The light is so bright and sharp, capable of piercing through the strongest element.Damon is swift enough to quickly push me away before bending down backward slowly and evading the attack of the light that flashed in between us.We watch as it strikes a building a few meters away from us and cracks a segment of it, allowing a huge amount of debris to fall to the Earth."Oh crap," I think to myself as I turn my head to glance at the cloaked fellow, who is now walking toward us with a very sharp, determined intensity, and from what I can figure out right now, I don't know why I'm feeling as though this particular fellow is coming after no one else except me.His entire focus and attention are totally on me, and I can feel it."We need to get out of here, Serena," Damon says and quickly takes hold of my hand, about to lead me to another section when a similarly bright greenish light manifests a few meters away and then vanishes t
I don't know why, but it only feels as though his words are like honey and milk and butter all mixed together, brushing against the strings of my heart and making me feel so warm and so soft deep down within.It feels so overwhelming and so surprisingly peaceful as I grip tightly against him as though he is my life support."We really do not want to beat about the bush right now, and we want things to be so easy," I suddenly hear a very deep, manly voice coming from one of the cloaked figures, and it makes it so obvious that this person is really indeed a wizard because his voice isn't coming out with the normal, natural sound that everyone knows. It is coming out as though he is speaking through a microphone, something like an echo."Give us the girl, and we are going to be on our way," he continues, and I feel Damon tremble all the while he is still holding me tightly against himself.My heartbeat accelerates the moment the fellow says that
My heart skips a beat the moment he says that, and I quickly look up at him, pulling down his head to look at me. "Are you fucking stupid? That is a very wrong move to make right now. You should have observed and realized how dangerous these people are. Why the hell would you be suggesting a fight? Do you want to get yourself killed?" I find myself blurting out at him, but he smiles down at me. "Calm down, Serena, okay? I know what I'm doing, and I promise you that nothing is going to happen to either of us. This is really, really crazy, though, and I don't really know why I feel like I should really hold on to you and protect you with all my life, but considering how our lives have been previously, a few months ago, my first option in this kind of scenario would have been for me to just hand you over to them so they can get rid of you instantly, but right now, I really just can't explain or understand what the hell you
At this point in time, I suddenly lose control of myself, and I feel a very strong, dark, vibrating force that takes perfect control all over my body.The next thing I see at first is complete, total darkness, and then within a few minutes, I finally begin to observe my surroundings, but everything is not the usual normal color of the human eye which I can perceive.All I can make out is complete, thick red all over me, and I can behold the organs of all the witches and wizards standing in front of me."Oh great, something is about to get freakish right now."Damon's POVThe fear that is rocking through my senses is severe as I grip tightly against the jaw of the angry-looking dog in front of me. I twist its neck, rendering it completely lifeless before tossing it aside.Then I turn my head to behold Serena far away, being surrounded by the cloaked figures, stretching their hands toward her as if about to cast a spell o
Serena's POVI remain against the ground, crawling backward as the wizard begins to move closer towards me, extending his hand and resuming the dangerous sorcery he was about to perform against me.But he is unable to complete that when we hear a very loud growl coming from behind him.Both of us turn our heads to behold a bizarre-looking wolf that jumps against him, gripping tightly against his neck and swinging him toward another direction.Good goddess, that is Damon's full wolf self, and it takes me completely off guard to behold how huge and gigantic and extremely terrifying he looks right now.I continue to step backward, observing the battle between Damon and the wizard when another presence catches my attention.I quickly look up to behold the other witches and wizards whom we had neglected all this while, slowly moving towards me with an urgency."Let's take this chance. We can't perform the ritual he
Fear takes over my entire spirit, so intense that I turn my head to look at him. Damon looks excessively determined not to let me go, staring at the demonic-looking wizard standing before them. He seems to shine brightly all over his figure.Damon holds me tightly, and I continue to look at him with shock and admiration at how willing he is to protect me, even in the face of this dreadful experience."I am so sorry, but it is going to take more than a silly threat to get what you want," he replies, and I watch as the fellow chuckles, his head shaking before his eyelids close intensely. He opens them again."I really do not want things to go the hard way, Damon," he says. "Like I said, I respect your dynasty, and I do not want you to do anything that will come between the business of the House of Van Allen. So please, just respect yourself and step out of our business.""Okay, fine. I'm going to step out of your business if you can just tell me one thing," Damon says as the wizard gla
Damon shakes his head with determination and extends his hands, pulling me back a step, slowly backing away as the wizard glares, a strange, particularly green light flashing endlessly in his irises."We are offering you a last chance, Damon," the wizard speaks, and Damon shakes his head, chuckling as he throws his head back, laughing slightly."This is the third time you have said you are offering me a last chance. How many last chances do you feel you need to keep offering me in order to make it known to you that there is nothing that will make me let her go, and I am not leaving her in your wicked hands for you to deal with anyhow you wish.""This is not your affair to meddle with, Damon. This is totally beyond you, and you have no idea what you are doing. You don't know what she is, you don't know what she is capable of. She needs to be taken under our wing so that we can handle her to the best of our ability.""Okay, then why don't you be a wise wizard and tell me why the hell sh
The entire atmosphere is darkened by an extremely powerful range of energy that seems to be tearing through every single veil so present in the entire scenario. Tension in the air makes Serena's body begin to tremble, and she feels the extreme energy moving through her veins while she tries to create a balance within herself so she doesn't lose control. She clenches her fists tight, feeling her heart palpitating extremely fast without control in her chest as the witches and wizards draw closer and closer. The strange dark energy hovering all over their bodies makes the entire situation much more difficult for her to comprehend as her lips tremble and her hands begin to shake without control. Damon turns quickly and looks at her with worry in his expression. He moves closer to her and takes hold of her hand, gripping tightly against her palm as he gazes ahead of him, keeping his own attention on the dangerous individuals coming closer towards them. "Calm down, Serena, okay? Just r
SERENA'S POVThe whispers have stopped abruptly, leaving behind a vacuum of sound that feels more threatening than the voices themselves.But the air still trembles with unease, the silence pressing against my skin like invisible fingers searching for weakness. I can feel the weight of it—the kind of oppressive stillness that sinks into your bones and settles there, making you feel like you're the only thing left alive in a world that's suddenly forgotten how to breathe. The quiet has substance, a presence that fills my lungs with each desperate inhale.The hallway stretches before me, unnaturally... still. No footsteps echoing against marble. No distant chatter of students. No subtle humming of electricity through the walls. Just an eerie stillness, like time itself has forgotten to move forward, caught between one moment and the next in perpetual suspension.I blink rapidly, my pulse quickening to a frantic rhythm as I spin around in place, eyes darting to every corner, every shadow
SERENA'S POVCassie and Luna are staring at me with an unsettling intensity, their expressions frozen somewhere between concern and alarm. It's as though they've just witnessed something shift in my face—something subtle yet profoundly disturbing that I can't see myself."What did you hear?" Luna asks carefully, her amber eyes scanning the space around me methodically, as if she might spot something invisible lurking in the air between us. Her fingers twitch at her sides, ready to summon her power if needed.Cassie leans closer, the scent of her jasmine perfume momentarily overwhelming my senses. "Serena. Talk to us," she urges, her voice low but firm, deliberately calm in a way that makes my skin prickle. "Your eyes just... glazed over for a second."I shake my head, forcing my lips into what I hope resembles a reassuring smile. The muscles in my face feel stiff, uncooperative. "It's nothing. I think... I'm just tired. Stressed. You know how it is with finals and everything." The lie
SERENA'S POV The air feels too still, unnaturally suspended in time and space.The library—usually quiet, yes, but never like this—has taken on a heavy, oppressive silence. A silence that presses against my eardrums and weighs on my shoulders like an invisible burden. My pulse is slowing to an ominous crawl, my breath shaky and uneven, and I finally notice the subtle environmental changes that my anger has triggered: the way the floorboards creaked earlier under invisible pressure, the faint hum of old wiring now fallen silent, the way dust motes have stopped swirling in the golden streams of late afternoon light that slice through the tall windows. It's not just quiet in here.It's frozen. Suspended in amber. Time itself seems to hesitate.Because of me. Because of what I am. What I've become.Cassidy leans in close, her warm breath tickling my ear, her voice a hushed whisper brushing just beneath the oppressive silence. "Serena," she murmurs, her eyes darting nervously to the human
SERENA'S POVThe guard positioned in front of me might as well be carved out of granite—stone-faced, unflinching, and somehow immune to every ounce of white-hot fury I throw at him. His massive frame blocks my way completely, arms crossed over his chest like living barriers."Move," I say through clenched teeth, my voice dangerously low, vibrating with barely contained rage. The corridor's fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across his impassive face.He doesn't blink. Doesn't even acknowledge that I've spoken. His eyes—dark and cold as a winter midnight—stare straight ahead, looking through me as if I'm nothing but air."I said, move." Each word drops like a stone between us, heavy with threat and desperation. My hands curl into tight fists at my sides, nails digging crescents into my palms.Still nothing. Not a muscle twitches in his face. The library is too quiet, unnaturally so, as if the world is holding its breath. The air feels too still, too thick with tension. It feels lik
SERENA'S POVI count seconds. Minutes. Hours, maybe. The ticking clock on the wall becomes my only focus as I've stopped listening to the lecture entirely. My fingers tap relentlessly against the polished wooden desk—an impatient, staccato rhythm that's driving Cassidy crazy beside me, though she's too polite to say much beyond the occasional sigh and pointed glance. My eyes flick nervously from the analog clock to the window, where I spot one of the black-suited shadows stationed across the sun-drenched courtyard. Another bodyguard, stiff as a statue, lurks near the gym entrance, his eyes constantly scanning the perimeter. Yet another one positions himself strategically behind the library, almost blending into the shadows of the building. All of them here for me—watchful, vigilant, suffocating.I grit my teeth until my jaw aches. The realization sits heavy in my chest: I'm a prisoner in my own school, surrounded by walls both visible and invisible."Serena," Cassidy whispers, her war
SERENA'S POVI'm surrounded.Not by enemies, not by anything dangerous—well, not in the usual sense of supernatural threats that have become my unwelcome norm. Instead, I'm surrounded by four armed boarding guards stationed strategically throughout the school hallway as if I'm a high-profile political target under imminent threat of assassination. Their vigilant eyes scan everyone who walks by with clinical precision, their postures rigid as steel beams, their expressions ice-cold and perpetually alert, betraying nothing but absolute focus on their singular mission: keeping me "safe."And I am absolutely fuming.I clutch my notebooks to my chest with white-knuckled fingers, trying desperately to breathe past the tightness constricting my throat like an invisible hand. The weight of so many watchful gazes—both the guards' and the curious students'—presses down on me, making the hallway feel smaller with each passing second. I look at the guards again, scattered along the corridor like
The forest is unnaturally still, as if the very air has frozen in anticipation of some unspeakable event.Thick, serpentine mist coils around the gnarled roots of ancient trees as Isabella moves deeper into the woods at the far end of the city, her long dark gown trailing like spilled ink over the carpet of dead leaves. The fabric whispers against the forest floor, a sound too delicate for the malevolence that radiates from her slender form. Shadows crowd her from every angle, pressing against her skin like curious spectators, but she doesn't flinch. Not tonight. The searing pain in her chest is too consuming, drowning out all lesser fears.She grits her teeth, jaw muscles flexing visibly beneath her pale skin, each step sharp with fury and frustration that pulses from her like a beacon. The forest itself seems to shy away from her presence, branches curling back as she passes.Her mind, restless and raw, replays the moment again and again in vivid, excruciating detail—Serena suspende
SERENA'S POVI'm falling.There's no wind, no gravity—just this endless, sickening drop into a black pit that stretches forever beneath me. My arms flail wildly, desperate fingers grasping at empty air, seeking something, anything to halt my descent. But there's nothing. Just darkness so complete it seems to devour even the concept of light.I scream.No sound comes out. My vocal cords strain against the silence, but the void swallows every vibration before it can form into something real.I twist my body, neck craning painfully as I search frantically for a ledge, a crack, a single handhold in this endless darkness. Still nothing. Just me and the hungry void, its maw opened wide to consume me whole. Panic squeezes my lungs with iron bands, my chest burning with a helplessness so profound it feels like drowning on dry land. Then—A light.Far off, warm and pulsing like a heartbeat. Golden threads of hope in an ocean of despair. I reach for it with everything I have, muscles straining
The dust has barely settled, hanging suspended in beams of fractured light that pierce through the collapsed sections of ceiling.The building is a shell of what it was—walls cracked and splintered like brittle bones, furniture reduced to unrecognizable ruins, and the air heavy with the acrid sting of scorched magic that burns the nostrils with every breath. Ancient power lingers, a toxic residue clinging to every surface. But Frederick's eyes aren't on the wreckage surrounding them. They're locked on Serena—his daughter, his blood—with an intensity that could burn through steel.She lies still, her body cradled in Luna's arms like something precious and broken beyond repair. Her skin is ghostly pale against the dark fabric of Luna's clothes, her chest rising and falling in uneven rhythms. Luna kneels beside them, her slender hands hovering just above Serena's face, fingertips trembling with concentration. Her lips move in silent incantations—ancient words passed down through generati