Project Eclipse

The Serans formed four neat lines behind the platform. In total, there were 16 of them, four on each line. The highest-ranked mage among them was a B-ranked mage, while the rest were all C-ranked. Across them was the group of researchers who dispersed earlier. Each had a notebook and a pen ready to take notes.

The Serans were already briefed, so they had a certain understanding of the situation. They were still tensed, though, because they had also been told about the two researchers who had been punished.

Professor Hugh called the attention of the highest ranked mage, his tone rather respectful. Nobody thought that this was odd, though. There were only five B-ranked mages in Sera City. Even a personage like the lead researcher had to show them some respect.

"Please enchant the platform," Professor Hugh said with a smile.

The B-ranked mage nodded and approached the platform. He knelt on one knee in front of it, but after doing so, he felt confused. What spell should he cast? There were no other instructions, so he had no idea which spell to use. The mage inwardly shrugged and casted a D-ranked spell. His hand glowed with blue light, and he gently touched the platform. The blue light slowly spread across its surface. The people in front of the crowd began to feel the cold being emitted by a spell...

After a few moments, the light disappeared, but... nothing happened. Everyone waited patiently, though. According to the report earlier, the Eclipse that lasted for a surprising ten minutes, the longest duration recorded since the discovery of the phenomenon, only occurred about five minutes after Crow Mayers enchanted the platform.

Seven minutes passed, but no reports came in. Professor Hugh nodded at the B-ranked water mage, and the latter went back to his line. The mage was still calm despite having failed. No disappointment could be seen on his face. The Professor then called out the rightmost person on the second line. The Seran responded with a firm nod and started walking towards the platform. He looked quite calm, but the fact is, he was quite eager for his turn.

Like the previous Seran, he knelt down on one knee. He raised a hand, closed his eyes, and started casting a spell. After a second, his hand glowed with an orange light, but it appeared that he wasn't done yet because his eyes were still closed. He continued to charge his spell for four more seconds, making it glow even brighter.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and his hand fell down on the platform rapidly. When his hand touched the platform, it made a soft sizzling sound. The orange light spread across the surface rapidly. It burned intensely, forcing the people in the front to back away, even Professor Hugh.

It lingered for quite some time, but just like the previous result, the light also disappeared.

Another failure.

Even after a full seven minutes, the fire seran was still confused about what happened. Wasn't it enough? The next person to attempt had to tap him twice to wake him up from his confusion before he went back to his line.

The next Seran was a wind mage. He didn't attempt something flashy like the Fire Seran. He simply imitated the B-ranked water mage. He was calm and composed. When he also failed, he didn't think much about it and returned to his own line. Professor Hugh chose another person.

The person after the wind Seran had the opposite attitude. He was shaking and sweating all over. He was actually hoping that he wouldn't get chosen because he was a C-ranked mage who broke through only recently. He didn't even think that he was qualified for the task. Reaching C-rank was already no joke, but in front of people stronger than him, he could not help feel jittery, as if all of his movements were being judged. When he knelt in front of the platform, he didn't cast a spell for a long time and he appeared to be in a daze.

"Well?" Professor Hugh said impatiently, waking the Seran up from his stupor.

The Seran flinched and started looking at the crowd. He was feeling nauseous from the attention, and he wanted to back down, but when he recalled about the imprisonment of two researchers, his heart skipped a beat. He had to do it. He just needed to act cool. He placed a shaking hand on the platform and uttered one word, "Harden!"

A dim green light spread across the surface of the platform.

But just like the previous ones, it disappeared.

The Earth Seran sighed and was about to take his hand off the platform when he witnessed something extraordinary.

The engravings on the platform slowly lit up. The Seran was overcome with shock and confusion at first, but it immediately turned into joy! He smiled brightly!

Did I do it? I did it, right?!

He immediately looked towards his comrades who were just as shocked as he was earlier. He burned the scene in his memory as he took pleasure in it. But then, he felt the world suddenly spin.

Thud.

The Earth Seran fell to the ground. His eyelids twitching, but not fully closing. Just like what happened to Crow Mayers earlier. Everybody was shocked to the point that all of them froze.

"Earth Serans! Go forward and enchant it again!" Professor Hugh said as he pointed towards the glowing platform.

The Earth Serans heard the command, but none of them moved. Subconsciously, they looked towards the person who was on the ground. The person looked like someone who had lost his soul, conscious, but not fully. Would they end up like him, too?

Then, the glow on the platform started dimming slowly.

"EARTH SERANS!" Professor Hugh yelled after seeing the scene, "IF YOU BREACH ORDER, I WILL HAVE YOU ALL PUNISHED! YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!"

After being threatened, they were all at a loss. They knew, however, that Professor Hugh was capable of such an act. For the longest time, he was known to be cruel. If he didn't have sufficient knowledge and leadership skills, he would've been abandoned by the academy long ago for his trash personality.

One of the three remaining Earth Serans rushed forward and headed towards the platform. A C-ranked mage like him hated to be humiliated, but what he could not risk was his own family. He had yet to marry, so he naturally thought about his mother and father. His eyes burning rage directed at the professor as he placed a glowing hand on the platform.

Professor Hugh's eyes lit up the moment he saw the glow brighten once more. Moreover, this time, it exceeded its peak. It glowed much brighter than earlier!

The effects could be stacked on top of each other!

The Earth Seran who just touched the platform felt all his energy drain from his body. Like the person before him, he fell to the ground.

Professor Hugh didn't care, though. He continued eyeing the platform eagerly, anticipating what was about to come. He kneeled down in front of the platform and gently caressed its surface.

Such beauty.

Suddenly, a researcher entered the cave, panting. He struggled to catch his breath as he eyed the surrounding people. Strangely, it was very quiet. Also, there was a glow somewhere in front of the crowd.

"Report!" the researcher's voice echoed inside the cave catching the attention of everyone. Everyone looked towards him, but they all had blank looks on their faces. The researcher was confused, but he still needed to report something. "The Eclipse! It has begun!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" a maniacal laugh entered everybody's ears.

"THIS IS IT!" Professor Hugh stood up and spread his hands, "THIS IS PROJECT ECLIPSE!"

Instead of celebrating, the researchers who witnessed the previous scene shivered.

A person from the crowd suddenly dropped his pen and paper and rushed towards the two Serans who were lying on the ground. He knelt in between the two and checked on them. His face was filled with worry and confusion. How could a simple enchantment induce semi-consciousness? Did it cause them some brain damage?! They had to get Professors to treat them as soon as possible.

"Somebody, get a stretcher!" the person yelled towards the crowd. His yell woke up the others from their stupor. Two people in the back rushed outside the cave to retrieve a stretcher.

After two minutes, when the stretchers arrived, some people stepped forward to assist in lifting the two semi-conscious Serans. They were about to leave the cave when they were suddenly blocked by someone.

"Where are you taking them?" Professor Hugh asked with an eerie smile.

The researcher who checked on the two immediately stepped forward. At that point, he didn't care about anything anymore. "Sir, they need immediate medical treatment! We have no idea what exactly happened to them!"

Professor Hugh walked towards the researcher in front of him. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I agree. Put them in the infirmary!"

Hearing the first statement, the researcher was so relieved that he even let out a smile. When he heard the second sentence, however, his smile froze and his face darkened. He smiled crookedly and said, "But Sir, we don't have professional doctors here."

Professor Hugh's stared at the researcher.

"Do you plan on compromising the project?" he waved his hands in the air in an exaggerated manner, "Do you plan on letting the whole continent know about what we are doing? What if these doctors are spies from the other empires? Will you take full responsibility?"

"Sir human life is concer—"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" the Professor yelled, "TREAT THEM YOURSELVES!"

….

Plop.

A person suddenly fell on his butt at the back of the cave. He was one of the remaining two Earth Serans.

He recalled the expression on the first Earth Seran's face. At first, he was smiling, but just before he fell to the ground, a tinge of unimaginable pain was written on his face.

He shivered as he embraced his legs.

He was completely oblivious about what was happening to the people anymore.

In fact, he couldn't hear anything anymore except for his rapid heartbeat.

….