Aionios

Chapter 50

Those who haven't seen Ace rampaging with his magic on full blast, Isabelle would call them lucky. Speaking from experience, she knew that her best friend had a very short temper, but she'd never seen him angry to such an extreme point that would cause miniature earthquakes.

Hearing the madness imbued in Ace's scream, Isabelle already expected the worst, but the chaos she arrived to on the third floor was much more than she could ever bargain for.

No doubt the floors had already been in such bad condition beforehand, but now they were mutilated with web-like fractures as high as trench warfares, starting from the top of the stairs leading to Ace's feet. Pointed and jagged shards from broken picture frames and wall ornaments littered the floor. The corridor's moldy wallpaper was torn in swathes, mimicking massive claw marks as they continued to peel off with the scything force of Ace's magical outburst. The Pirtine heir's power was whirling around them like a hurricane, pushing them back with the strength of a seven-ton elephant.

Nebula, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks had arrived at the scene earlier than the rest, but they only managed to scream Ace's name before they got blasted away.

As Isabelle, Kaida, and Kouki held on tightly to the stair railing, the female Potter squinted her eyes open despite the sting of the magical gale, just enough to pinpoint the whereabouts of her seniors; Tonks was pressed up against the farthest wall, shielding her face as dust particles of broken glass flew all over; Remus was barely holding onto a doorframe, his body lifted horizontally in the air; Sirius was in a similar condition as his friend except it was the ceiling lamp that he was clutching onto for dear life; and Nebula was the only one who had somehow accomplished diving into one of the spare rooms to prevent herself from being carried off by Ace's magic, though she couldn't really find an opening to attack since— with the force of the Pirtine's powers— it was high likely that her spells would only backfire.

At the end of the hallway, Isabelle saw her best friend, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a chill crawling down her spine.

Ace's expression was as cold as liquid nitrogen. With his chin slightly lowered, some rebellious strands of his raven hair fell over to eclipse the top of his face, but his cerulean eyes seemed to sparkle like sapphire crystals through the shadows. His wand was still in his pocket, as Isabelle could see. Clearly, he had decided not to use it. His left hand was extended to his side, keeping the older Order members from coming closer. His other hand was raised before him, fingers curled like claws as though he was strangling something invisible.

Only a few seconds later did Isabelle notice the man in front of Ace, pushed so high up against the wall that his head was already touching the ceiling. Whoever the man was, Isabelle could tell that it was he who caused Ace's outburst.

His clothes were torn as though he'd just survived a bear attack. Scars bled out across his exposed skin, no doubt coming from the knife-like gusts from Ace's flare of magic. His face was turning a gruesome shade of purple as he clawed at his neck frantically, almost as if he was struggling to remove the invisible hands which prevented him from breathing.

Whoever that man was, it took no genius to figure out that he would die at any moment.

By Ace's hand.

"Isabelle!", Kaida screams through the deafening blow of magic, "You have to stop him!", her fingers were slipping from the railing.

"Who is that guy?!", Isabelle shouts back.

"We'll explain later!", Kouki says, his face pulled back by the wind, exposing his gums.

"If Ace is attacking him, maybe it's for good reason!", Isabelle argues.