The world was on fire. The air was burning, and the earth was turned to glass and lava.
The lake was unfrozen, and those that had yet to make it across fell into the depths. From there, they saw the fire raging on the water's surface. They could not go out of the water, but they needed to breathe. In the end, they drowned.
Hildr could hear the screams of despair and even smell the burning flesh. She did not go out. She used all her power to maintain the iceberg she had created. The thing melted and was reformed by her power multiple times. When the fire finally stopped its carnage, there was nothing left of the iceberg. Hildr lay in a large pit filled with lava. She was completely naked, and all that remained was her black skeleton and a few pieces of flesh here and there.
She had endured all the pain of being burned alive, and even now, she could feel the heat moving inside her bones. She was on the verge of losing consciousness but was determined to get the Crown of the Endless. Her father needed this crown at all costs. She was not doing this out of hate but because of the great love she had for her father.
She tried moving, but nothing worked. This was not surprising since there was practically nothing left of her. If she had not been a Draugr of the purest and oldest bloodline, she would already be dead.
She could do nothing but stay in the pit, hoping that her healing power would work faster than normal. She understood that the girl entrusted with the crown had to be in a similar situation—if not dead. She had sensed that the girl was a Child of the Night, but depending on how pure her bloodline was and how much Soul she could draw from the source, she might already be dead.
This would mean the crown was out there for anyone with the ability to walk to take as they pleased.
In the sky, the principal saw the destruction his power had caused and sighed for the last time.
He looked at Amelia, who had collapsed, and in that moment, he was willing to give almost anything to ensure she was okay. She was his only hope at preventing the crown from falling into the wrong hands.
"She has to live," he thought. He was already reaching his end. His legs were turning into ash that flowed away with the wind. In a few more seconds, he would die completely. Still, there was something he wanted to do.
He needed to confirm that Amelia was alive before giving her a final gift.
On the ground across the lake, Amelia was bent over, her body curled around Charlotte.
She looked like a piece of well-done steak. All her hair had been burned off.
Her injuries were light compared to what Hildr had suffered. This was because, at the last moment, Adrian had summoned powerful flames that went up against the power of the collapsing sun. Adrian had shown great bravery in that moment.
With his power shielding Amelia and Amelia shielding Charlotte, the young girl had remained completely unharmed.
She lay in Amelia's arms. Her cries were truly heartbreaking.
She had heard her sister's screams and smelled her burning flesh. She was only a little girl, and all this was too much for her.
At this moment, Amelia finally moved.
She was in incredible pain but hid it so her sister could avoid further mental trauma.
When the fading principal saw this, he smiled brighter than the sun he had just used to devastate everything.
"Amelia, this is the only help I can give you. The rest is up to you." With these words, the old man completely disappeared from the world. The only thing he left behind was a small flame that rapidly condensed into a crimson bead.
This bead held all the power the old man had accumulated throughout his life.
The bead shot out like a bullet and hit Charlotte at the center of her forehead.
Amelia was shaken by this. She was about to curse aloud when she saw her sister was unharmed. The bead had seamlessly merged into her body. Charlotte collapsed but was clearly still alive.
Amelia had heard the principal's words and knew he would not have done this if it could harm Charlotte in any way.
Since Amelia was only slightly injured, her wounds quickly healed. In seconds, she was back to normal. She searched until she found Adrian. He was in terrible shape but was already healing. In fact, most students were already healing. This was because the principal had taken most of the power himself while focusing the remainder on Hildr. The students had only been harmed by the excess flames.
Amelia had been informed of what the Draugr wanted. As the guardian of the crown, she had to flee. She was sure this would increase the other students' chances of escape since the Draugr would focus on chasing her down.
She brought out a small, exquisitely designed glass container. She broke the cover and poured the red liquid into Adrian's mouth.
The moment the liquid entered his mouth, Adrian seemed to glow with life. A bright red light covered him. His injuries closed faster than they had formed. After three minutes, all his wounds were gone. He jumped up as if ready for round two.
What Amelia had used was a Healing Potion. These potions were made by apothecaries, and Amelia had been fortunate to receive this one when entrusted with the crown.
Hildr quickly explained the situation to Adrian. She left Charlotte with Adrian before running away. Adrian ran in the opposite direction. He did not want to leave Amelia alone, but she had begged him to do just that.
On top of this, she was entrusting him with her greatest "possession"—Charlotte.
Adrian could not let her down at this crucial moment.