บททั้งหมดของ Black Ridge Academy : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

The walk to the boys' dormitory was a nightmare of shadows, freezing wind, and the sound of dry leaves crunching under Adrian’s boots. He moved with a terrifying speed, carrying me through the darkness as easily as if I were a blanket. Lisa hurried right behind us, her eyes darting toward the distant lights of the Grand Ballroom. Every few seconds, the muffled sound of music and laughter would drift across the lawn, a cruel reminder that the elite families were currently dancing while I bled in the dark."We’re clear," Lisa whispered, her breath fogging in the cold night air as we reached the back entrance of the elite boys' residence hall. Unlike the crowded freshman dorms, this building was grand, made of old stone, and protected by heavy iron gates.Adrian didn't use a keycard or a spell code. He simply pressed his bare palm against the heavy oak door. A bright flash of blue, icy light rippled across the wood, and the heavy magical locks clicked open on their own. He stepped inside

The Grand Arena remained dead silent for what felt like an eternity. The giant spikes of solid ice Adrian had created still ringed the stage, glowing with a sharp, beautiful blue light. The freezing fog he had conjured rolled off the platform, spilling over the feet of the students in the front rows."Step down, Miss Williams," Headmaster Alistair finally said. His voice was loud, but I could hear a strange tremor in it.My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk. I kept my head down, forcing myself to step through the frozen archway of spikes. The cold air bit at my skin, but the heat in my chest was roaring hotter than ever, completely confused by the icy display that everyone thought belonged to me.As I walked back up the stone steps toward my seat, the silence broke into a tidal wave of frantic whispers."Did you see that?""She isn't a mortal at all. She’s a high-level elemental.""She must be from a hidden bloodline. Look how thick that ice is!"Every single eye followed

The heavy mahogany door of the Headmaster’s office looked exactly the same as it had two nights ago. There were no scratch marks from the smoke monsters, and the air no longer smelled like ozone. The school had cleaned up the mess perfectly, hiding the truth from the rest of the student body.The Council guard pushed the door open, his hand still resting on his sword. "Zara Linwood has arrived, Headmaster," he announced loudly."Thank you. Leave us," Alistair’s booming voice replied from inside.I stepped over the threshold, my boots sinking into the thick velvet rug. The door clicked shut behind me, isolating me from the hallway. The temperature in the room was warm, but it felt suffocating.Headmaster Alistair was sitting behind his massive oak desk. Standing in the shadows near the large windows were two older men wearing the long, golden robes of the High Council. They didn't look like teachers; they looked like executioners. Their sharp eyes locked onto me the second I walked in,

The darkness of the library basement was absolute. Without Lisa’s glowing stone, I couldn't even see my own hands. But I could hear perfectly. The terrifying clicking sound echoed off the stone walls, getting faster and louder.Tap. Tap. Tap."Don't move," Adrian’s voice hissed through the dark.Suddenly, a brilliant flash of blue light exploded to my left. Adrian had ignited his hands with solid frost, casting an eerie, bright blue glow across the dusty basement. The light revealed the horror waiting for us. Three shadow-leaches were clinging to the stone ceiling right above our heads, their smoky bodies twisting like angry storms, their gray wooden claws scraping against the plaster."They didn't bypass the library wards," Lisa gasped, her hands lighting up with her purple defensive magic. "They were already down here! The Council is keeping them here!"One of the monsters let out a horrific, high-pitched screech and dropped from the ceiling, lunging straight for Lisa. With a fierce

The four Council guards didn't hesitate. They lunged forward from the iron catwalk, their hands ablaze with destructive crimson fire and crackling lightning. The narrow stone cavern erupted into a chaotic battlefield."Get behind the glass cylinders!" Adrian yelled, his voice slicing through the roar of the oncoming magic.Before the first blast of crimson fire could hit me, Adrian slammed both palms into the ground. A massive, towering wall of solid ice erupted from the stone floor, catching the blast head-on. The impact shook the cavern, filling the air with a blinding cloud of thick steam and shattering ice shards.Vanessa laughed from the catwalk, her hands crackling with bright purple electricity. "You can't protect her forever, Adrian! The wards down here feed off the leaches—your ice is weak in this room!"She thrust her hands forward, sending a massive bolt of lightning tearing through the steam. The bolt struck the center of Adrian’s ice wall, blowing a massive hole right thr