Page 13 of The Fractured Veil

So much for a fun training session.

I stormed towards the forest, my pace quickening, desperate to put some distance between Nox and myself. A futile effort, really—his strides were twice the length of mine—but the act of ignoring him, ofchoosingto ignore him, offered a sliver of control. I could feel Damon and Zarek trailing behind, their presence an ominous shadow looming over me as I crossed the threshold into the overgrown trees.

Anger simmered beneath my skin, intensifying with every step. I didn't care about their supposed danger, or the academy's insistence on appeasing them. Their minds had been made up the moment I arrived. I was an outsider, an anomaly, a blemish on their pristine landscape. They didn't need to voice their disdain—every frigid glare, every dismissive glance had already spoken volumes.

And I was done with it.

My thoughts drifted back to my childhood, to the memories of isolation, of being the unwanted, the discarded. Abandoned as a baby, left to navigate a world that seemed to have no place for me. But I survived. I had clawed my way through, and I wasn't about to let anyone, not even the so-called elite of Nexara, diminish my worth.

Powerful or not, they would know I was not the one to back down. I was done being treated like a mistake. I would carve my own place, forge my own path, and demand the respect I deserved.

"So, if this isyourterritory," I drawled, letting sarcasm lace my tone, "we should win this with no problem, right?" I turned to face Nox, meeting his impenetrable gaze. The air crackled with unspoken tension.

For a fleeting second, I thought I saw the hint of a smirk play at the corner of his lips, a flicker of amusement quickly extinguished. "Just stay close," he said, his voice a low, controlled rumble that revealed nothing.

I rolled my eyes at his non-answer, irritation prickling my skin.Stay close?As if that was the issue. If he expected obedience and blind compliance, he was in for a rude awakening.

Without another glance, I bolted. My feet pounding the forest floor before Zarek and Damon could even reach us. Direction was irrelevant; escape was the goal. The moment Nox assumed command, treating me like an obedient child, a defiant fire ignited within me. I would not be leashed, my pace dictated by their whims.

Branches snapped beneath my feet as I tore through the jungly undergrowth, my heart pounding a rhythm of rebellion. The weight of their stares bore down on me, their irritation a palpable force.

Good. Let them fume.I wasn't here to play their games.

Slowing my breath, I attuned myself to the stillness of the forest. A strange awareness settled over me—I could sense the presence of other students, their movements like ripples in a pond—though the forest remained eerily silent. The dense covering swallowed the sunlight, casting long, dancing shadows that played tricks on my eyes. The air hung heavy, thick with an unseen energy that set my nerves on edge.

Then, I felt it—a subtle tug, a whisper in the shadows, pulling me eastward. The darkness seemed to shift and sway, beckoning me forward. Instead of resisting, I surrendered. My feet moved instinctively, weaving through the heavy foliage with an unexplainable certainty.

The sensation of being led by the shadows was both unsettling and strangely comforting, as if I were fulfilling a hidden purpose.

I didn't look back. They were undoubtedly following, but their presence no longer mattered. I maintained my pace, gliding through the trees, each step purposeful and light. A surge of adrenaline coursed through me, invigorated by the cool breeze that kissed my skin and urged me onward. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt truly alive, free from their suffocating presence, guided by an unseen force.

The forest became a blur of shadows and light, my senses sharpening with every stride. Defiance mingled with an exhilarating sense of freedom—a heady cocktail of breaking free and forging my own path.

After what felt like an eternity of running, I burst through a thicket of branches, their rough bark scraping my skin. I winced at the sting but pressed onward, adrenaline propelling me forward. Suddenly, the dense foliage gave way to a sun-drenched clearing, the brightness almost blinding after the shadowy depths of the forest. The air here was lighter, the vibrant green meadow a stark contrast to the oppressive woods.

And there, in the center of the clearing, stood the flag—a solitary beacon swaying gently in the breeze. My heart leaped.

This is it.

I had the flag in my sights, victory a mere heartbeat away, when a shift at the edge of the clearing drew my attention. A figure emerged, tall and imposing, bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun. Her hair, the shade of shimmering dark violet, framed a face that was both strikingly beautiful and fiercely determined. She moved with a feline grace, her gaze fixed on the flag, her every step radiating an aura of unwavering confidence. This was someone accustomed to winning, someone who saw the flag not as a goal, but as an entitlement.

Her eyes, the color of glacial ice, met mine for a fleeting moment—a silent assessment passing between us. In that instant, I knew this was more than a race; it was a clash of wills. A battle for dominance. The air crackled with unspoken challenge, the sudden awareness of a formidable adversary.

A primal surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, igniting a competitive fire within me. This was no longer just about proving myself to Nox and his brothers. It was about proving myself tome. Without hesitation, I launched myself forward, my muscles coiling and releasing with a newfound power. The forest floor blurred beneath my feet, the wind whipping through my hair as I poured every ounce of strength and determination into the pursuit.

Victory was within reach—my fingertips grazing the silken fabric of the flag. But in a cruel twist of fate, a force like a runaway train slammed into me, sending me hurtling backward. The world dissolved into a chaotic blur of colors and disorienting motion, the wind screaming a symphony of chaos past my ears.

With a bone-jarring crunch, I crashed to the earth, my body skidding across the unforgiving terrain. The air was ripped from my lungs, leaving me gasping as a searing pain exploded in my back. Dazed and disoriented, I lay sprawled in the dirt, the world tilting precariously around me. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I fought the urge to give in to the darkness encroaching on my vision.

"Better luck next time, human," the girl sneered, her laughter a grating melody that pierced through the haze of my pain. It wasn't just the words, but the condescending tone—the way her lip curled with disdain—that ignited a spark that fueled the inferno of rage burning in my soul. I forced my blurred vision to focus, finding her standing over the flag, her eyes gleaming with a smug satisfaction that sent a wave of heat coursing through my veins.

The clearing began to fill with students. I caught glimpses of wide eyes and smirking faces, but their reactions were a distant blur compared to the maelstrom of emotions raging within me.

Gritting my teeth against the throbbing in my head, I slowly pushed myself to my feet, the world swaying precariously around me. Each movement sent a fresh jolt of agony through my body, but I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. My gaze snapped to Nox, Damon, and Zarek, who stood at the edge of the clearing, their expressions a study in contrasts. Damon wore a mask of cruel amusement, his lips curled into a predatory smirk, clearly relishing my defeat. Nox, as always, remained an enigma, his face an impenetrable wall, betraying no emotion.

But it was Zarek who caught my attention, his reaction a stark contrast to his brothers' indifference or amusement. His eyes, usually a cool, detached gold, now burned with an intense, almost fiery hue—fixed on me with an expression of barely concealed frustration. His jaw was clenched, the muscles in his neck corded with tension, and his hands were fisted at his sides, as if he were restraining himself from some unseen force. It was a reaction I hadn't expected—a flicker of something akin to protectiveness in his usually cold gaze—and it sparked a flicker of confusion within me.

For a moment, our eyes locked, his frustration battling with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher. Was it concern? Annoyance? Or something else entirely? The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down my spine, a strange mix of apprehension and an unfamiliar warmth. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the emotion vanished, replaced by his usual mask of indifference. He turned away, his shoulders rigid, leaving me to grapple with the bewildering encounter and the lingering question of what, exactly, had just transpired between us.

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