Seraphina’s Pov

I was groggy, half asleep, and entirely annoyed as I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. At first, I tried to ignore it, burying my face further into my pillow, but the tapping didn’t stop. It only grew harsher and even more persistent.

My irritation finally boiled over, and I flared up, turning abruptly, ready to snap at whoever dared disturb my sleep.

When my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I saw Ashleigh standing beside my bed, her expression serious and laced with a hint of impatience. For a moment, confusion clouded my irritation.

“Ashleigh? What time is it? Why are you waking me up at this hour?” I asked, my voice groggy and my tone sharper than intended.

Ashleigh didn’t answer my question. Instead, she shot back her own. “The snake girl’s your friend, right?”

Snake girl. My brain was sluggish, but I immediately understood who she meant. “Yuna? What about her? What’s going on?” My heart began to race.

Something was clearly wrong if Ashleigh was waking me up in the middle of the night to talk about Yuna.

Before Ashleigh could explain, the door creaked open, and Liana appeared, wearing an amused expression on her face. She didn’t even glance at me. “Ashleigh, you need to see this. She’s completely lost it!” she said urgently before disappearing as quickly as she had come.

Lost it? What did that even mean? My confusion deepened, and I turned back to Ashleigh. “What’s happening? What were you talking about earlier, Ashleigh? Is Yuna okay?”

Ashleigh sighed, clearly impatient but also slightly hesitant. “Look, just come to the second hall and check what’s happening. You need to see for yourself how crazy your friend has gotten. I can assure you, it’s pretty bad.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving me in a state of confusion and panic. I glanced around, noticing for the first time that my roommates weren’t in the room either. Something was definitely off, and it sent a chill down my spine.

I didn’t wait to question anything further. Throwing off my blanket, I jumped out of bed, slipping on my shoes and grabbing my robe. My mind raced with possibilities as I rushed out of the room and into the hallway. What could have possibly happened to Yuna? Was she hurt? Was she in danger?

The word “crazy” echoed in my head, but I refused to believe it. Yuna was the most level-headed person I knew, at least sometimes, and there was a limit to anything crazy she could do.

My heart pounded in my chest as I hurried toward the second hall where Yuna’s room was, and when I reached the entrance to her hall, I noticed a small group of students clustered together, whispering amongst themselves and occasionally glancing toward the end of the corridor.

Their expressions ranged from concern to fear, and I immediately knew they were talking about Yuna.

I pushed past them, not caring about the curious looks they gave me. At the far end of the hallway, I saw Ashleigh and Liana standing outside a room, peering inside cautiously. Their backs were to me, but I could tell from their stiff postures that whatever they were looking at wasn’t good.

“What’s going on?” I muttered, moving closer.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I pushed through the growing crowd of students, and as I reached the front of the group, I finally saw what the commotion was about, and my breath caught in my throat.

It was Yuna.

Or at least, it used to be Yuna.

Her entire body was covered in glistening, scaly skin, technically snakeskin, and her normal features were distorted, replaced by a menacing intensity that sent chills down my spine. Her usual warm, dark green eyes had turned a sickening green, slit like a snake’s, and glowing with an unearthly brightness that seemed to pierce through me.

“Get back!” she screamed, her voice guttural and laced with something inhuman. She whipped her head around, hissing at anyone who dared to step closer.

A low, eerie growl emanated from her throat, sending several students scurrying backward. She was pacing, her movements sharp and erratic, like a predator cornered and ready to strike.

My heart raced as I watched her. This wasn’t Yuna—not the Yuna I knew. Her calm demeanor was gone, replaced by something feral and terrifying. It was like she was fighting something inside her, her body jerking with every step she took, as though struggling against invisible chains.

“Yuna!” I shouted, my voice shaky but loud enough to catch her attention.

For a moment, she froze, and her piercing green eyes locked on mine. My stomach churned as she tilted her head, her expression a mixture of recognition and something darker—something primal.

“Stay… back!” she snarled, her voice breaking. “I can’t… control it!”

I felt fear crash over me, but I couldn’t move. My feet felt rooted to the spot, even as every instinct screamed at me to run.

What was happening to her? What could have caused this? My mind raced with questions, but none of them had answers. All I could do was watch, helpless and horrified.

The other students had scattered and were all staying at the back, leaving me alone at the front of the corridor.

Yuna’s body twitched violently, and she clawed at her arms, scratching deep red marks into her scaly skin. Her breathing was ragged, like she was struggling to get enough air, and every few seconds, she would hiss low and sharp.

Then, without warning, she lunged at the wall, her fists pounding into it with such force that cracks splintered across the surface. Dust and debris fell around her as she screamed again, the sound so raw and guttural it made my ears ring.

“Yuna, stop!” I cried, taking a hesitant step forward. I didn’t know what I was doing—I didn’t know if I could do anything—but I couldn’t just stand there and let her destroy herself. “It’s me, Seraphina! Please, calm down!”

Her head snapped toward me again, and for a fleeting second, I thought I saw a glimmer of the real Yuna in her eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a venomous glare that made my blood run cold.

“I said… STAY BACK!” she roared, her voice echoing down the corridor.

She swung her arm wildly, and I flinched as it crashed into a nearby door, denting the wood like it was made of paper. Wooden dust flew from the impact, and I stumbled back, my legs shaking.

It was then that I noticed something strange about the air around her. There was this faint smell of something acrid that burned my nostrils, and my eyes watered as I realized that the source of the smell was Yuna herself. Her body seemed to radiate heat, and the faint outline of a greenish haze surrounded her, pulsing and swirling like smoke.

“She’s been poisoned,” someone whispered from behind me. I turned my head slightly, catching a glimpse of one of the students who had stayed to watch from a distance. “It has to be the Chimeric Venom. I’ve seen something like this play out a few times back home. The venom is used to ward off snakes, and it’s capable of making them go crazy.”

Chimeric Venom? I had no idea what that was, but it didn’t matter. All I knew was that Yuna needed help, and I wasn’t going to leave her like this.

Summoning every ounce of courage I had left, I stepped forward again, my hands outstretched in a placating gesture. “Yuna, listen to me,” I said, my voice trembling but steady enough to carry. “I don’t know what’s happening to you, but I’m not going to leave you. You’re not alone. You have me and Yura, and we’re going to help you.”

Her movements stilled for a moment, and she stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. Her breathing slowed slightly, and I dared to hope that maybe—just maybe—she was coming back to herself.

But then her body jerked violently, and she let out another ear-piercing scream. “It hurts!” she cried, clutching her head. “I can’t… stop it!”

Before I could react, she lunged forward, closing the distance between us in an instant. I stumbled back, my heart pounding as she loomed over me, her green eyes blazing with fury and pain. Her hand shot out, grabbing my wrist in a vice-like grip. Her touch was scorching, and I winced as I felt the heat sear into my skin.

“Yuna, please!” I begged, tears streaming down my face. “This isn’t you! Fight it—whatever it is, fight it!”

Her grip tightened, and for a terrifying moment, I thought she was going to snap my wrist, but then she froze, her body trembling as she stared down at me. Her lips parted, and for the first time, I saw tears streaming down her snake-like eyes.

“Seraphina,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep