Black Dragon X [LitRPG • Dark Fantasy]-Chapter 53 - 52 : Seeds of Chaos

The break courtyard at the School of Sorcerers was bustling with the sounds of students. A gentle breeze passed through the trees planted around the courtyard, carrying scattered laughter and ordinary conversations.

In one corner, a group of Rank F students sat around a stone table. Cups of juice were placed before them, and their bags were tossed near the chairs.

One of the students, holding his head slightly, said:

—"I don’t know why... but my head has been hurting since this morning."

Another student lifted his head toward him and said sarcastically:

—"Maybe you were dreaming you were a hero in a battle and someone hit you."

The others laughed.

The first student shrugged and said:

—"No... it’s really strange."

He furrowed his brows slightly. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

—"...I feel as if I got hit on the head yesterday."

A brief silence fell around the table.

Then someone said, laughing:

—"Maybe you bumped into a wall while you were asleep."

Everyone burst out laughing. Among them, Yui Hina was leaning back in his chair, watching them with a faint smile. Then he raised his hand slightly and said:

"Strangely... I feel the same way."

They turned to him. He raised his eyebrows and said:

"Really... I feel as if my head was hit yesterday."

Someone immediately laughed.

"Seems like you’re all having the same dreams."

Yui laughed along with them. But Suddenly. His laughter stopped. Silence fell. He remained seated in his place... motionless. One of the students looked at him in bewilderment.

—"Yui?"

He didn’t answer. Slowly his body began to stiffen. His eyes widened slightly. Then, he suddenly fell to his knees in front of the table.

His knees hit the ground with a soft thud. The students sprang up from their seats.

—"Yui!"

One of them stepped closer.

—"What..!!!!"

But Yui slowly lifted his head. His eyes... were different. They were no longer as they had been moments ago. A strange stillness filled his features.

Then, a slow smile appeared on his lips. A smile... that was not his own. He opened his mouth. But the voice that came out was not his voice. He said in a low, cold tone:

"Finally... we have found you."

And in the next moment, he suddenly lunged at the nearest student. The chair shattered. Someone screamed.

And suddenly, chaos erupted in the courtyard. But what was happening there... was only the beginning.

—

Elsewhere in the school,

inside the long corridor of one of the wings, the student Shirai stood near the window, laughing loudly.

In front of him, the student Amané was holding a book, looking at him with annoyance. She said,

—"If you don’t stop laughing, I’ll hit you with this book."

Shirai laughed even more.

"You say that every time."

She shook her head.

—"Because you never change."

Shirai raised his hands in surrender, still laughing.

"Alright... alright..."

But suddenly, his words stopped. His smile remained frozen on his face... but it no longer looked natural. He blinked slowly. Then he placed his hand on his head.

"...Wait."

Amané furrowed her brows.

—"What?"

But before he could answer his body trembled. His eyes widened suddenly. Then, he fell forcefully to his knees.

—"Shirai!"

Amané rushed toward him. But when he lifted his head, she froze in place. His eyes... were no longer normal. A strange look had settled in them.

Then, he smiled. The same cold smile. He slowly opened his mouth. And said in a voice that was not his own:

"...It has begun."

—

And in other parts of the school,...

a student fell in the corridor. Another froze in the middle of the courtyard. A female student dropped her books from her hands, staring at her friend whose eyes had changed.

One student ran toward the exit... but his friend grabbed him from behind. Screams began to rise. Footsteps pounding. Chairs breaking. The sound of fighting.

Chaos began to spread throughout the school... Slowly. But steadily. As if something had finally awakened.

_

Meanwhile, behind the massive metal door at the top of the school tower,..

the room was engulfed in darkness. No light at all... except for the faint green flicker coming from the black mirror standing in the center of the hall. Its surface was unlike any ordinary mirror.

In front of it stood Draven. His arms were behind his back, and his eyes were fixed on the mirror’s surface.

Inside it, green numbers were slowly rising. One number... then another... Each green flash added a new number to the counter.

Kaguchi stood nearby, silently watching the mirror.

A moment of calm prevailed. Then Kaguchi said in a casual tone:

"You’ve been watching it since morning."

Draven didn’t move. He didn’t turn. His eyes remained fixed on the mirror. The numbers reflected in his pupils. He said quietly:

—"We’re getting close."

Kaguchi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Getting close to what?"

Before he could answer, the mirror suddenly flashed. A new number rose. Then another. Then, the numbers paused for a moment.

A heavy silence filled the room. Then the final number appeared. The mirror shone with a green flash stronger than before.

Draven’s smile slowly widened. He spoke in a calm voice, though it carried a hint of satisfaction:

—"...Finally."

A moment of silence. Then he added:

—"The counter is full."

Kaguchi furrowed his brows slightly.

"Full?"

But before he could ask further, a distant sound reached the room. A muffled sound... as if someone were screaming.

The two exchanged a brief glance. Then another sound was heard. A second scream. Then a third. This time it was clearer.

Kaguchi said, turning toward the door:

"What... is that?"

He rushed toward the nearby window. He stretched out his hand and opened it. Cold air entered the room.

Then he looked down, toward the school courtyard. And froze. His eyes widened. He said in a low, disbelieving voice:

"...What is happening down there?"

Draven approached slowly. He stood beside him. And he too looked down at the courtyard. Below chaos reigned throughout the area. Students were running in every direction.

Some were screaming. Some were falling to the ground. And some were violently attacking their classmates.

The courtyard tables had been overturned. Books were scattered across the ground. Blood began spreading across the stones. One student fell... and another pounced on him. Screams filled the place.

Kaguchi said in shock:

"The students..."

He clenched his fist.

"...They’re attacking each other!"

But Draven... didn’t seem surprised. He continued watching the scene in silence. Then he closed his eyes for a moment. As if listening to something distant.

And at that moment, a sharp sound echoed throughout the school.

Ding—!

Then it repeated.

Ding—! Ding—!

The alarm bell. The metallic sound rose through all the corridors, the towers, the courtyards. The students’ screams blended with the echo of the bell. Kaguchi said, staring down:

"Impossible..."

He took a slow breath.

"...How did this happen?"

But Draven did not answer. His eyes were still fixed on the courtyard. A faint smile appeared on his lips. A small smile...

And in the next moment, a tremendous sound echoed through one part of the school.

Boooooooooooooooooooom!

The walls shook. The windows rattled. A column of smoke rose from the direction of the distant towers. Kaguchi stepped back. His eyes widened.

"...An explosion?!"

But before he could say anything else the room returned to silence. The black mirror behind them still glowed. And the counter... remained steady. Full.

_

Above the roof of the School of Sorcerers,... where the noise from the courtyard didn’t reach clearly...

and no one paid attention to what was happening there. The wind passed between the tall stone edges, moving the black cloaks that stood in silence.

Several people stood on the roof. Their features were harsh... and their eyes cold. They were soldiers of the Drakhaen.

They stood in a nearly straight line, as if waiting for an order. At their front stood a woman. Her long blonde hair flowed with the wind, and her dark cloak draped quietly behind her.

She was the commander, Mirei.

Her gaze was steady... directed downward. Toward the school courtyard. From that height the chaos could be seen clearly.

Students were running. Others were falling. Screams echoed between the towers. But Mirei’s expression did not change.

No emotion appeared on her face. She was simply watching. Beside her stood one of the soldiers, holding a strangely shaped device.

It wasn’t a phone... nor a regular tablet. It resembled a flat blue screen. Its surface displayed only one thing.

Small yellow dots. Dozens of them. Or rather... hundreds. Each dot was fixed in its place. As if it represented a specific location.

The soldier stood staring at the screen intently. Then suddenly, one of the dots changed. The yellow color... turned red. The device emitted a faint sound.

"Tick."

The soldier raised his head slightly. But before he could speak another dot changed. Then another. Yellow turned to red... one after another. Soft sounds began repeating from the device.

"Tick... tick... tick..."

The soldier raised the device slightly and said:

—"Milady..."

But before he could continue, Mirei raised her hand slightly. A small gesture... and he stopped immediately. He remained silent. Her eyes stayed on the school. Then she said in a calm, composed voice:

"...How many are there now?"

The soldier looked at the screen again. The red dots were increasing. While many yellow dots still remained unchanged. After a moment, he said:

—"About half... Milady."

A brief silence passed. The wind swept across the roof once more. Then, another dot changed. And another. Yellow slowly turned to red. The soldier said, watching the screen:

—"The units are starting to awaken."

But Mirei shook her head slightly. Her gaze did not change. Then she spoke calmly:

"...No."

She raised her eyes slightly toward the sky. Then returned them to the courtyard. And continued:

"The number isn’t complete yet."

She glanced at the device in the soldier’s hand for a moment. The red dots were increasing... but the yellow ones were still scattered among them. She said in a low voice:

"...Not all the seeds have been activated yet."

Silence prevailed.

But below, a new scream rose from the courtyard. One student fell. Another rushed toward him. Chaos was spreading.

But on the roof no one moved. The soldiers remained in place. Waiting. Watching the screen. Until... all the dots would change.