53 The sky crumbles

Aiden gazed upon the island as he felt the ground shaking unstoppably. He started feeling the cold dread that came Charles' grim pronouncement: "Thirty minutes at most before the Island sinks into the sea."

"Falling into the sea?" Aiden's voice cracked, "I thought this was... a natural sky island? It doesn't need magic to fly?"

This time it was Dian Long who answered him. "This was once a natural island island from the west of the western continent. At that time, me and Charles, with a certain magic artifact brought it here to the south and using that same magic artifact, we also kept it in the sky above the ocean to avoid devastation if it ever fell down."

Aiden's eyes then shined then as he thought , 'Surely, Charles, this legendary mage, should have a contingency plan for this kind of situation'. He looked at Charles and asked, "Can't you teleport us back to Moxi island?".

Charles, his face etched with worry, met Aiden's gaze with a heavy sigh. "I can't." The air grew thick with unspoken despair. "Damien stole the source of magic of this island. Without it, I can't use any mana to stop our fall. These reservoirs," he gestured to the tower or at least what remained of it, " that are under the tower mere stopgaps, buying us thirty minutes, nothing more."

"Then use all that remaining mana to directly teleport us!"

Charles shook his head, "The magic formations, Aiden, are intricately woven with the reservoirs. Severing the connection triggers the island's fall. And once that mana is spent, teleporting will be beyond my reach. It takes fifteen minutes to rebuild the formations and by that time we would already be at the bottom of the ocean."

Aiden fell silent, his mind trying to find any escape routes. Dian Long, who looked around at the destruction caused by the previous battle, finally sighed and spoke, "We are not without options", he declared, "We have some time, our allies, and the will to survive. Gather everyone, Aiden. Together, we'll find a way to avoid this."

___________________________________

*Rumble Rumble*

The earth's tremors intensified. Alex, exhausted by the previous fight, shivered despite the heat, "Can't we just get out of here already?" he grumbled, trying to clean. the remaining blood from his blade.

His gaze swept over the battlefield, littered with fallen members of the Black Market Alliance. Lyssia and the others were still catching their breath, their faces etched with the weariness of combat. But it was Abrat who held his attention. The assassin, cloaked in an unnatural stillness, had already cleaned his daggers with meticulous precision. Alex watched him, impressed by the blur of silver that had been Abrat during the fight.

"Truly worthy of the title of one of the twelve Chairmen," Alex muttered to himself. "Strange though, that such skill wouldn't attract the Black Market Alliance's attention." He examined the enemies that fell to Abrat attacks, a precise gash in the throat or a single, fatal stab to the heart. This demi-human, rumored to be descended from a divine beast and human, had single-handedly decimated half the Alliance's forces.

Lost in thought, Alex almost missed the subtle shift in Abrat's posture. The assassin's keen ears twitched, registering something coming their way. His eyes eyes narrowing at the figures approaching from the south. Hu Zhao and Konstantin emerged, lifting the unconscious bodies of Katherine and Olenna.

"Master!" A cry ripped through the air. Gwendoline, tears streaming down her face, burst past Alex, her sobs heard through the battlefield. She knelt beside her, while Konstantin put Olenna beside Katherine. He looked at Gwendoline, his voice cracking as he tried to offer comfort. "Gwendoline, she's strong. Granny will be alright." But the doubt in his eyes spoke volumes.

The scene before him, a stark contrast to the brutal fight moments ago, ignited a spark of urgency in Alex. The tremors were worsening, the air thick with anticipation. They couldn't afford to linger any longer. His eyes met Abrat's, a silent exchange passing between them. The unspoken question hung heavy in the air: what now?

With a newfound resolve, Alex steeled himself. He raised his voice, echoing across the chaotic scene. "Everyone, gather yourselves! We need to move back to the tower, now!" His eyes darted between Abrat and Konstantin, unspoken commands passing between them. 

The earth pulsed with a malevolent rhythm, tremors escalating into bone-jarring cracks. Abrat, his keen ears picking up the subtle symphony of destruction, saw the ground splitting beside Olenna, swallowing the fallen bodies one by one so he immediately carried her away and moved away from the gaping chasm starting to form on the ground. 

Everyone started moving away and running from the shaking ground. "Tower! We need to find Saint Charles!" the voice of Nolan cut through the chaos, sparking a frantic race toward the once-majestic structure. Reaching it, they were met with a stark picture – the gates crumbled, the air thick with the acrid stench of burnt magic.

"Looks like someone had a party here," remarked Alex, surveying the half-scorched, half-dark-element-tainted ruins. Nolan pointed out the remnants of Aiden's battle and the lingering traces of the mysterious spear-wielding youth.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound filled the air as Aiden, Charles, and Dian Long descended. Relief washed over Saya and the other girls, their worry for Aiden eclipsed by the immediate crisis. Aiden scanned the faces, finally meeting Emelia's tearful gaze.

"It's… not good," he admitted, his voice heavy. He briefly explained the island's situation which made the air around the group heavy. Fear etched dark lines on faces as he spoke, fear that morphed into grim determination when Alex presented the obvious question: escape.

Aiden and Charles exchanged a silent conversation, the mage's fading form flickering like a dying candle. "No teleport," Charles could barely speak as hi sprit form started fading and disintegrating at a rapid race than before, "The artifact… unique… Scrolls useless… no mana here."

Confusion rippled through the crowd. "But we used mana before, right?" Nolan interjected, her voice laced with incredulity. "And those destructive spells I used…"

Dian long interrupted her and said, "It's because of the Heavenly Infinite Pearl". Most of the people who heard that didn't understand what he meant but Nolan, Lyssia and the others who were higher up in the adventurer guild and even those high level mages knew what he meant. "I cant believe such a legendary treasure was here above Moxi island all this time!".

The revelation the legendary Heavenly Infinite Pearl, one of the Sarna world's five supreme treasures, stunned everyone who knew about it. The air vibrated with disbelief and awe as Nolan explained the power of the artifact, "It's a known fact that the mana comes from the earth and is around us in the air. but as you go higher to the sky, the mana becomes more scarce and not enough to cast spells or do anything. the Heavenly infinite pearl is one of The five supreme treasures in the Sarna world. It's said that these 5 magical treasures were Born when the Sarna world was created. It's also known that each treasure has its own unique capabilities that defy the will of the word of Sarna. The heavenly infinite pearl is known for its ability to create an infinite amount of mana. No matter the time or place, the pearl can create infinite mana which makes it one of the most sought out of the five treasures".

Nolan started speaking about the treasure, "Mana, the lifeblood of life and magic in our world, flows from the earth, thinning like air the higher we climb," Nolan continued, his voice resonating with the weight of this revelation. "Yet here, on this celestial island, we cast spells and fought battles using magic, How? Because of the legendary treasure."

"One of the five supreme treasures, born with Sarna, each imbued with powers that bend the very laws of our world. And the Heavenly Infinite Pearl? an endless amount of magic regardless of time or place. No wonder everyone covets it."

Alex also added, "It's said that if a warrior or Mage can have the pearl, he will have infinite mana to use and battle forever".

Dian Long, cut through the conversation and spoke, "Caring about the pearl now won't save us. It's already away with Damien hands. We have twenty minutes till this island becomes a celestial meteor! Does anyone, anyone at all, have a solution?"

A heavy silence pressed down, thick and suffocating. Saya, her voice barely a whisper, voiced their collective fear. "If we only had a magic researcher here, a great mind capable of understanding the very fabric of magic… that's what we need"

Just then, a chuckle, incongruous and oddly calming, broke the tension. Aiden, a twinkle in his eyes, looked around at the faces etched with despair. "Actually," he said, his grin widening, "I might know just the person."

Hope, a flickering ember amidst the ruins, flared in their eyes. They turned towards Aiden, his confident smile a beacon in the encroaching darkness. Could this man hold the key to their rescue?