Chapter 143: ¹⁴³Return To Zenithar

?A faint shroud of reddish-black Sin Mana sliced through the grey clouds above the route from Valen Village toward Zenithar Academy. The spring wind blew freezing cold, but the bitter chill failed to pierce the protection enveloping the three figures in the sky.

?Ethan Valen hurtled through the heavens.

?The wings of Azhyrael unfurled majestically from his back. Their roots were as dense as absolute night, fading into a burning crimson that dripped shadows. His black shirt and dark coat fluttered gently in the gale. Deep within his dark brown irises, a faint glint of crimson and golden-white flickered, locked firmly ahead.

?In front of him, Isolde von Rosenberg rested serenely in the cradle of Ethan’s single arm. Elegant. Her left arm was draped around Ethan’s neck, while her right hand held down her travel dress to keep it from whipping wildly in the wind.

?Free of her gold-rimmed spectacles, Isolde’s icy blue eyes radiated a cool, captivating charm. Hidden beneath her clothing, the black rose root tattoo throbbed quietly in time with Ethan’s every breath.

?A stark contrast to the figure clinging to Ethan’s back.

?Miya Evarett clung to Ethan’s neck for dear life—nearly strangling him were his body not forged of steel. Her leather medical bag was awkwardly squished between them. The elf’s pointed ears pinned flat against her head in a panic reflex she couldn’t hide.

?Her purple eyes were squeezed shut, her breathing rapid and shallow. Beneath her garments, the rose-shaped Lust Brand on her left thigh throbbed warmly, responding to her master’s physical proximity.

?"Breathe, Miya," Isolde’s flat voice cut through the howling wind, laced with a faint touch of mockery. "It is somewhat pathetic to see a healer Sage trembling over a mere matter of heights."

?Miya peeked out with one eye from behind Ethan’s shoulder. Her pale face instantly flushed crimson.

?"I-it’s not just about heights!" Miya squeaked, her voice high-pitched and trembling. "We’re flying with nothing underneath us! A-besides, Lady Isolde has it easy being carried in front!"

?Isolde offered a faint smile, raising a single eyebrow. "I am in front because I belong here. If you wish to swap places, prove your worth first, Miya."

?Miya snapped her mouth shut, utterly lost for words. She buried her face back into the nape of Ethan’s neck, her fingers tightly clutching his coat while silently chanting ancestral elven protective prayers.

?Ethan remained unbothered.

?His gaze never drifted from the silhouette of tall spires breaking through the fog on the eastern horizon. Zenithar was in sight.

?The flight was swift. Ethan gave Azhyrael one powerful beat, sending a fierce gust sweeping across the snowy, rocky terrain outside the academy as the three of them touched down smoothly.

?Right before the side gate of Zenithar.

?The moment her feet touched the ground, Isolde stepped down with absolute composure, calmly smoothing out her dress. Miya, on the other hand, let go only for her legs to turn to jelly. The elf girl nearly collapsed, forcing herself to lean heavily on her medical bag.

?At the same time, Azhyrael’s massive wings dissolved into shadowy particles, folding back into the two points along Ethan’s shoulder blades.

?Hummm!

?The transparent defensive barrier before them hummed softly. The terrifying events of the Red Night in Astrea had forced the academy’s defense system to crank its scanning frequency to maximum alert.

?The iron gates creaked open. Two guards in dark blue uniforms stepped out with spears raised, their faces taut with tension. Yet the moment their eyes caught the platinum blonde woman standing up front, both guards froze rigid.

?They instinctively snapped to attention and bowed deeply.

?"V-Vice Headmaster!" one of them exclaimed, his voice trembling with mixed emotions.

?Isolde offered a cold stare. "Clear the way," she commanded curtly, leaving no room for argument.

?"Y-Yes, Lady Isolde!"

?The two guards scrambled out of the way. From the corner of their eyes, they stole a quick glance at the brown-haired youth behind Isolde. An intimidating aura radiated from him, warning them not to linger on his gaze for too long.

?The atmosphere inside Zenithar had drastically shifted. Stone corridors usually alive with student laughter were now eerily quiet. Students were isolated in their dorms, replaced by rows of grim-faced reinforcement guards.

?Whispers that flared up instantly died down whenever Ethan, Isolde, and Miya passed by.

?At the main intersection, a group of elite instructors mid-discussion fell abruptly silent. They bowed their heads in deep respect as Isolde strode past, followed by Ethan with his calm, predatory gaze.

?Without wasting time, they scaled the spiral staircase toward the peak of the Main Tower.

?On the top floor, Ethan stepped ahead of Isolde. Before his fingers could even graze the carved wooden handle, the door to the Headmaster’s office creaked open on its own.

?The scent of aged parchment and herbal tea greeted them.

?Sage Cornelius sat hunched behind his massive desk. His grey robes hung loosely over his frail frame. His blind left eye stared hollowly, while his sharp right eye immediately locked onto Ethan. An oak staff rested against the side of his chair.

?"You have returned, Ethan Valen," Cornelius greeted. His voice was raspy yet weighted with authority.

?The old man’s gaze shifted to the woman behind Ethan. His blind eye narrowed slightly.

?"Isolde..." Cornelius muttered. "You have changed. Your mana flow... feels different."

?Isolde remained silent. The old man sensed the anomaly—the absolute bond bound to the former Archmage’s soul—yet chose not to pry any further.

?Cornelius turned his focus back to Ethan. "And you... your darkness grows deeper. Yet strangely, a spark of light attempts to balance it."

?Ethan took a step closer, closing the distance until he stood right before the desk.

?"I need information," Ethan cut in bluntly.

?"Regarding what?"

?"Vampires."

?Cornelius closed his eyes, drawing a long, heavy breath.

?"Vampires," Cornelius replied softly, his voice dropping an octave. "A race all but forgotten in this era. Yet thousands of years ago, they were a pure calamity that nearly plunged the continent into eternal night. And at the apex of their hierarchy... stood the Queen."

?Cornelius stared intently at Ethan. "She is an immortal monster. Not a single record in history documents the Vampire Queen ever being slain."

?"Yet she was defeated," Ethan countered coldly.

?"Defeated, yes. Killed? No." Cornelius tapped his oak staff against the floor. Thud. "Her threat was so catastrophic that the four races—Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen—were forced to set aside their pride just to seal her away."

?"Why wasn’t she destroyed when their heroes united?"

?"Because none were capable," Cornelius stated definitively. "No matter how many times she was cleaved or dismembered, her body would regenerate without fail."

?In the corner of the room, Miya’s fingers tightened around her medical bag, her small frame trembling slightly.

?"That is why," Cornelius continued, "the ancient heroes chose to seal her, severing her connection to the physical realm. She remains alive, but imprisoned within the void."

?"How do we seal her again?"

?Cornelius fell silent, measuring the young man before him. "There is an ancient dimensional seal scroll. It is housed in the lowest wing of the academy’s forbidden library."

?"Do you have access?"

?"As Headmaster, that access is yours."

?Ethan gave a subtle nod. He turned on his heel, preparing to leave.

?"One more thing, Ethan," Cornelius called out.

?Ethan paused in his tracks and turned back slowly.

?Cornelius rose from his seat with the aid of his staff, closing the distance until he stood two paces away.

?"An ancient sealing ritual demands an astronomical amount of mana," Cornelius said gravely. "And more crucially... divine-tier magic always extracts a toll."

?Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What kind of sacrifice?"

?"The records are vague. Some pillars mention blood; others mention life. And some speak of... something far more precious than mere life itself."

?Silence froze the air in the room.

?Ethan asked no further questions. Without a shred of hesitation on his face, he turned and strode out, with Isolde and Miya hastily falling in line behind him.

?Cornelius stood alone in the quiet room, gazing down at the stone floor.

?"May you be prepared, child of Valen," he whispered to the quiet breeze. "For an ancient seal... never demands a cheap price."

?The tread of Ethan’s boots echoed against the stone floor of the cold subterranean corridor. They had left the Main Tower behind, descending into a secret area unmapped by the academy.

?Miya walked while clutching her medical bag tight against her chest. Her elven instincts screamed constant warnings.

?Ethan halted right in front of a rusted iron door set deep into the stone wall.

?Following too closely behind, Miya nearly slammed into Ethan’s rock-hard back. "A-ah! I-I’m so sorry, My Lord!" she squeaked frantically, stumbling back two steps.

?Ethan turned around slowly. His dark brown gaze pinned the healer in place.

?"Miya," Ethan called in a low tone.

?The elf’s pointed ears twitched. "Y-Yes, My Lord?"

?"We are going down to the altar."

?The word altar crashed heavily into Miya’s mind. Her petite body went completely rigid. She recalled Isolde’s recount and Kaelia’s feral grin about what transpired upon that subterranean altar—the place of surrender and total bond ritual.

?"W-what... what is going to happen to me down there, My Lord...?" Miya whispered trembling, her purple eyes brimming with tears.

?Ethan looked at her flatly. Unvarnished, devoid of pretense.

?"You will be harvested," Ethan answered coldly.

?Miya swallowed hard against a lump in her throat. Terror crept through her mind. Yet at the exact same moment, the Lust Brand on her thigh throbbed warmly, spreading through her body and shattering whatever hesitation remained in her head.

?The elf girl did not step back. She bowed her head deeply, her blonde bangs concealing the glint of tears in the corners of her eyes.

?"I... understand, My Lord," Miya whispered in resignation.

?Standing beside them, Isolde merely observed in silence. Beneath her icy blue gaze lay a subtle trace of sympathy—she knew the burning agony that would tear through the girl’s body, as well as the immense power waiting at the end of the process.

?Ethan pushed open the rusted iron door, causing it to screech loudly. Beyond lay a steep stone staircase plunging down into absolute darkness.

?Ethan stepped down without hesitation, followed by Isolde, and Miya, who steeled her steps as she ventured into the dark.

?Hundreds of miles beyond the borders of Valen Village, night deepened.

?Atop a barren crag, Crimson Moon stood motionless. Its black cloak fluttered softly in the wind. Its pale skin resembled corpse marble, while its pair of blood-red eyes stared intently ahead.

?Its black-clawed fingers remained pressed firmly against the surface of the village’s protective barrier.

?The dim golden light left by the Valen lineage continued to vibrate softly, repelling the aura of death pressing in from without.

?Yet power left untended without its master would not endure forever.

?Crack...

?A faint fracturing sound rang out, like thick glass giving way under extreme pressure.

?A hair-thin fissure slowly spiderwebbed outward from where Crimson Moon’s claws touched the barrier.

?The creature of darkness tilted its head. Lips lined with razor-sharp fangs curled wide, revealing a gruesome grin amid the gloom.

?The fortress was beginning to fracture. And when that defense crumbled, nowhere would remain safe for those left behind inside.