The moment my eyes opened, I knew I was in control again.
The weight of my body, the rush of adrenaline, the sheer clarity of the battlefield—it all came back in an instant. My magic, which had once flickered uncertainly under her hands, now surged effortlessly at my command. Fire and ice, two forces that had once strained against each other, were now one.
And gods, I had missed this.
For weeks, I had been trapped, nothing more than a whisper in the back of my own mind, forced to watch. Forced to sit idly by while she hesitated, while she faltered, while she clung desperately to an identity that was never hers to begin with.
But now?
She had given in.
She had let me in.
The battle wasn't over yet.
A grotesque shadow loomed over the rooftops, its form warping in and out of the mist, shifting with an unnatural intelligence. It had been watching. Studying.
And now, it was deciding whether to attack—or to run.
I smiled.
This time, it wouldn't get the chance.
"Camille," I said smoothly, my voice perfectly level, composed. "Freeze its legs."
She didn't hesitate. Neither did Diana.
The ice surged forward before the creature could move, frost crawling like vines up its limbs, locking it in place.
Diana's rapier was already twisting through the air, sending a sharp gust of wind slicing through the battlefield, cutting off its escape routes.
It was trapped.
And now?
Now, it was mine to break.
My fingers curled, and with a single thought, my ice responded.
A shimmering, crystalline bow materialized in my hands, sculpted from sheer frost, its edges gleaming with deadly precision. A second later, an arrow of condensed ice formed between my fingertips, the air around it crackling with cold.
The creature snarled, thrashing violently against Camille's magic.
I pulled the bowstring back, my muscles steady, my breathing even.
And then, I let go.
The arrow shot forward in a blur of frost, piercing through the mist, splintering the air with the sound of shattering ice.
The moment it struck, a violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
Ice exploded outward, freezing over the monster's chest in an instant, spreading like wildfire through its twisted body.
It barely had time to screech before the frost reached its core.
The moment it did—
I snapped my fingers.
And the ice shattered.
The creature collapsed in a storm of crystal shards, its body breaking apart into nothing but frozen dust.
Silence.
For a moment, all that remained was the distant crackling of magic, the warmth still lingering at my fingertips.
I let the bow fade from my hands, exhaling slowly.
It was over.
For now.
I turned—slowly, carefully.
Camille was watching me.
Diana stood a few paces away, her rapier still raised, her stance guarded.
They weren't moving, weren't speaking.
They had noticed.
Something was off.
I could feel it in the way Camille's fingers flexed slightly, the way Diana's emerald eyes had honed in on me, sharp and calculating.
I smiled—not too much, not too little. Just enough to be reassuring.
"That," Diana murmured, her voice smooth, careful, "was different."
Camille's ice-blue gaze flickered, her lips parting slightly before she caught herself. "You don't usually fight like that."
I tilted my head slightly. "You've never seen me fight seriously."
Diana narrowed her eyes. "Haven't we?"
I held her gaze, my own heartbeat steady.
They couldn't know.
Not yet.
Not ever.
I let out a small, controlled exhale, rolling my shoulders as if shaking off the tension. "It doesn't matter," I said smoothly, "because we're not done yet."
A low, inhuman growl rumbled from the far end of the street.
Another wave of enemies emerged from the mist, their unnatural bodies twisting in the shadows.
Diana let out a low breath. "Tch. No rest, then."
Camille, standing at my side, merely lifted her hand, ice already forming at her fingertips.
I turned toward the figures, feeling the familiar, exhilarating pulse of battle settling in my veins.
This time, there was no hesitation.
This time—
I welcomed it.
It felt damn good to finally be back.
I stepped forward, the cold air biting against my skin, but I barely felt it.
The next wave was already closing in, their distorted shapes emerging from the mist, grotesque limbs shifting unnaturally, their glowing eyes locked onto us.
They had learned.
They had watched what happened to the last one.
And yet, they still came.
Fools.
"Camille, keep freezing their movements," I instructed, my tone even, steady. "Diana, don't let them scatter. We finish this quickly."
No hesitation. No wasted time.
Camille's response was immediate—her magic surged, ice spiraling from her fingertips as massive spikes erupted from the ground, cutting off their escape routes, forcing them into tight quarters.
Diana shifted, her rapier spinning in a controlled arc, wind magic coiling around the battlefield like an invisible cage. The air twisted, creating a pressure that funneled the creatures into the trap Camille had set.
They had nowhere to run.
I reached for my magic, letting it flow effortlessly.
My crystalline bow formed once more, its surface gleaming like frost under moonlight. An arrow of pure, condensed ice materialized in my grip, the sharp tip pulsing with raw energy.
One shot.
That was all I needed.
I pulled the bowstring back, the air crackling as the ice surged. The creatures below snarled, realizing too late that their movements were too restricted, their bodies locked in Camille's trap.
I released the arrow.
The second it struck—everything detonated.
A blinding pulse of frost and fire erupted from the impact point, ice spreading in a split-second explosion, swallowing everything in its path.
The creatures shrieked as their twisted bodies were instantly encased, their movements frozen mid-lunge, their snarling faces locked in silent agony.
But I wasn't done.
I dropped my bow, switching seamlessly to my dagger.
With a burst of fire at my feet, I launched myself forward, closing the distance in a flash.
My dagger sliced through the frozen bodies, shattering them into nothing but glittering shards. Each strike was precise, efficient, clean.
By the time I landed, the battlefield was silent once more.
Not a single one had escaped.
I took a slow, steady breath, letting the last traces of magic settle in my bones.
Over.
It was over.
For now.
The last remnants of ice melted into the stone, fading into mist as I finally turned back to Diana and Camille.
They were still watching me.
Diana's gaze was sharp, too sharp, as if dissecting every movement, every decision.
Camille's fingers twitched slightly at her side, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
I smiled. Calm. Controlled.
"As I said," I murmured, sliding my dagger back into its sheath. "No hesitation."
Diana let out a slow, quiet hum. "No, I suppose not."
Camille didn't speak immediately, but her ice-blue eyes didn't waver.
She was reading me.
I let her.
She wouldn't find anything.
Not yet.
I dusted my gloves off, glancing toward the far end of the street where the city guards were finally arriving, too late to be of any real help.
I sighed, rolling my shoulders.
"We should regroup with the others," I said casually. "There's no telling how far this attack has spread."
Diana's lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in her expression this time.
"Yes," she agreed. "Let's."
Camille finally turned, her magic dissipating into the cold air.
I followed, my movements perfectly measured.
Because I knew this wasn't over.
Not the battle.
Not the war.
And certainly not the questions burning behind Camille's and Diana's eyes.
For now, I had won.
But I knew them.
And I knew this wasn't the last time they would test me.
The cold air clung to my skin as we moved, our steps purposeful but controlled, weaving through the remnants of battle like shadows. The city guards had finally taken over, their shouts and hurried footsteps filling the silence left behind. They were too late to be of any real use, but I supposed their presence would at least keep the people from panicking.
Diana walked just behind me, her movements fluid, calculated. She was watching me. I could feel it, the weight of her gaze sharp as a blade pressed against my back.
Camille was quieter than usual, though she wasn't the type to speak unless she had something to say. Still, she lingered just a little closer than before, as if testing the air around me, as if waiting for something to slip.
I didn't let anything slip.
I was still Sera Vandren to them.
For now.
The streets ahead were eerily empty, but the distant echoes of battle told me that the monsters hadn't just targeted this district.
If they had made it past the North Gate, if they had reached the South, then—
Claire.
Tessa.
Lillian.
I picked up my pace.
Diana matched it without a word, her fingers flexing against the hilt of her rapier. Camille simply adjusted her grip on her gloves, ice flickering briefly over her fingertips before vanishing.
None of us spoke.
We didn't need to.
The academy wasn't far, but when we turned onto the main road, we finally spotted the familiar flashes of movement up ahead.
A figure was running toward us, their dark hair catching the dim glow of the city lamps.
Tessa.
She skidded to a stop the moment she saw us, her breathing heavy, but her stance still steady. She wasn't hurt. Good.
She scanned me first.
Her eyes flickered once—over my posture, my expression.
I made sure nothing was out of place.
She exhaled. Then, her gaze snapped toward Diana and Camille, as if confirming they were still intact.
"Finally," she muttered. "I was just about to go back for you."
Diana raised an amused brow. "Oh? You were worried?"
Tessa shot her a flat look. "No. I just didn't want to be the one to explain to the academy that you all got yourselves killed like idiots."
Diana smirked. "Mm. Sure."
I cut in. "Where's Claire?"
Tessa's expression darkened slightly.
"She ran ahead," she admitted. "I followed, but she was too fast. She's already at the Southern gate—she wanted to make sure her family was safe."
My stomach tightened.
"And Lillian?"
Tessa's jaw clenched, but she shook her head. "She left before I could follow. The royal guards escorted her away. I don't know where she is now."
That was expected. But still, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Lillian wasn't the type to sit back while others were fighting. But she was also a princess.
She couldn't afford to fight on the frontlines the way we did.
It made sense.
And yet—
I pushed the thought aside. Prioritize.
"Then we go south," I said, already moving again.
Tessa fell in step beside me, keeping pace easily.
Diana let out a soft hum, amused. "What's the rush, darling? Worried for Claire?"
I didn't even look at her. "Yes."
For once, Diana didn't tease me further.
We reached the academy grounds just as another tremor shook the earth.
I stopped, my breath catching for just a moment.
It wasn't like the attacks from earlier.
It was heavier.
Stronger.
As if something massive had just landed.
Tessa cursed. "That wasn't from the city."
Camille narrowed her eyes toward the horizon. "That was from the South."
Claire.
I inhaled sharply.
Then I ran.
Tessa swore under her breath but followed immediately.
Diana let out a low, almost eager laugh as she matched my pace.
Camille didn't say a word. But when I glanced at her, her ice-blue eyes were already locked on the distant sky, her expression perfectly still.
I didn't have to ask.
She felt it too.
Something was waiting for us at the South.
Something far worse than what we had faced tonight.