In the aftermath of the chaotic confrontation, the dormitory halls of Tilanaz Academy, previously echoing with the sounds of battle and death, fell into a tense silence.
Professor Falis stood, his presence commanding and stern, as he faced the two hooded figures now ensnared by the demonic tendrils.
All the students' eyes were on him, shocked by the normally relaxed professor's suddenly intense demeanor.
Everyone knew that he was among the top ritual casters in the nation, however they were all first years. This was their first time witnessing such powerful ritual magic- and at such speed! None of them even had time to react at his entrance.
Kendell, Celia, and Coli, exhausted yet alert, watched intently, their eyes fixed on the professor and the captured invaders.
The gravity of the situation was palpable; this was more than just an attack on the academy- now it was a direct challenge to one of its most powerful protectors.
The taller figure, still struggling against the unyielding grip of the tendrils, managed to speak through gritted teeth. "You think you've won, Falis? This... this is just the beginning. We are the harbingers of the True Order, and our mission is far from over."
The professor's eyes narrowed, his voice cold and measured. "The True Order? I've heard whispers of your kind, sowing discord and chaos in the name of some deluded crusade.
You have brought nothing but sorrow in your wake, yet you speak as if your cause is just. What is it that you seek?"
With a flick of his wrist, the tentacles wrapped tighter around the figures. They let out a small groan, but the sneers on their faces held.
The shorter figure, the necromancer, laughed, her voice beautiful but devoid of warmth. "Oh, Falis, you'll soon see. Our order will rise, and the old ways will crumble.
We seek a world where the strong rule, unbound by the constraints of your outdated morals and laws."
Celia, her adrenaline still high, interjected, "You attack innocent students, and you talk about strength? You're nothing but cowards!"
Professor Falis nodded at her in approval but raised a hand, signaling for silence. There was no need for her to risk herself in this situation.
He turned his attention back to the captives. "Your actions tonight have consequences. I will ensure that our forces will deal with you accordingly.
But know this—the academy will not be intimidated or threatened. We stand united against those who wish to harm our students and our values. Your so-called 'True Order' is nothing compared to our might. We will leave no trace of your existence by the time we are done with you."
As he spoke, the demonic tendrils tightened their grip, eliciting groans of pain from the hooded figures. With a wave of his hand, Professor Falis signaled for the tendrils to recede, handing over the intruders to the arriving academy guards who had been summoned to the scene.
They placed a weird device onto their backs and tied their arms with glowing rope. As the device was placed on their backs, they made sharp cries of pain before hunching over.
Then the guard in front made a ritual circle and opened a small portal in front of him wide enough for two people to pass through, and the rest of the guards marched the prisoners through it.
As the guards took the intruders away, Professor Falis turned to the trio. "You three showed commendable bravery tonight. Your quick thinking and unity under pressure were crucial in holding off the attack until help arrived. I am immensely proud.
But be wary—the True Order is a threat we must not underestimate. Should I have arrived any later, or they had chosen to fight you with their full strength, you would all certainly be dead.
In the future do not engage, simply hunker down and get to safety till a member of the faculty arrives or an opportunity to escape appears.
Let your professors handle this, we will make sure they know the full extent of the powers they chose to mess with."
The professor's gaze lingered on each of them, a mix of pride and concern evident in his eyes. "Continue to train and grow stronger. The road ahead is becoming increasingly uncertain, and we must be prepared for whatever challenges lie in wait. A conflict might be coming sooner than they say."
With that, he turned and walked away, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the hallway, leaving Kendell, Celia, and Coli to contemplate the weight of his words.
As he left a flood of ritualistic healers flooded the hall and began taking the wounded away, or performing emergency healing on the students too injured to move.
The trio exchanged looks of relief and disbelief. They were shocked at the professor's words and his frightening display of power.
As they stood amidst the eerie calm of the dormitory, Kendell, Celia, and Coli sat huddled in a small corner, away from the medical staff treating the wounded.
Each was lost in an inner turmoil of thoughts, their heads still spinning with how fast the tables had turned on them. They had thought their plan would give them the edge, they thought they had finally flipped the tide of battle. How naive.
The strength of both sides was simply overwhelming, they were but tiny fish in a vast ocean.
The realization was crushing, and on top of that, the fight ended so quickly that they hadn't even had time to begin processing all that happened until right now.
Coli's voice trembled slightly as he lifted his head and spoke to the group, "That was... intense. I've never seen anything like it. Both that weird magic they used, and Professor Falis just... he was incredible, but what does this mean for us now? How could we ever hope to compete with that?" Coli's mind began panicking as the surge of adrenaline began to recede and the weight of the professor's words hit him.
Should those two have attacked seriously from the start, there would have been many more casualties- most likely themselves included. Their delusional thoughts of strength would have cost them their lives.
Kendell's eyes, still shaking slightly, met Coli's with a face of stern resolve. "It means we've been living in a bubble, Coli. We're not just students sitting around at some academy living blissful lives, our enemies aren't going to wait around for us to get stronger.
We're on the front lines of something much bigger. It's clear that someone is trying to mess with our academy, or potentially all the academies in Houndoria. We need to be ready for whatever comes next."
Celia, her usually vibrant demeanor subdued, added, "Kendell's right. This isn't a game or a simple school rivalry. The True Order, whatever their endgame is, they're a real threat. We can't let our guard down.
But, at the same time, we aren't ready for a fight with them. I agree with you Kendell that they aren't going to wait for us to get stronger, but that's all we can do for right now. At our level, we can't even beat one of them if we all work together.
We need to be realistic. We can keep our training going and do our best to grow."
Kendell leaned against the wall, his thoughts racing. "We've been training, yes, but tonight showed that our training methods aren't enough. We need to push harder, understand our enemies, and anticipate their moves.
We need to learn real combat, we need to learn to work together. We have the professors' tournament coming up, it seems trivial in the face of what we just faced, but if we can beat every other team there it will be a good start.
We will use this as a starting point, it will be our first test of combat strategy. There is nothing like live combat to stimulate our growth, this showed us that."
Coli nodded, the reality of the situation dawning on him and he began to straighten up, "You're right. We were lucky this time, but luck isn't a strategy. We have to be better, stronger."
Celia paced a little, then stopped, facing them. "I say we double our efforts. More training, more strategy sessions, more research on these... True Order fanatics. We can't afford to be caught off guard again. We need information as well as strength, we know nothing about other forms of magic and that has to change."
Kendell pushed away from the wall, his voice firm. "Exactly. And we need to work together, play to our strengths. Our unity is our greatest asset. We have each other, we will learn, train, grow and become strong enough to take these assholes down."
Coli, his earlier fear replaced by a newfound resolve, clenched his fists. "Okay, then. We train harder, we learn more, we become better versions of ourselves. For each other, for the academy."
Celia smiled, her confidence returning. "That's the spirit. We're in this together. The True Order won't know what hit them, and neither will everyone at the tournament.
If we can make a name for ourselves at this tournament then we will have more opportunities to go after these guys as we get stronger."
With silent resolve, all three nodded.
As they dispersed for the night, a silent pact was made. They would rise to the occasion, they would face the darkness together, and they would emerge stronger. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: they were a team, and together, they were going to become unstoppable.