2 02: Evacuation To The Basement

Alvan was already late when he arrived at the island where his mother usually goes to practice her healing magic. Before his very eyes, he could see his mother on the ground, struggling as if she were battling with something. When he arrived, he heard some groans from his mother.

"Mother! Mother!! Are you okay? What is happening?" Alvan lifted his mother into his arms while calling out to her, but it seemed that she could no longer hear him.

She was beginning to lose her five senses slowly. Not to mention, inky veins crept across her skin like sinister tendrils, and her eyes, once a warm and inviting blue, now held a lavender glow that mirrored the abysmal gaze of the shadow minion.

Alvan watched helplessly as his mother's suffering deepened. Elara, on her part, did her best to resist whatever was eroding her sanity. Then, with difficulty she looked up to Alvan, her eyes seemed to be twitching, and her body as well with a spasm at intervals.

"Don't look… any of those… shadow minions… in their purple eyes… Only through eye contact… can they infest you. This is the Shadow Plaque that… I have been… studying for years now." Her voice seemed to be fading as Alvan could barely hear her.

On his usually smiling face, tears were streaming down freely as he watched his mother dying before him.

"I will save you, Mom. You are a healer, so you should know the remedies for the shadow plague." He said with a cracked voice before sniffing twice.

"The shadow plague... cannot be cured... once it invades one's sanity. Don't worry, I'm going to meet up... with your father. I never... told you about him." She said as she handed him the bracelet from earlier. "Take this bracelet. It will reveal... everything about your father... and his death. And also… about yourself that I nor the High Priest... have ever told you."

"Mom, no! No!! Don't talk like that. You can't leave me."

With the last bit of her strength, she pushed him away and said, "You have... to promise me... something."

Alvan, now a few inches away from his mother, collected the bracelet and tried to summon his ethereal energy or cosmic energy. And maybe somehow channel it to his mother so that he could give her even if it was a few minutes to stay with him. But it was not working.

With a wave of her hand, a barrier encased Alvan, preventing him from touching her. Because her condition was already deteriorating. The vein-like tendrils were beginning to protrude from her skin, and she felt the darkness spreading, threatening to engulf her. The cries of anguish have escalated as well and she had lost all her five senses.

"Promise me... that you will... save... Etheloria. That is my... dying wish."

Alvan frantically nodded twice. He had tried to punch his way through the barrier in order to carry his mother back to their house and find the High Priest to save her. But it was sturdy, and he gave up as his fist became bloody. However, he didn't feel any physical pain. Instead, a profound and agonizing pain shattered his heart into pieces as he watched his mother slowly succumb to death.

"Take care of her for me. I had always wanted to see my grandchild, but it seemed I couldn't..." After managing to say these last words of hers. She pulled out a dagger and stabbed herself directly at the position of her heart, then muttered an unintelligible spell. She drifted into the netherworld with a smile on her face and tears streaming down it.

However, that was not all. The core of her body rose and hovered above Alvan. Then, with a burst of white energy, a barrier-like wall formed, stretching from the island to the sky.

It was as if she cast her last spell with her own heart's blood and ethereal core in order to block off the encroaching fort of darkness that was still creeping its way toward Etheloria.

Elara was certainly a heroine. Even on her deathbed, she pleaded with her son to save Etheloria and even sacrificed herself to protect those who had not yet been infested with shadow minions.

"Noooooooo!!! Mom!."

Instantly, a burst of golden energy erupted from his body. Without hesitation, the golden energy burst through his mother's barrier, and he hurried to the spot where her lifeless body lay. The energy he just used is known as cosmic energy. It can appear golden in color or a myriad of neon colors.

After wailing to his heart's content, he felt empty. He carried his mother's lifeless body back to their house.

He must surely fulfill his mother's dying wish and rid Etheloria of the Shadow Plague that has befallen them. He was resolute in his determination and prepared to go to any lengths to save the people of Etheloria.

Who knows, will the shroud of darkness that looms over Etheloria bring forth a merciless massacre, annihilating every trace of life in this land? Will it be more ferocious than the shadow minions that took his mother's life?

***

Not only had his mother's life been claimed by the shadow minion. Countless deaths occurred among the people of Etheloria. Because Alvan saw most of them, especially those who live close to the seaside, particularly the fishermen, on his way back.

He hurriedly left his house after placing his mother's body in their family's tomb. He was heading towards the Templar Academy to personally inform the High Priest about his mother's warning.

The High Priest came out of the temple building after hearing what Alvan had told him before running off towards the settlement.

He was an old man, probably in his late seventies. His hair was gray and he was bald in the center, with a gray goatee beard on his jaw. On his hand was a staff, with a big, round ruby crystal attached to its tip. The High Priest was adorned with a long, flowing robe.

The High Priest chanted some unintelligible words and waved his left hand above the crystal on his staff before forcefully thrusting it into the soil. The ruby crystal lit up with a reddish glow. Then, he announced the following warning to the people of Etheloria who were in the settlement.

"Listen, everyone. This is the High Priest speaking. Everyone, young and old, should head to the Templar Academy right away. We are under a plague, you should hurry so that you can be evacuated into the basement before the ominous shroud of darkness, visible in the direction of the sea, reaches Etheloria.

"This is a warning: if you encounter any shadowy figures on your way, be cautious. Don't look them in the eyes... Otherwise, you will be infested with shadow plague directly by those shadow minions."

After the amplified announcement, the crystal's glow dimmed. The High Priest turned around to see all the templar guards lined up behind him.

"This is an urgent matter. I will divide your guards into three groups. One of the groups would head down to the basement and arrange it to accommodate all the villagers and the elite council.

"The other group would head straight down to the settlement and assist in evacuating the villagers back to the basement. And the last group will have to safely evacuate the elite members and the Elder Parliament of Etheloria back." After saying this, he divided them into three groups and assigned each group its task.

"Understood?"

"Your wish is our command, High Priest." All of the Templar guards, who were already fully clad in their armor and holding their weapons, echoed in unison. Afterward, they all dispersed, going off to complete their assigned tasks.

Now, the once Templar Academy abuzzed with activities and noises from the student Aetherians, was as silent as a graveyard.

The High Priest wasn't standing idly by. Tightly gripping his staff, he disappeared from the spot where he was last seen instructing the Templar guards. He had obviously set off using teleportation, a feat that only a few high-level Aetherian mages could accomplish.

***

Alvan quickly descended from the elevated plateau after meeting with the High Priest. He was well-known to the High Priest because he was one of the teachers at the Templar Academy. Not to mention, he was particularly renowned in Etheloria as the only teacher of the academy who was not an Aetherian. Meeting with the High Priest was relatively easy.

When Alvan arrived at the settlement of the Ethelorian people, he scurried off in a specific direction, oblivious to the other villagers who appeared to be making their way to the templar academy following the High Priest's announcement.

Even though Alvan wants to help most of the villagers, the shadow minions have found their way into the main settlement. He could not bring himself to help them because someone else was on his mind.

One of her mother's dying wishes was to save Etheloria from the shadow plague, while the other was to take care of 'her'. He was currently running towards 'her' house now.

After passing several houses, he finally caught a glimpse of Emelda's house. What's more, she was already coming out of the house and locking the door.

Feeling the presence of someone moving behind her, she swiftly turned around and sent out a black vine. However, upon seeing Alvan, she heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps, she thought it was one of the shadow minions that were running rampant, infesting most of the villagers.

Slowly, the black vines and tendrils that had wrapped around Alvan unwound. Emelda was a unique Aetherian who could manipulate plants to form roots, tendrils, and vines.

Alvan immediately embraced her, tears sliding down his cheeks...

"I'm glad you're fine." He held her close in his warm embrace, savoring every moment of their intimate connection. However, thinking about when his mother told him to protect this girl, he couldn't help but break down into tears.

Emelda consoled him, and then Alvan proceeded to tell her everything that had happened. After comforting each other, they both headed towards the Templar Academy, where other villagers who had not been infested by the shadow minions had evacuated to.