Chapter 74: A Way Home ?
Master Theron Vex dominated the Royal Academy’s emergency command center, his weathered hands trembling as he studied the reports scattered across the hastily assembled table. The chamber’s oppressive silence pressed against everyone present like a physical weight, broken only by the scratch of his pen as he made urgent calculations in the margins.
Captain Aldric cleared his throat. "Master Vex, you mentioned recognizing this phenomenon. The rift that consumed itself?"
Vex raised his eyes from the documents, his expression carved from stone. "Captain, what occurred at the Academy violates every fundamental principle of dimensional physics we understand. Standard rifts require seven days of stabilization before allowing passage. This manifestation was active from the moment it appeared."
He moved to the table’s center, his movements drawing every eye in the room. "Several months ago, I developed theoretical methods for forcing dimensional tears to open from our side rather than waiting for natural manifestations. The mathematics were elegant, but the research contained a critical flaw."
Lucian leaned forward, his pale eyes sharp with interest. "What kind of flaw?"
"We couldn’t predict the destination," Vex explained, his voice heavy with abandoned possibilities. "Without knowing whether we’d connect to empty space or a nest of SS-rank predators, the technique was too dangerous to implement. I destroyed all research materials and buried the theoretical framework."
The weight of that admission settled over the room. Colonel Hestian’s face darkened. "But now you believe someone used your technique against the Academy?"
"Not used adapted and perfected." Vex withdrew a leather-bound tome from his satchel, its cover bearing scorch marks and dimensional sigils that seemed to writhe when viewed peripherally. "Someone has solved the problems that forced me to abandon this research. They’ve achieved controlled dimensional manipulation on a scale that should be impossible."
Principal Whitmore, who had maintained rigid silence throughout the briefing, finally spoke. His voice carried the hollow quality of a man watching his life’s work crumble. "You’re saying someone deliberately targeted my students using your research?"
"The energy signatures match my theoretical projections perfectly," Vex confirmed. "But whoever implemented this possesses capabilities that far exceed anything I achieved. They’ve solved problems that plagued me for years."
Captain Aldric stepped forward, his authority as head of the King’s Guard evident in every measured movement. "Master Vex, if you understand how this was done, can you reverse it?"
The artificer’s hands stilled on the tome’s pages. For a moment, something that might have been hope flickered across his weathered features before being replaced by grim determination. "A rescue operation might be possible. But it requires precise analysis of the dimensional residue from the manifestation site. If enough residual essence remains at the Academy arena, we might be able to establish a connection."
"Might be?" Lucian’s voice carried skeptical undertones.
"The theoretical framework exists, but implementation would require specific conditions." Vex’s academic excitement was tempered by visible concern. "We would need an anchor something powerful enough to stabilize the dimensional matrix from our end while the rescue portal remains open."
The chamber fell silent as the implications became clear. Everyone present understood that dimensional manipulation on this scale would consume enormous power, and their resources were already stretched by the seven standard rifts that had manifested simultaneously across the kingdom.
Colonel Hestian broke the silence. "What kind of anchor are we discussing?"
"That’s the critical question." Vex consulted his notes with the focused intensity of someone whose calculations might determine the fate of two hundred young lives. "The stronger the anchor, the longer we can maintain the rescue rift. But if we delay too long, if the students are killed in whatever realm they’ve been taken to..."
He didn’t need to finish. The implications of a white rift powered by mass death were clear to everyone in the room.
Captain Aldric’s voice cut through the growing tension. "You must examine the arena immediately. If any possibility exists of recovering our students, we have to pursue it."
* * *
The devastated arena felt like a tomb when the leadership group assembled two hours later. Crystalline fragments from the shattered protective barriers littered the scarred stone floor, and the air itself shimmered with dimensional distortion that burned their throats with each breath.
Master Vex knelt at the heart of the manifestation site, his artificer’s tools arranged in precise patterns around him. The devices hummed with analytical energy as they probed the dimensional scar left by the white rift.
"Remarkable," Vex murmured, studying readings that drained color from his face. "The complexity far exceeds what the initial reports described."
Lucian watched the artificer work, noting the subtle changes in Vex’s expression as data accumulated. "What are you finding?"
"Something that escaped everyone’s initial assessment." Vex indicated nearly invisible variations in the stone’s scarring patterns. "The manifestation wasn’t random. This rift was positioned with surgical precision to capture specific targets."
Colonel Hestian moved closer, his military training automatically cataloging tactical implications. "You mean the attack was deliberately targeted?"
"Beyond targeting calculated." Vex’s instruments revealed layer upon layer of hidden complexity. "The timing was calculated to capture the entire first-year class when they were gathered with their instructors. No upper-level students, no faculty beyond those who happened to be present. Just the newly awakened those with the highest potential for future development."
Principal Whitmore felt something cold settle in his stomach. "They weren’t just attacking our Academy. They were harvesting our most promising students."
The word ’harvesting’ hung in the air like a physical presence. Captain Aldric’s jaw tightened as he processed the implications. "Which means whoever orchestrated this has plans that require specifically powerful individuals. This wasn’t terrorism it was strategic resource acquisition."
Vex continued his analysis, each new reading painting an increasingly disturbing picture. His hands moved across his instruments with practiced efficiency, but his expression grew more troubled with each measurement.
"The dimensional tear was engineered to sustain itself once activated," he reported. "Whoever opened it understood exactly how much power would be required and prepared accordingly. This level of planning and precision suggests months of preparation."
He looked up at the assembled leadership, his expression grave with the weight of difficult truths. "I have both encouraging and deeply troubling news. Which would you prefer first?"
The question settled over them like a challenge. Captain Aldric straightened, his military bearing evident. "The troubling news."
"These two hundred students were targeted with surgical precision," Vex said quietly. "This attack was planned for months, possibly longer. Every detail was calculated to maximize the harvest while minimizing our ability to respond effectively."
The silence that followed carried the weight of terrible understanding. They faced an enemy with capabilities and patience that exceeded anything in their collective experience.
Lucian’s voice cut through the oppressive quiet. "And the encouraging news?"
"We can create a rescue rift." Vex’s weathered hands remained steady despite the magnitude of what he was proposing. "The dimensional residue is still active, still maintaining a weak connection to wherever our students were taken. But there’s a critical requirement that cannot be avoided."
"The anchor," Colonel Hestian said, his tone suggesting he already suspected what that would entail.
"Exactly. We need something powerful enough to stabilize a forced dimensional tear against active resistance." Vex consulted his ancient tome, his finger tracing calculations that had been theoretical until this moment. "The stronger the anchor, the longer we can maintain the rescue portal. But we must act quickly."
"How quickly?" Principal Whitmore asked, though part of him dreaded the answer.
"Days, perhaps less." Vex’s academic precision couldn’t soften the brutal timeline. "If all the students perish while the dimensional connection remains active, the white rift will become permanently stable. Whatever exists in that realm would have direct access to ours."
The implications struck like a physical blow. They weren’t just racing to save two hundred young lives they were racing to prevent an invasion.
Lucian stepped forward, his pale eyes reflecting knowledge none of the others possessed. "Master Vex, when you specify an ’anchor,’ what exactly are you proposing?"
The artificer’s hands trembled as he referenced his tome. "Something with essence reserves and dimensional stability sufficient to force open a white rift. Initially, I theorized that powerful beast cores might suffice, but the energy requirements have proven beyond anything we’ve catalogued."
He met Lucian’s gaze directly, his expression carrying reluctant certainty. "The anchor would need to be someone with exceptional power and dimensional stability. Someone like you, Lord Valorian. Your dual abilities and Master-level advancement represent the only resource that might match the requirements."
The suggestion settled over the room like a death sentence. Using a living person as an anchor for forced dimensional manipulation was theoretically possible, but survival was essentially impossible. The process would drain every drop of essence from the anchor’s core.
Colonel Hestian’s voice carried outrage. "You’re proposing suicide. You want Lord Valorian to sacrifice his life for a technique that might not even work?"
But Lucian didn’t flinch. His expression remained analytical, as if Vex had suggested adjusting their defensive formations rather than orchestrating his death.
"Explain the theoretical framework," Lucian said quietly. "How would using a living anchor differ from your original research?"
"In standard rift openings, the apex creature in the destination realm serves as a natural anchor," Vex explained, his academic excitement barely contained despite the gravity of their discussion. "But we’re attempting to force open a rift that was created by external power. The dimensional equations are unbalanced. To compensate, we need to provide something more substantial than crystallized essence living essence with active channeling capabilities."
Colonel Hestian’s face flushed with anger. "Ever since you recovered that cursed tome from the your Expedition, you’ve been obsessed with theories that border on madness. This proposal crosses every line of acceptable risk."
"The knowledge in this book predates our civilization," Vex replied defensively. "It contains frameworks that could revolutionize our understanding of dimensional manipulation. If we dismiss it because it seems extreme, we’re abandoning our best chance to save those children."
Captain Aldric looked between the artificer and the legendary warrior, weighing impossible choices with the pragmatic authority of someone who served the crown directly. "Lord Valorian, this kingdom needs you alive, especially if we face future dimensional threats."
"Captain," Lucian replied with characteristic directness, "two hundred of our most promising awakened are trapped in hostile dimensional space. If their collective potential exceeds my individual capabilities, then the strategic calculation may favor the sacrifice."
The cold logic in his voice made everyone present understand that Lucian had already begun weighing the decision not from heroic impulse, but from strategic assessment.
"There’s one more consideration," Vex added reluctantly. "The rescue attempt must be immediate. Every day we delay increases the probability that the students will be killed or corrupted. And if they all die while the dimensional connection remains active..."
The unspoken implication hung heavy in the air. A white rift powered by the death of two hundred awakened individuals would create a permanent invasion route.
Principal Whitmore found his voice, though it came out hoarse. "How long would the rescue portal remain stable?"
"With Lord Valorian as anchor?" Vex consulted his calculations one final time. "Perhaps twenty minutes. Enough time to extract survivors, but not enough for extended search operations."
The weight of an impossible choice settled over the assembled leadership. Somewhere beyond dimensional barriers, their most promising young warriors fought for survival in trials designed to forge them into weapons or consume them entirely.
And here, in the ruins of their greatest academy, five men debated whether one legend’s life was worth the chance to save two hundred futures.
The mathematics of sacrifice had never been more brutally clear.