Chapter 525: Blessing
525 Blessing
The sun slowly dipped across the sky, causing the sky to turn darker and gloomier gradually.
Strangely enough, the temperature had dropped significantly on this day and an oppressive atmosphere had begun to envelop the lands.
Only a little more than an hour was left before Selene and Luna fully became visible.
Sensing their imminent arrival, the weeping trees surrounding Stratford had gotten significantly restless. They had begun to wail in utmost agony, their screeches echoing in every nook and cranny of the town.
Standing at the center of the town square, Kenley and Wagner looked around at all the people gathered with solemn expressions.
"How many people did we feed?" Asked Wagner. "Have you been counting?"
Kenley shook his head with a frown. "At last a few hundred... I'm not sure."
He then looked around at the houses and continued, "Besides, a lot of them entered their underground bunkers after the trees started acting even more creepy."
"What do we do now?" Art asked nervously. "There's still a considerable portion of the town's population that still hasn't drank the water."
Aiden chimed in, "When the blood moons rise and they..."
He didn't finish his words, but everyone understood what he meant. Their expressions became even more grave when they thought about the consequences of the residents not having the antidote.
Eleiney clenched her fists and said with slight difficulty, "I know Professor told us not to force the residents, but we don't have any other options now."
Kenley thought for a moment before nodding. He spoke resolutely, "You're right."
He glanced at everyone present and instructed, "Take the remaining antidote and barge into all the underground bunkers. Make those people drink it by any means."
"Yes!" The three children and Wagner solemnly agreed before dividing the rest of the antidote and splitting up, going in different directions.
Inside the abandoned house, Adam sat at a wooden table, resting his chin on his interlocked fingers as he glanced at the letter in front of him.
His face was concealed in the shadows of the brim of his pointy hat, making it difficult to make out his expressions.
There had been so many variables that affected the progress of his mission that he couldn't help but begin to waver slightly. Despite all the hurdles, he resolved himself to finish the mission.
"Thanks to Elrick's help, it shouldn't be a problem to have the residents evacuate the town," he muttered under his breath as he read the contents of the letter.
The next moment, he conjured a pair of items from his earring. This was the thing that Blackie had given him when he had visited him recently.
"With this, I should be able to deal with that entity..." His eyes flashed with fear as he gazed at the items.
The aura of danger emanating from them caused his back to be drenched in a layer of cold sweat.
"Just where did Blackie get this from?" He muttered in shock.
But despite making so many preparations, Adam had a nagging feeling in his heart that it was still not enough.
The foreboding feeling continued to gnaw at his heart. His sixth sense was warning him that there was something that he had looked over.
Damn it, what am I missing? He thought.
I've already considered the possibility of that entity being stronger than me and made preparations accordingly.
Is there anyone else that can pose a threat to me? But who could it be?
Adam thought of all possibilities but still couldn't reach a conclusion. He couldn't help but speak in frustration, "Must I really use that spell?"
Ever since he had learned this spell from Berger a few years ago, he had refrained from using it. After all, it took an extremely severe toll on the caster.
The spell abided by the Law of Equivalent Exchange!
...
In the world of magic, everything had a price. Magic conserved a given level of value and a given effect must be paid for something of at least equal worth.
"I have no other choice. It's better to be safe than sorry," he said.
The following moment, he conjured a white pearl the size of his head from his earring. This was the material component required for the spell.
He placed the pearl on the ground and sat cross-legged before it. Then, he weaved a series of hand signs, completing the physical component.
Finally, a brilliant magic circle lit up underneath the white pearl, indicating that the model component had also been completed.
Adam hesitated for a moment before deciding to go all in.
His black pupils shone with an otherwordly white light as geometrical flower patterns formed on them.
Rank 2 Spell: Luck's Blessing!
This spell from the School of Divination allowed the caster to impart luck onto themselves. However, there was a great price to pay for it.
The white pearl slowly disintegrated into sparkling dust that revolved around Adam. His eyes lit up with a blinding light, the lotus patterns on them giving off an otherworldly aura.
Unbeknownst to Adam, for a brief moment, the vision of a river appeared behind him. It wasn't a normal river, however. It seemed to be made of strings.
This was the mythical River of Fate!!
The river disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Immediately after, veins became visible on Adam's face and neck.
Following that, he violently coughed large mouthfuls of blood.
He continued to cough blood for a long time. After what seemed like forever, he finally stopped. He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand and weakly muttered, "How... How much of my lifespan... did I just sacrifice?"
Adam paused for a moment, conjuring a healing potion from his earring and chugging it down.
"But it's worth it," he said. "The duration of the spell is one hour... Within that time, I'll get to know everything..."
Although he had paid a great price, the spell was now complete!
...
A few minutes after Adam had cast the spell, a strange disturbance occurred near the town's northern gates.
The weeping trees positioned in that area suddenly parted, revealing a narrow pathway.
From that pathway, a small group of Magi emerged.
It was none other than Gore, Mayor Hobbs, and the rest of the Magi from Stratford!