✨ Chapter 22 – The Corruption's First Target**
*(~1,250 words)*
Headmaster Solarin led them across the quiet campus, the moonlight reflecting off the tall windows and empty courtyards. The academy felt colder tonight—still, expectant, as if it were listening.
Aster clung to Kai's neck, tiny arms around him and head resting on his shoulder. Her curls bounced with each step. Ariana walked beside them, feeling Aster's lingering warmth on her hand.
No one spoke as Solarin opened a hidden door in the main hall.
Ariana blinked.
"A portal chamber?" she whispered.
Solarin nodded. "One of the oldest rooms in Elmwood. Protected from outside influences."
He ushered them inside.
The walls were a mosaic of runes, glowing faintly with protective light. In the center was a round table with a shallow bowl of silver liquid that reflected the moon.
Aster squirmed awake, sniffing the air.
"Smells like magic."
Kai held her tighter. "Because it *is* magic. Don't touch anything."
Aster pouted.
"I wasn't going to."
Then she immediately reached for a glowing rune.
Kai nearly dropped her.
"Aster!"
Ariana giggled softly and took Aster's tiny hand.
"Let's just… stay away from the walls, okay?"
Aster nodded obediently and leaned on Ariana instead.
Solarin cleared his throat.
"We have much to discuss."
---
## **The Truth About Corruption**
Solarin waved his hand over the bowl. The silver liquid rippled, forming shapes that danced like mist.
"What we call **corruption**," Solarin began, "is not simply dark magic. It is a *disease*—a force that infects land, creatures, and magic users alike."
Ariana shivered.
Kai frowned.
"Infects?"
"Yes," Solarin said. "Centuries ago, the Old Order experimented with magic that could consume other magic. They called it the Void Root. A parasite born from forbidden incantations."
Zane's eyes widened.
"A parasite… that feeds on magic?"
"Correct," Solarin replied. "The Old Order lost control of it. It seeped into the ground, rotting entire villages until nothing living remained."
Ariana remembered the settlement.
"The poisoned land," she whispered.
Solarin nodded.
"Yes. That land still carries the stain of the Void Root. The vines, the earth, even the Guardian that attacked you… all corrupted remnants."
Calen crossed his arms.
"So Rebirth is using an ancient parasite to create mutated vampires?"
Solarin's expression darkened.
"Worse. They are using the parasite to *alter magic users themselves.*"
Ariana's heart stopped.
"You mean… they're turning people into monsters?"
Solarin shook his head slowly.
"No, Ariana. They are turning monsters into weapons."
Rylan whistled low.
"That's messed up."
Zane exhaled.
"Modified Dark Vampires… born from corrupted land."
Solarin nodded.
"And the scroll you recovered confirms that Rebirth knows exactly how to use the Void Root to evolve their creations."
Ariana swallowed hard.
"So they're not just reviving Dark Vampires… they're improving them."
"Correct," Solarin said softly.
Aster trembled in Ariana's arms.
Ariana hugged her gently.
"Aster? Are you okay?"
Aster lifted her head slowly.
Her violet eyes darkened—almost glowing.
"Something… bad is coming."
Kai stiffened.
"Aster, what do you feel?"
Aster pointed at the silver bowl.
"Someone's… crying. Far away."
Ariana frowned.
"Crying? Who?"
Aster hugged Ariana tighter.
"A big person. Strong. Scared. They're hurt."
Rylan stepped closer to the table.
"Headmaster. Do your visions work with this thing?"
Solarin nodded once.
"Yes. Bring the child here."
Kai frowned protectively.
"Wait—"
Solarin raised a hand.
"She does not need to touch it. She just needs to look."
Kai hesitated, jaw tight.
Ariana gently placed her hand on his arm.
"She'll be fine," she whispered. "I'll stay with her."
Kai exhaled and nodded, placing Aster down gently next to the bowl.
Ariana knelt beside them.
Aster stared into the silver liquid.
It rippled.
Glowed.
Then turned black.
Zane froze.
"That… that's not normal."
Solarin leaned in.
"Let her speak."
Aster reached toward the liquid without touching it.
"I see… a wall… a big wall in the woods. Someone's behind it. Someone's scared."
Ariana's heart raced.
"Can you tell who?"
Aster shivered violently.
"They're… strong. Like Kai. Like you."
Ariana blinked.
"Like me?"
Aster nodded.
"They have magic like yours. But… broken."
Kai moved closer, alarmed.
"Broken?"
Aster nodded again.
"And… there's a symbol on the wall."
"What symbol?" Zane asked sharply.
"The same one Ariana showed us."
The Blood Seal.
Ariana felt her stomach twist.
Rylan swore.
"Headmaster. Someone is trapped out there."
Solarin's face hardened.
"Yes. And if Aster is correct… they are a magic user infected with corruption."
Ariana's breath hitched.
"Can we save them?"
Solarin closed his eyes.
"I do not know."
Aster suddenly screamed.
Ariana grabbed her immediately.
"Aster! What's wrong?"
Aster pointed to the bowl.
"The bad place is moving. It wants someone. It wants… *one of us.*"
Kai pulled Aster into his arms instantly.
"Aster, stop! Don't look anymore!"
Aster sobbed into his shoulder.
"It wants Ariana."
Ariana felt her blood run cold.
Solarin's face turned grave.
Zane stepped in front of Ariana protectively.
"No. That can't be right. Corruption can sense her, yes, but that doesn't mean—"
"It knows her scent," Aster whispered.
"It knows her wolf."
Ariana trembled.
"My… wolf?"
Solarin nodded grimly.
"The Void Root feeds on magic. A Lunar-Blood Wolf carries more magic than a hundred mages. You are a beacon."
Ariana hugged herself.
"So the corruption wants to… what? Eat me?"
Solarin shook his head.
"No. It wants to *use* you."
Kai's voice sharpened dangerously.
"Over my dead body."
Solarin looked at him with new respect.
"And that is precisely why Ariana should not face this alone."
Zane frowned.
"Headmaster. What exactly is the corruption targeting?"
Solarin placed a hand on the table.
"The abandoned settlement was only the beginning. If corruption is active there… then the next logical target is the nearest source of large magical energy."
Rylan exhaled slowly.
"The academy."
Solarin nodded.
But Aster tugged on Ariana's sleeve.
"Not the whole academy," she whispered.
"Just one place."
Ariana knelt.
"Which place, honey?"
Aster pointed at the bowl.
"The old greenhouse. The big one with the broken glass."
Zane paled.
"That greenhouse used to store elemental seeds…"
Calen finished the thought:
"…which could be used to grow corrupted plants."
Rylan muttered, horrified:
"They're building a corrupted army."
Kai looked at Ariana.
And Ariana felt it—
her wolf pushing against her ribs again.
"Blood calls to blood."
They now knew what Rebirth intended.
And they knew where they'd strike next.
Ariana swallowed hard.
"We need to go to the greenhouse."
Kai's hand tightened around hers.
"We go together."
A/n: Blood calls to blood