Explosive Conclusion

***** Trigger Warning: Mentions of Torture/Physical Violence *****

Jerome Foryl sighed as they exited the prison. His attempt to persuade Daren Forolan had failed. They would have many more options if they persuaded Daren to cooperate with them.

"He is as stubborn as his grandfather. I suppose that we'll have to resort to extreme measures now. Rather than pushing the cage through the portal and risk an explosion, I could set up a magic formation to keep Stallesso occupied. The commander could then use another artifact to just break it open."

"Then we'd just lose Daren if something went wrong instead of everything on both sides of the portal?"

"Very good. Though it would be a shame to lose someone with talent like him."

"Yeah."

Marc lightly nodded with a troubled look on his face. Daren had changed recently, but the 'Daren' in the cage was much more assertive and talkative than what the latest information suggested. The time taken to persuade him was much longer than expected.

"Wait, much longer? Was he stalling?"

A small memory popped into his mind. As a child, he heard something when he just started training to be Daren's personal attendant and bodyguard. Then he remembered how the prisoner awkwardly held his hands, as if to hide certain parts of the magic cuffs. Marc turned and ran back towards the prison.

"Could it be?! Darn it!"

"Marc, what's going on?"

When Marc rushed inside the prison, he searched for the cage's controls for a specific control. He immediately slammed his hand on red button. Electric arcs jumped from the bars and floor. The prisoner screamed and writhed on the floor in pain.

Marc grinned, pleased that the shock formation still worked. He began to laugh as if he lost his mind. Jerome pulled Marc off away and slapped him. Marc crumpled to the ground.

"What are you doing?! How dare you hurt a precious wizard foretold by the Prophet?!"

"Hahahaha! It's really him! That devil really can't stop ruining my life!"

The workers slowly backed away from the hysterically laughing maniac sitting on the floor. Then they looked inside the cage. Many began to scream in fright. A blond-haired young man had replaced the black-haired young man. Jerome stood frozen in shock.

"Impossible!" He muttered. "That's not Daren Forolan! He's gone!"

Marc staggered to his feet and tried to press the button again. This time Jerome didn't stop him. The prisoner screamed until his voice was hoarse and he fainted. Only then did Jerome stop Marc. His assistant glared at the one trapped inside the cage.

"The switch couldn't have happened too long ago. Stallesso and the Halcyon Guards haven't retreated yet or allowed the military to directly attack the portal. Sound the alarm! Daren Forolan is still inside the camp. FIND HIM NOW or face the Prophet's wrath!"

The workers ran off to alert the guards. Jerome coldly looked at the unconscious prisoner inside.

"This one was also on the list, but considering the circumstances I'm sure that any unfortunate accidents will be forgiven. Listen well Marc. Today I will give a special lesson on information extraction and pain. An extremely practical one that I'm sure you will enjoy very much.

"To begin, press the blue button to wake him up again."

**********

Aayla and Daren hid in the rubble of a house as spells flashed all around them. The military and the True Order were locked in fierce combat. There was no safe path at all. Not even a fly could find its way safely through. Daren's face was still paler than normal. He did not have the strength to go much further.

"How is your energy, Daren? Is it coming back?"

"Slowly. Those cuffs constantly drained my mana. Honestly, this is probably the best condition that I'll be in for a while."

Alarms started blaring behind them. Those on the front lines were surprised as the battle came to a temporary halt. What was that about? Aayla realized that someone discovered Chris's deception. She activated her shield and rubbed dirt on it to dull the shine. Shiny targets are dead targets.

"Can you use the invisibility spell again?"

"Just for a few minutes."

"Okay. Start it on my mark. Let's just get out of the wall and run towards the forest. We can get some cover then join the military later."

Aayla supported Daren as they snuck closer to the battlefield. Daren started the invisibility spell just as they arrived. Coupled with the New Moon Bracelet, no one could tell that they were there. The temporary lull broke just as they passed the wall.

With no more major hurdles, the pair ran straight for the forest. Halfway there an explosion blasted them apart. Aayla lost control over the New Moon bracelet, and Daren's spell broke. Both sides were surprised when two people suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

The two most powerful wizards raced towards them. Stallesso to protect his grandson, and the True Order commander to capture him. This time, Stallesso got to Daren first. Aayla franticly dodged the missed spells from their fire fight before she finally made it to the forest.

Headmaster Marin finally arrived with reinforcements. The True Order was forced back. Their commander went crazy. One set back after the other spoiled a perfect plan to kickstart the revolution. Since he couldn't be happy, then no one would be.

The combined military and Nafriton reinforcements immediately moved in. The enemy commander fled through the portal and began to overload it. The resulting explosion would destroy the base, along with everyone and everything within a one-hundred-mile radius.

Everyone who could be evacuated was. A brutal fight to the death started around the portal. Ultimately, the portal was temporarily stabilized. Only the students near the portal's exit were successfully saved. The military was forced to pull back when the portal started closing.

Many kidnapped students had returned, but most were still missing. Overall, half of the entire student population vanished. Over half of the faculty had died or been kidnapped. The main library was looted, and millennia of research was gone.

The conflict had ended, but the chaos had just begun. Nafriton was now in shambles, but they weren't the only ones in serious trouble. Several traitors emerged among the faculty, guards and various government positions. Now, all of them had disappeared.

The Senate of the Chinebar Republic called for an emergency hearing with a mix of horror and glee. This situation destroyed countless lives and the nation's reputation, yet the central government could finally force Nafriton and Forest Waypoint under its wing.

The entire chain of command at the Forest Waypoint garrison was replaced effective immediately. The first act of the new garrison commander was an attempt to replace then arrest the headmaster and main faculty. The fool didn't even gather any evidence. He just expected them to obediently be arrested after rebuking them hours.

A certain former City Lord pointed out that an arrest warrant needed actual evidence to be granted. Then he also kindly reminded the new commander that he was in violation of the university's charter. Stallesso Forolan promptly kicked him out after a good beating.

The former City Lord started his own investigation. No one dared to say anything since his help save countless lives and his grandson was nearly lost to the terrorists. However, the public and Senate widely criticized his ruthless behavior towards the new commander.

Most believed in the faculty due to their personal reputations, but their desire for answers was stronger. Thousands of families grieved for their lost loved ones. Some high-ranking senators and faculty from other universities started rousing public opinion to force Nafriton to submit.

Public opinion continued to deteriorate. Since the Senate and their competitors started playing dirty first, Stallesso and Nafriton felt that it was only fair to return the favor. They held a public conference the next day. Headmaster Marin already had an investigation going, so they already had a lot of dirt throw.

Previously, competing universities had groaned publicly about sending their 'best' to Nafriton. The first pieces of evidence that Stallesso revealed was that most of the traitors came from those 'elites'. He cheerfully noted the traitors who were personally recommended by the Senate.

Next Stallesso proudly told the world that Nafriton had in fact requested military aid, but only a quarter of the number requested was granted. He pointed out several flaws in the intelligence reports provided to Nafriton.

Finally, he publicly requested for the task force dedicated to tracking and defeating the True Order to come to Nafriton. They hadn't been there in person in ages and were sorely missed.

Those pieces of evidence splashed the dirty water everywhere. The court of public opinion became a bloodbath. Senators eventually resigned. The entire chain of command of the Saintlenee province was replaced. Forest Waypoint received a second new commander.

The main hearing was ultimately pushed back by a month to elect new officials and conduct a preliminary investigation. However, the Nafriton faculty was still summoned much earlier to tell exactly what happened in person.