Quiet before the storm
717 Words
The woods behind Hallowstone High were silent—unnervingly so. Moonlight filtered through skeletal branches, tracing eerie patterns across the ground where Elias stood, half-shadowed by the towering trees.
He watched Lily.
She stood across the clearing, pretending to admire the moonlight, but her eyes shifted too quickly, her body too stiff. Elias narrowed his gaze. Something was off. Her curiosity had gone from sweet to suspicious.
“She’s hiding something,” he muttered, his voice barely above the wind.
Behind him, Elysia stepped out from the dark. She had that calm fury to her, like lightning before it struck. “Back off,” she said, crossing her arms. “She’s just curious.”
Elias didn’t look away from Lily. “Curious girls don’t flinch when I walk by. And they sure as hell don’t know our movements like clockwork.”
“She’s harmless,” Elysia insisted.
“She’s something.”
Elysia turned her gaze toward Lily for a moment, her expression unreadable. “Not everything broken is dangerous, Elias.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said at last, then melted into the woods.
Back at the sanctuary—the hollowed remains of a long-abandoned church—Ivy was deep in focus. Her hands glided across runes Elysia had carved into old stone, her breath steady, eyes narrowed.
The magic she was learning wasn’t light or dark. It pulsed with a rhythm that was raw and real. Balanced. Elemental. Wild. And she was beginning to feel it respond to her—not like something she had to force, but like a living thing she could call to.
Elysia sat on the altar, watching her student with veiled amusement. “You’ve improved.”
Ivy’s eyes lit up, a grin creeping onto her lips. “It listens to me now.”
“Because you’re listening to it.” Elysia stood and approached, her voice calm. “This isn’t black magic. It won’t consume you. But it will challenge you.”
Ivy frowned, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Is this the kind of magic you use?”
Elysia’s eyes glinted with something ancient. “I’m a blood demon,” she said. “I use whatever magic I want.”
Ivy blinked, taken aback. “Right. Casual flex.”
Elysia smirked, then placed a hand gently over Ivy’s. “You’re stronger than you think.”
There was a long pause between them—soft, quiet. Then Elysia turned and walked away.
Outside, the moon had climbed higher. Frost glittered on the grass. Kieran crouched in the clearing, sweat dripping down his back as he transformed again—slowly, with control this time.
Elysia stepped into the edge of the clearing, watching him wordlessly for a moment.
Then: “You’re improving.”
He huffed, shaking off the lingering pain. “About time.”
She paced a slow circle around him. “This isn’t just about brute strength, Kieran. You can have power and still lose if you don’t know how to use it.”
“You sound like you’ve trained an army.”
She stopped in front of him. “I’ve killed enough of them.”
He stood taller. “Good thing I’m on your side.”
Elysia’s lips twitched. “We’ll see.”
He smirked, but it faded as he met her eyes. “You’re immortal,” he said quietly, like he just remembered.
Elysia stepped closer, eyes locking with his. “So are you.”
The air grew still. For a second, the world felt like it held its breath.
Then Elysia turned, her coat sweeping behind her like a shadow. “Come on. Again. This time, try not to land on your face.”
Kieran groaned. “You do enjoy this.”
She didn’t respond—but the corner of her mouth curved just enough.
Behind the trees, Lily watched.
Her hands trembled in her coat pockets, brushing against the enchanted crystal the Fae had given her. Her breathing grew unsteady. Her mind fogged.
“I’m not doing anything wrong,” she whispered to herself.
But a cold voice slithered into her thoughts.
“You belong to us, Lily. Don’t forget who woke you up.”
And just like that, her eyes flickered with unnatural light—just for a moment.
Then, darkness.
- Writer
