Chapter 9 – The Monster That Knelt

Chapter 9 – The Monster That Knelt

The beam of dark energy reached the terrace in the blink of an eye, tearing through the night with enough force to split the clouds overhead. I instinctively raised my arms, knowing full well that such a meaningless gesture would never stop an attack powerful enough to shake an entire academy. Before despair could take hold, the air around me froze. A towering wall of crystal ice erupted from the stone beneath my feet, so massive that it completely blocked my vision. The Void beam slammed into it with a deafening explosion, sending cracks racing through the enchanted barrier as shards of shimmering ice scattered across the battlefield. A heartbeat later, a torrent of crimson flames crashed into the remaining energy, forcing the attack skyward where it exploded like a second moon above Noctis Academy. The shockwave rippled through the mountains, bending trees and rattling every window in the academy. Before I had time to process what had happened, a warm golden light surrounded my body, wrapping around me like a protective cocoon and washing away the numbness in my limbs.

When the smoke finally cleared, I found myself standing behind four familiar figures. Lucian's ice still drifted through the air in glittering fragments. Kael rested his blazing sword against his shoulder, flames dancing wildly across its edge. Orion lowered the hand he had used to cast his protective spell, relief briefly flashing across his gentle features. Azriel stood a few steps ahead of them all, one hand tucked into his pocket as shadows curled quietly around his feet. None of them looked back at me. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the enormous creature beyond the barrier.

The Void Alpha had stopped moving. Its six crimson eyes stared directly toward the terrace, completely ignoring the soldiers attacking it from every direction. Something about its gaze made my chest tighten. It wasn't filled with rage or bloodlust like before. If anything, it seemed... confused. Around it, hundreds of smaller Void Spawn gradually abandoned their assault as though responding to an invisible command. One by one, they became motionless. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence broken only by the crackling remains of Kael's flames and the distant hum of the academy's protective barrier. Soldiers lowered their weapons in confusion, unsure whether to continue attacking or prepare for another assault. Even the professors looked uncertain.

The Headmaster stepped forward onto the defensive wall, his sharp eyes narrowing as he observed the impossible scene unfolding before him. "Why have they stopped?" one instructor whispered. No one answered. Then, without warning, the gigantic Alpha slowly lowered its massive body. Its front limbs folded beneath it, followed by its enormous head, until the creature rested against the scorched earth. A wave of stunned murmurs swept across the battlefield. Moments later, every smaller Void Spawn copied the movement. Hundreds of monsters lowered themselves simultaneously, creating a terrifying silence that felt far more unsettling than any attack. "Impossible..." the Headmaster breathed. "Void creatures do not surrender." His words spread unease through everyone present. Ancient records described Void Spawn as creatures driven solely by destruction. They knew no fear, no mercy, and certainly no obedience beyond their instinct to consume. Yet the creatures before us had abandoned their assault without explanation.

I stared at the kneeling monsters, unable to understand what I was seeing. A strange ache spread through my chest, gentle yet persistent, as though some forgotten part of me was trying desperately to remember something just beyond my reach. The Crown System flickered faintly before my eyes, but instead of its usual flood of information, only a single line appeared. [Unknown Phenomenon Detected.] That was it. No explanation. No warning. Even the system seemed unable—or unwilling—to tell me what was happening. I unconsciously took one step forward. The moment my foot touched the edge of the terrace, the Alpha raised its head ever so slightly. A deep rumble escaped its throat, not loud enough to be called a roar, but enough to make every soldier tense. Lucian immediately extended one arm in front of me, silently preventing me from moving any closer. "Don't," he said without taking his eyes off the creature. His voice remained calm, but I noticed his shoulders were rigid with tension. Kael twirled his sword once before planting it firmly into the stone. "This thing is buying time," he muttered. "Or waiting for something." Orion frowned. "Waiting for who?" No one answered. Only Azriel continued watching the Alpha with unsettling focus. His violet eyes narrowed slightly as if searching for a pattern everyone else had missed. Then, almost absentmindedly, he glanced toward me. It lasted only a second before his attention returned to the battlefield, but that single glance made my heartbeat quicken. He wasn't looking at me with suspicion anymore. He was trying to solve a puzzle.

The silence shattered as another deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. This time the sound was filled with pain rather than aggression. The Alpha staggered backward, violently shaking its enormous head as streams of black energy erupted from the crimson cracks covering its body. It looked as though something invisible was tearing it apart from within. The smaller Void Spawn reacted immediately, retreating several steps as though terrified of their own leader. "Something's wrong," Orion said, taking an instinctive step forward. Azriel's expression hardened. "No," he replied quietly. "Something is controlling it." Before anyone could ask what he meant, the Alpha let out one final earth-shaking cry and slammed both forelimbs into the ground. A massive circle of black light spread beneath its body, swallowing the surrounding Void Spawn one after another. "It's opening a retreat gate!" one of the professors shouted. Lucian raised countless spears of ice, preparing to stop the escape, while Kael launched himself into the air surrounded by blazing flames. Yet before either attack could land, the portal collapsed inward, dragging every remaining Void creature into darkness. In less than three seconds, the battlefield was empty. The monstrous army had vanished as though it had never existed.

An uneasy silence settled over Noctis Academy. No cheers erupted. No one celebrated. Victory had come far too easily, and everyone knew it. The soldiers slowly lowered their weapons while professors exchanged troubled glances. The Headmaster remained staring at the empty battlefield, his face darker than before. "This wasn't an attack," he murmured. "It was a test." Those words sent a chill through me. A test? Testing what? Or... whom? Before I could think further, the Crown System suddenly flashed across my vision. [Hidden Mission Complete.] [Reward Received: Memory Fragment ×1.] [Notice: Recognition Event Successfully Prevented.] My breathing stopped. Recognition event? Prevented by what? Before I could read another word, the screen vanished as though it had never existed. At that exact moment, I felt someone watching me. I turned my head and met Azriel's violet eyes across the terrace. He didn't speak. He didn't smile. But for the first time since we'd met, I saw genuine concern hidden behind his unreadable expression. It lasted only an instant before he looked away. Yet something told me that from this night onward, the Shadow King would never stop investigating me.