Delythena's POV
After the haunting, everyone gathered in the arena for the announcement of the winners. The host began announcing the top hunters, starting from the 10th runner-up.
"The 3rd runner-up, who took down five fierce beasts, is Savena Davila!" the host declared. I clapped as Savena stepped onto the stage, beaming with pride.
"The 2nd runner-up, who managed to slay seven beasts, is Crisella Smeava," the host continued. I turned my gaze to the familiar girl walking up the stage the same violet-haired girl who had drenched me with rain before. She didn't look happy with her placement.
"And last but not least, the moment everyone has been waiting for the winner! Delythena Grimaldi, our new Queen Enchantress of the Haunting!"
I froze in place.
Wait... what?
Murmurs and gasps filled the arena, and all eyes turned to me. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as the realization sank in.
I won?
"The Queen Enchantress of the Haunting!" the host repeated, a proud smile on his face. "With the largest and strongest beast slain, Delythena Grimaldi takes the crown!"
I blinked rapidly, my mind scrambling for an explanation. How did this even happen? Was it because of that massive wolf-like creature I took down?
"Delythena!" Savena's excited voice broke through my daze. She was beaming at me from the stage, motioning for me to come up.
I swallowed hard. My legs felt like they weighed a ton, but somehow, I forced myself forward. The crowd erupted in cheers as I climbed onto the stage, my hands trembling slightly.
The host handed me a shimmering golden emblem shaped like a phoenix an official symbol of victory. "Congratulations" he said. "Your skills in the hunt were nothing short of extraordinary."
I bit the inside of my cheek. Skills? It wasn't really me, was it? My bow... it moved on its own. And Zadkiel.
I really don't know whether to be happy or not because my victory was only due to the bow that controlled me on its own, and because Zadkiel also helped.
"Stop there!"
I halted my steps on the staircase and turned to see who had called out. It was Crisella, her expression dark and accusing.
"Why?" I asked.
"You cheated, didn't you?" she suddenly accused.
"What makes you say that?" I responded.
She smirked. "Because everyone has always known that you have no powers. So, it's obvious—you cheated."
"I didn't cheat" I said firmly because it was the truth.
I couldn't say that I cheated because it was my own strength that led me to victory the bow and Zadkiel only added to it.
"You can't lie to me. I can sense from your aura that it wasn't you who did it."
She crossed her arms, studying me as if trying to see through my very soul.
"And besides, everyone knows that our powers only awaken when we turn 18. But you're already 20, which means you have no powers."
Her words shocked me, but I made sure not to show it.
"Stop accusing me. You saw me fight the Hollow Veil using my powers, didn't you?" I defended myself, trying to act as natural as possible so she wouldn't notice that I was lying.
She smirked. "Alright then, prove to me that you have powers."
Her challenge only made me more uneasy.
Damn this woman!
"I don't have time to impress you, okay?" I lied, turning to leave, but before I could take a step, she suddenly conjured a water barrier, surrounding us both.
"Don't even think about running away, Delythena, because I know for a fact that you can't escape" she said smugly. "Go on, if you really want to leave teleport."
Her taunt sent a wave of frustration and panic through me. It felt like I was running out of time before she exposed me.
She slowly stepped closer.
"You know why I don't believe you have powers?" she asked, her tone sharp and confident. "Because out of all the abilities you could have, it just had to be fire."
She narrowed her eyes. "Everyone knows how rare fire magic is in this realm. According to the ancient texts, there can only be one wielder of fire and that's the Supreme Ruler."
I swallowed hard.
"I'll ask you how did you use the Supreme Ruler's power?" she demanded, her voice sending chills down my spine.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about" I stammered, barely stopping myself from choking on my own words.
"Stop lying. You've already been caught." She raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with certainty.
"I'm not lying! And how would I even be involved with the Supreme Ruler? Isn't he supposed to be unreachable and the most feared being in this realm? If I were connected to him in any way, I'd probably be dead by now," I reasoned, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
She let out a dry chuckle, crossing her arms as she eyed me with amusement. "Oh really? That's the best excuse you can come up with?"
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm. "It's not an excuse. It's the truth."
She took a step closer, her presence suffocating. "Then explain this how did you wield fire, a power that only the Supreme Ruler possesses?"
I swallowed hard, my mind racing for a way out. "Maybe there's a mistake. Maybe I have a different kind of power that just looks like fire" I said, grasping at straws.
Her smirk deepened. "A mistake? You really think the laws of magic would just accidentally let you use the rarest power in existence?"
I had no answer to that.
"Face it, Delythena. There's only one possible explanation for this" she continued, eyes gleaming with suspicion. "You're connected to the Supreme Ruler whether you admit it or not."
"Alright then, let's say you're not connected to the Supreme Ruler and that your power just looks similar to his" she said, her tone laced with skepticism. "Show me your power right now. Prove it to me, and I'll let you go."
She was desperate to make me confess.
I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my expression neutral. "And what if I refuse?"
She smirked, tilting her head. "Then I'll have no choice but to assume you really are lying and trust me, you won't like what happens next."
"And maybe you've forgotten, Delythena the rules of this school" she said, making me frown in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my unease growing.
She smirked, and for some reason, it unsettled me even more. "Oh? So, you did forget."
I clenched my fists. "Just get to the point."
"There's a rule in this academy" she continued, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me. "If the higher-ups discover that you're lying about your powers... you'll face consequences."
A cold chill ran down my spine. "What kind of consequences?"
Her smirk widened, her voice dropping to a whisper. "A reminder... that the price of lying is death."
My eyes widened in horror.
Death?
I was surprised when suddenly he made a root made of water and surrounded my feet, making it impossible for me to move. "Hey! What are you doing?!" I asked her irritably.
She just laughed and tightened the grip on my feet even more. I winced in pain; even though it was just water, the sharp edges digging into my feet hurt. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked her.
"Because I don't like you, and you took my title" she said, which left me confused.
"What are you even talking about?" I replied.
Her face darkened. "Don't act innocent, Delythena. Because of your cheating, I became second place!" he said angrily. "You ruined the title I worked so hard to maintain!" She shouted at me, clearly furious.
That's when I realized she was talking about the title of Queen of the Enchantress Haunting. "I never wanted to take that from you, and I don't care about that title" I said, and she laughed sarcastically.
"Stop lying" she retorted.
I gasped in pain as she suddenly pushed me with her water powers, and I was thrown across the ground.
"You've chosen the wrong opponent, Delythena, and you're going to pay for what you've done!" she said, her eyes widening as she created a massive water vortex.
"Why is death always so close to me?" I thought, panicking.
As she brought the vortex closer to me, a sudden alarm blared throughout the entire school, causing her to stop.
"Enchantresses, prepare yourselves! Wyvern is attacking" came the announcement carried by the wind.
Wyvern?
(A mythical animal usually represented as a 2-legged winged creature resembling a dragon.)
"We're not done yet" Crisella suddenly said, and then she vanished.
It was only then that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, though my feet were still swollen and red.
All the students rushed out, and I was shocked to see them fighting the Wyverns, which were in overwhelming numbers. Despite the pain in my feet, I forced myself to run when a Wyvern approached me. I glanced at my bracelet and said, "I summon you, bow." I remembered from Savena that all I had to do was summon the weapon given to me by the Phoenix.
Suddenly, the bow appeared in my hands. Just like before, my body moved on its own as I shot arrows with perfect precision. I didn't miss a single shot. I was truly amazed by this weapon because it was such a huge help to me.
All the students were fighting, and so was I. We had been battling for almost half an hour, but the Wyverns kept coming, as if they were endless.
"Why aren't they disappearing?" I asked.
"Because it's still morning," my classmate Azmier suddenly replied. "These dragons are different. They don't disappear when it's still morning because the light actually makes them multiply, while in the dark, they weaken."
He explained, and I nodded in understanding.
"So, what are we going to do? It's still far from dusk, the sun is still high up" I said.
"For now, all we can do is fight them off so they don't attack or eat us, because once they appear, they don't leave on their own as long as there's light" he said.
I felt a pressure weighing on me.
"We might run out of strength like that," I said. "But we have healers, right?" I asked.
"That's the problem. Our healers can treat wounds, but they can't restore energy. It's pointless if the wounds are healed but we're still exhausted" he explained, which only made me more worried.
"This can't go on" I muttered.
A little while later, I suddenly remembered Savena. She had the power to control the weather as well because, I once saw her controlling the weather and she could create gloomy weather to darken the surroundings.
"Where are you going?" Azmier asked as I started to walk away.
"I'm going to find Savena because she can help us" I said.
"I'll come with you" he offered, and I didn't argue.
While Azmier continued fighting behind me, I scanned the area with my eyes, searching for Savena. Where could she be?
A little while later, I spotted her near the garden.
"Savena!" I called out, and she looked at me. I quickly made my way over to her.
"Can you create gloomy weather, right? To darken the surroundings and weaken the Wyverns?" I asked her.
"That's what I thought of earlier, but I can't do it because I have no strength" she replied, which shocked me.
"Why, what happened to you?" I asked, worried.
"I got injured earlier and just got treated by the healers, but my strength is gone" she said, which made me even more anxious.
If Savena couldn't do it, we would surely have to wait for it to get dark, and that would be our only hope.
I estimated that it was probably only around 1 PM, and it was still bright outside. The students around me were injured and exhausted, while the Wyverns kept multiplying. I couldn't stay calm anymore because I feared that we would all be wiped out if we couldn't fight back.
Looks like they're attracted to the light, I thought to myself as I observed the Wyverns.
It seemed like they only attacked instinctively, and their attacks were based on the light emitted by everyone's powers. I realized I was right because earlier, when I stopped shooting arrows at the Wyverns, they left because my bow had light coming from it.
So, it seems that the Wyverns here are blind and can only see when there's light. Based on what I observed earlier, when their numbers increased, they didn't immediately attack because their flight path was aimed at the light in the sky. They were like lost anglerfish, searching for light.
"Listen up, everyone, don't fight" I said to the students, which caught their attention.
"And why shouldn't we?" one of them asked.
"Because those dragons are blind, and they're just looking for light" I explained.
It was clear from their faces that they didn't believe me, and I sighed.
"Stop using your powers, and they'll stop attacking on their own. Then, let's move to a darker area" I continued. "Those dragons are attracted to the light we're emitting."
"Try it, and you'll see" I added. I could see they were hesitant to believe and follow, but after a while, they did, heading toward a darker spot. It was probably because of the exhaustion they were feeling.
"You're right, Delythena" Azmier suddenly said.
The Wyverns stopped attacking, now just flying around or wandering aimlessly, searching for light wherever they could find it.
As it got darker and darker, the Wyverns started to leave on their own, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're amazing, Delythena" Savena said.
"Yeah, good thing you thought of that" Azmier added.
For the first time, people here were actually happy with me. They praised me for being smart and even thanked me for helping them.
But as I stood there, letting their words sink in, a thought crept into my mind. Why did the wyverns suddenly appear?
Earlier, after the battle, some students mentioned that wyverns don't just show up on their own. They only appear when summoned because they have no minds of their own they rely solely on the light they are drawn to.
They also said this was the first time wyverns had ever appeared in reality. Until now, they had only read about them in books.
That made me wonder who summoned them? And why?
Was there an enemy hiding within the school?
As I sat outside in our garden at night, lost in thought, I noticed something strange in my surroundings. A light appeared a glowing blue light that immediately caught my attention.
I stood up from the bench and followed it, curiosity taking over. The light drifted away from our mansion, leading me further into the darkness. It moved toward the forbidden forest, and the only thing illuminating my path was the very light I was chasing.
"Being a curious person really is a hassle. I end up following all sorts of things" I muttered to myself as I continued trailing behind the mysterious glow.
And once again, I had no idea where the light had taken me. I just kept following it without question.
"Where am I?" I muttered, realizing that the surroundings were completely unfamiliar to me.
Even though I knew I was lost, I continued to follow the glowing light, as if leaving my fate in its hands. Step after step, I passed through different places, but no matter how far I walked, I didn't see a single house.
After what felt like hours of walking, the light suddenly disappeared. My shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"Seriously?!" I groaned in frustration.
But just as I was about to turn around, I noticed where I had ended up. I was by a river an unbelievably beautiful one. The air was crisp and refreshing, and the water cascaded down a waterfall so clear that I could see right through it.
Fireflies and butterflies fluttered around, glowing softly. Floating on the river's surface were luminous water lilies, casting a magical glow. Even the trees shimmered with light.
"This place... it's beautiful" I whispered in awe.
"It's because you've reached the Enchanted River."
I froze. A woman's voice spoke behind me.
Slowly, I turned my head and my eyes widened in shock.
It was her.
The old woman from my former world. The woman I had been searching for all this time.