Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

As the silence stretched, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridors. Kael's group, still out of breath from the battle, knew more people would arrive, drawn by the commotion. It didn't take long for the sound of boots and muffled murmurs to grow nearer.

First appeared Liam. His face was serious, but his eyes were alert, analyzing every detail around him. Behind him, Riven walked with a posture ready for combat at any moment, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Irelia followed closely, her gaze fixed on Kael, worried. She knew the weight he carried, but she had never seen him so overwhelmed, so exhausted.

"Kael..." Irelia called softly, her tone both concerned and firm. She moved closer to him but hesitated as she saw the contorted bodies and the chaotic scene around them.

Kael simply nodded, taking a deep breath as he tried to collect his thoughts. He then looked to the others, feeling the weight of his words before finally speaking.

"They... ingested something, a substance called Essentia Ruinae. I'm not sure where it came from, but it turned them into berserkers. This... this wasn't an accident. They were trying to become weapons of war. When they started fighting me, I couldn't do much other than neutralize them before they became a threat to everyone around."

Liam remained silent for a moment, processing Kael's words. He looked at the horrific bodies of the two berserkers, now unrecognizable, their souls consumed by corrupted mana. The tension in the air was palpable, the atmosphere still charged with the energy of a fight that hadn't fully dissipated.

"This is... monstrous," Liam said, the gravity of his voice piercing the air. "And no one can see this. Not now, not like this."

Kael nodded, understanding immediately. Not only the students but even the more experienced members of the academy wouldn't be ready for the brutal gore scattered around. It was a sight that, beyond being deeply disturbing, could affect the morale of everyone nearby. Death and destruction always came at a price, and the consequences of that battle would stretch far beyond the present moment.

Liam closed his eyes, concentration clearly visible on his face. With a quick motion of his hands, he began casting a barrier spell — a solid, invisible structure designed to isolate what was left of that place.

"Abarrius!" he called in a firm voice, and a circle of magical light formed around the bodies and the ruins of the corridor. The barrier expanded quickly, taking shape, creating a protective wall that separated the area from the other students and professors who were starting to approach.

"Now," Liam said, his tone commanding. "No one will pass through here until we can ensure everything is resolved without causing panic."

Riven looked at him with a nod of approval, but Irelia, still with concern on her face, approached Kael.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice softened by anxiety. She noticed the exhaustion in Kael's eyes, the weight of the battle he was trying to hide.

Kael gave a tired but genuine smile. "I'm fine. Just... need a moment."

She didn't press further. She knew Kael needed his space, a moment to process what had happened. But that didn't make the situation any easier.

"Liam, Riven, Irelia," Kael began speaking again, his voice now more controlled, but the visible tension still present. "We need to investigate where this Essentia Ruinae came from. This is something much bigger than just these two boys. They weren't alone in this. Someone brought this substance into the academy, they didn't speak like nobility, nor are they rich. Someone gave it to them."

Liam furrowed his brow, concern now reflected in his eyes. "I understand. We're not dealing with an isolated incident here. This is a setup. But now we need to ensure this area is contained. Talk to the professors, prepare a report, make sure no one enters here without permission... The last thing we need is more chaos."

Kael nodded, feeling the weight of responsibility. He knew the consequences of this would spread quickly, and he didn't even want to imagine the impact it would have on the rest of the academy. "Alright. We'll wait for instructions, someone go call Lyra or the Headmaster," Kael said before raising a black barrier around the area. He used the shadows to create a dark cloak that sealed off the entire place. "Nothing that happened here can leak out," he ordered.

Riven stepped forward, a serious expression on his face. "Leave it to me, I'll call the Headmaster."

Irelia looked at the others, her gaze now determined. "I'll help too. We need to figure this out before more people get involved."

Kael took a deep breath, touching the sword brooch on his chest, which was still warm with energy. "Thank you. Let's do this right."

Kael cautiously approached the bodies, his eyes fixed on the distorted forms before him. What remained of the two boys was nothing more than shells of flesh and twisted bones, unrecognizable under the influence of Essentia Ruinae. The smell of blood mixed with the heavy scent of corrupted mana hung in the air, making the atmosphere even more suffocating.

With a subtle gesture, he used his shadow magic to examine the bodies more closely, causing the shadows to intertwine around the victims. He didn't touch them directly, knowing that the irregular mana might react unpredictably if he made contact with it.

The first body, which appeared to have been killed, still emitted remnants of mana. But the energy was dissipating erratically, as if it were being drained in a nearly conscious manner. Kael stretched out his hand and, with the tips of his fingers, made a small motion in the air, trying to capture the remaining essence of this mana.

"It's like their essence is... burning itself from the inside," Kael murmured to himself, observing the dispersion of energy. "It's not natural... the mana is disintegrating."

He moved away slightly, looking at the other boy, who was still alive but completely transformed. The mutation was visible, with the muscles swollen, the skin stretched unnaturally, and the eyes completely white, devoid of any trace of humanity. The mana around him was in a state of extreme decay — the energy no longer flowed fluidly. It was as if it were being corroded, a silent fire inside the body.

Kael felt the gravity of the situation intensify. It wasn't just about physical damage, but something deeper. The mana was disintegrating as if it were being consumed by an internal fire, which would likely be irreversible, leading the boy to death. The magical essence was burning itself from the inside out, a slow and painful corruption. Kael had known the transformation process was dangerous, but he had never imagined the price would be this devastating.

He crouched beside the boy, observing more closely. Even with the mutation, the boy was still breathing, his chest rising and falling, but the rate of breathing was far too fast, as if he were suffering from an indescribable pain. Kael could feel the energy around him, the mana twisting and escaping his body with an intensity that suggested the process of death would be swift.

"I understand..." Kael said, more to himself than to the others. "They're being devoured by their own magic. This thing, Essentia Ruinae, is actually acting as an amplifier... it forces the body to produce mana without going through the refining process, to the point where... when it runs out, the mana starts to decay because it's exceeded the body's limit."

He looked at Amelia, who had remained silent, watching everything closely. "These substances... whatever they are, it's not just to create monsters. It's also killing them. This kind of corruption has no reversal." He said, then ordered, "Freeze him."

Amelia looked at Kael, surprised by the order, but didn't hesitate. She understood the gravity of the situation. With a quick movement, she cast a freezing spell, a cold mist enveloping the mutated boy's body. The magic was immediately effective, the temperature around him plummeting, causing his flesh and the remnants of mana to solidify, halting the progression of the internal corruption.

Amelia's magic spread smoothly but intensely, forming a layer of ice that froze the corrupted mana energy and prevented its instant destruction. Kael's expression softened, but there was still a weight in his eyes.

"This will hold for now," she said, her voice serious, "but his essence is corroding the body. This won't last long without proper treatment."

Kael nodded, the weight of her words still echoing in his mind. "I need to rest," he murmured, and without further warning, he sat down on the ground, exhaustion overtaking his body. His body felt heavy, the mana completely disorganized after the battle. The fatigue he felt wasn't normal, it felt deeper, something that couldn't be ignored.

With a sigh, Kael closed his eyes, trying to focus, but his mind was cloudy, distorted by the feeling of weakness. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't have the strength to investigate further.

"Umbra…" he murmured mentally, his voice muffled by the confusion. "Was I affected?"

The response came immediately, calm and direct, as always: "Yes… the blows you received were contaminated with corrupted mana. It will take some time for your energy to purify itself naturally. That's why you're feeling like this… The fatigue is a reflection of the internal corruption."

Kael furrowed his brow, trying to absorb the information. Corrupted, then. He had dealt with corrupted mana in battle before, but he had never been directly affected by it in this way. The impact would take longer to recover from than he thought.

Before he could process more, a wave of fatigue hit him hard, and his eyes began to grow heavy, his vision blurring as his body swayed.

"Could you take me to the…" He tried to speak, but the words came out in a weak whisper, almost inaudible.

Without giving him a chance to finish his sentence, his body surrendered to exhaustion, and he collapsed to the side, passing out before he could reach the ground.

"KAEL!" The unified shout of Amelia, Sylphie, and Irelia echoed through the corridor, and the three rushed to reach him. Amelia was the first to crouch beside him, urgently holding him, while Sylphie and Irelia were right behind her, their faces marked by extreme concern.