Chapter 34: Mad Voice.
Aiden suddenly vanished. His body blurred into motion as he used Blitz to appear behind Julia in a flash of light.
Without a moment of hesitation, he conjured a Lightning Blast in his right hand and launched it straight toward her back. The air hissed as the bolt shot forward, humming with raw destructive power.
But Julia did not move. She stood perfectly still — calm, unbothered, expressionless. The attack landed with a violent crack, but there was no explosion, no impact. The Lightning Blast passed straight through her form as if she were made of mist.
Aiden's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. The image before him flickered — then shattered like glass.The Julia that stood there was an illusion.
The real Julia appeared beside him, her pale hand reaching silently and slowly toward his shoulder. Aiden felt a cold chill crawl up his spine — that same familiar feeling of danger he had experienced countless times during training.
His instincts flared as he used Blitz again, vanishing in a burst of lightning and reappearing far across the garden.
But the instant he landed, he sensed something again — a faint presence behind him.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he vanished again, moving across the field in streaks of lightning, his movements fast enough to blur his image.
Yet every time he reappeared, he felt that someone was standing behind him, the same pressure lingered behind him — silent, watchful, suffocating.
Again and again, he moved, but no matter how far or how fast he went, the sensation of someone standing just behind him refused to fade. It was as if shadows had clung to him, mocking his every movement.
Aiden gritted his teeth as realization struck.
"I'm inside an illusion," he thought, forcing himself to calm down. "There are several fake projections — they all give off a real presence. She's surrounding me with them. If she wanted, she could have already injected a parasite into my body earlier… she's giving me a chance."
His pulse steadied. He needed to think. He needed to find the real Julia.
He moved to the side of the garden, standing still as his eyes darted around. The space seemed empty — only one Julia remained standing motionless in the center of the field.
Her expression remained blank, her posture composed. But even now, he wasn't certain if that was the real one or another illusion meant to lure him in.
He clenched his fists and began to gather mana in his hands. The air around him crackled as his aura surged. Dozens — no, hundreds — of small lightning bolts began to form, swirling around him like a storm.
His voice was steady as he muttered, "Lightning Rain."
Then, he unleashed everything. Each lightning bolt landed on the empty garden trying to destroy everything. Aiden wanted to destroy all the illusions.
Bolts of lightning tore through the air, striking every inch of the garden. The earth trembled under the sheer pressure of his assault.
Thunder roared as explosions of light consumed everything in sight. Illusions shattered one after another, breaking into fragments of fading mana.
After several long moments, the storm finally stopped. Aiden's chest rose and fell heavily as the dust began to settle. His eyes scanned the ruined garden — and there she was again, standing in the center, completely unscathed and untouched.
Julia.
She hadn't moved an inch. Her calm, detached gaze was fixed on him, just as it had been from the start. There wasn't a single burn mark on her body.
This time, Aiden was certain. That one has to be real.
Without hesitation, he used Blitz again. He vanished, and three more versions of himself appeared alongside him — illusions created through his own mana. The four Aidens surrounded Julia, attacking from every direction.
But Julia didn't move.
The illusions attacked simultaneously — slashes, strikes, and lightning blasts filling the air. The moment they reached her, three of them disappeared instantly, dissipating into mist. Only the real Aiden's attack landed, his strike connecting solidly against her body.
For a brief instant, he felt something solid — a shock that numbed his hand. Without wasting a second, he injected a Thought Parasite into her body, pushing his mana into her.
He wanted to see what thoughts his silent teacher had during battle, to understand the mind of someone so unreadable.
But the moment he injected the parasite, a sharp pain ran through his palm. It was as if he had struck a wall of steel. His hand stung, small scratches forming across his skin from the force of impact. After injecting the parasite, he instantly used Blitz to teleport far away from Julia.
Then, as he appeared far away, he felt a connection being formed.. A strange, invisible connection began to form between his mind and hers. He felt it — the faint thread of thought.
He focused, trying to sense her mind. But what came to him was not thoughts. It was emptiness. A void.
Coldness seeped into his body as he sensed only darkness — no emotion, no reason, no sound. It was like staring into a dead person's body. The sensation sent shivers down his spine. Then, realization came as he remembered that he had felt the same way before.
This wasn't Julia.
It was the same emptiness he had felt when practicing on the stone dummy.
His eyes widened. His expression changed. He understood — he had injected the parasite into the dummy, not Julia.
He turned rapidly, scanning the area, but she was nowhere to be found. Panic began to creep into his mind as he looked left and right, trying to find her.
Then, suddenly, his thoughts scattered. His mind went blank. His emotions began to flare uncontrollably — confusion, fear, anger, all mixing together.
Before he could process what was happening, his own body moved against his will. His arm swung forward and punched himself squarely in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.
Aiden's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what had just happened. His own body — his own limb — had attacked him.
It was then that realization struck him again. He had been infected with a parasite.
But how? Julia hadn't even attacked once. When had she managed to inject it into him?
His mind started to slow. His thoughts became foggy. His panic grew stronger as he struggled to stay conscious.
Then, he felt it — a pale, cold hand resting gently on his shoulder.
Aiden's heart stopped. Fear shot through him like lightning as he turned his head slowly. There, behind him, stood Julia — calm, expressionless, her blue eyes as empty as the void.
"I win," she said simply.
Her tone was devoid of pride or mockery — just a fact.
The moment she spoke, her hand lifted from his shoulder. Instantly, Aiden felt his thoughts clear, the fog inside his head dissipating. The connection of the parasite was severed. His body returned to normal.
He remained sitting on the ground, his chest heaving as he processed what had happened. His mind replayed every moment of the duel. The illusion, the parasite, the fear he had felt.
He realized that he hadn't even seen her attack once. She had completely dominated him without lifting a finger.
True horror crept through his body. This was the power of a parasitic mana cultivator.
Cold sweat covered his back. For the first time, he understood just how terrifying this element truly was.
Jonathan and Sara approached him quickly. Sara's voice was full of concern as she crouched beside him and said, "Are you alright?"
Aiden blinked, snapping out of his fearful daze. His breathing slowed, and he forced himself to calm down. He replied, "Yes, Mom."
Jonathan looked at him, his tone steady as he said. "You did well, son."
Aiden nodded, though his mind still reeled. He turned his head toward Julia, who was still standing silently nearby, and asked, "When did you inject the parasite into my body?"
Julia looked at him calmly and replied, "When you attacked the stone dummy."
Aiden froze. He looked down at his hand — the one that still bore faint scratches from striking the dummy. It all made sense now. He had been deceived from the very beginning.
He spoke again, disbelief lingering in his tone as he said. "Where were you when I used Lightning Rain?"
Julia replied in her usual, emotionless voice as she replied, "I was standing beside your parents."
Aiden's eyes widened once again. His heart sank. That meant she hadn't even entered the battlefield. She had fought the entire duel without moving a single step from beside his parents — and still won effortlessly.
His heart tightened in his chest. The realization filled him with awe and fear alike.
Jonathan, seeing his expression, stepped forward and spoke gently, "Don't worry, son. She used a stage two illusionary mana spell. You should be proud that you were able to last this long."
He turned to Julia and added, "Don't you think so too?"
Julia gave a slow, approving nod. That single gesture made Aiden's chest lighten slightly. He managed a faint smile, though the lingering fear remained deep inside him.
Then Julia spoke again, her tone flat and final. "I am leaving."
Before any of them could respond, she vanished. No sound, no light — just gone. No farewell, no goodbye.
Aiden stared blankly at the spot where she had been standing.
Jonathan sighed softly and said, "She always leaves like this. Don't worry about it. Come inside. You need to rest."
Aiden nodded silently and followed his father inside.
That day passed quietly — or so it seemed. When the night came, Aiden went to his room.
When Aiden lay in bed, he suddenly fell asleep from exhaustion. But the moment he fell asleep.
The heartbeat returned.
It echoed through his room — louder, stronger, more desperate than ever before. It pounded in his mind like a drum, shaking every corner of his consciousness.
Then in his dream came the voice. The same voice that had haunted him before. It called again and again, clearer this time, each word slicing through the silence. "Come here, Aiden."
He frowned in the dream, confusion and unease swirling within him as he asked. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
But the voice ignored his question. It repeated the same words, louder, faster, more frantic. "Come here, Aiden. Hurry. Hurry. Come here!"
It grew wild, erratic, almost insane — as though whoever was calling had lost all sense of reason.
Aiden tried to wake up, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't move. He was trapped, his consciousness bound within the dream as the voice echoed endlessly, screaming for him to come.
The night dragged on like an eternity.
When morning finally came, Aiden's eyes snapped open. His body was drenched in sweat, his breath uneven. He sat up slowly, the echo of the heartbeat still ringing faintly in his ears.
Author's Note: Aiden's lesson tonight was not in mana or battle — but in terror, in helplessness, and in the thin line between power and horror. The abyss whispers his name, and soon… he will answer.
Written by The Hymn of Evil.