Chapter 12 The Shattered Seal

A spasm of pure dread flickered across her face, her breath hitching. The raw energy coiling within her felt foreign, like a beast thrashing inside her ribs. She clenched her fists, trying to steady herself, to force the power back to submission. But it refused.

"Wake up." 

A powerful voice echoed in her head. The dragon's molten gold eyes bore into her, and the longer she stared, the more her head throbbed-like something inside her was unraveling. A hidden force, something ancient, something hungry.

" No, why…."

Pain exploded in her skull.

Thud.

She fell unconscious.

The moment the barrier shattered, a shockwave of searing heat rolled through the hall. Smoke curled like ghostly tendrils, thick and suffocating. Students coughed, shielding their faces, but Stefan did not move.

His blue-lit gaze pierced through the haze.

And then he saw her.

Lying motionless amidst the charred wreckage, Olivia's body was streaked with soot, her bare skin scorched yet strangely untouched. The air around her pulsed faintly, as if something unseen still clung to her..watching, waiting.

But Stefan's stomach twisted at something else.

The shattered remains of his orb.

It was a relic not meant to break. A relic that had survived centuries.

His throat went dry.

"Impossible..." he whispered. His fist clenched.

This wasn't just her power. There was something else inside her. Something even she did not understand.

He let out a deep sigh, covering her body with his jacket before carrying her in his arms. He walked out of the hall, all eyes were on them.

" What the hell just happened?"

" i never knew she was this strong"

" If she is very strong, why would she lose control? And why is she unconscious?"

" You are right, so what does this mean?"

" It means either she is a novice or she is playing a trick."

The students chattering filled the hall.

Chim.

The noises died down.

" That will be all for today as the hall is now too damaged to withstand another fight, go to your various classes." Micheal dismissed the crowd.

Meanwhile from the highest row of the hall, nestled in the shadows where no light dared to reach, a figure watched. His presence was like a whisper of smoke, unseen yet suffocating.

His lips curled into a slow smirk, satisfaction gleaming in his darkened eyes.

"Interesting."

Then, without a sound, he vanished into the darkness.

…..

In the hall. Freya stood frozen as her blue eyes gaze at the damage caused by her sister. Her throat tightened as different questions prowled in her mind. It was unsettling that her sister's power was this strong already without training. 

Their parents have been secretly training her, spending all their pennies to make sure she rises up in power more than Olivia. This was supposed to be her spotlight. Her fist clenched.

" I will teach her a lesson." she muttered under her breath before walking out of the hall. 

Slowly all the students dispersed from the hall.

" What should we do about her, headmaster?" another teacher asked.

Micheal brows furrowed as he stared at the burnt platform, the powers are raw and strong. This couldn´t be just her, there was another being in there.

" We watch, that's the order" Micheal replied back curtly. His hand rubbing his bald head.

The other teacher nodded in agreement.

" It seems Survivor Academy will become livelier." Micheal's voice held an ominous feeling.

....

The sky cracked apart, splitting with a deafening roar. From its depths, flaming orbs of fire rained down, searing the air with blistering heat.

Olivia's chest heaved, her hands instinctively lifting, but nothing came. No armor, no fire, nothing.

Panic clawed up her throat.

She was powerless.

Above her, the colossal dragon loomed, its scales shimmering like stardust, its wings blocking out the heavens. Its eyes, molten and ancient, bore down on her not with rage, but judgment.

"You are not ready."

A wall of fire surged toward her. She screamed.

"AARGH."

Olivia jolted up from her nightmare, her body was drenched with sweat, her bed soaked from it, her chest rising and falling.

She held her head between her palms. " What happened?" she muttered. Her voice hoarse and dry, she felt like she had not drunk any water for years. 

She placed her legs on the ground while sitting on her bed. She felt her skull might tear from the throbbing pain. She groaned, she felt weak and tired.

Her eyes carefully observed her room. " This is not my room." she thought inwardly. The room has two bunk beds, with little space in the middle. She was lying on the lower bed of the one to the left. And she was alone in the room.

She sighed, her memories slowly flooded her head. Her fist clenched, the dragon was real, her sea of consciousness. She panicked, she didn't know how to access it now, she wanted to know if everything was fine.

Eritrea looked so mad and disappointed at her, but she didn't mean to cause all of that, and the dragon, where did he come from? Different questions swirled in her head.

Her thoughts were disrupted when she felt a cold sensation on her skin.

" Little White." she gently caressed his head with her finger, but the snake hissed at her.

" Stupid human, were you planning to disintegrate your soul? So foolish" Little white scoffed, turning his head away from her.

" Are you mad at me? What did I do this time?" Olivia's weak voice asked.

" Are you asking me? Because of you I have lost all my powers, I wasn't supposed to transform yet, but I forced myself to and now I am suffering a backlash" the snake scoffed, his eyes squinting at her.

"Are you trying to say something?" Olivia brows furrowed, she felt like it was saying something to her with all the hissing he was making.

Little white rolled his eyes inwardly. " Maybe I was wrong, I thought you were the marked one, what a waste of time."

" I'm sorry, I must have scared you." she apologised. " I don't know what happened, but i felt so powerful and strangely…i wanted more, i wanted to burn everything and anything, it was thrilling but it was scary too."