Supreme Magus novel Chapter 223

"What happened to Lith?" Phloria needed to lean against the walls or the beds to avoid falling on the ground. Every step she took towards his bed felt like she was trying to uproot a tree, making her sweat bullets. Yet she didn’t stop until someone finally noticed her struggle.

"Good grief, you shouldn’t strain yourself anymore, young lady. You are lucky to still be alive." Professor Vastor rushed to her aid, taking out a chair from his dimensional amulet to make her rest.

"Please Professor, tell me what happened." Phloria was on the verge of passing out again, but her tone was determined enough to not leave room for doubts. Vastor could only tell her the truth or sedate her, there was no other way to calm her down.

It was likely to be the last day all of them had to live. Vastor decided that forcing such a young girl to spend it unconscious in a bed would be too cruel. There was a reason why they couldn’t just send the students back home.

They were still Balkor’s target.

After the Earth and Crystal Griffon academies fell, their students had been Warped to the Royal palace to keep them out of harm’s way. Some of the old noble families had decided to bring them home, only to be attacked during the second night by Balkor’s Crawlers.

Only those that had timely fled to a different region or remained in the palace had been spared from the onslaught. The number of casualties was already in the hundreds and counting. Without the protection of the arrays, a noble house was as safe as a commoner one.

"I don’t know, I really don’t." He replied seeing the concern growing in her eyes.

"You and Lord Deirus were tainted by a Valor, but Lith somehow managed to prevent you from turning into undead. Then a friend of his called Lith on his deathbed. From what I heard, Lith freaked out.

Then, all that I know is that he arrived here like that."

"Is he going to die?" Her eyes were watery, but she was unwavering. She would not let Vastor get away with a vague answer.

"It’s unlikely, but possible." He finally admitted after much thought.

"I’ve seen a similar condition in patients that had pushed themselves too hard using magic. The only thing we can do is let him rest.. He should get back to normal in a couple of weeks."

- "If he doesn’t die tonight, either at the hand of Balkor’s thralls or from going for broke to save your lives earlier."– Vastor inwardly added.

"Thanks, Professor." He had expected her to cry and whine like the little girl she was, yet Phloria smiled. It was something that Vastor hadn’t seen in days.

"Can I stay here, please?" She took Lith’s hand in her own, hoping he could feel her touch and somehow draw strength from it.

Usually Vastor would have scolded her and sent her back to her bed, but the sincerity of Phloria’s feelings despite her own predicament had moved even his old, shriveled heart.

Vastor used magic to rearrange the beds, moving Phloria’s right beside Lith’s. He even gave her blankets large enough to cover both beds, turning them into a makeshift double bed.

"Just promise me you’ll keep your hands where they belong. This is a hospital, after all." She turned beet red while Vastor laughed at his own joke. A short while later he finally left them alone.

He doubted Lith would wake up to enjoy her company, but if it that was going to be her last night on Mogar, Phloria had the right to spend it with someone she loved.

***

Without Kalla’s arrays, there was no reason to keep all the students in one place. They had learned from the previous night that rounding them up like that without a rock solid defense was akin to wrapping them up and offering them as a present to the enemy.

This time they kept the students in their own housing, preparing multiple Warping arrays ahead of time to scatter them all around the forest in case the last line of defense fell again.

When the sun started to set, fear started to spread. When night fell, the fear turned into panic. Many students broke out into hysterics, forcing their roommates to knock them out before they hurt somebody.

When the night was about to end, even the Professors were drenched in cold sweat. The stress from the prolonged wait had tired them out almost as much actual combat.

"What the heck is he waiting for?" Linjos was a nervous wreck, pacing non stop inside the headquarters.

"Usually Balkor keeps the worst for the precise hour his family was killed, but we are way past that point!"

When daylight finally came, the whole Griffon Kingdom rejoiced. Four out of the six great academies were still standing and the anniversary had ended with no further bloodshed.

The Headmasters contacted the Crown, who ordered them to keep waiting and not lower their guard. Balkor’s shadow was so deeply etched in their minds that the Royals couldn’t believe their own luck.

It was noon before the King ordered them to send the students back home. The yearly god of death’s threat was over, but the wounds he had left behind were deep. Many things had to be done before life could go back to normal.

***

After Balkor’s eleventh assault was over, the smoldering embers of the civil war were almost completely extinguished.

During the first five years of the god of death’s reign of terror, the ancient noble households didn’t care much for his actions. There were too many of them, hence the odds of being Balkor’s victim were low.

Most families would secretly pray for the god of death to get rid of their most dangerous competitors in their stead, so they could get hold of their lands and riches.

When the god of death started targeting the Crown and the Mage Association, the ancient noble households rejoiced. They even started to consider Balkor as their benefactor.

Like all those that were aware of the events taking place at the academies, the Ernas were living in a state of unrelenting terror, barely able to sleep or eat. Jirni and Orion had stopped working for the last three days. They were off their game, always worrying about the fate of their children. _{freēwebnovel.com}