"Tell me about yourself. What are you doing here?" I tried to brush away the sadness, hoping we could start fresh.
"I'm here to guard the Phoenix Stone!" he giggled, but I didn't get it, so he explained, "It's some kind of family heirloom. A very important one." He nodded proudly.
"They've got you guarding something that important with nothing but a gun, a set of pauldron, and gloves?" I frowned.
"They're not to protect me," he said quietly. "They're to protect others. My powers… they're hard to control. Dangerous, even—for people around me."
He was blinking fast, stumbling over his words.
"Well then… I guess I'm more different than you," I said with a light laugh. "I don't have powers at all." He chuckled with me.
"So what, you go around setting things on fire?" I teased.
He laughed nervously. "Yeah… something like that."
We were still laughing when we heard it—boots. A lot of them. And strange, rapid noises.
I darted toward the stairs, but Liam grabbed my hand. "Let me come with you!"
"You guard whatever you're guarding. I'll manage!" I said, breaking away.
I reached the upper hallway fast. A crowd had gathered in a circle. I pushed through—and saw Shawn and Don kneeling beside Cris.
She was lying motionless, eyes closed, blood soaking her shirt.
"Oh my God, Cris!" I dropped beside her, shaking her. Shawn and Don were already trying, calling her name, but she wasn't breathing.
Shawn carried her in his arms and rushed to the medical room. We followed close behind. The doctor checked her pulse, pressed her wrist, then let go. He repeated it twice more before she suddenly gasped for air—but remained unconscious.
Mrs. Leonardo walked in. "How did this happen?" she asked.
"We bought ice cream," Don began. "She picked strawberry. When the syrup dripped on her shirt, she panicked and started rubbing the stain. We tried to calm her, but she pushed us away—then collapsed and when we shook her… she wasn't breathing."
And now I understood—the red on her shirt wasn't blood. It was syrup.
"She's stable now. Let her rest," the doctor said, sounding confident.
But before we could even step away, Cris reached out and grabbed Mrs. Leonardo's wrist—while still asleep. Then her eyes opened.
They were glazed white.
"A castle built of golden stone,
Where a princess stands, now all alone...
A storm will rise, and soon you'll see,
It was just a house of make-believe.
The flood will come, the halls run red,
The walls will bleed, the floors will spread.
And rain shall fall, it will not cease,
'Til every head is brought to peace.
But trade a diamond, pure and bright,
For thousands spared from endless night…
And then no more will sorrow stay,
No mourning tears, no deaths to pay."
Cris sang the rhyme—half lullaby, half curse. But it wasn't just her voice. It echoed like a choir of many, children and elders, all speaking at once. And the room grew colder.
"I see blood showering across the castle walls. You must prepare for the loss still to come." Her voice dropped from a chant to a whisper. Then she let go of Mrs. Leonardo's wrist, and slowly, her irises darkened—until they were fully visible again.
"What the hell just happened?" Cris shot upright, grabbing her head. "My head," she groaned.
Once she came to her senses, she clutched Mrs. Leonardo's hand. "Tell me that was a dream." Her eyes were wide with fear—and Mrs. Leonardo looked just as shaken.
"I need you all to come with me. Now." Mrs. Leonardo's tone was sharp. She ordered Cris to stay and rest.
She sent Ryan to gather every student in the hallway.
"A war I've warned you about is near," she announced. "Every student must be back in the building by 8 p.m. Guards will be stationed at every corner, and security outside these walls will be tightened. Combat training will get harder, and spellcasting classes are now mandatory.
You'll all be out of bed by 6 a.m."
She scanned the room. "We have three male combat trainers and one female. We need more."
Just then, a girl with long jet-black hair and large black eyes, light skin, stepped forward.
"I'm Madiha Amir. My friends Mei and Ayla and I would like to volunteer," she said, standing tall with her hands behind her back.
Everyone knew Maddie, Mei, and Ayla's skills. Mrs. Leonardo nodded with pride. "Training under them won't be easy—but you'll come out tough as stone. That, I promise."
Then Don spoke—so softly we almost missed it.
"I want to volunteer," he whispered.
Shawn and I both stared at him.
"What? I'm certified!" he shrugged.
I hadn't known that. But then again, we'd never really had time to get to know each other. It was always just Cris and me—we understood each other better than anyone else. And now, whatever dream or prophecy she had… it had shaken the entire school.
Our Headmistress looked more worried than I'd ever seen her. Students were disappointed by the new rules, but most stood there like soldiers. That's when it hit me—how much this school meant to them.
From that evening on, things only got tougher. The rules were strict, and we followed them. Whether the classes were useful or not, every student attended, especially the ones tied to powers and combat.
I threw myself into Combat classes. I was done crying. I wanted strength, revenge—and I had a feeling wolves were coming, just from the look on the Headmistress's face.
Training began. There was no rule saying girls had to train with girls, so I chose the only person I trusted—Don. I started with him. And every evening, I'd slip away to meet Liam. Spellcasting classes didn't matter to me—I just wanted to get stronger and faster.
My first week of training with Don was brutal. He didn't go easy on me, and I didn't ask him to. My arms ached, my knees bruised, and more than once, I left the practice room blinking back tears of frustration. I kept falling, kept failing. My grip was weak, my footwork sloppy, and every time I lost balance, it felt like I was letting my family down all over again.