Page 19 of Academy of the Wicked, Year Two

The broken communication cuts off as another wave of vines erupts, these wrapping around my head and face. A scream rips through my throat, the pain in this shock so severe I can barelygrasp a breath as my body surges with the foreign energy that riddles me with agonizing pain.

Darkness encroaches on my vision as they cover my eyes, the pressure increasing until breathing becomes nearly impossible.

The electrical current intensifies, corrupted magic driving deeper into my system with each pulse. My runes fight back, ancient symbols flaring beneath my skin in desperate defense, but they're losing ground with each passing second.

I'm being pulled into the rock itself, the surface softening to allow my body passage into whatever hellish dimension waits beyond. The sensation is horrifyingly intimate, like being consumed alive by some patient predator.

The vines reach my mouth, forcing their way between my lips to silence any further cries. The taste is acrid, burning – corruption made tangible. My consciousness begins to fade, darkness encroaching from the edges of my awareness as my body surrenders to the inevitable.

My last glimpse before the vines cover my eyes completely is of the countdown floating above the central platform. Less than three minutes remain, and only four have reached safety: Nikolai, Cassius, Lysth, and the injured Mordax.

Two will fall…

One already has.

Blood Magic Tainted With Thrill

~ATTICUS~

Time slows to an excruciating crawl as I watch the volcanic rock consume her.

Gabriel –my Gwenivere, my Queen of Spades– struggles against the writhing vines, her body convulsing with each surge of corrupted energy. The runes beneath her skin flash in desperate defense, ancient symbols of protection fighting a losing battle against invasive magic.

I've witnessed many horrors in my lifetime– created quite a few of them myself– but nothing compares to the helplessness that crushes my chest as I watch her being pulled into that hellish portal.

"Can't... control... it... taking... over... grand prize. Royal... need... throne..."Mortimer's fragmented voice echoes across our mental connection, distorted but recognizable beneath layers of corruption.

Gabriel’s mouth opens in a scream I can't hear, his face contorting with agony as another wave of vines erupts from the rock face. They wrap around his head, obscuring his features, silencing his cries. His body jerks violently, limbs twitching withelectrical current as the portal's surface softens, drawing her deeper into the volcanic prison.

Three minutes remain on the countdown.

Four have reached the central platform.

Two will fall.

Something inside me snaps – that final tether of restraint I've maintained since walking out of prison. The careful control that kept my true nature hidden frays, then shatters entirely.

I lunge toward the edge of the platform, calculation replacing emotion as I measure the distance between us. Impossible for an ordinary jump, but I ceased being ordinary the day they locked me away with monsters who taught me their secrets.

Before I can launch myself across the void, movement at the periphery of my vision draws my attention. Shadow tendrils erupt from behind me, shooting past with deadly precision. The darkness streaks across the gap, penetrating the translucent surface of the portal where Gabriel struggles.

The shadows wrap around his neck, arms, waist – tugging against the portal's suction with desperate strength. I follow the tendrils back to their source, finding Cassius with arms extended, face locked in intense concentration.

The Duskwalker prince's shadows form a protective barrier around him, simultaneously shielding him from Mortimer's attacks while he attempts to extract Gwenivere from the portal's grasp.

"I need to get to her," I announce, already calculating the trajectory. "We have to prevent that pillar from consuming her completely."

"For fuck's sake," Nikolai snarls from nearby, golden aura flaring with frustration. "If she's not going to make it, she shouldn't drag us down with her weakness."

My focus shifts, crimson eyes locking onto the Fae prince with murderous intent. The casual dismissal of Gwenivere’s lifeignites something primal in my chest – a rage I've kept carefully banked since my release.

"Maybe if you'd stop thinking with your shriveled cock that's been hard since you laid eyes on him," I respond with deadly calm, "you'd stop being a fucking douche, especially considering you allowed Gabriel to be bullied relentlessly for three days straight."

Nikolai's perfect features contort with indignation.

"How the fuck would you know? You weren't part of Wicked Academy."

A cold smile splits my face, the expression carrying none of the humor it mimics.

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