CHAPTER 167: 167-THE MAGICAL NET

Clementine:

Early in the morning, we were asked to gather in the hall, and we kind of had a feeling this was where Oriana’s claims came true, that we would be given a new task. But the way the ringleaders showed up with a bag full of equipment made us believe it was going to be a difficult or risky one. Once we were all lined up, the ringleader stood in front of us, Mr. Rick taking the lead as always.

"As you all know, the North is not a place where normal people can live or where normal life can survive. It has been infested with monsters of all kinds for years now. We have seen many crusaders come and go. Many squads died, and some did well at first but eventually perished." He paused, looking at us. "But there is one question that nobody really asks, even though we all think about it. How are the monsters not coming to the mainland? What keeps them in the North?"

I mean, it was a fair question. We thought we were the ones stopping them, that whenever they tried to come closer, we were sent to fight. But obviously, that wasn’t true, because by the time we were sent, the monsters would have already crossed.

Ian raised his hand, as expected of him. "Because there is an electric fence reaching high into the sky, stopping them, a border of some sort," he explained, and everyone just stared at him. Then they began nodding, speaking with their eyes, especially the crusaders. Ian always had the knowledge others didn’t.

"Yes, Ian, that is very much true," Mr. Rick said, almost admiring him. "But we know the North is not only filled with monsters that walk on earth. There might be some that fly, even little dragons, the wild kind, the ones that are not creatures but pure monsters. How have they not flown high into the sky, crossed the border, and reached the mainland? Wouldn’t it be easy for them to pick up a monster, fly with it, and drop it here?" Mr. Rick chuckled a little, but his words were terrifying. If that were to happen, every life would be in danger. Imagine waking up to a monster sitting on your rooftop, waiting for you to come outside so it could attack.

When nobody answered, Miss Lenora spoke. "That is because the North is sealed by a barrier, a net of lightning and magic held up by five great towers placed by our ancestors at the beginning of the catastrophe. It keeps the monsters trapped where they are."

Her words hit us hard. None of us had known about it. It seemed to be information only the ringleaders were given.

"You must be wondering why you were woken up so early in the morning just to hear about the towers, something we could have discussed at any other time, and why it would be related to any mission," Miss Rue finally said. She was holding some papers. Maybe they had already decided who would cover which part, but they probably asked Miss Rue to write hers down so she wouldn’t mess it up. It was kind of sad, because she didn’t even look at the papers. Still, it felt like their way of telling her that, since she was new, she was more likely to make mistakes. Which was odd. This wasn’t some event or award ceremony where she had to perfect her speech. Even if she messed up, who cared? She could correct herself. Or maybe they just didn’t want more revealed than what was planned. It could have been anything.

"Because recently, one of the towers has been breached," she continued. "Each of the five towers has a stone at its heart. The stones send power into the sky, weaving the net together, but one of them is damaged now, and the net is tearing."

Ms. Lenora spoke in a shaky tone, as if she was trying to hold back her emotions over the news. But it was so devastating that a few slip-ups were expected, especially with the way her voice wavered.

We all started to uncomfortably share glances. That was indeed bad news. The look of concern was written on almost every crusader’s face.

"Hence, your task is to reach that tower, repair the stone, and restore the flow of power. If the net falls, the monsters will flood into our mainland. And then from there, it will be just like the North. And we don’t want that, do we?" Mr. Rick asked.

Everybody shook their heads. But me and my crusaders only exchanged glances.

"We have, and how do you expect us to do that?" Haiden spoke up.

I noticed the way Mr. Rick grunted, almost like a dog watching someone touch its food while he was eating, before turning around to grab a bag they had brought. He opened it and pulled out a piece of cloth. At first, it looked like a regular black cloth, maybe the size of a handkerchief. But the moment he unfolded it, a strong wind burst out, pushing through the hall so hard our clothes whipped and our hair flew.

"This is a magical cloth. Our ancestors kept it with the help of witches at that time. It was gifted to us, and it was advised to be used to clean the stone," he explained.

He paused, and I didn’t understand. That was it? We just clean the stone?

"You will clean the stone, and it will remove the sacred carvings from it. Then you will take this tool," Lenora said, turning around to grab a tool. It was a small silver knife with a strange snake carved into its handle. "And you will redraw the carvings. Remember, you cannot make mistakes. Once it is drawn again, you will put it back in place, and the net will be restored."

Lenora finished and let out a deep breath, as if saying it lifted the pressure off her shoulders.

But then Miss Rue added, "Remember, you will not be given much time. Once you remove the stone, the North becomes like a ticking bomb. Any monster waiting for the chance can cross into our mainland. So be mindful, be careful, and be as quick as possible."

She finished, giving us a shock that felt like an earthquake.