A/n: this is the first chapter for today. Im so sorry if there are mistakes but I'm still working on it✨ Chapter 10 – Burning Bright
Ariana barely had time to catch her breath.
The moment the barrier sealed and the last flash of magic faded, the forest fell into a heavy silence.
Kai still held her—arms firm, breath uneven.
"Ariana…" he whispered. "You pushed yourself too far."
"I'm… fine," she lied, voice thin.
She wasn't fine.
Her head throbbed.
Her vision blurred.
Her skin burned like fire under her clothes.
Zane looked at her sharply.
"Your aura is spiking. That's not good."
Rylan ran over, flames still crackling around his hands.
"What's wrong with her?"
Calen felt Ariana's forehead with the back of his hand.
The temperature made his eyes widen.
"She's burning up."
Ariana swayed.
Kai reacted instantly—catching her before she hit the ground.
"Whoa—Ariana?" he said, voice cracking slightly. "Hey. Stay with me."
Her cheeks were flushed.
Her breath came in short, painful gasps.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably.
"I… just need… a minute…" she managed.
Kai's wolf surged behind his eyes.
"No. You need help."
---
## **The Fever**
Ariana tried to stand.
Her knees buckled.
Kai lifted her without hesitation—one arm under her knees, the other behind her back.
She startled weakly.
"Kai—I can walk—"
"No, you can't," he said, frustration softening into worry.
"You used too much power. Your magic overheated."
Zane nodded grimly.
"When Mystic and Earth abilities spike like that, the body burns as a warning. She needs to get cooled down."
Ariana shook her head, eyes half-closing.
"It's just a fever…"
Calen's ice snaked up his arm.
He placed a hand against her neck.
Steam rose instantly.
"JUST a fever?" he scoffed.
"She's boiling."
Rylan swore.
"Let's get her to the infirmary—now."
Kai didn't wait.
He turned sharply and sprinted through the forest, Ariana held protectively against his chest.
Her fever grew hotter and hotter, her head spinning.
"Kai…" she whispered deliriously. "What if… something's wrong with me?"
Kai tightened his hold.
"Nothing is wrong with you," he said fiercely.
"You saved everyone. You did more than any first-year could ever do."
Ariana's head rested against his shoulder.
She barely heard him anymore.
Everything felt distant.
Muffled.
Except for Kai's heartbeat.
Steady.
Grounding.
Familiar.
---
## **The Headmaster Intercepts**
By the time they reached the academy courtyard, guards and teachers were everywhere.
The Headmaster appeared instantly, long cloak billowing with magic.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Kai didn't slow down.
"She sealed the breach. Alone."
Solarin's eyes widened.
"She WHAT?"
Rylan and Calen caught up.
"She used earth magic to push out the vampires," Rylan said.
"And the barrier pulled her power in," Calen added.
"She's overheating."
Zane's gaze darkened.
"She needs medical stabilization. Now."
The Headmaster nodded once.
"Bring her to the High Healers' Ward."
Kai rushed forward—
But froze when he saw who blocked the infirmary steps.
A tall man with storm-gray eyes.
Ariana's father.
His aura was so powerful the air crackled.
---
## **Her Father Arrives**
Mr. Sterling stormed toward them, his voice sharp with panic.
"What happened to my daughter?!"
Kai swallowed but didn't set Ariana down.
"She overused her power closing the barrier. She has a magic fever."
Mr. Sterling's eyes flared with fury—and fear.
"You shouldn't have taken her out of the campus forest!"
Kai stiffened.
"We were trying to help—"
"Look at her!" Mr. Sterling snapped.
Ariana stirred weakly.
"Daddy… it hurts…"
Her father's expression shattered.
He reached for her, voice gentling instantly.
"Oh, sweetheart—Daddy's here."
Ariana clung to his sleeve, dizzy and burning.
Mr. Sterling looked up at Kai, voice cold.
"Put her down."
Kai hesitated—just a fraction of a moment.
Ariana's weak voice came.
"No… let Kai…"
Her father blinked.
Kai's heart nearly stopped.
But the Headmaster intervened before the tension exploded.
"Both of you," he said firmly, "save your arguments for later. Ariana needs treatment now."
Mr. Sterling nodded tightly.
"Fine."
Kai carried Ariana inside.
Her father walked beside him, refusing to move more than a step away.
---
## **The High Healers' Ward**
The healers rushed to Ariana, placing glowing stones on her wrists, forehead, and chest.
Light magic pulsed over her skin.
Her fever raged.
Kai stood just outside the glowing circle, fists clenched, jaw tight.
He wanted to go to her.
He wanted to hold her hand.
He wanted to tell her she would be okay.
But he couldn't.
Not with her father there.
Rylan and Calen stood on either side of him, silent.
Zane watched the door, thoughts churning behind his eyes.
Ariana's fever broke into a soft cry.
"She's in pain," Kai muttered.
Mr. Sterling turned sharply.
"She wouldn't be if you had kept her inside the school!"
Kai snapped back.
"If we hadn't taken her to the forest, she never would've learned to calm her wolf at all!"
Mr. Sterling stepped forward, aura crackling dangerously.
"You think you know what's best for my daughter?"
Kai's wolf surged.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"I do."
The room went silent.
Even the healers paused for a breath.
Ariana, half-conscious, whispered:
"Kai…"
Her father froze.
Kai's breath hitched.
And then—
A healer stepped forward urgently.
"Sir, Headmaster—there's something else."
Everyone turned.
The healer looked pale.
"Something blocked the fever from reaching her heart. Something… protected her."
Kai froze.
Mr. Sterling stiffened.
"What protected her?" he demanded.
The healer answered slowly.
"A second magic. One we've never seen from her before."
Ariana opened her eyes weakly.
Kai stepped closer.
"Ariana?"
Her voice was barely inaudible "Kai"