Chapter 52 Dark Magic Invasion!

Chapter 52 Dark Magic Invasion!

The music classroom was completely empty. All the magical instruments were playing on their own without anyone controlling them.

The chaotic music we heard wasn't coming from Rena, because she wasn't even in the classroom.

Chloe's face turned pale and her voice trembled. "Wh-what's going on?"

I was the first to walk into the music classroom and look around. Apart from those out-of-control magical instruments, there was no one else in the room. At least the instruments were just playing—they hadn't shown any signs of attacking people yet.

"Let's split up and search. The music classroom is big, and there are several smaller practice rooms inside. Let's see if anyone's in there."

I quickly assigned each person a room to check, while I headed toward the one at the very back.

Darius grabbed my hand. He pointed to a room closer by. "Let's switch."

I didn't argue and nodded in agreement. The rooms we were searching were close to each other anyway—it didn't make much difference.

The four of us searched everywhere, inside and out, and finally gathered back in the main classroom, looking at each other in confusion.

"I looked everywhere. Didn't see anyone."

Chloe shook her head, her face pale.

Darius suddenly walked over to the trumpet that was still playing by itself. He stretched out his left hand, and deep purple markings appeared on the back of it.

A moment later, he spoke with a grave expression. "Everyone be careful. These instruments have traces of dark magic on them."

Luke shrank back in fear, taking two steps away from the out-of-control instruments. "We should go find a professor. This situation is probably beyond what we can handle."

"Yeah, let's go now."

"Ah!"

Just as we were about to leave, Chloe suddenly cried out. Her hand trembling, she pointed toward the main door.

"The door... the door! The door's gone!"

Luke's reaction was even more dramatic—his legs went weak and he nearly collapsed to the floor.

Chloe, scared herself, still had to hold him up firmly. "Luke, you're way too scared! Stand up straight, I can barely hold you!"

Luke gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand upright.

I looked toward the doorway with a serious expression. The door that had been there just fine was now a blank white wall.

I asked, "Chloe, did Rena tell you what she was doing in the music classroom today?"

Chloe nodded. "She came for the school festival performance rehearsal. She got here really early today."

She suddenly thought of something, her expression growing even more serious. "The rehearsal couldn't have been just Rena. There might be other people missing too."

I walked over and knocked on the wall where the door used to be. Very solid. We couldn't get out.

I decided to search the music classroom more carefully. In a corner, I found something familiar. Picking it up, I saw it was the hair clip Rena usually wore.

Before I could say anything, the classroom floor shook violently. The magical instruments, which had only been somewhat noisy before, suddenly burst out with sharp, piercing sounds. I frowned and covered my ears. The chairs and conductor's baton in the classroom began spreading deep purple mist.

"This is bad. Everything in here has been corrupted by dark magic and is starting to go out of control."

Darius's tone was serious. He rushed to my side and raised his hand to cast a magical shield.

Luke and Chloe huddled close together. He stared at the walls in terror. "The classroom—the classroom is shrinking!"

The white walls were silently covered by a layer of shadow, like countless shadow creatures crawling and devouring the entire classroom.

When these shadows completely surrounded us, our fate would be uncertain.

Though Chloe was also pale with fear, she could barely stay calm. "Vanessa, what do we do now?"

I didn't know as much about dark magic as Darius, so I turned to look at him. "Darius, can you sense where the dark magic is weakest?"

Since the door had disappeared, we could only look for another way out. Dark magic was cold and violent, and we were just freshmen at Aethergate College of Magic—we had no business trying to fight it head-on.

Darius closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed toward the southwest corner. "Over there. And... I just sensed a slightly different energy fluctuation there."

Without any hesitation, I immediately ran toward the southwest corner. When the classroom hadn't gone haywire earlier, I hadn't noticed.

Now, with the concealment spell failing under the influence of dark magic, I finally noticed there was a seal on this wall.

I curled my fingers and knocked on it. My eyes lit up.

"It's hollow here. Darius, help me break the seal."

Darius didn't hesitate for a second. He raised his hand and placed it on my shoulder, and a surging, massive flow of magic power poured continuously into my body. I gripped my wand tightly and channeled my purification magic with all my strength.

Chloe and Luke stood behind us. Chloe's voice was full of tension. "Vanessa, hurry up, those shadows are closing in on us."

"Just a bit more. Chloe, you and Luke hold them off."

I squeezed these words out through clenched teeth. The wand was burning hot from the massive influx of magic power—I felt like I was holding not a wand, but a red-hot branding iron.

But it still wasn't enough. The seal on the hidden door was incredibly strong. I needed even more powerful purification magic. We only had one chance.

Chloe and Luke cast magical shields, trying to block the shadows from spreading. But those shields, which could withstand quite a few magical attacks, crumbled the instant they touched the shadows.

Luke spoke in a trembling voice. "It's not working. Our magic seems to dissolve the moment it touches them. We can't hold them back."

The two kept backing up until their backs were pressed against Darius and me. Just as the shadows were about to touch our bodies, I shouted.

"Done!"

Intense, dazzling white light shot out from the tip of my wand. The seal on the hidden door made a cracking sound under the strain, fracture lines spreading rapidly like a spider web, then it shattered like a broken mirror, sending countless fragments flying.

I was gasping for breath, with no strength left to resist those fragments. Darius reacted incredibly fast—he pulled me into his arms while expanding a shield to cover all four of us. The energy overflowing from the purification magic temporarily slowed the shadows' advance. We didn't dare waste any time and quickly rushed through the hidden door.

This seemed to be a special space created by magic. The light was dim, and the ground was like a lake surface—when you stepped on it, ripples immediately spread out in layers. The hidden door behind us closed silently, trapping us completely inside.

"Is everyone okay?"

I raised my hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead.

"We're fine... but where is this? Has this place always been in the academy?"

Chloe shook her head. Luke's arm was still draped over her shoulder—he'd been badly frightened and his face was as white as paper.

"I don't know where this is either. But right now I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

I asked while examining our surroundings.

Luke asked tentatively, "What's the bad news?"

"We haven't found an exit. We most likely can't get out."

Luke's face fell. "...What's the good news then?"

I laughed. "We're still alive, and those shadows didn't catch up to us."

Luke looked miserable as he stood up straight. "Honestly, I don't think either of those is good news."

Chloe asked him, "Your legs aren't weak anymore?"

Luke's face turned red. "I just have a weak heart. I got scared just now. It's not like my legs go weak all the time..."

Darius's cool hand took mine. His voice was steady. "Let's walk forward and see what's ahead."

We walked forward together. This dim space seemed endless. After walking for who knows how long, my eyes suddenly brightened.

"Look up ahead, everyone."