Nina jolted from the painful grip of Zeke's hand. His fingers twisted in her hair with such force that it felt like he was ripping it from her scalp. The searing pain made her eyes water, but the angry young man holding her captive didn't seem to care. His crimson eyes, burning with fury, bore into her, daring her to lie.
"I asked about Asher, young lady," Zeke snarled, his grip tightening. "I am running out of patience, girl."
Nina gasped, panic crawling up her throat as she turned desperately to Vesper and Ophelia. But the two girls remained silent, paralyzed by Zeke's intimidating aura. His presence radiated death and blood, and they had survived too long in Ivory High by being selfish to risk getting involved.
"Zeke, I don't know what you're talking about!" Nina cried, her voice trembling. "Asher and I were never acquainted. The only issue I ever had was with Rose."
The pain was unbearable, making her eyes water. She winced, her body shaking under his merciless hold. But Ezekiel only smiled—maliciously, wickedly. His grin stretched wide, his sharp teeth glinting under the dim classroom lights. For a moment, Nina thought she was hallucinating, but then she saw it—his irises glowed an unnatural crimson.
Her stomach twisted.
Her crush wasn't human.
Or… was it a trick of the light?
"Nina, should I play the audio where you threatened to kill Asher?" Zeke's voice rose dangerously. "Should I?"
Nina's entire body stiffened.
Her heart slammed against her ribs as the weight of her own foolish words crushed her. She had been angry, reckless. Saying she'd kill Asher had been an empty threat—words spoken in the heat of rage. But now, facing Zeke's wrath, she knew she had made the worst mistake of her life.
"I… I know you won't believe me," she whispered, trying to keep her voice as meek as possible. "But I am not capable of hurting Asher. I'm innocent of this accusation."
Ezekiel didn't look convinced. His sharp gaze flickered across the classroom, searching, waiting. The bloodlust in his eyes danced like flames, and Nina felt a deadly warning slither up her spine.
Students around them had fled the scene, abandoning her to her fate.
Zeke finally sighed, straightening his posture. He tucked his hands into his pockets, flashing a charming, gentlemanly smile—before it vanished into a cold, terrifying scowl.
"Since I couldn't drag the truth out of your mouth, why don't we see how long it takes for you to land on the floor after being dropped from here?" he mused, his eyes twinkling with cruel curiosity.
Nina's breathing hitched. Her body trembled violently, sweat gathering at her temples.
Vesper and Ophelia took the chance to slip out of the classroom, their footsteps echoing down the hallway.
"What a moron," Ophelia scoffed. "Now that her time is over, let's go see how Ava is doing."
Vesper shot her a disapproving glance. "You want to get ridiculed, Ophelia? Girl, what about our self-respect? Cut it off—we're not doing any shit, period."
She slid her hand into Ophelia's arm, and they strutted away, not sparing Nina another glance.
At that moment, Zeke's sharp eyes caught a flicker of hesitation in Nina's expression. He frowned, sensing something off. Could she really be innocent? If so, who would have the audacity to hurt Asher?
Then, a calm voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Stop wasting your time on her," Rose said as she stepped into the classroom. "The culprits are Rowan, Simon, and Emily."
Zeke froze in place. His head snapped toward Rose, his eyes narrowing in shock.
Nina sighed in relief. Finally, someone believed her.
Rose walked forward, her movements fluid and confident. She stylishly dropped her bag onto a nearby desk before stopping right in front of Zeke. Despite his imposing height, she met his gaze head-on. His grey eyes—now almost soulless—were like an abyss of emptiness.
Then, with a swift motion, Rose grabbed Zeke's collar and yanked him down.
"Where is my brother, Ezekiel?" she demanded. "What right do you have to take him away? Bring him back. An urgent matter must be taken care of."
Zeke exhaled sharply, his expression unreadable. He tilted his head, regarding her with cold amusement before hissing, "Asher and Jeremy go nowhere until I raise them from the dead. As long as I, Ezekiel Sawyer, am alive, Asher won't die like that. Not ever."
Then his expression darkened.
"But Emily? Really?" He let out a bitter laugh. "She was behind their brutal murder? And Rowan and Simon too? Those bastards… They won't forget this for eternity."
A heavy silence settled over the classroom. Shadows twisted unnaturally around them, creeping along the floor and walls like living entities. Ezekiel's aura darkened, and then—
A massive red beam of light shot across the room.
The force sent Rose flying. She crashed to the ground with a painful thud, blood trickling from her mouth.
Something inside her snapped.
She had lost her patience.
"Ezekiel," she growled, rising to her feet, her hands trembling with fury. "I am not in the mood for mind games. I know Asher's death traumatized you. I know finding out it was your friends who killed him shattered you. But I need to see my brother's body and Jeremy's corpse. I'm done begging you."
Zeke vanished—only to reappear inches from her face.
"You want to take his body, you coward of a sister?" His voice was eerily calm, yet dripping with venom. "Why couldn't you save your brother, Rose? And you—" He sneered. "You rejected Jeremy before. Why now? What's your aim?"
Rose rolled her eyes, but before she could answer, an unnatural stillness washed over them.
A crimson light flashed outside the window.
Rushing into the hallway, they were greeted by a horrifying sight.
The sky had darkened into a deep red eclipse. But this was no ordinary eclipse—it was the sun itself being consumed by a monstrous force.
Students were collapsing, their bodies falling limply to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
Zeke rushed to Nina, checking her pulse. She was alive—but trapped in an unnatural sleep.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered.
The air felt heavy, thick with an unnatural stillness. A strange beam of light flickered across the school grounds, and the very walls seemed to pulse with an eerie energy.
Beside him, Rose's hands trembled. A chilling sensation crawled up her spine, her instincts screaming that something dark was brewing. It was more than just unease—it was fear. A deadly force was at work, and she could feel it clawing at her soul.
Without thinking, Ezekiel pushed the classroom door open, stepping into the dimly lit hallway. Rose hesitated for a brief moment before quickly following him, her heart pounding.
The two moved swiftly through the silent corridors, their footsteps echoing ominously. It wasn't long before they reached a secluded part of the school, where three familiar figures stood beneath the crimson glow of the eclipse.
Slyvia, Harlan, and Lamia.
Zeke barely spared Slyvia or Harlan a glance. His eyes, wide with astonishment, landed on Lamia.
The moonlight cascaded over Lamia Alexandria, highlighting his ethereal features—the midnight blue eyes, the cascade of red, silky hair, the sharp yet elegant jawline. There was an undeniable grace in the way he moved, a beauty so mesmerizing that Zeke found himself momentarily breathless.
He couldn't look away.
Slyvia cleared her throat, snapping him out of his trance.
"Lamia, these are my friends—Ezekiel and Rose," she introduced. Then she turned to them. "Zeke, Rose… this is Lamia Alexandria, my best friend from Ivory High."
Lamia, who had been pacing, barely spared them a glance. His brows furrowed, his expression tense.
"Slyvia," he said urgently, his voice sharp. "Someone is casting a deadly sleep spell over the school. It's affecting everyone. If we don't stop it, the entire student body will fall into an eternal slumber. Their spirits will wander… until they fade completely. Until they die."
Rose gasped, her face draining of color. Zeke's frown deepened.
Slyvia clenched the wooden staff in her hands, frustration evident on her face. Her blindness was starting to feel like a curse now more than ever. She was relying on her senses, on the whispers of magic that guided her, but time was slipping away.
"What do we do?" Rose asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Slyvia took a deep breath, her grip tightening on the staff.
"It's time for Plan A," she declared. "We resurrect Asher and Jeremy. Now."
Silence fell.
Zeke's eyes widened in shock. "Resurrection? Slyvia, that's impossible—since when…?"
Rose, on the other hand, felt a wave of hope crash over her. Her breath hitched, her hands flying to her mouth as she processed the words.
"You… you can bring them back?" she whispered, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Slyvia didn't hesitate. "I have to try. We don't have another choice."
Lamia, who had been deep in thought, finally turned to face her fully. His face was a mask of concern, his worry for Slyvia evident.
"Slyvia, are you sure?" he asked, his voice low. "Resurrection spells are dangerous. Even experienced witches fail at them. And you—" He hesitated, glancing at her blind eyes before quickly looking away.
Slyvia knew what he meant.
She was still new to magic.
She was still fumbling in the dark, searching for power that didn't yet fully belong to her.
But she also knew she had no other choice.
She could feel time slipping away, could sense the way the school itself was falling into a deep slumber. Every second wasted brought them closer to the point of no return.
Her fingers curled around the wooden staff, her mind made up.
"I don't care," she said firmly. "I have to do this."
A powerful gust of wind howled through the school, shaking the walls. The ground trembled violently beneath their feet, an earthquake rattling through the very foundation of the building.
And then, from the shadows of the corridor, a figure emerged.
Emily.
A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips. The moonlight caught the wicked glint in her eyes, her presence exuding something cold, something unholy.
"Well, well," she murmured, amusement dripping from her voice. "This is getting interesting."
The air in the hallway turned thick with a suffocating silence as Emily took a slow step forward, her dark eyes gleaming with eerie amusement. The red glow of the eclipse bathed the school in an ominous light, casting elongated shadows that danced unnaturally along the walls.
"Long time, Lamia," Emily purred, a cruel smirk curling on her lips. "And Asher and Jeremy… they're coming back. Sorry."
Then, she raised a tattered page from the Book of Shadows and began to chant in Latin, her voice laced with dark magic.
"Sanguinem e tenebris, aeterna nocte…
Spiritus fractos revoca ad vitam…
Resurgite, illi qui obdormierunt…
Aperiatur porta inferni!"
("Blood of darkness, eternal night…
Call back the shattered spirits to life…
Rise, those who have slept…
Let the gates of the underworld open!")
A deafening scream tore through the air as a surge of black energy burst from the page.
"NO!" Rose shrieked, clutching her head as pain shot through her skull.
"Fight it! It's a death spell!" Slyvia warned, her voice urgent. But it was too late.
Rose's body collapsed.
Lamia fell next, his body crumpling like a puppet whose strings had been severed. All across the school, students dropped—one after another, their souls slipping away under the weight of the spell.
A terrible silence followed.
Only three figures remained standing amidst the chaos: Zeke, Slyvia, and Harlan.
Emily's triumphant laughter echoed through the empty hall, wild and untamed. She twirled the knife in her hand, her gaze locked onto Slyvia with pure delight.
"You witch! What did you do?" Emily snapped, her voice filled with fury.
Slyvia exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, it's still part of my plan."
Emily's expression faltered for a split second.
Slyvia tilted her head slightly, her voice eerily calm. "And Abigail… I see you're finally back."
At her words, Zeke and Harlan exchanged grim looks. A cold shiver ran down Zeke's spine as realization dawned upon him. The sky, already red with the eclipse, darkened even further. The air pulsed, thick with malevolence, as if the world itself was suffocating under Abigail's presence.
Emily's lips curled into a wicked smile. Then, without warning, she threw back her head and let out a hysterical laugh.
"Slyvia," she sneered, gripping the dagger tighter. "You're not going to win this game."
A gust of wind howled through the school, making the windows rattle violently.
"Everyone you love will die."
Slyvia's face paled instantly.
Then, she saw it—the page Emily held wasn't just any spell. It was the final piece of the Book of Shadows, the very page that could rewrite the fabric of life and death itself.
Slyvia's hands clenched into fists. She had no choice now.
The air crackled around her as she began chanting her own incantation, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her heart. A powerful gust of wind erupted from her, wrapping around Zeke, Harlan, and herself like a protective cocoon.
The next thing they knew, they were standing inside an empty classroom, devoid of sound, untouched by the spell's reach.
Harlan let out a shaky breath. "That was too close."
Slyvia ignored him. She rushed toward an old wooden desk, grabbing a piece of chalk and frantically scribbling symbols onto the floor. Her fingers trembled, but she had no time for hesitation. The school was depending on her.
Zeke, his expression grim, reached into his coat and pulled out something wrapped in black cloth. As he unwrapped it, a bitter silence filled the room.
The lifeless bodies of Asher and Jeremy lay before them.
Slyvia swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat.
Zeke's face was void of emotion, but his eyes… his eyes carried the weight of grief. He had failed them.
But there was no time for mourning.
Slyvia tightened her grip on the chalk, inhaling deeply. She had one last chance.
If she failed—Abigail would win.
And this school… would never wake up again.