When the trio returned from lunch, they were surprised to find that all stones that had light inside of them were dull once again. This set off a round of even more experiments and theories tossed about. More than once they were distracted by something else, and it wasn't until very late that night did they part ways with the promise to do more next weekend.
Rose fell onto her bed, exhaustion pressing down on the girl. She had thoroughly enjoyed playing around with her friends, but all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep. She was too tired to even change out of her uniform, simply kicking off her shoes and worming her way under the covers.
Her window changed to show the night sky, and it was looking out at the sparkling stars that finally lulled Rose to sleep.
...🌹...
Rose's eyes shot open and a burst of adrenaline had the girl literally leaping out of her bed. Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
Fear made the dragon anxiously look around her bedroom, as if some monster would jump out at her at any moment. Her window transitioned into a beautiful scenery, but Rose could barely pay it much attention.
Every inch of her was screaming to start running, because something was after her.
I'm in my room, though, Rose thought. This is supposed to be safe, right?
The thought made her pause.
Nowhere is safe.
Rose thought about going to her lava baths. Surely there weren't a lot of things that could harm her when she was submerged in lava? But that was a bit of a gamble. What if there was something that could chase after her into the lava? Then she'd be at a dead end.
Flying. Flying was safe.
Rose was a fast flyer. She could out fly anything, she believed. Even if she couldn't get past the bubble, she could fly freely around the castle. Maybe she could even go to one of the professors—
Professor Nigel!
Professor Nigel could protect her. He seemed to care about Rose, so maybe she could trust him. All she had to do was get to him.
Another burst of fear made her toes curl anxiously. Her palms were sweaty and sticky, and she rubbed them on her skirt.
She had to run. Something was wrong. Something was out to get her.
She had to go, or she would not make it until morning.
Rose took a deep breath and shot out of her room. She sprinted past a sleeping Galio on the couch and headed out of her kingdom.
Rose broke out into a run down the hallways, terror soon joining her jumbled emotions. She could neither explain the fear she felt nor the sense of danger. She didn't even entirely understand why she was indulging it.
Her footsteps echoed down the dark hallway, and the once bright and warm school seemed oddly cold for the otherwise blazing dragon blood within her.
A shiver crawled down Rose's spine and adrenaline started to pump through her. Her nails instinctively lengthened into claws, and her tail started to nervously sway back and forth as Rose looked down the hallway she was in.
Then a scream tore through the air—a scream that made her blood curdle—and Rose shot off in its direction. Her wings pumped furiously and before she even had time to think, she was in the air and soaring as fast as she could towards the scream. After rounding a sharp corner, Rose found the owner of a scream: one of Mortem's kingmates, a first-year like Rose.
The girl was sprawled out onto the ground, trying to drag herself away from some sort of monster made of ice and white stone. Rose didn't need her sharp nose to tell her that the girl was badly wounded.
The lion-like monster snarled at the girl, looking ready to pounce, and that was when Rose dove straight down and slammed her tail as hard as she could on top of the monster's head. The monster's head snapped down and collided with the hard floor, and Rose took that chance to land in front of the student and position herself in-between.
Her fear was replaced with anger as she looked into the glowing yellow eyes of the creature. Rage burned in the pit of Rose's stomach, hotter than any fire, and stronger than any fear Rose might have held. Anger twisted her face into a snarl and a growl tore through Rose's throat, reverberating throughout the hallway. Her tail lashed out from either side of her, and Rose had never felt more dragon-like before in her life.
Never so furious.
The instantaneous anger she felt seeing the monster overrode everything. Rose didn't understand what brought it on, but she could do little to resist it.
Of all the bullying. The ridicule. The taunts. The jeers. The hatred they threw at her… Rose was beside herself with anger.
She dealt with it. She ignored it. She tried to be above them, to show them that not all dragons were bloodthirsty monsters.
But it did nothing to assuage the growing anger in her heart.
The sheer injustice she felt was something Rose had never had to deal with before. To be judged on what you were instead of who—to be pushed aside and deemed something worthless before anyone really got to know her… all of it was simply so unacceptable.
It was wrong.
And Rose never let herself think about it for too long, because when she did, she felt her anger boil and bubble, and if she ever lost her temper in front of them—
Then she really would be one of those awful monsters they made her out to be.
So she shoved it aside, she ignored it and did everything she could to not deal with it. Now, though?
Now she had a proper monster in front of her. Now she had something to take out her anger on.
Her fears were gone, drowned in the blood rushing to her ears and the overwhelming desire to crush whatever was in front of her.
The monster roared, and the little dragon roared back before bright hot fire shot out of her mouth and surrounded the thing of ice and stone. It reared back, and Rose swung out her right fist. It connected against its broad chest, and if Rose hadn't been seething with fury, she would have felt the pain jolt up her arm… but at the moment, she didn't care.
Rose threw herself at the monster, attacking it with every bit of strength and rage she had, and the monster fought back just as viciously.
It threw Rose to the ground and swiped at her. Rose beat at it with her tail and clawed at its eyes. She breathed more fire upon it, and it roared at her before spitting out a flurry of sharp icicles. Rose's wings flapped in front of her, shielding both she and the student behind her through the worst of the blast, but it tore holes in her wings in the process.
Rose screamed her frustration at it and charged again.
But Rose had taken far more of a beating than the monster, because she had fought with anger and without care for herself.
The monster's long, snake-like tail whipped around and threw her to the floor with such force that the ground beneath her shattered like glass. Pain dispelled Rose's haze of bloodlust, and she became acutely aware of how much damage she had sustained. Her fists were swollen, each breath she took was labored with pain, and her wings stung like there were a thousand needles in them.
Rose let out a hiss of annoyance and glared defiantly with unhidden hatred at the monster that loomed above her. She took a deep breath, preparing to let out a slew of fire when suddenly, dozens of black spikes pierced through the monster from below.
Time seemed to slow, and Rose's eyes widened with disbelief as the monster turned to dust.
"Well now," Mortem drawled out, stepping out from the shadows, "you're a bit of a mess."
Rose's cheeks flamed as she realized she was in a disheveled shirt and skirt, covered in scrapes and blood. She snapped, "How long have you been there?"
"I arrived about the same time as Miss Delilah screamed," Mortem answered easily.
Anger shot through Rose at that and she forced herself to stand back up. "And you didn't help!? She screamed! That monster was going to—going to—"
Rose let out a hiss of frustration at him, her tail lashing out angrily behind her, and turned back towards Delilah. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Delilah gave a shaky nod. "I-I'm okay, I think. It—it got my leg good, b-but I-I think I can m-manage to—to the infirmary."
Rose stretched out a hand, and Delilah grabbed it. Rose couldn't suppress the wince of pain that shot through her when Delilah squeezed her hand to help herself up. Rose's hands throbbed with a vengeance, and she regretted punching something made of stone.
"It looked like you could handle it. I stepped in when you couldn't," Mortem explained, an amused tilt in his tone. Then he chuckled. "I didn't think you could punch so poorly. How's your hand?"
Rose's hackles rose at his laughter and fury shot back up through her. Amused? A monster nearly killed his kingmate, and he was laughing at Rose's punches?!
I have had enough with arrogant jerks!
Before she could even think about what she was doing, Rose's swollen hand snapped out and she delivered a solid punch against Mortem's face. He stumbled backwards at that.
Rose snarled. "How's that for a poor punch? Come on, Delilah, let's go to the infirmary."
"U-um," Delilah stammered, big blue eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Mortem clutching at his shrouded face.
Rose tugged on her, and Delilah followed behind Rose. The two girls left Mortem behind, the fuming dragon dragging the Chasm kingmate behind her.
Rose hobbled into Dr. Basileus's room. She expected she would have to place Delilah on one of the cots before hunting down Dr. Basileus, but to her surprise, he was waiting for them. His eyes narrowed upon seeing them, and in two strides, he reached them before gently guiding them each onto cots.
"I smelled the blood. What happened?"
Delilah sniffled before she burst into tears. Rose thought if she wasn't so angry she might've cried alongside her. Even as it were, she could feel her eyes burning with unshed tears of utter frustration.
Dr. Basileus let out a soft hiss, and bits of medical supplies floated towards them. He gave each girl a glass filled with a white liquid that tasted like a melted milkshake. Rose gulped hers down quickly and immediately felt a calming sensation wash over her. Her wounds started to itch, but she felt no desire to scratch them.
Dr. Basileus worked with quick hands, dabbing glowing blue ooze over their open cuts and gashes, and murmuring comforting words. By the time both girls' injuries were healed—although Rose's hands were put into temporary casts while the bones reset because she had apparently broken her knuckles and fingers in her punches—they had both calmed down enough to tell the doctor what had happened.
"I h-had a bad dream," Delilah began, "s-so I went out for a-a walk to clear m-my head. I-I know I'm not," Delilah hiccupped, "'sposed to, b-but I didn't—"
She had to pause there and screw her eyes shut for a couple minutes. "I f-felt like something was f-following me. I started t-to go back to the d-dorms, b-but then th-the monster attacked m-me."
Delilah started to cry softly again, burying her face in her hands. Rose felt sorry for her—she was clearly still terrified, if her sour stench was anything to go by—and reached out a hand to comfort her.
Delilah looked up at Rose and gave her a watery smile. "Th-then R-Rose ca-ame."
"I had a feeling," Rose continued, "and I don't know how or why, but I knew something bad was going to happen, so I left. I heard Delilah scream and I came, and I—I attacked the monster. Um, then Mortem showed up and he defeated it."
Dr. Basileus's eyes softened as he looked at both disheveled girls. "I see. I'm terribly sorry you both had to go through something like that. I give you my word, though, that I will watch over both of you tonight and protect you. No monster shall bother you further."
Both girls let out a small sigh of relief.
"Lay down and relax," he urged. "I will contact the headmaster, and if you're up for it, I'm sure he would like to hear your stories for himself."
...🌹...
Rowanoak, headmaster of Gardenia, rushed into the office exactly five minutes later. Rose hadn't seen the headmaster since the Dark Vigil—in which he came across as composed, neat, and somber—but here, he looked nearly frantic with worry and extremely disheveled. It looked like he was still in his pajamas.
Upon closer inspection, Rose found that he was still in his pajamas, and had only thrown on bunny slippers and a robe before coming here. Rowanaok brushed back his long, sunflower blond hair and looked over at the two injured girls.
"Oh my word. Are you two okay?"
"They will be, headmaster," Doctor Basileus reassured, not even looking up from wrapping a bandage around Rose's knuckles.
Rowanoak's shoulders slumped with relief and he moved to sit between the two girls. "What happened?"
Delilah wiped at her eyes and retold her story, with Rose adding her own at the end.
Rowanoak listened to their story in silence, his features growing harder by the second. By the end of it, he looked downright furious.
"Never in all of Gardenia have we had something like this. Never! Students attacking students—"
"Students?" Delilah said in surprise, her pale blue eyes widening in fear. "B-but that was a monster."
"Such a creature is not formed naturally within these school halls, Miss Delilah," Rowanoak explained gently. "Please rest assured we will get to the bottom of this. There will be no further repeat."
The absolute confidence Rowanoak stated that last part with gave Rose a small amount of comfort. She wasn't certain he would be able to make that really happen without expelling those involved, and Rose doubted that would happen. While she was positive it had to be someone from the Hero Kingdom behind the attack, she honestly couldn't say for certain who in that kingdom. She didn't want to blatantly accuse everyone—especially Aella who had only ever been nice to her—but she was honestly tempted.
All she wanted was for things to return to how it was at the start of the year. She wanted to go back to marveling at the wonders of magic, working on her classes, and enjoying being with her friends.
She hated the sour taste of fear that hung in the air when her gaze lingered too long on a student. She—
Rose closed her eyes as Rowanoak talked and tried to reassure the two girls. Delilah was more open to accepting the reassurances, and in her soft voice, she answered his questions. A blanket of exhaustion pressed down on the young dragon, and all she could think about was curling up and going to sleep. Her limbs were filled with lead, and her head spun around and around.
She wasn't sure how long she sat up in her bed for, Doctor Basileus steadily working on cleaning her wounds and wrapping her injuries, but enough time passed that the headmaster departed. Delilah laid back in the bed and the good doctor tucked both girls in.
"I'll be keeping watch for tonight," he promised. "Sleep well, girls."
Delilah murmured something that might have been a thank you, but Rose remained silent.
She was tired. More tired than she had ever been in her entire life. She had to wonder if perhaps the charming doctor had put something in her potion but decided she didn't care.
She wanted to sleep, she really did, but a cold idea pierced through her mind and kept her awake.
A student had… made? Summoned? Conjured? A student—or students—was behind the attack. Such a monster would have surely killed Delilah if not for Rose and Mortem—
Why was Rose called out of bed? Why did she go straight to it?
Rose laid in the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling and reviewing the previous conversation with the headmaster. Her body was tired—unimaginably so—but her mind was restless. She was grateful she didn't feel her emotions, glad to be numbed for the moment. She thought if she was able to feel, she wouldn't be able to go to sleep at all.
Then again, her active mind was already keeping her up.
There was one—actually several, but one of them seemed more prominent than the others—thing that bothered her. Something she couldn't explain.
Rose listened to Delilah's deep, even breaths, counting them until she was certain the girl was asleep. She turned over in her bed, slowly sitting up and looking over at Doctor Basileus.
The man sat at his desk, bent over and reading a very heavy-looking book by candlelight. Even with Rose's superb vision, she found it hard to make out his expression in the light. It almost seemed obscured, it was difficult to focus on.
"Doctor Basileus?" Rose asked softly.
He glanced up from his book, giving her a kind smile, the distortion melting away. "Something wrong?"
"Do dragons—do they seek out fighting?"
The handsome doctor turned around in his chair to peer at Rose, the candlelight flickering and nearly going out. "Why do you ask, Miss Rose?"
"I woke up," she admitted quietly. "I woke up and I knew—I knew something was wrong. Something inside of me knew there was something bad out there, and I—I went straight to it."
The doctor regarded her in silence, his face unreadable. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned towards Rose. He whispered, "There are some who crave battle, and there are some who crave peace. A dragon's instincts are always to be trusted, but in this particular case, I wouldn't say that's what led you there."
"What do you mean?"
Doctor Basileus raised a single finger to his lips. "Can you keep a secret, Miss Rose?"
Rose nodded without hesitation.
"The thing you fought was no ordinary summon. The headmaster would prefer not to think any student of his could stoop so low, but I'm not nearly as optimistic. What you fought against could only be summoned here by twisted magic, and it could only be given a physical form if it had a target: a person to hunt. The fact that you were drawn to it only confirms my suspicions that it was created by a certain ritual."
"A certain ritual?"
"Yellow Magic," he breathed out, "of the oldest kind. Long before the Warring Era, there was a dangerous ritual that could summon a powerful monster to hunt a single person. What made this ritual so dangerous was not the monster, but the fact that the hunted would go to the hunter, as if under a siren call. You were drawn to the creature, but it was not focused on you, which can only mean the ritual was not a success."
"How—how can they… how do I stop it?"
The doctor fell quiet at Rose's question, and he did not speak for several minutes. His face was as still as stone, and his eyes as dark as the night.
"You don't. You either defeat the monster, or you die."