Villainous Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 66: The calm before the storm

Chapter 66: The calm before the storm

The fight was over.

But the silence that followed felt worse.

I stood there, cane planted in the dirt, barely keeping myself upright. My body screamed for rest, but my mind wouldn’t let me.

Because this wasn’t done.

Not yet.

"Professor..." Felix’s voice was soft, almost scared.

I turned toward him.

He was kneeling beside Leo, who was still unconscious. His breathing was steady, but...

"Still out," Felix murmured. "I... I don’t know if he’s okay."

I crouched down, placing a hand on Leo’s forehead.

No fever. No physical wounds.

But something was still off.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.

The pulse was gone. The creature was dead.

But whatever it had latched onto...

It was still inside him.

"Wallace."

"Professor..." Wallace’s voice was barely a whisper. He was slumped against a tree, eyes half-lidded, mana completely drained.

"Can you still sense the tether?"

He blinked, eyes unfocused. "I... think so."

"Good." I pressed my palm against Leo’s chest, channeling a thin stream of mana into him.

It wasn’t much, just enough to feel.

The tether was faint now. Weak.

But not gone.

"Damn it," I murmured, my jaw tightening.

Julien knelt beside me, his sword still in his hand. "Is he...?"

"Alive," I said softly. "But whatever that thing did... it’s still there."

Mira stepped closer, her expression grim. "We stopped the source. Shouldn’t that have..."

"It should’ve," I muttered. "But this thing... it didn’t just latch onto the crystal. It latched onto him."

Her eyes narrowed. "And?"

"And it’s not letting go."

A heavy silence followed.

"Can we get it out?" Julien’s voice was quiet.

I didn’t answer right away.

Because I wasn’t sure.

"Maybe," I murmured softly. "But..."

"Not here," Mira finished for me, her eyes scanning the ruined clearing.

"Exactly."

The ground was still unstable, the lingering traces of mana making the air thick and heavy.

We had to move.

"Julien," I murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Get Felix to help you with Leo. We’re leaving."

"On it."

Julien didn’t waste time, moving to lift Leo gently while Felix supported him.

"Mira."

"Perimeter?" she asked, her tone sharp.

I nodded.

She was already moving, her dagger ready.

"Wallace."

"I... can walk," he muttered, pushing himself up with a grunt.

I didn’t argue.

Not now.

"We move fast," I murmured. "Stay together. No one wanders."

"Got it," Julien muttered.

I glanced around one last time.

The clearing was... quiet.

Too quiet.

We need to get the hell out of here.

"Move."

We didn’t waste time.

The forest pressed in around us, but the oppressive weight was gone. The pulse wasn’t pulling at my senses anymore, and the shadows weren’t closing in.

But that didn’t mean we were safe.

Not yet.

"Julien," I murmured as we moved.

"Yeah?"

"Anything?"

"Nothing," he muttered. "But I don’t trust it."

"Neither do I."

Mira was ahead, her eyes scanning every shadow.

"Clear so far," she called back.

"Keep it that way," I muttered.

Wallace was barely staying upright, but he was moving. Felix was doing his best to keep Leo steady, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Almost there," I murmured softly.

The treeline was thinning.

We were close.

And then—

Snap.

Every instinct I had screamed danger.

"Down!" I barked.

Everyone hit the ground without hesitation.

A shadow streaked past where we’d been standing, moving too fast for me to track.

"What the hell—" Julien muttered.

"Move!" I barked. "Now!"

We didn’t wait to see what it was.

We ran.

The treeline opened up, and I felt the shift immediately.

The oppressive mana was gone.

We were out.

"Keep moving!"

Julien and Felix didn’t slow, hauling Leo between them. Wallace stumbled but pushed through, his jaw clenched tight.

Mira was right behind me, her eyes sharp as she kept scanning our surroundings.

We didn’t stop until we hit the clearing near the river.

"Here," I muttered, finally letting myself breathe.

"Is it... safe?" Felix panted, his face pale.

"Safer than back there," I murmured.

But I didn’t trust it.

Not yet.

"Set him down," I murmured softly, motioning to Leo.

Julien and Felix lowered him gently to the ground.

I knelt beside him, placing a hand over his chest again.

The tether was still there.

Faint.

But it was anchored.

"Damn it," I murmured softly.

"What now?" Mira asked, her voice tight.

"We rest," I murmured. "We’re not moving until I stabilize him."

"And after that?" Julien asked softly.

My jaw clenched.

"We go back."

Silence followed.

"Back to the Academy?" Mira’s voice was quiet.

"Yeah," I muttered. "But not as we left."

Because this...

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

Leo’s breathing was steady, but the tether...

It was changing.

And whatever was coming...

Was worse.

Much worse.

I clenched my jaw.

"Rest while you can," I murmured softly.

Because when this thing came back—

It wasn’t going to be a fair fight.

The night was too quiet.

The kind of quiet that put me on edge.

The campfire crackled softly, sending small sparks into the night air. But the light barely pushed back the darkness surrounding us.

We were safe... for now. But that didn’t mean I trusted it.

"Anything?" I murmured, not looking up.

Mira’s silhouette was barely visible at the edge of the clearing. Her dagger gleamed faintly in the firelight as she scanned the trees.

"Nothing," she murmured back. "But it doesn’t feel right."

"It’s not," I muttered.

She didn’t argue.

"Professor..." Felix’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

I glanced over.

He was sitting near Leo, who hadn’t moved since we stopped. His breathing was steady, but...

"He’s still out," Felix murmured. His hands clenched tightly around his knees. "Is he..."

"He’s alive," I said softly.

But that didn’t mean he was okay.

The tether was still there. I could feel it, faint but persistent. Whatever had latched onto him... it wasn’t letting go.

"Professor," Wallace rasped, his voice hoarse.

He was sitting with his back against a tree, his eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. His mana was depleted, and I wasn’t sure how much longer he could push himself.

"Rest," I murmured. "I’ll handle it."

Wallace didn’t argue. He was too damn tired to.

"Julien?"

"Here," came his quiet response from the other side of the clearing. His sword was resting across his lap, but his posture was alert.

"Perimeter?"

"Clear," he murmured. But his voice was tight. "For now."

I didn’t like that.

Neither did he.

"Keep it that way."

"On it."

I turned back to Leo.

The tether was faint, but... something was changing.

It wasn’t trying to take over anymore.

It was... waiting.

Why?

"Professor..."

Mira’s voice was sharper this time.

I was already on my feet before she finished speaking.

"What?" I asked, cane in hand.

She was facing the treeline, her body tense.

"Movement," she murmured.

"Where?"

"West."

I followed her gaze, narrowing my eyes.

At first, I didn’t see anything.

But then—

The shadows shifted.

Shit.

"Julien," I called softly.

"Already on it."

He was moving before I could say anything else, his sword glowing faintly with mana as he took position.

"Mira."

"Here," she murmured, already sliding into the shadows.

"Felix, Wallace—stay with Leo."

Felix swallowed hard but nodded. Wallace didn’t move, but I knew he was listening.

I stepped forward, cane raised.

"Come on, then," I muttered under my breath.

The shadows... stopped.

A chill ran down my spine.

"Professor..." Julien’s voice was tight.

"I know," I murmured.

The air felt wrong.

Like something was pressing down on us.

"Talk to me," I murmured softly.

"I don’t see anything," Mira whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Neither do I," Julien muttered.

But I felt it.

"Stay sharp," I murmured, eyes scanning the darkness.

And then—

Whispers.

Faint.

Barely audible.

But they were there.

"Professor..." Mira’s voice was tight.

"I hear it," I murmured.

It wasn’t like before.

These whispers...

They weren’t coming from the entity.

They were... calling.

"Shit," I muttered.

Julien’s grip tightened on his sword. "What is it?"

"Not good," I murmured.

"Details, Professor."

"I think..." I paused, my eyes narrowing.

The whispers were growing louder.

"...They’re calling something."

Mira cursed softly. "Another one?"

"Maybe," I muttered. "But it doesn’t feel the same."

"Then what—"

Snap.

"Down!" I barked.

Everyone hit the ground just as a wave of mana surged through the clearing.

The fire flickered violently, almost snuffing out.

But it wasn’t just mana.

It was corrupted.

"Professor," Julien hissed, his sword glowing brighter. "I don’t like this."

"Neither do I," I muttered.

I forced mana through my cane, extending my senses.

And that’s when I felt it.

"Son of a..."

"Professor?" Mira’s voice was sharp.

"Brace yourselves," I murmured. "We’ve got company."

The ground trembled slightly.

"Where?" Julien growled.

"Everywhere."

The shadows moved.

Dozens of them.

No—more.

They didn’t have form.

Just shapes.

Twisting. Writhing.

And they were coming.

"Here we go," Julien muttered, his stance shifting.

"Mira."

"Got it," she murmured, slipping into the darkness.

"Felix, Wallace—protect Leo," I barked.

"On it," Felix murmured, his voice unsteady.

The first shadow lunged.

"Move!"

Julien met it head-on, his sword slicing clean through it. But instead of dissipating...

It split.

"Shit!" Julien barked, falling back.

"Don’t let them touch you!" I snapped.

These weren’t normal shadows.

They were... feeding.

On the mana lingering in the air.

"Professor!" Mira’s voice was tight as she danced through the chaos, her dagger slicing through the shifting shapes.

"Stay mobile!" I barked, my cane lashing out and dispersing a shadow that got too close.

"Julien, form a perimeter!"

"On it!"

He fell back, taking position between the shadows and Leo.

"Mira, clear the flank!"

"Moving!"

She slipped through the darkness, her dagger leaving trails of mana in its wake.

But the shadows weren’t slowing down.

"Professor!" Felix’s voice was panicked.

I glanced back—

A shadow was closing in on Leo.

"Not today," I growled, mana surging through my cane.

A pulse erupted outward, scattering the nearest shadows.

"Wallace!" I barked.

"Still here!" he rasped, forcing himself to stay upright.

"Trace the tether—now!"

"I’m trying!"

But I knew he was almost out of mana.

"Hold it together," I murmured, forcing my body to move.

The shadows were closing in again.

"Julien!"

"Busy!"

He was holding the line, but barely. His mana was draining fast.

Mira was doing her best, but even she was struggling.

And then—

The pulse.

It came back.

Stronger.

From Leo.

"Professor..." Wallace’s voice was strained.

"I know," I murmured, my jaw clenching.

The tether was reacting.

"Damn it..."

"Professor!" Mira shouted.

I turned just in time—

A shadow lunged.

I swung my cane, dispersing it with a burst of mana.

But more were coming.

"Wallace!"

"Almost... there..."

But I could feel it.

The tether was unraveling.

Too fast.

"Julien, fall back!" I barked.

"Moving!"

Mira was already beside me, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Professor," she panted. "We’re not winning this."

"I know."

We weren’t supposed to.

"Wallace," I murmured softly.

"Got it," he rasped.

His hand pressed against the ground—

The array flared.

A pulse of mana surged outward, freezing the shadows in place.

"Now!" I barked.

Julien didn’t hesitate.

"Felix, grab Leo!"

"On it!"

Felix hauled Leo onto his back, his face pale but determined.

"Mira, cover the retreat!"

"Already moving!"

"Wallace!"

"Go!" he rasped.

I didn’t argue.

"Move!"

We ran.

The shadows screamed behind us, but they couldn’t follow.

Not yet.

The array was holding.

But not for long.

"Professor..." Julien’s voice was tight.

"I know," I muttered, pushing forward.

Because whatever was coming next...

We weren’t ready for it.