Dozens of flaming hands completely covered Zayne's body, all that remained visible were his eyes, shaking with fear and hopelessness. For the first time ever, he found himself in a situation in which he could do nothing but wait and watch as the flames consumed him.
Even in the worst fights, he always had some option, some way to win or escape, to use some skill or object, but now, if he had the power of the gods, it would all be useless.
Zayne lost consciousness, then flaming hands dragged him into a portal that opened beneath him like a road to the abyss or hell. Then, the flames were gone, no trace of him or the fiery hands.
A crackle.
After a moment, the door to the room opened as Solomon, Rea, and Erel stepped inside.
"Zayne! Someone wants to talk to you!" Solomon pronounced in a serious voice, then his eyes went wide.
"What...? Where's Zayne? Did he leave already?" Rea was puzzled as she looked at her father.
"I doubt it." Erel pointed forward to a chair lying on the ground, "From what I've heard Zayne Fellen is a polite man. Could he really make a mess and just run away? That would take some very good reason, wouldn't it?"
Solomon and Rea nodded, then they examined the room more closely. Several books in the closet had fallen, the candles on the table had rolled down to the floor, and there was dust on the floor as if it had fallen from the ceiling. It seemed as if there had been an earthquake, but it had only affected one room.
"In that case... What happened here?" Solomon frowned, "Did someone kidnap Zayne right in front of us and we didn't notice?"
Rea shuddered. She felt guilty for being jealous of Zayne, even though she hadn't done anything, but her mind was troubled.
"Well... I don't think that's quite the right assumption. It's more like Zayne wasn't kidnapped by someone but by something." Erel said seriously, narrowing his eyes, "Damn, how could I have missed that. What a shame."
"Agh...? Did you realize something?" Rea asked with a worried expression, "Where's Zayne?"
Erel frowned, "It's just a guess, but it looks like Chaos Energy was just here, in which case Zayne could be anywhere and anything could happen to him."
"But... How is that possible?" Solomon muttered in disbelief, "How could this have gone unnoticed, especially to you!"
Erel sighed, "I realize this sounds strange, but for some reason even I didn't feel anything. I'm willing to plead guilty if that's the case, but first, we need to start investigating, and urgently. Where is your Oracle? It must have felt something. If not, that's too bad." Erel said quietly before heading towards the exit of the room.
Solomon and Rea exchanged glances, then they followed Erel. Zexiton had many towers, one of which had an Oracle making sure that Chaos didn't attack the academy.
Oracles were important to every organization, academy, or powerful family. They were the ones who could predict where a Chaos Hearth would appear, its threat level, type, and other factors.
To possess such unique skills required more than talent, one had to go through training at a special academy and be recognized by Order.
Of course, Oracles didn't have to put in as much effort as regular Knights to eventually become Fate Knights, as there were very few of them. However, they went through very different training, and parts of their training depended on the fates and lives of people, so Oracles took their duties seriously.
Step. Step. Step.
Solomon, Rea, and Erin were hurriedly climbing up the spiral staircase in one of the academy's many towers. This tower was far away from the others, next to the student buildings, but much higher than them.
There was only one person at the top, whose job was to keep an eye on Chaos Energy and the area around the academy, to be the first to know of any Chaos activity.
Crackle.
The wooden door opened and three silhouettes ran inside.
"Agh... What's going on?" The girl muttered puzzled, turning in their direction. She was sitting on a chair, with a cup of hot coffee in her hand, the steam of which filled the room, rising towards the ceiling.
She had long blue hair, the curly ends of which reached the floor. Her eyes were azure, with an unusual pattern, as if they were part of a complex mechanism that allowed her to see more than the average person.
"Anet... Don't tell me that even you didn't notice anything..." Solomon muttered, guessing about it.
Anet tilted her head, "Didn't notice what? Be specific. In two hours, when the effects of the coffee wear off, I'm going to bed. For your information, keeping track of such a vast area is difficult even for an experienced Oracle like me."
Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.
Anet waved her hand slightly as many unusual objects resembling mirrors in the center of a mirage appeared beside her. They shook slightly, but through them, she could easily see another area, be it a misty forest, a river in front of the academy, or some office. Anet had full access to every area.
She didn't just watch the premises like some guard at a firm or store, she tried to look for signs of chaos, and that was all she cared about.
This meant that even if she saw someone fighting or breaking the rules of the academy, she was unlikely to report it, it was none of her business, and she was keeping an eye on more important sites.
Erel tapped his cane on the floor as he confidently said, "Just now, in the main campus of the academy one of the students has gone missing, Zayne Fellen to be exact."
"And...?" Anet raised an eyebrow, "As far as I know he's a Traveller, maybe he just went back to his world? Either way, it's none of my business. Even if someone kidnapped him, that's his problem!"
Rea frowned as she clenched her fists, Anet's behavior was seriously annoying her. She wanted to be rude to her, but Solomon stopped her by holding her by the shoulder.
"Agh...?" Rea was puzzled.
Solomon shook his head, then he glanced at Erel.
Tap.
Erel tapped his cane against the floor once more, "I agree with you Mrs. Oracle, but what if it wasn't someone who did it, but something?"
Anet gave him a questioning look, "Erel speaks more straightforwardly. I've been up for about 80 hours and I'm not in the mood to solve riddles. Maybe when I get some sleep, but definitely not now."
Erel nodded. He was a Crusader, which was much higher than a Fate Knight, but he still had to treat even an Oracle Rookie with respect. However, Anet wouldn't be rude to him on purpose, his status deserved honor.
"I believe that Zayne Fellen was kidnapped by Chaos. Right in the academy, about five minutes ago, maybe a little more." Erel said calmly with absolute certainty in his voice.
Anet frowned if it was true, then she had made a grave mistake and it would greatly affect her reputation. In that case, she could even get punished by Order if it had devastating consequences.
Anet took a massive sip of coffee practically draining the cup halfway, then she stood up and waved her hand.
An unusual magic circle with many runes appeared in front of her, then she snapped her finger, and all the mirrors turned into streams, heading for the center of the magic circle.
ραndαsnοvεl.cοm Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The magic circle shuddered, emitting ripples that spread throughout the academy and even beyond. At the same moment, Anet's eyes dimmed slightly as the bags under her eyes enlarged.
"I didn't feel anything. I doubt it was Chaos, I just wasted a lot of energy!" Anet said irritably as she stomped her foot.
Erel looked at Solomon who was puzzled, he didn't know which of them to believe since the situation was unusual.
"Anet, check again. Do it out of respect for me. I realize it will take more of your energy, but I feel it's something important. I don't believe Zayne Fellen could just disappear. I don't know him personally, but these two will confirm what I'm saying, won't they?" Erel said calmly as he pointed at Solomon and Rea.
Rea nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes. Erel is right, Zayne has encountered Chaos Energy many times before, perhaps it used some devious method?" Solomon suggested hopefully.
Anet touched her chin with a thoughtful expression, "I just checked it out... Agh, okay, if you two are so worried then there's a reason. Show me exactly where it was?"
Solomon nodded, walked over to Anet, and pointed to the eastern side of the academy, right where the room with the fallen chair was.
Anet nodded, as she closed her eyes, and when she opened them they shone brightly, then she touched the magic circle, causing it to take on an unusual shape.
Several more appeared behind the magic circle, each smaller than the previous one, as if it was a magic telescope, then she channeled energy into the magic circles.
"What the hell...?" Anet muttered in disbelief, looking at the red flame that burned brightly in the center of the academy.
However, no one noticed it, even for her it had been impossible before.
"Fuck! We have to find out what it is right now!" Anet exclaimed, heading towards her treasure room where her unique Oracles gear was located.
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