-Alexia-
The courtyard smelled of scorched stone and scorched air. I could feel the tension vibrating through the ground beneath my boots, a tremor that whispered danger long before the first screams reached my ears. Zeus pressed close to my side, his massive form radiating alertness, tail sweeping the stone in a low warning.
Finn, Soren, and Jasper flanked me as we sprinted toward the northern gate. The wards along the path shimmered faintly, disrupted by a force that twisted the air like a knife. My chest thumped—not with fear, but with raw anticipation. Something powerful, something deliberate, had breached the school's defenses.
"What the hell happened here?" Finn growled, flames beginning to coil along his palms instinctively.
"I don't know," Soren said, shadow stretching and twisting in warning. "But whoever it is, they're not playing games."
The gate loomed ahead, one of the oldest on campus, its arches scorched, runes cracked and flickering. Beyond it, I saw movement: a figure controlling one of the students, a familiar shape—but distorted. My heart lurched as I realized it was Rowan. His eyes, once warm and familiar, now glowed with an unnatural, harsh light.
"No!" Kira's scream split the air, raw and desperate, as she lunged toward him, only to be repelled by an invisible force that held him fast.
Then I saw him—the one orchestrating it all. Tall, commanding, radiating cold authority. The presence was familiar, horrifying in its precision and intent. My chest tightened, and a shiver ran down my spine as he spoke:
"You've grown strong, my daughter," he said, his voice low and deliberate, a predator sizing up its prey. "But strength does not excuse weakness. Either give yourself up, or you lose someone close to you."
The words hit me like a blade. Rowan's body twisted under the control, every movement forced and unnatural. His hands clenched, shaking, his face a mask of pain and resistance. I could see the struggle behind his eyes—the familiar warmth fighting against the dark tether Gideon had forced into him. The choice seemed impossible: yield myself to save the school, or risk the life of someone I cared for most. The weight of it pressed on me, but I refused to show hesitation.
I glanced at my mates. Jasper's hand brushed mine, grounding me in warmth. Finn's flames danced, held in check, ready to defend. Soren's shadow curled protectively around the edges of the courtyard. Zeus growled low, a steady rumble vibrating through my bones.
"I will not let him hurt you," Jasper said, his voice low but resolute. Gold light coiled along his arms, steady and unyielding. "If anyone wants to get through me, they'll have to go through all of us."
I drew in a deep breath, letting silver coil through my veins and gold thread into it. Chaos and light intertwined, not clashing but merging, a rhythm we had mastered together. Whisperwind's stones hummed beneath me, alive with anticipation.
"You will not make me choose," I shouted, stepping forward. "Not by fear. Not by threats. Not by your past. Rowan is not a weapon—you will not use him against us."
Gideon's eyes narrowed, calculating, but the pause was enough. I released a pulse of magic, silver and gold weaving through the courtyard. The old stones, the ivy, even the statues along the battlements responded, shifting and twisting in concert with our power. Whisperwind itself rose to defend its heart, roots wrapping around the gate, statues moving to block and shield.
Rowan stumbled in his unnatural motion, the light in his eyes flickering back to the warmth I remembered. I reached out, threads of magic threading through the wards, through the stones, into Rowan. "Fight it, Rowan! Fight!"
I demanded, pouring every ounce of intent, love, and clarity into the connection.
Finn surged forward, flames deflecting Gideon's blasts, while Soren's shadow struck, restraining the corrupted magic. Jasper's light intertwined with mine, weaving an unbreakable bond of energy that grounded us all. Zeus lunged, teeth bared, knocking aside any who tried to interfere. He growled, a deep, vibrating sound that seemed to shake the very ground and echo through the walls of Whisperwind.
For a fleeting, impossible moment, we held. The courtyard pulsed with silver and gold, the energy of our bond, of our school, of everything we had fought for. Rowan's eyes flickered with recognition, the warmth I remembered struggling to shine through—but the shadow behind him didn't waver. His arms shook violently as he fought the tether, his mouth opening in a scream that was half his own voice, half Gideon's manipulation. My chest ached watching him struggle, knowing that every second we held back the attack was a second of torture for him.
Gideon's lips curved into a thin, cruel line. "Impressive," he said. "But the last line of protection falls soon, Alexia. And when it does…" His words trailed, a deadly pause pregnant with threat.
I tightened my grip on Rowan, feeling the strain of keeping him anchored against Gideon's control. My mates flanked me, every ounce of their power coiling in readiness. Whisperwind's stones trembled beneath us, alive, ancient, defiant. The very ivy along the walls seemed to twist, roots curling outward as though trying to push back the intruder. Statues shifted imperceptibly, their stone eyes glowing faintly, ready to shield the students caught in the fray.
I had thought we were prepared. I had thought the bond we shared—the school we had fortified—would be enough.
And yet…
The ground shuddered violently beneath my feet. A crack ripped along the northern gate, lightning-like, and the air screamed with the raw force of magic bending against its bounds. Rowan cried out—not his own voice, but a twisted echo of Gideon's control—and I felt a ripple of terror surge through me.
"No," I whispered, panic and fury colliding. "Not like this. Not him—"
Finn's flames flared high, licking the broken stones, his teeth bared in a snarl of frustration. "We've got this, Lex!" he shouted, though his voice was edged with panic. "Just hang on!"
Soren's shadow surged forward like a living blade, swirling around Rowan and deflecting Gideon's probing strikes. "Stay close to her!" he barked, eyes scanning for any weak points.
Jasper's gold light burst outward, colliding with my silver, anchoring us all. "We fight together," he growled, jaw tight. "Always together!"
But even as we pushed back, even as Whisperwind's stones, roots, and statues rallied around us, I knew the threat was far from over. Rowan's struggle intensified, the pull of Gideon's magic unrelenting, and a deep fear settled in my gut: this fight was far bigger than any of us had imagined.
The northern gate shattered.
Stone and magic splintered outward, and a shadow darker than night poured through. My pulse thudded in my ears, the words of Gideon echoing like a curse: Either give yourself up, or you lose someone close to you.
I braced, heart pounding, silver and gold coiling in desperate defiance—but I knew, in that instant, the fight had only just begun.
And whatever choice I made next… it would change everything.