Victor Valtor walked through the portal he had opened and Nuel didn't hesitate before going after him. After all, the portal would be leading him to where his aunt was.
After Nuel had walked into the portal, Khaos Valtor also followed after and the brimming edges of the otherworldly linkage closed up with smooth precision.
The students who were present in the hallway could only watch all this unfold before them, leaving clustered murmurs about the new subject of discussion— Nuel in its wake.
***
The portal reappeared in front of an old Japanese styled room with two paper doors held closely together with fine wood.
Victor Valtor turned at Nuel, the look in his eyes asking if Nuel was ready to see his aunt again.
Nuel gave him the go ahead look and Victor Valtor sealed the contact with a slight nod.
The doors of the room opened up with smooth precision, granting entrance to the visitors.
The interior of the room was extremely cozy, lined with ancient talismans amulets and mana pots.
A burning lamp stood as a flame guard by the closed window and the fresh smell of herbs and health elixir potions were very much present in the room.
The room had no distinct feature that sold it out as exquisite, after all, it was a care-giving room, so Nuel didn't expect to see much more than there was.
The first person Nuel caught sight of inside the room was Leesa. She was kneeling beside a futon, tenderly wiping a feeble hand with a warm fabric.
As Leesa noticed the arrival of all three, she immediately stood to her feet, her eyes releasing sparkles at the sight of Nuel.
She felt her heart could jump out of her chest through her mouth as she couldn't describe the sudden tranquility of joy she felt within.
But at the sight of the vulnerable look in Nuel's eyes, the happy wings got clipped off and she took slow but steady strides towards the men.
"Be careful with her," Leesa said to Nuel softly, hoping her voice would at least bring comfort to him. "She can hear you." She added before finding her way out of the room.
Before Leesa walked out, she pulled her brother along, just so Nuel could have some alone time with his aunt.
"Can she really hear him?" Khaos asked softly on their way out. "She looks dead to me."
Leesa gave him a quick nudge, hoping Nuel didn't hear Khaos speak.
Nuel took the first step towards his aunt who was lying still on the futon. Each step he took towards her broke his heart as he never could imagine the sight of her before him.
He fell to his knees beside her, carefully holding her hands out of the sheet they had been tucked in. He fought back his tears as he locked her hand in his.
Aunt Zixuan looked entirely different from the last time he had seen her at the hospital. It seemed like she had aged ten years in merely ten days.
Her once tender skin had become frail and rigid, her skeletal frame threatening to stand in place of her skin.
Her breathing was short and forced, seemingly imposing she could die the very next minute.
"I'm sorry I came late, aunt Zixuan." Nuel said, kissing the remaining fragments of her knuckles.
Victor Valtor gave him the time to bask in the presence of his aunt without disruption even though he never left the room.
"I should have given up when you told me to," Nuel suddenly said, breaking into a razz chuckle. "She never showed improvement with the treatment from the hospital. It was all a waste."
"Nuel," Victor Valtor called tenderly. "Your aunt is still alive today because of those treatments, though not very much effective, they still sustained her."
"What's the point then? I might as well just leave her to die with my ignorance."
Victor Valtor fell silent as he watched Nuel hurl up his fist beside him. Nuel gritted his teeth, forcing himself to hold back his emotions which were threatening to spill out as tears.
"Is there any hope left for her?" Nuel finally asked.
Victor Valtor moved closer to Nuel and placed his hand on this shoulder.
"Yes, son."
"Tell me what it is." Nuel said defiantly without hesitation.
"Are you ready to defile your principles, Nuel? Are you ready to awaken your gift? Are you ready to face your own destiny?"
Nuel tucked his aunt's hand back under the sheet and slowly got up to his feet. His azure eyes had turned cold and numb, enough to deliver some murderous intent.
His gaze was sharp and cold as he casted them on Victor Valtor, his fists hurling harder with each passing second.
"I am ready."
***
The doors of the auditorium opened with a loud drag, honoring the arrival of the principal of Valtor's family academy into the auditorium.
Victor Valtor's presence as he walked in the wake of the honoring silence from the students topped up with his great aura.
He had a priestly regalia draped over his shoulder and the garment flowed endlessly behind him as he walked towards the podium.
His long white hair, already let down, fell gracefully on the sharp tip of his shoulders in the wake of their silky feel.
As he walked through the path that led to the podium, every student present in the auditorium offered salutations to him with a fisted palm held against their heart.
As soon as he got to the podium, he turned to face the crowd, the students of his prestigious academy.
A serving lord and lordess who had their eyes covered with purple blindfolds that had an insignia of a gold cross walked in.
They both walked towards Victor Valtor from opposite directions, bearing holy relics in their hands which two other assistants quickly took charge of, allowing the holy servants to take out the content of the holy box.
The first relic was a pulsating gem that contained the essence of powerful creatures of the world and also from diverse dimensions who had come to being before the existence of time.
The second relic, the staff of the first mage. A legendary staff crafted by the first mage who ever existed.
Both relics were handed to Victor Valtor, who blessed it before making a declaration in ancient druid language, shaking the very essence of mana in the auditorium as it awakened unseen forces into reality.
The wind howled dangerously as he made these incantations. The torches lighting the entire auditorium went out, honoring the power being summoned forth.
"Let the heavens tremble, let the earth quake in the name of all that is, I call upon the latent power within you, Nuel Ainsworth."
"Rise! Awaken!"