Bro, I’m not an Undead!

The immense heat from the library was horrendous, burning the well kept lawns and melting the carefully made pavements such that only flowing magma that oozed with an atrocious heat could be seen, obscuring the once steady vision of the masses that had begun to look in shock!

Such a thing had happened at the College?!

The few who had escaped before it was too late were already beginning to give accounts of what they thought was the cause.

“A behemoth this tall waltzed into public library and started eating people left and right! To think it could also conjure flames!”

“Dear, I couldn’t believe my eyes! A beheaded Knight suddenly appeared in the library! These flames are probably born from his wrath!”

“Evil! Evil, I say! The Deities are punishing us for our unbelief!”

Those who were enrolled at the College started making obscene comments that almost started a fight among the masses, claiming that outsiders who couldn’t pay for enrolment weren’t deserving of the service afforded by the College.

The library that had been burned had been a smaller version where the public, those who hadn’t paid for the full services of the College came to read or buy books.

It wasn’t really a bad loss to the College when one thought about it, but the fact that made the whole incident tragic, was the death toll.

Many conspiracies were told as the multitudes raged and looked ahead, with more Knights rushing to scene from other sections of the College.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t do a thing as the heat threatened to eat them alive.

Furthermore, who in their right minds would rush into such a place where a dreadful red hue was dominant, itching to devour them too?

Who was left to be saved?!

Whatever had happened here could be investigated later, right? Right?!

Suddenly, gasps were heard as people saw something odd. From within the library, something started to build up with a low flash of colour!

It sparked white with a tinge of blue multiple times before a loud noise was heard, a streak of light barrelling its way from scene in a shocking fashion!

The civilians couldn’t see what it was, as to them, it was a akin to a shooting star that stormed its way from the library doorway, raising up dust and magma as it left a trail through, covering a large distance before falling and rolling across the normal ground.

The Knights on standby immediately moved forward while the crowds drew back in fear!

Two figures tumbled from the bright flash, one of them being on fire!

<Cough>, <cough>! He-heeeeeelp!”

The other figure coughed and screamed vehemently, the grotesque sound as if he would actually vomit his intestines!

The Knights had been on guard, ready to cut down any threat but…

…!

The man before them garnered their pity after they verified that he was merely civilian with barely any strength in his stages progression.

Furthermore, his body was covered in soot and ash, his hand gone with charred matter at the stump!

Part of his face had blisters from the heat and his clothes were mostly gone, only covering his sensitive areas.

The Knights rushed to pick him up while they also inspected the other figure.

It was one of their own, burnt beyond recognition as molten steel and skin became bound, thick billows of smoke rising from his body as the reddish orange flames on him died down.

Skullius was carefully handled as those with the means to treat him rushed his way.

Along the way, he turned to the charred Knight whose Full Body Aura had finally died down and screamed.

“He…he saved me! He risked…<sniff>… his life for me! Thank you, sir Knight! Th… <cough> th…thank you!”

The ’emotional’ yelling with a broken voice from Skullius dragged out pity from the masses as silence prevailed for a while.

Some of the Knights gritted their teeth as they looked aside.

One of them had saved a life from the horrendous scene ahead of them, giving his life in the process but they… they had just stood there, waiting for the fire to die down.

Their decision was logical but still…

As Skullius was taken away, his face depicting emotion but with no tears to be seen, a sombre atmosphere reigned.

***

An hour later.

The library stood tall, surrounded by crusts that still produced heat, glowing with flames amidst their cracked appearances.

The outside of the two story structure was intact but inside, where the two people adorned in lavish robes, along with a few other individuals in different clothes sets looked to, was a complete mess.

Of the two donning robes, one of them was old man with a unique pair of red, close set eyes that constantly searched for traces of unique mana signatures. For instance, a powerful mana that belonged to a strong mage, or energy belonging to specific infamous groups but nothing registered.

An intense clash had happened inside without a doubt, but he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“This is getting us nowhere. I thought I could pin this to some powerful foe or natural treasure but it seems nothing of that sort was here. All the mana signatures are from Arma Users,” the old man said.

As an experienced mage, he was an expert at reading the intricate difference between the mana of difference classes.

He turned to the person behind him, a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair whose eyes at the moment were wide, surrounded by a foggy light of mana.

“<Sigh>. I’d say it’s not that simple,” she said while in this state. “All I can see is that this was definitely caused by an Energy Former but the problem is… I can only see a screen of darkness with barely discernible movements. After a certain point it just cuts off entirely. Whoever did this…”

The woman paused as her once white eyes developed a light brown and focused on the building ahead as her expression showed a deep sense of exasperation.

“… they might be well beyond what we’re capable of dealing with.”