Chapter 1622: Something Coming Out

The council members immediately began preparing the protective formation. Erebus stood among them as they gathered around the designated points throughout the city, where an ancient Magic formation had been established long ago.

It had originally been created to allow the people of Scadri to combine their power when the city faced a threat that exceeded the strength of any single individual.

Now after so many years of remaining unused, they had finally decided to activate it again.

Each council member took their assigned position and began channeling Magic energy into the formation. Their powers flowed through the markings beneath their feet before spreading throughout the city, connecting one point to another until they formed a vast network.

Erebus contributed his own energy together with the others, directing the flow and ensuring that their combined power reached every part of the formation.

The process demanded an enormous amount of Magic energy. Scadri had countless houses scattered across the streets and districts, protecting every single one required the formation to extend across a large area.

The council members gradually began showing signs of strain. Their expressions grew solemn as they concentrated on maintaining the flow. Beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads and their breathing became heavier.

Nevertheless, none of them seemed particularly worried about exhausting themselves. Although the task was demanding, they did not feel like they were pushing their limits.

They had trained and fought together for many years and the formation was designed precisely for situations like this.

By combining their Magic energy, they could accomplish something that would have been nearly impossible for any of them to achieve alone.

Gradually, a faint glow began appearing around the houses throughout Scadri.

Thin layers of Magic energy spread across their walls and roofs before expanding into transparent barriers.

One house after another became enveloped in a protective shell until the entire city was covered. The barriers shimmered faintly beneath the dark sky, creating countless patches of light amid the oppressive black mist.

The violent currents soon struck them. The black mist slammed against the protective barriers with considerable force, causing their surfaces to ripple and glow more brightly for a brief moment.

However, instead of penetrating the defenses, the corrupted energy bounced away and dispersed into the surrounding darkness.

The barriers held firm, preventing the violent disturbance from reaching the houses and the people inside them.

Behind their windows, the inhabitants watched the strange phenomenon with fearful expressions.

They stood close to their doors while or gathered their families in the middle of their homes. Parents held their children tightly, couples embraced one another as they watched the black mist repeatedly strike the barriers outside.

They were frightened because they had never witnessed anything like this before. Yet the protective light surrounding their homes and the changes on the curses also gave them something they had almost forgotten how to feel... Hope.

They finally could look at the darkness outside without feeling completely helpless.

They did not know if the barriers would last or whether the outsiders would truly succeed in destroying the curse, but they wanted to believe that something was finally changing.

Adrius continued channeling his Magic energy into the metal plate. The symbols engraved on its surface shone brightly as the formula activated.

The violent air surrounded him, the dark mist continued swirling through the streets.

But at this moment, something else gradually caught his attention. He felt a strange sensation.

It was difficult to describe. It seemed as though something that remained closed for a very long time was beginning to open.

Adrius could not identify what it was or explain precisely where the sensation came from, but he knew that it was not an ordinary reaction.

He had developed this kind of instinct through countless years of studying Magic and confronting enemies.

Sometimes, he sensed significant changes before he could find any visible evidence of them. It was not something he could easily explain through theory or observation. It simply came from experience.

And right now, that instinct was telling him that something important was happening.

Adrius narrowed his eyes and glanced toward the surrounding darkness. The disturbance in Scadri was no longer limited to the violent movements of the air and the appearance of the monsters. Something deeper was changing, something that he could not yet comprehend.

’What is happening?’ He could not give the sensation a name, but he was certain that a significant change had begun taking place within the city.

Adrius decided to share his discovery with the other two Archmages. He established a telepathic connection with Sylmira and Lysander while continuing to channel his Magic energy into the metal plate.

"Sylmira. Lysander. Do you notice anything unusual?"

"Unusual? What do you mean?" Sylmira asked.

"Something has changed. I can’t quite explain it, but I can feel it. It’s almost like something that has been closed for a very long time is beginning to open."

There was a brief silence through their connection.

"You mean you can sense something happening within the curse, master?" Lysander asked.

"I’m not entirely certain. It feels more like an instinct than something I can identify through my Magic. But I have a strong feeling that something significant is happening right now."

The two did not respond immediately. Adrius could imagine them concentrating on their surroundings and trying to detect the same sensation he had described.

After a moment, Sylmira finally spoke. "I understand. I can’t say that I’ve noticed the same thing, but I trust your judgment. You’ve encountered more unusual phenomena than most of us. I’ll pay closer attention to my surroundings."

"Thank you. I don’t want either of you to overlook anything."

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep my eyes open, master," Lysander replied. As Adrius’s direct apprentice, he had spent many years learning from the Archmage and understood that his master’s instincts were mostly correct. "If you think something significant is happening, then I’ll take it seriously."

"Good. Just be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet."

The connection faded as all three returned their attention to maintaining the formula.

Some time passed without anything particularly unusual happening.

The violent currents continued sweeping through the city and the dark mist kept swirling around the structures and streets.

Lysander remained focused on the metal plate beneath his hands, occasionally glancing at the surrounding darkness as he tried to detect the change Adrius had mentioned.

Then something caught his attention.

He suddenly raised his head and stared into the air ahead of him. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the sight remained even after he blinked.

Another structure had appeared in the air.

It was faint and almost transparent, with several intricate lines and interconnected patterns spreading across its surface. The structure seemed to emerge from nothing, gradually becoming more visible as though an invisible layer had been peeled away to reveal something that had always been hidden beneath it.

Lysander stared with a deep frown. ’What is that?’