(Sara Leodra's POV)
Her lungs burned. Every step felt like dragging a stone across glass. The cloak the priest had given her clung heavily to her shoulders, doing little to hide the frailty of her body.
She pressed a hand to the wall to steady herself. Run. Just run.
The stronghold shook again. Dust showered from the ceilings, and torchlight flickered. Through a crack in the gate, she glimpsed the colossus bound in chains, its body glowing with molten fissures, its roar drowning out the bells of alarm. For a breath, she faltered. How could anything escape such a night?
But then she heard it. The voice of a boy. And as she looked at him,
"Nolan," she whispered, tears blurring her eyes.
The memory of her son's face kept her moving. She no longer had her Thread of Key, Layer 7; the church had stolen it, severed her soul's anchor, but her will carried her forward. She could not, would not, let them bind her again.
Ahead, in the smoke and fire, she caught sight of him. A boy running toward her, sword at his side, his black hair matted with sweat, his eyes moist.
Her son.
For the first time in years, warmth cut through her fear.
And then a shadow fell across her path.
From the smoke slithered a Layer 3 Beast, A serpent, its mane of fire scorching the ground where it walked. Its eyes locked onto her fragile frame, threads around it pulsing with hunger and flame.
Her heart froze. She had no strength to fight.
But Nolan was running. She could hear his voice breaking through the roar of chains."Mother! I'm here, don't stop!"
***
The courtyard burned red with dusk. Bells still screamed across the stronghold, but to Nolan, the world had narrowed to one sight, his mother stumbling before the fire-maned serpent.
The Serpent uncoiled, its scales glinting with embers, its jaws dripping molten spittle. The air warped around it, heavy with heat.
"Layer… three," Phoebe whispered, her voice dry with fear.
The serpent immediately whipped its tail toward Nolan's Mother.
Nolan, running towards his mother, immediately activated his shield body and got between his mother and the tail.
As soon as the tail hit Nolan, his shield cracked, and it sent him flying into the nearby wall.
The impact was so dangerous that he puked up blood.
Vivi, seeing this, immediately rushed towards him. Lily walked Sara towards Vivi to heal any Injuries, While The Three of Us stood against The Giant Serpentine.
By now everyone of them had taken out their weapons. I had a longsword in hand, Phoebe had hers, and Lex had his gauntlet on.
Lex took charge as he was more resistant to fire.
Serpent moved Immediately trying to slither its tail behind us.
Lex and Phoebe rushed forward While I called forth the chains and tried to bind its tail.
With Phoebe having a sword, she had to create a distraction for Lex to attack.
She immediately whispered, "Cognition."
Her platinum eyes glinted, and Phoebe's time-thread glimmered. For her, the serpent slowed its movements, drawn out in fragments. She darted sideways, icicles forming in her hands, and hurled them into its eyes. But the beast's mane flared, burning them to steam before they landed.
The serpent launched itself at her. Lex also reached towards its body, which was so hot that even he was sweating and burning just by standing near it.
Phoebe, with her speed, sidestepped, and its head slammed into one of the pillars
Lex immediately jumped and took out his knives and tried to pierce the Serpent's Scales.
But as soon as he tried to stab, the knife broke like made of glass.
Phoebe and I switched. I immediately ran towards its head.
The serpent struggled with Phoebe stabbing in between It's fleshy tail.
But regardless, lunged towards me, Its Fangs clashed with my sword, its whole jaw crashed into the ground as my chains wrapped around its head.
My skin started to burn, and Blisters formed on my hands.
I grimaced
But without giving it time, I took out my dagger and stabbed it in the eye.
The serpent in Agony thrashed around violently. My chains, which were holding him down, turned to dust.
Lex ran towards his head to hold him down, but as soon as he took his first step.
Suddenly, the air around the serpent choked with cinders and smoke, burning our lungs and eyes, and reducing visibility.
It shook its body violently, and flakes of ash rained down from around it.
As soon as the flake touched my body, I screamed
Tears forming in my eye I screamed with everything I had,
'IT HURTS. IT HURTS' Wherever the flake touched It burned
It burned through my skin and muscles.
It was unbearable.
Both Lex and Phoebe also screamed in Agony as the serpent prepared for its next attack.
Suddenly, a blue-white Gate opened, and from it enormous chains shot towards the beast, and before it could had chance to react, the chains wrapped around its head and dragged the beast into the Gate. As soon as its head passed through the gate The gate closed, and its black blood splattered around the courtyard.
Before any of us formed a Thought, A woman walked from beyond the courtyard. Her brown hair and green eyes shone through the evening twilight. Behind her, a large head of Ash Serpent lay in black Ichor.
She walked towards us and immediately supported me and asked in a worried tone
"Are all of you okay?? I am Instructor Veyra. Is anyone here seriously injured??"
I shook my head and pointed towards Nolan and his mother.
After that, Vivi came to all of us and gave a small heal as her thread was of a low layer.
Nolan was still unconscious tanking a direct hit from the full force of layer 3.
The instructor came forward and said in a grim tone
"We don't have much time. All of the wall is crushed," And continued while clutching her fists," Some of the students and even instructors died".
As soon as she said that, all of our faces paled, and the atmosphere dropped even lower
"But A gate has opened from the academy in the inner part of the cafeteria towards the guest Quarters. Come on, we don't have much time; most of the Academy students are present there. You all are the last. The gate cannot hold much longer."
Before anyone could nod, Vivi asked in an almost pleading tone.
"Can't you open a gate directly to the academy or something??"
The instructor shook her head and said in a gentle tone
"Mine is just Layer 3, I can't mark locations yet. Don't worry, all of you will be safe once in the cafeteria."
And we started moving towards the cafeteria.