Alpha Instinct

Chapter 59 - 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,

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.