Alpha Instinct-Chapter 59: “The Pentagram Walker”

Saito addressed Kaleb, his voice calm but carrying a meaning that transcended words: "Enter slowly, without alarm. Don’t ask questions, not yet." There was wisdom and clarity in his tone, an implicit revelation.

Kaleb, still under the impact of the loud noise, nodded. Confusion was etched on his face.

They opened the cabin door carefully, the soft creak of the wood echoing in the tense silence. The scene that unfolded before them was, to say the least, peculiar.

Saito and Kaleb exchanged a quick glance, a silent question shared: "Do you understand? Because I don’t."

Leonard, sitting on the bed, rubbed his eyes as if he had just woken up from a deep, perhaps millennial, sleep. A long yawn escaped his lips, followed by repeated blinks as he tried to get his bearings.

"Mikaela on her knees, Grandpa Saito smiling, and Kaleb with his mouth open... What’s going on here?" He pointed to each of them, his voice laden with perplexity.

Saito was the first to respond, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "Oh hoo! Well... As for the paladin... I don’t know, but I’m glad you’re awake, young master."

"But what happened? I can’t remember anything..." Leonard brought his hand to his head, his brow furrowed. "I just feel an endless void..."

"Leonard, son, why is your ELEV activated?" Kaleb asked, surprise still evident in his voice.

"My ELEV…?" Leonard touched the nape of his neck, feeling the familiar numbness. "Strange, I didn’t activate it..."

Mikaela finally spoke, her voice strained. "I’m sorry for waking you, Bearer of Light..." Her face flushed, red as a tomato. "I fell asleep and fell off the chair..." Still on her knees, she bit her lower lip, her fists clenched in a mixture of shame and frustration.

"HAHAHAHA!" Kaleb let out a loud laugh. "So that was the noi—!"

Saito interrupted him with a kick to the shin. "Quiet, you miscreant!"

Mikaela, gathering courage, finally looked at Leonard. "Impossible..."

Her ELEV activated to its maximum capacity, her eyes glowing with a translucent, almost ethereal golden amber.

"Oh, hoo!" Saito seemed extremely pleased. "I knew it..." he murmured to himself.

Kaleb, lost in the situation, leaned against the wall, waiting for some explanation.

"I can’t see... your ranking... even now... it’s a void..." Mikaela whispered, the words laden with disbelief.

"No, it’s not a void..." Saito corrected, his voice soft but firm. "It’s an infinite... Oh, hoo!" He stroked his beard, satisfaction evident in every gesture.

"Infi... nite..." Mikaela repeated, her eyes wide, searching for answers in vain.

"Can someone explain to me what’s going on?" Leonard insisted, his impatience growing.

"Pentagram..." Saito began, his voice laden with deep meaning. "The prophecy of tomorrow." And then, he recited:

"Stars weep ash, a prophecy profound,"

"The Dawn-Bringer comes, life’s river unbound."

"Eternal night descends, the heavens proclaim,"

"Not dawn he brings, but twilight’s dying flame."

Mikaela joined him:

"He’ll save mankind, a savior born of woe,"

"With bloody tears, down shadowed paths he will go."

"Fate and the Gods, he stands against their might,"

"A crimson dawn, bathing in a fading light."

"No tears rain, no whispered, mournful call,"

"Only oblivion, where all will fall."

The three said in unison:

"Infinitely, the pentagram walker."

A brief silence hung in the small cabin. They were incredulous at the possible situation that had arisen before them. Soon, Leo broke the silence.

"Pentagram...? How do you know?" Leonard asked, genuinely confused.

The three looked at each other, startled.

"What do you mean by ’how do you know,’ young master?" Saito asked, his voice now laden with apprehension.

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"Huh? I thought you were talking about my pentagram," said Leo, naturally.

"Son, could you show us whatever that is?" Mikaela asked, her voice sweet but tinged with emotion.

Leonard asked Kaleb for his small bag and took out a small piece of magic paper from one of the pockets.

"Here, look... Roland told me not to show it to anyone, but I don’t care anymore..." He handed the paper to Mikaela.

With trembling hands, Mikaela opened the paper.

"Growth Potential: ⛤"

Her heart raced at the sight of the five-pointed star. "The potential machine couldn’t read his increase; it defaulted to the pentagram, a symbol of infinity in Dunkel..." she concluded, in thought.

"May the mercy of the Forerunner have pity on the world..." She exclaimed, bowing until her forehead touched the ground. I need to show respect.

Saito approached, took the paper, and read it. "Oh, hooo! Haha, I knew it... I’m old, but my eyes don’t deceive me." He stroked his beard, exultant.

"It seems I’m missing something here," Kaleb said, confused. "Are you saying Leonard is the pentagram walker? Ahhh, stop joking."

Saito glared at him.

"If it’s you who’s saying it, Grandpa, who am I to disagree..." Kaleb shrugged, disbelief giving way to cautious acceptance.

Leonard scratched his head, still not fully understanding the situation. "Mikaela, come on, get up. There’s no need for that." The request sounded a little colder than he intended.

Mikaela stood up, her gaze fixed on Leonard. "Your ELEV won’t stop?"

"I don’t know how to make it stop," Leonard replied, his voice laden with uncertainty.

"I had an idea," Kaleb pointed out. "I have a device here that I brought from the Tower of Magic in secret. Why don’t we test Leonard?"

"Oh, hoo! Finally, you’re being helpful for something," Saito said.

Kaleb went to his backpack and took out a small profile analysis device. He asked Leonard for his GHMC and connected it to the device. Then, he positioned the device over Leonard’s ELEV, which remained active.

The device beeped, magic runes lit up, and, after a few seconds, it rewrote the GHMC card.

"Ah... how long... have you... done your... last te-test?" Kaleb asked, his voice hesitant, his fingers trembling slightly, a subtle fear showing in his eyes.

"I’m not sure, but it’s been less than 30 days," Leonard replied.

Kaleb handed the card to Leonard, staggering back, grabbing onto the edge of the nearest table. The knuckles of his fingers were white, so strong was the force with which he gripped the wood. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, and his breathing was short and irregular.

He swallowed hard, fear taking over his being, as if he were about to faint.

A heavy silence fell over the cabin.

All eyes were fixed on Leonard, waiting in suspense for him to reveal the test results. The air seemed to vibrate with expectation, laden with an almost palpable tension.