Ash watched as Miraak slowly raised his hand, a quiet smile curling across his face. There was something deeply wrong with that smile, his fingers moved as if conducting a silent orchestra of decay.
"Curse of Sleep."
The words fell from his lips like a prayer, but the air responded like it had been struck. A wave of demonic energy erupted from his palm, silent yet violent, rippling forward like a black tide, devouring the ground as it moved.
Ash didn't flinch. His eyes locked on the approaching wave before he turned slightly to Elysia.
"Cover yourself with Moon mana."
She nodded without question. Silver light bloomed from her skin, graceful and protective, wrapping her like a second skin. In just seconds, she was completely covered, radiant beneath the growing gloom.
Then she looked back at him.
"Come here. I'll cover you too."
Ash shook his head, voice calm as stone.
"I'll be fine."
Moon and Star mana can nullify demonic energy, he thought, but Elysia's still too weak. Even if she can't block it fully, at least the effects will be reduced…
His gaze shifted—Aurora stood nearby, already engulfed in shimmering purple light.
Her star mana flickered like constellations, gently pulsing, strange and beautiful. The energy wrapped around her as if the stars themselves refused to let her fall.
In the novel… didn't she die during this fight? he remembered bitterly. But now the future's changed. The enemies too. So maybe… just maybe she'll survive. She's got the potential to rival Ray. Someone like her could be a real asset down the line.
Then his eyes moved again, whose body glowed green.
Aetheris is shielding him, huh… Makes sense.
Then, the curse struck them all at once.
And the scene that followed felt like a nightmare.
The demonic energy that carried the curse was like fog rolling through a silent graveyard, thick and heavy with death. Wherever it moved, students collapsed. Bodies dropped to the ground like cut threads, no matter the year, no matter the strength.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
No one even uttered the words because it was the first time they were confronting such deep fear, so they just stayed rooted on their spots.
It was quiet, but the sound of bodies falling echoed louder than any scream.
The curse reached Ash and Elysia too—but Ash didn't flinch. His eyes stayed locked, fearless, even as a chill crawled over his skin.
And just as the curse tried to invade his body—The Rune of Life flared.
A faint glow rippled through him, and in an instant, the demonic energy vanished.
Disintegrated.
As if it had never been there.
Tsk, he clicked his tongue internally. If only I could actively use my Life affinity… this would've been over already.
But of course, nothing ever went his way, and it was especially true for him,
Sometimes, it felt like he had used up all his luck the moment he transmigrated.
He looked back at Elysia. He had moved in front of her just before the curse arrived, and most of the energy had hit him instead. Whatever had slipped past was stopped by her Moon mana.
And thankfully, it worked.
She looked fine, although her expression was of tension and fear, but she was awake.
And that was enough.
There was so much he wanted to ask her. How did she know? How had she reincarnated? What else did she remember? But now wasn't the time for answers. He wasn't ready to face her either.
Not yet.
But, right now, none of that mattered.
Because if he wasn't careful in the next few minutes, he might actually die.
He turned his head slightly.
"Before the energy clears, lie down. If they realize the curse didn't affect us, we'll be the first ones they come for."
Without waiting for a reply, he leaned against a nearby pillar and slowly slid to the ground, faking unconsciousness. His breathing slowed, shallow but steady, eyes half-lidded.
Elysia hesitated for a moment.
How is he not affected…?
Questions swirled in her mind, but they could wait. He was right. This wasn't the time for curiosity.
She moved quietly beside him and lay down, her silver light slowly dimming to a faint shimmer.
Thankfully, they were far enough from the other students and the demons to pull this off unnoticed.
Ash kept his eyes half-lidded, watching through the haze as the energy slowly began to dissipate.
And then he saw it.
The scene he remembered from the novel—No.
Not quite the same.
***
The demonic energy cleared up, fading like black smoke dissolving into the wind, and slowly, a scene that looked straight out of a horror movie came into view.
The only thing missing was blood and screams.
The hall was unnaturally quiet—bodies lay scattered across the ground, their chests gently rising and falling. A heavy silence hung in the air, the once-lively students now looked like lifeless dolls.
Although most had been put to sleep, some managed to resist the curse. Ash's half-lidded eyes scanned the area, pausing as he spotted Aurora, Ray, Grace, Ethan, Irvin, Lyra, and Amelia still standing along with some second years.
It wasn't surprising.
Aurora had star mana, Ray was saved because of Aetheris, Grace was unaffected due to her Angelic blood, and Lyra's Nature affinity was close to Life, allowing her to resist it to some extent.
But she looked a little exhausted, like she was about to fall asleep.
As for Ethan and Irvin—Ethan had hidden in the shadows, merging with them like smoke, so the curse hadn't touched him. Irvin had sunk into the earth using his affinity—only now reemerging from the ground with dirt still clinging to his arms.
As for Amelia, Ash had no idea how she was safe, but he knew,
As long as she's awake, Ash thought grimly, I can't reveal myself as Unknown. That means I'll have to fight as a mage when the time comes.
Only these few, along with a handful of second years who had used similar tricks to avoid the curse, remained. Maybe ten or twelve students in total. All of them stood uneasily, trying to stay upright as the weight of fear pressed down like a storm cloud.
"Ohoho, isn't the situation amazing?" Zerak's voice cut through the silence like a blade, "Look at that. Your curse barely did a thing—so many still standing"
Miraak's face twisted in annoyance, "These flighty-blooded creatures are really pissing me off. Let's torture them before killing them, brother."
"Hehe," Zerak chuckled, amused by the idea rather than the violence.
**
Thank you.
{These types of curses are nothing. Fear not—as long as I'm here, the curse won't work on you. But I can feel their strength. Be careful.}
Yes.
Ray's eyes moved across the surroundings. His friends were still standing, but barely. Most of their faces were pale, their hands trembling slightly. Yet none of them backed down.
Except for Aurora.
She stood still, her posture straight, her expression calm—like she was already planning ten steps ahead. Even Ray, usually composed, felt his anger rising like boiling water beneath the surface.
{It was good that the strong mortal made you go through mental training. Otherwise, you would've been out of control by now.}
That's true. I'm glad for that.
Ray's hand clenched into a fist. Then he muttered under his breath, "We need to kill them. Otherwise, we'll all die."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for the others to hear. One by one, they looked at him and nodded.
"Ethan," Aurora called out, "you have shadow affinity, right? Work with Irvin and move the unconscious students to the sides. If a fight breaks out, they'll be caught in the crossfire."
Her voice was soft but carried a firm authority. Even Ethan, who rarely listened to anyone, nodded and immediately moved, Irvin following without question.
Aurora turned to the rest of them. "Just fight the best you can," she said quietly. "Try not to die."
She didn't say more, but somehow, it was enough. There was a calming effect in her voice that settled their nerves.
{See that? That's the aura of a true leader. Not like you—always letting your emotions cloud your judgment.}
Ray didn't argue.
Because Aetheris was right.
Every time demons were involved, something inside him snapped. His thoughts became cloudy, and the fire of vengeance took over.
Zerak and Miraak watched with interest but didn't interfere.
"Brother, they want to fight us," Miraak said, licking his lips.
"Hehe. Isn't that interesting?" Zerak grinned. "It'll be more fun if they resist. Let them struggle a bit—it'll make killing them even better."
"That's true."
Once the unconscious bodies were moved to the side, the few who remained gathered near the center. Ash and Elysia were already at the side, so no one touched them.
And in that fragile moment of quiet, tension filled the air like thunder waiting to crack the sky.
***
A/N: Hello everyone! Just letting you know—I'll be dropping two chapters per day this week.😤🔥 I wanted to go for a big mass release, but that wasn't really doable at the moment, so I went with this instead. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for reading! 💙