Lucen lay motionless on the bed, his eyes wrapped in layered seals and room filled with seals and stabilizing magic circles.
The air around him felt heavy—thick with restrained mana and sothing darker beneath it.
Zane stood beside the bed, eyes fixed on Lucen’s condition. The purple-black corruption crawling across his torso pulsed faintly, like sothing alive beneath his corrupted purple skin.
"...This is serious," Zane said quietly.
He didn’t sound surprised. Just certain.
He looked toward Seris.
"How long has he been like this?"
Seris’s fingers tightened against her sleeve. There was exhaustion in her face, and sothing close to relief now that he was here.
"At first he could still speak," she said softly. "He was conscious. Even giving orders. But as ti passed... his condition kept getting worse day by day."
Her voice lowered.
"Now he not conscious at all."
Zane nodded once, eyes still on Lucen.
"Did you consult anyone? Healers, specialists or artifact doctors?"
Seris nodded.
"We did. From Valdoria, from allied academies, even independent practitioners."
She paused.
"...They all said the sa thing."
Silence stretched for a mont.
"This condition is... impossible to cure."
Zane’s expression didn’t change.
He just humd faintly.
"Hmm."
Then he glanced up.
"Where’s Caelum? Lucen’s closest friend. He wouldn’t leave him like this."
Seris exhaled slowly.
"I was getting to that," she said. "Chairman Caelum did everything he could to slow the corruption. Stabilization circles, suppression seals... all of it to get so ti to find any cure but...we failed everyti.."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"Until two months ago, we finally found sothing. A possible cure. Or at least a chance."
Zane looked at her now.
"So he went after it."
Seris nodded.
"He left personally. Said he wouldn’t trust anyone else with it and its too dangerous and soone should be here to take care of him."
"...And he hasn’t returned."
"Not for two months."
Zane was quiet for a mont, thinking.
Then he turned slightly.
"Eirenyssa," he said calmly. "Take a look. See what you can do."
Eirenyssa stepped forward imdiately.
"Yes, my lord."
She approached the bed, storm-grey eyes narrowing as she studied the corruption spreading through Lucen’s body. Pale divine mana gathered faintly around her fingers as she prepared to examine him.
Behind them, Seris stiffened.
"Wait—" she started. "This isn’t safe. That corruption—"
Zane didn’t even turn.
"She can handle herself," he said casually. "Believe ."
Seris hesitated. She didn’t understand who this woman really was, but trusting Zane she stepped back.
Eirenyssa placed a careful hand above Lucen’s chest, not touching yet—just sensing.
A faint ripple moved through Lucen’s body, like sothing inside him had noticed her presence.
Zane watched quietly.
I could cure this right now, he thought.
Easily.
His eyes flicked to Seris for a mont.
But in just little over six months, everything collapsed this far. They’re relying on too much... knowingly or not.I am saving them too much.
He exhaled softly.
I’ll let things move as they are. If Lucen reaches the brink, I’ll step in.
For now, he simply watched.
"Go on," he said lightly.
Eirenyssa stepped closer.
She knelt beside the bed and gently placed her hand over Lucen’s abdon, where the darkened veins pulsed faintly and corrupted mana slowly seeped outward.
A thin golden aura blood around her.
It wasn’t explosive.
It wasn’t violent.
Just warm. Pure. Radiant.
Golden mana flowed from her palm and seeped into Lucen’s body.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
Lucen’s skin began to regain its normal tone.
The dark purple hue receded slightly.
The air in the room felt lighter.
Seris’ eyes widened.
"...It’s working..."
Hope—real hope—lit up in her expression for the first ti in months. Her eyes shimred with tears.
Lucen’s body emitted a faint golden glow as the corrupted mana was steadily cleansed.
Then—
Eirenyssa’s eyes snapped open.
Her golden aura flickered violently.
She staggered backward.
Zane moved instantly and caught her before she hit the floor.
Seris stepped forward in alarm. "What happened?!"
Eirenyssa steadied herself, breathing slightly heavier.
"This person’s condition... is very serious."
She looked at Lucen again.
"At first, when I examined him, I believed it was rely corrupted mana. I cleansed it with my divine mana."
Seris froze.
"...Divine mana?"
But Eirenyssa continued.
"When I looked deeper... I realized the corruption was only the surface."
Her storm-grey eyes hardened.
"There is a source inside him. A small amount of dark mana."
Seris’ breath caught.
"The mana of Abyssals and it’s from a strong entity," Eirenyssa said quietly. "The antithesis of divine mana."
Zane’s expression sharpened slightly.
"That small amount of dark mana," Eirenyssa continued, "is corrupting his own mana. But this person is resisting it."
She looked at Lucen with faint respect.
"Since it cannot fully corrupt his mana, it has begun targeting his life force instead."
Seris stepped back slightly.
"...That’s exactly what the doctor said," she whispered. "He said sothing was attacking Vice-Chairman Lucen’s life force... but he couldn’t identify it."
Eirenyssa nodded.
"I purified the corrupted mana. But I could not destroy the source."
Zane looked at her. "So you can’t destroy it?"
"I can," she answered honestly. "If I use my full power."
She paused.
"But the dark mana is too deep inside his body. If I fight it at full strength... his body will not withstand the clash between divine and abyssal mana."
"He will die from the backlash."
Silence filled the chamber.
Seris’ eyes lowered.
"...So there’s no way...?"
Zane crossed his arms slightly, thinking.
"Well," he said calmly, "other than brute force..."
He looked at Lucen again.
"To save him safely, we would need sothing that can extract the dark mana. Absorb it. Instead of fighting and destroying it inside him."
Eirenyssa nodded imdiately. "Yes. That would be the safest thod."
Seris suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes widened.
"...That’s it.Now, it all make sense."
Eirenyssa looked at her. "What makes sense?"
Seris stepped back slowly, piecing things together.
"I told you," she said, voice tightening, "two months ago... when we were almost out of hope... we found information."
Zane listened quietly.
Seris continued.
"We learned that Malgrith—the Kingdom of Demons—possesses an artifact."
Her hands clenched slightly.
"An artifact capable of fully absorbing mana from a person’s body."
Zane’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"And Caelum went to retrieve it."
Seris nodded.
"He said if that artifact could absorb mana... it could draw out the dark mana without harming Lucen."
The room grew quiet.
Zane spoke calmly.
"But he hasn’t returned."
Seris’ silence confird it.
Zane tilted his head slightly.
"That’s strange."
His gaze shifted faintly downward as he thought.
"Caelum is quite strong."
A faint, dangerous glint passed through his purple eyes.
"What could possibly stop him...?"
Zane let out a small breath and stepped back from the bed.
"Let’s leave that for now," he said calmly. "I have other questions too."
Seris didn’t respond imdiately. She was still looking at Lucen, eyes heavy with exhaustion and sadness, as if she hadn’t allowed herself to hope for months.
Eirenyssa spoke gently, her tone softer than usual.
"Miss... for now, he is stable. I purified the corrupted mana in his body and restored his life force to normal levels."
Seris looked up quickly.
"But this is only temporary," Eirenyssa continued. "The dark mana source still remains. It will start corrupting him again... slowly. You don’t have forever, but still so ti ."
Seris’ shoulders eased just a little. Not relief—more like the ability to breathe again.
"...That’s enough," she whispered.
She turned toward them and bowed deeply.
"Thank you. Both of you. Truly."
Zane raised a hand lightly. "I didn’t really do anything."
Seris straightened but still gave a small nod.
"Still. Thank you."
She adjusted her glasses and steadied herself. "Now... what did you want to ask?"
Zane’s expression shifted back to business.
"You still haven’t told what really happened while I was gone," he said. "How things got this bad."
He gestured toward Lucen on the bed.
"And why you’re acting Vice-Chairman."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I believe Aldren Sagewell head of magic departnt is more than strong enough to hold that position in Lucen’s absence. He could’ve handled it."
Seris’ expression changed instantly.
Her jaw tightened.
"Don’t...." she said sharply. "Don’t take that traitor’s na in front of !!"
Zane blinked once. "Traitor?"
Seris’ hands curled into fists at her sides. The calm, controlled assistant he rembered was barely holding herself together.
"That bastard," she said through clenched teeth, anger finally surfacing, "is the one responsible for this."
She looked back at Lucen, rage and grief mixing in her eyes.
"He’s the reason Vice-Chairman is lying here like this."
Zane’s gaze hardened slightly. "Aldren... did this?"
Seris inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself, but the anger was still there—raw and burning.
"Yes."
She turned toward Zane fully.
"...Let tell you from the beginning."
Seris drew in a slow breath and began.
"So after you stopped the white sun... we couldn’t find you anywhere."
Her voice was steady, but the weight behind it was obvious.
"Chairman Caelum has the sharpest senses among all of us. If anyone could have felt your presence, it would have been him. But even he couldn’t sense you. Not a trace."
She folded her arms.
"We waited. One day. Two. A week. Nothing changed."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"After one week... Chairman had no choice. He declared you dead."
Zane stayed silent.
"You vanished in front of everyone," Seris continued. "You flew toward that white sun... stopped it... and then disappeared. To the people of the academy, to the city—you sacrificed yourself."
She let out a quiet breath.
"Rumors spread. Stories grew. So exaggerated, so not. But Chairman Caelum eventually made an official announcent. He told everyone exactly what happened. That how you saved Orimund."
Zane rubbed the back of his neck lightly.
"...Yeah. That explains the statue."
Seris gave him a flat look. "People gathered donations themselves. Students. Citizens. Even rchants. They wanted to honor you. That statue in the garden... was built from that money."
Zane grimaced. "Still the pose looks like I’m about to jump into giving a corny speech."
Seris ignored that.
"Everything was... stable. For a while. The academy mourned you, but we continued operating. Training resud. Classes resud. We managed."
She paused.
"Until four months ago."
Her tone hardened.
"In the Solvanyr Kingdom, the crown prince was found dead in his chambers. His chest torn open... and beside him a broken golden claw covered in hi blood."
Zane’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Golden claw?"
"Yes," Seris said. "The signature trait of the Golden-Clawed Leo Tribe. The ruling tribe of the Gravundar Kingdom—ho to the beastman–dwarf alliance."
She exhaled slowly.
"Solvanyr accused Gravundar imdiately. Gravundar denied everything. They claid it was staged. But the evidence... the claw... the timing..."
Her jaw tightened.
"The fragile peace that lasted for years shattered overnight."
Zane crossed his arms.
"War."
Seris nodded. "Solvanyr attacked Gravundar. Small hate turned into full military engagent within days. Valdoria kingdom is trying to diate, but the situation is still unstable."
She looked at him directly.
"With two major kingdoms on the brink of full war, Chairman Caelum and Vice-Chairman Lucen had to leave to king .They were summoned to negotiate directly with the kings , their kingdom academies heads and stabilize things before it escalated further."
Zane’s expression sharpened.
Seris grimaced.
"And that’s when the academy was left vulnerable and That’s when it happened."
Her voice dropped.
"While they were gone..."
She looked back at Lucen lying on the bed.
"...Vassel attacked Astralis Arcanum."
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