The academy bell shattered the silence of the night.
It wasn't the soft bell for meals.
It was the emergency bell.
The one that meant danger.
Cassandra jolted upright in bed, heart pounding violently against her ribs. For a split second, she thought she was dreaming—but the hallway outside erupted in chaos.
Doors slammed open.
Students rushed out in their nightclothes.
Panicked voices echoed through the corridor.
Cassandra stepped outside with them, irritation clouding her face. Bianca and Lilith hurried toward her when they saw her, both pale.
"Cassandra, you heard the bell too?" Bianca asked breathlessly in which Cassandra gave her an unimpressed look.
If she didn't hear it, would she be standing here?
Without answering, Cassandra walked toward the staircase. The entire dormitory had emptied into the courtyard.
Guards were running everywhere.
Weapons drawn.
Boots pounding against stone.
And at the center of it all stood her eldest brother—Raphael Questries—and Lord Commander Thomas, locked in a serious discussion. Their expressions grim.
Beside them stood Naomi, Alessandra's maid, trembling slightly. A guard stood near her, speaking rapidly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"What are those two talking about?" Lilith muttered.
"Why was the emergency bell ring?" Bianca asked.
Cassandra narrowed her eyes.
She already knew.
This must have something to do with Alessandra. That girl had been acting strange for weeks now. Reckless. Unpredictable. Bold in ways she never used to be.
The Alessandra she knew was timid, Obsessive, easy to manipulate.
But this one?
This Alessandra moves like someone who had nothing to lose.
Sometimes…
Sometimes she felt like This Alessandra wasn't her sister at all.
"What's going on here?" The academy Dean firm voice cut through the chaos as he approached with Miss Olivia, Miss Nancy, Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Collins.
"The emergency bell was triggered," Lord Commander Thomas replied sharply.
"Triggered by what?" The Dean asked.
Silence.
That was the problem.
No one knew.
"Everyone back inside!" Lord Commander Thomas barked suddenly.
Murmurs rose.
Just then— two figures burst from behind the Grove.
Running.
Breathing hard.
Disheveled.
Yvonne and Eric.
The courtyard fell silent.
Cassandra stomach twisted.
Their state told the story before anyone spoke.
Hair messy. Clothes disheveled. Wet and dirt staining their uniforms.
Trancy and Gabriella raised a eyebrow.
Amanda eyes brimmed with excitement.
Kael and Lucen mouth both hung open in surprise.
Cassandra hands clenched into fists.
"Those two…?" Miss Olivia and Miss Nancy said at the same time.
"Alessandra..." Raphael's voice cracked slightly in disbelief.
"You both—to the Correction Hall. NOW!" Lord Commander Thomas thundered.
Yvonne blinked in confusion. "What? We—"
"No excuses!"
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"So it's true…"
"They were together all night."
"Looking at them standing together...they kinda look perfect together."
"Yeah..."
Perfect together? What a total bullshit! Cassandra frowned, feeling something hot and ugly coil in her chest.
Alessandra! How dare you...!
"Lord Thomas," Eric said firmly, voice steady despite the tension. "We are being chased by two ghouls."
Everywhere went silent for a moment.
"Ghouls?" Raphael repeated, confused.
Lord Thomas rubbed his temple. "Enough. Inside. Now."
This makes Yvonne snapped. "Well, if you'd take a damn second and look behind you, you'd see we're not lying!"
Everyone turned at the direction and froze, their breath stopped.
Behind them was two creatures who stepped out from the treeline.
Not animals.
Not human.
Monsters.
Their bodies were twisted, elongated.
Golden eyes glowed with predatory intelligence. Their claws scraped against stone, sparks flying.
The air shifted.
Heavier.
Darker.
"What… on earth...is that?" Samantha whispered.
The first ghoul growled as the second one suddenly appeared on the opposite side.
They were surrounded.
"Everyone inside!" Lord Thomas roared. "Guards—formation!"
Immediately, swords were drawn.
Ember flared to life.
"It's evolved," Eric warned coldly.
The guards stiffened.
"Evolved?!" someone breathed.
That word alone carried terror.
And then—
The ghouls attacked.
They moved impossibly fast.
One leapt forward, tearing through two guards before anyone reacted. Blood sprayed across the courtyard. Screams filled the air.
Another ghoul smashed through the defensive line.
"Fall back!" Raphael shouted, summoning his healing Ember, healing the wounded guards.
Chaos erupted. Amidst it, one ghoul broke through. Lunging toward the dorm entrance.
Seeing this everyone scrambled inside.
"Oh goddess of Valeria. I did not have energy for this." Amanda cried as she scrambled into the dormitory.
Behind her, Naomi slipped. Falling back into the ghoul hand as its massive claw wrapped around her body.
A high, desperate, terrified scream thore through her.
No. No. No. She can't die. She absolute cannot die yet. She haven't experienced love yet. She haven't even had her first kiss!
Hot tears immediately fell across Naomi's face. She can't end her life like this!
While Naomi was having the worst moment of her life, the ghoul has already lifted her toward its dripping mouth.
"NAOMI!" Both Raphael and Yvonne shouted at the same time as everything slowed.
The ghoul opened its jaws.
And then—
A blade of pure ice tore through the air.
Clean.
Precise.
The ghoul's arm separated from its body.
Naomi dropped.
And Yvonne caught her.
Everyone froze.
What just happened?!
The ghoul however shrieked in rage. Its severed limb already beginning to regenerate.
Eric lunged forward, blade clashing against claws as sparks exploded between them.
"Get her inside!" he barked.
Yvonne hesitated, but only for a split second before grabbing Naomi's wrist.
"Move!" she snapped.
They both ran toward the dorm entrance.
But the ghoul lunged again, faster, claws tearing into the stone where Yvonne and Naomi had just been. The ground exploded beneath their feet as Yvonne shoved Naomi forward.
"Go!"
Naomi stumbled through the doors just as the ghoul swiped again.
Eric tried to intercept it—But the creature backhanded him with terrifying force.
He crashed into a pillar, stone cracking behind him.
"ERIC!" Yvonne shouted, stopping in her tracks. Eyes wide in terror.
But that hesitation gave the ghoul a chance to wrap his massive hand around Yvonne body and lifts her into the air.
The more Yvonne struggled, the more its grip tightened around her.
At that moment, the ghoul suddenly threw her straight into its open mouth.
"ALESSANDRA!" Raphael screamed.
"ALESSANDRA!" Eric roared.
Their voices rang out at the same time while everyone else froze in terror.
But before the ghoul could bite down, Yvonne activated her Ember power, her body dissolving into water.
The liquid slipped through the creature's teeth and splashed onto the ground.
The ghoul staggered backward in confusion as the water surged and reformed.
Yvonne stood there again in pure anger.
That damn ugly creature of ghoul! Want to eat me? In your dreams! Because of it she wasn't able to escape?! She wasn't able to meet her sisters!!!
Thinking this, Yvonne lost all reasoning. Her eyes turned cold, sharp, focused and deadly.
Twin ice swords formed in her hands and moved. Her instincts taking over. Her movements fueled by anger became faster.
Dashing forward, Yvonne spread her ice on the, sliding across the frozen ground and slashed through the ghoul regenerating limbs before they could fully form.
Enraged, the ghoul spat fire angrily at Yvonne who waved one blade and flames were extinguished instantly, at the same time manipulating the ice towards the ghoul and frost quickly spread across its chest.
Then she leapt, spun mid-air and brought both swords down.
The ghoul blocked the attack with its claws but was too slow.
Its arms were severed again.
Before they could regrow—
Yvonne twisted in the air again and sliced clean through its neck.
The head hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The body collapsed.
Silence fell.
The second ghoul fell moments later under combined attacks from the guards and Mr Collins.
But no one was paying attention to them.
Everyone—
Every single person—
Was staring at Yvonne.
Who stood in the center of the courtyard.
Breathing hard.
Ice slowly melting around her feet.
Water dripping from her sleeves.
Ember radiating from her in waves.
Then slowly, her body swayed.
The ice swords shattered into mist.
And she collapsed into Eric arms who had somehow reached her before she hit the ground.
He caught her carefully, pulling her into his arms.
"Alessandra…" he whispered.