Chapter 43 What Belongs to Him Is Blank

Chapter 43 What Belongs to Him Is Blank

"There's a trap below."

I looked down and broke out in a cold sweat.

Less than four inches from where I stood, the ground showed a faint irregular magical pulse.

Whatever lay beneath the trap, once triggered, it would bring the constructs after us. I didn't think the two of us could escape unharmed without alerting the academy.

A drop of cold sweat slid down my temple. I wiped it away and let out a breath. "That scared me to death..."

I looked at Darius admiringly. "Darius, you're amazing. You can even spot such a hidden trap!"

The corner of Darius's mouth lifted slightly. "You were quick too. Even sweat would trigger it."

We carefully avoided the trap.

"There's a dark magic trace on the right, deep inside. Let's go." Darius's expression darkened.

I immediately focused. "Let's go."

We arrived at the depths of the Spectral Library, in front of a small, pitch-black door.

The door was bare, without any markings.

I felt the magical pulse rippling across it and was surprised. "This is... a seal? How do we open it?"

Darius was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's go."

I froze. "Why? We worked so hard to get here."

"This seal keeps outsiders out. If we try to break it, it will trigger an alarm." Darius explained. "But it's okay. We came here to investigate the library card. We should find where the old archives are stored. This door is an unexpected find. We can come back next time."

He had a point. This was also the safest approach.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "Okay. Let's go then."

Just as I turned around, I caught a glimpse of a small hole behind a nearby bookshelf.

I stopped and quickly walked to it.

The hole was tiny. Even I would have to curl up tight to squeeze through.

Most importantly, there was no seal here, and it led directly to the room behind the door!

"Darius, keep watch outside. I'll crawl in and take a look."

"No." Darius shook his head without hesitation.

He frowned, clearly disapproving. "We don't know what's inside. It's too dangerous for you to go in alone."

"But I want to go." I still insisted. "We followed the dark magic trace all the way here. That person in black at the Bloodthorn Grass factory also used dark magic. Plus the library card Elara found at the factory. Maybe there are clues inside."

Darius wanted to say something, but I stepped forward and hugged him. "I want to go see. Maybe what's inside is also related to dark magic."

"Darius, don't you want to know what the source of the dark magic in you really is?"

Darius's lips moved, but he finally gave in.

He fetched a sixteen-foot rope and tied it around my waist. "If there's danger, pull the rope. I'll protect you."

The rope linked us. I glanced back at Darius, then bent down and squeezed into the hole.

What I didn't say was that when the person in black gave orders to Elara, they specifically mentioned having Elara use Bloodthorn Grass to trigger Darius's loss of control.

His Voidborn identity was too special. I couldn't help but suspect that Darius was also part of their plan.

I had to protect him. This was what we agreed on from the start.

Inside the room, I held my breath and carefully moved along the wall. It was run-down and thick with dust.

Except, I noticed a nearby bookshelf. There was an obvious mark where dust had been wiped away, impossible to miss.

Not long ago, someone had been here.

I tensed. Who? Did they put the seal on the door?

I searched along the trail of cleared dust. An old leather envelope caught my attention. Magic-etched words glowed on it: [Voidborn Dark Magic Loss of Control Incident Records.]

Magic etching drained the caster, but the text lasted for centuries without fading. Only very important events were recorded this way.

My breath caught as I opened the envelope.

Empty.

Nothing inside.

I didn't give up. I felt around carefully, even checking the nearby bookshelves thoroughly.

Still nothing.

Someone had taken the documents beforehand.

But the search wasn't wasted. I found an old photograph tucked between two books.

Before I could look closely, a tug at my waist.

Darius was pulling the rope!

I pocketed the photo and quickly crawled out of the hole.

"Quick, someone's coming." Darius lowered his voice.

Before he finished speaking, I'd already seen a figure getting closer.

The person was dressed all in black, wearing a mask that covered everything.

Forget seeing who it was. I couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman.

Darius pulled me into the nearest gap between sculptures. The sigils on the back of his left hand briefly lit up, and a layer of transparent magical energy enveloped us.

The gap was very small. I was practically pressed against Darius, our body heat passing through our clothes.

I flushed, every muscle locked, not daring to move.

Darius's earlobes also took on a deepening red tinge, but his hand on my lower back didn't loosen at all.

The black-clad person's footsteps stopped.

I felt their gaze turn toward where we were hiding.

They slowly approached us.

My heart jumped.

This was bad. The concealment barrier could only hide our forms, not mask our presence.

Darius was equally tense, his grip tightening on my waist.

"Clank, clank, clank."

Heavy footsteps of a construct approached from far to near. The black-clad person's steps paused, and they vanished in a flash.

Darius and I seized the opportunity to retreat toward the entrance. Along the way, we had to avoid triggering traps, dodge construct patrols, and watch for the black-clad person.

It wasn't until we left the Spectral Library and stood on solid ground in the gallery that I finally let out a long breath of relief.

"That was terrifying..." I patted my chest, still shaken. "I almost thought we were done for."

"We wouldn't be."

Darius lowered his eyes, his slender fingers gently combing through my hair. His voice was soft but firm. "If we really encountered danger, I would do everything in my power to protect you."

I didn't doubt the truth of those words at all.

I flashed Darius a bright smile. Before I could speak, my Grimoire rang first.

It was Chloe.

"Vanessa! How are things on your and Darius's end? The awards ceremony is about to start!"

I answered her. "We'll be right back!"

I put away my Grimoire and grabbed Darius's hand to run.

I'd worn heels so rarely. I misstepped, lost my balance, and pitched forward.

The expected pain didn't come. Darius held my waist tightly and steadied me. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing serious." I rotated my ankle. It didn't hurt, but,

"The shoes are probably unwearable though."

I wiggled my foot. The heel on my right shoe had broken. Forget running in shoes like this. Even walking would be difficult.

I took off my shoes without hesitation. "Let's just go like this. We can't waste time."

Darius pressed his lips together and crouched down in front of me. "I'll carry you. It's not far now. If you run all this way, your feet will get scraped up."

I blinked and jumped onto Darius's back with a smile.

"Alright alright, you're the best, my darling boyfriend."

Darius's ears turned even redder.

He didn't say anything, just carried me on his back and hurried toward the auditorium.

After reaching the back door of the auditorium, Darius set me down.

I lowered my head to straighten my disheveled dress, and felt the photo I'd found in the library.

The dress had no pockets, so in my haste I'd tucked it into my stockings.

I casually passed the photo to Darius. "Darius, keep this safe for now. I got it from..."

My words cut off abruptly.