SYSTEM ASCENSION

"Her name: Yvonne Sharad."

A moment of silence followed Rolarza’s explanation. Then, Rolarza handed the paper back to Zeal with ease, and turned around to celebrate her free ticket into Ringoff acedemy.

Zeal observed the name a little long.

"Scream, huh..."

He glanced at Elias. The latter was lost in thought, eyes fixed on the fire.

"Elias. Come here for a second."

The boy turned his gaze.

"Take a look at this. Does the ability "scream" sound familiar to you?"

A bell rung up in Elias’s head. His eye, that were set on being bored, opened.

"Scream?"

Series of thoughts flashed his head.

[Number of participants in safe zone: Two]

"Ten! No! Don’t come! Watch out!"

"Scream ten! Scream!"

He reached for the paper.

"It’s not important..." The voice he hasn’t heard in a long time suddenly resurfaced. Like hands clawing at his sanity. "Forget about it. It’s not important."

Like a charm, his hand withdrew. He simply stood up, drawing everyone’s attention.

"The sun is down." He announced. "Time to close the gate."

Zeal raised a brow. "His double personality is his problem."

___

They didn’t move until it was nighttime. Words were spoken, positions were marked, and tools were arranged.

Zeal took position on a building close to the gate, his eye scanning the streets even as sleep threatened to claim him.

Elias stood beside him, hands folded against his chest.

"Can they do it?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, before Zeal glanced at him.

"You already put them up to it. Either they succeed or not is up to them."

The gate shimmered in the dark. From inside, the creatures crawled out, ready to feast for the night.

Then—

*BLAAARRRGGGHHH!*

A horn tore through the night, loud and alarming, rolling down the street.

Every creature’s head snapped toward it. The screeching stopped for half a second.

Then they charged forward, in search of where the sound came from.

"Guard them, will ya." Elias stepped forward, eye fixed on the gate that was left wide.

"Alright." Zeal chuckled, stepping to the building edge. He tucked his hands in his pocket and glanced at the gate.

"That thing really didn’t let me in. Are you even normal?"

"Yvonne said am not."

He froze at the edge.

"Yvonne?"

Elias eyes returned to him.

"What?"

Zeal turned around.

"You said Yvonne. Yvonne Sharad?"

Elias frowned.

"Who is that?"

Zeal expression settled in between understanding and confusion.

"You’re nuts."

Elias’s frown deepened.

"Are you insulting me?’

Zeal shrugged. He jumped backwards and leaped into the night.

...

The creatures followed a narrow street, barely wide enough for two fruit carts. They continue to follow the sound of the horn.

As they got closer and closer.

A figure rose from the top of a building. The one person who blew the horn to draw the creatures from the gate.

"Fire!" Rolarza yelled, her tiny voice swallowed in the sea of screeches. However, they heard it.

On the rooftops, bowstrings cut fire, and was drawn back until the wood creaked.

*Thwip-thwip-THWIP!*

Fire arrows cut the air.

Flame caught the first barge of creatures. They ran out of coordination, tumbling into themselves and setting each others alight.

"Second barge!" She blew the horn again.

The creatures got faster, madder, the ones behind overtaking the ones on fire.

Those who had shot the first round retreated, and another set pulled their strings. The arrows cut fire, and they shot it.

As soon as they shot the arrows, they withdrew completely. Like Elias had said before the raid, "your life is in your hands. Escape or die with the hordes."

They didn’t need to be told twice who owns the stage from here onward.

As soon as the people were gone, Rolarza tossed the horn in the horde, and clapped her hand together.

"Ability activated! Light up!"

The wind picked up, the roof of the house groaning under the pressure.

Her eyes and hair glowed, wind suddenly revolving around her. She took off from the roof in a ball of wind and stretched her palms out.

"Link!"

All the arrow light formed a link of tiny strings and fire. The creatures screeched in confusion, but she just stared at them like a person who had everything under control.

"Ex...plosion."

Her last words were a murmur, but the strings obeyed. They activated and glowed brighter and brighter until the night felt like a day.

Then, the biggest explosion ever recorded in Quora’s history happens. All surrounding areas were reduced to dust along side the creatures.

Houses and belongings were gone as the ground melted.

A few behind managed to survive. They paused their movement, faces pale in pure fear. With chaotic whines, they took off in scattered direction.

Feets away, Zeal stood on a half shaved house, chuckling in disbelief.

"She’s basically a walking bomb. How the hell did Elias know that she had the ability to take care of them?"

He sighed and scratched his head.

"Children are growing up too fast this days."

He glanced side at the fleeing creatures, stepped forward and leaped down.

"I guess I’m stuck with clean up job."

___

The gate loomed before Elias, inviting rather than frightening. He look at step closer and stretched his hand again. Just like a day before, his head went right through.

"I can really enter this."

He just had to accept it, as ridiculous as it sounds. With another deep breath, he stepped right through.

The emitting energy from the cave was on a whole different level. It wasn’t a gate anymore. It was a cave, carved deep into the rock. The ceiling dripped. Echoes bounced off stones.

At the center, hunched over a pulsing mass of flesh, sat a creature five times the size of the horde.

It didn’t have a face. Just a slit that opened and closed, birthing more creatures by the second. They slid out wet and shrieking, already scrambling toward the cave mouth.

He froze by the entrance, and just observed.

A few of them seem to have noticed him, but...

"They are not attacking?"

He scratched his head.

’Are they perhaps blind? It doesn’t look like it.’

He stepped forward.

The one closest to him let out a low whine, took a step back, then another. When Elias took a step forward, it bolted sideways, scraping against the wall to get away from him.

The act confused him greatly.

"Am I hideous? I’m not wearing mask though."

The others followed, whining and scrambling away. It didn’t take him any effort to get to the creature producing offsprings.

However, no sign of hostility came from the beast. It it like he didn’t exist at all.

Elias didn’t know what to think. He just stared at it for a long period and back at the smaller creatures.

"Are they avoiding me?"

’Nevertheless.’

He raised his hand and conjured a long fine sword.

’I should end it, regardless of whatever is going on.’

The sword hummed in Elias’s hand, and descended. But it never reached.

His eye went gray, like someone had wiped the color out of his iris and left only a hollow stare

He went unconscious on his feet.

He sword dissolved into nothing, leaving him vulnerable before the odd creature.

The wind suddenly blew less. All the patrolling creatures halted.

Seconds went by, or maybe minutes. Could be hours also. The cave couldn’t tell.

"I had to force control of the body," Mona groaned. "this is annoying."

He raised his head, portraying the Gray eyes.

"And what the hell are you doing here," he said. "I didn’t request your presence."

The creature flinched, and backed away rapidly.

"Did they send you?" Mona took a step closer, hand cracking at the side. "So they did send you to find me."

The creature whined in approval.

"So what? You neglected your duties and began birthing uglies in my domain? I should teach you a lesson."

He raised his hand.

The creature shrank into itself, body visibly tensed.

A second went by, and nothing came.

"Forget it." He turned around. "Go back home."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!