Episodes 126. In the Frozen School
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed behind them. Despite the noise, none of them turned to look back. Their carefully crafted plan had failed because Haran couldn't resist the power of the magic, forcing them to retreat immediately.
"Hey, we've run too far!" Tasya reminded the teachers, bringing them back to their senses.
They were now in the teacher's parking lot at the front of the school.
"R-right, I didn't even realize we were already here..." Samuel panted, clutching his knees.
"W-what exactly happened?! Did Haran fail to resist the desires of the magic?!" Erika asked, her neck wound vanishing.
"More or less..." Zarbeth, who had run with them, answered Erika's confusion.
She didn't appear exhausted despite running all the way from the infirmary. She's not even looking after having a long run at all.
"Huh?" (Erika)
"CODE magic, magic not bound to Anitya, and only possessed by those trusted by Anitya's creator, Nova Rena."
"No-Nova?!" Both Samuel and Tasya showed shocked expressions, but Erika and Xander already knew, either because they were important or had been told by someone.
"So you already knew?" Samuel now looked at Xander. "So, This is the secret you've been hiding since that explosion at the school."
"Sorry for keeping this, but it was crucial not to tell." Xander held his severed hand, which was slowly healing, his eyes slightly closing to show his guilt to his friend.
"Relax, it's not a problem. Besides, you're a Prince, so having secrets is a necessity."
"Can I continue about CODE magic?" Zarbeth brought the conversation back. "CODE magic affects not the Anitya's user but the Anitya is the target."
Hearing this explanation, the teachers recalled the incident with Dahlia.
"The thing that happened to Dahlia, was it caused by Rasyid?" (Samuel)
"Hmm (shaking head), from what I know, CODE magic only damages the target's Anitya nerves, not influence or control the target's emotion. I don't know if Nova made it like that, but if that's true, be careful if you meet that man!" Her wrinkled face trembled with every word about that man.
"As far as I know, only three people possess that power: Our beloved goddamn mayor, Nova Rena, her vice, Rizki Kamil, and, as I just found out, Rasyid Londerik." (Zarbeth)
They were all stunned and shocked upon learning this truth. Xander and Erika were the most surprised. How could they not be, knowing the ones with CODE Magic power were siblings and their master?
It seemed like a conspiracy intentionally hidden. It was as if the old woman wanted to possess both of them so badly that she was willing to give such terrifying magic to the two people who might betray her.
"Why those sibling- I mean Rasyid and Rizki have it?" Erika asked, trying to change the subject as Samuel and Tasya didn't yet know the true form of that man.
"Is there a particular reason?" Xander added.
"That's because-"
*BOOM!
As she was about to explain in more detail, a giant fireball shot into the sky very quickly.
A few seconds later, an ice dome, dry land, and an electric storm merged in one place.
From what they recognized and saw, the owner of the fireball was Bahar. Possibly, he and the other teachers were fighting Haran, the strongest teacher in this school.
"What happened?!" (Samuel)
"Has Haran gone mad?!" (Erika)
"Poor woman~" (Tasya)
"Wait, there's something else around the combat area!" (Xander)
Xander's warning made the teachers look more closely at the fight. When their eyes truly locked onto the scene, they saw the silhouettes of two girls with icy auras flying in the sky.
"That's Dahlia, isn't it? She seems to be carrying Sophia with her." (Erika)
Xander started sweating coldly at what he was seeing. He couldn't deny that what happened last night wasn't a dream or something illogical anymore. It was all real.
"No time left! Let's gather with the other teachers, we must-" Zarbeth tried to lead the group but seemed unable to hold back her fear.
"Must do what?" (Tasya)
"Should we eliminate them?" Samuel tried to conclude the old woman's hesitation. "But why? An-And how?" Yet he still hesitates to kill someone in this era.
"Forget it! The important thing now is to gather first!" Zarbeth ran off, heading towards the battle.
Unable to argue with a senior, they followed the old woman's direction.
But...
Boom!
A giant fireball and a giant water ball clashed like nukes, causing an explosion hot enough to burn human skin.
"Gyahhh!"
Everything turned white, and Samuel and Tasya lost track of what happened to the others. They didn't even have time to check the condition of the students at the scene.
The only conclusion they could draw was that Haran, Sophia, and Dahlia had managed to defeat the school's forces and were heading somewhere.
Could it be to Rasyid's place? (Samuel)
.......
Back to the moment when Samuel and Tasya met.
"What should we do now?" (Tasya)
"I don't know... Our only clue is that man."
"We didn't even check on our students?"
For teachers, students' safety is number one. But this time was different; they didn't even think about doing so. Anxiety and panic gnawed at their hearts, making them lose their ability to think clearly.
"Tch! Why am I only finding out now?!"
*Bang!
Samuel kicked a collapsed wall nearby.
The wall shattered into pieces. His uncontrolled anger from feeling the most foolish among them couldn't be hidden.
"Samuel!"
Tasya immediately shouted at the man.
But when Samuel saw Tasya's face, it wasn't out of annoyance at his outburst. Her face showed shock, surprise, and sadness simultaneously.
"W-what?"
Tasya pointed to the spot where Samuel had kicked the debris.
"Huh?!"
His shock made him jump and shiver at the same time.
What they saw wasn't just one person but a group of bodies pleading to be released. They were the students of this school.
They all stood frozen and petrified there. Their terrified faces explained how, when they were frozen, they tried their hardest to escape the school.
With a grim face, Samuel turned back to Tasya. His fists clenched so tightly that his muscles bulged, his teeth gritted to the maximum, and his eyes sharpened as if he could cut through a body with just his gaze.
"Tasya, let's find him! LET"S FIND RASYID LONDERIK!"