Sovereign Beyond Creation

Chapter 8

Catherine looked at his hand. Trust was a word she hadn't used in a long time. In the world of high-level sorcery, trust was a weakness. Trust got you killed. Her own family had been the ones who cursed her core, jealous of her potential.

But as she looked at Adam, she didn't see a spy. She didn't see a mage. She saw a boy who had been treated like trash by the world, yet he was the only one brave enough to stand in the cold with her.

[Favorable Impression: -85 -> -40]

[Progress: The target is hesitating. Keep going!]

"What do you want in return?" she asked, her voice regaining some of its sharpness. "Money? Power? Revenge on that Martinez boy?"

"All of it," Adam said honestly. "I want everything they said I couldn't have. But I want to earn it. And I want you to be the one to teach me."

Catherine let out a short, dry laugh. "Teach a Null? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever—"

She stopped. Her face went pale—whiter than usual. She turned her head toward the heavy oak doors of her sanctum.

Adam heard it too.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

It wasn't a normal knock. It was the sound of something heavy slamming against the wood.

"Professor Cook!" a booming voice shouted. It was a voice filled with authority, sounding like a judge delivering a death sentence. "By order of the Holy Council, open these doors! We have received reports of 'Unstable Essence' radiating from this tower!"

Catherine’s eyes widened with terror. "The Inquisition," she whispered. "Not now. Not today."

"Who are they?" Adam asked, sensing the shift in the air. The room was suddenly filled with a different kind of light—a bright, golden glow that began to seep through the cracks in the door.

"They are the Purity Seekers," Catherine said, her voice frantic. She began to wave her hands, trying to hide the scrolls on her desk, but her magic was failing. The black smoke was leaking out of her chest in thick clouds now, triggered by her panic. "They hunt 'Corrupted' mages. If they see my core if they see the Soul-Frost they won't try to cure me. They will execute me on the spot to 'purify' the Academy."

"Can't you stop them?" Adam asked. "You're a Professor!"

"They have the King’s Seal," she said, her breath coming in short gasps. The room was becoming darker as the black smoke filled the air. "My magic is ice. It is 'Cold' mana. Theirs is 'Holy' mana. It is my direct opposite. If they enter this room, the reaction between my corruption and their light will cause an explosion."

BAM!

The door groaned. A crack appeared in the wood, and a beam of blinding golden light shot into the room. It hit the floor and hissed like hot oil.

[Urgent Mission Update!]

[The Inquisition has arrived for a Purity Check.]

[If Catherine Cook is discovered, the Host will be killed as an accomplice.]

[New Skill Unlocked: Void Suppression (Temporary).]

"Catherine, look at me!" Adam grabbed her shoulders.

She was shaking. The "Ice Witch" was terrified. She was a Tier 7 Mage, but she was a little girl in the face of the Inquisition.

"I can hide it," Adam said. "I can pull the smoke into myself for a few minutes. But you have to let me in. You have to lower your shields."

"I can't," she sobbed. "It will kill you!"

"Let it try!" Adam yelled over the sound of the crashing door.

The door began to splinter. The golden light was filling the room, burning away the frost.

"Open the door, Professor!" the voice outside shouted. "Or we will break it down in the name of the Sun!"

Catherine looked at Adam. She saw the purple glow in his eyes. She saw the absolute certainty on his face. She had no choice. She closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky breath.

The invisible wall of cold around her vanished.

Adam didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand against her chest, right over the black wound in her core.

[Void Suppression: ACTIVE.]

A massive surge of darkness erupted from Adam’s arm. It wasn't the "bad" kind of darkness; it was the darkness of a vacuum, a hunger that could not be filled. The black smoke leaking from Catherine didn't just stop; it was sucked into Adam’s palm like water down a drain.

Adam’s eyes turned pitch black. His veins began to glow with a dark violet light. He felt like his heart was being torn in half, but he didn't let go. He stood there, acting as a bridge, pulling the corruption out of her and hiding it inside his own "Null" body.

"Hide your eyes," Adam groaned through clenched teeth.

Catherine quickly pulled a veil over her face and sat down at her desk, trying to look composed.

The doors to the sanctum exploded.

A group of five men in white and gold armor marched into the room. They carried shields that glowed with a blinding sun-like radiance. In the center was a tall man with a shaved head and a golden cross tattooed over his eye. He held a crystal orb that was pulsing with a violent red light.

"Professor Cook," the man said, his eyes scanning the room. He looked at the frost, the scrolls, and finally, he looked at Adam, who was standing stiffly by the window, his back to them.

"High Inquisitor Malphas," Catherine said. Her voice was cold again, but Adam could feel her heart racing through their bond. "This is an unexpected intrusion. I was in the middle of a private lesson."

Malphas didn't look at her. He looked at the crystal orb in his hand. The orb was turning darker and darker.

"A private lesson? With a Null?" Malphas asked, his voice filled with suspicion. He began to walk toward Adam. "The sensors at the gate detected a massive surge of Forbidden Energy coming from this tower. It smelled of rot. It smelled of the Void."

He stopped three feet behind Adam.

"Boy," Malphas commanded. "Turn around and show me your face."

Adam didn't move. He was fighting with everything he had to keep the black smoke inside him. It was clawing at his throat, trying to get out. If he opened his mouth, he would vomit darkness.

"I said," Malphas growled, his golden shield beginning to glow with a heat that made the ice walls scream, "Turn. Around."

Adam slowly began to turn. His face was pale. His eyes were closed.

"Is there a problem, Inquisitor?" Catherine asked, her hand moving toward a hidden wand beneath her desk.

Malphas ignored her. He reached out a gloved hand and grabbed Adam’s chin, forcing him to look up.

"Open your eyes, Null," Malphas hissed. "Let’s see what you’re hiding in the dark."

Adam’s eyelids fluttered.