Ch #6

"Trapped in Time"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the stress began to subside. Leading the way, Professor Aionos guided them towards the shelter rooms.

"So, you all encountered a horde of abominations on your way here? I must say, Kai, improvising spells on the spot using the language as a foundation is truly impressive."

Kai, vigilantly scanning the halls for any signs of movement, replied politely,

"It was all thanks to the professor's lessons and the necklace you gave me. Without the artifact, we wouldn't have made it this far."

Gram chimed in from the side, inquiring about the ongoing situation they had been avoiding discussing, fearing the answer. A solemn expression crossed the professor's face.

"As you can see, the Academy is under attack. The guards had to retreat, moving to the inner halls, while the professors are gathering students and leading them to the shelter rooms. Once we have everyone in a safe location, we will launch our counterattack."

Kai felt relieved knowing that the Academy had a plan for such incidents. He had worried that the Academy might fall, but it seemed those fears were unfounded.

"Why did they attack the Academy in the first place?”

“It’s because the principal can’t come here right now. He’s currently trying to advance to an Arch-mage. There are powers that will not accept that. This is their last chance to stop him.”

Everyone was shocked to hear such news. If the principal was advancing right now, wasn’t the academy in an extremely perilous situation?

“Will we be alright?”

Professor Aionos smiled reassuringly.

"Of course, even without the principal, the Academy will not fall. The Academy has stood from ancient times and has many powerful inscriptions laid down by a monarch personally. Even if the newer, outer parts can be destroyed, the inner areas of the Academy are nearly indestructible, not to mention the core rooms where the shelters are located."

As they continued, Professor Aionos dealt with abominations that crossed their path, crushing them with raw mana without the need for spells. Kai had not noticed, but they were gradually heading towards the grand library. By the time he realized it, they had already arrived.

‘I hadn’t wanted to come here…’

“Professor, we’re going to the library… are you sure this is the way?”

"Yeah, the passages to the shelter rooms are scattered all over the Academy and well-hidden. This is the nearest passage, beneath the grand library."

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this, professor…”

The rest of them looked at him, an uneasy feeling and anxiety were working within them. The professor studied Kai's face for a moment, then turned away and said,

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“Don’t worry. I’ll enter first. Follow me and be cautious.”

Professor Aionos opened the library door and stepped inside. Kai followed, finding the library eerily quiet. Nothing seemed amiss. The professor motioned for the others to join him at a corner.

“It’s safe, come this way.”

They stood in front of a bookshelf in the restricted section of the library. Professor Aionos reached for a book and handed it to Kai to hold.

‘This is quite a hefty tome.’

The professor pushed his hand into the empty space, making a clicking sound, and the entire shelf began to split. In the center of it, a rotating staircase led inwards. The group looked at the spiraling stairs in amazement. Professor Aionos clicked his tongue.

“Still as cool as the first time I saw it. Alright, quickly everyone head inside, Kai, follow me to the east wing; we’ll take some books along with us to read. It’ll get very boring inside the shelter.”

As the others shuffled into the stairway, making their way down, Kai walked alongside the professor. The spiral passage closing behind them slowly.

‘This doesn’t seem safe at all at this moment…’

As Kai moved with the professor, holding onto the books given to him, he noticed that they had moved deeper into the restricted sections. They were at the 3rd level of the academy library near the large mosaic windows. Looking outside, Kai took a deep breath. The Academy was burning, with explosions and flashes of light continuously in the distance.

“Professor, it seems they’re attacking again.”

Professor Aionos looked through the window, observing the battle. Taking out an ancient-looking timepiece, he studied its features. It looked warped in bronze vines and hung from a chain attached to the professor's robes. The hands weren’t moving, as if stuck in place. Professor Aionos seemed deep in thought, pondering something. Sighing finally, he beckoned Kai.

“Come quickly, we have to get to the east wing in time.”

Kai was perturbed by the professor's actions. He looked around and then walked forward, taking a final glance at the situation outside.

“Professor, aren’t we going back? These books seem enough for us to read for a while. We won’t be bored at all, professor…”

“No, that’s not possible. We don’t have much time.”

Kai was confused by such a statement.

“Aren’t the shelters indestructible, professor?”

Professor Aionos shook his head, walking briskly towards the east wing, with Kai following behind him, books in hand.

“Would you believe me, Kai, if I told you this attack has happened before?”

Kai, surprised, thought about the question.

“Was the Academy attacked before too?”

“Of course, the academy was attacked a lot of times before. It’s been around from ancient times, after all. But that’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t understand, professor.”

Professor Aionos slowly came to a stop. Turning around, he looked at the unranked boy he had taken a liking to.

“The academy is stuck in time, Kai. It’s stuck in a bubble.”

Kai stumbled, dropping the books he held in his arms. With his eyes dilated and his mouth hanging open, Kai looked at Professor Aionos. He finally understood. The trial had not sent him back to the start; it was part of the trial itself.

“How is that possible?”

The professor bent down, picking up the books. Kai hurriedly bent down as well, helping the professor. Handing him the books again, Professor Aionos started walking again. Kai handled the books and kept up with the professor, listening to what he was saying.

“An especially powerful Ancient monster is sealed underneath the academy. Everyone you've seen until now is only partially alive, Kai. As one of the only two beings with intact will in this time bubble, I’ve lived through hundreds of cycles of this incident. Until you came, that is. Now there are three beings with complete will.”

Kai was at a loss for words as Professor Aionos dropped this information on him.

“Hold on, professor… everyone is only half alive? They seemed completely fine to me!”

“Yes, their minds haven’t died, so they seem fine from the outside, but the friction of going forward and backward in time over thousands of times has already damaged their souls beyond repair. The people you see are only the ones with the strongest soul; all the others have already perished and been removed from this time bubble.”

Kai was equally amazed and horrified by what he was hearing. What was going on? And what the hell was he supposed to do about it? This trial was completely bonkers!

“But who could cast such a spell? Shouldn’t this be impossible?”

“That's where we’re going, Kai… To the heart of this spell.”