ВойтиJulianna POV
Is that Scott? The Scott that Lyra told me about. I thought as my eyes were fixed on the boy standing in front of me. The chair was still floating in the air a testament to him great power and mischievous attitude.
"Tsk, stand up." He said as he extended his hands towards me. I just looked at his hands, then his face, unsure of if I should accept his offer, but something about his expression made me hesitate. Instead I stood up on my own ignoring his offer.
"Owwww." The class gasped in shock, they eyes fixed on me as I stood up, my face burning in embarrassment. Scott eyes widened, and he slowly withdrew his hands, his face mixed with surprise and annoyance.
"Thank you for the offer, after you embarrassed me. I appreciate it." I said trying to sound sarcastic, my voice shaking. and patted his shoulder trying to act nonchalant then walked to an empty seat in front. The class erupted in screams and laughter. I could feel there eyes on my but I ignored trying to focus on the lesson ahead.
"Hey woman!" He growled his voice menacing.
I turned to face him "Do you mean me?"l asked trying to sound calm. "Who told you to hold me?" He demanded angrily. I scratched my head in confusion. "Ohh you mean when I patted your shoulder.... you didn't say it was forbidden to touch you" I asked.
Just then Kaid intervened "Scott, sit down." Kaid said with authority, but Scott refused to budge, his eyes fixed on me. "Ughm... You are going to get sick if you keep this up" I said trying to reason with him but he just kept staring at me.
The class bursted into laughter again. Just then the teacher intervened "Okay class that enough" Scott closed his eyes, his fist clenched and then turned away returning to his sit.
"We're not done yet." He threatened flashing a wicked grin as he went to his sit, but I ignored him.
I still couldn't believe what just happened. I certainly hadn't expected to confront Scott like that. But there was something about his constant pranks and teasing that had gotten under my skin.
So I turned my attention to the teacher
"So Ms. Harris, what does Alpha mean ?" The teacher asked me.
"In studies of social animals, the highest ranking individual is sometimes designated as the alpha. Males, females, or both, can be alphas, depending on the species. Where one male and one female fulfill this role together, they are sometimes referred to as the alpha pair. Alphas may achieve their status by superior physical strength and aggression, or through social efforts and building alliances within the group. The individual with alpha status sometimes changes, often through a fight between the dominant and a subordinate animal. are often to death, depending on the animal. "I answered.
The classroom fell quiet I was wondering if I said something wrong,but the teacher applauded. "That's right I said. Are you sure you're just human...no powers? It was almost like you read my mind." The teacher said.
I blushed "I'm just human." I replied.
"Nerd" Scott said almost silently.
I laughed and playful rolled my eyes "Just showing off" I teased. Earning laughs form the twins. I sat on the floor again instead of my chair. I noticed my chair floating again, and I glared at Scott with annoyance.
"Are you really upset or you're just interested in me, just say so instead of playing pranks" I said. The room enveloped with a long silence. They were obviously surprised by what I did, I was surprised as well. The chair fell to the floor breaking the tension. The entire class bursted into laughter.
I tried to brush it off, "Ughm... Just a joke." I said and sat in my chair closeimg my eyes wondering what I have gotten myself into.
Caleb and Cameron teased "Scott, looks like you have met your match.....ouch sick burn"
Lyra POVThe moment Darius slammed into the far wall, the mountain seemed to flinch.Stone cracked. Dust rained from the ceiling. The blue mana whip dissolved from my grasp as my knees buckled, heat and cold tearing through my veins at once. The ring on my finger burned—not painfully, not yet—but with a warning pulse that made my vision blur at the edges.Scott stared at me like I’d just grown another head.“How did you do that?” he demanded, coughing as he spoke.I barely had the breath to roll my shoulder. “We went through basic spell forms and incantation structures in Spellcasting Theory. Did you ever pay attention?”He scoffed weakly. “Why would I learn something I’d never use? But—that’s not the issue.” His eyes narrowed. “You just used magic.”I lifted my hand before he could say anything else, letting the light catch the thin silver ring hugging my finger.“Master Veyron let me borrow it,” I said.Scott’s expression shifted instantly. “Wouldn’t those things kill you?”“Only if
Kael POVThe mountain shook again.Not the distant tremor of ritual wards shifting, not the low groan of stone settling into itself—but a violent, rupturing quake that rattled dust from the ceiling and sent a sharp spike of dread straight through my chest.Lyra and I were already running.Not the kind of running where you think about your footing or the burn in your lungs—this was the kind where instinct dragged you forward and fear shoved from behind.The corridors blurred as we descended, torchlight streaking across stone walls carved with centuries of vows and warnings. My breath came too fast, my thoughts faster still. Every instinct I had was screaming the same name.Darius.Another explosion thundered below us, and this one carried heat. The air thickened with scorched mana, sharp and acrid, like metal burned too long in a forge.We burst into the lower chamber just in time to see Scott thrown backwar
Scott POVThe stone wall was cold against my shoulder, but I barely felt it.What I felt—what I couldn’t stop feeling—was the burning. It crawled through my veins like molten glass, slow and deliberate, as if my body itself had turned against me. Every breath scraped. Every step felt borrowed.Benchedstone.That smug bastard hadn’t just poisoned me. He’d planned it.I dragged myself deeper into the mountain, boots scraping against the uneven floor. The lower chambers were quieter—too quiet. No chanting. No guards. Just the low hum of mana vibrating through the stone, like the mountain was holding its breath.Then I saw him.Darius stood at the center of the chamber, framed by ancient pillars cracked with age. Floating before him was a medallion—dark iron etched with symbols that made my eyes ache if I stared too long. Mana bled off it in slow, deliberate pulses, like a heartbeat that
Lyra POVThe mountain screamed before the people did.It wasn’t a sound most would recognize—stone doesn’t truly scream—but I felt it all the same. A pressure wave rolled through the halls, rattling torches from their brackets, snapping chains loose, sending dust spiraling from the ceiling like gray snow. The ground lurched beneath my feet, and for half a second, instinct overrode reason.Run.Then the shouts came. Monks flooding the corridors. Apprentices stumbling from their quarters. Fear tasted sharp in the air, metallic and raw, clinging to the back of my throat.Another tremor followed, stronger this time. Somewhere deep below, something had struck stone with intent.I turned without thinking and moved against the tide.Scott.If this was one of his pranks—if he had somehow decided this was amusing—I would—I pushed open the door to his chamber hard enough that it cracked against the wall.“Scott,” I said, already knowing.The room was empty.The bed untouched. No sarcastic rema
Scott POVThe room they gave me was quiet in the way mountains are quiet—too quiet, like the silence was holding its breath.Stone walls, carved smooth by time and magic, reflected the faint glow of lantern light. A simple bed. A low table. A window carved directly into the rock, opening to a vast night sky stitched with stars. Any other night, I might’ve appreciated it.Instead, my stomach twisted.At first, I thought it was nerves. Or hunger. Or the lingering weight of the ceremony—Finn’s face, frozen in charcoal and memory, candles trembling in the cold mountain air. Master Veyron voice breaking when he spoke. Darius standing like a statue carved from grief and rage.I pressed a hand to my abdomen and exhaled slowly.“Get it together,” I muttered.I sat on the bed, then lay back, staring at the ceiling. Stone veins ran through it like cracks in old bones. I closed my eyes, intending only to rest for a moment.That was when the mountain screamed.The explosion wasn’t loud at first—i
Master Veyron POVI have lived long enough to recognize the shape of disaster before it arrives.It does not always come with thunder or screams. Sometimes it announces itself in silence—quiet footsteps behind a door that should not open, a presence I know as well as my own breath.The truth the students learned tonight was only half of what we guard.We are not merely Ringwardens of Maereth Noctyra’s creations. Over centuries, evil learned to imitate brilliance. Artifacts multiplied. Relics whispered. Power learned to hunger. And beneath this mountain—beneath wards layered so deep even I hesitate to descend—rests what should never be touched.Someone wants it.I felt it the moment the mountain’s pulse shifted, like a heart skipping a beat.







