School of monsters

CHAPTER 13: THE BLOOD RITUAL

"My heart?!" I yelled, my voice barely carrying over the deafening hum of the fracturing silver orb. "What does that mean? Do I have to die to fix this thing?!"

"No!" Drake shouted back, grabbing my shoulders tightly. His icy blue eyes were fiercely intense. "The First Warden locked the barrier using a blood-binding ritual! The Core doesn't want your life, Lisa—it needs your living heartbeat and your blood to calibrate the energy!"

"How do we do it?" I asked, looking at the giant silver orb suspended over the abyss.

The last iron chain snapped with a loud c***k, sending a shower of sparks raining down into the darkness. The Core lurched sideways, floating unsteadily as red cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb.

"You have to touch the central crystal," Isabella said, pointing toward the glowing core of the orb. "It will drain your energy quickly. If your heart stops before the Seal resets, the barrier collapses forever."

"I'll help her," Drake said without hesitation. He looked at me, his expression softening just a fraction. "Vampire blood can act as a bridge. I can feed you my strength while your magic binds the Core."

"Drake, that's dangerous," Emmie warned, stepping back from the unconscious guards. "If the energy backfires, it could burn your dark magic completely out of your body."

"I don't care," Drake said coldly. He turned back to me. "Do you trust me, Lisa?"

I looked at his pale face, recalling how terrified I had been of him just forty-eight hours ago in the Great Hall. Now, he was standing beside me, willing to burn his own magic to keep me alive.

"I trust you," I said firmly.

"Issac, stay with Emily and Emmie," I ordered, turning to my brother. "If anything goes wrong, you run for the exit."

"I'm not leaving you, Lisa!" Issac yelled back over the roaring wind created by the sphere.

"You have to," I insisted, giving his hand one last tight squeeze. "I'll be fine."

Drake and I sprinted across the crumbling stone bridge toward the central pedestal overlooking the floating Core. The air near the orb was thick with static electricity, making my hair stand on end and the skin on my arms sting like needle pricks.

"On three," Drake said, taking my left hand in his ice-cold grip. He held his silver blade in his right hand and sliced across his own palm, then gently made a small cut across mine.

Our blood mixed together, warm crimson blending with cold silver-tinted dark blood. A sudden, powerful surge of energy shot up my arm, making my vision flare with brilliant golden light.

"Together," Drake said.

We reached out and slammed our joined hands flat against the central crystal of the Core.

BOOM!

A blinding flash of light engulfed the chamber. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever felt—it felt as if my soul was being pulled directly into the machine. I could hear every heartbeat echoing in my ears like a war drum: THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The Core began to draw on my blood. A burning heat coursed through my veins, pulling the energy right out of my chest. My knees buckled instantly, but Drake caught me around the waist, holding me upright with immovable strength.

"Hold on!" Drake roared, his eyes glowing blinding red as he forced his own dark magic into the connection, taking the brunt of the magical feedback for me.

Through our joined blood, I could see the inner workings of the Seal. It was an ancient, brilliant network of golden lines stretching out across the valley, binding the monster world in a protective bubble. But corrupted black vines of dark magic—the Headmaster’s magic—were wrapped around the golden lines, choking them to death.

"He corrupted it from the inside," I gasped, my lungs burning for air. "The Headmaster... he’s been draining the Seal for years!"

"Burn it away, Lisa!" Drake strained out, black smoke rising from his skin as the Core consumed his energy. "Use the Warden's authority!"

I closed my eyes and focused entirely on my heartbeat. I stopped fighting the pull of the machine and accepted it. I commanded the golden energy, channeling every ounce of determination, anger, and hope I had into the ancient mechanism.

Cleanse it! I screamed in my mind.

A massive shockwave of golden fire erupted from our hands, racing down the golden lines and incinerating the corrupted black vines in an instant. The red cracks across the silver orb began to mend themselves, fusing back together with brilliant white light.

The deafening roar began to die down into a peaceful, rhythmic hum.

THUMP. THUMP.

The Core stabilized, hovering serenely in the middle of the chamber, glowing with a soft, pure silver light that illuminated every corner of the vast cavern.

I collapsed forward, completely exhausted. Drake caught me in his arms as we both fell onto the stone platform, gasping for air.

"You did it," Drake breathed, his face pale and sweat-beaded, but a victorious smile breaking across his lips. "The Seal is restored."

Before I could answer, a slow, cold clapping sound echoed from the shadowed entrance of the chamber.

"Impressive," a booming, icy voice called out. "Truly impressive for a human pest and a traitorous prince."

Headmaster Williams stepped out of the shadows, holding his wooden staff. His eyes were burning with pure, unadulterated crimson fury.