NOVEL NEXT Chapter 120: Trapped?
Tension gripped the students. They had believed they were alone on the island, but clearly, they were not.
"Can we see it?" one student asked, curiosity overriding their fear.
Professor Lincoln passed the letter around, and each student read it, including William. Someone had taken Ron as a warning and planned to abduct more of them—perhaps all of them. The island was not empty; it belonged to someone else.
Even Lincoln, the most experienced and powerful among them, wore a grave expression, his gaze darting around as he considered their options.
"What do we do now, Professor?" William asked, voicing the question hanging heavy in the air.
"We find him," Lincoln declared, his voice firm despite the uncertainty in his eyes. "And we don't let fear dictate our actions. This island is ours now."
Lincoln's resolve was clear. He would not surrender their claim to the island without a fight. It was to be the home of their magic academy, and he would not let anyone jeopardize that. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire
William, though heartened by Lincoln's determination to find Ron and uncover the truth, couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread. This branch of the Snowpeak Academy didn't exist in his time, which meant something went terribly wrong.
What if this mysterious enemy succeeded in killing everyone? The possibility was real, and the thought sent shivers down his spine. But William was here now, and he wouldn't allow this person to harm any of the students.
'I'll find out who's behind this,' he vowed silently, his grip tightening on Asura's hilt.
With the sun illuminating the island and the diminished threat of nocturnal beasts, the students united in their search for Ron. They dispersed individually, maximizing their search radius, and utilized every tool at their disposal to scour the island.
William mounted his winged lizard and soared into the sky. The view was breathtaking, but his perception of the island had shifted. It was no longer the familiar, albeit dangerous, territory he had come to know. The presence of a human threat, someone capable of kidnapping a student, added a new layer of complexity and danger.
From his vantage point, William addressed his companion. "Asura, can you use your powers to sense any disturbances? Perhaps traces of mana that might belong to this mysterious person who took Ron?"
Asura's mana perception was far superior to William's, but the task was challenging.
"We flew across the island before and I didn't sense anything," Asura said, his voice laced with concern. "This person might be skilled at concealing their presence."
They had indeed surveyed the island while searching for a suitable location for the academy. It was safe to assume this mysterious person had already been present then, yet neither of them had sensed anything. This indicated a considerable ability to mask their mana signature, suggesting he was both powerful and adept at concealment.
"I understand," William replied, his thoughts focused. "Even if he can hide his mana traces, it will be difficult to conceal other signs, including any tracks Ron might have left."
William scanned the landscape below, his eyes searching for any disruption in the natural order – broken branches, disturbed foliage, or footprints. He focused on the areas where Ron had last been seen, hoping to find something, anything, that might lead them to him.
As he circled the island, something caught his eye. In a secluded clearing on the far side of the island, a faint wisp of smoke curled upwards. It was subtle, almost invisible against the backdrop of the dense forest, but William's sharp eyes didn't miss it. He guided the winged lizard towards the source, his heart pounding with anticipation.
Landing in the clearing, William dismounted and cautiously approached the area where he had seen the smoke. The remnants of a small campfire were evident – a circle of charred earth and scattered ashes. It appeared to be a recently used campsite, but there was no sign of Ron or his captor.
William examined the area meticulously, searching for any clues. He found a few footprints, too faint to discern any details, and some broken branches that could have been caused by anything. Frustration gnawed at him. He was so close, yet so far from finding Ron.
He returned to the winged lizard, his mind racing. Where had Ron been taken? Who was this mysterious individual capable of eluding detection and leaving so few traces? The questions lingered, unanswered, fueling his determination to uncover the truth.
With a sense of urgency, William urged the winged lizard back into the air, his gaze sweeping across the island once more. He needed to find something, anything, that would lead him to Ron. As he soared above the treetops, a familiar figure came into view. Professor Lincoln, mounted on his own winged lizard, was also searching the island from the air.
"Professor!" William called out, guiding his mount closer. "Have you found anything?"
Lincoln shook his head, his expression grim. "Nothing concrete. Just a few disturbed areas, but nothing that points to Ron's whereabouts." He paused, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the landscape. "This is more troubling than I initially thought. This individual is skilled at covering their tracks."
Suddenly, a streak of dark energy shot through the air, aimed directly at their mounts. The winged lizards screeched in pain, their bodies engulfed in the dark energy. They plummeted towards the ground, their riders thrown from their backs.
William, his heart pounding, braced for impact. He hit the water with a bone-jarring thud, the cold water shocking his senses. He struggled to the surface, gasping for air, his body aching from the fall. He spotted Lincoln nearby, also struggling to stay afloat.
"Professor!" William shouted, swimming towards him. "Are you alright?"
Lincoln coughed, sputtering water. "I'm... fine," he gasped, his voice strained. "Just a few bruises."
They swam towards the shore, their movements hampered by their injuries. Reaching the beach, they collapsed onto the sand, exhausted and shaken. The loss of their mounts was a devastating blow. They were stranded, their only means of transportation to and from the island gone.
A wave of despair washed over William. They were trapped, cut off from the outside world, with a kidnapper lurking among them. The situation seemed dire, the future uncertain. He looked at Lincoln, his face etched with worry.
"What do we do now, Professor?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Lincoln, his gaze fixed on the horizon, remained silent for a moment, absorbing the gravity of their situation. Then, with a newfound resolve in his eyes, he declared, "We survive. We adapt. And we find Ron."
They rose, their bodies weary but their spirits unbroken. The journey back to the settlement was arduous, their progress slowed by their injuries and the absence of their winged lizards. As they trudged through the dense undergrowth, a strange sensation washed over William. The forest around him seemed to shimmer and distort, the familiar sounds of nature replaced by an unsettling silence.
He blinked, trying to clear his vision, but the distortion only intensified. The trees around him twisted into grotesque shapes, their branches reaching out like skeletal claws. The ground beneath his feet felt unstable, as if it might crumble at any moment. He turned to Lincoln, his voice filled with alarm.
"Professor, something's not right—"
But Lincoln was gone. William was alone, enveloped in an eerie silence that pressed in on him like a suffocating blanket. He felt a growing sense of dread, a primal fear that chilled him to the bone. He spun around, searching for any sign of Lincoln or a way out of this disorienting illusion.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in the back of his head. He stumbled forward, his vision blurring, his knees buckling beneath him. He collapsed onto the forest floor, consciousness fading into a dark abyss.
William awoke to the cold, damp sensation of stone against his cheek. He groaned, his head throbbing, his body aching. He sat up, his eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light. He found himself in a small, stone cell, devoid of any furniture or windows. The only source of light came from a flickering torch mounted on the wall, casting long, dancing shadows that played tricks on his eyes.
He was trapped. Kidnapped.
Panic clawed at his throat, but he forced it down. He needed to stay calm, assess his situation, and find a way out. He examined the cell, searching for any weaknesses or hidden passages. The walls were solid, the stone cold and unforgiving. The iron bars of the door were thick and sturdy, leaving no room for escape.
He slumped against the wall, his mind racing. Who had taken him? Why? Was Ron here too? And what did they want with them? The questions swirled in his head, unanswered and unsettling.
Then, William heard footsteps coming to his direction. The footsteps were slow, as if the person wanted to make William scared. It worked.
When the cell door opened, he couldn't believe who he saw there.