Chapter 379 - The Magician (4)

The magician placed me on a safe spot where none of the attacks had touched the area. When signs of sunlight came from the clouds, he vanished before I could thank him. I rubbed my eyes, feeling sleepy from staying up for the entire night again. I briefly wondered if I should go out of the spot, wandering to other places on the campus where some of the attacks still lingered. I did know where most of the attacks were set since I watched him control the area with the map the entire time.

Feeling guilty that more people had a difficult time with the thunderbolts added, I stepped out of the safe zone. Plus, I knew where most of them were since I saw a crowd of people moving in the same direction, helping each other out. Unfortunately, they didn't know it made them an easier target, thinking they lost the attacks. The magician intentionally made it that way to give them a false sense of hope.

I sighed as I lightly jumped over all the planned craters, the dangerous waters and shattered sharp remains of the building. They had to be somewhere near here. Maybe I should have kept a better track of them while the magician drifted down towards the ground. I continued to walk, searching for any survivors. Kicking some stones out of annoyance how they were well hidden, I scanned the last place I saw them one more time.

"Is anyone here?" I yelled.

My voice rang, echoing inside the disastrous ruins. I already went through all the safe spots, meaning they were huddled in one of the dangerous ones. I really didn't want to go there as the air fizzed with electricity. Placing a light barrier over myself, I walked inside the fog. Apparently, the fog and aftereffects from the bigger spells took a longer time to disappear. It was pretty impressive on the magician's end.

"No one here as well?" I shouted.

If they weren't here, it meant they were crowded inside the most dangerous section, the sand and large ponds of water, almost acting like a lake. A tornado had spun while the sand acted as conductors to the electricity. In addition, swords flew out of nowhere like missiles following them around. At least the missiles, tornado, and swords would be gone now. I wondered why they couldn't discover any of the safe spots dotted on the map.

"You guys are really hard to find!" I couldn't find any traces of them.

"Rika?" I found Shelly lifting a boulder that covered her.

"Shelly!" I ran to hug her.

It was getting pretty lonely trying to search for them alone. Only the dormitory was spared since the magician didn't want to harm innocent people, making the rest of the high school campus destroyed. If it wasn't for the grudge he had against their families, he was a pretty decent person. I guiltily looked away from her dirty face, full of sand and dirt. I almost forgot how hard it was to escape from the attacks, peacefully watching them from above.

"I had a hard time finding you," I asked where the rest of them were.

"We all gathered together to form a barrier under the boulders," she pointed from where she came from.

"I'll help you move the barrier," I learned some tips from the magician.

"Levitate and push," I raised my arm towards the large boulder that covered them.

Following my command, the boulder uncovered everyone under it. I smiled as we could all head towards the safe spot through my nicely planned route. I skipped towards the barrier, having some energy from not having to run like they did. Although there were some people injured with their arms barely clinging on the joints or scr.a.p.ed legs.

"You can place the barrier down. The magician only attacks during the night," I reminded them while no one seem to have heard me.

Seeing Luke huddled in the corner, others comforting him for his loss, he didn't seem to notice me yet. He trembled, feeling an extreme amount of guilt that he couldn't be the one taken instead. I stepped a few steps back, forgetting that I was almost taken from his arms. If I didn't jump out of his arms that time, it was likely I would have suffered with them for the entire night.

"I know a safe route out of here," I walked towards him to pull him up.

Everyone was too focused on comforting Luke that they didn't take a single glance in my direction. I needed to face him since all of them would move with him. Instead of me pulling him up, he quickly pulled me into his arms. His body shaking as he tightly hugged me, wondering if I was real. I sighed as we needed to get out of here while we could. His ruined hands filled with dirt and scratches squeezed my arms before letting me go.

"You guys took the worse route," I brushed the dirt off my uniform.

"Where were you?" Luke wouldn't let my hand go.

"With the magician," I didn't want to tell them I was watching them suffer.

"How do we know if the route you tell us will be safe?" Charles narrowed his eyes.

"I just know, ok? Leave the questions for later," I avoided their eyes, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep it hidden for long.