IMPERIAL ACADEMY

Something is inside the pit

Master Orion was in his office when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said out loud and the door opened. The other sentry stepped inside, holding Klaus' painting in his hand. He approached Master Orion's table and gave him a bow.

"Master Orion, here is the painting," he said to him, and gently placed the painting on the desk. He took a step back and stood at ease while Master Orion got up. Master Orion gazed deeply at the painting and slowly touched the frame.

"You have done well, sentry," Master Orion commented, and the sentry gave a light bow. Then, Master Orion proceeded to place his hand on the canvas. Then, Master Orion chanted.

"Revela entitatem intra hoc picturam"

"Revela entitatem intra hoc picturam"

"Revela entitatem intra hoc picturam"

As the spell dissolved into silence, the colors seemed to ripple and shimmer. The varnish cracked, and the canvas appeared to vibrate with anticipation. But instead of a hidden entity emerging, the image simply... unraveled. Threads of pigment unraveled from the fabric, drifting lazily to the floor like discarded spider silk. The painting's surface smooths to a blank, pristine white, as if the very essence of the artwork has been erased, leaving only an unsettling void.

The sentry's eyes widened in shock as he gazed at the painting, and then at Master Orion.

"What's going on sir?" The sentry asked. Master Orion crouched and touched the fabrics of the painting on the ground. He furrowed his brow as he turned to the sentry.

"Were you alone in this painting's recovery?" Master Orion asked, but the sentry rocked his head in the negative.

"No sir. Mark was with me. But he had to leave. Said he had an emergency to attend to. What is it, Master Orion?" The sentry asked him, truly confused.

"There is no entity within this painting. Klaus Hodgkin has escaped from this painting. We must find Mark right now!" Master Orion said to the Sentry and dashed out of the office. The Sentry, with a confused look, followed Master Orion out.

Meanwhile, Mark took a glide toward the catacombs in the academy, his footsteps echoing off the cold, damp stone walls that lined the narrow stairway descending into darkness. The air thickened with the scent of aged dust and forgotten history as he entered the labyrinthine passages, the flickering torches casting eerie shadows on the vaulted ceilings. Cobwebs clung to the corners of weathered marble plaques, inscribed with the names of esteemed academicians whose remains lay entombed within the catacombs' winding depths.

"There… right there…" Klaus' voice echoed in Mark's head as the sentry approached a dark pit with an offensive-looking body of water. Mark knelt before the pit and then touched the water. And then the moment when he touched the water, his body twisted. His bones cracked and while he fought back tears, the sentry found the entity in his mind taking over his senses.

"Idem sum qui fovea haec est,"

Mark muttered as his voice became a mix of that of Klaus' and his. As soon as Mark said the words, he groaned while his body cracked again. The guttural growl that soon followed echoed through the catacombs as dark smoke sipped out through Mark's nostrils. The smoke mixed with the waters in the pit and Mark groaned while he fell on his back.

"Arhg!" Mark cried out, his entire body shaking. He looked around while being confused by where he was. He didn't remember how he got to the catacombs. Then, as the water began to bubble, Mark jumped on his feet. He coughed as the bubbling became more intense, and then quickly he ran out of the catacombs.

But the bubbling did not stop. It intensified as toxic green gases started to puff out of each bubble. What followed next was something rising from the water. It was dark, slimy and formless. It stood like a tree in the pit and its roots slowly spread across the entire catacombs. Then, the roots started to climb the walls and cynical whispers followed.

While the roots spread, so did Klaus' powers. As the evil was rising underneath the academy, Alex heard the whispers inside his head. He was sitting inside his room when a familiar voice came up to him.

"... Alex!" The voice called out. Alex looked around but no one was there. He listened closely as he closed the book that he was reading, just to focus. But the voice did not come again. Then, Alex sighed. Perhaps he was mistaken.

Suddenly, three loud knocks rocked his door. Alex gazed at the door as the knocks came again. He placed the book on the bed, stood up and walked towards the door. Just as the knocks came one more time, Alex opened up. But Kevin and the two other bullies rushed into the room.

"Kevin, what are you doing here?" Alex asked, but Kevin punched Alex in the face. Alex gasped and staggered back while the pain shot through his body. For a moment, he couldn't see clearly. As he regained focus, Kevin's blazing eyes were cast upon him. At the time, the two other boys held Alex in place.

"You little trash. Do you think that you could come to this academy and steal all the attention for yourself? You're a freaking servant that should be dead by now!" Kevin yelled and punched Alex again in the face. Alex spit out blood while the other boys laughed.

"Yeah! Kevin! Get him, Kevin!"

"Show this servant he doesn't belong here!"

The boys cheered Kevin on.

"Kevin, I don't want to hurt you. Please, stop." Alex muttered, but Kevin let out a derisive laughter.

"You, hurt me? I don't know how you've managed to get everyone fooled, but you did not defeat any witch. You are good, but you are not that good… then Kevin began to pace around the room. "And you are too intelligent for your own good. That's why mother made you…" Kevin quickly stopped himself before he said too much.

Alex arched his brow while he gazed at Kevin. And while he began to laugh, the other boys watched as a puzzle.

"You didn't tell them, did you, Kevin? Of course, you didn't. I mean, how could you tell your esteemed friends that a servant took your entrance examination for you?" Alex asked Alex, who fumed.

"What's he talking about Kevin?" One of the boys asked while they slowly let go of Alex.

"Don't listen to him. I took my exam by myself. I would never let a freaking servant touch my script!" Kevin shot out, but Alex laughed again.

"Your three years of failure doesn't seem to correlate, Kevin," Alex replied to him. It felt so good for Alex to see Kevin get humbled. The other boys scoffed and walked out of the room, leaving Kevin alone with Alex.

"Hey, where are you going? Come back! Don't listen to him!" Kevin yelled at the boys, but they did not listen to him. While they left, Alex slowly massaged his jaw.

"You fool. Do you have any idea what you've done?" Kevin fumed. "You cannot say such things about me without consequences!" Kevin added.

"I may have been your servant in the past, Kevin, but right now, we are classmates. You are not bigger than I am. I have worked to be where I am now, and you will not disrespect me anymore!" Alex yelled at Kevin, who scoffed.

"Fine. I guess I have to remind you who you are!" Kevin said and took a deep breath. He opened his palms and then they suddenly caught fire. Kevin chuckled while the fire blazed, and he gazed at Alex with disdain.

"I have just started learning the basics. But I'm sure it will get the job done," Kevin said and shot the fire in his hand at Alex. A shield suddenly protected Alex from the flames. Kevin groaned and conjured another fire. And when he shot the fire at Alex, the same shield appeared and protected Alex.

Then, Alex stretched forth his hand and a wave of energy shot from it and hit Kevin. The wave smashed Kevin on the wall, and he cried as he ran out of the room.

"This isn't over Alex! Stupid freak." Kevin yelled while he ran. Alex returned to his bed and sat down.

"Well done, Alex!" A voice suddenly said to him. Alex turned and saw Klaus Hodgkin standing before him.