When good turns evil

As they spoke, the roommates couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched. They glanced around the room, but there was no one in sight.

Zara asked looking towards Kealara "Is everything alright"

"Yes! Why?"

"Nothing, you...just seemed out of it when commander Thrax was here.

"How? What do you mean?" Kaelara wondered because she had mastered keeping her emotions in check on her face.

"I heard your heartbeat"Zara said

"Oh that, I was just worried about Lila that's all" she lied taking note of Zara's exceptionally good hearing.

"Okayyyy"

Lila called their attention as she caught sight of a piece of paper on the floor which diverted the topic of discussion. It was a note, scribbled in hasty handwriting:

"Meet me in the old windmill at the side of the forest at midnight. Come alone."

The note was unsigned, but the roommates knew instinctively that something was going on and Commander Thrax was involved .

They all decided to hide out close to the old windmill by the side of the forest and wait till midnight.

A man was running in the hallways with dark brown eyes that looked black in the dark, as the only source of light was the moonlight shining on him, one could see his shadow behind him as as it wriggled and folded, becoming smaller in size. And what was left running in the hallways wasn't a man anymore, but a creature 5 feets in height, with pale gray layered skin, silver-white hair, sunken colourless eyes surrounded by dark rings, and a lack of distinctive features. It nose, lips, and mouth, small, making it seem expressionless, and on its pinky finger a gold ring.

As it took a corner, It disappeared leaving the hallway empty.

At midnight, the three girls hid behind a huge tree surrounded by tall bushes as they waited for commander Thrax and his aide to arrive.

The first person to arrive was a man wearing a long, dark cloak, Not long after, Commander Thrax arrived, looking around to make sure he wasn't followed as he walked towards the back of the house-like windmill.

"Let's wait for a few minutes" Kaelara said, waiting while keeping an eye out for any sudden interruptions. It was finally time to move. As they approached the windmill slowly while keeping a lookout, they finally caught sight of Commander Thrax cowering in fear as the other person in the clock was talking, but they couldn't see the cloaked figure.

"I told you to get information from them, didn't I? And now you come here to tell me you failed, I could kill you right now because of this silly mistake", the cloaked figure, Caelum Nightshade said.

I'm sorry, Master. please forgive me. I won't make the same mistake twice. Someone was coming, and I didn't want to risk being seen," Commander Thrax said.

The cloaked figure looked angrily at commander Thrax. "I hope nobody saw you change?".

"Yes Master, I was very careful"

"Good, I have to figure out what happened to the shadeborn devourer. That stupid fool can't do anything right. I can't find him since the incident occurred.

Gasping sliently the girls couldn't believe it, so someone planned all this. But why?

"Master, I think I might have an answer to that". Stretching fort its hand, A tiny shadow could be seen inside an orb.

"So it failed its mission, Caelum said staring at the orb"

The shadow in the orb glowed with a red colour.

"Master, It said everything was going according to plan, until it met someone with incredible magical abilities, It said it was an a...an...ancient one". Commander Thrax said with his eyes wide like saucers in shock.

Lila, Kaelara and Zara couldn't believe their ears as well "Ancient one" they all thought in their heads.

"Ancient one, you say, hahahaha!!, no one in this school, even the heads have heard of an ancient one existing in this era, They are all dead" he said with a crazy look in his eyes. "Are you just using that as an excuse for your failure" he said as his aura burst out. The three girls, Commander Thrax and the shadow in the orb shivered at the burst of power from the cloaked figure.

When suddenly the cloaked figures eyes widen, using his hands to drag the head covering of the cloak forward to cover his face, He turned sharply "Who's there?".

The eyes of the three girls widen in shock as they made sure their presence was hidden.

"Come out now that I'm still playing nice before I change my mind"

Lila, Kaelara and Zara didn't know what to do, so their only plan at that moment was to run, as they turned to run into the windmill house, Caelum began walking towards there direction.

"Lila! what do we do?" Kaelara said opening the door to the windmill as quietly as she could for them to enter.

As it was midnight already nobody was at the windmill and due to the school's isolation there was no need to lock it as no random person could enter.

They all hide behind sacks of stacked grains as they planned their escape... which was none at the moment.

Lila was panicking as she had a plan but due to her excessive use of magic that day, she wasn't sure if her plan would work.

Caelum had already reached the door to the windmill and had opened it, entering inside, he stood by the door.

"I did give you a chance, don't blame me for what comes next" Caelum said while Commander Thrax followed behind him.

The girls looked at each other desperate to hear someone had a plan.

"I do have a plan but I'm not sure if it will work" Lila said

"Try it!" Kealara and Zara whispered at the same time.

Lila started saying some word they couldn't understand as they both watched as the cloaked figure walked towards their direction. They couldn't help but whisper beneath their breath... please work, please work, please work.

Just as he was about to turn to face them they suddenly disappeeared. He couldn't sense their presence anymore.

"AHHHHHHHH" Cealum couldn't help but shout in anger.

He thought they were trapped with no where to go, he should have just gotten the job done fast.

"Hey you. Make sure they don't ever see you like this again, If they are smart enough, they won't report this. You can change to whoever or go hidden until I call for you.

"Understood, Master" He turned in the direction of the door and left.

Caelum stood there wondering who those three were.

The girls reappeared at the hallway leading to their room.

Lila, already weak, was supported by Kaelara and Zara on both sides as they quickly ran to their room before they were seen.

...

Back in Phelia's room, She looked around, trying to get her bearings. The moon was full, casting an eerie silver glow over everything. Phelia's heart was still racing, and her skin was covered in a cold sweat.

She threw off the covers and got out of bed, padding over to the window to look out at the night sky.

The Academy didn't really have a lot to look at, as it was isolated from the central living area and normal civilization, and was surrounded by a thick forest as far as the eyes could see, because the academy believed in isolation as the best form of concentration, The night was quiet, probably because most students would be sleeping right now, while others are probably too scared to sleep. The only sound that could be heard was the distant hum of the wind.

Phelia stood there for a long time, trying to calm her racing thoughts. She couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare had been more than just a dream. It had felt real, and it had left her with a sense of foreboding that she couldn't ignore. And to make things worse, this damned letter.

"Argh my head hurts," she said, touching it lightly. "I didn't sign up for all this... I just knew this academy was going to be the death of me, If only mum and dad had listened," she thought, silently crying inside.

"This isn't the time to sulk. Now, I know there's someone watching me somehow; I have to be careful," phelia thought to herself.

Phelia's mind reeled as she tried to process what had just happened. Who had written the message, and what did they mean by "You have been chosen"? Chosen for what? And for what instructions was she supposed to wait?

She looked around the room again, feeling a sense of unease. Was she really alone, or was someone watching her from the shadows? The silence seemed oppressive, and Phelia felt like she was holding her breath, waiting for something to happen.

And then, without warning, the door to the room creaked open by itself. Phelia's heart leapt into her throat as she wondered who or what was on the other side of the door...