Chapter 64 Saved
THE FIFTH ELEMENT 🔥🌪️🌊⛰️🌀
CASSIE’S POV
I followed her in silence, keeping my steps light against the stone floor.
We walked until we reached the hall where I’d met the elders yesterday. The same round table sat in the center, and the same faces were seated around it.
"Cassie, my dear. It’s nice of you to join us today," the man from before said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
I glanced around and spotted Mr. Ken standing off to the side, watching me with a small smile.
"I realize I haven’t formally introduced myself," the man continued. "I’m Xavier. A good friend of your father’s. And these people with me are my fellow elders and believers of the crusade your father once led."
"Okay," I said flatly.
My eyes flicked to Angelica for half a second before I looked away. Something about her made my skin crawl.
"So," Xavier said, leaning forward, "are you ready to meet everyone?"
"Not really," I said. "Hey, how come I still don’t have my powers?"
"Oh… I see they haven’t returned yet," Xavier replied, glancing at Mr. Ken for a split second. "Give it a little more time. I’m sure they’ll come back."
I knew they were hiding something. I could feel it in the way Xavier’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Okay," I said slowly. "I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it."
"Now come on," he said, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. "Everyone’s waiting for you."
I followed him, and the rest of the elders followed us. The sound hit me before we even reached the balcony—the low hum of voices, chatter, murmurs rolling together like distant thunder.
When we stepped into view, the noise swelled.
I looked down from the balcony and my breath caught.
A massive crowd stretched out below, all dressed in black. Hundreds of them. Maybe more. Some were around my age, some younger, some older. The sheer number made my stomach drop.
It felt like the entire school had shown up, but darker. Heavier.
"Everyone, welcome!" Xavier’s voice boomed across the courtyard, too loud to be natural. I spotted one of the elders on the balcony, hands raised slightly, waves of air rippling from his palms. That was how Xavier’s voice carried so far.
Clever. And unsettling.
"As you all know," Xavier continued, "we don’t have much time. Battle is approaching fast, and we need to be fully prepared. The time for us to finally be free is near, and I’m positive we will come out as champions!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, fists raised, voices raw.
"And the good thing about this battle," Xavier roared, "is that we will have The Fifth Element with us!"
The cheering doubled.
The sound hit my chest like a physical blow.
"She will be our leverage against them!" Xavier said, his voice rising. "With her by our side, we will destroy all who oppose us. We will triumph against our enemies!"
More cheers. More roaring.
I stood there, staring at them, and one thought became clear:
These people were delusional.
I wasn’t fighting their war. I wasn’t their weapon.
I needed to get out of here. I needed to get back to the school and warn them.
My eyes drifted over the crowd, scanning faces out of habit. And then I froze.
Jet black hair. Sharp blue eyes. That arrogant grin I’d know anywhere.
No way.
I blinked hard and looked again.
It was Damon.
Standing in the middle of the enemy crowd, staring right back at me like he’d been looking for me too.
A wide, stupid grin spread across my face before I could stop it.
I’m saved.
\---
DAMON’S POV
Getting inside the gate was the easy part.
Not getting caught after that was the real problem.
I kept my head down, nodded at anyone who passed, and forced my face into something neutral. I needed to blend in. I needed to find a way to let the others in.
I moved through the courtyard, eyes scanning everything—guards, exits, patrol routes.
I overheard whispers about the girl with the Fifth Element who’d arrived yesterday.
Cassie.
Please let her be okay.
I spotted an open doorway and slipped toward it.
"Hey! Over there! Where are you going?"
I turned to see a man frowning at me.
"Nothing," I said, keeping my voice casual. "Just looking for my friends."
"You won’t find them in there," he said. "Everyone’s at the assembly ground waiting to meet the girl."
"The girl?" I echoed.
"The Fifth Element. And that’s where you should be too. Not wandering around looking for friends."
"Yeah, same goes for you," I shot back.
He rolled his eyes. "Come on. Follow me."
I followed.
The assembly ground was packed. A sea of black clothes, hundreds of faces, all turned toward the balcony. The noise was overwhelming—chatter, murmurs, a low undercurrent of anticipation.
Who were all these people? Did they all have powers?
If they did, we were screwed. The school didn’t have numbers like this.
We were cooked if they came for us.
I needed to warn my mother.
The chattering cut off abruptly when a man stepped forward on the balcony and raised his hands.
I scanned the people standing above us and saw her.
Cassie.
Alive. Unscathed. Relief hit me so hard I had to clench my jaw to keep from reacting.
Now the problem was getting to her. She’d be guarded. Heavily.
"Everyone, welcome!" the older man said, his voice booming unnaturally across the courtyard. The crowd cheered.
I stayed silent. No way I was cheering for the enemy.
"As you all know," the man continued, "we don’t have much time. Battle is approaching fast, and we need to be fully prepared. The time for us to finally be free is near, and I’m positive we will come out as champions!"
The crowd roared again.
"And the good thing about this battle," he said, "is that we will have The Fifth Element with us!"
What the hell?
My stomach twisted.
"She will be our leverage against them!" he shouted. "With her by our side, we will destroy all who oppose us. We will triumph against our enemies!"
So that’s why they took her.
They wanted to use her as a weapon.
Anger flared hot and sudden in my chest. I needed to get back to the school. I needed to get Cassie out of here.
My eyes found her on the balcony. She was scanning the crowd, her gaze moving fast, searching.
Was she looking for someone?
Then her eyes locked with mine.
Her expression changed in an instant—shock, disbelief, and then that grin. The one that meant trouble.
I grinned back.
Let them try to keep her now.
~~