Light enveloped her body.
For an instant...
There was no floor.
No walls.
No sound.
Only that sensation.
As if space itself had ceased to exist around her.
The Headmistress kept her eyes closed.
But her mind...
Remained somewhere else.
Moriyama.
The expression on her face before the teleportation returned immediately to her thoughts.
The anger.
The confusion.
The questions.
The Headmistress pressed her lips together slightly.
{Perhaps I was too harsh...}
The light continued flowing across her body.
The displacement would last only a few moments.
But in that interval between one place and another...
She could not push the thought away.
Moriyama had every reason to be angry.
More than that.
She had every reason to be suspicious.
The Headmistress knew.
Better than anyone.
Even so...
She still couldn't tell her.
{Not yet.}
Her expression hardened.
{You're already too close.}
The image of the small protrusion on Moriyama's forehead crossed her mind.
Then...
The blood touching the artifact.
The reaction.
Those images.
The explosion.
And that sensation.
The Headmistress slowly opened her eyes.
For a fraction of a second, sadness could be seen within them.
{I wish I could explain.}
The light began to fade.
{But the time hasn't come yet.}
She took a deep breath.
{Just stay safe, Moriyama.}
The world returned.
FWOOOSH!
The Headmistress's feet touched stone.
The sound of the sirens immediately struck her ears.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
She had appeared inside the Royal Palace of Dirfázia.
Not directly within the main sector.
The arrival point was located in a side passage, far enough from the busier halls that her sudden appearance wouldn't attract attention.
She began walking.
Quickly.
The corridors were completely different from usual.
Guards ran past.
Servants carried crates.
Messengers crossed the halls bearing orders.
Mages moved in groups.
No one walked without purpose.
The entire kingdom was preparing.
The Headmistress turned right.
Then climbed a short staircase.
She passed two guards.
Both bowed quickly.
— Headmistress.
She merely nodded.
She did not slow down.
She needed to find Charles.
She stopped before a door.
Knocked.
Once.
Nothing.
Again.
Silence.
The Headmistress frowned.
— Charles?
No answer.
She gripped the handle.
Opened the door.
Empty.
The room was orderly.
Documents remained on a desk.
A chair had been pushed backward.
But Charles was not there.
— Of course...
The Headmistress raised one hand.
Mana began gathering around her fingers.
A small circle appeared.
Then another.
She was about to open a projection when she felt something.
A connection.
Distant.
Still active.
Her eyes narrowed.
— The projections...
She had left the projections inside the secret chamber active.
The Headmistress moved two fingers.
Closed her hand.
Far away...
The dimensional screens disappeared.
The connection was severed.
She took a deep breath.
Then opened her fingers again.
The magic circle before her expanded.
A luminous surface appeared in the air.
The image was distorted.
She rotated her hand.
The scene changed.
Corridors.
Another.
Stairs.
Another.
A hall.
The Headmistress stopped.
Found him.
Charles was there.
And he was not alone.
Dozens of mages occupied the enormous hall.
Some wore the kingdom's robes.
Others carried staffs.
Some had grimoires fastened at their waists.
Others were already fully equipped for battle.
Charles stood before them.
Speaking.
The Headmistress enlarged the projection.
— ...it doesn't matter what you saw on the horizon!
His voice passed through the magic.
The mages remained silent.
— It doesn't matter how many there are!
Charles pointed toward one of the enormous windows in the hall.
In the distance...
The sky was already beginning to darken.
— You know what lies behind those walls!
His voice grew louder.
— Families!
Some of the mages clenched their fists.
— Children!
Others raised their heads.
— People who don't even know how to hold a sword!
Charles walked before them.
— They don't need to know!
Silence.
— Because we do!
The mages' expressions changed.
The Headmistress watched.
Charles stopped at the center.
— The walls are still standing!
His voice echoed.
— The barrier is still standing!
He raised his fist.
— And as long as Dirfázia still stands...
The mages held their breath.
— NONE OF THOSE THINGS WILL GET PAST US!
A roar answered him.
Dozens of voices.
Dozens of mages raising staffs, hands, and weapons.
The Headmistress closed the projection.
And began walking.
— Not bad, Charles...
---
When she reached the hall, the first groups were already beginning to leave.
Charles rapidly distributed orders.
— Western sector! Reinforce the long-range artifacts!
He pointed toward another group.
— You're heading north!
Another.
— Southern towers! I want three casters on every amplifier!
— Yes, sir!
The mages ran.
— Charles.
He turned immediately.
— Headmistress.
His expression showed relief for only an instant.
Then returned to seriousness.
— I thought you'd come.
— What's the situation?
Charles started walking.
She followed beside him.
— Bad.
— How many?
He let out a short, humorless laugh.
— If you figure it out, let me know.
The Headmistress looked at him.
— I'm serious.
— So am I.
The two crossed the hall.
— They're coming from every direction — Charles continued. — North, south, east, and west.
— I saw.
— Then you know we can't concentrate our forces in one place.
The Headmistress nodded.
— The mages?
— Already being distributed around the entire perimeter.
— And the artifacts?
— Being charged.
They passed through an opening leading into another wing of the palace.
Outside, the noise was even louder.
Orders.
Footsteps.
Metal.
Magic.
— The offensive artifacts will be positioned on top of the walls — Charles explained. — I want the Shadows destroyed before they reach the barrier.
The Headmistress frowned.
— Are they already close?
— Closer than I'd like.
— And the Hero?
Charles looked at her.
— I've already sent for him.
She nodded.
— When?
— As soon as the first general alarm was issued.
— So he hasn't arrived yet.
— No.
Charles quickened his pace.
— But he will.
The Headmistress remained silent.
They would need him.
Especially if what she had seen in the projections was only the beginning.
The two arrived before a massive tower.
It rose above the surrounding structures.
One of the kingdom's main observation towers.
Charles entered first.
— Come on.
They climbed.
Step after step.
The higher they went...
The clearer the sirens became.
The clearer they could hear the walls awakening.
Until they reached the top.
The wind struck them both.
The Headmistress immediately walked toward the edge.
And saw it.
Dirfázia.
The walls encircled the kingdom like a colossal stone fortress.
Far beyond them...
The barrier.
A vast translucent layer of mana surrounded the entire protected region.
Its edge stood approximately one and a half kilometers beyond the walls.
And beyond it...
Black.
Shadows.
So many that they seemed to change the color of the land itself.
Charles stopped beside her.
— Now you understand.
— I already understood.
— Not like this.
The Headmistress said nothing.
He was right.
Seeing it through a projection was different.
This...
This looked like the end of something.
She raised both hands.
Mana spread outward.
Five dimensional screens appeared around them.
One showed the north.
Another the south.
Another the east.
Another the west.
The last displayed an elevated view of part of the perimeter.
Charles watched.
On top of the walls...
The mages worked.
Large metallic structures were being positioned.
Crystals were fitted into place.
Magic circles were activated.
Offensive artifacts.
Some possessed long conduits aimed beyond the walls.
Others were formed by several magical rings fitted inside one another.
At certain points, several mages poured mana simultaneously into enormous crystals.
The structures began to glow.
— How long? — asked the Headmistress.
Charles observed one of the screens.
— Not long.
She looked toward the barrier.
— We need to keep them from reaching it.
— That's the plan.
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
— If all of those creatures attack at once...
— I know.
Charles grew serious.
— The barrier will destroy many of them.
— But every contact will consume mana.
— Exactly.
He pointed toward one of the projections.
— A single Shadow means nothing.
Another.
— A hundred wouldn't be a problem either.
Another.
— But this?
The image showed thousands.
— If enough attacks are concentrated on specific sectors, they'll start weakening the structure.
The Headmistress closed her eyes.
She felt it.
The barrier.
Even from that distance...
She could feel it.
The permanent connection.
The mana slowly leaving her body and crossing the kingdom.
Feeding it.
Strengthening it.
Expanding it.
She took a deep breath.
— It's still stable.
Charles looked at her.
— Thanks to you.
The Headmistress opened her eyes.
— Not only me.
— Don't be modest right now.
She ignored him.
On the screens...
The Shadows continued advancing.
Closer.
Closer.
The mages finished charging the first artifacts.
Lights appeared across the walls.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Charles slowly raised one hand.
The Headmistress looked at him.
— Not yet.
He watched.
The creatures advanced.
The ground trembled.
Some ran.
Others crawled.
Others flew.
The black mass drew closer and closer to the barrier.
Charles waited.
— Charles...
— Not yet.
Closer.
The Headmistress could now make out details of the creatures without needing the projections.
The first ones were already entering firing range.
Charles opened his hand.
Mana appeared.
A luminous sphere shot into the sky.
It rose.
Rose.
Rose.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
It exploded.
The sky above Dirfázia was flooded with light.
The signal.
For an instant...
Silence.
Then the world answered.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
FWOOOOOSH!
Hundreds of attacks erupted from the walls.
Beams of mana tore across the sky.
Flaming spheres fell like meteors.
Spears of ice pierced through entire groups.
Electrical discharges leapt between dozens of creatures.
The massive artifacts fired.
A wave of light swept across the ground.
Hundreds of Shadows vanished.
Another explosion.
More creatures were destroyed.
The mages shouted.
Reloaded.
Fired again.
The entire horizon became a storm of magic.
Fire.
Ice.
Lightning.
Light.
Explosions.
For several seconds...
The Shadows disappeared behind the destruction.
The Headmistress watched.
Charles did not celebrate.
Neither did she.
The smoke began to clear.
Slowly at first.
Then...
The Headmistress felt her stomach tighten.
They were still coming.
Thousands.
The creatures climbed over the remains of those that had been destroyed.
Some didn't even slow down.
— Second volley! — Charles shouted.
Another signal.
The artifacts fired again.
BOOOOOOOM!
More Shadows vanished.
But not enough.
Never enough.
The first reached the barrier.
One creature leapt.
Its body touched the luminous surface.
FSSSSSSHHHH!
It was instantly disintegrated.
Another touched it.
Vanished.
Another.
Another.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
The barrier flashed each time one of them made contact.
For several moments...
It seemed invincible.
Then...
The Headmistress noticed.
A faint fluctuation.
In the northern sector.
Then another.
In the west.
The light dimmed for a fraction of a second.
Returned.
Dimmed again.
Charles saw it too.
— It's started.
The Headmistress closed her eyes.
She felt the mana being drained.
Not only from the barrier.
From her.
The Shadows touched the surface.
And each one carried away a tiny amount of energy before being destroyed.
An insignificant amount.
Individually.
But there were thousands.
The Headmistress opened her eyes.
A line of sweat slowly ran down her forehead.
— I should go to the walls.
Charles answered immediately.
— No.
She looked at him.
— I can destroy hundreds of them myself.
— And we'd lose far more than we'd gain.
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
Charles pointed toward the barrier.
— You're already fighting.
She remained silent.
— That barrier would be much smaller without your magic.
He continued:
— Much weaker.
The translucent surface pulsed.
— The spell you keep active expands its range, increases its resistance, and multiplies the amount of mana the structure can withstand.
The Headmistress looked back toward the battlefield.
— I can still fight while maintaining it.
— You can.
Charles crossed his arms.
— And how long could you maintain both?
Silence.
She knew the answer.
Charles did too.
— Your role right now is to make sure that barrier remains intact.
The Headmistress pressed her lips together.
— So you want me to just stand here and watch?
— I want you to observe.
He pointed toward the dimensional screens.
— Because you can see things we can't.
The Headmistress took a deep breath.
Another wave struck the barrier.
She felt it.
The pressure.
The drain.
The weight.
But she remained standing.
Watching.
North.
Nothing but Shadows.
South.
Combat.
East.
More creatures arriving.
West...
She stopped.
— Charles.
He immediately noticed her tone.
— What?
The Headmistress didn't answer.
She simply moved her fingers.
One of the dimensional screens expanded.
The image moved beyond the mass of Shadows.
Farther.
Much farther.
Until it found...
A figure.
Charles stepped closer.
— What is that?
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
The figure floated.
Completely motionless.
It didn't run with the others.
Didn't attack.
Didn't crawl.
It simply watched.
Its body was made of darkness.
But something was different.
Around it...
Black energy burned.
Like flames.
Flames made of Shadow.
They danced around the creature without producing light.
Without producing smoke.
Only distorting the space around it.
The Headmistress enlarged the image even further.
— That one isn't like the others.
Charles remained serious.
— I noticed.
The figure was too far away for its features to be seen clearly.
But then...
It moved its head.
The Headmistress froze.
— It...
Charles noticed too.
The creature was looking directly at them.
Not at the tower.
Not at Dirfázia.
At the projection.
As though it knew exactly that it was being watched.
Then...
It smiled.
A chill ran down the Headmistress's spine.
— Charles...
The Shadow slowly raised its arm.
Extended its hand.
Two fingers pointed forward.
Index.
Middle.
Like a weapon.
Charles frowned.
— What is it doing?
The creature kept smiling.
Then...
It fired.
Its forearm snapped upward from the invisible recoil.
As though something had just erupted from the tips of those two fingers.
At that very instant—
KRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZT!
The dimensional screen exploded with interference.
The image distorted.
Black lines tore across the projection.
The Headmistress's eyes widened.
— What?!
KRRRZZZT!
The connection vanished.
The screen went dark.
Silence.
Charles stared at the empty space where the projection had been.
Then...
Very slowly...
He looked ahead.
The Headmistress did the same.
Far away.
Beyond the walls.
Beyond the barrier.
Beyond the thousands of Shadows.
Something was coming.
A black line.
No.
Energy.
An absurd amount of black energy tore across the horizon.
Fast.
Growing larger.
Drawing closer.
Straight toward Dirfázia.