The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Amberine exchanged a glance with Elara and Maris. The tension in the air thickened. If what the student said was true, then this situation was even more complicated than they'd imagined.

Not only did they have to deal with the monsters and the dungeon itself, but there might also be a traitorous element within the Magic Combat Club—a group of seniors who could very well be part of the cause of this nightmare.

"Do you know who they are?" Maris asked, her tone serious as she moved closer to the student, her expression gentle but probing.

The student nodded, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and guilt. "Yeah. The two mages are Liadra and Senik, and the knight is called Jorn. They're all in their last year, and they're… they're really strong. Liadra and Senik were always kind of… distant, but Jorn… he was like our hero. He was always helping us out, making sure we trained hard.

I can't believe they'd—"

His voice broke off, the weight of betrayal heavy in his tone. Amberine felt a pang of sympathy for him, but she knew they couldn't afford to dwell on it. They had to act, and they had to act fast. If the seniors were in trouble, and if these three were involved, they needed to find them before it was too late.

Amberine looked around the room, her mind racing as she tried to formulate a plan. "We need to get to the seniors," she said firmly, her voice leaving no room for doubt. "If Liadra, Senik, and Jorn are part of whatever's going on, we need to stop them. But if they're not… if there's a chance they're being controlled or forced into this, we need to save them too."

Elara nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful. "We don't know where they are, though. The tower's layout has changed, and we don't have a clear path to them."

"We'll have to rely on our instincts," Maris suggested, her eyes flickering with determination. "And maybe… just maybe, we can pick up on their magical signatures. If they're as strong as you say, they'll leave traces of their magic wherever they've been."

Amberine considered this. It was a risk, but it was the best option they had. She turned back to the student. "Can you describe their magic? Anything specific we should look out for?"

The student hesitated, trying to recall the details. "Liadra… she's got this really cold magic. Like, everything around her just freezes. But it's not normal ice—it's got this weird… black tinge to it, like it's corrupted or something. Senik… his magic is chaotic. It's like a storm, but it's always shifting, like he can't fully control it.

And Jorn… he's a knight, so his magic is more about enhancing his physical abilities, but… he's also got this dark aura around him lately. Like he's carrying something heavy."

Amberine nodded, absorbing the information. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give them a direction. "Alright," she said, her voice resolute. "We'll start by tracking their magic. If they're involved, we'll deal with them. If not, we'll bring them back and regroup.

But whatever happens, we're not leaving anyone behind."

The students, though visibly shaken, seemed to draw strength from Amberine's determination. They nodded, some of them even standing a little straighter as they prepared to follow her lead.

"We should move quickly," Elara said, her tone brisk as she surveyed the group. "Every moment we waste could be putting the seniors in more danger."

Amberine agreed. She took a deep breath, letting Ifrit's warmth spread through her veins, fueling her resolve. "Alright, let's go."

They moved out as a unit, Amberine leading the way with Elara and Maris flanking her. The students who had fought with them earlier followed close behind, their expressions set in grim determination. They navigated the darkened corridors of the tower, the air growing colder and more oppressive with each step.

The sounds of distant battles echoed through the halls, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked around every corner.

As they walked, Amberine kept her senses sharp, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of the seniors or the twisted magic that might indicate Liadra, Senik, or Jorn's presence.

The further they went, the more the tower's corruption became apparent—walls that had once been smooth and pristine were now cracked and warped, with dark tendrils of energy pulsing through them like veins.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, they reached a large, open chamber. The floor was littered with debris, and the air was thick with the stench of decay. Amberine's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of a group of figures at the far end of the room.

It was the seniors.

They were trapped in a corner, surrounded by a horde of twisted creatures that seemed to be growing in number with each passing second. The captain of the Magic Combat Club, a tall and imposing figure named Kael, was holding the line with his sword, his face a mask of concentration as he fended off the relentless assault.

Beside him, two other seniors—a mage and a healer—were doing their best to keep the creatures at bay, but they were clearly outmatched.

Amberine's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, searching for any sign of Liadra, Senik, or Jorn. But before she could locate them, she felt a sudden, sharp pang in her chest—an overwhelming sense of dread that made her blood run cold.

"Amberine, look out!" Maris's voice rang out in alarm, but it was too late.

A blast of dark energy erupted from the shadows, slamming into Amberine with the force of a freight train. She was thrown off her feet, the impact sending her crashing into the wall behind her. Pain exploded in her side, and she gasped for breath, her vision swimming as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Amberine!" Elara's voice was distant, muffled by the ringing in her ears. She could barely make out the figures rushing to her side, their faces blurred and indistinct.

But before she could respond, another blast of energy tore through the chamber, this time aimed at Elara. She managed to throw up a shield just in time, but the force of the attack sent her staggering backward, her expression grim as she braced herself for another onslaught.

Amberine forced herself to focus, pushing through the pain as she struggled to her feet. Her vision cleared just in time to see the source of the attack—a figure emerging from the shadows, shrouded in a dark, malevolent aura.

It was Liadra.

Her once-cold ice magic was now twisted and corrupted, the blackened frost spreading across the floor as she advanced on them, her eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

"Liadra, stop!" Amberine shouted, her voice hoarse as she raised her hands, Ifrit's flames flaring to life once more. "We're here to help!"

But Liadra didn't respond. Her expression was blank, her movements mechanical as she prepared another spell, the air around her crackling with dark energy.

"Elara, we need to stop her!" Maris called out, her illusions already springing to life as she tried to distract Liadra from casting her next spell.

Elara didn't need to be told twice. She was already moving, her mind racing as she tried to calculate the best way to counter Liadra's corrupted magic. The air around Liadra was thick with dark energy, a twisted version of the cold, precise magic she had once mastered.

It wasn't just ice anymore—it was something darker, more malevolent, and Elara knew they couldn't afford to let Liadra unleash its full power.

Maris's illusions danced around Liadra, flickering in and out of existence as they sought to confuse and disorient her. For a moment, it seemed to work—Liadra hesitated, her glowing eyes narrowing as she tried to discern the real Maris from the illusions.

But then, with a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of blackened ice shards hurtling toward the nearest illusion, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Elara seized the opening. She summoned a powerful gust of wind, directing it toward Liadra in an attempt to knock her off balance. The wind howled through the chamber, sending debris flying and forcing Liadra to take a step back.

But the corrupted mage recovered quickly, her expression unchanging as she raised her hand and countered with a blast of icy wind, laced with dark energy that sent chills down Elara's spine.

Amberine, still reeling from the earlier attack, pushed herself to her feet, her fiery determination burning brighter than the pain in her side. She could see that Liadra was a formidable opponent, but they couldn't afford to hold back.

If Liadra was under the influence of whatever dark magic had consumed the tower, then she wasn't the friend they once knew—she was a threat that needed to be neutralized.

"Ifrit, I need your strength," Amberine whispered, her voice steady as she focused on the fire spirit within her. "We're going to bring her down."