Chapter 1621: Don’t Like It

Erebus felt a deep sense of sadness as he looked at the restrained creatures, the people. Their distorted bodies reminded him that these monsters were ordinary people who had lived in the same city as everyone else, changed by the curse.

The sight only strengthened his determination to put an end to the damned curse. He had endured its effects for far too long and he could no longer bear the thought of watching his people suffer any longer than necessary.

He glanced toward the surrounding streets and saw that most of the inhabitants had already returned to their homes.

At least he could feel somewhat relieved knowing they were no longer wandering outside while the disturbance continued.

However, another concern soon crossed his mind. Perhaps he should evacuate everyone to the council tower where they could be gathered in one place and protected more easily.

But such an operation would require too much time and effort. Moving the entire population under these circumstances would be difficult, especially when they had no idea how long the current situation would last.

After considering it for a moment, Erebus decided against the idea. Instead of doing that he would use Magic power to establish protective barriers around each house. It would demand a considerable amount of energy, but it was a more practical solution under the circumstances.

He had not expected Adrius and the other Archmages to produce such a significant reaction so quickly. If he had known their experiment would cause the curse to retaliate this violently, he would make preparations beforehand.

Unfortunately, there was no point dwelling on what he could have done differently. What was important now was responding to the situation before it became worse.

Erebus turned toward the council tower and spread his wings. He needed the other council members to help him protect the city.

He flew toward the tower and landed near its entrance before sending a message through their telepathy.

He summoned the other members and asked them to gather immediately. It did not take long before Aldric, Theron, Maeron, Garran, and Valerian arrived.

They looked at Erebus with questioning expressions. The sudden summons and the strange disturbance spreading throughout the city had clearly made them uneasy.

"What happened?" Aldric asked. "Is there something wrong with the investigation?"

"The three Archmages have begun making progress," Erebus answered. "Their formula has disturbed the curse, and it appears that something within it has started retaliating against us."

The council members exchanged glances. Their expressions grew more serious as they considered his words.

"Retaliating?" Theron repeated. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Several creatures have appeared throughout the city. They attacked us shortly after the disturbance began. I managed to restrain them but we cannot assume that there will be no more."

Maeron frowned. "Then shouldn’t we stop the experiment until we understand what is happening? If their actions are making the curse more dangerous, continuing could put everyone at risk."

"No," Erebus replied firmly. "We cannot stop now."

His answer made the others look at him again.

Erebus understood their concerns, but he had already made his decision. The outsiders had achieved something that none of them had managed to accomplish in nearly a century. He would not allow fear to make them abandon their only promising opportunity.

"The three Mages are finally making changes to the curse that we have been unable to achieve for all these years," he continued. "We need to let them do their work. If we interfere now, we might lose the only chance we have to end this."

The council members fell silent.

Erebus looked at each of them before explaining what he needed.

"For now, I want all of you to help me establish protective Magic around the houses. The inhabitants have already returned indoors, but that alone will not be enough if more of those creatures appear. We need to make sure they remain safe while the Archmages continue their experiment."

Aldric lowered his gaze. His expression showed clear reluctance, though he did not immediately object.

He had spent decades trying to protect Scadri and had always believed that the city should depend on its own people rather than outsiders. Yet the current situation reminded him of an uncomfortable truth. Despite all their efforts, they never found a way to break the curse.

And now three foreign Mages had managed to provoke a reaction from it within a short period of time.

He hated admitting it, but their progress was undeniable.

"So we’re going to leave everything to them?" Garran asked. His voice carried a trace of dissatisfaction. "After everything we’ve done to protect this city?"

"No," Erebus answered. "We’re not leaving everything to them. We’re doing what we can to support their efforts. They are trying to destroy the curse, while we make sure our people survive long enough to see the result."

Garran looked away and released a quiet breath. He wanted to argue, but he could not find a convincing reason to reject that explanation.

Valerian, who had remained quiet throughout the discussion, finally nodded. "Erebus is right. We have to make use of every opportunity we have. If those Mages can accomplish what we couldn’t, then we should support them instead of standing in their way."

The others glanced toward him. His words seemed to make them consider the situation more carefully.

Aldric closed his eyes briefly before releasing a long sigh. He had not expected their meeting to end with the council once again relying on outsiders, but that pride could not be more important than the people they had sworn to protect.

"Very well," Aldric finally said. "We’ll establish the protective barriers around the houses. Tell us what you need us to do."

Erebus gave a small nod. "Let’s begin," Erebus said.

The council members nodded and started discussing how they would distribute their efforts across the city.

They had no time to waste, especially with the strange disturbance continuing to spread very quickly like this. They expected things would be escalating.