Chapter 21 – The Shadow Beneath the Academy
The rain had finally stopped. Yet the sky remained gray, and the scent of iron and ash still clung to the ground. The Academy courtyard lay in silence — no screams, no spells, only the stillness left behind by battle.
Valen moved quietly across the cracked stones. His mana channels still burned, but it wasn't the pain that bothered him — it was doubt.
"How did they get in…" he murmured. The question weighed heavier than the war itself.
In the shattered corridors of the Grand Library, Aria Lorne knelt among the debris, tracing faint runes glowing weakly beneath the broken stone. Despite her exhaustion, her eyes were sharp; the quill in her hand trembled as she worked.
"An Echo Seal," she said softly. "But this one isn't for summoning inward… it's for releasing outward." She ran her fingers across the markings; the lines flickered in dull gold.
Valen crouched beside her. "Only high-ranked magisters could craft something like this."
Aria nodded. "Exactly. And to inscribe it here, they'd need access to the Academy's mana circuits."
Firm footsteps echoed through the ruined hall. Lysandra Veyne approached, her once-white robes now gray with ash and rain. Her gaze was cold, her tone colder.
"According to our analysis," she said, "the demons never entered through a breach. They were transferred here." She handed Aria a sealed scroll. "Temple-grade transit magic."
Aria frowned. "Temple patterns? Those shouldn't exist outside the archives."
Lysandra's lips thinned. "They wouldn't — unless someone with clearance allowed it."
A strong, commanding voice cut through the tension. "Tampering with Temple-grade seals is the same as tampering with death."
Seraphine Alveris stepped into view, her violet robes sweeping over the debris. A crystal orb floated beside her, casting a soft blue glow across the cracked walls.
"These seals can't be broken easily," she said. "Whoever did this began planning long before the attack."
Valen turned toward her. "Who could pull it off?"
Seraphine raised her orb to the wall. Veins of light pulsed within the stone — rhythmic, alive. "This signature…" she murmured. "It's tied to a mana pulse — someone's personal energy."
Lysandra's eyes narrowed. "Then the one responsible… is still alive."
Silence filled the corridor. No one said it, but they were all thinking the same word: Betrayal.
Aria broke the silence, flipping open her notes. "We've identified two anchor points — one in the Library, another in the old cistern. The third aligns northeast."
Seraphine's crystal brightened. "That direction leads to the Ritual Graveyard."
Valen frowned. "It's unstable. Entering now could be dangerous." Lysandra's voice was calm, almost defiant. "Truth usually is."
Ritual Graveyard – Lower Depths
The air was heavy and cold. The ground was covered in broken sigils — some burned, others scarred by time. This place had been forgotten for centuries.
Seraphine stepped forward, her orb slicing through the dark. "Some of these are older than the Academy itself," she said quietly. "Forbidden summons, failed rites…"
Valen's gaze moved across the empty altars. "This place feels wrong," he muttered. "As if even the air remembers pain."
Lysandra stopped before a wall, tracing a blackened line with her fingers. "These markings aren't random," she said. "Someone restructured the entire circle."
Aria knelt and brushed away dust. "Look here — the pattern's inverted. It's not a summoning seal… it's a suppression one."
Seraphine's brow furrowed. "Suppression?"
Aria nodded. "Yes. But the seal has weakened. Someone's been here recently — manipulating it."
Valen straightened. "Then the demon attack might've been a distraction. The real target could've been this place."
Lysandra exhaled. "The evidence points that way. But we still don't know what they were after."
Seraphine lifted her orb higher. Its light revealed a hidden layer of symbols — a faint ritual circle drawn in dried blood, still faintly active.
"This one isn't completely erased," she said. "It's still resonating with something… or someone."
Valen's eyes narrowed. "Then we find whoever did this — fast."
For a long moment, no one spoke. Only the dripping of water and the faint hum of decayed magic filled the air.
Lysandra finally said, "These findings stay between us. We can't risk panic among the students."
Seraphine nodded. "Agreed. Until we know more, this never leaves this chamber."
Aria closed her notes. "Still… these aren't just broken circles. They're scars — and scars don't fade on their own."
Valen looked toward the darkness ahead. "Then we start digging. Whoever dared touch the heart of the Academy… will answer for it."
Seraphine dimmed her orb. Darkness reclaimed the chamber, leaving only the quiet whispers of ancient magic behind.
💬 Author's Note: The Ritual Graveyard remains silent… but silence can be louder than screams. Who tampered with the seals, and what did they hope to find? The deeper the
y dig, the clearer it becomes — some secrets were never meant to be uncovered. ⚔️