CHAPTER 119: BEYOND THE VEIL

Scarlett could feel someone’s insistent gaze behind her, a familiar presence, making her click her tongue. "Follow me." Her voice weary, carried the unmistakable ring of authority. Her emerald eyes, sharp, despite the fatigue etched around them, swept over the chaos that still simmered across the academy grounds.

The last of the monstrous creatures had been dealt with, their bodies dissipating into foul, black smoke, but the air still tasted of ozone and miasma, a lingering stench of decay and unnatural energy.

Trixtan, his own body aching from the strain of holding down Shade and battling the monstrous creatures, swiftly moved to help his friend. Shade struggled to his feet, his limbs heavy, his movements uncoordinated. His eyes, though cleared of the deepest miasma’s influence, still held a haunted, half-open look, flickering between exhaustion and a burning, desperate resolve.

Trixtan supported his trembling body, one arm wrapped around Shade’s waist, feeling the faint residual tremor that still ran through him. Together, they followed behind Scarlett, making her way through the decimated grounds towards the main building.

The path was littered with debris, scorch marks, and faint, unsettling patches of lingering black mist. Injured students were being tended to by a flurry of healing powers, their cries a low counterpoint to the hurried commands of the professors who now moved with grim efficiency, securing the perimeter and assessing the damage. The entire academy, moments before a vibrant festival ground, now resembled a war-torn landscape.

As they moved, Trixtan hear Scarlett’s crisp, decisive voice addressing a harried Miss Welkins. "Call Calixta Winters, Link Patterson, and Pierre Blouin. Now." Miss Welkins, her usually neat bun askew, her face pale with shock, scurried off to obey the command, her hurried footsteps echoing through the silence that followed.

Trixtan’s gaze landed on Shade, whose head still lolled slightly. He was a shadow of his usual arrogant self, his legs dragging, his body heavy with an exhaustion that went beyond physical exertion.

The journey to the Queen’s office felt strangely distant, as if they were moving through a dream. The opulent décor, the thick, velvet curtains, the polished marble floors, and the glided furniture of Queen Regina’s lavish office were a striking, almost absurd difference to the ravaged academy grounds they had just left behind.

The air inside was cool, untainted, yet an obvious tension filled the room, a heavy silence that pressed in on them. Queen Regina was already waiting there, seated on her swivel chair, her regal posture unwavering despite the chaos that had just happened. Her emerald green gown shimmered faintly in the chandelier light, and her expression, though calm, held gravity.

Mr. Blade followed right behind them, his shoulders slumped in defeat, his face grim, and with her was the enigmatic Miss Azaleia Carlisle, still sitting on a plush armchair with that same unnerving, serene smile, observing everything with an unsettling detachment that sent a shiver down Trixtan’s spine.

Mr. Blade sighed, a sound of defeat that vibrated with self-reproach. He stood before the Queen, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "It was my mistake, Your Majesty. Eirin was my student, under my protection, and I, as the festival director, as her guardian in this event, should have foreseen the potential for danger, yet I—"

Regina raised her hand, a simple, elegant gesture that commanded immediate silence, halting Mr. Blade’s tortured self-flagellation. Her eyes, wise, held no accusation. "Stop blaming yourself, Arthur. It already happened," she said, her voice calm, serene, an unshakeable rock amidst the storm that had just swept through their lives. "What is done is done. We must look forward now, to what must be done. To finding her."

Shade could not believe what he was hearing. The Queen’s words, though meant to soothe, struck him as a dismissal, a horrifying nonchalance. Letting it go? As if it was not a student’s life at risk, a student he had just seen snatched away, carried into the swirling, dark abyss beyond the barrier. His rage, still simmering from the miasma’s torment, flared anew, uncontrolled, fueled by a terrifying guilt that was only beginning to set it.

Shade pulled away from Trixtan’s supportive arm, stumbling a step forward. "Those monsters took her away! Luxfield! She’s gone!" he spat out, his voice shaking with anger and disbelief. "Is that all you have to say? No immediate action? No search party? Just acceptance?!" His eyes once again flashed with a dangerous red, a manifestation of his barely contained fury.

"Shade Cromwell!" Scarlett’s voice, sharp as a whip, cut through his outburst, cracking through the tense silence of the office. Her expression hardened, a warning in her gaze. "Such impertinence! Do you forget who stands in front of you? Control yourself! You are speaking to the Queen!"

Regina stopped Scarlett from reacting even more, a gentle, almost imperceptible touch on her arm. A quiet understanding passed between the two powerful women. Before the Queen could speak, before the heavy silence could fully descend once more, the office door burst open with such a loud, jarring sound that it caught them all off-guard.

The heavy wood slammed against the wall, a startling intrusion. There entered Coleen

, her face tear-streaked, defiant, and utterly distraught, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She was followed closely by Calixta, Link, and Pierre, their expressions a mixture of confusion, grim determination, and growing alarm as they took in the grim atmosphere of the Queen’s private office.

Miss Welkins, flustered and out of breath, her cheeks flushed, huffed and puffed as she followed behind them, her usually neat bun now completely askew, strands of hair escaping around her face. "Y-Your Majesty, I tried, but I couldn’t stop Miss McGuffin," she stammered, wringing her hands, her eyes darting nervously between the Queen and the defiant student.

Coleen, despite her distress, managed a swift, clumsy curtsy, before she surged forward, abandoning all pretense of formality, her eyes fixed on Regina’s calm face. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision, as she spoke, her voice breaking with emotion. "Your Majesty! Those monsters—they took Eirin away! We have to get her back!" she cried, the tears flowing freely again, hot and insistent. Her entire body trembled with the force of her plea.

Miss Welkins, ever the rule-follower, ever keen on maintaining order, held onto Coleen’s shoulder, trying to pull her out of the room, to remove the ’disruptive’ student before she further upset the Queen. But Queen Regina raised her hand once again, a silent command for them to stay for Coleen to be heard. Right now, she was also the school director, and she has to listen to her students.

"It is fine, Anna. Release her." The Queen’s voice, delivered with a quiet authority that brooked no argument, stunned everyone into silence. Her gaze, soft yet piercing, settled on Coleen. "Those are not monsters, Coleen." The unexpected revelation hung in the air, a statement that defied everything they had just witnessed.

Even Trixtan, who had just spent the last few minutes fighting them, his lightning tearing through their hideous forms, felt confused. ’Not monsters? Then what are those?’ he wondered, his brow furrowed.

"Those are Iphans," Queen Regina elaborated, her voice clear. "They are ligmas that live on top of the highest mountain in the Slumbering Slopes, ancient creatures that were said to be seen just in legends. They are typically peaceful, solitary beings."

Link, ever the sensible one, noticed the confusion on his friends’ faces and decided to speak up. "But Your Majesty," he began, his voice polite but firm, "they didn’t look like the Iphans I used to see before in records. They were... hideous. Corrupted. Nothing like the descriptions of peaceful beings.

Azaleia chuckled, a low, melodic sound that seemed to echo eerily throughout the solemn room. "What adorable children you have here, Regina," she said, her voice smooth as silk, holding onto her chin with an elegant hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Those creatures were indeed Iphans, dear. A specific subspecies, highly susceptible to certain energetic influences."

The smile on Azaleia’s face vanished. "They turned into such horrible, monstrous forms because of the miasma. It twists and corrupts everything it touches, dear. Their very essence was corrupted, transforming them into mindless, aggressive beasts, driven by the miasma’s vile will. It strips them of their natural intelligence, replacing it with base instinct." Her eyes glowed.

"But the real question is... how did the miasma reached the highest mountain of the Slumbering Slopes? As if someone deliberately did it. But what for?" Azaleia turned to Regina, causing the Queen to ball her fists.

Coleen’s body trembled, her eyes wide with fresh horror, the implication of Azaleia’s words hitting her with brutal force. "T-Then what will happen to Eirin?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "She’ll be exposed to that same miasma, won’t she?"

Scarlett sighed, a long, drawn-out sound that spoke of the heavy responsibilities she carried. "That’s why they’re here," she said, her voice brisk, cutting through the emotional tension. She pointed a decisive finger to Calixta, Link, and Pierre, then her gaze included Trixtan, who still stood beside Shade, his arm hovering, ready to support his friend.

"You four will bring her back her. You will retrieve Eirin, along with any other students who may have been taken." Scarlett’s eyes sharp and assessing, flickered to the raw, untamed power radiating from each of them, the unique blend of their mana. "It’ll be easy for you guys, right?"