✨ Chapter 12 – The Dark Return
Ariana woke the next morning feeling…better.
Exhausted, yes.
Achy, definitely.
But no fever. No burning magic. No dizziness.
Her wolf hummed quietly inside her — calm, but watchful.
When she opened her eyes, she found Kai and the Three Pillars asleep in various ridiculous positions:
* Rylan face-down in a chair
* Calen curled on the floor with a blanket
* Zane sitting upright, arms crossed, sleeping with the scariest kind of discipline
* And Kai…
Kai was sitting closest to her bed, head lowered slightly, arms folded, half-asleep but alert enough to jump if she moved.
Ariana smiled softly.
They really had stayed all night.
---
## **Morning Rumors**
The moment she stepped out of the infirmary with Kai beside her, the whispers exploded.
"That's her."
"The girl who sealed the barrier."
"She threw like—fifty vampires with her magic."
"She didn't even shift!"
"She's stronger than half the seniors."
"Do you think she's dangerous?"
Ariana wanted to disappear.
Kai noticed her shrinking into herself.
"Ignore them," he murmured. "Most students gossip when they're impressed or insecure."
"Or both," Calen added dryly as he joined them.
Rylan grinned from behind.
"You should hear the rumors. Some say you commanded trees to fight."
Ariana's face turned bright red.
"I didn't do that!"
Zane shrugged.
"Could've fooled them."
They escorted her to breakfast like bodyguards. Students parted around them like water around a ship.
Ariana hated the attention —
but she didn't hate having them with her.
---
## **Summoned by the Headmaster**
Halfway through breakfast, a messenger raven swooped over Ariana's plate, dropping a small scroll.
Ariana blinked.
"What… is that?"
Zane raised a brow.
"A summons."
Kai unrolled it.
He read—
paused—
then lifted his eyes to her.
"Ariana… the Headmaster wants us. All of us."
Rylan whistled.
"Uh oh."
Calen smirked.
"You're in trouble."
Zane corrected, "We're all in trouble."
Ariana swallowed.
"Let's go."
---
## **The Assignment**
Headmaster Solarin stood in his study, hands folded behind his back as the five teens entered.
His silver eyes scanned them — calm, but serious.
"Thank you for coming so quickly."
Ariana stepped forward nervously.
"Is something wrong?"
Solarin nodded slowly.
"Yes. The vampires from the breach."
Kai stiffened.
"You identified them?"
Solarin gestured for them to gather around a large glowing map on his desk.
"They were not ordinary vampires," he said.
"They were **Dark Vampires**."
Rylan froze mid-step.
"No. Impossible."
Zane's eyes flashed.
"They went extinct centuries ago."
Calen's smirk vanished.
"Dark Vampires don't travel in packs. They don't breach barriers. They destroy them."
Ariana frowned.
"Dark Vampires? How are they different?"
Solarin answered gravely.
"Normal vampires feed on blood for strength. Dark Vampires feed on **magic**."
Ariana's chest tightened.
Magic-feeders?
"That's why they pushed so hard at the barrier," she whispered.
"Yes," Solarin said. "To feed on its energy."
Kai's fist clenched.
"But they're extinct."
"They were," Solarin confirmed. "Until last night."
The room fell silent.
Ariana stepped forward.
"How did they come back?"
"That," Solarin said, "is what I need you to find out."
Ariana stared.
"Us?"
Solarin nodded.
"You five are the only students who saw them up close. You're the only ones who fought back. And you, Ariana, interacted with the barrier's magic during the attack."
Ariana's heart skipped.
He turned to all of them.
"This is an **official academy assignment**. You will investigate where the Dark Vampires came from, how they resurfaced, and whether more are gathering."
Rylan stood taller, flames rippling faintly.
"We'll handle it."
Calen crossed his arms.
"About time something interesting happened."
Zane nodded once.
"We'll need access to the archives."
Kai stepped slightly in front of Ariana.
"We accept."
Ariana blinked at him.
She wasn't sure she accepted anything yet.
But the Headmaster smiled faintly.
"I trust you all. Especially you, Ariana."
She flushed.
"…Me? Why?"
"You are the only Mystic able to manipulate the barrier's earth and light simultaneously. You may sense something the rest of us cannot."
Ariana glanced at Kai, who nodded softly.
"You can do this."
---
## **The First Lead**
After leaving the Headmaster's office, the group gathered in a quiet courtyard.
Ariana paced, overwhelmed.
"This is so much. I mean… Dark Vampires? Why us? Why me?"
Kai gently caught her wrist, stopping her.
"Because you're capable."
"But I almost died of fever yesterday!"
"You didn't," he said calmly.
Ariana sighed.
But Zane stepped forward, eyes sharper than usual.
"I picked up something last night."
They all turned.
"A trace," Zane continued. "A faint magic signature near the barrier."
Ariana stiffened.
"The hooded figure?"
"No," Zane said immediately. "Something else."
"Then what was it?" Rylan asked.
Zane hesitated.
"It wasn't a person."
Ariana frowned.
"Then… what left that magic behind?"
Zane's voice dropped.
"A Dark Vampire's trail."
Ariana's blood ran cold.
Kai's wolf flared behind his eyes.
Ariana whispered—
"So they were inside the barrier before the breach?"
Zane nodded solemnly.
"Which means… they didn't break in."
Ariana swallowed.
"They were let in."