The old man replied, "I never went there after the attack.. I don't want to enter the old school now.. What will I say to those who died on that very day.. That I couldn't save them because I went to another place on that day.. I can't.."
Elaris asked, "That means there's no way to know about.. The books"
The old man said, "There's a way.. But I won't recommend it unless you all are prepared…"
Larrith said, "we can.. In fact we have to do it…"
The old man said, "The free spirits still haunt the place…and… My old mate, my assistant also died that night.. His spirit also roams… If you really want to know about the stolen books and manuscripts.. You will have to ask his dead spirit over there.. But I won't recommend it.. "
Scott said, "But why won't you recommend it? Won't he tell us about the books?"
The old man replied by looking at Scott, "He might not.. It's his spirit that roams in that place not him.. Spirits aren't the same as the person.. They remain in intense pain.. They might absorb your magic and holiness to free them or to relieve their pain.. In fact, his spirit prevented the Royal soldiers to take the remaining books from there… I will tell you all not to trust him and not to go there until you are pretty sure that the stolen books are to be known for the goodness of the kingdom…"
They all looked at each other and said that they were ready to go over there..
William asked, "So, you don't wanna face him and your students… I mean those who passed away that night.."
The old man eyes and face drooped.. He looked down and said, "On that day, I left the school for an important work to my home.. I never thought that they would end everything there in just one night.. The dark queen is so evil that she didn't free the spirits.. Rather she used her dark magic to captivate their souls over there… I rushed to the place as soon as I heard the news of invasion.. But by the time I reached over there, they had already ransacked everything…. I didn't step on the old ruins.. Because I realises that she used her dark magic to captivate their souls.. I felt ashamed to face them as their mentor.. Don't get distracted by the spirits.. They can absorb your magical powers if you get distracted… be cautious at any cost.. I can't accompany you all over there.. I believe that you all can do it…"
They turned back to leave.
Irene said, "actually, I think my powers are fading… I couldn't control the dark clouds on the coronation day and today.. I really struggled to call the clouds and thunder for a two seconds.. I really .. I really don't know why is it happening.. If you could help me.."
The old man touched her head and closed his eyes… .
He then said, "The clouds that appeared on the coronation day.. You couldn't control them because they were way too powerful to control.. They were made by the dark queen.. But now, your magic is decreasing because you are losing your confidence and belief… . Believe in yourself .. And stop doubting your powers.."
Irene said, "Oh…I didn't realise.. I was apprehending it's the effect of darkness. Thank you.."
The old man said, "No problem, Irene.. I hope you all still remembered the old school.. You all can go by yourself, right.."
They all nodded.
They left the new school and began their journey to the old school..
William said to Irene, "I told you that you are losing your confidence.."
Irene said, "Yes.. But how can I believe you? A knight who definitely can't fly.. I needed an experienced sorcerer…"
William replied, " Could you please stop mocking my flying power? Not everyone becomes a sorcerer.. Some become brave knights like me.."
Irene said, "Brave?" and rolled her eyes..
William said, "Yes.. Brave unlike you.."
Scott said, "So, will you both mock each other in the journey.?."
Irene said, "Ask William to stop.."
The sun rose high.. It seemed to them that it was already six..
Irene remarked, "But, Elaris.. You really did a great job by destroying that bloody rock.. You just needed to cast one spell and you destroyed it without struggling.."
Elaris smiled a bit..
William remarked, "Some sorcerers need only one spell while others like Irene don't need any spell because I will destroy it before Irene can.."
Irene rolled her eyes.
She was disappointed.. She created a little blue spark from her index finger and touched William's hands.. He got a little shock..
He held his hand and looked at Irene..
Irene said, "Now, cut your finger.. Brave knight.."
The others laughed and stopped for a bit..
Larrith looked at Elaris while she smiled at William and Irene..
Larrith felt her almost round face looked so different today.. Her smile melted his heart. Her eyes hit his heart directly out of the blue. Her hazel eyes pierced his neutral face. He looked down smiling and tried to hide it.
William raised his slayer sword in front of Irene's eyes..
Irene said, "Strike me.. If you dare.."
William withdrew his sword.. And they continued their journey..
After ten minutes, they reached the old school's ruins..
The black building laid on the ground almost collapsed.. The only tower of the long building was destroyed.. The broken part lays on the ground that was muddy with no grass.
Green moss grew on most parts of the school.
The ten trees within the huge practice ground were absolutely bare..
The old school had even a bigger practice ground.
They stepped on the practice ground from the road.
There were no houses beside the road unlike around the new school.
They heard whispers of someone..
They advanced forward..
Scott said, "It's supposed to be haunted.. Right?"
Larrith nodded.
Irene was shivering a bit. She thought, "Come on.. You can do it.. You can be like Elaris..
You can also destroy the dark power.. I just need confidence.."
They advanced further.
Larrith spotted someone at the towards base.. The roof of the tower was broken..
"Who's there?" asked Larrith..
William said, "They might be the spirits.."
They finally stepped in the old school.
They moved a few steps forward..
They looked around..
A black light suddenly came in front of them that pushed William out of the school into the practice ground.. William fell on the ground.. He rolled and then stood up raising his slayer sword…
The black light disappeared.
Scott, Elaris, Larrith, Irene rushed out of the school to William..
They all looked around but found none..
Elaris spotted someone behind a bare tree.
She tightened her palm and released a yellow light that went behind the bare tree.
A black light appeared behind the tree. But it disappeared again..
The yellow light reached Elaris's hand and vanished..
They looked around again.. But they spotted none.
They entered the school again more cautiously..
It was silent.. They advanced forward.. There was none.
Someone banged on the wall creating a noise.
They all turned towards the wall with trembling legs..
There was none..
"Give me your holy magic power.." someone whispered from their back.
They looked back.
They discoverer a black light turning into a white transparent person standing just in front of them..
They couldn't respond.
Their lips trembled..
Everything including their hair, lips was white.. It's face was full of scars. It's eyes were white with no pupil..
Their heart shivered.
Larrith whispered to them, "Don't be afraid.."
Larrith and others stood straight.
Larrith said, "Where's the assistant of the great sorcerer.."
The spirit said, "Give me your holy magic power.."
Larrith looked at them and asked with a deep voice, "Where's the assistant of the great sorcerer.."
The spirit replied, "Stop calling him the great in front of me.."
The white spirit disappeared.
An invisible force pushed Larrith back .
Larrith fell and stood up again.
He drew a circular Imaginary line around his waist.
A fierce red colour surrounded Larrith that lit the almost dark place where dim sunlight reached..
The invisible force stopped pushing it..
Elaris tightened her palm and created a small sphere of unstable violet light..
William raised his sword and looked around..
Scott and Irene stood shocked at the disappearance of the spirit..
A black light pushed William.
Elaris tried to release the unstable sphere of light on the black light..
But the light went through the light and struck a wall.
The light widened the cracks of the wall..
Elaris was pushed back also.
She fell on the ground. Her head hit a broken desk.
A black sphere appeared in front of Elaris.
Scott ran towards Elaris to protect her.
The black sphere in front of her went through Scott's head.
Scott saw everything hazy..
Larrith ran towards Elaris and Scott.
He said, "Are you alright, Elaris?"
Elaris said, "Yes.. Almost."
Larrith looked up but there was none.
William stood up .
Irene got pushed almost out of the door.
William held her hand and struck the air with his slayer sword..
A growling sound came after he swung his sword..
Irene tightened her both hands. She started levitating in the air.
Blue sparks could be seen around her eyes.
She created a lightning sphere by her both hands.. She released it.. And it got stuck in air. She shook her head down a bit.
The sphere burst and lightning sparks hit almost everywhere in the room except her allies.
They stood still knowing that the sparks could hit them if they don't stand still..
The growling sound intensified and now it came from everywhere.
Twelve black spheres appeared in the air.
They came down slowly.
They turned into twelve white , transparent persons just like the person spirit..
Irene stopped levitating and the sparks around her eyes stopped.
The spirits growled, "Give us your holy magic powers.."
Elaris shouted back, "Never!"
One of the twelve spirits came near Elaris.
The spirit said, "Elaris.. A powerful sorceress..
Melancholic due to the death of her brother.. Brother… Tirian..
Is afraid of a curse that never reached them.. Them? Interesting.."
Elaris looked at Larrith and he looked back..
Larrith then shouted, "End this.."
Larrith then threw an orange light towards the spirit that went through it.
He noticed it and closed his fist. The orange light disappeared before hitting the wall.
The spirit came near Larrith by flying..
"Larrith… Torn due to forced kingship.. Grieving because he could not save Tirian..
Loves Elaris.. Afraid to look obvious.."
Larrith shouted, "End this.."
Two other spirits came near William and Scott.
The spirits raised their hands..
William in an instance went back to his childhood.
He saw that his father getting killed by a dark creature.
It was tall and wide with red eyes and black wings.. It's face was wrinkled. .
It had a huge scythe..
Scott also in am instance went back to his childhood..
He saw his best friend getting killed by an executioner.. He ran from the executioner with trembling hands and tearful eyes.. Tirian came in front of him and beheaded the emerald armoured executioner by a single slash of his Valestorm.
Both William and Scott remembered these things in a fraction of second..
Elaris said with a deep voice, "Is it real, Larrith?"
Larrith said with a soft voice, "Oh, please.. They did this to distract us.."
Elaris said exclaimed "They can read our minds! You know that this isn't possible.. We can't be loving each other…"
Larrith asked, "But why isn't it possible?"
Elaris replied being frustrated, "You're asking me? We can't. . We can't.. And I just lost Tirian.. Please.. Understand… it's not possible."
Larrith's face softened, "I know.. I never asked you.. Because I know that you won't accept me now.."
Elaris replied, "Never.. Leave me now.. The kingdom is in great peril.. We still have no clue about Elise's intentions and .. And you have to be focused.. You are the king.. Stop thinking about me.. Leave me."
Larrith said with a broken voice, "I am thinking about the kingdom only.. I am fully aware of the current situation.. It's just the spirits' plan to distract us.."
Elaris exclaimed with anger, "No.. Focus, Larrith!"
The spirit levitated in front of Larrith and flew before Elaris .
It raised its hand towards Elaris's head.
Elaris levitated in air.
A white light came from the spirit's right hand..
The white light hit directly on Elaris's head.
It seemed it was absorbing her magical powers.
Larrith exclaimed, "Elaris.."
Another spirit came flying towards Larrith and raised its hands.
The fierce red circular line around him disappeared.
Larrith also levitated and the white light also stated absorbing his powers.
Elaris went to help Larrith and Elaris but she was pushed out of the school to the practice ground by a heavy force..
The door of the school closed.
William's and Scott's eyes got filled with tears seeing their childhood events.
The two spirits in front of them also stated absorbing their magical powers.
Irene stood again in fury.
Their eyes we're open but they could not move due to the absorbing field of the spirits.
Irene stood up with fury.
She levitated. Sparks of green lightning could be seen around her eye and both hands..
She raised her right hand and a powerful lightning from her hand broke the closed door.
She flew to the school again.
William smiled softly.
Scott, William, Elaris, Larrith looked at Irene.
Four spirits surrounded her. She flew higher.
She raised her both hands.
The clouds covered the sun absolutely..
The clouds growled with lightning.
She withdrew her hands from the air..
And a strong blue lightning hit the school and the spirits.
The dark room was lit bright for a second.
Larrith, William, Scott and Elaris didn't get hurt by the lightning and they fell on the ground.
The white field that prevented them from moving vanished.
The spirits growled.
They all disappeared.
They all stood up again and thanked Irene who was still levitating high up in the air.
She came down in mid air.
The green sparks around her eyes and hands disappeared.
The clouds drifted across the sky revealing the sun again.
She fell from the mid air unconscious.
William dropped his slayer sword. It pierced the ground and stood straight.
William caught Irene before she fell on the ground.
They came to Irene and looked at her. They called her name but no response came.
Elaris heard that her heart was beating very hard..
Irene slowly breathed but she didn't open her eyes.