Chapter 38: Upheaval (6)
Chapter 38: Upheaval (6)
The bag had landed in the worst possible place.
Moments ago, in his panic, Jin had tossed it aside while grabbing the umbrella. Now, it was far beyond the reach of his protective barrier. The creatures had already breached the inner wall, and going back for the bag would be no different from suicide.
Unlike Jin, Aska was a magician who relied on conventional methods to cast spells. Without his tools, a pen and paper, he couldn’t use magic at all. And those were in his bag.
Which meant, right now, Aska couldn’t use any magic.
The brief calm that had returned to Aska’s face during their retreat into the hallway vanished once more. He let out a long sigh and turned his gaze back to Jin. His expression was heavy with worry as he murmured, almost like a groan.
“…Jin.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’ve sent a report. Help will come soon to deal with this situation. Do you think you can hold on until then? Close your eyes, cover your ears, and just focus on the magic.”
The type of magic Jin used was something only arcmages could perform, casting spells entirely through willpower and mental constructs. It was as if the caster drew a magic circle within their mind. And just as a damaged physical circle rendered magic ineffective, any disturbance to the caster’s concentration would disrupt the spell.
Jin didn’t understand the theory behind it. But instinctively, he knew: if his concentration faltered, the barrier would fail. And if the barrier failed, they would die.
So despite his pale face and trembling limbs, Jin nodded. He clenched his eyes shut and pressed his hands tightly over his ears. As he did, tears that had been clinging to his lashes slipped down his cheeks. Aska gently wiped them away and wrapped the boy in his arms. His hands rubbed Jin’s back, silently telling him that everything would be alright.
In Aska’s warm embrace, Jin was able to block out the creeping sounds trying to worm their way into his ears.
Or at least, he thought he could.
The crashing noises grew louder and louder. Eventually, even with his ears covered, they rang out clear as day. Worse still, something strange, a chilling, unearthly wailing, began to mix in.
The resonance of those two sounds was so eerie, so bone-deep and unsettling, that goosebumps broke out all over Jin’s skin. Then came the panic, hitting like a tidal wave. He began to shake uncontrollably, a weak, trembling voice leaking from between his teeth.
“A-Aska… the sounds…”
“It’s alright, Jin. They can’t get in.”
Because their bodies were pressed so closely together, Aska noticed the change immediately. He spoke in a calm, soothing tone to reassure the child, but the magic was already faltering. Jin’s fear had begun to unravel the tight weave of the protective barrier.
Sensing the instability in the flow of mana, Aska held Jin even tighter and added desperately,
“Jin, please…”
But his plea never reached its mark.
Crash.
A sound like shattering glass rang out, and the protective magic dissipated with it. At the same time, shhk, something pierced through flesh.
“Urgh.”
A pained groan escaped Aska’s lips, straining to suppress the agony.
The world remained dark to Jin, but not seeing didn’t mean not knowing. A chilling sensation swept through him, as if all the blood in his body had frozen. His eyes flew open in shock. The cold that enveloped him made his entire body tremble violently. He writhed in Aska’s arms.
Weakened, Aska could no longer restrain him completely. Jin’s face slipped from Aska’s chest, and with his mouth no longer fully blocked, he let out a noise the moment he could.
“Ah…!”
But before the sound could escape fully, Aska’s hand clamped over his mouth.
“Shh, Jin. If they hear you… we’ll die.”
Curled protectively around him, Aska whispered in the faintest voice. The warning stopped Jin’s panicked thrashing in an instant. A heartbeat later, he realized the hand over his mouth was trembling, struggling to hold on.
Jin’s wide eyes lifted and met Aska’s.
Those eyes, twisted in pain, sent a shudder through Jin’s soul. Blue light bloomed in his eyes as tears instantly welled up. Within seconds, they spilled over and poured down his cheeks, dripping onto Aska’s hand. The trembling that had quieted for a moment swept over him once again, and he began to twist and writhe in terror.
“Mmmph! Mmh!”
“Shhh… cough…”
Just as Aska was trying to calm him, a sudden cough burst from his lips, followed by a gush of blood. It spilled over his chin in a thick, dark stream. A few droplets splattered Jin’s face. Crimson filled his vision. He felt the sticky warmth on his skin, smelled the metallic tang in the air. Jin froze.
The moment the blood came up, Aska’s strength gave out. His hand fell limply away. Though his mouth was now free, Jin was so stunned, he didn’t make a sound. He sat there, unmoving .Only the steady flow of tears from his eyes proved he was still alive.
Aska’s efforts had not been in vain. The dark blades that had pierced his heart missed Jin entirely, hidden within his arms. Sensing the life within Aska fading, the creature withdrew its weapons and moved on, seeking its next target.
Aska collapsed with another agonized breath. Despite his failing body, he used the last of his strength to hold himself upright, trying not to burden his young student.
“Ah… ah…”
Jin, frozen in panic, whimpered in broken syllables. Aska, his voice barely more than a breath, tried to comfort him.
“That’s it… Jin, cast the magic again. The barrier… monsters aren’t affected by attack spells.”
“A-Aska… hic, okay…”
Trembling, Jin forced out the incantation and re-cast the protective spell. Only then did Aska let out a sigh of relief. A faint smile curved his lips.
“Haah… well done…”
But unlike Aska, Jin couldn’t relax. He was gasping, shaking uncontrollably. With the barrier restored, he reached out with a trembling hand toward the blood that still trickled from Aska’s lips. His golden eyes, unfocused and glazed, stared blankly at the crimson. His mouth quivered.
“Aska… are you going to die? No, right? You’re okay, right? Please…”
Slowly, Aska raised a trembling hand to wipe the endless stream of tears from Jin’s cheek. Each breath was becoming harder. Amid ragged gasps, he forced out a few more words.
“Jin…”
“Y-Yes, Aska.”
“Haaah… One day… you’ll become the greatest magician in Dantella. Please, use that power… for the good of our country. Promise me that.”
“I will, anything you ask… just please, please don’t go…”
“…Good…”
Aska’s murmur trailed off into silence. The ragged sound of his breathing faded… and then stopped altogether. The light vanished from his dim, unfocused eyes. His large frame, which had shielded Jin until the very end, slumped forward, falling atop the child.
“…Aska?”
A terror unlike anything Jin had ever known gripped him. It felt like all the warmth had drained from his body, leaving only ice. His heart pounded as if trying to explode. His whole body trembled with each thunderous beat.
He reached out and lightly tapped Aska’s shoulder.
There was no response. Like a corpse.
The thought crept into Jin’s mind, and chills ran down his spine. He grabbed the shoulder and shook it, his voice cracking with desperation.
“No… no, Aska… please wake up…”
But no matter how he called, how he shook him, the man didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
“Aska… please, you’re not…”
Refusing to accept reality, Jin shook his head violently. He clutched the broad shoulder tighter, shaking even harder. But no matter what he did, there was no response.
“No…!”
It was death. Clear and unmistakable.
“Noooo!!”
His anguished scream echoed.
Drawn by the sound, nearby monsters turned to him. Dozens of black, glinting eyes locked onto Jin. They began to approach.
Jin’s vision flashed red. Moments ago, these creatures had terrified him beyond reason. But now, after watching Aska die, that fear was gone. What filled him now was only—
“Hhhh…”
A seething, blistering rage, like molten lava, ready to explode.
Jin didn’t know why the change happened. He didn’t need to.
The only thought swirling in his mind was that it was his fear that broke the barrier and killed Aska.
A hollow, deranged laugh escaped his lips. It was laced with self-loathing. And then something awakened within him. A strange sensation, like a thread tethering him to the sky, snapped taut.
Rrrrumble.
The clear sky darkened as storm clouds surged in, swallowing the light in an instant.
Jin clenched his jaw, glaring back at the approaching creatures with eyes blazing in fury. His rage surged up that unseen thread into the sky, and the sky answered.
CRACK!
Thunder ripped through the air as lightning crashed down. Bolts fell mercilessly around Jin, reducing the approaching monsters to ash.
It wasn’t magic. If it were, it wouldn’t have worked on the monsters.
It was real lightning – lightning summoned from the heavens, not born of mana. The devastation didn’t stop at the monsters. The orphanage building itself was obliterated, reduced to ruins beyond recognition.
But Jin didn’t care. All he could see… was Aska.
“Hic… Aska… I’m sorry… please, wake up…”
He had destroyed everything in his fury. But all that remained in the end was sorrow and grief for the person he had lost.
Jin clung to Aska’s lifeless body, sobbing in the rain.
From the sky now black with storm clouds, a heavy downpour began to fall, obscuring even the shortest distance.
……
T/N: What is this wetness on my cheeks? Oh, it was my tears… 😭😭😭
