Woosh!
With Lia's palm blocking his gaze, Liam blinked back to reality. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he acknowledged the hand that saved him before shifting his attention to Lia's stern gaze fixed on the spirit.
He returned his attention to the Veil Mourner, but this time he avoided its face. Seeing it standing there, unmoving, confused him. His gaze lowered to Ben, who was still seated on the floor with a veil over his head. The kid seemed lost, still unaware of their presence. Even though he was looking at them, his eyes were unfocused—almost as if he was looking past them.
"What is wrong? Why are they doing nothing?" Liam couldn't help but ask.
In response, Lia's frown deepened, but she said nothing. She too was confused by the situation and couldn't come up with an answer. Before coming here, she had believed the spirit in question was too powerful for the Spirit Police to handle, but too weak to break through the Heaven Lantern Veil formation set around the perimeter. However, standing before this spirit, she could tell it had the strength to escape—but didn't.
Why?
Ka!
Lia and Liam's heads snapped toward the Veil Mourner as its head lowered toward the human seated at its feet. Distant whispers escaped its body, and Ben finally moved. He raised his head to meet its gaze, his blank eyes slowly gaining focus as he listened and nodded silently before turning his attention back to Liam and Lia.
"Is this enough?" Ben muttered. The Veil Mourner slowly shook its head.
"Okay."
Saying that, Ben slowly picked himself off the floor as the lights in the room flickered on and off.
Bam!
The window burst open as a strong gust of wind poured into the room, causing Liam and Lia's hair to flutter wildly.
Cold. Liam noticed his exhaled breath condense.
Something changed, and it was happening fast.
"OUT OF THE ROOM, NOW!" Lia yelled, but it was too late.
ROARRRRRRRRRRRRR!
A furious bellow tore from the Veil Mourner, unleashing a powerful shockwave accompanied by the sound of splashing water. Crossing his arms in front of him, Liam gasped in shock as he was sent skidding back under the spirit's immense pressure.
Swoosh!
GAH!
Liam cried out as he was hurled out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him as if on command.
Bam!
He slammed into the ground, rolling a couple of times before springing back to his feet with his arms raised, ready for a follow-up attack. After getting thrown around all morning by Sgt. Campbell, his fall recovery had improved drastically.
To his surprise, the corridor was empty and quiet—like a graveyard. Liam glanced around, noticing the reflection of flowing water on the walls, floor, and ceiling, casting an azure glow across the entire hallway. The steel lanterns used by the Cursed Police lay soaked on the ground.
"Where is everyone?" Liam muttered.
He was tempted to investigate their disappearance, but helping Lia was his priority. Without hesitation, he ran to the door, but upon grabbing the knob he quickly hissed and pulled back.
The doorknob had become so cold it felt like it burned his skin.
"Liam Wilfred…" a cold voice echoed down the corridor.
It was Ben—still in the black robe and veil. Fresh blood dripped off the edge of his dagger, sending ripples across the hard floor.
How is he here? Liam clearly remembered the room had only one exit.
Ben had been in that room with Lia and the Veil Mourner—so how could he be here?
"Am I seeing things or is this real?" Liam's eyes narrowed.
Several dark runes marking atrocities stained Ben's face and hands, making Liam believe this was the real one. Then who was in the room with them…
Buzz!
Liam froze as he remembered he hadn't seen these seals on Ben earlier. Strange—since the boy had only committed murder recently. He had been too focused on the spirit to notice such an important detail. The realization hit him like a brick.
That was a mirage. An illusion.
Realizing that the same deep focus Lia always warned him about had put them in a dangerous situation, Liam let out a bitter laugh. He gave the door one last look before shifting his full attention to Ben, who had begun taking slow, steady strides toward him, tightening his grip on the dagger.
"Richard says the soul of ascendants would strengthen him a lot more," Ben said in a dull tone, his voice echoing unnaturally.
Richard?
Liam raised a brow, confused by the meaning behind his words.
'He may be trying to distract you' He reminded himself immediately.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Liam chose to treat this boy as an accomplice, not a victim. From here on out, he was fighting to protect himself—not to save a student who might be acting under his own will.
Heh.
A cold grin spread across Liam's face as his eyes turned pitch black.
Bam!
Stomping the ground, the darkness in his eyes spread in the form of cracks. Ten black skull rings materialized on his fingers, unleashing several black chains all at once.
Devil Curse: Devil Chain!
"FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, YOUR SOUL HAS BEEN STAINED BY THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT!" Liam laughed hysterically as his chains shot forward, covering the distance in less than a second.
Clank!
Before Ben could react, the chains bound his limbs—and even his neck.
"THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU BEG FOR REDEMPTION!" Liam clenched his fists and pulled his arms back.
The black chains rattled in response to his will, lifting Ben off the ground and ramming him into the ceiling with a loud bang, pinning him there.
GAH!
The boy gasped and struggled, but he could barely move. His eyes slowly turned pitch black, and cracks spread around his eyelids to mimic Liam's appearance.
"CONFESS!!!"
— History & Culture Studies Department, 2 p.m. —
The lecturer walked out of the class and the room exploded into an uproar as people began packing up for the day. Friend groups gathered, buzzing with the latest gist in town.
Ascendants dating!
"I heard Kim Jun caused a scene because of him!"
"Oh my God… I know he's a murderer and all that, but he looks amazing in these pictures."
"I know, right? I personally think we'd win more Armageddon Games if more badass people like him became ascendants. I have a feeling this dude is gonna be the next big thing after Ji Wei."
"Let's survive the invasion first before we jump to that conclusion."
"Come on, I mean—who becomes an ascendant today and bags a hot veteran ascendant on the same day. Would that be possible if he wasn't incredible? It's Lia we're talking about. She won't even look at you if you're not worth her time. Jumping straight to dating him must mean that dude is not normal."
"You're not wrong. Who kills his parents with the intent of getting a presidential pardon after becoming an ascendant? That confidence alone shows he's not normal!"
No matter where Ben went, everyone kept talking about celebrity gossip as if the country wasn't about to be invaded in three months. Seeing them so jovial and ignorant pissed Ben off deeply.
Shutting his eyes, he inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. A warm palm gently grabbed his hand, and his eyes flipped open. It was Sandra, wearing the cute and familiar smile he'd grown used to over the past six months.
"If this place is too noisy for you, we can leave now. We have a private housewarming party to host anyway," she giggled flirtatiously.
Ben was slow to react, as if unaware of the arrangement—until he noticed the towering figure standing behind Sandra, glaring at him directly. The eight-foot-tall spirit stood unnoticed in a classroom full of students. Several people even walked through it without realizing.
His confused gaze regained clarity, and a smile bloomed on his face before he responded, "Yeah, let's go already. There's a lot I have to show you."
However, what Ben failed to notice was another figure standing in the corner of the classroom, arms folded across his chest, watching everything unfold.
It was Liam, and this was the power of his Devil Chains. Upon contact with a sinner, it forced them to relive their sin—piling moral weight onto them, making them vulnerable to the final part of his power.
"You may have the backing of a strong spirit, but ascendants are not weak either," Liam said coldly, eyes gleaming.