Chapter 11 Starting
Xena was sitting in front of her wide golden mirror, humming softly as she combed her long silky hair. She sat like a queen, legs crossed, head slightly tilted, admiring every angle of herself. Her room was grand, decorated with white fur rugs, wolf symbols, and expensive flower fragrance scattered everywhere. A faint smile played on her lips as she leaned closer to the mirror.
“No one,” she whispered slowly, staring at her reflection. “No fairy… no witch… no vampire… no one must be prettier than me in this whole Academy.”
She touched her cheek gently, checking her flawless skin. Not even a spot. She smirked proudly.
She dipped her fingers into a jar of glowing ointment and rubbed it over her cheekbones, making her skin shine more. Then she picked small crystal accessories and fixed them neatly into her hair, admiring the sparkle.
“Perfect,” she said with a satisfied breath. “Absolutely perfect.”
She was about to stand up when something caught her attention.
A strange reflection in the mirror.
A shadow behind her.
Her heart skipped a beat for a second, then she smirked slowly, thinking it must be another student coming to beg her for something. She turned around casually.
But what she saw wasn’t a student.
The same dark figure everyone talked about the one that killed the vampire.
The Thorned Veil.
Xena blinked, surprised, but her pride covered her fear quickly. She stood up slowly, folding her arms with a mocking smile.
“So you’ve finally come for me,” she said with a cruel laugh. “Did you think I would be scared?”
The figure didn’t reply.
Just stood there… silent… almost like a shadow without life.
Xena scoffed. “I am Xena, Alpha Princess. If you think you can kill me easily, you’re nothing but a fool.”
Still, no answer.
Her jaw tightened. “Say something!”
But the figure rushed forward without warning.
Xena blocked the attack with her arm and pushed the figure back, her claws already out. She moved fast, striking, punching, scratching, her speed was incredible, her strength, After her brother, she is the strongest among all the wolves in the Academy.
But the figure matched her easily.
Silent. Deadly. Unshaken.
Their fight crashed into the walls, knocking down her special ointment, breaking her table. Xena hissed angrily and threw a heavy kick, but the figure dodged like they were made of smoke.
“You think you’re strong?” Xena shouted furiously. “Let me show you real power!”
She stepped back, her eyes glowing bright gold. Her bones cracked loudly as her body shifted. Within seconds, she transformed into a large white wolf, fur glowing, fangs sharp, eyes burning with rage.
She lunged forward with a loud growl, pushing the figure through a table. She bit their arm, shaking violently, but the figure stabbed her side, making her yelp and release.
She tried again, clawing at them, but something felt wrong.
Her legs felt… weak.
Her chest felt heavy.
Her wolf senses started fading little by little.
“W–What…” she growled weakly as she staggered. “Why can’t I… move?”
A cold realization washed over her.
The figure wasn’t just strong.
They were stronger than her.
She tried to run, but she barely made it to the door before the figure grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall. Her wolf form began shaking, weakening more and more.
She tried shifting back, tried fighting, but she was losing too fast.
“No—no!” she whined as her strength drained completely. “I am Xena… I am the strongest… I—”
The figure didn’t give her time to finish.
They lifted the silver tiger dagger and stabbed her straight in the chest.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Her white fur stained red instantly.
Her body fell to the floor, slowly shrinking back into her human form. She lay there, eyes open, shock frozen on her face.
The Thorned Veil knelt beside her calmly.
They used the knife to carve the same eerie message on her arm:
“Welcome, The Thorned Veil.”
Then they placed the same white thorny rose gently on her chest.
Without a sound, like a fading shadow, the figure disappeared into the darkness of her broken room.
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The next morning, the Academy felt strangely calm. The sun had barely risen, and the soft light filled the halls. Students moved around slowly, some rushing for early training, others still sleepy. No one suspected that something terrible had happened during the night.
Xena’s door was the first sign.
It was slightly open.
Her maid, who normally came to assist her every morning, noticed it and frowned. “Princess Xena?” she called softly. “Should I come in?”
No answer.
She pushed the door wider. The room was quiet, too quiet. The maid stepped inside, her eyes scanning the place until they suddenly stopped.
A loud scream tore through the whole building.
Within minutes, everyone came running teachers, warriors, students. The scream echoed again as the maid collapsed to the floor, shaking, pointing toward the center of the room.
Xena’s body lay there.
Her hair accessories were scattered around her. Her night gown was stained with blood. And right on her chest, sitting perfectly like a cruel decoration, was a white thorny rose.
The second one.
The second victim.
Whispers spread fast.
“It’s the assassin again…”
“The Thorned Veil…”
“They killed the Alpha Princess…”
Fear filled the air like smoke.
The Master of the Academy rushed inside with several guards. “Clear the room! Move back!” he ordered sharply.
But the whispers kept growing louder. No one could stop the fear this time.
Then Xavier arrived.
He pushed past everyone, breathing heavily, not prepared for what he was about to see. When his eyes landed on his sister’s body, he froze in shock, then slowly sank to his knees.
“Xena… no… no… what happened to you?” he whispered. His hands trembled as he touched her cold arm. “Who did this to you…”
His breath became rough. His eyes turned red with anger. He stood up sharply, turning toward the Master.
“Find them!” he shouted. “Whoever is doing this, find them right now! I don’t care how! I will kill that person with my own hands. My father will not sit still when he hears this!”
His chest rose and fell fast as he tried to keep his rage under control.
But then…
A sound broke the heavy silence.
Laughter.
Everyone turned immediately. Kael stood near the doorway, his hands folded, looking at the scene as if he had just discovered something amusing.
He laughed again, softly this time, but the room still heard it clearly.
Xavier glared at him with pure hatred. “What is funny?!” he yelled.
Kael stopped laughing slowly, but a small smirk remained on his lips. “It’s interesting,” he said simply.
“Interesting?!” Xavier growled, stepping forward angrily.
Kael pointed lazily at the rose on Xena’s chest. “The assassin is going after people who hurt fairies… and your sister hurt them a lot.”
People gasped. Xavier’s rage grew hotter.
Kael walked closer to the body, still calm. “To catch someone like this… you don’t chase them.” He tapped the side of his head. “You use a bait.”
He turned around and started walking away without another word, as if the death of an Alpha Princess meant nothing to him.
Xavier clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “We must get this assassin,” he said again, voice shaking with fury. “I will kill them myself…”
The students only watched silently, their fear doubling. No one dared to speak, no one dared to breathe loudly.
Now more than ever, they whispered only one name—
Thorned Veil.
The assassin that no one could see.
The assassin who killed without mercy.
And the assassin who was still somewhere inside the Academy.
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Azania walked quietly through the deep forest, her long white gown brushing lightly against the fallen leaves. The trees stood tall around her, their shadows covering most of the light, but she moved as if she knew every step already. Her wooden staff tapped gently on the ground, guiding her, each soft sound echoing like a whisper in the stillness.
Her expression was calm as usual, but inside her mind, she was searching.
She had seen something earlier, just a flicker of darkness near the Academy, a presence that didn’t belong among humans, wolves, witches, nor fairies. Something older. Something dangerous. And she knew it was hiding in the forest.
“Reveal yourself,” she murmured under her breath, though she knew the creature would not answer.
A soft wind brushed past her, carrying a faint scent of smoke. She paused, tilting her head slightly like she was listening. Her milky eyes stared straight ahead, even though she could not see.
Far above her, Vyrian stood on a thick branch, watching her intensely. His dark cloak blended with the shadows, and his eyes glowed faintly with crimson light. He had been following her since she entered the forest, curious about the strange witch who walked so boldly in a place like a this.
He stretched out his hand slowly, forming a fireball in his palm. The flame crackled quietly but fiercely, the red glow reflecting on his face. He waited until she stepped closer, closer, until she was right below him.
She shouldn’t have sensed him, he made no sound.
But she stopped.
And for the first time since entering, she lifted her chin as if she knew exactly where he stood.
Vyrian narrowed his eyes.
She shouldn’t know.
She shouldn’t be able to feel him.
He descended silently from the tree, landing behind her without even disturbing the leaves. The fire grew brighter in his hand. One strike and she would be gone. The Academy would lose one of its most gifted witches.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
He raised his arm, ready to release the fire straight into her back.
But before he could even move his wrist—
Azania lifted her hand gently, touching his cheek.
Vyrian froze.
The fireball vanished instantly.
He stared at her in shock. No mortal had ever moved fast enough to touch him.
Azania’s expression didn’t change. Her hand moved lightly across his face, feeling his sharp jaw, the coldness of his skin, the unnatural smoothness that no human possessed.
Then she let her hand fall.
“Oh, thought i saw someone” she said simply, in a calm voice. “But it was just a tree.” Vyrian move his hand on her face and realized she is blind when she didn't blink.
She tapped her staff once on the ground and turned away, walking slowly as though nothing had happened.
Vyrian watched her in surprise. His eyes followed the swing of her long hair as she moved further into the woods. He almost stepped forward again, wanting to test her, wanting to see if she truly did not know who he was but he didn't.
Azania’s lips curved into a small smirk.
Soft, almost unnoticeable.
“So,” she muttered quietly, “it is a demon after all.”
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Lyra stepped quietly into Kael’s chamber, hugging her small cleaning cloth to her chest. The moment she entered, she paused. The room was dark, silent, almost empty of life. It felt cold too, like no one had lived there in years. She swallowed and walked further in, closing the large wooden door behind her.
“Why is everywhere always so quiet with him…” she muttered to herself.
She took in a slow breath and began her work. Dusting the shelves. Sweeping the floor. Arranging the books that were scattered on the table. She was used to this, her mother taught her to clean since she was little. She moved fast, her small hands steady, and the room slowly became brighter as she pushed the windows open.
She was almost done when a faint sound drifted across the chamber.
Lyra froze.
She turned her head slowly. There was a door. A door she had not noticed before, hidden near the back wall, its frame blending with the shadows.
Her heart thumped loudly, but her curiosity pushed her forward. She approached it gently, her fingers brushing over the old wood, and then she pushed it open.
A soft gasp escaped her lips.
Inside was another chamber, darker, colder, and much quieter. A strange place. A forbidden place. She stepped in slowly, still holding her cleaning cloth. The air felt heavy, yet something pulled her deeper inside.
Then she heard it.
A low sound, a splash.
She turned.
And her eyes widened instantly.
Kael was in the dark lake at the center of the chamber. The water looked hot, steam rising from its surface and drifting around his body. He was sitting inside the lake, his entire upper body exposed, his skin dripping with water. His eyes were closed like he was in deep thought, his long black hair wet and falling over his shoulders.
Lyra’s mouth opened slightly in shock. She instantly spun around to leave, but her leg hit a small stone on the floor.
The sound echoed.
Kael’s eyes snapped open sharply.
Before she even breathed, the world spun—
Her back hit the wall.
Kael was in front of her, towering, water dripping down his chest. His hand was beside her head, trapping her in place.
His eyes glared at her, dark and dangerous.
“Didn’t I tell you,” he muttered, voice low and cold, “to stay away from me?”
Lyra’s heart raced, but her eyes… they were glued to his chest.
She stared like a confused child, blinking slowly. She had never seen a man’s bare chest before. And his was… different. Strong. Hard. Smooth. His nipples were small too. She found that strange and fascinating at the same time.
Kael followed her gaze.
Then he smirked darkly.
Before she understood anything, the room spun again—
And suddenly, she was on his bed.
Kael was on top of her, his wet hair dripping onto her cheek, his face too close, his hard chest pressing against her.
Lyra gasped softly, her small hands trapped against his stomach.
Kael’s eyes were unreadable, glowing faintly under the dim light.
“I know what you are trying,” he said slowly, his voice brushing her ears, “and it is very dangerous… because you are very easy to destroy.”
He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her neck.
Lyra panicked and quickly pushed his chest upward not with fear, but with effort. She pushed until he finally stopped moving and looked down at her.
His face was still unreadable.
“You are too heavy,” she muttered, frowning. “You are crushing me.”
Kael blinked.
Before he could say anything, Lyra wriggled out from under him like a small cat escaping a trap. She sat up, then suddenly without warning climbed onto his stomach and sat there.
Kael froze.
Lyra looked down at him, blinking innocently with her round eyes.
“Better like this,” she said softly. “So… what were you saying?”
Kael stared at her, completely silent.