Esoterico: A Hidden Land

Chapter Seventeen: Epilogue

Ryan stood stupefied for a moment and then said, "Why congratulate me?"

"I'm congratulating you," the man said as he approached Ryan, "Because you managed to survive my trick and also rescued your friend." 

"What trick? Ryan frowned.

"Ah, you don't realize. No problem, for surviving the trick, you deserve to know what it actually is. The letter, owing to which you have come here, is false." 

"False? What do you mean?" Ryan was shocked. 

"A werewolf feels calls from Aracounis. Common fact." The man said, "But the dark side never calls anybody. Your friend wasn't called by the dark side of Aracounis." 

"Are you mad?" Ryan furiously said, "Why would he lie in his note? He wouldn't send me a false note."

"Oh no, he didn't." The man hastily said, "Haven't you realized yet? He didn't even send a note, true or false. The tension within you prevented you from noticing that the note wasn't sent by your friend; it was sent by me."

"You sent that note?" Ryan almost yelled.

"Yes, that was the trick. On one point, the Seven Sorcerers will be busy saving the town from a runaway werewolf; on the other hand, most of his students will jump into a living death trap set by me. I managed to manipulate you with the note, but you are still on the dark side of Aracounis. And why only that? The whole dilemma was my planned scheme!" 

"You're psycho, surely." Ryan spat, "You don't know what you're saying."

"Oh really ?" The man laughed aloud, "Listen then, what I did…" 

The unknown man started his tale— 

"This game started when I got the fascinating idea of turning a Magicademia newbie into a villain. To execute the idea, first I sneaked into your house compound, and I knew, as a Caster you must've succeeded. Through one of the quite familiar windows, I saw your desk and found what I wanted. The Magicademia letter! So I just grabbed it from your desk through the window and fled. It was half past midnight."

"You stole my letter? I never noticed!" Ryan said, surprised. 

"Yes. You never cared for that letter once you got it and knew the news. So I selected Ruud Ripple as my target after I read the student list. Knowing his grandpa, I realized he must have had a hidden werewolf instinct. It had to be raised. So I targeted him to be my victim to become a complete werewolf; One enough to devastate Magicademia's first years." 

"SO!" Ryan roared in fury, "You are the culprit! You fed him the—"

"Wait, boy. Let me finish." The man continued, "I kept my eye on him and sent my men to spy on him. My brave and loyal accomplices would bring me every piece of news about him. And then came the last night before his departure for Magicademia. My men sneaked into his house as he was alone. He wasn't actually—One of my men made his mother sick for one night. Then, making his house empty, my servant made his baby brother cry with a little titbit. As he went, I myself sneaked into his room to mix the draught in his milk. It was a specialized draught, free from all kinds of spells and charms—not potions though—so that no temporary solutions worked. Then, after mixing well, I leave with my servants, and Ripple drinks the draught with no doubt. He sleeps without understanding the mess he'll create the next night—the night of the full moon."

Ryan was petrified in shock as his questions were answered one by one. Like this man fed Rudy the draught. The draught was free from all kinds of charms, so Armædéone's spell didn't work on Rudy…

"Then I had my men spy on Magicademia. I got the news of everything… the chaos he created—though I expected morte—his reveal, his cure-making… Everything. But I was late to know the news. It was only last night when I got the news of Ripple being cured. I couldn't let my game end this soon, so my servant stole the essence from his bedside table before dawn, so that Ripple would cause some more chaos before he is cured. So without the essence, the extra time in my game began today. Ripple fled, and the Stupid Seven Sorcerers went after him. I found the news in the afternoon just the instant they left. So I created the note myself to fool the rest of the beginners including you, and kill you all. The note made you run to your doom, but still all of you managed to survive it. The note was nothing but a deceiving trick. You fell for it, but still you're alive. That's why I'm here. To congratulate you." The man grinned as he finished his tale.