The energy in the tournament grounds was electric as Zoe’s friends gathered around her, congratulating her on her victory. The sparring match had been intense, and her hard-won win against Ewan felt like a statement of strength for the Blue Mountain pack. But as she soaked in their cheers, Zoe felt a strange, creeping chill settle deep under her skin.Dominic was the first to notice the stiffness in her posture. “Zoe, you okay?” he asked, his expression softening with concern as he stepped closer. “You look… off.”Zoe forced a smile, waving him off. “I’m fine, really. Just.. guess I put a little too much energy into the fight.” She laughed, trying to shake off the odd sensation, but a shiver ran through her, betraying her unease.Sara nudged her shoulder playfully. “Come on, Zoe, that was amazing! You absolutely wiped the floor with him. If Ironclaw had any doubts about us before, they sure don’t now.”Zoe chuckled along, though her laughter felt thin. In truth, her victory felt stran
Zoe rolled up the edge of her shirt, revealing the faint, almost invisible scratch on her side. But as Marella’s fingers hovered over the wound, Zoe felt a sudden, searing heat. She bit back a gasp, her hand clenching the fabric of her pants.“Ah,” Marella said, her tone grim. “This magic is indeed dark, twisted. It’s subtle, designed to infect slowly, eating away at your strength over time.”Sara paled, moving closer. “Can you… can you remove it?”“I will do my best,” Marella replied, her expression softening slightly as she looked at Zoe. “But this will not be a simple process. The poison is deeply embedded, like a stubborn weed with roots tangled through your energy. It will take time, and it may be… unpleasant.”Dominic’s hand clenched at his side, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “What do you mean, ‘unpleasant’?”Marella gave him a sympathetic look. “To purify dark magic like this, I’ll need to draw it out, bit by bit. The process can be painful and exhausting. But it must be done ca
Dominic clenched his fists, jaw tight as he looked out at the training arena. He had wanted to stay with Zoe in the Healer’s Lodge, but she’d insisted that he continue in the tournament.“She’s a fighter. She would have pushed herself to stay if she could,” he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.Nikola, standing beside him, nodded. His usual calm was replaced by a quiet, burning anger. “Zoe would’ve made it through every round if it weren’t for that poison. Ewan’s going to learn what it means to cross us.”Dominic smirked, though there was no humor in his expression. “Let’s make sure we leave a reminder he won’t forget.”Sara joined them, her face determined. “For Zoe, then.” She glanced between the boys, her eyes fierce. “We won’t let her down, and we won’t let Ironclaw think they can get away with this.”Cassius, who had been standing slightly apart from them, watched the exchange in silence, his gaze fixed on the Ironclaw students across the field. As he approached, Domi
Cassius POVCassius moved quietly through the tournament grounds, blending into the background as he watched the events unfolding around him. The sun hung high, casting sharp shadows across the field, but the chill in the air was unmistakable - an undercurrent of darkness that only he seemed to sense.He watched as the remaining competitors from Ironclaw circled their opponents with a newfound arrogance, their taunts sharper, their blows more brutal. The Ironclaw leader, Ewan, had been detained, but it seemed his absence only fueled his packmates’ aggression. Cassius narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd as he picked up on something that had been bothering him since the start of the tournament: the frequent, low conversations between certain Ironclaw members and a small, tight-knit group of Fea students.Cassius approached the edge of the sparring grounds where one Fea, Caelum, stood watching the matches with an unsettling calm. His icy gaze flicked to Cassius briefly before turning b
“Cassius. Speak.” Her tone was clipped, efficient, betraying no sign of surprise or hesitation, as if she had already anticipated he would come to her with something important.Cassius hesitated for just a second before continuing, his gaze lingering on the students in the distance, each lost in their own focus or competition. “I’ve been watching the movements of certain students,” he began, his voice low, barely above a murmur, yet carrying weight. “The Fea, specifically Caelum, and some of the Ironclaw members - they’re working together.”Ellara’s expression shifted imperceptibly, but her eyes darkened, a flicker of concern briefly crossing her features. She knew full well that the Fea were cunning, unpredictable, and with their ties to darker magic, always capable of making dangerous alliances.“Go on,” she urged, though her face remained as impassive as ever. Her gaze now seemed to sharpen, the air around her thick with attention.Cassius took a breath. He had learned over the yea
Cassius POV Cassius stayed close to the sidelines, his gaze never straying far from Caelum and the Ironclaw members who had clustered around him. Their movements were precise, their steps mirroring one another like parts of a well-rehearsed dance. It was too deliberate, too synchronized, to be coincidental.He saw Caelum murmuring something to one of the Ironclaw members, who responded with a nod, his eyes glinting with a dark determination. Cassius felt the pulse of something unfamiliar, something dangerous, radiating from their small group. His instincts screamed that whatever was happening went far beyond simple rivalry.Dominic and Sara had shifted closer to him, their expressions filled with concern as they followed his gaze.“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Dominic whispered, barely moving his lips. His voice was low but taut, holding back the tension of restrained fury.“More than seeing,” Cassius replied, his voice just as low. “I’m sensing something... off. There’s a dark e
The sky over the tournament grounds darkened with unnatural speed, shifting from a mild afternoon to an eerie twilight. Cassius felt the change immediately, the air thickening with the scent of damp earth and the iron tang of magic gone wrong. He scanned the horizon as purplish clouds churned overhead, and a gust of cold wind swept across the grounds, carrying whispers that chilled him to his core.In the stands, students’ families murmured, some pointing to the sky in confusion, others instinctively drawing their loved ones closer. The crowds shifted nervously, the energy in the air vibrating with tension. Before anyone could react, the first crack of violet lightning split the sky, and the sound was followed by a wave of darkness rolling over the tournament field, blotting out the sunlight and plunging everyone into a chilling twilight.Cassius turned sharply, his gaze sweeping through the crowd. “Where’s Caelum?” he muttered, a pulse of fear jolting through him as he scanned the fa
As Caelum raised his hand, the dark energy swirling around him coalesced into a jagged, pulsating spear of shadows. His smirk widened, malice gleaming in his eyes. Just as he hurled the weapon toward Cassius, a voice rang out, cutting through the oppressive air with commanding clarity.“Enough!”The spear disintegrated mid-air, scattering into harmless wisps of smoke. Caelum turned sharply, his expression twisting into one of frustration. Headmistress Ellara emerged from the darkness, her stride purposeful, her form radiant with a shimmering aura of golden-white light. The stark contrast between her magic and the oppressive shadows around them was like a beacon cutting through the night.“Caelum,” she said, her voice cold as frost, her eyes locking onto his with unrelenting intensity. “You’ve overstepped. Stand down, or I will end this here and now.”Caelum laughed, a hollow sound that sent shivers through the air. “Stand down? Oh, Ellara, you’ve grown soft in your years of peace. You