Souls Online: Mythic Ascension-Chapter 431: Constellation

Leo waited patiently. It made no sense that he had received 'rewards' or messages in the midst of completing the Zodiac but there was nothing that came with the completion of all twelve? Something about that didn't seem right.

Adam turned to look at Leo to ask what had changed now that all twelve had been assigned but his eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

"Leo! You're bleeding!"

The shout drew everyone's attention immediately. Leo blinked, confused, as a thin stream of crimson slid from his nose and dripped down his chin. He reached up to wipe it away, but before his fingers could touch, the blood seemed to shimmer unnaturally in the air.

Luna took a sharp step forward, panic flashing across her face. "Leo!"

She was only a foot away when an invisible force burst outward, hurling her back several meters. She landed hard on her hands, the air leaving her lungs in a startled gasp.

"What the hell was that?!" she shouted, scrambling up and trying again, only to be repelled a second time by the same unseen wall.

Leo's eyes widened as his feet lifted off the ground. His body rose several inches, then a full foot, until he was hanging in the air like a marionette with its strings cut. Blood began to drip from his eyes, staining his cheeks with crimson streaks.

"Leo!" Aria cried, her wings spreading wide as she tried to rush toward him. The moment she crossed the invisible threshold, her flight cut out, forcing her to tumble backward.

"Damn it!" Greg snarled, slamming a fist into the barrier, only for the impact to send a shock through his arm. "It's like he's inside a cage."

Crystal pressed forward next, her expression calm but tense. She reached out and her fingertips brushed the air before she was forced back, the recoil vibrating through her entire body.

Adam's voice cracked as he tried again. "We can't get close!"

Vivian grit her teeth, slamming her staff against the floor. "Then what are we supposed to do?! He's—"

Leo's head tilted back, his arms falling limp at his sides. Blood now streamed freely from his nose and eyes, the drops floating upward instead of down. His breathing hitched once before he lost consciousness entirely.

"Leo!" Luna's voice broke as she pounded her fists on the barrier. "Stay awake! Damn it, wake up!"

Jamie's voice trembled as he clutched his phone against his chest. "What the hell is happening?! Why can't we reach him?! What is that thing?!"

Luna's glare snapped toward him, fury blazing behind her tears. "If we knew what was happening, we would have already fucking stopped it!"

Jamie flinched, but Rachel stepped between them. Her usual playfulness vanished as her sharp eyes tracked the blood swirling in the air. "He's losing too much blood. If this keeps up for ten minutes, he'll die."

Penny's eyes widened with alarm. "No! No, no, no, I can't let that happen." She raised her hands, her mana flaring to life as she tried to control the flow of blood. The crimson droplets trembled for a moment under her influence, but then resisted violently, spinning faster as if alive. "It's not listening to me! It's like it's rejecting my control!"

"That's impossible," Aria said softly. "You control fluids naturally. Why would it resist?"

"I don't know!" Penny shouted back, desperation creeping into her voice. "It's like it's bound to something else!"

Lily's eyes darted upward, scanning the air around Leo. Her expression shifted from confusion to realization as she whispered, "Wait…"

The others turned toward her.

"Despite all the blood, not a single drop has hit the floor," Lily said, her voice trembling. "It's floating. All of it."

She stepped closer, squinting through the flickering light. "It's not random either. It's forming a pattern… a diagram."

Aria's eyes widened. "A summoning circle?"

Lily shook her head quickly. "No. Not summoning. It's… something else. Vivian, try healing him! Hurry!"

Vivian nodded and thrust her hands forward as she channeled her healing magic as best she could.

Soft brown light enveloped her, flowing outward toward Leo, but when it touched the air around him, it weakened, barely reaching his body. She grit her teeth, pouring more mana into the spell. "It's not enough! His feet aren't touching the ground. My healing isn't even reaching half of what I should be able to do!"

"Then double it!" Rachel shouted. "Whatever it takes!"

Vivian forced herself to focus, veins of gold running up her arms as she unleashed every drop of power she could muster. The faint glow managed to reach Leo's chest, slowing the bleeding slightly, but the blood in the air continued to move, undisturbed by her efforts.

The floating blood began to link together, forming intricate lines of crimson light that stretched behind Leo in perfect symmetry. Circles intertwined with symbols that none of them recognized, twisting together like constellations etched in blood.

"Holy hell," Greg muttered under his breath, stepping back as the gym darkened. "It's drawing something massive."

Morgan's voice was hushed. "It's a constellation map."

The glow grew brighter, painting the walls and ceiling in red. Soon, twelve distinct emblems appeared within the formation matching each of the Zodiac signs. They pulsed faintly, resonating with the tattoos on everyone's bodies.

Luna fell silent, eyes wide in awe and fear. "That's…"

"The Zodiacs" Aria whispered. "All twelve."

As the last line connected, the room was filled with a sound like a deep heartbeat. Then, silence.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Then Leo's eyes opened.

One glowed pure white, the other deep black. The air around him vibrated as his feet slowly touched the floor. When he spoke, it was not just his voice. It was two layered perfectly over one another, one low and resonant, the other distant and ethereal.

"The Zodiacs are assembled," the voice said. "The Gates to Heaven and Hell shall be opened. May the bonds you have forged be the chains that can hold the world together."

Every light in the gym flickered violently, and then, as quickly as it had begun, everything went still.

Leo stood motionless at the center, eyes dimming back to normal as he collapsed forward into Luna's waiting arms. The glowing constellation faded into nothingness, leaving only the faint scent of iron and the heavy silence that followed.

No one dared to speak. The only sound was Leo's shallow breathing as Luna held him tightly, trembling.

Rachel swallowed hard, her tail flicking nervously. "What… what did we just witness?"

Nobody had an answer.