Storm's Break (Completed, Editing)

Chapter 12

Ren
 
       Shortly after providing food Shinra leaves, saying he promised to help a friend out with a project. When I asked him where he was going, he told me Thornshire College. Interesting – my coven mate Say’ri – a division leader of Roseheart – transferred there two years ago. Rather she graduated. I guess he’s helping out with the yearly movie making project or something.
 
The students have to create an advertisement for a movie, of which the top three in the school will be given an opportunity to be made into a real movie. I think Say’Ri said she was going to do hers on the truth of the Great Slayer War…. More specifically of the destruction of Endrin’s Star: Coven of the Fallen.
 
So…. I guess he’s helping fill in the details…?

But that doesn’t make sense, that project was handed in a couple weeks ago…. Odd. He’s probably scoping out to see what he can find for Slayer attacks.

Thinking about how little I know about Shinra turns my mind to how little I know about others - such as Luke Stone.
 
I literally only know he’s a half vampire who wants to remain as a human and had a run in with the Slayers. He was turned maybe…. Two years ago? And yet he somehow has all the credentials required to teach a self defense and general combat class.

I also don’t know how he knew about the witches or why he went so pale when he mentioned them. He looked like he’d been digging himself a hole… weird….
 
And those weak spots – the extent of pain it caused him when they hit his shoulder – just whoa. He almost seemed to try and run from the pain.

I’m just thinking things through when my phone buzzes. I jump.

@Say’Free: Someone just made Azreel’s body appear
@inyodreams: eh?
@Say’Free: I mean it, the Magyk blew over students and took the tops off of trees.
@inyodreams: Magyk?
    @holy_hell joined the conversation
@holy_hell: Defensive magic. Used for shields, hiding things, etc.
@inyodreams: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@Say’Free: 😂 I’m wondering if we should check out Wing C… the spellbreaker disappeared in that general direction….
    @lizbiz joined the conversation
@Lizbiz: I am not getting in trouble for going to Wing C.
@Say’Free: I want to understand what’s happening. I’m going.
@inyodreams: I’ll go… :’(
@holy_hell: count me out.
@lizbiz: and me. Out that is.
@Roseheart: I don’t go to Thornshire and I know something’s up. -_-
@Say’Free: Ren?
@Roseheart: Ever notice that wing C remains undamaged by time?
@Say’Free: Ya, what of it?
@inyodreams: what now?
@lizbiz: Hiiii Ren! 😍
@Roseheart: Nothing. Keep me posted?
    @Roseheart left the conversation

   
Seems they accidently added me to the conversation again… That was certainly interesting…

Honestly though. Shinra just said that ghosts prevent areas from falling to ruin. I sigh and whistle for Andreas, who joins me in the 8bit digital form of a true Glitch. 

Sighing, I start walking back to school. My spare and lunch are finished and I have to get back to Law Class. Which will be boring

I get halfway there when my phone starts pinging. The messages come in so rapidly my phone doesn’t stop vibrating. Believing they added me to another chat, I pull out the offending device and go to check for updates.

@Roseheart: that was quick
@lizbiz: what’s up Say?
@holy_hell: somethings wrong
@Shinra: Why was there a magic spike? 😱😱
@Say’Free: It’s Yaz 😢, we’re in the meeting room.
@Roseheart: on my way
@Shinra: same here.

    Andreas game shifts to a teleporting creature and warps me over to Thornshire. Students give me weird looks as I hurry inside. Understandably. I’m only eighteen while they’re nineteen to twenty-five. But they brush it off and continue on their business.

Finally I reach the statue I need. A victorian woman dancing without a partner. I grab her hand when no one is looking and she seamlessly rotates, revealing a ladder down. I jump.

Shinra and the others join me a moment later and I spot Say’Ri. She’s collapsed on her knees, next to the one I’m assuming is Yazeed. I run over and shake her.
“Say’Ri!” 

She doesn’t stir at first, then suddenly jerks. I let out a relieved sigh when she looks at me, eyes wide.

I’m about to ask what’s going on when Yazeed starts muttering deliriously in some odd language. Shinra jerks as though been shot before his eyes roll up and he collapses.
“SHINRA!” I yell.

He jerks again and a silver-purple light flashes outwards. When my vision clears, it’s to see a startled spiriteye shinra in front of us.
“What the?! He triggered Shinra’s Spiriteye form!” I exclaim.

Yazeed goes silent and Shinra is able to return to his actual body - which would normally disappear. Instead he was forced out. Strange… Say’Ri brushes Yazeed’s bangs off his forehead only to suddenly yelp and jump back as the vampire’s eyes snap open

Shinra cusses and grabs Say’Ri, who instinctively grabs me. I in turn grab someone in the coven and the chain continues. Yazeed’s back bows off the cot and a concussive force explodes outwards from him. The shockwave blows us all off our feet, decimating everything in it’s small radius. It leaves my ears ringing, everything is smoky, echoing and blurry.

When the dust and smoke clears, I gape at the scene. Shinra is above Say’Ri, a large chunk of cement balanced on his back. Thank god for vampiric strength! Most of the room is supported by his ice magic, infusing cracks in purple ripples, taking on the shape of supporting pillars and gaps in the ceiling.

But the strain is obvious. Tendons stand out on his neck and sweat beads on his brow. A section of iced ceiling creaks ominously, cracks forming rapidly. The time magic specialist is unconscious, I’m a Stormseer, so I can’t help.

Suddenly Shinra and Say’Ri go stiff. They look around, heads cocked as though listening to something. I don’t know what… 

Then time is flowing in reverse, The blast - which came complete with the Vin Diesel Explosion sound effects - seemed to draw everything towards it - like an inferno. Then it ripped outwards with a massive shockwave. Like a nuclear warhead.

When time flows backwards, the explosion is drawn back into Yazeed and the room reassembles. We fly back onto our feet - a very weird feeling.

But of course, time has to resume it’s natural course, so when Shinra grabs Say’Ri, this time I cast out a lightning net around Yazeed in hopes of containing the blast. An unknown magic bolsters mine - not Shinra, definitely not Say’Ri…

I nearly lose my concentration when a ripple of magic throws us all against the wall and holds us there. Yazeed’s explosion rips through the net, but I bolster it with more power, sweat dripping down my skin. That unknown magic strengthens my own, pushing against it. And just like that the explosion dies out. The dispersion of my magic makes everyone’s hair stand on end. 

Gingerly we all gather around the prone vampire, only to shout as we’re once again thrown against the wall. Say’Ri seems to be listening to something no one else - save Shinra - can hear.

There’s a boom, then like a wave, all the faelights, magilights and candles in the room go out. Say’Ri yelps, Shinra cusses in Vampiric. I call out someone’s name but the sound is swallowed by the pure lack of light.

Suddenly, all the darkness is drawn inwards. Light struggles weakly to flare in the void and ultimately fails. The shadows ripple outwards with concussive forces of pure sound - blows out our ears but doesn’t destroy anything.

In the wake of it, the lights flicker back on, revealing Yazeed El’Meurtos, but not. For one, he has massive wings flaring out from his back and two, he has horns. Not large ones like Demon Horns, just small ones. Also he has another set of fangs on his lower jaw - canine like - with the needlepoint delicacy of a vampire’s.
“Gods of hell, He’s Daema.” Shinra exclaims.

    I think I fainted after that, my memory got awfully fuzzy, Yazeed was muttering deliriously then everything went black and I woke up in the Nurse’s office at my school - Taiga.