"What?!" Julius yelled, hurriedly outstretching his arm to turn his brother. Yet the terrible face he saw through the mist caused him to shiver.
Between the bloody tears and the hollow eye sockets, he even wondered if he was the person he liked so much or if it was an imposter. His hands trembled as he embraced Adam's body tightly.
With a resolved voice, he exclaimed to Arun, "We need to find Shepard. Something wrong is happening to big bro, and he might be in danger!"
"Let's rapidly go!" Arun answered, his eyes trembling in panic and fright as he rushed to the door. His mentor's transformation terrified him. Even if he couldn't see Adam's exact features, the tears flowing on his reddened mist were already too much for his young heart.
Soon, Julius raced behind him, carrying his brother on his back as he bit his nail in worry. 'What are you doing in that strange place you visit in your dreams?' The events of four years ago resurfaced in his mind as the situation was eerily familiar. Not familiar... It was much worse!
In under five minutes, they reached Shepard's tower and barged in, yelling in distress, "Director Shepard, we need your help!"
Alarmed by the sudden disturbance, the arcanist asked, his voice laced with exasperation, "I hope it's something worth my time, kids, or a sanction awaits you."
Then his gaze landed on his disciple's reddening figure. His face shifted to seriousness as he asked solemnly, "What happened?"
However, the answer came from someone unexpected. "He is turning into an evil ghost," Morgan said, leaning on the second floor's rail and peering at Adam with a frown.
"Not good!" Shepard exclaimed before readying his spells and adding, "If he is truly falling, as much as I hate the idea, I'll have to end him."
Despite his lack of knowledge regarding souls, he was well aware of how dangerous evil ghosts were. Feeding on negative energy and living beings' souls, their improvement to tier four was abnormally fast. At that stage, they could wipe out entire towns, leaving chaos and death in their wake in a matter of hours.
Moreover, with his disciple's talent, he had no doubt he would become one of the greatest scourge their world ever faced if left alive.
Upon reaching this thought, with an unwilling grimace, he extended his palm towards the ghost and sadly muttered, "Spell fusion, calamitous typhoon."
Echoing his soft words, the wind suddenly raged and gathered before his hand. Water materialised and danced with the wind as toxic smoke enveloped the mix. It was a self-created and one of his most formidable spells. Nothing ever survived after being struck by it, even in its miniaturised form. However, his brows furrowed as the two kids moved before him.
Julius quickly drew his gladius, assuming a battle stance, and declared, "You cannot kill him!"
Arun stood next to him, his legs shaking before the arcanist, yet his eyes glowed with resolve. "We came to request help, not for you to kill him!"
None of them wanted to see their reliable friend leave them. They were even ready to fight tooth and nail despite the power gap for his safety.
The arcanist's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he fell into deep thought, considering his options more carefully.
A tense silence settled as the typhoon raged before his palm. Yet his conclusion remained the same after a minute. Despite the typical madness shared by every evil ghost, Adam was too cunning and sharp. After all, he even struck a deal with the scariest person alive. A feat never achieved before.
He shivered, thinking of the horrors he would commit and how fast he would master negative energy.
"Move. I need to destroy him before it is too late." He maintained through gritted teeth.
"The transformation isn't complete." Morgane unexpectedly spoke again after stepping down the stairs. "We can still save him." She added, astonishing the boys as she joined them to stop Shepard.
A glint of hope flashed through everyone's eyes as the dean asked, "What do we need to stop this vile negative energy from consuming him?"
"His soul is already half corrupted..." Morgan started, tucking her fingers around her chin as her emotionless voice resounded again, "If we are fast, tier six ghost essence should suffice. If not, we might need a tier seven."
Upon hearing her words, Julius' body pivoted in a flash, his calves doubled in volume, and his veins bulged as his feet cracked the marble floor. Then, his figure blurred as he darted towards the college teacher's dormitory.
Shepard gazed at the boy's departing figure in shock, wondering how a mage could be so fast without relying on spells. No one had paid attention to him because Adam had eclipsed this hidden gem's radiance. But he was sure he felt a vague burst of elemental energies.
With a shake of his head, he dismissed his observations. The situation was too tricky for him to have distracting thoughts.
"I count on you to save him, Morgane," He started before turning towards Arun, and added. "Don't blame me for my decision. If she fails, I'll end him."
Silence engulfed the room once more as he guessed the boy went to retrieve Thaddeus' ghost essence. Then, he gazed intently at Adam and muttered, "How did you end up in that state?"
Simultaneously, a wrinkly man rose from his seat. His spotless white coat fluttered behind him as his lips stretched into a devious smile.
"Hahaha. Finally! After twenty-eight years, my masterpiece can finally see the light of day!" He roared in mad laughter, his eyes glued on the live footage displayed by the monitor.
With a forceful spin, he turned, his shiny bald head reflecting the lights as his eyes landed on a row of twenty similar hybrids.
"Let's warmly welcome our new friend. After all, he brought our plans forward by a few years." He said, revealing his white teeth in an ominous grin.
Loud screeches echoed his words as the creatures' thin wings buzzed to life and carried their bodies towards the room's entrance.