Chapter 54: On What Grounds Are You Detaining Him!

Countless deep purple shadows rushed toward us, like claws reaching out from an abyss.

The protective barrier Darius left behind glowed with a pale white light, blocking all that dark magic outside.

My eyes burned with tears as I stared at Darius. "Darius, snap out of it! You can do this, right?" I knew this kind of shouting was pointless, but I couldn't help myself. "Darius, don't... don't lose control anymore."

The impact of the dark magic was too strong. Cracks began appearing on the barrier. I desperately poured my magic into it. The cracks slowly repaired themselves, but the next moment they cracked open again.

More and more dark magic surged from within Darius. The mysterious space trapping us began cracking inch by inch, finally shattering like a mirror and scattering everywhere. The out-of-control dark magic was more powerful than any magic I'd ever seen. In an instant, part of the teaching building was blown apart.

In the distance, several figures approached fast. The professors had arrived.

Two figures appeared beside me as my vision went dark. Massive amounts of magic power instantly flowed into the barrier, making it unbreakable.

But I didn't dare relax. My eyes remained fixed on Darius.

Dense deep purple patterns crawled across his unnaturally pale skin. His silver-white hair moved without wind, and piercing, agonized screams that barely sounded human kept coming.

Dozens of people surrounded Darius. They watched him warily, different colored magic lights gathering at the tips of their wands. Darius had completely lost his mind now, his dark magic attacking everyone around him wildly.

My heart trembled. I gritted my teeth and squeezed out the last bit of magic from my body.

"Darius, wake up!"

I didn't get to see Darius regain consciousness. The dizziness from magic exhaustion crashed over my brain like waves. My vision went black, and I passed out.

My head... hurt. Like someone had smashed a stun spell against my skull a hundred times. My head was splitting, the room spinning. I would have ripped my brain out if it meant the pain would stop.

"You're awake."

Elowen's voice came from beside me. I opened my eyes suddenly and met her worried gaze.

She said, "You were too reckless. With barely any magic left, you still dared to use Soul Reading. Aren't you afraid of becoming an idiot?"

I shook my head. "Ms. Moore, I'm fine. How is... everyone?"

I asked about everyone, but what I really wanted to know was how Darius was doing.

Elowen poured me a glass of warm water and helped me sit up.

"Chloe's injuries were the lightest. She's already awake and receiving treatment in the room next to yours. Luke's injuries are more serious—he's still unconscious. As for Rena and the others, they haven't woken up yet, but they're okay."

I listened carefully, but didn't hear any news about Darius. My heart sank little by little. After waiting a moment and seeing that Elowen didn't plan to continue, I couldn't help asking, "What about Darius? How is he now?"

Elowen gave me an "I knew it" look. "He's physically fine, don't worry."

I looked at Elowen seriously. "Ms. Moore, you know that's not all I'm asking about."

Our eyes met silently for a moment. Elowen gave in first and said helplessly, "You know Darius has a special status. This time you all got into danger because of a dark magic outbreak. The academy investigated that music classroom and found lots of dark magic traces there. Darius... has been locked up for now."

"But he didn't hurt anyone! When we were in danger, he protected us. Even that protective barrier—he drew it at the risk of his own life!"

I said anxiously, "Besides, we were attacked while looking for Rena. Darius was with me the whole time, never left my sight. There's no way he could have been hurting people."

Elowen nodded. "I understand how you feel. But right now, Darius is the only known dark magic user, so it's hard for the academy not to suspect him."

Hearing this, an uncontrollable wave of heartache and anger rose in me. Darius never had a choice. Why was it so easy to pin the blame on him?

I took several deep breaths, trying to stay as calm as possible. "Ms. Moore, there must be other dark magic users in the school. They're just good at hiding and haven't been discovered yet."

Elowen didn't argue, just asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Years ago, Mr. Lowe was fired by the academy, and the reason behind it was also dark magic. Doesn't that prove something? Why does all the blame have to be forced onto Darius alone?"

After saying this, I pressed my lips together hard and apologized with red-rimmed eyes. "...I'm sorry, Ms. Moore. I didn't mean to talk back to you. I'm just... really worried."

Elowen wasn't angry. She patted my shoulder comfortingly. "You know quite a lot—you even know about Tristan."

She paused, then continued, "I believe you and Darius. The professors know you're good students. But what you're saying won't work in front of the academy's tribunal."

I quickly asked, "Then what should I do? What can I do now to save him?"

"The tribunal looks at evidence. If you can find proof that those things weren't done by Darius, there might still be hope."

I immediately thought of Luke and Chloe. Before the incident, we'd been together the whole time.

But they'd both lost control after being corrupted by dark magic this time. Even if they were willing to testify for Darius, it probably wouldn't work. Some dark magic can control people's minds, so their testimony likely wouldn't count for much.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to calm down. "Ms. Moore, how long until the tribunal?"

"Tomorrow."

My heart jolted. There really wasn't much time left.