Chapter Forty-Nine: Cool… Cool

  The walk back stretched out like an overgrown path through his thoughts, every step stirring up memories and anxieties that Jace couldn’t quite shake off. The EXP he hadn’t spent thrummed inside him like a live wire, a constant buzz that made him feel like he was teetering on the edge of something terrible. It was hard to focus, hard to think about anything but the creeping dread that seemed to shadow him.

  He tried to take in his surroundings, to distract himself with the chirping of birds and the way the sun dipped behind the mountains, painting the sky with hues of twilight before plunging it into darkness. His Dark Vision kicked in seamlessly, turning the night into a shadowy grayscale landscape that he navigated with ease. The cool breeze was a gentle caress against his skin, but it did little to ease his mind.

  No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept circling back. His brother needed him. He was living a lie, hiding his true identity. And the guilt of snapping at Alice stung. They’d only shown him kindness, and he’d repaid it with anger. He clenched his fists, feeling the tension in his body, a physical manifestation of his internal turmoil.

  The hours slipped by, the tension in his chest loosening bit by bit as Marcus faded from the forefront of his mind. By the time he reached the campus, night had fully settled in, wrapping the world in a cool, quiet blanket. He found himself at the statue of Aphrodite, her stone form draped in a heavy fur coat that seemed almost out of place. Jace couldn’t help but wonder where she’d gotten it, knowing full well the statues had a habit of moving when no one was looking.

  Jace sat down, the cool stone beneath him grounding him slightly. He barely noticed Molly until she was nearly upon him, emerging from a nearby building with an air of deliberation. She approached and settled beside him without a word, the silence stretching between them like a tangible thing. It was a long moment before Jace, feeling the weight of the quiet, finally broke it.

  “So, you’re a follower of Hecate, goddess of...?” Jace trailed off, searching for the right words.

  “Yes, I am.” Molly’s voice carried an easy confidence, the awkwardness of the conversation seemingly sliding off her like water off a duck’s back.

  “Cool… cool,” Jace said, his voice trailing off.

  Molly nodded, her gaze distant for a moment as if she was seeing something beyond the physical world. “She is the goddess of magic, the moon, and the night. Her influence extends into the shadows where the unknown dwells. She walks the boundary between the living and the dead, guiding souls and invoking ancient powers. Much like you.” She gave Jace a knowing glance.

  Jace listened, captivated by the imagery her words conjured. “It sounds... intense.”

  “It is,” Molly agreed. “But it’s also beautiful. There’s a balance in her realm, a delicate dance between light and darkness, order and chaos. It’s a place where you must confront your fears, but also where you can discover your deepest strengths.”

  “Sounds like a place I should visit,” Jace said, half-joking, half-curious.

  Molly’s smile returned, gentle yet knowing. “Perhaps you will. The paths we walk often lead us to unexpected destinations.”

  “And you’re a teacher’s aide?”

  “Indeed, I provide assistance to all of the High Council. I have since my second semester. I’m in my final year now.” Her lips moved out of sync with her words, creating an eerie dissonance.

  “How do you do that? Speak like that?”

  “Oh,” she laughed, a gentle sound imbued with an enduring kindness. “It’s part of my Affinity. Communion. When I speak, the spirits listen.”

  “Wow, that seems pretty fitting with my deity,” Jace said, remembering Hades’ comment about some gods being under the wrong Olympian banner and how they would be better suited to his domain.

  “Indeed.” She smiled, a warmth in her eyes that made the night seem a little less cold.

  There was another long pause, and Jace was trying to figure out a polite way to excuse himself when she spoke suddenly. “He is haunted, you know?”

  “Huh?”

  “Marcus,” she said. “It doesn’t excuse his behavior. But he is tormented by his life outside of Mythica.”

  The upsets from earlier crept back up into his chest. “I don’t much care what is happening to Marcus outside of here. We are in here now.”

  “It’s true. And one’s company is one’s choice,” she said softly.

  “He has some strange friends, that’s for sure.”

  “Mhm, a very strange friend to keep around,” Molly mused, her tone cryptic.

  Jace felt a chill, the hairs on his neck prickling. “Strange how?”

  Molly’s eyes flickered to the side, as if seeing something he couldn’t. And then she just smiled.

  Before Jace could press further, Dex’s loud voice cut through the air, drawing his attention. Molly stood up gracefully, her movements almost ethereal. “I should go. But don’t worry, Chosen of Hades. We’ll be seeing more of each other in the future, of this I am sure.” Her words lingered in the air, leaving Jace with a sense of unease.

  He turned to greet Dex, and when he looked back, Molly had vanished.

  Does anyone here act normal? he thought. Who am I kidding, I don’t act normal either. What is normal, anyway?

  Dex approached cautiously, a wary smile on his face.

  “It’s safe,” Jace said, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m not feral. I won’t bite.”

  “Rough class,” Dex said, sinking down beside him.

  “Yeah,” Jace replied, glancing at Alice and Ell who were standing nearby. “Listen, I’m really sorry about snapping before.”

  Alice smiled ruefully. “Hey, we all have moments. What Marcus did, it was unacceptable.”

  Ell’s voice was warm, yet tinged with concern. “Marcus... he has issues.”

  “That’s no excuse,” Alice said curtly. “With the log-out issues or not, the Archmage needs to expel him. Especially with everything that’s going on. He could have hurt you or caused a respawn, and we still don’t really understand the side effects.” Her face flushed with anger as she spoke.

  “It’s okay, guys,” Jace said, trying to diffuse the tension.

  Alice’s eyes softened, but she remained resolute. “It’s not okay, Jace. We need to be safe, especially now.”

  Jace nodded, the weight of their words settling heavily on him. As they talked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something more sinister was at play, something that connected Marcus’s strange friend and the chilling whispers Molly had hinted at. The night seemed to grow darker, the shadows deeper, as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable reveal.

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  “No, it’s not,” Alice said firmly. Ell looked at her with tight lips and concern in her eyes.

  Jace’s smile was small, almost wistful. “Why does Marcus hate us so much, Dex?” He kept his voice low. “You guys have history.”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Dex admitted. “We used to be friends. Our parents spent a lot of time together. He wasn’t always like this. And then, something changed. It’s just been getting worse.”

  “There’s more to it,” Jace said thoughtfully. “He seems... scared.”

  “Scared?” Dex and Alice shared a glance.

  “No one acts like that unless they’re scared or hurting. I don’t forgive him; he’s a real piece of work. But I’ve known people like him all my life, and they don’t act the way they do unless there’s something going on... or some part of them feels broken.”

  Dex shrugged, frustration etched in his features. “Maybe. He’s never told me, and I doubt he ever will.”

  Jace looked around, “Where’s Thistle?”

  Alice gave a pained look. “He didn’t take what happened to you too well. I think it reminded him of something in his past because he took off immediately after class and we haven’t seen him since.”

  “I hope he’s okay. Someone should let him know I’m alright.”

  “Yeah, maybe he’s just processing some stuff,” Dex said.

  They chatted for a bit, their conversation gradually returning to its usual, comfortable rhythm, smoothing over the rough edges of the day.

  “Oh, the library!” Alice exclaimed suddenly, eyes widening. “If we’re quick, we can make it before it closes.”

  They exchanged a glance, then took off in a sprint. Bursting through the library doors, they were greeted by the sight of the head librarian tidying up. She cast them a look that clearly said, “You better not make a mess,” before returning to her work. The librarian was a tall woman with sharp features, her large, owlish eyes peering through round spectacles, giving her an air of perpetual curiosity.

  The library itself was a marvel of magical architecture. Stacks of ancient tomes reached up to the vaulted ceiling, where chandeliers of enchanted crystals cast a soft, warm glow. Shelves were arranged in a labyrinthine pattern, each aisle promising untold knowledge and secrets.

  At the heart of the library stood the Arcanum Engine, an intricate marvel of metal and magic. Gleaming brass gears and polished steel pistons interlocked in a dance of perpetual motion, surrounding a grand, arcane podium. Above it floated a crystalline pane of glass, suspended by unseen forces, pulsating with an ethereal blue light. The air around it thrummed with latent energy as Alice approached.

  She extended a hand, and the glass responded, its light intensifying. The gears within the Engine whirred softly, their movements precise and deliberate. Without a word, books began to levitate from the shelves, guided by streams of shimmering blue energy that wrapped around them like serpents of light. The tomes drifted through the air, drawn towards the podium.

  With a gentle hum, the books arranged themselves beneath the crystalline glass, pages fluttering open as if by an unseen breeze. Each one settled perfectly, displaying the exact information Alice sought. The glass pane cast a soft glow, highlighting the ancient texts in a surreal luminescence.

  Jace watched in silent amazement. The books floated and flipped with the grace of ballet dancers, each motion a testament to the Engine’s enchanted precision. Alice’s fingers danced across the glass surface, summoning more volumes. The Engine responded in kind, its mechanisms purring as more books soared into position, their pages rustling softly in the quiet of the library.

  “Wow,” Jace murmured, watching the books float and settle as if orchestrated by an unseen maestro of the arcane.

  “So, here’s the gist of our research,” she began, her eyes glinting with excitement. “We’ve been trying to figure out how the Logout option was disabled, any cases of memory loss or insanity after multiple respawns, and of course, anything on the Dark One.” She paused, flipping through a particularly aged volume. “Then something you said sparked a memory, Jace.”

  Alice opened another book, its pages crackling like dry leaves. “The Dark One mentioned that the university’s protections could only stop threats that were already inside. It got me thinking—what could be inside but not trigger any alarms? Then I remembered something from Magic History.”

  “There’s a Magic History class?” Dex interjected, raising an eyebrow.

  “It’s optional,” Alice replied with a sideways glance. She returned to her explanation, her fingers tracing the delicate script on the page. “Long ago, in Roandia—the Terra Mythica equivalent of Egypt—a small university town was plagued by a series of mysterious deaths.”

  “Wait, Terra Mythica has an Egypt?” Jace asked, his brow furrowing.

  “Not exactly. The continents are similar, but the cities differ. It’s like we share the same basic geography, but the evolution diverged. Anyway, Roandia was on the far western edge of what would be Egypt. It was a prosperous kingdom with a university for Citizens.”

  Alice’s voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes flickering with the memory. “Strange murders began happening. The victims woke up covered in blood, with no recollection of the events. Then, when their defenses were down, they were attacked by an undead army.”

  “Sounds like the Dark One’s handiwork,” Jace said grimly. “Possessions?”

  “That’s what I thought.” Alice opened another book, revealing gruesome illustrations of the possessed victims’ fates. “When Roandia split, one side fell to darkness, while the other struggled to survive.”

  Jace’s voice was a low whisper, cutting through the thick silence of the ancient library. “So, how did he infiltrate the place? How did he manage the possessions?”

  Alice scanned the grim lines of text. “It doesn’t say. The possessed either went insane, disappeared, or died in horrific ways.”

  Jace shuddered as Alice held up an image, grotesque in its clarity, enough to make his stomach turn. He tore his gaze away, trying to erase the image from his mind.

  “Alright, I get it,” he muttered.

  Alice closed the book with a gentle thud, her eyes softening as she looked at him. “For someone with Hades as their patron, you’re surprisingly squeamish.”

  “I don’t like unnecessary pain,” Jace muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. The library’s dimming lights cast long shadows across the floor, signaling the end of their study session.

  Alice glanced around, beginning to gather her things. “We should get going,” she said, her tone casual but firm. “They don’t like it when people stay late, and the place has defenses if you try to sneak in after hours.”

  Jace raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “And how would you know that?”

  A faint blush colored Alice’s cheeks as she turned away. “Anyway,” she said, trying to change the subject. The group stepped out into the biting cold night, the library doors creaking shut behind them.

  “So,” Alice began again, her breath curling into the frosty air, “somehow the Dark One is possessing people here or before they enter, like sleeper agents, and then activating them.”

  Jace sighed, his breath misting in the cold air. “So that’s their trick—sending in demonic Manchurian candidates to bypass the defenses. Clever and creepy. We should inform the High Council,” he suggested, a shiver running down his spine.

  “I said that too, but Ell and Alice disagree,” Dex chimed in.

  “Someone may seem trustworthy, but we don’t know how far these possessions go. It’s safer to keep this to ourselves until we have more proof,” Ell said, her voice steady.

  “But at least the Archmage fought the Dark One and helped save us,” Jace said, though uncertainty lingered in his voice. Jerry’s warning echoed in his mind, reminding him not to trust anyone.

  “I agree with Alice,” Ell said. “It’s nothing against him. It’s just, it’s best to keep this information close until we know more.”

  “One thing’s clear,” Jace said, his voice resolute. “We need to be prepared for anything.”

  “We need to train harder,” Alice agreed, a steely determination in her voice.

  “Do you think Marcus could be possessed?” Jace asked, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at them all.

  “He’s the perfect host. Certainly enough of a jerk,” Dex said.

  “I don’t know if being a jerk is enough to assume someone is under the influence of the Dark One,” Ell replied, though doubt lingered in her tone. “But I’ll admit, he is a prime suspect.”

  Jace nodded, recalling the unsettling vacancy in Marcus’s eyes, the twisted malice on his face when he attacked Dex at the semester’s start, and the cold, detached fury during their duel.

  “Is there a way to detect the possessed?” Jace’s voice was low, laced with unease.

  Alice sighed, shaking her head. “Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe some divining magic. I’m pretty out of my depth here.”

  Dex, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, chimed in. “Professor Ironclad mentioned in Alchemy class that there’s a tonic for pretty much everything. Maybe there’s something for this?”

  All eyes turned to him, eyebrows raised. Dex shrugged defensively. “What? I pay attention... sometimes.”

  “It’s a good thought,” Jace admitted, “but even if there was a tonic, we’d still need to get them to drink it.”

  Alice groaned, rubbing her eyes. “I usually love classes, but it feels less like a school and more like we’re being prepared to run the gauntlet. Everything’s fast-tracked, all these survival skills crammed into our brains. Today, we skipped ten classes and dove into higher-level healing and protective tonics in Alchemy. Even I struggled with it.” She wasn’t being cocky, or maybe she was, but it was far from unearned.

  Jace winced, realizing he’d missed that class. “You didn’t happen to take any notes, did you?” he asked hopefully.

  Alice’s eyes brightened. “Actually, I took a lot of notes. I could catch you up if you have time now. I don’t think Professor Ironclad would mind us using the facilities after hours, as long as we don’t leave a mess.”

  Jace hesitated, then shrugged, swallowing his pride and accepting the help. “That would be really cool of you.”

  “Great! Meet me in the alchemy lab in thirty minutes,” Alice said, already heading off. “I need to grab some extra ingredients before the gardens close.”

  “Okay.” Jace smiled, reflecting her genuine excitement as he watched her dart off.

  Dex and Ell exchanged knowing smiles.

  “What?” Jace asked, puzzled. “What are you two smiling about?”

  Dex chuckled and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing, man. I’ll tell you all about it when you’re older.”

  Jace shot him a confused look, not entirely sure he wanted to grasp Dex’s implication. “We’re the same age, you know.”