Chapter 70 The First Seal
August 31…
That was the date when the ray of light soared, penetrating the sky and beyond.
And to be more precise, the phenomenon occurred at 11:11 AM OIST (Octagram Island Standard Time) which was 8 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC +8).
In under five minutes after the light was seen by every living thing on Earth, thousands of topic about it flooded the internet and became the most searched keyword.
'Ray of Light', and 'Light Beacon', these two were the first keyword to appear on the search trend. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the keyword increased, 'Himalaya Mountain', 'D-Point Ruin', 'Abyss Hole', 'Evelyn Aquatile', and 'Octagram Explorer Club'.
[What happened to D-Ruin Point?!! What is that Abyss Hole?!!]
[Hot News!!! The Collapse of The Ruin!]
[Evelyn Aquatile: The 8th Circle Wizard Will Personally Investigate The Case!!]
As news of the mysterious phenomenon spread rapidly across the internet, reporters from all over the world scrambled to cover the story.
Live broadcasts were set up on the scene where the light originated, and some in major cities, with reporters speaking to experts and heroes.
In New York City, a news anchor stood in front of a large screen displaying moving images of the Himalayas Mountain and the trace of the 'Abyss Hole' on the location that was once a cave ruin named D-Point.
Millions of people watched the broadcast, whether on the internet and on their favorite streaming platforms, the television on their favorite channels, or watched the live broadcast on the screen in the street such as those gathered in Times Square.
— "Reports are coming in from all over the world about this mysterious 'Ray of Light' that appeared in the sky just hours ago…"
On the Internet, the comments section was buzzing with speculation and theories about the phenomenon, or sometimes just a random user typed a random comment.
— Maybe it's a message from an advanced civilization somewhere in the galaxy trying to contact us!
— Oh shit! Are we finally going to explore outer space?!
— Interstellar Exploration Arc! Let's fvcking go!!!
— Bullshit! It's obviously a sign of another catastrophe! You guys better pray.
— What catastrophes? This is not their era anymore!
— Fr, even if it was a catastrophe, I doubt that those monsters would be a threat anymore for us! Hail Thunder Emperor!
— Hail Thunder Emperor! Hail Thunder Emperor!!
As the camera shifted from the Abyss Hole and now was broadcasting Evelyn Aquatile and the wizards, everyone in the comment sections went wild.
— OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!
— LADY EVELYN PLEASE MARRY ME!!!
— Youresocutepleasesteponme~!!!!
— OMG! HOW IS MY WIFE THERE?!
— HEY! Shut up! SHE'S MY WIFE!!
— OUR WIFE!!!
As the live broadcast continued, the excitement only grew, as people around the world waited, some were anxious, some were excited, and some were those that only care about Evelyn Aquatile who went mad when the camera shifted back to the Abyss Hole.
They all waited for answers about the mysterious 'Ray of Light' that had captured their imaginations and sparked their deepest fears and wildest hopes.
•
•
•
In the grand throne room, a magnificent figure sat on their throne, a sinister grin spreading across his face. Their most trusted advisor stood beside them, their heads bent together in conversation.
"Master," the advisor said, clearing his throat. "It seems that one of the eight seals has been broken. I don't know who did it but this is great news for us, we can execute our plan sooner than expected."
The master's eyes glinted with a malevolent light.
"Excellent. This is the first time that my prediction miss. I thought we would need 3 years before the first seal broke. This is a stroke of luck for us."
The advisor nodded.
"Indeed, master."
Then the advisor handed the scroll to their master.
"Here is the information you requested about the location of the other Seals, master. Shall we begin planning our next move?"
The master took the scroll and unrolled it, studying the information carefully.
"Yes, but don't rush it. We cannot afford to make any mistakes. Tell our contractees to secure these places and have them stand by until further notice once they secured the place."
"As you wish, master," the advisor said. "Do you also want to send our newest recruit? He can't wait to be back in his world and get his revenge."
"Has he finished his evolution?"
The advisor nodded.
"Vey well, then. But, tell him to secure one of the Seals first before he could take his revenge."
"Yes, master," the advisor said, bowing low before leaving the throne room.
Alone in the vast chamber, the master sat back in their throne and chuckled softly to himself.
"10 years. That is how much time you, inferior creatures have to live."
***
"Humans are gross!"
It had been a week since the D-Point Ruin incident. And that was also how many days Lumi had taken absent from class.
"Of course! Master is different from those gross humans!"
Right now, I was resting inside my dorm room after training. In front of me was Zia, we had reconciled. Though, she became quieter and more passive than I had ever known.
Every time Lux paid me a visit, Zia would suddenly disappear. I never knew she was that shy to meet other people, no wonder she couldn't make any friends in her class.
When I said to her I'd like to introduce her to Lux and everyone else in my class, she rejected the idea immediately, saying that she didn't need anyone except me.
A bit sounded creepy, but well, what can I do?
"Master!"
And there was another person who would live here with us. Umm No. Rather than 'live', 'stay' would be a better word.
Turning my head left side, I found a little girl sitting beside me, playing with the tablet I'd bought yesterday.
She had striking short blonde hair that shone like gold under the bright lights, framing her angelic face. Her eyes were similar to Lux's in color only– a mesmerizing shade of golden yellow that seemed to glow with a mysterious energy.
She brought with her a rather boyish appearance and charm despite being a girl. With her short blonde hair tousled and falling down her ears.
Looking at me with her piercing yet soft gaze, she asked a question that left me confused.
"Are you okay? Who you are talking to?"
"A friend. Don't you see her? In front of me, this?" I said, gesturing at Zia who stared at my hand.
The little girl shook her head, tilting her head.
"Master. I think you need to see a doctor!"
"Eh?"
Yeah, well. Anyway, this little girl's identity was one that I'd expected to be.
She was the ego of the sword's artifact. Retro.