Chapter 326 - 326: We are dead.

Words : 1154 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

"Gr… Greg? I… I don't feel so good." Vorden's voice was faint, barely a whisper—before his body began to dissolve. Skin, muscle, and bone liquefied in seconds, melting into a thick, unnatural sludge that sizzled on the scorched earth. Gordon followed suit, their bodies collapsing into two indistinct pools of steaming red-green fluid. "NO!!!" Greg's scream tore through the air, raw with disbelief and fury. "ARGHHH!" Vanica shrieked in horror, her hands clamping over her ears as she staggered backward, unable to look away from the horrifying sight. Even their bones hadn't been spared—everything had melted into an unrecognizable mess. Everyone froze. Not a single footstep echoed. Not a single breath dared to disturb the eerie silence. Eyes widened, mouths hung open, minds struggled to process the gruesome, sudden deaths of two comrades. KEREEEEEEEEE! A bone-chilling screech rang out from the expanding portal. Their heads turned as one, dread creeping up their spines. The portal, once a thin slit, now pulsed with energy, widening like a rip in the fabric of reality. Something enormous was emerging, inch by inch, like a grotesque birth from a dimension that had no right to exist. First came its head—a monstrous thing shaped like a hawk's, yet far more sinister. A long, obsidian beak jutted out, and two blood-red eyes scanned the battlefield with slow, deliberate menace. Every strand of hair on the students' bodies rose. A choking sense of dread coiled around their hearts like a vice. They stood frozen, unable to move, to think—trapped in terror. All except Greg. His eyes weren't on the portal. They were locked on the puddle of what used to be Vorden. The world around him blurred, distant voices drowned beneath the crashing tide of memories. His mind racing back to the several moments he shared with Vorden. Some might have thought that the trio; Greg, Jay and Vorden met at the academy and then became friends since they were noble blood. But no! He remembered being five years old—small, weak, afraid. Bullied at noble gatherings, ignored by his own family. But Vorden had always been there, alongside Jay. No powers, no prestige—just loyalty. The normal age limit for someone to awaken their affinity was twelve years old. But even without affinities, Vorden always stuck up for Greg and never left his side. Greg had never been born strong. His current arrogance was a mask forged from years of pain. But Vorden and Jay? They had been his brothers. They had seen him when no one else did. When they finally unlocked their affinities, they promised to always stay together and even attend the same magical affinities if the heavens willed it. Luckily, they got into Lunaria together thinking they would finally rise atop the world. Now Vorden was gone. Not injured. Not unconscious. Gone. 'No… no, no, no…' Greg shook his head, his legs stumbling forward as he fell to his knees before the puddle. His hands trembled as he reached out but stopped inches away. His eyes brimmed with tears. "Vorden?! VORDEN!!" he roared. "Please… tell me this is one of your damn pranks!" His voice cracked. "You remember, don't you? After you awakened your mist affinity, you'd sneak up on me, fake your death, hide yourself with illusions just to scare the crap out of me… right? This… this is another one of those, isn't it?!" He slammed his fists into the ground. "Please… please tell me this is a joke…" Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, his body shaking uncontrollably. His voice shrank to a whisper. "Don't leave me… not like this…" "Greg…" Scarlet stepped forward, her voice quiet, but filled with pain. She gently rested her hand on his trembling shoulder. He looked up at her, desperation written across his face. "He's… he's joking, right? Please say he's joking… Please…" Scarlet's lips quivered. Her eyes shimmered, but she said nothing. No one did. Vanica remained by Max's side, healing him silently. Arthur stood stiffly, jaw clenched. No words came. No comfort existed for a loss like this. "I…" Scarlet tried, then paused. She took a deep breath. "We know you're broken… and you're not alone. We didn't know Vorden like you did. We didn't share your bond. But that doesn't mean we aren't hurting." She looked at the others. "I'm angry too. I want to scream, to cry, to break something… but we can't afford to do that right now. Not with that thing—" "Yeah!" Arthur interrupted, his voice hoarse. He pointed toward the portal. "We've got a freakin' monster coming out of that hell hole!" The hawk-beast struggled, its massive wings writhing as it forced the portal wider. Half its monstrous body was now outside, its eyes never leaving them. "So you see," Scarlet said, locking eyes with Greg, "we need you. Vorden needs you. You're angry, right? You want revenge?" Greg nodded slowly, lightning beginning to arc between his fingers, his grief turning into a storm. "Then don't waste this pain. Turn it into power. Fight for him. Avenge him. And only after we survive—only then—do you mourn." "…You're right," Greg muttered, rising to his feet, tears still falling, but his expression hardening. "You're damn right." "NO!" Max suddenly screamed, coughing up blood. "You're wrong! All of you! Run! None of you can fight that thing!" Arthur spun toward him, frustrated. "Just because you couldn't doesn't mean—" "Says the useless support?" Max snapped. He shoved Vanica aside and staggered to his feet. "You all saw what it did to me—hell, to your friends—and you still think you stand a chance?" He turned to Scarlet. "That's a level 15 boss beast! You need someone like Kael or Captain Amir to even stand a chance!" Scarlet's eyes widened. "Level 15? Are you serious?!" "Yes! Why do you think I've been yelling at you to run?!" Greg didn't flinch. Lightning now danced freely over his arms, cracking the air. His voice was calm, yet filled with thunder. "I don't care if it's level 15. I don't care if it's the god of death. I'll bring it down—even if I die doing it." Max opened his mouth, ready to argue—but froze. The hawk-beast tore the portal open in a violent explosion of spatial energy, flinging itself into the sky. It flapped its wings once, twice, and hovered high above them. Its eyes glowed molten red. Its breath hissed, releasing an acidic vapor that turned the clouds around it into corroded mist. It opened its beak wide. "Shit…" Max whispered, his voice hollow. "We're dead." __ {A/N} Right! This is the last chapter for the day. Have fun reading guys! Let me go take my drugs ???? ????

Chapter 326 - 326: We are dead.

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