Cho Yanshi moved quickly through the academy corridors, her pace brisk but controlled. The others followed close behind, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors of the inner halls.
At first glance, nothing seemed wrong.
Students still walked the halls in clusters, discussing Jin Huang's arena spectacle with excitement. Some secretly pointed at Lu Chen as he passed, whispering amongst themselves.
Others glanced at Qin Shuyue or Shen Wuyou with curiosity.
None of them knew. None of them realized that the academy had already begun to shift.
Cho Yanshi kept her eyes forward, fingers unconsciously tightening around the small green sphere tucked safely inside her pouch.
Inside it, Jin Huang slept on.
"The Headmaster's office already knows," Lu Chen muttered quietly from beside her.
Hei Shisan frowned, "That was fast."
"Who was it," Cho Yanshi asked, anxiety on her tongue.
Lu Chen didn't slow. "Xu Lan."
The name alone made the air heavier.
"She contacted them directly," he continued. "Not a request. An order."
Qin Shuyue's voice dropped to a whisper. "An order… to do what?"
Lu Chen glanced at the pouch. "To detain Jin Huang... and everyone with him."
Silence followed.
Shen Wuyou swallowed hard. "The Headmaster won't disobey that order, will he?"
"He won't."
This exchange spurred them on, their movements subconsciously becoming quicker.
They turned down another corridor, descending a long stairwell that led toward the academy's lower maintenance levels. The further down they went, the quieter the academy became.
No students. No chatter. Not even much light. Only the hum of distant energy conduits running through the structure.
Cho Yanshi finally spoke again. "The Headmaster was the one who told us to investigate and make reports to Xu Lan. They'v been watching him for longer than you know."
Qin Shuyue's hands clenched. "But... what about the Stamp of Approval? If his body isn't permitted by Heaven, then why would someone from the Heavenly Realm help him?"
Unable to answer, Cho Yanshi took a breath. "I don't know. I truly don't."
Hei Shisan perked up as a thought came to him. "Maybe they wanted to speed things up; get him to reveal himself that much faster. That's why you had to put a stop to him, isn't it?"
Lu Chen made an affirmative sound, pressing on.
Behind him, Shen Wuyou and Hei Shisan shared a glance. They both thought of the same thing.
The stone key.
"So we're just… stealing him away?" Qin Shuyue breathed.
Hei Shisan snorted, "Stealing implies he belonged to them."
They soon reached the bottom of the stairwell and pushed through a heavy metal door.
Beyond it stretched a long underground corridor lined with ancient stone walls rather than modern academy architecture. Faint formations carved into the floor glowed dimly with residual power.
Hei Shisan blinked. "I didn't even know this place existed."
"Most people don't," Cho Yanshi replied.
Then, a voice echoed from the shadows ahead. "Well of course you didn't. This place was kept secret from even the Board."
They all froze. From the darkness stepped a white-haired figure with a relaxed posture and an amused grin.
Nagira.
Qin Shuyue nearly jumped out of her skin. "Mr. Nagira!"
Nagira raised both hands lazily. "Relax, relax. If I wanted to stop you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Lu Chen folded his arms. "You took your time. I was following your movements."
Nagira shrugged. "Had to make sure no one important was watching." His silvery eyes flicked toward Cho Yanshi's pouch. "You've got him secured?"
Cho Yanshi nodded.
"Good," Nagira said. "Because the academy's security formations are already shifting."
Shen Wuyou stiffened. "You mean-"
"Headmaster received the order about five minutes ago," Nagira finished casually. "Containment teams are already being assembled."
Qin Shuyue paled.
Lu Chen stepped past Cho Yanshi, "How much time do we have?"
Nagira smiled, "Just enough."
He turned and began walking deeper into the underground corridor. "Come on."
They followed without hesitation.
The tunnel sloped downward, the air growing cooler with every step. Ancient stone formations lined the walls, far older than anything else in the academy.
Eventually the passage opened into a massive circular chamber.
At its center lay a vast formation array carved directly into the ground. Intricate lines of power spiraled outward in complex patterns that made Shen Wuyou's head spin just looking at them.
"Whoa," he whispered, "this is far more complicated than the Void Crossing Array."
The formation pulsed faintly, dormant but alive.
Lu Chen whistled quietly. "So you did keep it maintained. Number Two would be proud."
Nagira walked to the edge of the formation. "She was something else. Even after all this time, this damn thing hasn't been detected once- and I've used it dozens of times."
"That much?" Lu Chen scoffed.
"What can I say, I love running away."
Hei Shisan stared as they gathered around the formation. "This thing… where does it go?"
Nagira crouched beside the formation and began activating several runic nodes.
"Far," he said simply.
"How far?" Qin Shuyue asked.
Nagira glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "Far enough that even someone like Xu Lan won't find you quickly."
That answer was enough.
The formation soon began to glow brighter as power surged through its old channels.
"Go ahead and step inside," Nagira instructed, carefully calibrating.
One by one they moved onto the center platform.
Cho Yanshi carefully removed the small green sphere from her pouch, placing it gently at the center of the formation.
Jin Huang's sleeping form remained curled peacefully within.
For a moment, everyone looked down at him. His bruises, the swelling. They found themselves thinking about how much worse his wounds would be if he was found.
Qin Shuyue glanced at Lu Chen, who was busy casting his senses outward. Sighing, she turned back to Jin Huang.
Her voice softened. "You idiot."
Nagira stood outside the formation as it came to life.
Lu Chen noticed immediately. "You're not coming. I should have known."
Nagira grinned, "Someone has to stay behind and slow them down."
Cho Yanshi frowned, "You should come with us. We'll need all the help we can get."
Nagira laughed. "And abandon my job? What kind of teacher would that make me?"
The formation's light intensified, energy humming loudly through the chamber.
"Besides," Nagira added lightly, "the academy would get suspicious if everyone vanished. With just you gone, they won't have any idea where to look. If I go, that gives them more options."
Cho Yanshi looked at him carefully. "You have Memory Wiping Pill?"
Nagira nodded as he stretched his shoulders."Got it"
Lu Chen stared at him for a long moment, then his senses alerted him to something.
"They're coming, and soon the Heavenly Realm will mobilize. Try not to die."
Nagira grinned, reaching over with his fist extended. "You know me, Leader. I'm the last one left for a reason."
The formation began to activate fully as light surged upward in spiraling columns. Runes ignited across the chamber walls.
Nagira raised one hand. "Alright! Time for you all to disappear!"
Cho Yanshi looked at him one last time. "Take care of yourself."
Nagira smirked. "Take care of that walking disaster, " he said while gesturing toward Jin Huang.
The formation roared to life, blinding light swallowing the platform and their bodies with it.
Space twisted violently as the teleportation array activated.
For a brief instant, the figures of Cho Yanshi, Lu Chen, Hei Shisan, Qin Shuyue, Shen Wuyou- and the sleeping Jin Huang- were stretched into streaks of light.
Then they vanished, the chamber falling silent as the formation dimmed.
Nagira stood alone in the underground chamber, his thoughts on the near future.
It was not long before he heard footsteps echoing from the distant corridor. Many footsteps.
He cracked his neck slowly and slowly sighed, his foot raising as power filled him.
The next instant, his foot crashed onto the floor, decimating the nearby area and destroying the formation entirely.
With a thought, a spectral, illusory flame ignited and spread across the debris. Thin, thread-like strands of energy rose from it like wisps of ash, soon burning away and erasing all traces.
Then, he flicked his wrist as a pill appeared in his hand. Without even thinking, he swallowed it.
He could not risk them finding out anything he knew. Unfortunately, the Memory Wiping Pill was not precise enough to only erase specific memories.
With no other choice, he completely eradicated all of them.
Starting to feel the effects of the pill, he laughed in spite of himself.
"Well," he muttered, "This is going to be a long conversation.".