Yvonne turned her head toward Eric angrily, ready to snap at him—
But a low, deadly growl froze her in place.
Slowly, she turned back only for her breath to caught in her throat as she came face to face with the ghoul's horrifying appearance.
Its spindly arms reached toward them, glowing red eyes piercing the dark. Every inch of it screamed danger.
Why is it back?
Yvonne had thought it had retreated earlier. But now, it was clear—it had never left. It had been lurking, waiting, watching them in silence until they revealed themselves.
She immediately tried summoning her power, focusing the water around them. Her heart pounding hard against her rib.
She can handle this… she have to.
But the ghoul was faster.
It lunged.
If not for Eric's lightning-quick reaction, Yvonne would have been ripped apart. He moved instinctively, pulling her down into the river as the creature's claws slashed the air where her head had been.
Before Yvonne could try summoning her dismantle attack, the ghoul struck again—this time aiming straight for her face.
Eyes widened in terror as she stared at the claws getting closer and closer.
She instinctively shut her eyes, bracing for the pain. But...
Nothing happened.
No pain.
No impact.
Opening her eyes.
The ghoul was engulfed in blazing red flames. It shrieked, the fire consuming it in moments until it vanished into thin air.
Yvonne stared, mouth slightly open.
Her gaze shifted to Eric.
Fire…?
He had used fire. She knew fire manipulators existed, but most needed a source—flint, oil, to add to their use of Ember. But, the ability to manifest fire spontaneously, in a damp place where water was flowing was extremely rare, almost legendary.
Yvonne could feel her heart thumping faster as her gaze caught his, staring at each other.
He's not just fast… he's dangerous. Beautifully dangerous
Before she could fully process her thought, a deep voice called out:
"Who's there?!"
Six shadows moved in the distance. Yvonne heart sank.
Guards.
She felt Eric's hand brush against me, warm and commanding.
"Wear it. Quick!" he ordered, tossing her his shirt. She scrambled into it just as the figures stepped closer.
The guards' eyes landed on them.
"What are you two doing here at this hour?" one barked. "Aren't you supposed to be in your dorms?"
Both of them were soaked. Yvonne had Eric's shirt on. He was shirtless. This looked… extremely compromising.
Yvonne nearly gagged when she accidentally glimpsed their thoughts before shutting down her mind-reading.
—Kids these days are shameless.
—Sneaking out to do… that?
—Look at his muscles… impressive stamina.
She clenched her fists. Focus, Yvonne. Ignore them.
Just then, a clear, authoritative voice rang out.
"What's going on here?"
The guards stepped aside, revealing a woman. Dark-skinned, tall, and exuding command with every movement. Curves and confidence combined, she radiated authority.
"Miss Olivia," the guards greeted, bowing deeply.
"I asked what's going on," she said again, her voice calm but firm.
"We caught them here," Diego answered, pointing at us. "Together."
Miss Olivia's gaze sharpened, scanning the two students.
Her eyes widened slightly as she took in Eric's and Yvonne drenched, disheveled appearance.
"Eric? Alessandra?" she said. "What are you two doing here?"
Later
"What sin did we commit to deserve this?" Yvonne groaned, her knees pressing into the cold stone of the Redeeming Hall. The sun was rising, painting gold streaks across the floor.
Four hours.
Four hours of kneeling. Her legs were numb, tingling.
"We sneaked out," Eric replied flatly beside her, his tone cold and distant.
"And so what?" Yvonne hissed. "Are we the first students to sneak out? Why are they making such a big issue?"
"They thought we were making out," he added.
Oh goddess of Valeria!
Of course. Of course they would think that.
"But we weren't!" Yvy protested under her breath. "Why can't they just wait for an explanation?"
The door to the hall opened, and Miss Olivia reappeared, this time accompanied by a tall, lean man in a perfectly tailored suit. His presence was calm, but sharp enough to make the hairs on Yvonne neck stand.
"Eric," he said immediately.
His gaze flicked to Yvonne—brief, sharp, and assessing—before settling back on Eric.
"Miss Olivia has told me everything."
Everything?
Yvonne stomach dropped. That didn't sound good at all.
She glanced at Eric, who merely stayed silent, expression unreadable. Something about this man made her gut twist in warning.
This is far from over.