Thunder rolled across the night sky over Majesty High. It began as a distant rumble, low and easy to ignore, but with every second it grew louder until the sound shook the windows of the sleeping quarters. Lightning flashed, turning the darkness silver for a heartbeat, and in that flash, the old castle-like school looked more like a fortress than a school. Amaya stirred beneath her sheets, her breathing uneven. At first there was only darkness, a thick, suffocating darkness that pressed from every direction. She tried to lift her hand, but her body would not obey. Her chest felt heavy, as if something invisible was sitting on her, pinning her to the bed. Then she saw it. A figure stood above her, tall and cloaked in black. She could not see its face, but she felt its eyes on her. A cold hand pressed against her throat. Panic shot through her entire body. "Let me go!" she tried to scream, but no sound came out. She thrashed, her fingers clawing at empty air, but the grip only tightened. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, her lungs burned. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" she cried in her mind. The darkness around the figure began to move. Shadows crawled across the walls like living things, whispering. The figure leaned closer, and the cold around her neck became unbearable. Then something inside Amaya snapped. Heat exploded from her chest, a pure raw energy. A violent burst of golden light tore through the darkness, sending the figure flying backward across the room. The pressure vanished instantly. Amaya jolted awake, sitting upright in bed, gasping for air. Her nightgown clung to her skin with sweat. Her dorm room was dark and quiet, except for the storm hammering against the windows. She stayed completely still for several seconds, listening, her heart pounding so loud she was sure it would wake everyone. She touched her throat with trembling fingers. Nothing there. No hand, no mark, no figure. Only her own rapid pulse. "Just a dream," she whispered, her voice shaking. "It was just a dream, Amaya." But it didn't feel like a dream. The cold still lingered on her skin. She couldn't stay in bed. She needed air, she needed to be sure she was awake. Pushing the sheets aside, she slipped her feet into her slippers and quietly opened her door. The hallway of Majesty High at 2 AM was unusually silent. The long corridor stretched ahead, illuminated only by the faint amber glow of enchanted lamps along the stone walls. The portraits of past headmasters seemed to watch her as she passed. She took a few steps, hugging herself, when she froze. Someone was standing at the far end of the hallway. A shadow, tall and still. Amaya's breath caught. "Hello? Who's there?" The figure moved, gliding around the corner without a sound. Something in her gut told her to go back to her room and lock the door. But something stronger made her follow. Her slippers made soft sounds on the cold marble as she hurried. "Wait! Stop!" Every time she thought she was getting close, the shadow moved farther away. It led her past empty classrooms, dark windows streaked with rain, and silent doors. The hallway seemed to stretch longer with every step, like the school itself didn't want her to catch it. It finally led her outside, into the open field behind the dormitories. The stormy sky hung low, wind tearing at her hair and nightgown. The shadow stood at the very center of the field, waiting for her. Amaya stopped a few feet away, rain starting to soak her. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" she shouted over the wind. The figure remained still, its face still hidden in darkness. "Why did you bring me here? Answer me!" Slowly, the shadow turned toward her, and when it spoke, its voice was not one voice, but many whispering at once, male and female, old and young. "You will know soon." A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. "Know what? Know what? Tell me!" The figure tilted its head. "Why are you here?" "You don't belong here," it whispered, and though it was quiet, she heard it clearly. "You will." A flash of lightning tore across the sky, so bright it turned night into day for a fraction of a second. And in that light, the shadow was gone. Amaya spun around wildly, her hair whipping around her face. "Wait! Nothing. Only the empty field, the rain, and the distant silhouette of Majesty High, its towers dark against the storm. Her breathing was quick and panicked now. She had to get back inside. Something was wrong with this school tonight. She ran back through the corridors, her slippers splashing in small puddles she hadn't noticed before. As she turned the corner near her dorm, she nearly collided with someone and screamed. "Amaya? Oh my god!" It was Miranda, her best friend and roommate, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes wide with worry. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! You weren't in bed!" Amaya grabbed her arms, her hands still shaking. "Miranda, I saw someone. A shadow. It spoke to me." Miranda's expression changed from worry to fear. "A shadow? What are you talking about?" "In my dream first, someone was choking me, and then I woke up and there was a shadow in the hallway. I followed it outside to the field. It said I will know soon, but then it disappeared. "Amaya, you followed a stranger outside in the middle of the night during a storm?" Miranda whispered loudly, pulling her closer. "I know how it sounds, I know! But I couldn't just ignore it. It felt like it was calling me." Miranda looked over her shoulder nervously, then lowered her voice, her own hands trembling. "There's something I haven't told you either. Something that happened to me tonight." "What?" "I had a dream too. But it wasn't like yours." Miranda swallowed hard, her eyes watering. "There were people fighting, Amaya. Hundreds of them. In this school. Everyone was screaming, fire everywhere, blood... so much blood on the floor. And then I saw an arm... it was covered in blood and it wasn't moving." Amaya stared at her, her own fear forgotten for a moment. "Miranda..." "I've never had a dream like that before," Miranda said, her voice breaking. "It felt so real. I woke up crying." Amaya hugged her tightly. "Relax, okay? We're just tired. The storm, exams, everything. That's all. It's just stress." "Do you really think so?" "Yes. Let's go back to our room. We'll talk about it properly tomorrow morning. We'll figure it out together." Miranda nodded reluctantly, leaning on her. Neither of them noticed the faint darkness pooling at the end of the corridor behind them, watching as they left. Morning arrived quietly, as if the storm had never happened. Sunlight poured over the towers of Majesty High, making the wet stone glitter. By daylight, it looked nothing like the terrifying maze Amaya had walked through at night. Students in neat uniforms laughed and chatted, heading to class. But beneath its calm, beautiful appearance, Majesty High was governed by order, rank, and power. Students were not simply divided by grades. Their abilities mattered. Their bloodline mattered. The groups they belonged to mattered. Some students followed the rules, others made the rules, and a few had enough influence that the whole hall fell silent when they entered. Amaya had learned quickly in her first year that this was not a place where weakness remained hidden for long. Everyone had a place, everyone had something to prove, and everyone seemed to know more than they were willing to say. Before she could think further, the main bell rang. "Assembly! All students to the great hall, now!" a prefect shouted. Amaya looked at Miranda, who still looked pale from last night. "Come on." They joined the flood of students moving toward the great hall, a massive room with a vaulted ceiling and floating candles. Inside, hundreds of students gathered, voices echoing. Then the huge oak doors at the front opened, and a man stepped inside. Instructor Kael. He was one of the senior instructors responsible for teaching students to control the dangerous abilities that made Majesty High different from any other school in the country. The noise faded instantly. He had that kind of presence. "There will be changes this term," he announced, his voice carrying without effort. "The seal that protects this school is weakening. I expect every student to conduct themselves accordingly. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, remain disciplined. Remain alert. And above all, remain in control of your powers." A strange uneasiness settled over the room. Students exchanged nervous glances. Thunder shook the entire building, so violent that dust fell from the ceiling. Students flinched. The floating candles flickered and died. "What is happening?" someone whispered. Instructor Kael looked up sharply toward the enchanted ceiling that showed the sky outside. Dark clouds were swirling unnaturally fast. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the massive doors at the back of the hall exploded open with a force that sent two students flying. A figure dressed entirely in black stepped inside, its face covered by a hood, shadows pouring from its cloak like smoke. The entire hall went dead silent. Instructor Kael moved forward immediately, his hands already glowing with blue energy. "Who are you? You are not a student here! Identify yourself!" The figure said nothing. It just raised its head slowly, scanning the crowd as if searching for someone. Then it attacked. Kael thrust his hand forward, and a blast of wind and ice slammed into the intruder, sending it skidding backward ten feet. Students screamed and scattered as chaos erupted in an instant. "Everyone back! Stay back!" Kael shouted. Powers flashed across the hall as senior students reacted. Wind tore through the room, water surged from the floor, the earth cracked, bursts of fire and light erupted above the crowd. But the figure in black wasn't fighting everyone. It moved through the spells like they were nothing, its dark cloak absorbing the magic. It was searching, its hooded head turning from face to face. Until it stopped. Slowly, deliberately, its gaze locked onto Amaya's from across the hall. Her blood ran cold. Her legs went numb. No. It couldn't be. The figure ignored Instructor Kael, ignored the spells hitting it, ignored every other student screaming. It moved directly toward her, each step making the shadows around it grow larger. "Amaya!" Miranda screamed, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her away, but Amaya couldn't move. She was frozen. The figure raised its hand, and pure, terrifying darkness gathered around its fingers, swallowing the light. The air itself seemed to stop. Amaya tried to scream, but no sound came. And deep inside her chest, something she had never felt before began to burn, a hot, golden fire waking up for the first time. The figure lunged, darkness aimed straight for her heart.

The darkness was already moving toward her. Amaya could not breathe. Her legs refused to move. The figure in black stood only a few feet away in the middle of the great hall, its face hidden under a heavy hood, shadows pouring off its cloak like smoke. She could feel its eyes locked on her and only her. Its hand lifted slowly. Darkness gathered around its fingers, crackling, swallowing the light around it. Amaya stepped backward, her back hitting a cold stone pillar. There was nowhere to go. Hundreds of students were screaming and running toward the exits, but she was frozen. Then someone moved in front of her. The impact of power threw Amaya off balance and she fell hard against the pillar. When she looked up, her heart stopped. Miles. He stood directly between her and the stranger, his back to her, his shoulders tense. One hand was raised, glowing faintly with silver energy. For a moment, nobody moved. Amaya knew him but not personally she had never spoken to him before today. But everyone at Majesty High knew who Miles was. He was a final year, a ranker, a leader people followed without question. His family name alone made teachers lower their voices. He was the kind of boy girls whispered about in the dorms and boys tried not to challenge. And he had never once looked at her before. Until now. Miles didn't turn around. His voice was low, calm, but commanding. "Stay behind me. Don't move." Amaya pushed herself up, her hands shaking. "Why... why are you protecting me? "Because you're standing in front of someone who is trying to kill you," he said, still not looking at her. "That's enough reason." The stranger moved. It was faster than any student Amaya had ever seen. Miles reacted faster. He thrust his hand forward and a powerful blast of pure force slammed into the attacker. The entire hall shook, windows rattled, and a shockwave knocked over three rows of chairs. The attacker recovered almost instantly, sliding back but not falling. Get out of the way!" Instructor Kael shouted from the side, his own hands glowing. "This is not a student! This is an intruder!" But the attacker wasn't listening to Kael. It blocked Miles and then counter-attacked. Two forces collided and the explosion of light made everyone cover their eyes. Amaya watched, terrified, as Miles was pushed backward several steps, his boots scraping the marble floor. His jaw tightened. He steadied himself. The stranger tilted its hooded head, studying him almost curiously. Then, without warning, it turned and ran. It smashed through the massive doors leading outside and disappeared into the night. Miles didn't hesitate. He followed. Amaya didn't think. She ran after them. "Amaya, no! Come back!" Miranda screamed behind her, but Amaya was already through the doors. Cold night air struck her face. The grounds of Majesty High were almost completely dark, the storm clouds from last night had returned and covered the moon. The only light came from the distant towers of the school behind them. Ahead, something crashed through the trees and the old woods behind the school that was to forbidden to first years started shaking. Miles had followed the attacker into the woods. Amaya stopped at the edge, her chest heaving. She could hear them fighting inside and the ground trembling beneath her feet. "Who sent you?" Miles's voice echoed through the trees, cold and furious. It was a voice Amaya had never heard from him before. "Answer me! Who sent you?" The stranger laughed. It was a quiet, amused laugh that made Amaya's skin crawl. "You don't understand what you've stepped into, boy. Miles didn't respond. The stranger continued, its voice echoing. "You think you're protecting her? She's already marked." Amaya's heart dropped. Marked? What did that mean? "The boss already knows about her," the stranger said. "It is too late." The boss. That word again. Miles's voice turned ice-cold now, dangerous in a way that made Amaya shiver. "Who is your boss? Say his name." A pause. Then the stranger laughed again. "You'll meet them when the time comes. And when you do, you will wish you had never stood in front of her tonight." Miles attacked. A bright, silver-white force flashed between the trees so bright Amaya had to cover her eyes and look away. When she looked again, the fight had stopped. The woods were silent except for the wind. Miles stood alone in a small clearing. Leaves were scattered everywhere, two trees were split in half. The stranger was nowhere to be seen. Only a small cloud of grey dust floated through the air before settling among the damp leaves. Amaya slowly stepped forward, her slippers sinking into the mud. "What happened? Where did he go?" Miles turned. His face was serious, his dark hair messy, a small cut on his cheek. When he saw her, his eyes widened with anger. "You shouldn't have followed me," he snapped. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" "I heard what they said!" Amaya shot back, her fear turning into frustration. "They said someone knows about me. What did they mean? And don't tell me you don't know!" He stared at her for a long second, breathing hard. Then he looked away toward the trees. "Who is the boss? And what does 'marked' mean?" she demanded, stepping closer to him. She could smell rain and something like ozone coming from his clothes. "Tell me! This is about me!" "I don't know who the boss is," Miles said quietly. "I wanted to know. That's why I asked." "You didn't know this was going to happen tonight?" "No." He finally looked at her again, and his expression softened just a fraction. "I didn't know. But when that thing looked at you... I knew it wasn't here for anyone else." Amaya studied his face. There was something he wasn't telling her. "You knew something was going to happen. You were watching me before it even came in, weren't you?" For the first time, Miles seemed unsure of what to say. He clenched his jaw. Finally, he answered, his voice lower. "Because someone had to watch you, Amaya." Her breath caught at the way he said her name. No one had ever said it like that. "Why?" she whispered. He stepped closer, so close she could see the raindrops on his eyelashes. "Because since the first day you walked into Majesty High, you have had a target on your back and you don't even see it. And because if I hadn't moved tonight, you would be dead." The intensity in his eyes made her heart pound for a completely different reason now. She should have been scared of him, but she wasn't. She felt safe, and that scared her more. Then he stepped back abruptly, as if he realized how close he was. "Go back inside. Now." That answer didn't satisfy her. Not even close. But she nodded and followed him back. By the time they returned to Majesty High, the school had changed. The noise was gone. Students who normally filled the corridors with laughter and conversation moved quietly now, whispering, glancing toward the entrance as if expecting the attacker to return. Amaya understood the feeling. She felt it too. Something dark had entered Majesty High, and it had come specifically for her. Instructor Kael stood in the corridor, his uniform torn. "Everyone to class. Now. No discussions in the hallway." No one argued. Students began moving quickly. Amaya walked beside Miranda, who grabbed her arm tightly. "Are you insane? You ran after him? Into the forbidden woods? With Miles?" Miranda hissed. "Do you know how many rules you just broke?" "I had to know what they were saying," Amaya whispered. "And? What did they say?" Amaya glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "They said someone called 'the boss' already knows about me." Miranda stopped walking, her face pale. "What?" Before Amaya could say more, the bell rang. They entered History. Sofia was already seated at the back, her dark eyes sharp. She looked up as Amaya walked in and immediately frowned. "You look like you saw a ghost. And why are you covered in mud? And why does everyone say Miles saved you?" Amaya sat beside her, exhausted. "Because everyone keeps saying that and it's true. Something happened." Sofia's eyes sharpened with curiosity. "What kind of something?" Miranda sat down on Amaya's other side and lowered her voice. "An attack. A real one. Not a drill." Sofia looked toward the classroom door to make sure the teacher wasn't there yet. "Who attacked?" "We don't know," Amaya said. "But he said something... he said 'the boss already knows about her' about me." Sofia stared at her for a long time. Then she whispered, "Are you hurt?" "No. Miles protected me." At the name Miles, Sofia's eyebrows shot up. "Miles? The Miles? The one who never talks to first years? Why would he protect you?" "I don't know," Amaya admitted, her cheeks heating up despite herself. "He just... did." Sofia studied her face for another moment with a small, knowing smile. "Interesting." The teacher entered before anyone could say more. Professor Alden, old and strict. "Today," he said, his voice grave, "we are going further back than the history most students are taught." An image appeared on the board. Majesty High, but not the school they knew. The towers looked older, darker, and one entire section of the building seemed almost ruined, untouched by time. Amaya leaned forward. "When was this?" "Long before the current structure was built," the teacher answered. "Majesty High has existed in one form or another for centuries. This school was not created simply to teach students how to control their abilities. It was created because people with abilities were once considered dangerous, Feared and Hunted." The images changed and there was an old drawings of people using fire, water, wind, people running from mobs. "The school gave them somewhere to belong," the teacher continued. Another image appeared and it was an old stone entrance with words written in a language Amaya couldn't understand. The image disappeared too quickly, as if the teacher didn't mean to show it. Amaya frowned. Sofia noticed and nudged her. "You saw that too? That part isn't usually shown." "Why not?" Amaya whispered. Sofia didn't answer. The teacher continued explaining the different classifications of powers - Wind, Water, Earth, Blood, Metal, Sun, Moon, Sky. Then he said something that caught Amaya's full attention. "Of course, not every ability could be classified. There were abilities that appeared only once in history. Abilities that had no known origin and no known limits." Amaya's fingers tightened around her pen. Her heart started beating faster. Sofia leaned closer, her voice barely a breath. "There was one. One ability they never understood." "When?" "Years ago. There are stories the school doesn't like people talking about." "What stories?" Amaya asked. "Stories about a student. Something happened and the students disappeared. No one knows how many because the records were erased, even the names were removed." Amaya felt a chill. "Who erased them?" "No one knows. But there was one old record that survived. It said the missing students were last seen with someone. They didn't give a name. They only gave a title." "What title?" Sofia looked directly at Amaya, her face pale. "They called them... The One Who Remained." Amaya's blood ran cold. "What does that mean?" "It means that when everyone else disappeared, that person was still here. At Majesty High." Before Amaya could ask another question, the lights flickered twice Then everything went dark. The classroom fell silent. Someone breathed sharply. The lights returned. And on the blackboard, beneath the history lesson, a sentence had appeared. No one had written it. There was no chalk in anyone's hand. Four simple words, written in dripping black ink. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ASKED. Sofia slowly stood, her chair scraping loudly. Neither of them spoke. Then came a sound from the corridor. Slow footsteps, Unhurried and moving closer. Amaya looked at Sofia, terrified. Sofia looked back, genuinely afraid for the first time since Amaya had known her. The footsteps stopped outside the classroom. Nothing happened. No one entered. Then, very slowly, the classroom door began to open by itself. A dark shape appeared beyond the doorway. No face. Only a shadow. And then, as quickly as it came, the shadow disappeared. The door remained open, creaking slightly. Sofia whispered, grabbing Amaya's hand so tight it hurt: "Amaya... I think the history lesson wasn't a history lesson. I think it was a warning."

The words on the blackboard refused to leave my mind. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ASKED. Even after the lights came back on, even after the shadow disappeared from the doorway, I could still feel something watching us, like the walls themselves were breathing. I glanced at Sofia. She hadn't moved at all, her eyes still fixed on the blackboard, her hands clenched and her knuckles were tight. "What does that mean?" I whispered to her. "Sofia, who wrote that?" Sofia swallowed hard, her voice barely there. "I don't know" and that's what scares me more than the message itself." "You said you knew about the history of this school, you said you knew everything they don't teach us." "I know the history they teach us," she said, finally looking at me, her eyes full of fear. "That doesn't mean I know what really happened here. There's a difference, and I think someone doesn't want us to know it." I stared at the words again, my chest tight. "Then maybe we find out ourselves." Sofia looked at me like I had lost my mind. "How? How do you plan to do that? Ask the ghost that wrote on the board?" "The instructor's office," I said quietly. "You said yourself that the records were erased. If the school doesn't want students knowing what happened, then someone must have kept the original records somewhere hidden." Her eyes widened. "You can't be serious. You want to break into his office? Amaya, we'll get expelled, if we were caught. "You said you wanted answers," I said. "I think it's worth finding out. Don't you?" Sofia hesitated, looking toward the door where the shadow had stood. Then she exhaled sharply. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm telling everyone it was your idea and I was just trying to stop you." We waited until the corridor outside was empty before slipping from the classroom. The walk to the instructor's office felt longer than it should have, and neither of us spoke the whole way, because the silence felt safer than talking. When we finally reached the door, Sofia pushed it open slowly. The room was nothing like I expected. Books floated above the shelves, pages turned by themselves, and a silver compass spun slowly in the air without anyone touching it. Glass containers filled with strange glowing liquids sat on a table. "What is this place?" I whispered, stepping inside. "This doesn't look like an office." Sofia shook her head, grabbing my arm tightly. "I've never seen anything like it. Don't touch anything, Amaya. "I wasn't planning to," I said, but my eyes kept searching. We searched through drawers and shelves, looking for anything connected to the missing student. Then I noticed something on the side wall, I saw something shouldn't be there. "A door," I said, coming closer. "Sofia, there's a door here." She walked over to check. "There shouldn't be a door there. I've been here before, that wall is supposed to be solid. Are you sure?" I placed my hand against it and the wall moved, revealing a hidden doorway. Darkness waited on the other side, cold and endless. "Amaya... don't," Sofia whispered, her eyes wide. "We don't know what's in there." Before I could answer, footsteps echoed outside in the hallway, heavy and fast. Sofia's face went pale. "Someone's coming. Someone is coming right now." "Hide. Under the desk, quickly!" We barely made it beneath the instructor's desk before the door opened. The instructor entered, but he wasn't alone. Another person walked in behind him, black shoes, dark clothing, their face hidden by the desk. My heart began pounding so loud I thought they would hear it. Sofia squeezed my wrist so hard that jt hurts. The instructor spoke first, his voice tense. "You're still here. I thought I told you to leave before curfew." The stranger said nothing at first. Why did you come back?" the instructor asked again. A long silence. Then the stranger answered, voice quiet and calm. "She needs time. My breathing stopped. She? Who is she? The instructor's voice became sharper. "Time for what? Time to do what exactly? You said she wasn't ready." "She needs to grow," the stranger said. "That's all. She needs to grow into what she is." "You told me she wasn't ready last week, now you say she's closer? Which is it?" "She wasn't," the stranger replied evenly. "And now? She is closer than you think. Much closer." I felt Sofia's fingers tighten around my wrist. Neither of us moved, we barely breathed. The instructor lowered his voice, almost a whisper now. "You need to be careful. If anyone discovers you're still here, if anyone sees you, everything changes. Everything we protected will fall apart." The stranger gave a quiet response. "I know the risk. I know what I'm doing." "Then why are you still here? Why can't you just stay away like we agreed?" Another pause, longer this time. "Because I need to see what she becomes. I need to be here when she finally wakes up." My heart pounded harder. Who were they talking about? Who needs to wake up? The instructor suddenly turned toward the desk, his eyes scanning the room. Sofia and I froze, our faces inches from the floor. But after a moment, he looked away. The stranger moved toward the door. As they passed, I caught one final glimpse of the black clothing, then both of them left. We waited for about twenty seconds, until their footsteps faded completely. Sofia pulled me out from beneath the desk, her hands shaking. "We're leaving. We're leaving right now, Amaya, I don't care about the door." I nodded, my legs weak. "Okay, okay, let's go." We ran. We didn't stop until we reached the main corridor, and then we almost crashed into someone coming around the corner. I stumbled backward, almost falling. James caught himself against the wall and looked at me and Sofia, confused. "Okay. Either I'm interrupting something very important, or you two have suddenly developed a talent for running through hallways like criminals." "Nothing happened," Sofia said quickly. James raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Wow. That was convincing. Truly, you should both become actresses. That was the worst lie I've ever heard." "We said nothing happened, James," I repeated, trying to sound firm. James studied us, his smile fading a little, his eyes observant. "You're both terrible liars, you know that? Especially under pressure. So what really happened back there?" Sofia crossed her arms, defensive. "James, please. Can you just drop it? Not now." "Fine. Keep your secrets," he said, holding his hands up. He started walking away, then stopped and turned back. "Oh. There's something you should know though, since you're both acting so weird." Sofia looked at him, wary. "What? What is it now?" James's expression changed completely, serious. "I've been studying the power readings around the school. The readings around the old building. The kind that shouldn't be happening at all." I frowned. "What kind of readings? What are you talking about?" "The kind that means the school itself is reacting," he said, looking toward the windows. "The moon's energy has been fluctuating all night. And it's not only the moon." Sofia's face changed. "What do you mean not only the moon?" "And the solar energy around the school has been behaving strangely too," James said, looking between us. "It's spiking. Like something is waking it up." My stomach tightened. "What does that mean? What happens if it spikes?" "I don't know yet," he admitted, his voice low. "But whatever is happening isn't natural. It hasn't happened in fifty years according to the old records." Sofia and I exchanged a look. James noticed instantly. "You know something," he said, pointing at us. "You definitely know something you're not telling me." "We don't," Sofia said quickly. He gave us a suspicious smile. "Right. Of course you don't. See you at class, liars." Then he walked away, leaving us alone. I watched him disappear around the corner. "What was he talking about, Sofia? What energy?" Sofia shook her head slowly. "I don't know, Amaya. But I have a feeling whatever it is, we're in the middle of it now." But we both knew something was wrong. We just didn't know how wrong it was about to get. Miranda's POV I hated empty corridors. There was something about the silence of Majesty High that never felt peaceful. It always felt like the school was waiting, watching, holding its breath for something to happen. I walked alone, my books held against my chest, my footsteps echoing. Then I heard footsteps behind me, slow and deliberate. I stopped. The footsteps stopped too. My heart skipped. I turned around quickly. "Who's there? Is someone there?" Nothing. The corridor was empty. My heart beat faster. I continued walking, faster now, clutching my books tighter. Then something struck the wall beside me. Water exploded from the pipes with a loud crack, spraying everywhere. I spun around, soaked. A figure stood at the end of the corridor, completely dressed in black, their face hidden. "Who are you?" I demanded, my voice shaking despite trying to sound brave. "What do you want?" The figure didn't answer. Instead, they raised one hand slowly toward me. I reacted immediately, my power surging. Water rushed from the broken pipes and twisted through the air toward them. "I said who are you! Answer me!" The stranger moved, fast, and the water slammed into the wall, missing completely. I stared, shocked. " How did you dodge that?" I attacked again, this time forming a powerful wave and sending it crashing forward. "Stay away from me!" The stranger lifted an arm. The wave stopped in mid-air. Not slowed. Stopped completely. My eyes widened, my mouth open. "What? That's impossible. No one should be able to do that." The water hung in the air between us for a second, then dropped heavily to the floor. The stranger stepped forward, calm. I summoned another stream, my hands shaking. "I won't ask again! Stay back! I'm warning you!" They countered it again, effortlessly. Again. And again. My breathing became uneven, panic rising. "Who is this person? Who are you?" I whispered to myself, backing away. I heard footsteps behind me. "Miranda!" Amaya. Sofia was with her, running toward me. "Get back!" I shouted at them. "Both of you get back now, it's dangerous!" They didn't listen. Amaya stepped forward, her eyes on the stranger. "What is happening? Miranda, what happened to the pipes? Are you okay?" "The person attacked me!" I said, pointing. "I was just walking and they attacked me out of nowhere!" The stranger turned toward Amaya, and for the first time, they became completely still, their head tilting. Sofia noticed too and grabbed Amaya's arm. "Amaya... why is it looking at you like that?" The figure raised their hand toward Amaya, and a powerful force struck the three of us at once. I hit the floor hard. Sofia crashed against the wall. "Amaya!" I screamed, pushing myself up. Sofia groaned. "Miranda, are you okay?" "Stay away from her!" I shouted at the stranger, summoning every bit of water I could control. "Don't you dare touch her!" Amaya attacked at the same time, wind swirling around her. Sofia joined us, fire in her hands. "Get away from us!" Sofia cried, her flames shaking. "Leave us alone!" It wasn't enough. The stranger countered everything we threw, our attacks colliding with an invisible force and vanishing like smoke. I couldn't believe it. "We... we're losing. How are we losing?" Amaya fell to one knee, her face pale. "I... I can't... my power isn't..." Sofia struggled to stand, reaching for her. "Amaya, get up! You have to get up!" I tried to move toward them, but another force threw me backward against the lockers. The stranger walked toward Amaya, slowly, purposefully. Amaya looked up, terrified."What do you want from me? Why are you doing this? The stranger raised a hand over her head. "No! Don't touch her!" I shouted. Something changed in that second. Amaya's eyes widened, not with fear, but with something else. The air around us suddenly became heavy, too heavy to breathe. "Sofia, what's happening?" I gasped. "I don't know!" Sofia shouted back, looking around as the lights flickered violently. "Amaya, what's happening to you?" The walls began to tremble. A deep vibration rolled through Majesty High, shaking the whole corridor. Windows rattled throughout the school. Somewhere far above us, alarms began to sound. The stranger froze, their hand still raised, as if they finally felt afraid. Amaya stared at her own hands, her whole body shaking. "I... I don't know what's happening. I can't control it. Someone help me!" The floor shook harder. The lights exploded one by one. And then something exploded from Amaya. Something I couldn't name, something I had never seen before. "Amaya!" I screamed as the force tore through the corridor. The stranger disappeared. Just gone, like they were erased from the air. At that exact moment, far away in his office, the instructor dropped the object in his hand. He felt it in his chest, in his bones. His face drained of color completely. "No..." he whispered, his voice breaking. "No, it's too early. She wasn't supposed to awaken now. Not yet." The power continued spreading through the school, through every wall, every floor. Amaya stared at her hands, trembling uncontrollably, tears running down her face. "What did I do? What did I just do? What was that?" Nobody answered. Because none of us knew. We just stared at her, afraid to move. But somewhere deep beneath Majesty High, something ancient had awakened. Something that had been sleeping for a very long time. And for the first time in centuries, the school remembered her.