I Killed The Main Characters

Chapter 46: Exhaustion [1]

The hallway of the academy was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the silver moonlight filtering through the tall arched windows.

The faint glow illuminated three students, each leaking an immense, almost suffocating magical aura.

Their eyes glowed eerily, corrupted by an unknown force, and the air around them crackled with unbridled energy.

They stood facing a single figure, her features shrouded in darkness.

The moonlight caught the outline of her form—a female figure, slender yet imposing. She wore a black skirt, black leggings, a white shirt, and a red tie.

Over it all was a black hoodie, more of a crop top cloak that added to her shadowy appearance.

Her hood was drawn low, hiding most of her face, but beneath the veil, her eyes glowed a brilliant red, piercing through the night like embers.

Without warning, one of the students unleashed a blast of elemental magic.

A swirling vortex of fire erupted from a glowing magic circle at his feet, spiraling toward the hooded figure with violent intent.

The figure didn't move until the last moment, dodging the attack in a blur of motion as flames licked the stone walls behind her.

Another student followed up, summoning a storm of jagged ice spears, their tips gleaming in the moonlight.

The magic circle beneath him flashed bright blue, and the spears shot toward the figure, aiming to pin her to the ground.

But with a flick of her wrist, she created her own magic circle, a dark red aura emanating from it.

In an instant, the spears shattered mid-air, disintegrating into harmless snowflakes.

The third student roared in frustration, his corrupted aura flaring violently as he brought both hands together, summoning tendrils of lightning from a glowing purple circle at his feet.

The bolts snaked toward the figure, arcing across the hallway with deafening cracks.

The figure leaped into the air, flipping gracefully over the deadly tendrils, her hood remaining fixed as she landed silently on the stone floor.

The students, unrelenting, pooled their magic together.

Fire, ice, and lightning converged into a massive, chaotic spell, their magic circles glowing brighter than ever before.

The hallway shook as the combined force hurtled toward the figure like a tidal wave of destruction.

With a fluid motion, the figure raised her hand and summoned her own magic circle, this time larger and more complex.

The red glow intensified, and from the center of the circle erupted a shield of shadowy energy that absorbed the combined spell.

The impact was deafening, the magic clashing against her defense in a fiery explosion, but the figure remained standing, unmoved.

Her eyes flashed under her hood, now glowing a deeper, more sinister red.

Suddenly an artifact or item materialized in her hand glowing in yellow before fully taking a physical form.

It glowed with an otherworldly golden yellow and white light, casting eerie shadows along the walls.

It was sleek, unlike any traditional weapon seen in the academy, its surface etched with runes that pulsed faintly.

She raised it, and in the blink of an eye, projectiles shot out of the artifact—so fast they were nearly invisible, beams of light as swift as lightning.

The projectiles hit the students before they could even react.

Blood splattered across the floor as their bodies collapsed, unconscious or worse—dead.

Their corrupted auras flickered and dissipated into the cold night air.

The hooded figure stood still, exhaling slowly as the artifact dimmed in her hand.

Just as she turned to leave, the sound of clanking armor filled the hallway.

The academy's guard knights, on their nightly patrol, rushed in.

Their eyes widened as they saw the carnage—the students lying on the ground, the figure standing amidst the chaos.

"Stop right there!" one of the knights shouted, pointing his spear at her.

The figure didn't respond.

Instead, she turned on her heel and darted down the hallway, her movements fluid and fast.

The knights gave chase, their heavy armor clanking loudly as they rounded the corner.

But when they reached the end of the hallway, she was gone—vanished into the night like a wisp of smoke.

The guards stopped, panting heavily.

"Damn it, she's gone!" one of them grunted, scanning the area in vain.

Another guard leaned over, catching his breath.

"She moves faster than my wife when I forget her birthday."

The others groaned.

"Shut up, idiot," the lead knight barked, slapping the back of his helmet.

"We've got bigger problems right now."

With one last glance down the empty hallway, the guards turned and hurried back, their footsteps echoing through the night as they prepared to report the mysterious figure's escape.

***

The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly, casting a harsh light across the academy grounds.

Inside Professor Jacob's office, the temperature was stifling, even with the curtains drawn halfway to shield them from the blazing heat.

Professor Sharon sat across from him, fanning herself with a stack of papers, the weight of recent events in the academy heavy in the air between them.

"I've gone through several reports this morning," Sharon said, glancing at the parchments spread out on the desk.

"It's not just one or two isolated incidents anymore.

This is affecting students across all years."

Jacob leaned back in his chair, his eyes half-lidded, seemingly disinterested.

Sharon glanced at him but continued, her tone growing more concerned.

"First, there's Alex Redthorn from the second year.

He reported being unable to cast even a basic fireball spell during his duel practice yesterday.

He said it was like his magic was drained the moment he tried."

She flipped to another parchment.

"Then there's Liara Mendel, a first-year.

She said her water manipulation spell was amplified to such a degree that the wave she created nearly destroyed one of the practice grounds.

It was like her magic acted on its own, out of control."

"And finally, Thomas Vareen," Sharon said, her voice tight with worry.

"He attempted a simple teleportation spell, but instead, he ended up shifting halfway across the campus.

The displacement spell nearly tore his body apart."

Sharon sighed and dropped the parchments onto the table.

"It's happening more frequently, Jacob.

Magic isn't behaving the way it should. It's being distorted, amplified or suppressed unpredictably.

Students are getting hurt. Something is seriously wrong."

Jacob remained silent, his gaze wandering around the room, clearly uninterested in engaging deeply in the conversation.

Sharon's eyes flickered with frustration.

"Are you even listening?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.

Jacob raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"I'm listening. It's just... magic is unpredictable sometimes.

We've always had issues with students messing up their spells.

Could be nerves, could be stress.

It doesn't sound all that mysterious to me."

Sharon glared at him.

"Nerves don't amplify spells to destructive levels.

And they don't stop students from casting altogether."