Chapter 353 – Dark Forebodings

Chapter 353 – Dark Forebodings

A sense of foreboding tingled his thoughts. Kai pulled his foot, stumbling when the gossamer threads veiling the ground refused to give. Three more forceful jerks finally saw him free.

The silver bracelet emitted a soft hum. A glowing number appeared below the three lines timing the Trials.

“Twenty-nine,” Alden said behind him. He stood by the massive stone door that had ground close, looking at the plain band on his wrist. “That’s the number of doors we crossed. Either a hint for another challenge, or the point value for the challenge we passed. The Trials sometimes have—”

“Quiet.” Kai raised a hand to hush him.

He squinted at the darkness, ears keen on catching any sound amidst the dripping and drafts. The glowing quartzes in the previous chamber had ruined his night vision. Stronger than his Perception was the ominous whisper that brushed his thoughts.

“What is it?” Alden shuffled forward, tone low and curt. His walk faltered as his boot got stuck to the ground. “Bloody Moons. This—”

“We aren’t safe. Be quiet.”

“What’s the—?”

A faint chittering answered more clearly than any words could be. The sound bounced off the cavern walls, like the clicking of mandibles and the scuttling of pointed legs. The echoes made it impossible to gauge the position of the origin—though any distance was too short.

Shit! I hate spiders. What are the odds that I’m wrong?

“Are those beasts?” Alden whispered. He crouched to examine what was trapping his boot and freed himself with one sharp pull, looking more curious than worried.

“Yes, they’re probably—” Kai made to expand Mana Observer, but a sharp whisper froze him before his skill could sweep the darkness—only one explanation.

This just keeps getting better.

As if giant cavern spiders weren’t enough, they had to be mana sensitive.

“Don’t spread your senses,” Kai said. “They’ll track us back. Probably our mana too if we’re not careful.”

Dark lurkers often had Perception traits. A foray in the caves below the mountain at the heart of the Sanctuary had imparted that lesson in his flesh, almost worse than diving in the murky depths.

“How do you know that?” Alden asked.

“My danger skill.”

“The one that got us trapped here?”

“Yes. I—” Kai bit his cheek. Indeed, how did that happen? He had keyed the skill to find the best route. Or maybe that path had just been the shortest? “I did find an exit. I didn’t think it’d be in a cavern full of spiders.”

Hallowed Intuition wasn’t lying now—danger breathed on his neck, sending shivers down his back, unshackled by the bounds of an academy test.

“This shouldn’t be possible,” Alden said. “The Trials must follow rules too. We’re first years. The academy must provide a clear warning if we’re to engage awakened beasts. It’s— Unless did we go off the path? But that… Mat, are you sure your skill chose the correct path?”

“I don’t know. It’s my first time participating in the Trials. I don’t have generations of family and friends who attended Raelion before me. Now, be quiet. We need a solution,” Kai snapped, too hurried for politeness.

The eerie chittering was drawing closer, far too numerous to belong to a single beast. They faced a colony, and it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. He had no desire to confront whatever horror lurked beyond his senses, especially with nothing but his magic at hand.

We need to get out. There must be a solution. This is still a test… right?

Kai turned to the passage that led him into the cavern. The massive stone door didn’t budge even when he pulled with his Empowered Strength. His hands brushed the rough surface, prying his mana inside with no more success. No matter how many threads he wove through half a meter of rock, cloaking obscured his vision, leaving him defenseless to the arrays cutting off his prods.

The runes were made to be interacted only from the other side. Perhaps if he had half an hour, he could figure it out, but the scuttling legs echoed ever closer. They might not even have minutes.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Run or fight?

He could blink them through with Spatial Shift, but that would mean revealing his Space affinity not only to Alden, but potentially to the professors that must be monitoring them. How much would they see? What if the wards interfered with his skill? Would he get splattered in the wall?

“We aren’t getting out this way,” Kai said—except as a last resort.

Alden remained unperturbed. “The academy shouldn’t let truly dangerous beasts roam the Trials.”

“Shouldn’t?”

“Unless it’s a threat we’re meant to avoid fighting.”

How reassuring.

“Considering the terrain, it’s probably better if we face it here.” Alden curiously stared into the darkness. “What kind of beast do you think it is?”

“Probably a colony of giant, hairy spiders. Or similar creepy crawlers.”

Alden blanched. His head snapped to Kai as he retreated to the stone door. “Spiders? No… We must find a way out.”

“What else did you think they were?”

“I—I never—”

“You know you snuggle to sleep with a snake.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Uhm… Nothing.” Kai found himself smiling despite himself. “Use your bracelet or get behind me.”

Alden got behind him. “Do you have experience fighting beasts?”

“Some.”

I’m going to hate this. Hey, Hobbes? How much longer is your snack break gonna take? I could use a hand, or paw right now.

~~~

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Below the morphing celestial vault of the Aula Regendi, teams of adjutants filed under the command of supervising professors. Most sat at the cluster of tables, eyes trained on the monitoring arrays, crystal matrices and scrying cubes. Mana and runes wove through the displays crafted from infused materials with incredible artistry. Buying a single piece could bankrupt minor Houses.

Madness.

Zalgor Armenius Crowler leaned into his plush armchair with a rueful shake. From the command podium below the arching windows, the entire hall of activity unfolded before him. Sound wards reduced the thrum of activity to a muffled buzz, even the unencumbered voices too quick for most minds to parse.