The Tale of Aeryn Glaze (UNDER MAJOR REVISION)

Chapter 19: Ominous

All 50 players that successfully passed the second game were shown on the screen floating above with their names, ranks, and points. I was on the 6th rank, Grim replaced my former rank, and Jonah was in the 11th rank. The rest of our members were shown in the lower ranks among the others.

After the second game was over, the announcer announced that the game will continue by afternoon, an hour after the lunch break. So when it was appropriate for us to leave the field, I immediately went outside, still sensing the immense force I felt earlier. My intuition leads me to a path that leads to the mage headquarters, where the people are crowding to get to their lunch. But it was not easy for me to know whose magic I felt, or know if it was dark energy or mana that I sensed. But I am sure it wasn't Victoria.

I stopped in the middle of the crowd, spotting every mage, thinking I could recognize who that pressure I was feeling from. I closed my eyes for a moment and curled my hands into fists. I tried to do what I did when I found that shadow demon to locate where that pressure came from. But in the end, I couldn't do it.

He's close to me now. My breathing becomes unstable as I felt the pressure rising as if that person responsible for this is near me. Why else would I feel it becoming stronger if not with the fact that he's near?

"Where the hell are you?" I murmured as I looked around the place. That's when I saw someone from afar, wearing a white cloak, standing in the middle of the crowd and looking as if he was looking right through me.

His stance was manly so I'm sure it was a man. That's him. But then, just as I decided to find who he was, he disappears after I took one step forward. I blinked, confused at how he just disappeared so fast. He might be a mage who can be invisible or he's just fast that I can't catch him moving.

I let out a heavy sigh and push up my hair in frustration. I am now in dilemma on who to believe who is the link of the shadow demon. Is it Victoria? Or that man I saw?

"Aeryn!"

I turned around and saw Grim running towards me. He frowned as he saw me and gave me a questioning look.

"What happened? Is something wrong?"

I sigh again.
"Are you sure I'm not a mage?"

"What? Why?"

I turned my back on him and I continue to walk to the mage headquarters.

"I sensed it again. The heavy and the tight pressure wrapping around me, clawing into my skin."

"Dark energy?" He walked beside me. "You sensed it again from Victoria?"

"No." I shook my head. "It was from someone else. Probably, someone much strong than Victoria, judging by how strong it was. But it wasn't dark energy or the same as what I felt from the shadow demons."

"Then what?"

I glanced at him. "It was like a signal. And it's like, it was drawing me to it except that it didn't let me find the source, no matter how much I tried. I can only feel it."

Grim hurried his steps and stop in front of me so I had no choice but to also stop. I looked at him, both of us having a serious expression facing each other.

"You still feel it?"

"It was gone right before you called me."

"How would you describe what you feel when you sensed it?"

"Not the same when the shadow demons are near me or when I touched Victoria's hands." I slightly shrugged. "It's like, it wanted to steal my whole attention. And you didn't feel it, right? So it makes the whole situation weirder."