Chapter 320: A bad morning

Third-person POV

Seraphina shot up from her bed with a jolt, her heart racing as her eyes darted to the clock by her side. The tournament. Today was the tournament.

“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath, throwing the covers off and swinging her legs over the bed. The clock read way past the time she was supposed to be up.

She had set her alarm; she was sure of it. There was no way she would’ve forgotten, not when today was this important.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced around the room. Most of her roommates were already gone, and their beds were empty and neatly made, as if they had been gone for hours. Only one person was still in the room, and that was Ashleigh.

She was dressed and adjusting her earrings in front of the mirror, looking like she was just about to head out.

Seraphina stood and rushed to grab her towel, planning to sprint into the bathroom and take the fastest shower of her life, but just as she reached for the doorknob, Ashleigh’s voice stopped her.

“Seraphina.”

Seraphina paused and turned around, her hand still on the knob. “Yeah?”

Ashleigh looked at her through the mirror, still fixing her hair. “Wouldn’t it be better if you just stayed in today?”

Seraphina blinked, confused. “What?”

Ashleigh finally turned to face her, one hand on her hip. “I don’t know. I just think maybe you should skip going out. Just this once.”

Seraphina frowned. “Why would you say that? It’s the tournament day. The biggest student tournament in Elmeria. Why would you ask me to miss it?”

Ashleigh gave a shrug, her expression unreadable. “It’s just a suggestion, sweetie. I had a weird dream or something, I don’t know.” She waved her hand like it wasn’t a big deal. “You asked, I answered.”

“That’s not really an answer, Ashleigh.”

Ashleigh didn’t say anything for a few seconds. She just looked at Seraphina with a strange sort of sympathy, like she knew something she wasn’t saying out loud. Then, she grabbed her bag from the bed and headed for the door.

“Look, maybe I’m just being dramatic,” she said over her shoulder, “but I get the feeling today won’t be good for you. Anyway, good luck.” And with that, she left.

Seraphina stood there for a moment, stunned.

She wasn’t one to take warnings seriously, especially when they were vague and cryptic like that, but something about Ashleigh’s tone and the strange, heavy feeling it left behind made her chest feel tight.

Still, she shook her head and forced herself to move. “No, not today. I have to be there.”

She rushed into the bathroom, her mind spinning. She didn’t have time for weird gut feelings or half-explained dreams. Electra needed her, and even if Electra didn’t say it out loud, Seraphina knew the girl would be looking for her in the crowd today, even if it was just for a second of reassurance.

She turned on the water, letting it hit her face as she tried to wash off the lingering unease. Today was supposed to be a big day, a good day in fact, and nothing, not even Ashleigh’s creepy intuition, was going to stop her from being a part of it.

***

Seraphina’s fingers trembled slightly as she buttoned the last piece of her uniform. Her hair was still damp from the very quick bath she had taken, sticking to the sides of her face, but she didn’t have time to fuss over it.

Her heart raced, not just from nerves, but also from the sheer urgency she felt. The tournament had already started, or at the very least, was moments away from beginning.

She still didn’t know how she had overslept. Maybe it was the rest her body desperately needed, or maybe it was something else. Either way, there was no time to waste. She yanked on her boots, grabbed her badge from the dresser, and bolted out the door.

The arena wasn’t far, just a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk through the main courtyard of Elysium, past the lower dormitories, and around the fountain. She could already hear the buzz of excitement that always came with such major events.

She’d make it, she had to, but just as she turned the corner of the building, a figure showed up in front of her out of nowhere.

Iris.

Blocking her path with her arms crossed and wearing a perfectly ironed uniform that looked untouched by haste or worry, Iris tilted her head and offered a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Well, well,” she said smoothly, “off to somewhere important?”

Seraphina skidded to a halt, her face hardening instantly. “Not now, Iris.”

“Oh come on,” Iris said with a mock pout. “Is that how you greet your beautiful classmate on a day as special as this?”

“I’m really not in the mood for your nonsense today,” Seraphina snapped, already stepping to the side to get around her. “Pick another day to play your sick little games. Today isn’t the day.”

But Iris didn’t move. Instead, she let out a dry, low laugh, the kind of laugh that made your skin crawl before your brain had a chance to catch up.

“Why would I want to pick a fight with you today, of all days?” Iris asked, her voice dropping slightly, almost too calm. “Today is… historic.”

Seraphina frowned. Something about her words felt off, and it wasn’t just the smugness; it was the stillness and the weird smile that was plastered on her face. And then, Seraphina noticed something else.

The dormitory was quiet, way too quiet.

She hadn’t realized how unnaturally empty it was until now, with not even the usual late risers or the sound of other girls’s voices or doors opening. Everyone had left, everyone… except them.

The hairs on her arms lifted.

“I don’t have time for this,” she muttered, trying to move again, but Iris moved faster.

With a speed that seemed to defy logic, Iris reached out and yanked her back, her fingers like iron around Seraphina’s upper arm. It wasn’t a warning grip; it was violent, unrelenting, and very painful.

Seraphina gasped, struggling against her hold. “Let go of me!”

Iris’s face shifted as she leaned in close, and when their eyes met, Seraphina’s heart stuttered.

Her eyes were no longer normal. Her pupils were gone, her eyes had turned pitch black, like completely dark and creepy, and Seraphina’s stomach turned. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Iris tightened her grip, and her smile changed too; it wasn’t mocking anymore. It was wicked.

“You’re not going anywhere near that tournament,” Iris whispered.

Her voice was not her usual tone anymore. It was layered and double-toned, like something else was speaking through her.

Seraphina tried to pull away again, but Iris’s grip only tightened, digging into her skin so hard it felt like her bones might snap.

“At least… not alive.”

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