Black Dragon X [LitRPG • Dark Fantasy]-Chapter 54 - 53 : The Shadow Seal

At the School of Sorcerers chaos still reigned within. Students were running. Others were falling. And the alarm bell echoed throughout the school without pause.

But atop the roof the scene was completely different.

Drakhaen soldiers stood in a perfect line near the edge. Their black cloaks swayed in the wind, their eyes fixed... waiting.

At their forefront stood Mirei. Her back straight. Her gaze cold and unwavering, directed at the school below. As if the chaos raging there... meant nothing to her.

Beside her a soldier stood holding the device. The blue screen was still lit. Dozens of tiny dots appeared on it. All of them... red.

Not a single yellow dot remained.

Silence lingered for a few seconds. The wind swept across the roof once more. Then the device emitted a faint sound.

Tick.

The soldier lifted the device slightly, staring at the screen. Then he spoke in a steady voice:

— "Milady..."

He paused for a moment. Then continued:

— "...The count is complete."

Mirei remained silent. She did not move. But her eyes dropped slightly toward the screen. The red dots completely filled it. Then she slowly raised her gaze toward the school.

A new scream rose from the courtyard below. A very faint smile crossed her lips. Then she said quietly:

"...Prepare yourselves."

The soldiers behind her paused. Their hands began to move slowly. One drew a long black weapon from behind his back. Another unlocked a strangely shaped sword.

The sound of metal scraping echoed through the air. A third soldier tightened the metal gauntlet on his hand. Their eyes sharpened. They waited for the order.

Mirei stood without turning to them. The wind lifted strands of her golden hair slightly. Then she spoke in a cold, clear voice:

"...In five minutes."

She paused for a moment. Then continued:

"We begin."

On the roof, the soldiers prepared in silence. Weapons in hand. Their gazes fixed on the school. Below chaos still spread. And in that moment, Mirei’s mind filled with a memory.

—---------------------- Flashback —-----------------------

— Two days earlier—

Inside the meeting hall of the Drakhaen Kingdom. Shadows filled the room. And in the center of the hall several people sat around the black circular table.

The faces of the Drakhaen leaders. And Villiam and Lilithia.

Cold eyes. A heavy silence hung over the hall. Then, Mirei stepped forward. Her dark cloak slid quietly behind her. She placed her hand on the table. And spoke in a calm tone:

"...The day after tomorrow."

Some eyes turned toward her. She continued, her voice unchanged:

"Tomorrow is Saturday."

She slowly raised one finger.

"More than half of the School of Sorcerers’ teachers... will not be present."

One of the leaders furrowed his brow slightly.

"A day off."

Mirei nodded slowly.

"A changed attendance system."

Silence hung for a moment. Then she continued:

"As for the school..."

She paused briefly. She raised her eyes toward those present.

"...It is convinced that we will attack at night."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Therefore."

A short pause. Then she said:

"...We will attack in broad daylight."

Some glances around the table shifted. But one of them spoke slowly:

— "Even if there are fewer teachers..."

He looked at her.

— "...There are still students."

Mirei smiled faintly. Then she raised her hand. And in her palm appeared a small yellow seed. It was about the size of a fingernail. But it... pulsed. A faint throb.

A light shimmered through its surface. The leaders’ gazes turned toward her. One of them spoke in a a low voice:

— "...What is this?"

Mirei replied calmly:

"A seed."

She lifted the seed slightly. Then she said:

"Inside it... I merged it with a part of Commander Kaelina’s soul."

Silence filled the hall. Even the flames in the torches seemed to pause. One of the leaders said slowly:

"...A soul?"

Mirei nodded.

"Only a small part."

Then she continued:

"Linked... to the mirror."

The attendees’ gazes focused more intently on her. Mirei placed the seed on the table. Then she pushed it slightly with her finger. It slowly rolled across the black surface. And she said:

"We will plant these seeds... inside the black cards of the school’s students."

Silence fell. Then the eyes of one of the leaders suddenly widened.

— "...What?"

Mirei continued as if it were nothing:

"The black cards that appeared when the sun screamed."

She raised her gaze toward him.

"Inside them."

The leader paused for a moment. Then he said slowly:

— "...The students will feel something."

Mirei shook her head.

"They will not."

Then she added:

"The seeds remain dormant."

A short silence.

"...Until the time comes."

She lifted the seed again. The pulse within it grew more distinct. Then she said quietly:

"When they awaken..."

She paused for a moment.

"...Chaos will begin."

Silence filled the hall. Then one of the leaders asked:

— "...Can they be removed?"

She answered without hesitation:

"No."

Then she added:

"The seeds will not disappear..."

She raised her gaze.

"...Except with the death of the original seed’s owner."

A heavy silence hung over the table. Then, a deep voice spoke from the corner of the hall. It was the Black Dragon. His eyes watched Mirei calmly. He said:

— "...And who carries the original seed?"

Mirei paused for a moment. The seed remained between her fingers. Then a small smile appeared on her lips. And she said in a calm voice:

"...I planted it years ago."

All eyes turned toward her. She continued:

"I had a feeling..."

A short silence.

"...That this day would come."

She lowered her gaze slightly. Then she said:

"...He didn’t realize anything back then."

Silence. Then she slowly raised her eyes. Her smile widened slightly.

"...He was just a child."

Silence filled the hall. But the Black Dragon did not seem convinced. He said in a calm voice:

— "...Even if that is so."

He raised his head slightly.

— "...How will we reach the students?"

He paused for a moment.

— "...We don’t have enough time... and we don’t know any of the students."

Silence prevailed. But Mirei smiled. A different smile this time. Then she said calmly:

"...There is no need for us to reach them."

She raised her gaze toward the Dragon. The leaders paused. Then she added:

"There is someone..."

A short silence.

"...We can rely on."

Some of the leaders exchanged glances. But Mirei spoke the name quietly:

"Shirogane Rei."

Silence fell over the hall.

—---------------- Return —------------------

— Present—

On the roof of the School of Sorcerers the wind swept over the stone towers.

Mirei’s cloak shifted slightly. She stood near the edge. The soldiers behind her prepared in silence. But her eyes dropped slightly. A faint smile crossed Mirei’s lips.

"My teacher... thank you..."

Then, it vanished. And the wind swept across the roof once more.

Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed over the school courtyard.

"NOW!"

It was Mirei’s voice. It rang from the top of the roof like a decisive military command. At that very moment the Drakhaen soldiers moved.

Some leaped from the edge. Their shadows fell over the courtyard. The air tore with the sound of their descent.

And below chaos had reached its peak. Students ran. Others attacked without awareness. A magical explosion shook one of the corridors. Dust rose into the air. A new scream tore through the place.

Then, in the midst of the thick dust at the heart of the courtyard... a shadow appeared. A step. Then another.

Lilithia emerged slowly from the smoke. Her cloak moved behind her. The dust swirled around her with each step. She stopped in the middle of the courtyard. Her eyes swept across the area.

Students were falling. Others attacked their companions. Blood began to stain the stones.

She tightened her grip slightly. Then, she raised her sword. A brief moment of silence passed. And in the next movement she plunged the blade into the ground.

Craaaack!

The sound was sharp. But what happened next... was not ordinary. The shadow beneath her feet trembled. A thin line of darkness emerged from where the sword struck.

Then, it split. A second line. A third. A fourth. As if the shadow itself... had begun to spread.

The black lines surged across the ground. They swept through the courtyard quickly. Then the corridors. Then the stone walls. They climbed the towers.

Extended over the rooftops. Dark symbols began to form. Circles. Interwoven lines. A network of black marks covered the area. One of the teachers’ eyes widened. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

— "...What is this?"

But Lilithia, closed her eyes. The shadows began to gather around her feet. The air grew heavier. Then she spoke. Her voice was calm... yet clear.

"Stone Art - Black Stone."

She paused for a moment. Then she said:

"Level 1 : Shadow Mark."

She slowly opened her eyes. And the shadows exploded in all directions.

In the next moment, darkness enveloped the school. Not as a wall. But as a vast field of shadows. A gigantic network of black marks appeared on: The ground. The walls. The towers. Everything.

The seal was complete. The air grew heavy. Then the first change occurred. One of the affected students rushed toward the school gate.

He ran at full speed. But before he could take a step the shadow beneath his foot moved suddenly. His foot sank into the darkness for a fraction of a second. He stumbled. Fell to the ground.

At the other end of the courtyard, an injured student raised his hand to cast a spell. But the shadow beneath his body began to tremble. As if the ground itself resisted him.

The spell wavered in his hand. Then vanished for a moment.

Meanwhile, one of the combat students stood on one of the black marks. And suddenly he felt his body grow lighter. Breathing became difficult. He collapsed to the ground.

— "...I can’t fight anymore."

Some of the students... only some had faint black circles appear beneath their feet. As if the ground itself was pointing at them. One of the teachers noticed. His eyes widened.

— "...The marks!"

He pointed at them quickly. And at the center of the courtyard Lilithia stood motionless. Her sword was still embedded in the ground.

The marks around the entire school... were connected to her. As if the shadows themselves were transmitting everything to her.

The sound of a fight in the western corridor. A scream near the southern tower. A magical explosion behind the library. Everything reached her.

On the school roof, Mirei stood at the edge. The wind lifted her golden hair. But her eyes watched the seal covering the school.

The black marks stretched over the towers. The courtyards. The corridors. One of the Drakhaen soldiers said slowly:

— "...The area is sealed."

A moment of silence.

— "...No one can get out."

But Mirei smiled. A small smile. Then she said quietly:

"Good. Then... let’s begin reclaiming what is ours."

The soldier turned to her. But she gave no explanation. She was still watching the shadows surrounding the school. Then she whispered:

"You’re trying to contain the chaos here..."

A short silence. Then her smile widened slightly.

"...But that is exactly what we wanted."

And in that moment, one of the black marks beneath Lilithia’s feet suddenly trembled. It shook. Then, the shadow within it cracked. As if something... was trying to break free from the inside.