Chapter 4 - Unleashed Darkness

The dawn broke, but its light did nothing to ease the icy knot of fear in my gut. My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest as I stepped into the arena, a vast space encased by shimmering walls of magic, designed to contain the power that would soon be unleashed. The air was thick with tension, and every breath I took felt like it could shatter the fragile peace before the storm.

 Across from me, Dustin stood, his face pale but determined. His eyes, however, betrayed a flicker of fear—the same fear that gnawed at my insides. I knew what he was capable of—his wind magic was swift and relentless, a force that could slice through steel if given the chance. When he harassed Ivy, he was barely using any of his true potential.

But I also knew what I was capable of, and that terrified me more than anything Dustin could throw at me.

The keepers lined the edges of the arena, their expressions impassive and cold. They were here to observe, to judge, and to determine whether I was fit to remain at Keeper Academy. I caught sight of the principal keeper; his gaze locked onto me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

He had promised that no one would die today and that their defensive magic would protect us. But I could feel the darkness within me stirring, hungry, and wild, and I wasn’t sure if any magic could contain it. 

 Dustin made the first move, his hands glowing with a soft, greenish light as he summoned the winds to his command. The surrounding air swirled, forming a vortex that lifted him off the ground. His voice was steady, but there was a tremor in it as he spoke the incantation that would set his magic loose.

 “Tempest Gale!”, he shouted.

 The wind roared to life, a furious cyclone that raced toward me, tearing at the ground and sending debris flying in all directions. I barely had time to react, raising my hand instinctively, and with it, the forbidden magic surged. 

 “No!” I yelled, but it was too late. The dark energy exploded from within me; a wave of purple and black flames met Dustin’s cyclone head-on. The two forces collided with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves through the arena. The magical barrier around us held, but I could feel the ground beneath my feet tremble as the power of our clash shook the very foundation of the academy.

 Dustin’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the dark flames devouring his wind, eating away at anything that stood in its way, and for a moment, I saw the boy behind the bully—a boy who had been forced into this duel just as I had, a boy who now realized that he was in over his head.

A boy who was not inherently evil but insecure about himself and his social standing. 

 I wanted to stop, to pull back the darkness before it could do any real harm, but the magic had a will of its own. It fed off my fear, my anger, and my desperation, growing stronger with every passing second. I watched in helpless terror as the flames engulfed Dustin, wrapping around him like a living thing, siphoning away his strength and life force.

 “Stop!” I screamed, but the magic did not listen. It never did. The roar of the raging flames drowned Dustin’s shrieks out, his figure barely visible through the purple inferno of hell. The keepers remained silent, their expressions unreadable as they continued to observe, taking notes and whispering to one another. 

 Finally, the flames receded; the darkness retreating into the depths of my soul. I stood there, trembling, my hands still glowing with the remnants of the dark magic, as the smoke cleared to reveal Dustin lying on the ground, motionless. His body was still intact—barely—but his chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths.

His skin looked pale, almost translucent, as if someone had drained the very essence of life from him.

 I took a step forward, my legs weak, and fell to my knees beside him. His eyes fluttered open, glazed and unfocused, and I saw the fear there—the realization of how close he had come to death. My hands hovered over him, trembling as I tried to find some way to undo the damage I had done.

 “I’m sorry,” I whispered, but the words felt hollow and meaningless. Sorry wouldn’t change what had happened; it wouldn’t bring back the life force I had stolen from him. I had wanted to win, but not like this. I never liked this.

The Keepers finally moved, their leader stepping forward with a nod to the others. They approached us, their hands glowing with light as they worked to stabilize Dustin and keep him from slipping away entirely. I watched as they lifted him onto a stretcher; their movements were efficient and practiced, but there was no comfort in their actions. They were doing their duty, nothing more.

 While they carried Dustin out of the arena, I found myself alone in the silence, with the weight of what I had done pressing down on me like a thousand thorns in my heart. The worst thing about this whole situation is that. Somehow, from Dustin’s pain and the damage done to his body, I felt more powerful, not even human.

My eyes glowed a deep purple hue for a moment before disappearing like they weren’t there in the first place. The tsunami of magical energy circulating through me crashed into my heart and then stored itself throughout my body. 

The principal keeper stepped forward, his gaze cold and unforgiving.

 “You are not expelled,” he said, without showing any emotion. “But understand this, Nico. We will keep a close eye on you from now on. You will use your orange fire magic in public, and only under supervision will you be allowed to access the dark magic within you. Fail to control it, and the consequences will be far worse than expulsion.”

 I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. The principal turned away, leaving me to follow in his wake as he led me to the great hall where the other students awaited. But as I walked, my mind raced with the horror of what I had done and the realization that the power within me was more dangerous than I had ever imagined.

 Dustin might have been a bully, but he didn’t deserve this. No one did. And now, I would have to live knowing that my victory had come at a terrible cost.

 As the doors to the great hall loomed before me, I knew that this was just the beginning. The tests ahead would challenge me in ways I couldn’t yet imagine, but nothing would be more difficult than facing the darkness within myself.