Return of the Runebound Professor-Chapter 703: Prophet

Noah’s eyes snapped open as his soul found its way back to his body. Awareness was coupled with a searing pain like barbed wire had gotten tangled around every single part of his being. He let out a hiss of pain as he jerked upright, thrashing to throw away whatever it was burning him, only to find that he was completely naked.

A set of clothes smacked into his face. The confusion washing over him intensified and he barely even reacted as they flopped to his lap, revealing Moxie’s concerned expression looming above him.

“Noah?” Moxie asked, reaching down to take him by the shoulder. “Are you okay? What happened?”

The pain pulsed again. Noah gritted his teeth. His muscles felt like tiny thorns had worked their way deep into them. But, at the same time, he was becoming vividly aware that the damage wasn’t to his body. There wasn’t any visible injury on his skin.

It’s my soul. Shit. What the hell did that monster do to me?

Noah dragged his clothes on, if only because it gave his mind something else to focus on. The pain wasn’t exactly the worst he’d ever felt, but it was bad. Even through his discomfort, unease made the back of his neck prickle.

I was exposed to the Night’s Shadow for a few moments when I released my Formation. Was that time seriously enough for it to do this much to me?

“Noah!” Moxie said again. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry,” Noah said, squeezing his eyes shut as white stars bloomed across his vision. His words rung in his ears like an echoing bell. The headache that came with dying certainly wasn’t helping the situation. “I’m… okay. Could be better. Took some damage from the fight. How is everyone? Did the Night’s Shadow hurt any of the students?”

“They’re fine,” Moxie said. “Brayden used up most of his power teleporting us away the moment we had a chance. There were a lot of us, so we didn’t get far, but we were just out of range of the Night’s Shadow’s… power. I don’t know what to call that. I’ve never seen anything of the sort. What did it do to you?”

“I don’t know.” Noah shook his head, then immediately regretted it. Every movement sent sharp barbs driving into his thoughts.

Shit. I need to get access to the Fragment of Renewal and figure out how much damage my soul took. The Night’s Shadow is terrifying. That was only a tiny fragment of its true power… and it basically took me out without even knowing I was there. I don’t even think Sunder managed to give it anything more than a papercut.

“Wait. Hold still.” Moxie took Noah by the chin and pulled his face up. He blinked in surprise as she squinted into his eyes, her features stone cold and serious. Her lips twisted into a frown. “That doesn’t look good.”

“What?” Noah asked. “Is something wrong with my eyes?”

“Your irises. They’re… broken. Like someone smashed up the dark bits in the center. Kind of like a stained glass window,” Moxie said, unease dripping from her tone. She ran a gentle thumb across Noah’s cheek. “Can you even see?”

“Yeah,” Noah replied. It seemed the damage he’d taken from the Night’s Shadow was even more extensive than he feared. He didn’t love the sound of that, but there wasn’t anything he could do for a few hours. Moxie released his head with a concerned noise.

Noah finally registered that, while they were still in the Scorched Acres, the trees weren’t a massive mess of singing stone. Familiar blackened trunks rose all around them — and Noah couldn’t help but notice they were alone.

There was no sign of any of the other students or teachers.

“Where is everyone?” Noah asked.

“They’re just back there,” Moxie replied, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “When I felt your gourd activate and saw the Night’s Shadow pulling back, I moved away from the others. I figured you didn’t want to pop up naked in front of everyone.”

Even through the pain searing into his soul, Noah sent Moxie a relieved grin. “Thank you very much. That would have been bad.”

“A little too close to the actions of your old namesake,” Moxie agreed. She shook her head and lifted her gaze to the sky. “I saw what that thing did to the trees before Brayden teleported us out. If any parts of the Night’s Shadow showed up anywhere near a city…”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Noah said grimly. “But I suspect we’ll find out soon enough. I just hope one didn’t appear next to Arbitage.”

“Even if one didn’t, this is going to throw the Empire into chaos. Stability is what holds treaties and stays hands. Nobody wants to be the one that rocks the boat. But once it’s already rocked… all the dominos start to fall.”

“I hope Garina succeeded in whatever she was doing,” Noah said with a grimace. “Because I’m going to need an explanation as to what the hell is going on. And say — have you seen Mascot?”

***

Noah and Moxie regrouped with the others a short while later. They spent several minutes prior calling out Mascot’s name to try and lure the mischievous creature out, but it was to no avail. He didn’t respond.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

That unsettled Noah more than almost everything else that had happened. Mascot was a little devil, but he’d never failed to show up after being called. Something was wrong. Worry bit at the back of Noah’s mind like an angry piranha.

Did the Night’s Shadow kill him when he left the safety of my pattern? There’s no way. I could have sworn he was immortal. And he wouldn’t have killed himself just to help me, right? It’s not possible. He wouldn’t have.

But Mascot had not returned. Not even when the entire class had gone about trying to get his attention at Moxie’s request. Half of them didn’t even know who Mascot was, which definitely would have brought the cat no small amount of amusement.

A growing dread built in Noah’s mind. He refused to accept the possibility that Mascot was dead. He’d grown attached to the little shit. Sure, Mascot might have tried to kill him a few times, but just about everyone that Noah cared about had done that at least a bit.

He can’t be gone.

His fears fell on deaf ears. The cat wasn’t coming back. Perhaps he was hiding, or perhaps he’d decided that something else was more interesting for the time being.

Noah knew the hopes were probably futile. He’d never considered the possibility that Mascot could be killed. The cat had felt immortal. With how easily he came and went, it was hard to see him as anything but.

But nothing was immortal.

Anger built in Noah with every passing minute. It cut through even the pain searing into his soul. The Night’s Shadow may very well have killed his friend. Noah didn’t blame the Night’s Shadow, though.

As terrifying and powerful as the monster was, it hadn’t even been conscious. Garina had said as much. The monster had only appeared because someone had called for it.

Father.

Noah’s hands tightened into fists.

First Jalen. Now Mascot. And that isn’t even to mention however many people were near the Shadows as they appeared. I can’t even begin to imagine how bad the damage to the empire is. Garina said one was forming close to Arbitage. If it was close enough to actually affect the Bastion…

Fuck. It might all be gone.

Father just killed thousands of people in the blink of an eye, and from the way Garina made it sound, he was just fiddling around with the Long Night and trying to learn how its powers work.

That bastard needs to be stopped. Moxie, Lee, the students… everyone is in danger.

But what can I even do to him? I can’t even try to fight the Night’s Shadow. It was all I could do to scare it away. That thing’s magic was beyond terrifying, and Father is strong enough to fight against both Jalen and Garina.

How can I fight back against him?

Noah couldn’t think of an answer to that question, but he’d be damned if he couldn’t find one.

***

Wind howled through the stones rising around Garina. She sat at their peak, looking down over what had once been a great city. She could feel people scurrying around in its depths, assessing their damages, trying to save what they could as everything they knew came crumbling down around them.

The sky had returned to normal. Clouds drifted through a gentle blue ocean and the sun bore down on her back, but it didn’t bear the warmth it normally did. The Night’s Shadow had pulled back and returned to its slumber.

It had only manifested itself for a few minutes at most. And in those few minutes, Garina had no idea how many people had died. How much had been lost.

She was not a sentimental woman.

But the Empire was her responsibility. Protecting it from external threats was her duty. The people within it could tear each other to shreds and she wouldn’t lift a finger. That was their prerogative.

The Night’s Shadow was not.

Father was not.

If I’d managed to stop him the first time, none of this would have happened.

Garina’s jaw clenched.

A shadow fell over her.

She’d been expecting it. Her head didn’t even turn; her eyes remained firmly fixed on the singing stone towers that sprawled far beneath and before her.

“Prophet,” Garina said.

“Garina,” the Prophet replied. A heavy metal boot clanked as he stepped down, and the butt of his spear drove into the stone as he lowered himself to sit beside her.

The two of them were silent for several seconds.

“Father has the Long Night,” Garina said. “He evaded me.”

“A weapon unsharpened will inevitably fail to grow more powerful. You have sacrificed a great much in your duties. Among that is your progress,” the Prophet said. “It was not possible for you to maintain the status quo of things forever.”

“You mean you were expecting me to fail?” Garina asked. The corner of her lip twitched. “Maybe you’re right. A few hundred years ago, I would have tried to rip your throat out for that.”

“A few hundred years ago?” The Prophet’s voice held a note of cold amusement. “Perhaps a few years ago. You have changed in ways I did not predict.”

Garina’s back stiffened despite her best attempts to prevent any emotion from showing through. The absolute last thing in the world she needed was the Prophet becoming aware of any potential reasons she might have changed.

If he finds out about Ferdinand, it’s over.

“Stagnation wears on me,” Garina said. “And I am smart enough to know my own limits. You are beyond them for the time being.”

“I am,” the Prophet said without a hint of humility. “And I have been keeping an eye on you, Garina. Of all the Apostles, you were always the easiest to predict… until recently.”

Garina’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at? Don’t mistake me for weak, Prophet. I recall doing some good damage the last time we fought. I am not some small dog who does naught but bark. Now is not the time to push me.”

“Mere observations. The Apostles are all constrained in this area of the world, Garina. Our attentions are required elsewhere. But that does not mean I have forgotten about the Empire. That is doubly true after the Master informed us that someone of interest lurks within it.”

“I will deal with Father,” Garina growled. “And you will stay out of my business. If Rank 7s start traipsing around the Empire and flinging their magic around, then the Night’s Shadow really will awaken — and there won’t be anything left.”

“Ensure that you do,” the Prophet said. “But don’t make the mistake of thinking the other Apostles cannot come into the Empire, Garina. I think you are hiding something. That in itself is not a sin. I have never begrudged the Apostles their secrets… but that mercy extends only so far as your competence. It is a mercy that can, and will, be taken away. Deal with this — or I will deal with it for you. And I can assure you that neither of us will enjoy that.”

Then the Prophet was gone as if he had never been there.

Garina’s fingernails bit into her palms.

Shit.