Fractures

The school was not the same after that night.

News traveled faster than any spell could chase it, a wildfire of whispers and glances, of doubt and fear. The "EMP gloves," Haku's terrifying power to mute magic itself, it shattered the sacred trust that every student and faculty member had built around their school, around their safety.

In the crowded hallways, voices fell silent the moment Yue passed by, eyes flicking nervously to the faint scars on her knuckles where the entity had struck. Alex limped beside her, still dripping blood, his face drawn and pale, but his eyes burning with a stubborn fire that no exhaustion could smother.

They moved fast, stepping past groups of students whispering, "Did you see what happened? Is magic even safe anymore? What if the entity returns?"

"Not the time," Yue said low, her voice sharp with impatience. "We need to find out what's next. That thing wasn't just a parasite, it's a hive, a fracture. Whatever it is, it's fractured."

Alex rubbed at the swelling bruise forming on his ribs. "Feels like this school's breaking in two."

Ahead, the great wooden doors to the council chambers swung open.

Professor Lyra stood framed by the harsh sunlight streaming in from outside, her usual composed expression now tight with worry. The faculty had convened urgently, summoned by the tremor in the magical wards and the damage the entity had caused. Everyone waited for the arrival of Haku, the headmaster who now carried the weight of fear on his shoulders.

Haku entered last, his presence calm but commanding, the gloves discarded but not forgotten, the quiet symbol of a new era of danger.

'Relax, Haku, you knew this would happen the moment you used the EMP gloves.'

The principal spoke clearly, his voice a rare mix of solemn and resolute.

"We will not let this darkness consume our students or our school," he began. "But the threat is beyond what any of us has faced before."

He paused, eyes meeting each faculty member in turn.

"This entity is ancient, a remnant from before our magic was born, something that doesn't adhere to our laws. It merges, consumes, fractures souls to grow stronger. And it's found a way inside our walls."

Al-Malik and Haku both looked towards Bernard, but his face was stoic and cold, not showing a hint of emotion.

Murmurs broke out.

One professor raised a hand. "Is it linked to the artifacts found in the lower wings? The ones we sealed years ago?"

Principal Al-Malik nodded grimly. "Yes. The entity exploits those fractures in space and magic to anchor itself. That corridor where Alex was trapped is a wound in our realm."

Yue stepped forward, voice calm but firm. "It's spreading. The sickness among students wasn't accidental; it was feeding. Draining life, but not killing outright yet. The entity needs hosts, vessels to grow."

Alex clenched his fists, the memory of Sofia's twisted smile burning behind his eyes.

"She's not just a victim anymore," he said. "She's a gateway."

"Exactly," Yue replied. "We have to stop the merger, but killing the hosts isn't the answer. If we destroy them, the fracture widens. It'll leak into the world."

Haku's gaze darkened. "Then we seal it, cut the parasite out. But we need something stronger, more precise. I only suppressed it briefly. We need a ritual."

The room fell silent, weight settling on every heart.

Niko, standing near the back, spoke up. "There's an ancient text in the vaults, something about 'Soul Severance.' It's dangerous magic. A last resort, but it might cut the entity from its hosts without killing them."

Al-Malik looked toward Yue. "That ritual requires a catalyst. Someone who can anchor the ritual's power, someone with a soul strong enough not to be consumed."

Yue swallowed. The implication was clear.

"Who?" she asked.

Niko's face was pale but steady. "You probably."

She met his gaze steadily. "I see. We need to act fast."

"But this isn't just a fight," Haku said. "It's a war of souls."

Outside, the sky darkened, a gathering storm shadowing the school grounds. The entity's presence still pulsed through the very stones.

Suddenly, a sharp cry cut through the hall.

"Another one!" someone shouted.

The doors burst open.

A second-year student stumbled in, eyes wild, veins glowing faintly red beneath her skin.

She collapsed.

Yue was at her side in an instant, scanning the aura, the faint distortion in her energy.

The merger had begun again.

The ritual had to happen before the next full moon, less than three nights away.

Haku and his gang spent the following hours locked in the archive vaults, poring over brittle scrolls and cracked tomes, his mind racing to decipher the ancient texts. Every glyph seemed to shimmer with danger, every phrase a warning.

'I need to make sure this work, I refuse to lose a student, and I sure as hell won't lose Yue.'

Alex stayed close, his presence a quiet anchor amid the growing chaos.

"We're running out of time," Yue said, finally closing a thick manuscript. "If we don't stop this soon, the entity will be unstoppable."

Alex nodded. "And Sofia's still out there, waiting."

Al-Malik entered, his expression unreadable.

"We have to prepare the ritual site," he said. "The school's central nexus, the heart of our mana. It's the only place strong enough to contain the backlash."

Yue frowned. "That means exposing the whole school to risk."

"It's a risk we have to take," Haku replied. "The entity's hold grows stronger every hour.

Yue, are you sure you want to do this? If you give me more time, I might find another way."

Haku's worry for Yue's well-being was clear as day.

"You know we don't have the time this time around, please put your trust in me, I am, after all, your teaching assistant," Yue said with a soft smile and determined eyes.

Night fell again, heavy and unyielding.

Yue stood at the nexus chamber's center, surrounded by ancient runes carved into stone. The air thrummed with potential energy, and the wards flickered uncertainly under the strain.

The Principal and Lyra prepared the ritual circles, weaving protective enchantments, their movements precise but hurried.

Alex stood guard at the door, sword ready, eyes sharp despite exhaustion.

'If this goes wrong, I have to be ready to take Yue out of there. '

A silence fell over the chamber.

Then the air shifted.

The entity was coming.

It burst through the veil like a storm.

Not just a shadow, but a living tempest, tendrils of dark energy coiling and writhing, eyes black pits of endless hunger.

Sofia was its host still, but the girl was a ghost now, buried beneath layers of something older and crueler.

Yue felt the pressure twist her breath, but she didn't falter.

"We end this," she whispered.

The ritual began.

Runes blazed.

Mana surged.

the ancient magic, everything converged in a pulse of blinding light.

The entity screamed, a sound that split stone and shattered spirit.

For a moment, the world seemed to hang suspended between destruction and salvation.

Then, silence.

Sofia collapsed, eyes flickering back to their original green, weak but alive.

The entity was severed, cast out into the void.

But the fractures remained.

And Yue knew this was only the beginning.