The alarm shattered the uneasy quiet of the academy like a sudden thunderclap. Shouts rang through the corridors, feet pounding against stone floors as guards and students scrambled to their positions. Outside, the night was no longer just dark—it was alive with a sinister red glow. The blood moon had finally risen.
Kael and I raced toward the eastern gates, our breaths coming in sharp bursts, hearts hammering with a mix of dread and resolve. The air was thick with the smell of burning wood and something far fouler—a metallic tang that clung to my tongue.
"We need to hold the gates," Kael said, eyes blazing brighter than the moon. "If the Hollow breaks through now, everything we've fought for is lost."
I nodded, gripping the dagger tight beneath my cloak. It burned faintly against my skin, its runes pulsing like a heartbeat in time with mine.
The courtyard was chaos. Bone Creatures poured through the broken walls like a tide of death—skeletal forms twisted and grotesque, their hollow eyes glowing with unholy light. The mist rolled in thick and suffocating, swallowing the edges of the world.
Kael's flames erupted in fierce spirals, incinerating the closest wave of creatures. I summoned my shadows, weaving them into snares and barriers, cutting down anything that slipped past the fire's edge.
But this time, it wasn't just the creatures. Among the Bone Creatures, I saw shapes moving with unnatural grace—figures draped in tattered cloaks, faces hidden beneath hoods. They moved with purpose, their eyes flashing with cruel intelligence.
"The Hollow's servants," Kael growled. "They're here to finish what the creatures started."
A scream tore through the chaos—a sharp, piercing sound that froze me for a moment. I turned toward the sound to see a young student trapped beneath a fallen beam, Bone Creatures closing in.
"No!" I shouted, rushing forward. Shadows slid beneath the beam, lifting it just enough for the student to crawl free.
Kael was already there, a blazing sword of fire cutting through the nearest creature. We fought side by side, a whirlwind of shadow and flame.
But even as we battled, my eyes caught movement near the ruined gatehouse.
Jaren stood there, silent, watching the carnage with cold eyes.
"Jaren!" I called, voice cracking with pain and anger. "Why are you here? Are you with them?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he lifted his hand, and a blast of dark energy surged from his palm, knocking several Bone Creatures back.
Kael's flames flared in response. "He's fighting them. Or pretending to."
I narrowed my eyes. "Or playing both sides."
The battle grew fiercer. More Bone Creatures poured in, clawing and snapping, their numbers overwhelming.
I felt a sharp pain in my side—something had broken through my shadow shield. I staggered, but Kael was there, steadying me.
"We can't hold much longer," he warned, sweat and ash streaking his face.
I swallowed my fear. "There's only one way."
I pulled the dagger from my cloak, the runes glowing fiercely in the blood-red moonlight.
"This is the key," I said. "If I can channel the ritual from the guardian's journal, I can strengthen the seals. But I'll need time—and protection."
Kael nodded without hesitation. "I'll hold them off."
As I began to chant the ancient words, the air around me thickened with power. The dagger's light spread, weaving a shimmering barrier that pushed back the mist and creatures alike.
The Bone Creatures howled, striking at the barrier with desperation.
Kael's fire blazed hotter, his form a living inferno as he defended the circle of light.
Time slowed as I focused on the ritual, my voice steady despite the chaos.
Memories flickered through my mind—the warnings in the journal, my sister's letter, the betrayal, the sacrifices.
The blood moon's glow intensified, casting long, eerie shadows.
With a final cry, I plunged the dagger deep into the stone floor. The runes flared brightly, sending waves of pure light radiating outward.
The Bone Creatures shrieked, their forms dissolving into ash.
The cloaked figures vanished like smoke on the wind.
When the light faded, silence fell over the courtyard.
Kael lowered his hands, exhaustion etched deep into his features.
I collapsed to my knees, breath ragged but heart pounding with hope.
The seals had held. For now.
But as I looked up, the blood moon bled fully red, casting its cursed light over the academy.
And somewhere in the shadows, I knew the true darkness was still waiting.