Mystic High ✓

MH │42

In the previous chapter: Marian faced off a powerful opponent. The campus went on lockdown and people are getting nervous so Oriane and Charlotte went to find Robert and Zachary for an explanation.

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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

From outside, a terrible rumble resounded and the ground trembled. It was quiet for a few clicks as people braced for the deep reverberation echoing across the gardens.

In the next second, someone screamed and chaos ensued. People started running away from the campus building, scrambling for the woods. The rumble quickly escalated into a roar. Like thunder clamouring in the distance, a deafening crash rung in the air. It melded with the sound of people screaming and crying for their lives. The concoction awful enough to disturb the dead.

Oriane braced, bending her knees and clutching Robert's arm for support. He held her in his arms and kept one hand on the column holding the tent up. Surprisingly, it hadn't yet crashed down upon their heads, likely fortified by elemental magicks.

"We need to get out!" he shouted over the rumbling. Everyone else was fleeing out the tent, trying to escape to the open. Oriane did her best not to panic and stumbled to the exit.

It was complete anarchy out in the gardens.

Food was discarded and items left strewn messily everywhere. Stragglers struggled to keep up with the crowd pouring out of the area. The tents might have stayed upright, but that didn't mean the tables and equipment did too. Some flipped over in the confusion, leaving items scattered on the grass, stepped on by the stampede.

Oriane whipped her head back to the campus building.

While the main building was somewhat intact despite the cracks crisscrossing the walls, two towers from the attached blocks behind had disappeared from view. Dust erupted into the sky, mushrooming to the clouds, the faint autumn calm disturbed by its presence.

Meanwhile, the contestants who were battling had stopped to stare wide-eyed at the damage, mouths open. They still couldn't leave the podium, given the border spell. However, while the border kept them from leaving, it has also kept other things from entering their sectors, not even the dust seeped in.

The trembling continued for a few more dear moments before fading away, as suddenly as it came. People who had escaped to the woods emerged to find out what had happened.

Wasn't it coincidental that the campus was on lockdown while this happened?

Oriane was certain it was an explosion that took out the towers. Her fears had come true and she shivered like a leaf as she considered the vulnerabilities of the school as a whole such that someone ―no, some group― could commit such a crime without anyone of authority doing something about it.

Or, they did. Someone close to the Council must have had known about the cult's plans. That was what saved countless lives this afternoon.

"Anna!" called Robert as he caught up with her. His hands took her shoulders and swivelled her round to face him. "Are you okay? By the gods, you're shaking." He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pressed her to his chest. His warmth melted her from inside out and soon she was breathing normally again. Robert himself was shaking a little, likely from the adrenaline and shock.

Pushing herself back, she furrowed her brows and took a deep breath. Looking to the buildings, she asked, "Do you know what happened? The lockdown has got to have something to do with this."

"No," he shook his head. "I'm not sure. I promise I don't know. They told Zach to prepare for the lockdown with no explanation."

Frustration gripped her. "You keep saying that. Who's they?"