the era of calamities-Chapter 99: The Calm Before the Web

Iris waited outside the warehouse until the noise finally died down. Only when the silence settled did she step inside, pretending to be surprised as she discovered the three unconscious candidates sprawled across the floor.

"What happened here? I heard some commotion, but I didn’t expect an actual fight."

Her face reflected nothing but sincere astonishment , the kind of expression so perfectly neutral that it could pass for innocence itself.

It was Rana, her voice soft yet adorably earnest, who explained what had just occurred.

"Those mean boys were bullying the tall one. I told them to stop, but they wouldn’t listen. Since they were being bad, I asked Mr. Bob to take care of them. And, well... that’s what happened."

She paused, her gaze drifting back toward Ereis, lying still on the ground.

"He suddenly passed out. We should help him... maybe take him to the infirmary."

---

A short while later, Ereis found himself resting in the infirmary.

Rana had insisted on staying with him, and Iris had followed, seizing the opportunity to chat casually and keep up appearances.

The two girls were seated on a wooden bench in the hallway, whispering about trivial things while waiting. Ana, the nurse in charge, had kicked them both out of the room, claiming that their chatter was preventing Ereis from recovering properly.

Once Ereis’s condition stabilized, Ana stepped out, joining the other two to understand how exactly things had escalated to this point and, more importantly, why three candidates now bore swollen faces that looked like they had been used as punching bags.

"Hm. I see what happened," Ana said after listening to Rana’s detailed explanation.

"Still, we should do something to prevent this sort of situation from happening again."

"You’re right... those behaviors are unacceptable," Rana muttered, still uneasy.

"Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do," Iris interjected calmly.

Both girls turned toward her, puzzled.

Iris cleared her throat, speaking as though she were merely stating an observation.

"I mean, talking to them won’t help. They won’t listen. They’ll just act in secret next time. And besides..."

She pretended to hesitate, eyes wandering briefly toward the infirmary door.

"I’ve seen other non-awakened candidates get bullied by awakened ones before. I’m afraid it’s more common than we’d like to think."

Rana’s shoulders slumped, sadness washing over her small frame. Ana, however, wore a more thoughtful expression.

"Then we need to identify the bullies and report them to the Enforcers so they’ll be punished accordingly."

But Ana had forgotten something crucial something Iris was quick to remind her of.

"The Enforcers are us. The three of us. Who do you think we can report this to, if not ourselves?"

Rana’s eyes gleamed with a spark of determination.

"Then let’s beat them up so they’ll never dare do it again!"

"That might be tempting," Ana replied cautiously, "but we can’t and certainly shouldn’t knock everyone out. There has to be another way."

Iris placed one finger thoughtfully under her chin, feigning deep contemplation.

"There might be a way... something non-violent, but drastic enough to make a point."

Ana raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

Iris’s tone grew more deliberate, almost philosophical.

"One of the Order’s most sacred principles the one everyone knows is equality.

Whether awakened or not, all are equal. Discrimination in any form is forbidden. So... if the Order punishes anyone who uses their powers to oppress the weak, what do you think would be the sentence for a candidate who dares to do it?"

She left the question hanging. Rana looked utterly lost, but Ana understood immediately.

"Elimination," she answered gravely.

"If an awakened candidate bullies a non-awakened and uses their power in the process, they’re immediately disqualified from the exam."

Iris nodded once, a faint glimmer of satisfaction flickering in her eyes.

If two awakened candidates fought, no drastic measure would be necessary.

If two non-awakened clashed, as long as neither put the other’s life at risk, it could be overlooked. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

But the moment an awakened oppressed a non-awakened, Iris had every right to expel them from the examination instantly.

And since she already possessed the full list of known harassers, doing so would be child’s play.

However, she had no intention of revealing that card just yet. Timing was everything. It had to align perfectly with a crucial step in Sirius’s plan.

"I’m afraid that’s the only course of action we can take,"

she said softly.

"Still, we should at least warn everyone first. Give them a chance to change before we make anything official."

"I understand," Ana replied.

"Then we’ll make a public announcement: anyone caught harassing the weak will be immediately expelled from the examination."

"Yes... I just hope those who’ve already been bullying others will stop. It would be sad to crush someone’s dream of joining the Order."

Though Iris spoke with what seemed like genuine compassion, her heart was devoid of mercy.

None of the bullies would be spared. Not one.

But the time to strike hadn’t yet come.

"In that case, problem solved!"

Rana declared cheerfully, clearly convinced she had grasped everything.

---

After that discussion, the three girls went their separate ways.

Night had already stretched deep into the sky, the camp growing quiet under the distant hum of nocturnal insects. Tomorrow, they would gather every candidate and deliver their decision publicly.

Each returned to her tent, ready to rest or at least to pretend to.

But sleep did not last long.

A sudden uproar tore through the camp like a whip of wind, pulling everyone from their dreams.

---

Far beyond the horizon, the heavens darkened into a shade of obsidian. The moon, once silver and serene, bled red until it resembled a gaping wound in the night. The stars scattered, fading one by one, as though devoured by invisible threads.

And then, those threads revealed themselves.

They stretched across the sky like webs colossal, glimmering strands that pulsed faintly with an eerie, organic light.

Where they converged, they formed an immense network, a grotesque tangle as thick as the trunks of ancient trees.

At its center hung not an island, but a vast cocoon, suspended like a dreadful omen.

A chilling silence fell.

The candidates stared upward, paralyzed by the sight. None of them had ever seen anything like it. Even the air seemed to tremble, as if the world itself held its breath.

Then, from the distant road, the sound of engines broke the stillness , a convoy of battered vehicles, their frames bent and broken, crawling forward as if propelled by sheer desperation.

When the cars finally reached the camp, their passengers stumbled out: covered in blood, their Clothes torn, their eyes hollow and lifeless.

No one needed to speak. The truth spread among the candidates like wildfire.

The battle against the Duchy... had officially begun.