(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Salvotore Boarding School...
Cafeteria...
In the Salvatore School cafeteria,
Rafael sat hunched over his tray, absently poking at the food with his fork.
He barely tasted a thing.
His mind kept circling back to Landon —
His brother, his only family left.
The principal's warning still echoed in his head.
"He's not entirely in control, and if the wrong influence takes hold… he could hurt others."
Rafael clenched his jaw.
"____"
Landon wasn't a monster —
Not to him.
But whatever had a grip on his brother was dangerous,
And all Rafael could do for now was hope Alaric found a way to break it before something irreversible happened.
As his thoughts spiraled, he suddenly felt it —
The prickling sensation of being watched.
His gaze flicked upward, scanning the cafeteria's wide windows.
Beyond the glass, the afternoon sunlight spilled across the school grounds…
And then he saw them.
Two glowing yellow eyes.
They gleamed from within the hedge line, unblinking and sharp, watching him with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine.
"_____"
Before Rafael could stand, the eyes blinked once —
Then slipped away into the shadows of the bushes.
Not disappearing entirely.
No… moving deeper into the tree line.
It was almost deliberate.
Like they were inviting him to follow.
Rafael pushed back his chair slowly, his instincts caught between caution and a gnawing curiosity.
Something told him this wasn't just a random animal wandering near the school.
This was meant for him.
The figure within shifted, then broke into a run the instant he took a step forward.
Without thinking, Rafale followed, his boots thudding against the floor.
Branches whipped past as the figure darted toward the woods, moving with an almost unnatural speed.
Then he saw it—
Clearly, unmistakably.
A werewolf.
Just like him.
"____"
His pulse surged.
In one fluid motion, he gave in to the beast within.
Bones cracked, muscles twisted, and thick fur erupted across his skin.
His vision sharpened, his hearing split into layers of sound, and the scent of the other wolf's musk filled his nostrils.
He took off after it, paws digging into the forest floor, every stride eating away at the distance between them.
The trail cut deeper into the woods, drawing him into a shadowed maze where moonlight barely touched the ground.
The chase had begun.
Rafale tore through the forest,
The night air rushing past his ears.
The scent of the other wolf was strong at first,
Threading between the trees like a trail of smoke.
But the deeper he went, the more it faded—
Until it was gone.
"____"
He skidded to a stop, chest heaving, nose lifted to catch even the faintest trace.
His amber eyes swept the shadows, muscles tense, ears twitching for movement.
A rustle. Too close.
Rustle~
"____"
Before he could react,
The other wolf exploded from a nearby bush in a blur of fur and teeth.
THUD.
The impact knocked him sideways, the force jarring his bones.
He snarled and tried to retaliate,
But his movements were clumsy—
Hesitant.
An amateur. A newborn.
His opponent moved with precision, each strike deliberate,
Until he found himself pinned to the ground.
A heavy paw pressed down on his face,
Forcing him into the dirt, its weight radiating dominance.
Thud.
"____"
The other wolf threw its head back and released a long, triumphant howl that echoed through the forest.
Then—
Before his stunned eyes—
The beast began to change.
Fur receded, claws shortened, and the broad muzzle shrank into delicate human features.
In seconds, a girl stood over him, breathless yet steady.
She couldn't have been older than him.
In fact, she looked even younger.
And yet… she had defeated him with ease.
Realizing he couldn't overpower her,
Rafale let the wolf inside him fade.
Fur receded, claws dulled, and his body shrank back into its human form—
Yet her foot remained planted firmly on his chest, pinning him as if he were prey.
She didn't so much as flinch at his transformation.
Her gaze stayed locked on him, eyes as cold and unyielding as winter ice.
"Who… are you?"
Rafale asked, his voice low but edged with caution.
"____"
The girl regarded him for a long moment before answering, her tone calm, almost detached.
"Aponi,"
She said.
"And I'm here to save a boy named Landon Kirby."
The name hit Rafale like a jolt of lightning.
"____"
His breath caught, eyes widening.
'Landon?'
His instincts bristled.
"What do you mean by saving Landon?"
He asked, his voice low, each word measured.
Aponi didn't answer right away.
"____"
She simply stared at him, her silence stretching long enough for the forest sounds to creep back in—
The distant hoot of an owl,
Hoot~
The whisper of wind through the branches.
When she finally spoke, her tone was flat, almost lifeless.
"That's none of your business,"
She said.
"But if you want to save your brother from being imprisoned in the Prison World by Alaric Saltzman… you'll follow me."
The words landed heavy between them, sharper than any claw.
Rafale's breath hitched.
"____"
He didn't know what this Prison World was,
But the way she said it—
And the chill it sent through his gut—
Told him it couldn't be anything good for his brother.
"What is it? What do you mean?"
He pressed, urgency creeping into his voice.
Aponi's cold gaze shifted toward him, studying him for a heartbeat before she finally spoke.
"If Landon doesn't regain control of his body soon,"
She said evenly,
"Alaric won't hesitate. He'll send him to the Prison World—where time runs differently than here."
Her tone darkened, each word deliberate.
"It's one of the cruelest punishments a person can endure."
The weight of her words settled over him like a shroud.
The weight of her words settled over him like a shroud.
"____"
Images of Landon flashed unbidden in Rafale's mind—
His brother's crooked smile,
the way he always tried to see the good in people, even when they didn't deserve it.
The thought of him trapped in some twisted place where time itself conspired against you… it made Rafale's stomach knot.
'Different time… cruelest punishment…'
The phrases gnawed at him.
Was it days in there? Years? Centuries?
He didn't know, and that ignorance only made the dread worse.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Whatever this Prison World was,
He knew one thing for certain—
He couldn't let Landon end up there.
Even with the weight of his predicament pressing down on him,
Aponi's next words made it heavier.
"If we don't save Landon tonight,"
She said, her voice unyielding,
"he'll be sent to the Prison World. And once he's there… there's no easy way back."
The knot in Rafale's chest tightened.
'Tonight.'
The word rang in his ears like a warning bell.
Nervous energy coiled inside him as he swallowed hard.
"How?"
He demanded.
"How are we supposed to save him? And why should I believe anything you're saying?"
Her expression didn't change.
Those cold eyes held his without a flicker of emotion,
As though she'd already expected the question.
At his challenge,
Aponi didn't flinch.
Her voice remained steady, almost unnervingly calm.
"To save your brother,"
She said,
"you need to help me enter the school—past their protective barriers. Once we're inside, getting to him will be easy."
Rafale's brow furrowed, suspicion warring with desperation.
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
She reached into her coat and pulled out a folded slip of aged parchment, the edges frayed as though it had been handled many times.
"There's a ritual,"
She explained.
"You'll need to perform it in your dorm room. Use your own blood as the sacrifice… and recite the lines written on this page."
Her tone never wavered,
But there was a strange weight to her words,
As if she knew exactly how dangerous what she was asking for truly was.
Rafale took the parchment,
The rough texture against his fingertips making his skin prickle.
Rafale unfolded the parchment.
The ink was dark, almost black-red, the letters curling into symbols and words he didn't recognize.
Some lines shimmered faintly, as if the paper itself breathed with a slow, steady pulse.
He ran his thumb along the edge, feeling the faint sting of a paper cut.
Even that small prick made the symbols seem to ripple, like they were eager for his blood.
"This… doesn't look like anything I've seen before,"
He murmured.
Aponi's eyes remained fixed on him.
"You don't need to understand it. You only need to follow it exactly. Every word. Every drop."
The urgency of Landon's situation pressed on him, but a chill slid down his spine.
"____"
He couldn't shake the sense that these were the kind of words that changed things—
Words you couldn't take back once spoken.
Still… the thought of his brother locked away in some twisted world was worse.
He folded the parchment again, tucking it into his jacket, though his fingers lingered just a second too long—
As if hoping it would vanish from his hand and take the choice with it.
Without another word,
Aponi's form shimmered, bones stretching and twisting until fur once again rippled over her frame.
In seconds, the wolf stood before him, her cold eyes meeting his one last time—
Then she turned and vanished into the dark weave of the woods.
Rafale stood frozen for a moment,
The forest quiet around him.
"____"
His gaze dropped to the parchment still in his hand.
The symbols seemed darker now, heavier,
As though they knew the choice resting on them.
He exhaled slowly, folding the ritual sheet with care before slipping it into his pocket.
Whatever this was, he'd have to decide soon.
Turning toward the school,
He began the trek back, his boots crunching against the leaf-littered path.
The afternoon sun filtered weakly through the trees,
And for the first time that day, the campus walls came into view.
Since there were no afternoon classes,
He decided to make use of the free time.
Instead of heading to his dorm, his steps carried him to the monitoring room—
The place where Landon was being kept under watch.
If he was going to risk everything for this ritual, he needed to see his brother first.
Monitoring Room...
The door to the monitoring room was heavy,
Its hinges giving a low groan as Rafale pushed it open.
The faint scent of antiseptic mixed with something metallic lingered in the air, and the steady hum of magical wards buzzed against his ears.
Landon sat on a narrow cot near the far wall, his posture slouched, eyes unfocused as though staring at something far beyond the room.
Like he was in some kind of trance.
"____"
"Landon…"
Rafale's voice was quiet, almost hesitant.
His brother's head lifted slowly.
"____"
For a heartbeat, there was a flicker of recognition in his gaze—
But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a cold, detached stare.
Rafale's chest tightened.
"It's me. Your brother. Can you hear me?"
Landon blinked, but said nothing.
His hands twitched slightly in his lap, a small, restless movement that sent a chill through Rafale.
Whatever had taken hold of him was still there, coiled deep inside.
The door creaked open again, and Alaric stepped inside.
He gave Rafale a quick, casual nod, as though finding him here was nothing unusual.
Nod~
"Hey, kid,"
He greeted, crossing the room to drop into the chair by the desk.
He didn't even glance at the magical barrier as he settled in.
Rafale, however, wasn't in the mood for small talk.
"What's happening to him?"
He asked, jerking his chin toward Landon.
"Why is he… like this?"
Alaric's gaze flicked to the cot, his expression tightening for the briefest moment before he exhaled a weary sigh.
Sigh~
"It seems he's under someone's control right now,"
He said.
"Once that's broken, he'll go back to normal."
Rafale frowned.
Frown~
"____"
"And how do we break it?"
"I'm trying,"
Alaric replied, leaning back in his chair.
"I'm doing everything I can to figure out a way to free him completely. But until I find it…"
He glanced toward Landon, his voice dropping,
"All we can do is keep him contained so no one gets hurt—including himself."
The words were meant to reassure,
But to Rafale, they only sounded like a slow countdown he couldn't afford to wait out.
Rafale stayed silent after that, his eyes fixed on Landon.
The faint shimmer of the magical barrier distorted his brother's face,
Making him look even further away than he already was.
Alaric turned his attention to a stack of reports on the desk,
Flipping through them without another word.
It was clear the conversation was over.
Rafale stepped back toward the door, his mind churning.
"____"
Aponi's voice echoed in his head—
Cold, certain, and far too confident in what would happen if Landon wasn't saved tonight.
'Prison World… time runs differently… cruelest thing you can do to a person.'
But Alaric hadn't mentioned anything about that.
Was she lying? Or was Alaric hiding the truth?
He slipped out into the hallway, the door shutting behind him with a muted click.
His hand brushed against his pocket, feeling the folded parchment inside.
The paper felt heavier now, as if it was pulling at him, urging him to make a choice.
By the time he reached the staircase,
He already knew—
Whether Aponi was telling the truth or not, he couldn't risk doing nothing.
Halfway down the corridor,
Rafale slowed.
'Why don't I just ask Alaric about the Prison World?'
The thought nagged at him, sharp and insistent.
He turned back, retracing his steps to the monitoring room.
His hand was on the doorknob when a voice inside stopped him cold.
"____"
Alaric.
It was faint, muffled through the wood, but clear enough to make out.
He was speaking to someone—
Probably on the phone.
"…yeah… Landon's situation hasn't improved,"
Alaric was saying, his tone heavy with concern.
"There's a high chance we'll need to move him to a more secure location."
Rafale's eyes widened.
"____"
Secure location.
After talking to Aponi, his mind instantly jumped to one possibility—
The Prison World.
He didn't hear the rest.
"____"
He didn't want to.
The decision solidified in his chest like a stone.
He had to do the ritual.
What he didn't know was that Alaric wasn't talking about the Prison World at all.
He was speaking to a Damon, arranging for a hidden warehouse to keep Landon safe—
Following Jojo's earlier warning that the school wasn't the right place to contain him for long.
But Rafale didn't hear that truth.
All he heard was the threat he feared most.
And now there was no turning back.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!