Part to the power of the universe

CHAPTER 9

THE TEACHER WHO RECOGNISED THE IMPOSSIBLE

Westbridge High School was unusually quiet on Monday morning.

The head teacher had announced a temporary investigation following reports of fights and intimidation. Victor Hayes had been absent for two days, and rumours were spreading that his father had hired lawyers to force Cooper out of the school.

Xuan Tian ignored the gossip.He had more important matters to investigate.

During the first lesson, he observed the teacher who had watched him in the cafeteria.

The man introduced himself as Professor Elias Ward, a visiting physics instructor who had joined the school several months earlier.

He was in his fifties, with silver hair and thin spectacles.His manner was calm, but Xuan Tian noticed that his eyes frequently moved toward the windows and the corridor leading to the school's old science wing.

At the end of the lesson, Elias approached him.

"Cooper William, may I speak with you?"

Xuan Tian closed his notebook."Of course."

The teacher studied him."You have changed considerably over the last few days."

"People change."

"Not usually overnight."

Xuan Tian said nothing.

Elias adjusted his spectacles."I saw what happened in the cafeteria. Your movements were unusual. You seemed to know what the other students would do before they did it."

"Perhaps they were predictable."

"Perhaps."

The teacher paused.

"Have you ever experienced anything strange around the old science wing?"

Xuan Tian's attention sharpened."Why do you ask?"

"Because the building has been producing unexplained electromagnetic disturbances. Equipment fails without warning. Some students report hearing sounds when no one is nearby."

"What kind of sounds?"

"Like a low vibration. Almost a hum."

Xuan Tian examined the man's expression.Elias was not trying to frighten him. He genuinely seemed troubled.

"Have you reported it?"

"Several times. The administration believes the electrical system is faulty."

"And you disagree?"

"I believe there is something beneath the building."

Xuan Tian looked at him carefully."Why tell me?"

Elias lowered his voice."Because the first time you entered the cafeteria, the lights flickered. When you confronted Victor, the disturbance became stronger. I have spent years studying unusual energy readings, and I have never seen anything quite like it."

For a moment, Xuan Tian considered dismissing him.Then he remembered the map projected by the black ring.

The third point lay beneath the school."Show me the readings," he said.

Elias's expression changed."You believe me?"

"I believe that you have observed something unusual. Whether your explanation is correct remains to be seen."

The teacher gave a small smile."Fair enough."

He led Cooper to a laboratory at the end of the corridor.Inside, a computer displayed a series of graphs. Several readings showed sudden spikes in electromagnetic activity at irregular intervals.

Elias pointed to one section."This is what happened on Friday afternoon."The time matched Cooper's confrontation with Victor.

"And this?" Xuan Tian asked, pointing to a much larger spike.

"Saturday evening."That was when he had entered the chamber beneath Blackridge.

He leaned closer to the screen.The disturbances were connected,The school, the mountain, and the abandoned railway chamber appeared to form a pattern.

He needed to see the underground structure before reaching a conclusion.

"Can you take me beneath the science wing?"

Elias hesitated."The lower maintenance level has been sealed for years. The school says the floor is unsafe."

"Do you have access?"

The teacher considered him for several seconds.

"Yes. But if we find nothing, you will have to accept that I may be mistaken."

"Agreed."

That afternoon, Elias unlocked a service door behind the laboratory.

A narrow staircase descended into darkness.They moved carefully, using their phone lights to illuminate the steps. At the bottom, they found a corridor lined with old pipes and electrical cables.

The air was colder than it should have been.Xuan Tian felt the black ring grow warm.

They reached a reinforced door marked RESTRICTED ACCESS.

Elias produced a key."I have only been inside once," he admitted. "There is an old equipment room beyond this door."

He unlocked it.The room was empty except for a large circular marking carved into the concrete floor.

Xuan Tian froze.The marking was identical to the symbol on the pedestal beneath Blackridge.

He approached it slowly.The ring began to vibrate.

A golden projection appeared above his palm.

SECOND SEAL: PROXIMITY CONFIRMED.

The floor trembled.Elias stumbled backwards.

"What is happening?"

Xuan Tian extended his hand toward the symbol.A pulse of energy passed through the room,The circular marking illuminated, revealing lines that had been hidden beneath the dust.

A voice echoed from somewhere below them.

THE FIRST BEARER HAS RETURNED.

Elias stared at the glowing floor."That is impossible."

Xuan Tian's eyes narrowed.

The voice continued.

THE SECOND SEAL AWAITS.

A narrow crack appeared in the centre of the circle.Cold air rose from beneath the concrete.

Then the lights went out.Something moved in the darkness below.

Xuan Tian stepped in front of Elias."Do not move."

A shape emerged from the crack.

It resembled a human silhouette, but its body was made of black mist. Two pale points glowed where its eyes should have been.

The creature tilted its head.

VESSEL IDENTIFIED.

Xuan Tian raised his hand.A thin thread of golden energy gathered around his fingers.

The creature rushed forward.He struck once.

The golden energy collided with the black mist, producing a shockwave that threw dust against the walls.

The creature staggered but did not disappear.

Xuan Tian's expression hardened.His cultivation was still insufficient to unleash the full power of his former techniques.

He drew the energy back into his core and concentrated it into a narrow point.

The creature lunged again.This time, he struck its centre.A sound like breaking glass filled the chamber.The creature dissolved into black particles,Silence returned.

Xuan Tian lowered his hand, breathing heavily.

He had spent more spiritual energy than he intended.

Elias stared at him."What are you?"

Xuan Tian looked toward the crack in the floor.

"I am someone who has seen this kind of danger before."

Beneath the concrete, something pulsed.

A new message appeared on the ring.

SECOND SEAL: PARTIALLY OPENED.

Then another line emerged.

THE DEVOURER KNOWS YOUR LOCATION.

Xuan Tian's expression became grim.The creature is not an ordinary guardian.

It's  a warning.And now the force behind the black star knew that he was alive.