Chapter 116 Burnt to ashes.

Chapter 116: Chapter 116 Burnt to ashes.

At the gate of the school, they appeared once again, and this time Noah immediately noticed the changes around them.

The creatures and students who had been frozen were beginning to move again.

The spell was already losing its hold.

"We’ve waited too long here. The other alphas will be coming out any moment, and where exactly are we going?" Eugene asked, looking around.

No one answered.

Noah immediately stared at each of them with wide eyes.

"So none of you guys planned at least a place we could crash at since we’re leaving the school? Then what was the point of all this?"

Lamia didn’t even know what to say because, truthfully, he had no solution either. Oliver scratched the back of his head, looking equally helpless.

"Mr. Oliver, maybe we could stay at your place for today at least," Noah suggested.

Oliver was about to respond when Lysander immediately shook his head.

"That’s a terrible idea."

Everyone looked at him.

"We’re all supernatural, and the moment we leave here, the hunters are going to start searching for us. And we’re taking the pureblood with us. With all the scents around, there’s no way we’ll be able to mask them completely when there are humans everywhere. We need somewhere isolated, somewhere no one will think to look."

Lysander paused before grinning.

"I have the best option. If you trust me enough, you can all come with me."

Noah narrowed his eyes.

That was genuinely kind of Lysander, which was exactly why it terrified him.

"You’re up to something. I can sense it. Why are you suddenly trying to help us?"

His gaze sharpened.

"You were caged, if I’m right, inside a coffin, and it was obviously created by a witch—a Phoenix witch at that. With both Lamia and Oliver here, how am I supposed to know you’re not trying to take revenge on them?"

The tension immediately thickened.

The uncertainty they had already been feeling only grew worse.

Lysander kept his eyes on Noah and slowly took a step forward.

Lamia instantly reacted. His hands lifted, magic gathering around his fingers, while Oliver shifted into a defensive stance beside him.

Lysander stopped.

"Don’t you want to tell them about the deal you made with me?"

Lamia’s expression tightened.

"Maybe you would have told them eventually, Lamia. But you didn’t tell them that I’m officially yours, did you?"

Noah’s eyes widened.

Lysander’s grin became more pronounced.

"You agreed to it right there when we were alone."

"Lysander!" Lamia snapped.

"What?" Lysander shrugged. "And you said I’m planning something?"

He looked at all of them with amusement.

"Come on. With how powerful I am right now, you think a bunch of teenagers can stop me? Isn’t that a ridiculous thought?"

His voice became colder.

"If I wanted to harm Ashton, I would’ve done it a long time ago. None of you would have been a real barrier."

He looked directly at Noah.

"For a long time, I even turned myself into his roommate. Of course, I killed the original one, but during all that time, I never touched him."

Everyone went silent.

"So why would anything be different now? If I wanted him gone, what exactly do you think you could do to stop me?"

The words silenced them completely.

Noah’s expression changed.

They had all just realized something.

Phillip had been Lysander all along.

Before anyone could process that revelation, a loud grunt came from behind them.

Lamia’s head snapped toward the sound.

A massive boar came charging through the wreckage at terrifying speed, its tusks raised as it rushed straight toward the group.

"Move!"

Lamia stretched out his hand.

A burst of magic struck the creature and sent it flying sideways. Its body slammed against a piece of jagged metal that had been left hanging dangerously from the ruined structure.

The metal pierced straight through the beast.

Its head twisted unnaturally before dropping lifelessly to the ground.

Marcus stared at the dead boar in disbelief.

"How the fuck is a wild animal inside our school?"

He looked around.

"And why were we stuffed inside a basement like cheese?"

He grimaced as he pulled a loose cobweb from his hair.

"That place was disgusting. It was full of cobwebs, dust, and God knows what else."

Damian barely paid attention to him.

He rushed toward Noah and immediately pulled him into a hug.

"Ash, what happened? I thought you were attacked by one of those creatures, but you’re standing here completely fine."

He pulled back, examining Noah anxiously.

"What happened while we were trapped down there?"

Killian, however, was much more agitated.

"What are you all discussing? Aren’t we supposed to be leaving?"

His question was answered by a terrifying growl.

The sound came from beneath the school.

The ground shook violently.

A thunderous vibration traveled through the floor, causing cracks to spread across the stone beneath their feet.

Everyone froze.

Another growl followed.

This one was deeper.

Much deeper.

Noah’s eyes widened.

"Isn’t that a dragon’s growl?"

Oliver’s expression immediately darkened.

"Every dragon in its pit is being released."

He looked toward the school.

"This is a huge fucking mess. We need to get out now."

He pointed toward the gate.

"I agree with Killian. There’s no more waiting around."

The growl became louder.

A massive shadow slowly passed over the school.

Everyone looked up.

The enormous silhouette moved across the burning sky, blocking part of the moonlight.

Noah’s stomach dropped.

The school was finished.

Whatever had been buried beneath it was finally breaking free, and the structure wouldn’t survive much longer.

"There is nothing more we can do for this school," Lysander said calmly. "So, are we going to my cottage or not?"

Everyone exchanged looks.

No one seemed particularly interested in following a demon they’d only just learned had been hiding his identity for who knew how long.

Noah, however, kept staring at Lysander.

Something inside him was telling him to go.

He didn’t know why.

It wasn’t logic.

It wasn’t even trust.

It was simply a strange instinct telling him that Lysander’s place was somewhere he needed to be.

Maybe it was a safe place.

Maybe it was something else.

Either way, Noah couldn’t ignore it.

"Take me there."

Everyone turned toward him.

Noah stepped closer to Lysander.

"Maybe if they see that I’m safe, they’ll agree to follow us."

Without hesitation, he reached out and took Lysander’s hand.

Lysander looked down at their joined hands.

Then his eyes slowly lifted back to Noah’s face.

A strange expression crossed his features.

Lamia slapped a hand over his face.

"Okay. This is definitely some kind of rage bait."

He groaned.

"Why does my friend fucking love danger so much?"

Noah ignored him.

Then he suddenly looked around.

"Wait."

His expression changed.

"Where’s Rose?"

Everyone went silent.

"Isn’t she supposed to be here?"

Lamia’s eyes widened.

He immediately looked back toward the ruined school grounds.

There.

Near one of the broken corridors.

Rose’s unconscious body lay on the ground.

A creature was approaching her.

Its jaws opened wide as it prepared to tear into her.

"Oh, for fuck’s sake."

Lamia thrust his fingers forward.

The creature exploded before it could even reach her.

Its body disintegrated into a shower of dark particles.

Lamia stormed toward Rose.

"Rose, you better wake that ass up and start defending yourself because this is getting ridiculous."

He crouched beside her and checked her condition.

She was still unconscious.

But she was breathing.

Lamia exhaled.

"At least you’re alive."

He looked back at Noah and Lysander.

"Even though I hate this idea, let’s go with Lysander."

He pointed toward the school.

"In less than five minutes, this entire place is going to go ablaze. The school is already collapsing, the creatures are escaping, and whatever is beneath this place is about to be unleashed completely."

No one argued.

They didn’t need to be told twice.

Another enormous roar shook the ground.

The remaining students began rushing through the gates in panic.

Teachers who had been trying to protect them finally abandoned their positions and ran for their lives.

Then the flames came.

Red fire erupted from several parts of the school, racing along the walls and swallowing the remaining structures.

Windows shattered.

Stone cracked.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

The entire school was officially burning.