The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: A Confession... Not Mine

The Collapse of the Laboratory

High above the estate, far beyond the reach of ordinary eyes, Ares floated silently beneath the night sky.

The mansion below had already fallen into chaos. Faint flashes of light occasionally escaped through the windows, followed by distant sounds of battle from beneath the estate.

Ares looked down at the structure for a moment.

The operation had progressed exactly as planned.

The prisoners were being evacuated.

The important personnel had been captured.

The laboratory had been thoroughly searched.

There was nothing left that required his attention.

Ares slowly raised his hand.

"Is it time?"

His voice was quiet, almost casual.

Then he snapped his fingers.

Click.

The darkness around him immediately changed.

Five enormous magic circles appeared in the air.

They were nothing like ordinary magical formations.

Each circle consisted of several overlapping rings, divided into uneven sections that resembled the phases of an eclipse. Dark arcs moved around the outer edges while thin silver lines traced intricate patterns through the center. Smaller circular mechanisms rotated independently within the formation, some moving clockwise while others turned in the opposite direction.

Symbols appeared and disappeared across the rings as though the entire structure were continuously calculating its own position.

The five formations slowly rotated around Ares.

One above him.

Two at his sides.

And two farther behind.

The surrounding atmosphere began to tremble.

The clouds overhead were pulled apart by the pressure.

Ares looked toward the mansion below.

"Let the heavens lose their light, let the earth forget your name, and let everything beneath my shadow return to nothing... Eclipse."

He flicked his finger.

The five magic formations reacted simultaneously.

VMMMMMMMM—

A massive surge of Eclipse-colored energy erupted from each circle.

It wasn’t simply light.

It looked as though darkness itself had been ignited.

Black and gold energy surrounded a brilliant core of silver-white light, forming five enormous streams that descended from the sky like burning pillars.

They moved almost instantaneously.

FWOOSH!

The beams struck the ground around the estate.

For one brief moment, nothing happened.

Then the earth began to melt.

The stone courtyard softened beneath the Eclipse energy, turning red before liquefying completely. The surrounding ground collapsed as the destructive force penetrated deeper, passing through the foundations and continuing directly toward the underground laboratory.

The energy spread through the underground structure like fire traveling through dry wood.

Walls melted.

Metal supports warped.

Stone corridors disappeared beneath waves of Eclipse energy.

And then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire estate erupted.

A gigantic explosion tore through the night.

The ground violently lifted upward as the mansion was swallowed by a tremendous sphere of black-violet light.

WHOOOOOOOOM!

The shockwave expanded outward.

Trees were flattened.

Stone walls shattered.

Windows across the surrounding area exploded simultaneously.

The underground laboratory was completely engulfed.

For several seconds, the entire estate became nothing more than a pillar of light and smoke reaching into the sky.

Far below, the members of Eclipse who had been preparing to leave stopped in their tracks.

Saora slowly looked upward.

Nao’s mouth remained slightly open.

Neil simply stared.

The five Harbingers stood motionless behind them.

The prisoners they had rescued also froze, unable to understand what they were witnessing.

The light reflected across their faces.

Nao finally spoke.

"...Master really doesn’t know how to do things quietly."

Saora continued staring at the destruction.

"I don’t think he was trying to."

Neil adjusted his gaze toward the enormous cloud rising above the ruined estate.

"Wasn’t the objective simply to destroy the laboratory?"

Saora’s expression remained perfectly calm.

"Yes."

She paused.

"It’s gone now."

Nao looked at the crater where the mansion had once stood.

"Gone?"

He stared for another moment.

"I think ’gone’ is an understatement."

The five Harbingers remained silent.

Even they seemed to have been caught off guard by the scale of the attack.

Saora finally turned away from the destruction.

"We should leave."

Nao nodded.

Above them, Ares remained suspended in the sky, watching the last traces of Eclipse energy disappear into the darkness.

He lowered his hand.

That should take care of it.

Ares glanced at the enormous crater below.

Perhaps I used slightly more power than necessary.

He considered it for a moment.

...Well, it was a laboratory filled with people experimenting on others.

His expression remained calm.

They’ll survive the lack of a building.

He turned away from the ruined estate.

"Time to go."

And with that, Ares disappeared into the night.

By the time I returned to the inn, the noise from the other rooms had already disappeared.

Everyone was asleep.

I quietly entered my room, closed the door behind me, and finally allowed myself to relax. The events of the night had taken longer than expected, but everything had been handled. There was nothing left for me to worry about until morning.

I removed my outer clothing, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling for a few moments.

Then—

Knock. Knock.

I opened my eyes.

Who would come looking for me at this hour?

"Who is it?"

A familiar voice came from the other side.

"It’s Charlie."

I sighed quietly before answering.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Charlie stepped inside before carefully closing it behind him. He stood there for a moment, seemingly unsure how to begin.

I raised myself slightly against the headboard.

"What do you want?"

"First, forgive me. Did I wake you?"

"No. I was still awake."

"I see. That’s good, then."

Charlie gave a small nod, but he still looked somewhat hesitant.

I stared at him.

"So?"

"The truth is..."

He paused.

"I saw you earlier. You seemed rather lost in thought, so I became a little concerned. We’re classmates, after all."

Seriously?

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Could this guy possibly have feelings for me?

Why else would someone come all the way to my room in the middle of the night just because I looked like I was thinking about something?

Uh... no.

Don’t jump to conclusions.

Maybe he’s just unusually friendly.

"Ah, that."

I waved a hand dismissively.

"Don’t worry about it. That’s just how I normally look."

"How you normally look?"

"Yes. I think too much sometimes. It’s nothing unusual."

Charlie studied my expression for a moment before giving a relieved smile.

"I see. That’s good to hear. Don’t let strange thoughts bother you, though. You seemed unusually serious earlier."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I shrugged.

"I’m like that with everyone."

Charlie nodded slowly.

"I suppose you’re right. I’ve noticed you don’t really treat our classmates differently."

"Exactly."

For some reason, he seemed satisfied with that answer.

Then he suddenly straightened.

"There is actually one more matter."

There it is.

My eyes narrowed.

What is this?

Is he finally going to confess?

I sat there silently, waiting.

"What is it?"

Charlie took a breath.

"I wanted to ask you for some advice."

"...Advice?"

"Yes."

So it wasn’t a confession.

I felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Charlie continued.

"It’s about someone in our class."

"Someone?"

He nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I’ve developed feelings for her."

I stared at him.

Oh.

So that’s what this was.

"You came here in the middle of the night to ask me about a girl?"

"I didn’t know who else to ask."

I rubbed my forehead.

"Charlie, I’m probably the last person you should ask about something like this."

"You?"

"I’m terrible at giving romantic advice."

"But you’re calm about these things."

"That’s because I don’t care about them."

Charlie looked somewhat disappointed.

"Then who should I ask?"

"Hmm... why don’t you ask Rhal instead."

I answered immediately.

"That guy seems to know something about everything. If you’re looking for advice, he’d probably be much more useful than me."

Charlie thought about it.

"Well... I suppose you’re right."

"Of course I am."

I leaned back against the pillow.

"Go ask him when we got back."

"Thank you. I’ll consider it."

I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Although..."

Charlie looked at me.

"I thought you came here to confess your feelings for me."

His expression froze.

"I was already starting to feel a little uncomfortable."

"What?!"

Charlie nearly jumped.

"I thought you were going to tell me something serious."

"You really thought I came here to confess to you?!"

"Well, you came to my room in the middle of the night."

Charlie looked completely flustered.

"Why would I confess to you?! We’re both guys!"

"I know."

"Then why would you even think that?!"

I couldn’t help laughing.

"Relax. I was joking."

Charlie stared at me for several seconds before letting out a tired sigh.

"You really are strange."

"That’s nothing new."

I yawned and pulled the blanket over myself.

"Anyway, I’m sleepy now. If that’s all, you should go back to your room."

"Right."

Charlie walked toward the door, then stopped.

"Thank you, Ares."

"For what?"

"For listening."

I waved my hand lazily.

"Don’t mention it."

Charlie nodded before opening the door.

"Good night."

"Yeah, Good night."

The door closed behind him.

I stared at it for a few seconds.

Then I sighed.

"What is wrong with that guy?"

He’s supposedly one of the top students in our class, yet he can be surprisingly stupid.

I turned onto my side and closed my eyes.

"Or maybe it’s just me."

Either way, I was too tired to think about it.

Within moments, sleep took over.

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