When good turns evil

Phelia's heart was racing as she burst into the meeting room, her voice echoed off the walls. "Stop!" she shouted, scanning the room for any sign of her roommates.

The Heads, seated around the grand ornate table, and those surrounding her roommates turned to face her, their eyes blazing with fury. Kaelara, Lila, and Zara stood before them; their faces etched with fear and uncertainty.

Phelia knew she had to act fast, to come up with a plan to rescue her friends and convince the Heads of hers and their innocence. She took a deep breath; steeling herself for what was to come.

"It wasn't their fault; they are innocent," she began, her voice steady and confident. "It was all a ruse." "The Shadeborn Devourer manipulated everyone into thinking I was dead. But I wasn't. I was taken, held captive by the creature until I managed to escape."

The Heads exchanged skeptical glances, but Phelia pressed on, her words pouring out in a rush. "I know it sounds impossible, but I swear it's the truth. The Shadeborn Devourer has the power to manipulate minds, to make people see and believe what it wants them to."

"Whatever Kaelara, Lila, and Zara told you was what the Shadeborn Devourer wanted them to see and believe"

Soravia Starseeker asked, "And why should we believe you? For all we know, you could be lying to us to save your friends.

"Also, why would the Shadeborn devourer capture you out of all your roomates, what are the odds?" Lysander Rowan supported.

Phelia replied "It captured me to devour me. Since I am the weakest of my roommates?, the others were trying to fight it off and it noticed how I didn't get involved. Distracting them with its shadows, it used that opportunity to capture me. The Shadeborn Devourer took me to some place in the academy, where all I could see was darkness, as I'm not familiar with the school I didn't know where I was, and was about to be devoured when it got distracted, it mentioned something... What was it?... Oh an Ancient one... Using that opportunity, I escaped. I ran as fast as I could trying to find something I was familiar with and somehow I found my way into the corridors, where I heard the commotion of my roommates being taken here by the mages and soldiers, and I followed behind.

"Ancient one" the Heads said in unison gasping as they couldn't believe what they just heard.

Eldrid Asterion, the most surprised, as he was supposed to be the one who knew about the ongoings of the land and academy both inside and out as the director of the academy. To properly help him manage the student and keep them safe and informed. But he had been getting all kinds of surprises within the past two days than he had in the last ten years.

As she spoke, Phelia saw the doubt in the Heads' eyes begin to falter. They leaned forward, their faces intent, considering her words.

All except one, Caelum Nightshade's eyes gleamed with suspicion as he regarded Phelia. He knew the truth about the Shadeborn Devourer; knew that it was more than just a simple creature. And he suspected that Phelia was hiding something, he had heard about the Ancient one from Thrax according to the shadeborn he was defeated by the Ancient one. Hmm... Is she telling the truth?.

But for now, he kept his thoughts to himself, his eyes never leaving Phelia's face.

The Heads came together at the ornate table, talking in hushed voices while Phelia walked toward her roommates hugging each one and calming them down, knowing they had gone through a lot for someone they barely knew.

"Thank you," Phelia said with appreciation "I can't believe you all want through all this for someone you barely knew."

"Stop being silly," Lila said with a smile. "You're our friend now; after going through all this together we're way past being strangers" The other girls nodded in agreement smiling cheekily.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Heads nodded, appearing to accept Phelia's explanation.

The Heads called the girls' attention, warning them to keep quiet about what had happened and threatening dire consequences if they breathed a word. As an investigation was still on going, and they didn't want distraction in the academy.

As the meeting drew to a close, Phelia felt a mix of emotions: relief, gratitude, and a hint of fear. She knew that she had convinced the Heads, but she also knew that a particular male head was watching her; waiting for her to slip up, she could feel his gaze boring into her as she talked.

The girls left the meeting room, their faces somber, their eyes scanning the corridors for any sign of danger. They made their way back to their room, their footsteps echoing off the walls. Along the way they saw Arden pop up from one of the corridors leading to their room.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Arden asked.

"It's all good; we're clear for now. We just have to be careful, though. There's this head who kept looking at me, waiting for any slip-up, so we still have to be careful," Phelia replied.

"Okay, thank goodness. But we have a lot to talk about; I have a lot of questions" Arden said.

"We're heading back to our room to discuss. You're welcome to listen." Lila said.

"You don't have to ask me twice, Let's go." Arden said moving forward towards the girls room.

When they reached the door, they were granted access, and Arden's entry was also approved. Since the door is magical, it required instructions to allow others besides the room's occupant to enter.

As they settled onto the moss-covered floor, Kaelara turned to Phelia, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "We have so much to tell you," she whispered. "About what happened after you...died."

Phelia's eyes locked onto Kaelara's; her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that she was about to hear something that would change everything.

As Kaelara began to speak, Phelia felt her world begin to unravel. The girls told her about the cloaked figure, Commander Thrax, and their conversation, as well as her supposed death and the other events that had transpired while she was presumed dead.