Skyler's thrown body slammed against a creature of Evol, a serpent-like dragon, as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His vision swam, however, he could still hear the figure who had thrown him away.
It obliterated the creature of Evol he had crashed into with a mere glance.
The figure loomed over him, its massive wings shifting in clear agitation before an eerie, familiar question escaped its lips.
"Who are you?"
Skyler's lungs burned as he gasped for air, his eyes glued to the dark, starless sky. This time, he did not answer, his body remained on the warm sand like a deflated balloon.
His heart, a frantic drum solo in his chest, albeit slowly quieted down, as he forced his racing thoughts into a semblance of order.
Panicking wouldn't save him. He needed a plan, a way out, and he needed it now.
With a desperate effort, he relaxed his mind, steeling himself for the challenge.
He rummaged through his mind, trying to remember everything he had read about the calamity in the book. How it woke up. How Max and his team survived against it.
Yet, he couldn't find anything useful except the fact that the calamity had frozen for a few moments when it saw Jenny's face, which helped Max and his team escape.
That's why he wanted to curse the figure. Hadn't he already tried to tell it his name, yet it threw his body away like a rag?
Why was it so unreasonable?
Does it have no brain or something?!
The blue eyes staring at him narrowed, a golden hue shimmering in their depths as the figure watched him closely. His every twitch, even the way his breathing evened out, was observed by it. It opened its lips, and an even darker voice escaped them.
"Why are you calming down?"
The figure paused for a small moment. Yet, its next words sent a chill down his spine.
"Should I tear out your brain and heart to know who the hell you are?"
Skyler forced his eyes to meet the shadow towering above him. As he locked eyes with the blue orbs peering through the blue and golden scales, the first word that sprung to mind was 'inhuman'. They were completely devoid of anything, utterly indifferent. He shuddered but still opened his mouth.
"I will tell you. But don't attack."
He finally spoke, his voice steady despite the immense pressure bearing down on him. There was no other option but to somehow talk his way out of this predicament. After all, he had scant information about the calamity staring at him, let alone how to survive it.
The knowledge from the novel also offered little help, as the calamity was only briefly mentioned in the story. To make matters worse, the figure seemed to lack reason!
For a split second, amusement flickered in those blue eyes peering at him before the figure let out a mirthless, dark chuckle.
"Negotiating? Do you think you can?"
Skyler's jaw clenched shut.
He knew he was no match for a powerful being capable of ending his life with a flick of its wrist. Still, he was skilled with words, and he intended to use that. He had to buy time, to give his mind a chance to devise a plan to escape this dire situation alive.
His eyes dilated when the figure's fingers suddenly reached toward him to touch his head. Despite knowing he was outmatched, Skyler was ready to resist with every ounce of strength his body still possessed!
It was a fight or die situation for him!
But before Skyler could launch his attack, a surge of golden light erupted from his body, repelling the fingers reaching toward him and pushing the figure a step backward.
Skyler's eyes lit up.
Finally!
The two figures living in the mirrors in his subconscious were stepping in to help him! Those jerks nearly gave him a heart attack when they were so silent! He jumped to his feet, despite the prickling pain. A new wave of confidence surged inside him. Now that the duo in his subconscious were stepping in, there was a chance he could survive!
A wave of dark Evol surged out of his body, enveloping him in a thin yet powerful barrier. Skyler's lips curled upward into a grin when he saw the shocked eyes of the calamity.
"You brainless bastard! You think you can put your hand on me so easily? Don't you know I was once the King of Spirits?!"
Of course, he was bluffing.
He was indeed once a King of Spirits.
Yet, that life had already disappeared. And he barely remembered anything about it!
Currently, he was just a weakling who had just hit the 10-star mark. He was bluffing to survive. No one could blame him.
The figure, albeit shocked by the sudden power that had pushed it away, regained its composure rather quickly and let out a hum.
"King of Spirits?"
It muttered with a distant voice.
The title was familiar, so much so that it burst into laughter. Skyler flinched at the sudden noise and scooted back, ready to break into a sprint. His injuries were healing, but the process was slow. He was losing a lot of blood with each passing moment. If this continued, he knew he would faint.
The calamity calmed down and inhaled deeply. Then it stared at him. Once again, the figure asked the same question.
"Who are you?"
Skyler wanted to curse.
He had already tried to answer with his name, but he was being flung away!
So, how should he answer this question to not make this unreasonable person snap?
Taking a few more steps backward, he decided to bite the bullet and said it.
"Skyler."
The name had barely left his mouth when the world went black. A blinding white light exploded, then shattered into tiny pieces, leaving him tumbling through an abyss of darkness. His body slammed against the sand, a dull thud echoing in the silence.
Even the two figures in his subconscious, trying to take control, were suppressed as the calamity arrived next to him, a chilling, mirthless voice echoing from its lips.
"Great. Great. If you are, then what am I? Huh? We have a lot to converse about."
The figure clamped onto his leg with a cold, crushing grip, and dragged his unconscious form away, disappearing into the darkness.
Simultaneously, the entire tomb trembled. Every structure and statue within shattered into pieces. The sand began to sink into the massive fissures that formed beneath.
Far away, all the other individuals who had entered the ancient tomb were shocked as their bodies were forcefully flung back and ejected out of the tomb against their will.
Alisha gasped sharply as she crashed into the wall of the underground chamber below the Royal Castle after being flung out of the tomb. Rhys, and the other royal members and their confidants were faring no better.
The guards and royal mages stationed outside the tomb gate were all shocked.
Before anyone present could understand the unfolding events, dark golden and blue chains erupted from behind the tomb gate, swiftly encasing it in a vice-like grip.
The news was immediately sent to Alistair Thorne, who arrived at the scene in no time.
"What's going on?!"
He shouted, his tone filled with urgency as he quickly surveyed the injured bodies of the many young royals and their confidants who had been forcefully ejected from the tomb.
It was Alisha who answered him.
"We don't know. Suddenly, a heavy pressure pushed us out of the tomb. Before we could react, we were already outside."
Alistair ran a hand through his hair.
"It's barely been a day since you all entered the tomb. There's still nine days before it's sealed. So why are you all thrown out?"
It was only then that he noticed the missing face he had brought from the academy. The rest, even Rasha, Six, and Seven, had come out of the tomb, but that face was nowhere!
"Where is Skyler?"
He scanned the crowd, searching for an answer, but found only silence. The silence was a weight, confirming his worst doubts.
Everyone stood motionless, exchanging nervous glances. One of the royal mages, already inspecting the tomb gate, echoed.
"The tomb hasn't closed naturally yet. It had been sealed by something or someone, and it could only be opened from the inside."
The royal mage gazed at Alistair, his eyes filled with a solemnity that sent chills down everyone's spines. Whatever had sealed the gate from the inside wasn't to be trifled with. Who knew if it would burst forth, wreaking havoc? Could they even stop it in time?
He let out a shuddering breath.
"It seems the last prince is still inside."
Alistair clenched his fists with a frown.
"Only Skyler?"
The royal mage nodded. The guards had already confirmed that everyone else had come out of the tomb. Alistair reached the gate and turned to the nearest mage.
"Ask everyone to move backward. I will try to break the chains. Maybe then the others can go inside again once they break?"
Everyone obeyed and did as he asked.
But even with all his strength, the chains around the gate remained unyielding, not even twitching under his restless assault.
A chilling realization washed over them all.
It seems they all could do nothing but wait until the chains retracted on their own.