CHAPTER 120: THE SCENT ON THE WIND

Trixtan and the others prepared for their sudden, terrifying mission, a rescue operation that had been thrown upon them with little warning. The air in the Queen’s office, though free of the miasma, was thick with tension, with unresolved conflict and fear.

"You’re not allowed to go with them, Shade Cromwell," Scarlett Jenkins’s voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the tense silence. Shade, his form still trembling faintly with residual fatigue, had made a move to follow the four other students, his eyes fixed on the door, his mind already set on one destination: the Slumbering Slopes.

"If you really want to save Eirin Luxfield, stay here and let the others do the work. You are in no condition to go out there. You are a liability."

Shade scoffed, a low, dismissive sound that was a reflex, an automatic defense mechanism against her authority. He turned to face her, his eyes, though heavy-lidded, held a fierce, unyielding fire. "Is this another part of your sick experiment? Is Luxfield some kind of lab rat to you? Are you simply testing the limits of her power, or mine, by throwing us into the deep end?" The accusation, though brutal, held a kernel of truth that stung.

Scarlett’s face, usually a mask of calm professionalism, flickered with a mixture of surprise and genuine hurt. Her mouth thinned into a hard line. "I know you must have hated me for leaving, for my actions in the past," she said, her voice serious, a hint of deep, buried pain in her tone. "But this attitude, this blind fury, is too much, Shade. It is unwarranted. I might not be the type of person to care, but I do about your well-being. I raised you."

Shade shook his head. "No, you don’t," he snarled, uncontrolled energy simmering just beneath the surface of his skin. "And you already know you won’t be able to stop me. I’m not a child you can control anymore. I’m turning into someone like you, master."

The word "master" was a barb, a painful reminder of their shared history, their fractured relationship. Shade didn’t wait for Scarlett’s response. He turned on his heel and walked away, his steps heavy with purpose, and followed the other four students, leaving Scarlett standing alone, massaging her temples, her own emotional turmoil at odds with her professional façade.

The others watched Shade, their faces a mixture of disbelief and resignation, as he approached them, an unwanted, reckless companion. "That place could be swarming with miasma, Shade. We don’t know what’s out there," Link said, his voice quiet, serious, yet filled with concern that was directed as much at Shade as it was at the unknown dangers ahead. He held the teleportation crystal the magic tower had given them, a small, shimmering cube pulsing with faint, arcane light. There was no time to waste, he knew. Each second counted.

"I don’t understand why you’re forcing yourself into this mission. You know we can handle it," Link added.

Shade could feel the seriousness, the genuine concern in Link’s voice. "If you don’t want me to come with you guys, it’s fine to say it. I’m not a child you have to babysit."

Link looked straight into Shade’s eyes, a rare, direct confrontation from the usually placid young man. "I don’t want you to come with us for this mission, Shade," he said, his words landing like a physical blow, a harsh, undeniable truth.

The other three—Calixta, Trixtan, and Pierre—were left in astonishment after the kind and usually careful Link said those words so straightforwardly, without a hint of hesitation. It was a testament to the gravity of the situation.

"That’s what I want," Link continued, his shoulders slumping with a weary sigh. "But even when I say that, I know you’ll go there by yourself. And I know you’ll be reckless and gets into trouble, that’s how you are when it involves Eirin, and we’ll have to save you, too. So, if you’re going to be reckless, it’s better you do it where we can at least keep an eye on you."

Calixta shook her head. "Way to go, Link. That was probably the most honest thing you’ve ever said to anyone," she whispered, but her words were laced with a grudging respect.

Trixtan, ever the cheerful one, though his usual boundless energy was dampened by the grim atmosphere, forced a smile. "Okay! What’s wrong with having another one member with us, right? More manpower to bring Eirin back!" He clapped a hand on Shade’s shoulder.

Calixta clicked her tongue again, more vehemently this time. "The problem, Trixtan, is that the extra member is a reckless, arrogant one who just got cleansed of miasma and is barely holding himself together." Her words, blunt and uncompromising, were met with silence.

Pierre held onto Calixta’s shoulders after she said that, a quiet gesture of support, trying to calm her simmering anger. But Shade didn’t seem bothered by what she said. Her words were true, after all. He was reckless. And arrogant. But he was also determined.

Link sighed again, a sound of resigned acceptance. "That’s that. We’re all going together. Let’s go." He held the teleportation crystal above his head, its shimmering light growing brighter, pulling at the air around them. Just as the crystal began to pulse with power, Trixtan’s face usually so sunny, turned somber.

"Wait," he said, his voice hesitant. He looked at Link, his eyes filled with a sincere apology. "Link, I still want to apologize for what happened earlier. About our conversation. I was insensitive, and I—"

Link smiled, a small, gentle curve of his lips, and nodded. "It’s fine, Trix. I’m over it. There’s no time to talk about it now. Let’s get Eirin back first." Despite his words, his tone didn’t seem like it. It was too clipped, too final. The hurt, though buried, was still there, a lingering wound that would have to wait for another time to heal. Without another word, Link threw the crystal to the floor.

The crystal shattered, its light exploding outwards in a blinding flash. For a moment, they were enveloped in a swirling vortex of energy, and then, just as quickly, they were standing on a windswept plateau. The air was cold, think, and the sky was a cloudless deep black. It was too dark for them to see anything.

"This is too hard. Shouldn’t we at least wait for the sun?" Pierre said causing the others to look at him in disbelief.

Calixta, her mouth hung open. "Do you hear yourself? Eirin’s life is on stake."

Before things worsen again, Trixtan decided to interfere. "Wait, where is the mountain again?" Trixtan asked, scratching the back of his head, his cheerfulness momentarily returning as the grim atmosphere of the academy office dissipated.

Link used a ball of light, given by him by Mr. Blade and used it to lighten the way, he looked around, his gaze scanning the horizon, trying to find the highest peak as described by Scarlett. But a thousand peaks stretched before them, a jagged, endless sea of grey and white.

"What do you think, Pierre?" Link turned to the young man, and Pierre’s eyes, a vibrant ethereal blue, glowed faintly as he stared at the night sky, sensing the currents, feeling the unseen forces that shaped the air.

Pierre shrugged, a gesture of helplessness. "How are we going to know anyway? Isn’t there any clue?"

All of them were clueless, their combined intellect and Flair, unable to figure out under the dark sky. All of them, but Shade.

Shade’s forehead creased, his dark eyes glowing with a faint, angry red light as he, too, stared at the night sky. He wasn’t sensing the miasma. He was sensing something else entirely.

The young man followed what seemed to be a translucent, almost invisible mixture of light blue and pink mana flowing through the air, an ethereal current that was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a trail, a thread of pure energy, a faint scent on the wind.

"I might know where to go," Shade said, his voice low and confident, all traces of his miasma-fueled weakness gone, replaced by a fierce, undeniable purpose. "But we need to travel through the air. On the wind itself."

Link sighed, but nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. He knew Shade was their best bet now. "Pierre and Shade can travel through the wind, and I think Trix too." He looked at the three of them, a plan already forming in his brilliant mind. "Cali and I will search through the mountains on the ground, keeping an eye out for any clues or signs of Eirin. We’ll meet at the base of the highest peak, wherever that may be."

Link reached into his satchel, pulling out five small, signal flares. "Here, this will be our signal in case we see a clue where Eirin could be, or if one of us needs help. Pop it into the air, and it will be visible for miles." He gave one to each of them. "We all know how dire this mission is," he said, his voice solemn, a final, grave warning.

"Eirin’s life is at stake—and I’m talking to you, Shade. If you ever see miasma going around, don’t approach it. Gather us, and we’ll plan our way, together."

"I know," Shade said, his tone clipped, but his eyes were fixed on the sky, on the shimmering mana trail.

Calixta raised a brow, skepticism etched on her face. "Make sure you really do know, Shade. Don’t add problems. We already have enough on our plates as it is." Her words were a final, sharp warning.

Shade ignored Calixta’s words. He didn’t need to be told. He knew the risk. He knew the danger. He just needed to find Eirin.

Shade channeled his mana within, his body becoming a blur of fire and wind, and flew into the sky, a streak of red and black, following the faint, shimmering trail. Trixtan saw this and, with a quick, nervous smile at Link, immediately followed the young man, his body crackling with a faint, protective halo of electricity, the two of them a pair of reckless, determined streaks, against the boundless starry night.