The situation became awkward between Prince Roger and Violet as they walked side by side in silence toward Miss Leovra's classroom. Violet remained silent when Roger told her he liked her. Should she also be honest and admit that her heart always raced whenever she saw the prince?
"Violet!" called Nalina.
Violet's tense shoulders finally relaxed when Nalina ran over to her. "My hero!" Violet exclaimed in her heart.
"You left your book behind. I'll be at the healer's hut if you come looking for me later," said Nalina. The fair-haired girl turned to look at Prince Roger and bowed in respect. Nalina's eyes were too sharp to miss Violet's odd behavior, especially the prince's red ears. "Is Your Highness feeling unwell? Your ears are red, Your Highness."
Prince Roger didn't answer, he just cleared his throat and looked at Violet before leaving, saying, "Take care of yourself, Vio. I'll be back at the palace this afternoon."
According to Violet, those words meant, "I don't want to hear that you're sick, and I'll miss you while I'm at the palace." As the prince's footsteps grew distant, Violet wiped her face and exhaled roughly.
"What happened between the two of you?" Nalina asked curiously.
"The prince kissed me, Nal," Violet replied, holding her lips. Her heartbeat quickened again as she recalled the incident.
"Did you kiss him back?"
Violet covered her face, feeling both embarrassed and foolish. "I don't know how to kiss."
"Use your instincts, Violet. Instincts!" Nalina held her forehead and shook her head slowly. She felt like telling the two of them to start over and she would show them how.
Then, Violet headed to Miss Leovra's classroom to study history, while Nalina went to the healer's cottage to gather with her fellow healers.
***
Edgar got off his carriage and entered the academy grounds. Dark clouds seemed to follow his steps. The man looked at the large clock on the tower and then shifted his gaze to the sky, which had suddenly grown dark. Then, he hurriedly entered the academy dormitory, which was heavily guarded. Edgar took the elevator to the floor where Violet's room was located, and after finding Violet's room, Edgar simply waved his hand, and the door opened.
Violet's room was bright with the windows and curtains wide open. However, a growling sound made Edgar quickly turn his head to the left, and he was startled to see an animal leap and tackle his body, causing him to fall to the floor. When Edgar opened his eyes, he was already on the front lawn of the assassin's lodge, lying on his back. He quickly got up and entered the assassin's lodge.
"Edgar, you're here. Did you also feel something strange?" Alfa asked.
"Yes," Edgar replied.
Edgar approached Zuar, who was sharpening his sword. "Do you know where Violet is?"
"You're her fiancé, but you don't know where she is?" Zuar replied with a slightly mocking tone.
Edgar clicked his tongue, but before he could respond to Zuar's words, a loud explosion rang in their ears. Everyone in the weapons room immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the room. Smoke billowed from the area behind the academy and rose high into the sky. Then, dark clouds spread out and poured down a heavy rain.
"Violet," Edgar whispered. The man pushed through the rain and searched for his fiancée among the crowd of mages, but she wasn't there. "I hope you're okay," he said softly.
Soon, black shadows darted through the air at low speed. When everyone looked up, they screamed because many winged creatures were roaming the academy's sky at a not-too-distant distance.
"It's Nych!" one of them screamed.
Thanks to that shout, the Nych turned their heads downward and grinned, revealing their fangs. Their favorite food was the flesh and life essence of mages. They dove down, causing many people to scatter in search of shelter, while quite a few were already prepared to fight the creatures of darkness.
"Attack them!" Edgar shouted, leading the assassins.
The clanging of swords mingled with Nych's screams, making the afternoon atmosphere quite tense. Especially with the rain that seemed to have been sent on purpose to liven up the afternoon event. Arrows filled the air, and the fighters joined in, immediately throwing their spells at Nych.
"Where is Violet?" Noah shouted at Edgar. Edgar merely shook his head and was immediately struck by Noah's spell. The old man was worried; his daughter hadn't yet mastered her energy stabilly, and now she was faced with such a situation. With firm and hurried steps, Noah quickly left the area and began searching for Violet's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Prince Roger, who was only a quarter of the way to the palace, was also startled by the sound of the explosion. The sound could be heard outside the academy, causing the palace guards to stop their horses. One of them dismounted and approached the prince's carriage. When he looked inside, there was no one there.
"It seems the prince has returned to the academy; we must follow him," he said to the other guards.
Violet ran through the classroom corridor as five Nych chased her. Some other wizards who tried to help her were injured and could only step aside. The Nych did not target others as long as she was not provoked. Violet emitted something unique from her body, and even her energy aura excited the Nych.
Vines broke through the glass windows and tried to ensnare the Nych. Violet even made the vines thorny and managed to tear the Nych's wings. Unfortunately, the creatures refused to give up and continued chasing Violet, even though two of them could only run. One of the creatures let out a screech, causing the other Nych to quickly approach.
"Violet!" Nalina shouted. The girl took a chance and shot Nych with an arrow, but missed. Nalina was thrown through the glass and crashed into Zuar, who was waiting below to catch his lover.
Prince Roger, who had just arrived, looked up at the spot where Nalina had been thrown. The brave man immediately jumped up there without a second thought, risking his own life. Several people followed the prince because his safety was of the utmost importance.
Violet was cornered; she panicked and didn't know what to do. Her magic couldn't harm the terrifying creature. The Nych grinned and immediately charged at Violet's body, causing the girl to break through the glass window and fall down with the dark creatures swarming around her body. Perhaps this was the death Violet had to face; she surrendered.
Violet's body fell to the open ground, and someone jumped down from the building, unleashing their power to repel all the Nych trying to drain Violet's life force. The man's sword glowed purple, and when he landed, he immediately plunged it into the ground, and a strong wind blew the Nych into tiny pieces.
He quickly approached Violet, who was staring blankly at the sky, her breath labored and her heart racing.
"Violet, you're safe now," the man said.
The tears of fear that Violet had been holding back finally spilled over as the man pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He even kissed her forehead and felt grateful that she was okay. Meanwhile, up above, the prince could only stand there in silence, witnessing the horrifying scene. He jumped down and let Edgar carry Violet to the medical center.
"You sly bastard!" Roger muttered with his hands clenched.