CHAPTER 1120: THE FIGURE

Adrien looked at the soldiers gathered before him. Men and women who had been stationed here mostly as guards and assistants for the research personnel.

For most of them, this posting was supposed to be simple because this was just a quiet facility in the middle of nowhere, far from the chaos of the cities.

Their duties were meant to be routine of patrol, standby, and help if the staff needed something. Any issue with the candidates or the Magic assimilation experiments would usually be handled by those in charge, people like Captain Adrien himself or the researchers overseeing the operation.

But today, everything seems to change.

They were gathered in the first-floor hall, not the basement, and from here they could hear the storm raging outside. The wind howled like a living beast and the rain hammered the facility’s walls with relentless fury.

It wasn’t just a normal storm. It sounded as if the nature itself was angry.

Adrien stood on a raised podium, glancing down at the microphone before checking that it was working. The static cleared, and his voice cut through the hum of the storm.

"This storm is not natural," he said directly, his tone firm and even. "It’s driven by Magic. That means what’s coming next won’t be ordinary things either. You must prepare yourselves mentally and physically to face something beyond what you’ve ever seen before."

The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks. They had already heard whispers that the storm carried Magical energy. Something that was foreign to their world, something that shouldn’t even exist here.

Word had spread quickly after Billy mentioned it to a few soldiers beside him before and then from there it spread fast. Despite knowing that, fear still lingered in their eyes.

Adrien’s gaze swept across them, steady and commanding. "Grab your weapons. Check your gear. Be ready for anything. Sergeant Brook and I will lead you. And I promise you that we will not let anything happen to you."

The words carried certain confirmation to it. They knew that Adrien, Billy, and even Erend weren’t just ordinary officers. They were veterans and heroes who had fought against the Elven invasion years ago.

Men who had seen real war and survived it. If Adrien promised to protect them, they believed him.

The tension in the room eased slightly. The soldiers nodded, their fear tempered by the confidence in his voice.

"Dismissed," Adrien ordered. "Prepare for deployment and await further instructions."

As the troops dispersed to gather their equipment, Adrien stepped down from the podium.

Jessica approached him quietly, her expression calm but her eyes were trembling.

"Now we go to the infirmary," he said.

Jessica gave a short nod. "Understood, captain."

They started walking through the dimly lit corridor. The emergency lights casting a pale white hue on the metallic walls.

Adrien sighed slowly, his mind heavy. He knew what he was about to do would weigh on him.

He would have to ask the candidates that were still struggling to control their newly awakened Magic, to be ready to fight. It wasn’t something he wanted.

But he could already feel that whatever was coming would not wait for anyone to be fully prepared.

He clenched his jaw.

"I hope this won’t be a mistake," he muttered under his breath.

The thunder roared in response.

—

In the Astoria Kingdom, rain poured like a flood from the heavens.

Adrius stood on the battlement wall, facing south. He was not the type to care about getting wet or being battered by the cold wind when the situation demanded his full attention.

The front wall of the kingdom overlooked the vast plains stretching into the distance, and beyond that he could feel something dark and powerful stirred.

Lightning flashed constantly across the sky, one after another, painting the storm clouds in pale white.

But strangely, there wasn’t much thunder. Only endless flashes as if the sky were flickering with energy trying to break free.

Adrius stood still, his hood drawn low over his face, droplets sliding down the edge of his cloak. His eyes glowed faintly as he activated a farsight spell that allows him to pierce through the storm’s veil and see far.

He said nothing and just stared for minutes.

The soldiers around him fidgeted uneasily on their weapons. The silence from their commander only deepened their anxiety.

If Adrius was watching this seriously, then it could only mean one thing, something terrible was coming.

They straightened their stances and readied their weapons, waiting for his word.

The wind screamed through the ramparts.

Adrius suddenly stiffened. His glowing eyes narrowed, focusing on a point far in the distance through the torrential storm.

He saw a figure.

They floated in the air above the plains, wreathed in swirling winds and arcs of blue lightning. Long dark-blue hair whipped violently around its head and the storm itself seemed to bend toward it, obeying its presence.

The flashes of light revealed more of its silhouette. He was vaguely humanoid in man form but distorted by Magic power.

Adrius’s pulse quickened.

Then his voice exploded through the air. "Prepare for attack!"

The shout was sharp and commanding, echoing over the walls. The soldiers flinched at the sudden order and startled by the intensity in his tone.

But years of discipline overtook hesitation and in no time the air filled with the metallic chorus of readiness.

They didn’t yet see what Adrius saw. But the look on his face, the iron certainty in his voice, was enough. Whatever was coming wasn’t ordinary.

Above the storm, the floating figure slowly lifted one hand and the next lightning flash was so bright it blinded half the battlement.

—

In the Qomore Kingdom, the air was just as heavy, the storm pressing down with unnatural weight.

Archmage Sylmira was in her study. The air around her shimmered with faint light as intricate runes floated in the air.

Arty worked beside her with determined focus, hands glowing as she etched symbols into a small circular metal disk.

Finally, the lines pulsed with stable light. The two women shared a brief nod.

"It’s done," Arty said, her voice slightly trembling from exhaustion.

Sylmira exhaled slowly, then placed her palm over the disk. A faint layer of protection Magic rippled over it, solidifying the enchantment.

"This should be enough to hold back the worst of the storm’s influence," she said. "At least for now."

She turned toward the waiting servant by the door. "Take this to the northern battlement. Hand it to the captain in charge immediately. They need to place it at the center of the wall’s barrier node."

"Yes, Archmage!" the servant said, bowing quickly before running out into the storm.

The door slammed shut behind him. For a moment, silence hung in the room.

Sylmira walked toward the tall window, staring at the flashes of lightning dancing in the northern sky.

"You feel it too, don’t you?" she asked softly.

Arty nodded, her expression pale. "It’s getting closer."

—