Chapter 102 Kylen's warning
Chapter 102 Kylen's warning
THE ACADEMY GARDEN
Grandmaster Orion leaned heavily against his staff, his right leg was completely gray and rotting, but his wrinkled face was full of joy.
"I am done building stupid metal machines, Twila," Orion laughed, his voice sounding like dry bones crushing together. "Machines break, machines completely fail, I learned my lesson when your brother blew up my basement."
"Then what do you want from us?" Twila yelled, stepping in front of Neon to protect him.
"I don't want a machine to rule the world anymore," Orion said with a dark smile. "I want the power entirely for myself, If I rip that silver magic out of your chest and drink your royal blood, I won't just be a Grandmaster, I will be a god."
"You are out of your fucking mind," Neon shouted, his hands curling into fists. "You are just a sick, rotting old man and you can't handle her magic."
Orion glared at him.
"And you are a useless shell, Neon," Orion sneered, raising his staff. "You don't have a single drop of dark magic left in your veins, step aside, or I will crush your skull like a grape."
"You have to kill me before you ever touch my sister again," Neon growled, refusing to step back.
Twila felt tears fill her eyes.
"Neon, get behind me right now," Twila commanded softly, her voice shaking. "Please, I can't let him hurt you."
"I am not hiding from him, Twila," Neon argued, staring at him.
"How touching," Orion mocked, pointing the tip of his staff at Twila's chest. "I will just kill you both and drink whatever is left over."
Without waiting, Orion slammed his staff into the grass.
A blast of red magic shot out of the wood, flying straight at Neon's head.
"No!" Twila screamed.
This time, she didn't use the dark, rotting Void magic, Instead, her eyes flared into a blinding silver light.
She threw her hands forward.
A shield of glowing silver moonlight erupted from her palms, the red magic slammed hard into the shield, creating a shockwave that sent dirt and grass flying everywhere.
Orion gasped and took a quick step back on his leg.
"What is this?" Orion choked, his eyes wide with shock. "Your magic is supposed to rot things only! Why is it glowing?"
"Have you forgotten that I'm not just a monster anymore!, you old bastard," Twila yelled, pushing the silver shield forward. "I am a Lunar Queen and you are going to burn."
Twila pushed her hands harder, the light grew incredibly hot, engulfing Orion's red magic and turning it into harmless steam.
"You cannot beat me!" Orion roared, pulling more dark magic into his staff. "I am the most powerful wizard in this entire school!"
"You are just a pathetic coward hiding in the dark," a smooth, dark voice echoed from the shadows behind the Grandmaster.
Orion froze.
The temperature in the garden quickly dropped below freezing and the grass turned black from the frost.
Stepping out of the shadows was Kylen wearing an arrogant smirk.
"Demon King," Orion breathed, his wrinkled face going pale with fear.
"It’s rude to interrupt a family reunion, Orion," Kylen sighed, dusting off his sleeve.
"What are you doing here, Kylen?" Twila yelled, keeping her shield raised just in case.
"I came to enjoy the cool night air, beautiful," Kylen said smoothly, gazing into her glowing silver eyes. "The moonlight looks absolutely gorgeous on you, an upgrade suits you, Twila."
"This is none of your business, Kylen," Orion hissed, trying to back away slowly. "I'm handling a threat to the supernatural world, stay out of it."
Kylen laughed, a dark and chilling sound that sent shivers down Twila's spine.
"You are breathing my air, old man," Kylen whispered, his voice dropping to a terrifying tone. "You stole my shadow magic to hide your pathetic little cult, you used my darkness without my permission, and now you are trying to break my favorite toy."
Kylen stepped slowly toward the Grandmaster.
"I got my heart back, Orion," Kylen said with a smile, tapping his chest. "I am whole and I do not share my toys with decaying old men."
Orion didn’t argue or anything, he knew exactly what a fully powered Demon King could do.
"You will regret protecting her," Orion spat, glaring at Twila one last time. "The wolves are extinct for a reason, she is going to end the world."
Without waiting for Kylen to act, Orion wrapped his magic around his body and melted into the ground, disappearing completely.
Twila let her trembling hands drop, the silver light faded from her eyes.
She collapsed onto her knees in the grass, breathing heavily.
Neon dropped down next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"Are you okay, sis?" Neon asked urgently, checking her face.
"I'm fine," Twila choked out, wiping her sweaty forehead.
She looked up at Kylen, who stood exactly five feet away, hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking down at her with amusement.
"Why did you save me?" Twila demanded, her voice rough and defensive. "You tried to kidnap me and lock me in the Underworld once, so why are you helping me now?"
"I didn’t save you, Twila," Kylen grinned, his red eyes glowing in the dark. "I just really hate him, he’s annoying and thinks he’s smarter than he is."
"You’re lying," Twila sneered, getting to her feet. "You want something from me."
"I always want something from you," Kylen winked, unapologetic. "But right now, I’m just here to give you a warning."
"I don’t want your warnings, Kylen," Twila snapped, crossing her arms tightly.
"You’re going to want to hear this, Twila," Kylen said quietly, dropping his arrogant smile for a brief moment.
Kylen stepped closer and Neon moved in front of Twila to block him, but Kylen simply looked over his shoulder.
"You’ve finally awakened the wolf within," Kylen whispered, staring deeply into her eyes. "You unlocked the Lunar magic and It’s beautiful, Twila but it’s also a curse."
"What do you mean?" Twila asked, her heart sinking.
"Wolves mate for life, Twila," Kylen explained quietly. "Your soul is now tied to the vampire, the more you use your new power , the stronger the mate bond will become."
Twila stopped breathing.
"You’re lying," Twila cried, stepping back. "Once I wear the ring, I can't feel him anymore, it blocks it!"
"The ring blocks it, I agree, Twila," Kylen corrected. "But it can’t block your own nature. You’re a wolf now, wolves literally die of a broken heart if they reject their true mate."
A hot tear streamed down Twila’s cheek.
"No," Twila sobbed, shaking her head. "I love Raiden, I won’t die because of a vampire."
"You’re tearing yourself apart," Kylen murmured, his red eyes filled with pity. "You can pretend to be fine, Twila but the wolf inside you will scream for its mate."
Kylen stepped back, letting shadows wrap around him
"Wolves don’t belong in cages, Twila," Kylen whispered as he faded into the dark. "And they definitely don’t belong to the storm be very careful, you are playing a game that will end in blood."
Kylen vanished, leaving the garden empty again.
Twila stared at the empty space, her body shaking violently.
"Twila," Neon said softly, taking her hands. "Don’t listen to him, he’s the Demon King, he lies for a living."
"But what if he’s right, Neon?" Twila cried, tears streaming down her face. "What if using my power pushes me back to Niles, I'm trying so hard to control myself."
"Then we won’t let you use the magic," Neon said, hugging her tightly. "I’ll protect you and we’ll figure this out together."
Before Twila could hug her brother back, the doors swung open.
Raiden rushed into the garden, out of breath and clearly terrified.
"Twila!" Raiden yelled, sprinting across the grass.
He ran straight to her and pulled her into his chest, holding her so tightly her ribs ached.
"I heard the magic exploding," Raiden choked, burying his face in her neck. "I thought Orion got you."
Twila wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing into his shirt, she wanted him so badly, but Kylen’s warning echoed in her mind.
"I'm okay, Raiden," Twila whispered, lying to him. "I’m fine."
But as she held Raiden, she knew her heart was about to start an unwinnable war against her own body.