Premonition Of Attack

The night hung like a velvet curtain over the academy, its pathways dimly illuminated by lampposts casting long shadows across the cobblestone.

Christiana ventured forth towards the training grounds near the first-year building, the soft crunch of her boots against the stones the only sound breaking the silence.

"It's already past dinner time. I wonder how many would be there this late," she mused, a troubled expression clouding her face.

The previous events played over in her mind, her recent conversation with Chris lingering like an unresolved puzzle.

"He's been hiding things from me from the start. But why do I feel so unsettled now?" she thought, her brow furrowing.

Her mind drifted back to their exchange earlier. 

"No," she resolved, shaking off her doubts.

"I have to continue my investigation. There's too much at stake."

Her hand instinctively reached for the hilt of her sword, feeling the comforting warmth of the phoenix feather Chris had given her.

Its magic thrummed faintly, a reminder of his frail figure with a serious expression as always.

"He even went out of his way to give me this feather," she whispered to herself, her fingers brushing over the intricate handle.

The training grounds emerged from the shadows, it's fences glittering from the bright light originating from magic orbs around it.

Looking up at the sky filled with twinkling stars and a large moon, she thought of Chris.

His intense gaze, the way he always seemed to be looking out for her, even when he was hiding something.

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Why do I care so much about what he's hiding?" she wondered, the answer eluding her.

Swoosh!

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, as if a black veil had been drawn over the entire academy.

The stars and moon vanished, swallowed by an unnatural shadow that sent a shiver down Christiana's spine.

The air grew heavy, and an eerie silence settled over the grounds, broken only by the distant sound of large blasts echoing through the night.

Christiana stood frozen for a moment, taking in the horror unfolding before her.

The serene academy she knew had transformed into a battlefield, and the realization hit her with a cold, hard clarity.

She sprinted towards the training grounds to see if anyone remained and found all the student council members gathered there, along with Kevin Williams, a regular student from Course 2.

Princess Alexia turned to Christiana, her voice filled with anxiety, "What in the world is happening outside?"

***

Meanwhile, fifteen individuals clad in dark cloaks infiltrated the academy through the gate, their bodies shrouded in an ominous black aura exuding from their garments.

The guards, sensing the gravity of the situation, immediately sprang into action and attacked.

Despite outnumbering the intruders, within minutes, the guards lay unconscious on the ground, overwhelmed by the intruders' sheer power.

The gates and fences of the academy were stained with their blood, and the pathway was littered with their bloodied bodies.

Hearing the explosions, the night guards patrolling inside the academy rushed towards the source of the sound and were met with the gruesome sight of their fallen comrades.

Suddenly, a mysterious pitch-black, hemisphere-shaped screen enveloped the entire area within seconds. It was a formidable magic barrier.

This was no ordinary barrier; it incapacitated everyone's magic inside except for those specifically encoded within it.

Inside that barrier, only the cloaked intruders could wield magic.

Moreover, the barrier was impenetrable; no one could enter or exit without the caster's permission.

Like a swift gust of wind, daggers sliced through the air, slitting the throats of each remaining guard until none were left standing.

The night was filled with a chilling silence, punctuated only by the thud of bodies hitting the ground.

Among those cloaked figures, one of them, supposedly their leader declared in a deep voice.

"Find a student named Emmeline Neville and bring her to me."

***

Ugh! They've already started!

As I hid in a corner inside the training grounds, the deafening sound of explosions shattered the night's tranquility.

I wasn't allowed inside the dorms, but the training grounds were open to every student until 10:30 PM.

A few seconds later, Christiana burst through the entrance, only to be immediately questioned by Princess Alexia about the chaos unfolding outside.

She didn't notice me, practically hidden in the shadows.

All the first-year student council members were present, along with Kevin, our protagonist.

This situation was dire.

I never imagined they would strike so soon after I resumed attending classes.

That damn dog shit incident must have been the catalyst for this. Stepping on it was my sheer bad luck, so ultimately, it's all because of me.

Regardless of whether this was intentional or coincidental, we are at a disadvantage because only first-year students are present inside the academy.

The second-year students and teachers are away at a training camp and must be out of the city by now.

First-year teachers have let their guard down and have resumed living in their respective homes, due to the lack of any concerning incidents after that kidnapping.

The third-year students have not yet returned from their camp either.

I wasn't certain about anything until I heard the full story from Emmeline after classes.

Apparently, the leader of the first-year Course 2 students, Edwin Arkwright, was also in contact with the terrorists.

Emmeline's father must not have trusted her completely and appointed Edwin as a backup informant.

The question now is, what should we do?

Summoning the council members to the training grounds through Emmeline was the right call after all.

As it stands, it's those damn terrorists against the brightest students of the Royal Magic Academy.

But we can't act recklessly. There's no guarantee of anyone's safety if we do.

Should I leave the planning to Alexia and see how things play out initially?

No, that would be too risky.

Even if I reveal myself and share my plan, they wouldn't follow me—not a chance in a million.

As I pondered these thoughts, and Christiana explained what she saw outside to the others, a powerful explosion tore through the fence surrounding the training grounds.

From the smoke and flames, a group of cloaked figures emerged.

Their sinister aura sent chills down my spine.

Within that pin-drop silence, one of them started speaking.

"We are searching for a student named Emmeline Neville. Bring her to us, and your lives will be spared."

.

.

.

Huh? Why are they searching for her?

Since they were in contact with Edwin, he must have taken over the security keys of the first-year dorms. That means, except for these students, there shouldn't be anyone outside on the campus.

In that case, the maids must be inside the dorms too. That implies no hindrance for them to reach the basement and take the orb.

If they don't know the exact location, they should have asked Edwin. So, why search for Emmeline?

Everyone else was also shocked.

Then Alexia replied to the man.

"And what if we don't do that?"

"...That's why I don't like dealing with brats. Seems like you need some discipline."

This is bad. She's probably underestimating them.

In an instant, the clanking sound of swords echoed as Kevin was seen swinging his sword against one of them. I admired his quick decision-making skill. It must be the help of his system.

There were ten individuals we were up against.

And in total, we were seven, including me.

As the individual battles unfolded, Kevin, Alexia, Scott, Harald, Christiana, and Emmeline were immersed in combat. The remaining terrorists stood back, observing while I analyzed the situation.

In the novel, the subordinates of the terrorist leader didn't pose much of a threat. After a few minutes, they were taken down by the coordination of the student council and Kevin.

But as the battle continued, the difference in power became apparent. This wasn't even their full force, and yet Kevin and the others were being pushed back.

How is that possible? Is there another variable I didn't consider?

The situation looked grimmer when the terrorists increased the intensity of their attacks.

Should I step in now? Even if I do, there's no guarantee it would improve things. Moreover, the problem isn't just these people. It's their leader.

He must be moving toward the basement.

The vault where the orb is kept isn't unbreakable.

If things continue like this, it will be a complete failure for all of us.

This damn system is mute as always.

As disadvantageous situations piled up one after another, some ideas hit me suddenly.

For now, let's try that.

I focused all my strength on one of my daggers, and threw it toward the man fighting Christiana.

He noticed the incoming fireball and dodged it.

Taking advantage of the opening, I pulled Christiana aside, handed her some equipment, and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Hey! Look there! That girl is Emmeline Neville! She's running away!"

They all noticed my presence, and immediately after that, half of the terrorists focused on chasing her while the other half stayed behind to fight us.

Heh. For mercenaries working under that man, aren't you all pretty dumb?

While they were fighting, it looked like they were all coordinating with each other from my perspective. That was probably the reason for their overwhelming dominance in power.

And the key to breaking through such a situation is to divide their forces.

As my fellow students stood in their places, dumbfounded, I thought to myself, smirking inside.

This might work out after all!