid thing for the head of security to do.
'I still haven't thought of how to respond to why you're connected to me in the past. What do you think, Malphas? Should I tell them?' CK asked in thought. She waited for a few seconds, but she heard no response from the daemon.
'Malphas? Don't tell me you're asleep?' she thought. There's only silence, causing her to frown lightly. She closed her eyes and slowed her pace, causing her escorts to look at her.
'He's not in the Pillow Palace, and half of his soul is in Chalk Prison,' CK thought and commanded mentally, 'Malphas, come out.'
Nothing happened, causing CK to frown deeper. That means he's already out. Where did that daemon go?
"Winslow! Winslow! Winslow!"
Distant echoes of a name eventually reached CK's location, and the officers turned to the direction of the stadium islet. "So that's why they dispatched everyone to the stadium," an officer said in realization.
"Why?" the other one asked. "A Juris Vindicator appeared during the graduation rites. From the sound of it, Winslow Danchev managed to deal with the situation," the first officer said, "That boy's impressive."
'Of course. I told him about it so he could prepare beforehand,' CK wanted to roll her eyes. She knew he would stand a chance when she saw his angel manifest in the skies (hardly anyone could ignore the size of the entity).
But the dome was bad news for those who relied on Muses. Winslow shouldn't have been able to deal with the dome since he never encountered a Juris member in battle. How could he have done so unless…
'Unless he had help. Was it Malphas?' CK thought. Then, her lips parted in shock as the pieces clicked into a surprising picture.
Shoot.
"H-Hey! Miss CK, where do you think you're going?!"
The pair of officers were shocked when CK broke off into a speedy sprint towards the stadium. However, they immediately tried to give chase. But CK was already gaining speed and had gone a decent distance.
There is no way Malphas would intervene unless he had something to gain. He operated purely on a give-and-take exchange, and there could only be one possibility as to why he'd help Winslow defeat the Juris Vindicator.
CK clicked her tongue as she summoned her glass pen, preparing to phase towards the stadium. However, she slid to a stop when she reached the edge of the island, eyes narrowed on what was in front.
The bronze corpse of the headless Vindicator lay on the floor, surrounded by a murder of crows feasting on the energy emerging like steam from the body. It's too late.
"Malphas!" CK yelled. The murder of crows turned to her and stared, causing a droplet of sweat to run down CK's forehead.
Caw!
Caw! Caw!
The crows flew around as they cried and gathered together. CK shielded her face from the violent gusts of wind. Through the gaps of her fingers, CK watched as the shadows morphed, merging to take shape of a human.
The crows converged into darkness and erupted with feathers. Rain of black feathers poured around CK, who stared as a man of ghastly pale complexion stepped out of the shadows, his golden accessories contrasting the darkness of his robes.
A familiar smirk graced his lips as golden eyes lay on CK triumphantly. "Hello, my quick-witted mistress," Malphas spoke in the human tongue. He smirked, "Do you like what you see?"
CK was silent. Then, she giggled and shook her head slowly, "Clever… Very clever, Malphas. You took the energy of the Vindicator to garner enough strength to manifest a human body outside of the Chalk Prison."
By doing so, Malphas has gained independence outside of the Chalk Prison. But since half of his soul is still under influence of the Chalk Prison, he can only move freely for a set duration.
"You saw an opportunity and took it immediately, didn't you?" CK mused. "Haha! I would be a fool not to," Malphas chuckled, "You were fast… But not too fast."
"Wait!" CK tried to take a step forward, only for a few crows to fly and block her view. Malphas adjusted his robes and smirked at her, "You still have a long way to go, little CK. By the way, shouldn't you be headed elsewhere?"
He disappeared into a pool of shadows. CK stared at this sternly until the officers caught up to her and restrained her by the arms.
"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it'd better not be funny!" an officer said sternly as they directed CK to the administration building, "Now, let's go! Your trial about to begin."