Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Evil

“Mistress, I am detecting movement approximately 300 meters ahead.”

Ahcehera’s senses heightened as she sat up upright. “Can you identify it?”

“Negative, Mistress. The source of the movement is indeterminate. I am attempting to capture the area visually now.”

Syverian’s cameras zoomed in on the designated coordinates, but the display revealed nothing, only empty water and barren rock.

“Nothing?” Ahcehera muttered, her brow furrowing. She extended her mental power in a wide net, feeling for anything that might be lurking in the void.

The mental web brushed against something, a faint ripple, like a shadow slipping through her grasp. Her heart raced. What was that?

“There’s something here,” she said quietly. “Syverian, widen the detection radius and prepare for evasive maneuvers. This thing is hiding in the folds of reality.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

The mecha’s sensors hummed as they adjusted, casting a broader net across the surrounding waters.

Ahcehera, meantime, increased her concentration, trying to identify the obscure presence. Another ripple. This time closer.

“Mistress, movement detected again,” Syverian reported. “It appears to be circling us, but the object remains untraceable.”

Ahcehera tightened her grip on the controls, her instincts screaming that whatever this was, it wasn’t ordinary. How are we supposed to see…

“Syverian, activate the light field barrier. If it’s invisible, we’ll force it to reveal itself.”

“Yes, Mistress. Deploying now.” Syverian emitted a radiant pulse, a field of light energy cascading outwards in a dome-like wave.

As the light spread, it refracted against the water, outlining shapes that were otherwise unseen. What are those?

Ahcehera’s breath hitched as the forms began to take shape. Shadowy tendrils, almost serpentine, slithered through the water, curling and twisting just beyond the barrier.

“Mistress, these entities do not match any known aquatic or terrestrial life forms,” Syverian informed her.

You’re not wrong Syverian, they are not beasts…

“They appear to be made of pure shadow energy, laced with traces of demonic essence.”

“Demonic…” Ahcehera whispered, her eyes narrowing. “It seems the lake wasn’t as harmless as it appeared after all.” Pure demonic energy? They must have entered through the portal.

The tendrils lashed against the barrier, testing its strength. Each strike sent a reverberation through Syverian’s systems, and Ahcehera could feel the force of their intent.

“Syverian, charge the light cannons. If these things don’t show themselves willingly, we’ll force them out of hiding.”

“Light cannons charged, Mistress.”

Ahcehera focused her mental energy, syncing perfectly with Syverian’s controls.

“Let’s see what you’re made of,” she murmured before firing the first shot, a beam of radiant light cutting through the murky waters.

The shadows writhed violently, their forms briefly illuminated as they recoiled.

Whatever was hidden in the lake was dangerous, mature, and disguised. Ahcehera made a decision to learn everything about it.

–

Richard had just returned to the academy, his shoulders slightly tense as he handed in their completed mission and distributed the earned credit points among his team members.

It was a routine process, but a sense of unease lingered at the back of his mind, a restlessness that refused to dissipate.

Suddenly, a violent pulse of energy rippled through the air, sharp and unmistakable. Richard froze mid-step, his instincts flaring to life.

As a dark energy user, his affinity made him acutely sensitive to the presence of dark energy or dark matter. What is this…

The force was too strong to ignore. He hurriedly dismissed his team members, masking his urgency with a curt, “You can all go back. I’ll handle the rest.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and made his way toward the source of the disturbance. Something’s not right!

Richard moved swiftly across the academy grounds, his dark energy probing the area like a web, searching for the anomaly.

His search took him toward the lake, a place that had become a point of fixation for him ever since his return. Why did it lead me here?

Months ago, the lake had been the site of his accident, a mysterious event that had left him with more questions than answers.

Even now, he hadn’t uncovered the truth. He had delved beneath its surface, braving its depths and battling its monstrous inhabitants, hoping to find the entity responsible.

But each effort had been met with dead ends. The uncanny darkness of the lake’s surface sent a chill down his spine as he got closer to its edge.

It was too quiet, too still. His dark energy spread outward, brushing against the area, seeking anything unusual.

There!

Richard’s mental power locked onto a faint trace, an unmistakable signature of someone who had recently dived into the water. Why did someone dive in without permission?

More than that, the lingering traces of a battle were evident. Faint ripples of demonic energy floated through the air, remnants of a confrontation.

The signature wasn’t fully developed, these weren’t corporeal demons but beings formed of pure negativity, carriers of dark energy without true life or substance.

He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. Whoever had been here had faced these creatures and left their mark. A battle… and I wasn’t here to witness it. No one had.

His dark energy probed deeper, but the traces were fragmented, scattered like shadows in the wind. What a good timing.

He couldn’t discern the identity of the person who had jumped in or what they had encountered. This energy… it doesn’t belong to someone I know, but it feels familiar.

His chest tightened as he scanned the lake again, his gaze lingering on its deceptively serene surface.

The mystery of the lake deepened, and Richard couldn’t shake the feeling that whoever had ventured beneath had uncovered something he had yet to find.

If they can sense the dark energy, they must be connected to the source. Determined, he stepped closer to the water, his resolve hardening.

Whoever you are, whatever you’ve found… I’ll uncover it too. Richard extended his hand, summoning Jimexi, his purple mecha, with a surge of dark energy.

The construct materialized in a flash of violet light, its armored frame gleaming against the ominous backdrop of the lake.

He climbed inside, the cockpit sealing around him with a soft hum. The interface lit up, synchronizing with his energy signature. “Good evening, Master.”

“Let’s see what secrets you’re hiding,” he muttered, gripping the controls as Jimexi activated. The mecha’s thrusters roared to life, propelling them into the water. “Let’s go, Jimexi.”

The lake swallowed them whole, its depths shrouded in a cold, oppressive darkness. Silence weighed down Richard’s ears like a physical burden, and the currents twirled softly.

Jimexi’s scanners swept the surroundings, but for several agonizing moments, there was nothing, only void and silence. I might have missed something…