Dragon Savior A New Beginning ( Update Version)

Chapter 6: Shattered Serenity

Starfania felt as if her heart was pounding at a rapid rate, refusing to slow down, almost causing her to suffocate. She began rubbing her chest, trying to ease the pain it was causing. Each step felt like she was walking through hell, trying to keep her mind focused on the school day ahead, yet that sense of dread was now taunting her. Even though Starfania had never heard about the Castle Keeper, his shadow seemed to loom over her. The power he had over her was suffocating. Her instinct tried to warn her about the guarded door, and the harm that could come if one gets too close. No matter how much she told herself not to overthink it, her thoughts would just spiral back into that figure.

Aeron, who was walking next to Starfania this whole time, noticed how quiet she was during their walk. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts and she seemed to be looking around worriedly. He gently patted her shoulder, which caused her to jump, and finally noticed Aeron staring at her. His head tilted to the side as his eyebrow softened. However, Starfania couldn't bring herself to voice the fear that was haunting her. So she came up with a quick lie that seemed to put his mind a bit at ease. She didn't know how to explain this overwhelming sense of impending doom without sounding crazy? Yet, the feeling of walking on fragile ice grew stronger, and the thoughts that something bad was gonna happen mocked her. What could it be? Should she prepare for the worst? Her mind was racing with all these possibilities. None of them brought her comfort.

Lost in thoughts, she barely registered that she was in class and Professor Shadow was calling her name. Starfania was so lost in her, though she never realized she had made it to Wildfire High School. After registering what was happening around her, she finally made eye contact with him. His toes were tapping, his arms were crossed, waiting for an answer from Starfania. Professor Shadow was quick to reprimand Starfania for daydreaming in his class. Most of the time Starfania would find this annoying, but her mind was plagued by something else. So she simply shrugged her shoulders in response, which caught him off guard.

Even the class was surprised that Starfania didn't use her sarcastic remark towards him. Becka, who would normally pick on her, was looking at Starfania with an odd look. This was rather an odd trait coming from the Dragon Lover, who was always voicing her thoughts. So, making things interesting, she had a theory she wanted to test out. As she leaned closer to one of her Scarlet Rages, whispering her ideas towards them. The class was surprisingly running smoothly. Starfania had left to go to the bathroom. Right as she was washing her hands, she couldn't help but stare at her hand. Out of nowhere, the lights flickered, casting long shadows that danced eerily on walls.

A strange, echoing sound reverberated down the restroom- a whisper, low and menacing. Her heart started to race. She knew it wasn't the mysterious figure that was haunting her thoughts, but the fear she had been trying to bury was resurfacing. The whisper grew louder, circling her like an invisible force was closing in on her. Panic began to set in as she slowly backed up into the sink. Her breath was becoming shallow, and her hands were trembling. Just then, a shriek pierced the air, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw a figure in dark robes looking** towards her. Slowly making its way towards her. She screamed, frozen in terror, only to hear laughter-cruel, mocking laughter.

The shadows parted, and there they were: Becka and her group, Scarlet Rage, cackling as Mira pulled off her hood, while the rest of them came out of hiding and enjoyed the show.

" What's the matter, Starfania? " Becka taunted with a smirk. " Afraid of the dark? "

Starfania's heart was still pounding, but she could barely respond. Little did they know, the prank they thought was harmless had tapped into Starfania's deepest fears- the ones that the Castle Keeper seemed to manifest from afar.