'Arthur, miasma!' Luna's warning ca just in ti. I grabbed Rose, pulling her tightly against as I summoned Erebus's power from the depths of my connection with the Lich.
Crimson bones materialized around us, forming a protective cage as I channeled Deepdark through the structure. The Bone Armour sealed us in a do of calcified plates interwoven with shadows that absorbed light and energy alike.
BOOM!
A concussive force rocked our shelter as an ice-infused miasma blast crashed against the barrier. The corrupted energy skittered across the surface of the Bone Armour like oil on water, unable to penetrate the Deepdark reinforcent.
'Three Priests,' Luna reported clinically, her awareness extending beyond our physical shelter. 'Two at low Integration-rank, one at mid Integration-rank.'
I looked down at Rose, still held protectively in my arms. Her eyes were wide but focused, already analyzing the situation with the cool precision that characterized her approach to danger.
"Will you be fine?" I asked.
She nodded, her expression settling into calm resolve. "I can assist."
Rose wasn't weak by any standard—her Gift was formidable in the right circumstances—but as a White-rank practitioner, she lacked the raw power to face Integration-rank opponents directly. Against Umbravale Priests, her role would necessarily be supportive rather than confrontational.
For , however, these three would pose minimal challenge. My recent training had pushed to the edge of what was possible without achieving Resonance, but that was more than sufficient for adversaries of this caliber.
'I can't use Erebus's Domain,' I thought, ntally cataloging tactical options. My current limitations ant the Domain would only function with a single person in my vicinity—a weakness I'd need to overco eventually, but irrelevant to the imdiate situation.
I charged Evolvis with Purelight, the blade glowing with divine energy particularly effective against the corrupted miasma. After bracing for one final spell impact against our shelter, I prepared to counterattack.
"Stay close to the center," I instructed Rose. "Counter their spells if possible, but don't expose yourself."
She nodded, reaching into her pocket to withdraw a single blue rose—the physical focus for her Gift, Paradox. The flower seed to shimr between states, simultaneously vibrant and withered, its petals both opening and closing in impossible contradiction.
As another blast struck our shelter, I launched forward, shattering the Bone Armour from within. Fragnts exploded outward, montarily disorienting our attackers as I activated God Flash.
The technique carried instantly behind the nearest Priest—a tall figure in the characteristic dark robes of the Umbravale Covenant, face obscured by a bone-white mask etched with forbidden symbols. Before he could register my presence, Evolvis cut through his defensive barrier and into flesh, Purelight searing the wound to prevent regeneration.
He collapsed with a strangled cry, but I was already moving toward the second Priest, who had begun chanting a complex incantation. Dark energy gathered between his raised hands, coalescing into a sphere of concentrated corruption.
The spell launched toward , but midway through its trajectory, it suddenly reversed direction—striking its caster with full force. The Priest's shields buckled under his own attack, creating an opening I imdiately exploited.
I glanced back to see Rose smiling faintly, her blue rose glowing with paradoxical energy. Her Gift allowed her to invert cause and effect in limited circumstances—turning attack into self-harm, defense into vulnerability.
The final Priest—the mid Integration-rank threat—proved more capable than his companions. He summoned a barrier of interlocking hexagons that shimred with malevolent purpose, then launched a barrage of miasma spikes that forced to dodge rather than advance.
"Arthur!" Rose called out, her voice steady despite the danger. "Left flank, three seconds!"
I trusted her insight implicitly, shifting my position accordingly. The blue rose in her hand pulsed with energy as she activated her Gift once more.
The Priest's barrier suddenly inverted, its protective function reversing to beco a prison instead. The hexagons collapsed inward, constricting around their creator with crushing force. The montary distraction was all I needed.
God Flash carried through the faltering defensive grid. Evolvis, still wreathed in Purelight, struck with precision at the junction between shoulder and neck—a killing blow delivered with surgical efficiency.
As the final Priest crumpled, I scanned the surrounding area for additional threats. The botanical gardens had emptied of civilians, most fleeing toward designated ergency shelters, though the sounds of combat echoed from various points throughout the city.
"That was... efficient," Rose comnted, approaching with careful steps. Her Gift had taken its toll; using Paradox required precise timing and concentration, each activation draining significant energy. Despite this, she remained composed, her breathing only slightly elevated.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, quickly checking her for injuries.
She shook her head. "I'm fine. But the city..." Her gaze turned toward the center of Vryndall, where plus of smoke now rose from multiple locations. The initial explosions had given way to a more systematic assault, with flashes of combat visible in several districts.
I was about to suggest we regroup at the hotel when Rose suddenly froze, her attention fixed on sothing beyond my shoulder. I turned to follow her gaze and felt my blood chill.
A group of citizens was approaching from the main thoroughfare—but their movents were wrong. They walked with jerky, uncoordinated steps, so dragging limbs at unnatural angles. Their faces were vacant, eyes glazed over with a milky film that obscured any hint of consciousness or recognition.
"They're not... themselves," Rose whispered, instinctively stepping closer to .
I studied the approaching figures, noting the distinctive bluish veins visible beneath their pallid skin and the total absence of normal human reactions. They showed no fear, no awareness of the danger around them—only a mindless, inexorable advance.
"Zombies," I confird grimly. "The Umbravale Covenant has deployed a mass conversion spell."
This was worse than I had anticipated. While I'd known Vryndall would fall, the use of civilian zombies suggested a level of cruelty beyond even what the historical accounts had detailed. These weren't simply the walking dead—they were citizens forcibly transford while still alive, their consciousness suppressed as their bodies were conscripted into the Covenant's unholy army.
"But that's forbidden magic," Rose said, horror evident in her voice. "Even the darkest necromantic practices draw the line at forced conversion of the living."
She was right. Traditional necromancy, for all its morally ambiguous applications, maintained strict boundaries around consent and autonomy. What the Covenant had done violated not just ethical codes but fundantal magical principles—a corruption of the natural cycle that Vakrt and other legitimate necromantic organizations universally condemned.
"The Umbravale Covenant doesn't recognize those limitations," I explained, already calculating our options. "They view moral constraints as weaknesses to be exploited."
The first wave of revenants had noticed us now, their shambling progress redirecting toward our position. Though individually weak, their numbers would quickly beco overwhelming as more converted citizens joined their ranks.
"We need to reach the hotel," I decided, taking Rose's hand. "The other students will be gathering there, and we'll need to coordinate a response."
Rose nodded, her initial shock hardening into determination. "There should be a direct route through the comrcial district, assuming it hasn't been overrun."
As we prepared to move, I cast one final glance at the fallen Priests. Their presence so early in the attack confird what I had feared—this wasn't a random raid but a coordinated assault designed to cripple Vryndall completely.
The city's final night had begun, and despite all my foreknowledge, I wasn't sure if I could change the outco that history had already written.
"Stay close," I told Rose, Evolvis still glowing with Purelight as we moved toward the garden exit. "This is just the beginning."
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