Chapter 5: Double Jeopardy
Morning before class
Romulus awoke to a sharp snap in his consciousness, as if a string had burst.
A bright blue window appeared before my eyes:
[⚔️ **NEW QUEST: "Learning from the Master "** ]
■ Goal: To master basic spells under the guidance of Karsten.
■ Reward: +2 to INT, +5 MP, new skill.
■ Time limit: 7 days.
Followed by a second, ominous, blood red:
[☠️ **MEMBERS ONLY QUEST: "Don't Get Trapped "** ] ]
■ Purpose: To uncover Karsten's true intentions.
■ Reward: ???? (hidden)
■ Warning: Failure = death of the soul.
Romulus clutched the sheets into a ball, feeling a cold sweat on his forehead.
"So the System sees him as a threat too..."
The rain drummed furiously outside the window, as if lamenting his fate, and heavy, measured footsteps were heard in the corridor.
A trap in the library
Carsten was waiting for him in the forbidden section of the library, where even the Count did not dare to enter unless absolutely necessary.
The shelves here were chained and the books breathed, their pages moving like living creatures eager to break free.
- **"Today we will study **absorption of magic," the mage held his hand over the crystal, which immediately flashed with an ominous, poisonous green light, illuminating his face.
- "This artifact absorbs other people's power. Your job is to take it back."
Romulus became alarmed.
"Why such a difficult skill right away? This isn't a level for a beginner... There's obviously something wrong here."
But Karsten had already grabbed his wrist with his icy hand and forcefully pressed his palm against the pulsing crystal.
- "Feel the energy? Pull it out!"
The system squealed, bursting with alarm:
[⚠️ **ALIEN MANA DETECTED! ** ]
■ Type: Spiritual Loop (Capture Ritual)
■ Effect: If successful, Karsten will gain access to your memories.
"Shit! It's a trap!"
Romulus tried his best to wrench his hand away, but his fingers felt as if they were glued to the vile surface of the crystal.
The crystal sucked his consciousness into a vortex of alien, dirty thoughts, as if ripping him from reality.
He saw:
A dark altar where bound, frightened children cried in silver cages like defenseless birds.
Karsten, obsessively drawing bloody runes on the stone floor, preparing for a terrible ritual.
His own body lying breathless on the cold stones, devoid of life and soul.
"No! Get back!"
At the last, desperate moment, the door rattled open, breaking the ominous silence.
Alicia intervenes
- "Roma! Daddy's calling you!" - Her voice, like a ray of light, pierced the nightmare, breaking the spell.
Carsten let go of his hand as if he'd been burned. The crystal faded instantly, leaving behind only the taste of bitterness and fear.
- "Class is over," the mage hissed, rage and frustration evident in his voice.
Romulus could barely stay on his feet, feeling the world around him blurring.
Alicia grabbed his arm and dragged him away, down the hallway, away from the damn place.
- "Run!"
They rushed into the garden, where, under a centuries-old oak tree whose roots were deep in the ground, Alicia burst into tears, her whole body trembling.
- "I saw... He was going to take you away!"
Romulus hugged his sister tightly, trying to quiet her trembling and calm his own fear.
- "What exactly did you see?"
- "He... He does it to others. With others who are... like you."
"Other reincarnates...?"
The system confirmed his worst fears:
[❗️ **QUEST "Don't Get Trapped" - PROGRESS 50%** ] ]
■ Found out: Carsten is hunting reincarnates.
■ Next Goal: Find the evidence.
Night outing
Late at night, as the castle fell into a deep slumber, Romulus crept into Carsten's study, sneaking in like a shadow.
Using telekinesis like an experienced thief, he silently opened a hidden drawer in the desk, hidden from view.
Inside lay items that made the blood run cold in my veins:
A diary written in calligraphic handwriting, containing horrifying entries and names: "Linar, 8 years old. Died during a ritual. The soul didn't fit."
An old, tattered map with marked distant villages where children were mysteriously disappearing.
A black feather stained with blood - the same as on the ominous crest of the Dark Guild, shrouded in dark legends.
The system exploded with a flood of alert notifications:
[⚠️ **DARK GUILD DISCOVERED** ]
■ Purpose: To abduct souls for Project Resurrection.
■ Karsten's status: Anomaly Hunter.
Romulus grabbed the journal, clutching it to his chest as his only hope of salvation.
And then the door opened with a quiet creak, making his heart freeze with horror.
Face to face
Carsten stood on the threshold like a ghost, his eyes glowed ominously in the darkness, emitting an unholy light.
- "I knew you were coming. It was only a matter of time."
Romulus clutched the journal tighter to his chest, ready for a desperate fight.
- "You... kill children. You're a monster."
The mage let out a chilling laugh that echoed around the room.
- "I am saving this world from itself. Their souls are the key to the Great Return, to a new order."
Dark energy crawled along the walls as if alive, enveloping the room in an ominous aura.
Romulus backed away, feeling his back against the cold wall of the closet. He was trapped.
"I can't beat him alone... I don't stand a chance."
Suddenly the glass of the window shattered into splinters, pierced by an unknown force.
Alicia - all shrouded in blue sparks, as if she had descended from heaven - burst into the room with a desperate cry, full of rage and love:
- "DON'T TOUCH MY BROTHER!"
Her eyes glowed with a blinding white light, and a deadly whirlwind of ice shards erupted from her palms, sweeping away everything in its path.
Carsten let out an inhuman growl, full of rage and pain.
And the world exploded with a blinding light that engulfed everything around it.
After the battle.
When Romulus opened his eyes, Carsten was gone, as if he had never existed, and the room had been razed to the ground, turned into a battlefield.
Alicia lay exhausted on the floor, her hair graying at the ends as if touched by the frost of eternity. She had paid a high price for her bravery.
The system announced the happy news:
[✅ **QUEST "Don't Get Trapped" - CLOSED! ** ]
■ Reward: **"Seal of Spiritual Reflection "** (blocks soul scan attempts)
Romulus gently lifted his sister into his arms and whispered with tenderness and gratitude:
- "You... What did you do?"
She smiled weakly, feeling the life leaving her:
- "Protected the family. That's all that matters."