NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: Aura Knight
"Attention, all students and faculty. Please gather in the main auditorium immediately. This is an urgent announcement."
The announcement was repeated three times and it was obvious that it was important since their tone was urgent.
Students exchanged curious glances as they hurried to the auditorium. The sound of their footsteps soon filled the corridors heading to the area.
Many other students, who had been in the library, training yard, and other facilities, quickly packed their things and joined the stream of students heading toward the auditorium.
It didn't take that long before the auditorium was packed with students from all years.
Hayden was silent as he listened to their murmurs. Well, everyone was curious why they were gathered here.
"Is this because this city is under attack?"
"What? Even if Five-Core Beasts attacked this place, we wouldn't be in danger."
"Maybe an Evil Magician sneaked in? That would be exciting."
"Sshh… The professors are here."
Then, several Professors arrived as they stood at the front of the room. What made everyone nervous was the fact that their expressions were grim.
Among them was Professor Rhasta… He was one of the five Knight Candidates of the Academy. He may not have become a full-pledged Aura Knight but he was still considered a Sword Expert.
He soon stepped forward and raised his hand to silence the crowd.
"Thank you for gathering so quickly," Professor Rhasta as he looked across the room. "I'm afraid we have some troubling news. Professor Zainab, our esteemed History and Aura Theory instructor, has gone missing."
A wave of gasps and whispers swept through the auditorium.
Hayden, on the other hand, used his Ocularis Lens to recall the Organizational Chart he had seen in the administration office before.
Soon, he realized that this Professor teaches 7th-year students. Professor Zainab was also one of the most respected and beloved figures at the academy, as she was known for being kind and for having vast knowledge.
However, Hayden was more curious as to why they had decided that she had actually gone missing.
After all, she may have just gone outside the Academy and couldn't return for various reasons. It shouldn't be something they should worry about as students.
'They're hiding something…' Hayden thought as he waited for the Professor to reveal more about the situation.
As expected, the Professor seemed to be involved in something dangerous.
Professor Rhasta explained. "Professor Zainab was last seen yesterday evening in her office. She was working on a research project, but when she failed to appear for our morning meetings, we became concerned. A search of her office revealed no signs of a struggle, but her research notes were missing."
He paused for a moment and scanned the room. "We need your help. If any of you saw Professor Zainab yesterday or have any information about her whereabouts, please come forward. Even the smallest detail could be crucial."
The students exchanged uneasy glances, but no one spoke up.
Hayden's OcularisLens worked as it processed the information.
Apparently, although he didn't notice, the Lens actually captured Professor Zainab's figure in the library yesterday afternoon and she seemed distressed. Well, because he was focused on the books, he probably didn't notice his surroundings.
If not for his Lens, he wouldn't even know that he had encountered her yesterday.
Just as the silence began to stretch, a hand shot up from the crowd. It was Mylene, the red-haired girl who had entered the Academy in the same year as Hayden.
"Professor Rhasta," Mylene called out with a hint of concern in her tone.
"I saw Professor Zainab yesterday evening. She was in the library, and she seemed… distracted. She was muttering something about an 'ancient text' and 'forbidden ritual.' I thought she was just deep in her research, but now I'm not so sure."
Professor Rhasta's eyes squinted as he heard this. "An ancient text? Did she mention anything else?"
Mylene shook her head. "No, that's all I heard. But she did leave in a hurry, like she was in a rush to get somewhere."
Professor Rhasta nodded as he glanced at the other Professors who were listening. It seemed that they realized something just now.
"Thank you, Mylene. That's a valuable lead." He turned to the rest of the students. "We will be organizing search parties to comb the academy grounds and the surrounding areas. If any of you wish to assist, please report to the main courtyard after this meeting."
As the students began to disperse, Hayden felt that this matter was indeed bigger than he originally thought.
Professor Zainab's disappearance was no accident—he was sure of it. Her research, her sudden distraction, and the missing notes all pointed to something far more ominous.
***
The search parties scoured the academy grounds and the surrounding areas, but there was no sign of Professor Zainab.
Hours turned into days, and the tension among the students and faculty grew.
Rumors also started that Professor Zainab was actually researching something dangerous and the reason why the other Professors wanted to find her was the fact that she might've been influenced by the ancient texts that she was studying.
The details were still vague but Hayden knew that this matter was truly important.
Then, on the third day, a breakthrough came. A group of students searching the Old Graveyard—an overgrown plot of land on the outskirts of the academy—discovered her traces.
They found Professor Zainab lying unconscious near a freshly disturbed grave.
The ground around her was scorched, and strange ritual symbols were etched into the earth. But what truly horrified them was the figure standing over her—a skeletal figure wearing the tattered remains of an Aura Knight's armor!