Grand Ascension-Chapter 126: Malakor

Makun looked at the device, the chaos that ensued as people fled from the room, his heart pumping.

It still had not been a month ever since he started his journey, he had no knowledge of how mystic devices worked, he had only interacted with the phase veil charm, phase bastion charm, and a frequency distortion device.

This, although similar, was different and he felt apprehension.

Fear towards the unknown.

But could fear really knock him down, was that not something he had experienced ever since he was a kid. The fear of not knowing what stroke of poor luck would happen next, the fear of not knowing what near-death experience he was going to experience next.

He had already suppressed and surpassed that type of fear.

He had learned to search for solutions instead of lamenting himself in fear, as such, he moved, first secure the kids.

They had not been far from the grey apostle’s original position, he could get to them and shield them, they were proof of a successful mission.

Thud!

He tried rushing, but his torn muscles betrayed him, the fibres that had ripped during his final burst of speed now screaming in agony.

He forced himself even more than he should, teeth gritted, blood vessels bursting in his eyes, crawling forward on hands and knees when his legs refused to obey.

But.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep!

The beeping reached a crescendo, a single sustained tone that pierced through the screaming, the chaos and the pounding of his own heart.

FLASH!

All Makun could see before he fainted and lost consciousness was a white light, whiter than anything he had ever seen before.

Thud! He fainted.

...

Thud!

The grey apostle fell in front of a massive wooden door, his body crumpling against the cold stone floor as blood poured from the stump where his leg had once been, the flesh ragged and torn a trail of crimson stretching behind him like a gruesome ribbon marking the path of his desperate crawl through the darkness beyond the metallic threshold.

"AAAARGH!"

His scream echoed through the corridor.

The door was massive and ancient with symbols carved into its surface that pulsed faintly with residual Ashe, and standing before it were two guards.

Both of them were third-grade initiate warriors judging by the density of their spiritual presence, they had been relaxed, them being here was just a formality, nothing really happened here except for the grey apostle entering and leaving.

However when they saw him, and heard his scream, their hearts jumped and they rushed forward.

"Grey Apostle!"

One of them dropped to his knees beside the fallen priest, his eyes scanning the wound while the other stood guard his head swiveling toward the wooden door which was now closed wondering what might have happened to the grey apostle that seemed so untouchable.

"What happened? Who did this?"

The grey apostle grabbed the kneeling guard’s collar with a blood-slicked hand, yanking him close, his grey eyes wild with pain and fury and something that looked almost like fear.

"Doctor... get me a Healer... NOW!"

The guard nodded frantically, rising to his feet, ready to sprint down the corridor, but the grey apostle’s hand shot out, grabbing his ankle with surprising strength for a man bleeding out on the floor.

"Just one of you," he hissed through gritted teeth.

He turned to the second guard and despite the agony that twisted his features, despite the blood pooling beneath him, his voice carried the weight of absolute urgency.

"You... alert Boss Malakor."

The guard’s eyes widened.

"Boss Malakor? But he said never to disturb him unless—"

"DO IT!"

The grey apostle’s scream silenced any protest.

"Tell him... tell him we have a problem." He coughed, blood speckling his lips.

The guard did not hesitate further, he turned, ran then disappeared into the shadows.

...

"Straight forward" Ray hurriedly directed Danielle who was driving the SUV in the direction of Sam Houston Forest.

After Ray’s vision, he had hurriedly sent a message to the team through Kenji’s earpiece, they met up back where the black SUV had been, then Ray proceeded to actively perform some type of tracking divination.

As such following Ray’s orders and the spiritual residue orb held by Sarah, they advanced.

Shiiiing!

"The Orb, it is reacting." Sarah said, her mouth twitching into a wary frown.

Makun had been in their team for not even two days, and they might lose him as soon as he entered. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

That on its own was sad, but what about the image their team was going to get, what about their grades and rank at MIO.

You have to be alive! She wished in her heart.

"Left" Ray directed as his nose started bleeding again, a thin trail he wiped away without comment.

He had directions, an a priori, however every time the spirits directed him, he had to pay a price.

Sat on the driving seat, Danielle said nothing, her expression unreadable with her eyes fixed on the dark road ahead, no one knew what she was thinking about.

They entered Sam Houston Forest, the headlights cutting through the darkness.

Schiiing! Schiiiiiiing!

The spiritual residue orb detector held by Sarah brightened more and more, emitting sharp sounds and by now, they could see multiple tire traces on the floor, there was no more need for divinations or a spiritual residue orb.

From the tire marks, they knew where to go.

Danielle followed the traces, the SUV bumping along the uneven forest floor until Ray pointed through the trees.

"There!" Ray pointed through the trees, his finger aimed at a tall metal fence barely visible through the dense foliage. "That’s the place, I can feel it."

Danielle swerved off the road, the SUV crashing through underbrush, branches scraping against the windows as she forced the vehicle toward the fence.

They burst into a clearing and Danielle slammed the brakes.

Skkkkrrrrrrrr!

The fence had been breached, its metal bars bent and twisted, but what attracted their attention were the dead bodies that lay at different parts of the garden, a hole in their stomachs.

"What the hell happened here?"