"What the hell is that...?" Victor whispered.
Everyone within the sector looked up in awe and confusion.
No one knew where this massive red magical circle had suddenly appeared from but the ominous chill in the air was undeniable.
Before any one could act, every floating transport pod in the sector crashed to the ground in synchronized chaos.
So instantly lost all power from the shock and even caught fire while others rolled like tumbleweeds, tossing students around like ragdolls.
Screams filled the air.
In an instant, panic took over the sector.
Instructors and Mana Defense officers scrambled to regain control of the situation.
Combat-ready personnel reached for weapons. Defensive spells were hastily cast. And yet...
None of it mattered.
From the magical circle above, red bolts shot downward with unrelenting force.
However, they didn’t target random locations... they targeted the pods.
Every bolt that struck a pod caused the sa terrifying result.
A strange gravitational force pulled the pod upward like a hook snagging prey. Students inside scread as their pods were yanked into the air, twisting and spinning violently.
The massive red circle devoured each pod, swallowing them whole like a vortex of doom.
Elyra voiced with a chilling tone. "Victor! What’s happening!?"
For a mont, they were both stunned so Victor didn’t answer.
In the next instant, his Void Emperor bloodline stirred.
His skin began to glow faintly as arrow-like markings ran across his arms, chest, and face. His hair floated slightly in the rising mana pressure.
"We have to help," Victor said, voice cold and steady. "That circle seems to be so kind of portal..."
...
...
The golden afternoon sun slanted across the expansive lawns of the Awakened Academy, gilding the marble walkways and glass-paneled training halls in a warm glow.
Selene asured her steps carefully because in her hands she carried a small but elaborately decorated cake.
Frosting glistened like snow, and faint streams of mana-infused mist curled from the surface. This was an enchantnt from the academy’s culinary division to keep it fresh.
Beside her, Danny strolled casually with his hands in his pockets, keeping pace.
His usual grin was softened by sothing more contemplative today, though he still exuded the relaxed air that made him seem unbothered by anything. The two of them drew glances from other students as they crossed another sidewalk.
Selene tilted the cake slightly and then glanced at him.
"Do you think he’ll like the surprise?" she questioned with a quieter than usual voice as a faint crease appeared between her brows.
Danny lips curved into a small smile as he shrugged.
"As far as I can rember, Victor’s always liked birthday surprises. I an, who doesn’t like their friends ambushing them with food and gifts? But..." His smile faded just a little. "This year’s different."
Selene’s eyes softened. She already knew what he ant but let him continue.
"Not because he’s turning seventeen," Danny went on before kicking a pebble across the stone path. "Seventeen’s just a number. He could care less about that. It’s because..." His tone dropped, carrying a weight that silenced even the chatter of nearby students in Selene’s ears. "This is the first birthday he’s having without his dad."
The breeze carried the faint sound of sparring from one of the nearby training grounds, but to Selene, the world seed to still for a mont. She looked down at the cake in her hands, the swirls of enchanted frosting, and for the first ti that day her expression cracked.
Her usual crazed and confident deanor gave way to sothing more fragile, more human.
Danny’s voice softened as he continued, almost as if speaking more to himself than her.
"Whenever Victor had birthdays, his old man would always take the day off. No matter what was going on. He’d make sure Victor had the ti of his life. Food, gas, laughter... you could just see how much he loved making those days special."
Selene grip tightened on the cake box as she stopped walking for a mont.
She inhaled deeply while blinking faster than usual, and when she looked at Danny again, her eyes shone with unshed emotion.
"That’s exactly why we have to make sure this year is just as spectacular," she said firmly despite the lump in her throat. "We have to fill in for his father. If his dad isn’t here to give him that joy, then we’ll be the ones to do it."
Danny looked at her, then smirked faintly.
Unlike his usual playful smirk, there was respect in it... an acknowledgent of Selene’s determination.
"Heh. You know, you can be really bossy when you decide on sothing."
Selene shot him a look, but her lips twitched upward. "Call madam!"
"Hell naw." Danny chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "But you’re right. We’re not letting him spend today in silence."
They resud walking, weaving between groups of students heading toward evening training or the recreational gardens.
As they reached a bridge that overlooked one of the lakes, Selene tilted her head toward Danny. "So what did you get him?"
Danny’s grin returned, this ti with genuine excitent. He reached into his satchel and carefully pulled out a slim, rectangular case bound in dark leather.
Mana symbols glowed faintly along the edges.
"Here. It’s a combat analyzer. Custom-built by one of the engineering divisions. It’ll let him record and analyze an enemy... break down their movents, strengths, weaknesses — all of it. I spent a lot of credits to get this but its worth it. I know Victor will love sothing like this."
Selene’s eyes lit with approval. "That’s... actually a very thoughtful gift. You did well."
Danny puffed his chest slightly, pretending to bask in her praise. "Of course I did. I’m amazing like that."
Selene rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered. She adjusted the cake carefully in her hands. "I hope mine is enough."
Danny glanced at her curiously. "What did you get him besides the cake?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "You’ll see later."
They left the bridge and continued down the main road leading toward the S-ranked accommodation area. It was quieter here, more secluded, with barely any students wandering around.
The dorms for S-ranked were designed like luxurious villas, stationed separately and far from one another.
At the entrance to Victor’s accommodation area, they paused.
Danny glanced around while lowering his voice. "Everyone should be inside already, right? Setting up?"
Selene nodded. "Yes. Reed, Rylan, Aria, a few others. They’ve decorated the place. When Victor gets back from Sector K-22..."
Her voice trailed off, and her gaze shifted unconsciously toward the horizon.
To them, Sector K-22 was just another part of the academy’s training regions. Although it had it dangers, it was no more dangerous than what Victor had already proven he could handle.
So they were sure he’d be back safely with the others.
They had no idea what was currently ongoing there at the mont.
Danny clapped his hands together, breaking the mont of silence. "Well, here we go. Let’s give him the best damn birthday he’s ever had. Or at least the best one we can pull off without his dad."
Selene exhaled, steadied her grip on the cake, and nodded. "For Victor."
...
...
(( Sector K-22 ))
The sky was wrong.
Where it should have been a calm blue canvass shielding the earth from the sun, it had instead turned into a writhing red vortex of runes.
And at its center, a colossal runic circle glowed in a deep crimson shade, pulsing like a living heart in the heavens.
Hundreds of students were trapped in floating transport pods that was powered by both mana and technology... the sa ones that were supposed to take them back to the academy...
However, these pods weren’t operating normally.
Their translucent shells had hardened, flickering with unstable arcs of energy.
The mont the reddish sky had fully ford, the pods began ascending against gravity, drawn toward the red circle like prey caught in a hunter’s net.
Shouts erupted across the sector grounds. Mana Defense Officers began pouring onto the transport hub area.
They shouted commands, barked orders, and attempted to stabilize the situation.
"Dispel it!" one of the senior officers yelled while forming a string of runes with his fingers. "Cast a barrier! Cut off the mana flow from above!"
A group of mages responded instantly, forming mana-suppressing sigils in the air and firing them skyward in brilliant beams of blue and white. But before they could make contact with the red vortex...
Fizz. Fzzzzz.
The beams disintegrated mid-air.
The spells... collapsed.
One of the mages gasped. "My mana! I can’t properly draw it—it’s like sothing’s draining it!"
"The red circle... it’s not just a portal," another muttered as beads of sweat lined her brow. "It’s... leeching the ambient mana itself!"
Their magic was being unraveled before it could fully form, like trying to light a match underwater.
anwhile, Berserker class mana defense officers were trying to do things the old-fashioned way.
With enormous fists, infused gauntlets, and mana-forged weapons, they slamd against the transport pods, attempting to crack them open and free the trapped students before more could get sucked into the reddish circle.
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