CHAPTER 30

The ground trembled. I haven't done my part of the barrier which is even more infuriating.

"Let me do the first stage." Apollo stepped up and I could only nod.

He kneeled on the ground and closed his eyes while touching the ground. A glowing mist appeared and started to swirl before spreading to the ground. Apollo opened his eyes and they were glowing gray white.

The mist Diane stepped and did the same. The both of them did their task so quick that it wasn't helping me at all. I heard Diane call my name and I look at them looking at me.

Their stares say that they are encouraging me, but I can't say if I'll be able to do things. I stepped closer to where they were wearily while trying to control my breathing.

"You can do this." I mustered. I closed my eyes and placed my hand mid-air. I was starting to feel the surge of my power, but I still couldn't start my part of the sphere.

"We have to hurry! Alexander is getting out of control and we must contain him!" The Grandmaster sounded frazzled and at this point who isn't?

Would you stay calm when out of nowhere the sun gets covered by a bloody moon and the next thing you know is that the new kid is possessed by something from a prophecy? I doubt not.

"Hear me gods of the land and listen to my command. Dust trampled on dust, I command to take my wording to a strong stand and protect this land!" I yelled out with everything I had in me.

My body started to burn from the surge of power circulating my system. Particles of dust started to rise from the ground and clumped together at the center of the sphere. I moved my hand and slammed the ball of dust into the ground. It scattered on the ground and started to seep into the sides of the sphere before forming another layer.

"I knew you could do it-" Apollo could not finish when a sudden force ejected us from where we were at. I looked at the barrier and it was starting to fade.

"Get back to your positions!" I yelled.

My head was bleeding from the impact and I felt like I was floating but I reminded myself that we might be the last stand against whatever it is that is inside Alex.

"Bind us to the ground!" I nodded at Diane and placed my hand on the floor and our feet sank down into the ground. The Grandmaster was doing his task as he murmured countless spells and the final part of the sphere was starting to form.

A silent bombing sound erupted from the middle of the sphere where Alex was that would've sent us flying again if it weren't for the binding spell I casted.

"It is done!" We looked around to see that we were completely captured by the sphere that was pulsing a silver glow every time it took a blow from Alexander.

"What now?"

"We need to kill whatever it is that is inside him." The Grandmaster answered.

"But how are we going to do that?"

"Corrupting, Apollo. It is the only way we have." Our eyes widened at the answer of the Grandmaster.

"No! We can't! Corrupting him away from whatever is inside him might take him to death!" I exclaimed.

Corrupting has been long forbidden in all kingdom as it is a deadly practice. What it basically does is it alters an individual's properties such as altering memories, altering powers and altering an individual's entity as a being in the cosmos.

The practice also requires a huge amount of power ability. Performed with normal blooded individuals will lead to death not only to those who is being corrupted but also to those who are corrupting the individual.

This practice not only alter someone's life and story but is also harnessing energy and power directly from the cosmos and the gods that long before us has ruled the world and all of the people. It's like performing an act that might kill or save someone but is also disturbing cosmic balance, peace and force.

If those three were to be disturbed by a presence of an unworthy blood performing the act, it would lead to cosmic destruction and chaos. It alters the cosmos as an individual's existence is directly connected to the life force of the cosmos that has existed far back than the cosmos itself and because our powers came from the cosmos, using them to corrupt someone is also somewhat like using our powers that came from the cosmos against itself.

"But it is our only chance in saving this land! We won't kill him!"

"But what if we do! We might escape from this, but we won't be able to do the same against his kingdom. If he were to die and King Archemedius found out, we'd be floating corpses beneath the land swallowed by the ocean!" I shouted back at them. The place went silent aside from the pulsing sound coming from the sphere and the metal creaking sound probably coming from Alex.

"We must do it." The Headmaster spoke. I was about to retort back but he cut me off.

"Unless you want your family and your people to die when the monster inside him gains full control of his body."

"But there must be another way! Didn't the prophecy state any of solutions!?"

"The prophecy is unclear, and no book fully contains what it says! It's been years and years and the previous generation failed to transfer it to us! We are practically blind and the only solution I see is the practice of corruption. I am the Headmaster of this academy and I ask you to just trust and follow whatever I say. I have lived for years and I am not stupid enough to kill a prince and start a war between kingdoms."

I wanted to talk and answer back and say there is another solution, but I can't because there isn't.

But what the Headmaster said is correct. I want to help Alexander in the safest way possible but there is none and my family and people comes as my first priority.

"Now, the three of you must direct all of your power force to him and break his personal cosmic barrier and only then can I alter him and remove whoever is in there. Focus is a must for any disturbance during this would lead to grave trouble. No matter how chaotic everything around you gets don't pull your powers away. If you get hurt, then you get hurt but don't pull away. Am I understood?"

We all nodded. I looked to Apollo and Diane who were expressionless, but their eyes tells me that they fear what might come if we mess this up. They look like they are on their duty as royals outside, but they look like kids who are consumed by worry and fear inside.

"Now!" We raised our hands and directed it to Alex. A ray of plasma was then directed to Alex but as soon as our powers reached him, a barrier was formed on his body like a black blanket that covered him from any forms of help.

"Give it your all! He won't break if your powers are frail!" The Grandmaster instructed us.

As seconds passed, it felt like we were getting pushed back to the corners as the surge of force coming from Alex keeps getting stronger to the point that our body may break if our posture is wrong. I felt a force contradicting the surge of my power that is going to Alex thus I used my strength to fight back the restraint. It feels like a hundred boulders was coming my way and I'm doing everything I can to stop it from hitting me or I'll die.

A huge explosion erupted from the center of the sphere making us waver in our stand. I can feel something that plunged my leg, but I need to endure the pain or Alex and this whole saving him and the land will fail. What pain I may feel weighs nothing compared to the safety of my people and my family.

I can feel my veins burning from the surge of my power, but I need to endure this. We need to endure this. Whatever we may feel for now, we need to ignore it because at this instance, we are not students but royal-blooded individuals who are facing our first enemy who heads to spread darkness throughout each corners of the land.

We are not students but individuals who are next in line to the throne of our kingdom which is threatened by a force that is unknown to us and all we can do is to alter someone even if death looms over us and the devil is near.