As murmurs of disgracing Raena spread through the crowd, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a low, menacing growl echoed through the hall. The doors at the far end burst open, and a monstrous creature lumbered into the room, its hulking form casting a terrifying shadow!
"Graah!" The monster growled! It was a giant at its best. Carrying what seems to be an iron club with spikes all around the surface, it snarled its face into the crowd.
Chaos erupted. Some students screamed and scrambled to get away, their fear palpable. But amidst the panic, a few stood their ground.
Raena, for example, may have also stood from where she is standing. But it was not as much courage as the others who darted their glares towards the monster, their eyebrows all met up and were ready to face the blow anytime soon.
The princess stood there because she was frozen. She was frozen to the ground! Trembling was the whole world in Raena's eyes, all widened up, as if not knowing what to do.
"Raena!" Vladimir tried to snap his shadow mate out of her panic with his manly and courageous voice, and gladly, it worked. "Are you okay? Stay close behind me, alright?"
"Yeah..." The princess nodded a little, shaking it off before she could finally say, "I mean, yes. I will!"
"Brother!" A voice from the other side echoed throughout the room. All heads now turned in its direction. Raena was shocked to find the face of the red-haired guy who lurked behind Lucius' shadows, finally speaking up on his own. "It is finally our time to shine!"
With mouths widely grinned, the Emberfall's candidates, the outgoing Pyrus twins, leaped into action! They jumped out of thin air and landed in the middle of the room, facing the monster with sparkling smirks.
"Everyone? Stay calm!" Jaime Pyrus shouted, his fiery red hair glowing like an ember.
With cool stances, the twins' palms flamed up to bright red as fire started coming out of their hands! There so begins their campaign to greatness. Finishing their preparation, they uttered the words. "Don't worry, we've got this."
Flames danced in Jaun's palms as he formed fireballs while staying in his current position, hurling them at the beast with precise aim.
Jaime Pyrus, his other twin, charged forward, his fists enveloped in searing flames. With a battle cry, he struck the monster with a blazing punch! While Jaime was attacking in melee, Jaun was attacking in range, making sure to hit the beast's spots so that Jaun had better chances of evading the monster's huge club attacks.
"Way to go, Pyrus twins!"
"Yeah, finish it!"
Just as the fiery twins were starting the hype, the beast once again growled another round. This time, as if regenerated!
However, with its thick, scaly hide, the creature absorbed the heat and deflected the blows. It roared, its eyes gleaming with malevolent intelligence. The twins' attacks, though powerful, seemed to have little effect.
The monster's skin shimmered, revealing a layer of reflective scales that deflected the fireballs and absorbed the heat from Jaime's punches, rendering their attacks ineffective.
"Don't give up, brother!" Jaun insisted, to which his melee twin Jaime nodded and agreed.
"Sure, let's show them who we are!"
Undeterred, the Pyrus twins pressed on, their fiery magic intensifying. Jaun conjured a wall of flames, attempting to trap the beast, while Jaun leaped high into the air, aiming a powerful downward punch.
The headmaster could not help but nod in agreement, ensuring that the prowess of House Pyrus, hailing from the volcanic pits of Emberfall, is not something to be taken lightly.
But the monster, with a swiftness that belied its size, dodged the flames and swatted Jaime out of the air with a massive claw.
BLAG!
"Jaime!"
The melee Pyrus crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop, bruised but not defeated.
"Stay back, everyone!"
Raena gasped at the voice of Vladimir shouting, his voice cutting through the chaos just like how he saved her before! It was not just Raena who was shocked by the knight's adamance, but everyone.
Yet, Raena gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement. "You can do this, Vlad!"
She, of all people, knows how capable her shadow mate is. She understands the sheer difference between them. They might have been bullied for being dwellers of the shadows trying to find a place in the higher seats of the Kingdom itself, but it was only Raena who was shunned by her family's reputation.
The Darkbanes, no matter how they were used and manipulated aggressively during the war, were still esteemed warriors themselves.
"Hah!" Lucius chuckled from a distance. "Show us what you've got, peasant knight!"
Vlad didn't like what he just heard. His knuckles clasped more as the grit of his teeth got harder, but he tried as much as possible to compose himself.
There, he stepped forward, his dark eyes narrowed with determination, and a long, shadowy sword materialized in his hands. "I'm coming."
He slashed at the monster with swift, precise movements, his blade cutting through its tough hide and drawing black, viscous blood. The creature howled in pain, its attention now focused on Vladimir. Slashes coming from the void were seen across the beast's body, and other students, despite their dislike of the Shadowman, could not help but cheer on him!
However, it did not last long before the cheers were jinxed.
The monster retaliated with a powerful swipe of its massive claw, sending Vladimir flying across the room. He crashed into a table, shattering it into splinters!
Before the beast could advance, Ivana Zephyr sprang into action, her air magic swirling around her like a protective barrier. She summoned a strong wind current, creating a shield that enveloped Vladimir and cushioned his fall.
"You good, you trash?" she asked, her voice steady despite the chaos.
Vlad sneered at the woman with golden locks. She could only give him a playful smirk, but the dark knight knew much courtesy to thank her despite her rudeness.
The young Darkbane nodded, wincing as he stood. "I'll live. Thanks."
But the respite was short-lived. Enraged and undeterred, the monster let out a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the hall.
As if the whole world just stopped the moment the monster's gazes met the unluckiest person in the entire room. Its eyes locked onto Raena Ravenscroft, who stood frozen in fear!
"Raena!" Vladimir could only shout from the distance as he landed on the other side of the room.
It was too late. The creature charged towards her with its heavy feet, its maw open wide, ready to strike.
'Me..? Of all people?' Raena could not help but gasp and be on her stance despite the nervousness that racked inside her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had never felt so terrified, yet something deep within her stirred.
She has no time left, the monster could strike any minute as well. Yet somehow, her hands moved almost of their own accord, and she raised her fingers towards the beast. Dark energy crackled around her fingertips, growing in intensity. A surge of raw power coursed through her veins, and she unleashed it in a burst of dark magic. The energy struck the monster's weapon, halting its advance momentarily.
Raena's eyes widened. She did not understand what happened but could barely piece the pictures right. The whole room gasped as it only happened so fast before the next grandiose thing stole the witch's spotlight!
Just as she felt a glimmer of hope, a blinding light filled the room.
Lucius Solarion, radiant and composed, stepped forward, his hands glowing with celestial light. With a single gesture, he unleashed a beam of pure energy that enveloped the monster. The creature writhed and roared as it was lifted off the ground, its form distorting and fading until it was sucked into the light, vanishing entirely.
The hall fell silent, and the only sound was the heavy breathing of the students and the faint crackle of residual magic.
Lucius turned to Raena, his expression one of disdain.
"Pathetic," he sneered. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead. Do us all a favor and stay out of the way."
His voice echoed throughout the hall. The silence that engulfed the four corners of the room was a testament to the students somewhat agreeing with what the tyrant prince had said, and she had never felt so lonely in her life as to that moment.
From this moment on, Raena, no matter how good Vlad could be to her, should know how to stand up for herself, as the knight could not be with her at all times.
Raena's cheeks burned with humiliation and fury. She bit her lips again as she fought back tears, her fists clenched at her sides.
The crowd began to disperse, whispers and murmurs filling the air.
In the aftermath of the attack, the students gathered in smaller groups, tending to the wounded and discussing the unexpected events. The Pyrus twins nursed their bruised egos, Vladimir and Ivana strategized quietly, and Raena retreated to a quiet corner, her mind racing with the implications of what had just transpired.
She had felt it.
"What just happened?" She whispered to herself, trying to hold back her woeful feelings as she somewhat remembered her short encounter with the monster's attack.
Raena knows her limits and capabilities. She trained for so many years with her governess to ensure she could settle herself greatly when the time came for Thornwood to open its gates for her.
But this time... the dark magic within her was powerful and untamed. It had surfaced when she needed it most, and despite Lucius' harsh words, she couldn't deny the thrill of that power. But it was also dangerous and unpredictable.
She gulped. "I need to learn how to control that..."
"Control what?" Vladimir's voice had once again crept up on her back, to which the princess replied with shaking her head.
"It was nothing..." Raena answered. She stepped toward the dark knight, her fingers reaching the bruises Vlad garnered from the fight. "Does it hurt?"
Vladimir may have tried to oppress it, but he knew damn well that his heart skipped a bit. "It's okay."
Raena smiled, even though she knew it must have hurt the knight. At the end of the day, she must try to learn what had just happened with her powers earlier.
She knows just as much that would need to learn to control it if she was to survive at Thornwood Academy and rise through its ranks, trying not to tell anybody yet... even Vlad himself.
Headmaster Zelbus, however, had not missed Raena's brief but significant display of power. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he watched her retreat.