The Novel's Sidekick

Meanwhile, the president did not finish his questioning.

"Did he mention anything about the thing he was investigating or where he was going next?" Adarsh asked, raising a brow.

"He did not mention that sort," Elinor said. "But I saw him trying to decipher some ancient text. When I asked what it was, he only said 'some urban myths'."

"Anything out of the norm?"

Elinor frowned and closed her eyes for the pondering. "I saw him having bad dreams, more than twice," she said, remembering. "Once I heard him mumble something about a Key and the Forsakers."

I raised my brow at hearing that. It looks like Professor Ranyan was up to something good, but the vampires got him before he could get there. Though I'm not 100% sure about it, I think I know what the Key—Elinor—was talking about. The Sword of Oath was the key to salvation, and the Forsakers held the path to the sword.

It was not just me that just raised brows; almost all of them had similar expressions on, including the president. After all, the forsakers did not have a good relationship with the mainland. Or the other way around. Mostly the other way around. That was not all, it was almost impossible to reach their island, not that we will have a homely welcome if we reach there.

"I told you everything I know," Elinor said. "Please tell me what happened to my teacher."

Adarsh looked at the girl and to his knight. May nodded as he began. "Six months ago, my teacher left, giving me the responsibility of the academy," Adarsh said, rubbing his forehead. "When I asked him where he was going, all he told me was he was searching for something and he was not the only one. It appeared Professor Ranyan was one of the confidants of my teacher. Professor Ranyan most likely found something and got in trouble with the bloodsuckers."

It appeared President Adarsh was not telling everything he knew, but considering the importance of the matter, it was better that fewer people knew about it.

"Will he be alright?" Elinor asked, making a fist.

The room turned silent, and Adarsh's eyes drifted off towards the figure in the bed. He knows the man pretty well—after all, he was once a student just few years ago, and Professor Ranyan was the pillar of the academy. Yet things change so easily.

"There is no threat to his life," May said, biting her lips. "But I fear his mind is already broken. His mind and spirit were already tainted with an evil, dark force. Our best healer found no remedy, and we also asked for help from the empire, but nothing conclusive yet." May paused for a few moments, scanning everyone's face. She gave Yeriel a second look, who first checked on the professor, and it was likely she noticed it too. She continued, turning to Elior. "He woke up a few times, but all the time he screamed in madness. He even called your name a bunch of times."

"What?" Elinor looked at the man sleeping on the bed with a fright. The professor, Ranyan, on the bed was far thinner and older compared to the last time she saw him, but that was not the problem. She just heard her teacher growing mad.

"Wake him up," Adarsh said to the men next to the bed. "He screamed her name countless times; I would like to see if he can build up a clarity of mind seeing her."

The two men nodded and nudged the professor slowly, drawing a few strand of spirit force. It took a couple of minutes for the professor to wake up. When he opened his eyelids, the first scene he saw was Elinor before him.

"Teacher," Elinor said with a pained face.

Professor jerked his head instantly and caught the shoulders of the thin girl unexpectedly.

"Elinor, Elinor," he bellowed, looking at her with his distant eyes. "Thank Ishar, they did not get you. Only you can save us. You have to save us. Saider, they . . . they are coming. They will come for you. . . ."

"Teacher, please." The anguish broadened on Elior's face, and it was not just from the arms that held her shoulder roughly.

"You have to be safe, Elinor. Don't let them catch you."

Adarsh gestured towards the two men with pressed lips. The two men nodded and injected something into the professor as he passed out again. There was no helping it.

I could not help but shake my head and saw the teary eyes of my aunt. Was there something between Rosalyn and Professor Ranyan? Perhaps. But I see no way to bring back his sanity. The evil force of the dark corrupted his mind. And if it was something related to the Saider, then there was no way he would be the old Ranyan again.

I could have tried to cleanse the evil from his mind, but my mastery of Purgatory was too low and there was a very high chance of him dying instead. I could not help but look at Elinor, at her teary face.

Maybe if we two could work together, then there is a chance, but none of us is a master of our ability. Professor Ranyan would only suffer more from it. At least he has a chance. Perhaps in a year or two, we might be able to bring him back, though I doubt he would be left with much at that time.

"Professor Rosalyn," May said. "Will you mind taking Elinor with you?"

My aunt nodded and left with the teary protagonist. On that note, there was no mention of Edward crying except at the beginning of the book, as if he was a man of steel. Elinor appeared to be far more emotional than Elinor; perhaps this was a hormonal thing for girls.

I heard Yeriel murmuring with Yasmine about Saider and the twelve heroes that they killed them all. And I'm sure everyone else held the same mindset as well, that the world was safe from the Saider. Unfortunately, it was not. Well, at least they brought peace for over one thousand and five hundred years.

Chaos will walk on Shrankor again. It is inevitable, we can do nothing about it.

Now it was our turn to answer the question, though they had heard everything about the attack on the night of the attack. But they needed to make sure there was nothing left off. This was a serious matter because it was an attack by vampires, and it was taking place within the Starfall mountain range.

"Would anyone like to add or ask anything?" May asked.

I raised my arm first. Getting their approval, I started, "At first, Sir Lorne and the Bloodsucker had some conversation where the vampire said something along the lines of, 'We always snuggle under your noses, it's just the human's inability to find us.'” I looked at Lorne with everyone else.

"Yes, he did say something like that," Lorne agreed, and the others nodded as well.

"What are you getting at, Redhead?" President Adarsh asked.

"I think he did not just say it metaphorically," I said, pointing towards the earth. "They really could be under us, snuggling, and the best place for that is the subterranean region. They'd have easy access to information about humanity, and sneaking in and out would be much easier. Though many colonies of the tainted have taken the oath to never harm humans, there are still groups of the bloodsuckers growing for centuries."

A frown appeared on the brows of the young president and so did in his Knight, May's.

"There is some feasibility in your hypothesis," May said, exchanging a glance with Adarsh. "But it could be wrong as well. It would take immense human resources to even start investigating, and only the power of the academy is not enough."

"Of course," I said, though I'm sure the vampires were living underground while blending with humans to deal a fatal blow. Moreover, they will find the evidence of it soon enough, my argument should be enough to make them more vigilant. "But even if there is a faint chance of it turning true--"

"I got it," Adarsh said, cutting me off. "We will look into the matter."

I was not satisfied with just that, but I could not get more from it. After all, I did not have evidence; it was just the words of a mad vampire. Still, informing one of the most influential people in Shrankor was enough for now.

[You have gained 144 destiny points.]

Abruptly, a transparent notification greeted my sight as all the questioning finished.

So, this was what the system was waiting for: for me to spill that out to the president. But I was happy to get 144 points. That was quite a lot, but considering Adarsh Starlight involved himself in it, I thought the number would have to be half of the one I got.

Perhaps, the event will be more impactful to the realm than I thought.

___________________________________