The Sky Was Falling, and So Were We
You ever have one of those days where you wake up thinking,"Yeah, today's gonna suck,"and then the universe is like,"Bet."
Yeah. That was today. And trust me, you're gonna want to buckle up for this one.
The first warning sign wasn't the screaming. It wasn't the shaking ground. It wasn't even the deafening blare of the Academy sirens.It was Asher.Bursting into the dorm like a hurricane, wide-eyed, breathless, a streak of blood down his temple.
"They're here," he rasped out. "Harper. They're here."
No time to ask questions. No time to even feel the fear clawing up my spine.My body moved before my brain could catch up — grabbing my boots, my jacket, the knife from under my pillow.
Chaos exploded outside our window. Shadows spilled across the courtyard like ink, twisting into figures — monstrous, grotesque.
The Avalorian Wraiths.
We weren't ready for this. Not even close.
"Asher—" I gasped, but he was already hauling me toward the door.
Our hands collided — just for a second — fingers tangling before he yanked me forward.
Electric. That's the only way to describe it. Like grabbing onto a live wire. A jolt that snapped something deep inside me awake.I didn't have time to process it. Just a breathless second of something terrifyingly human between us — and then we were running.
Boots thundered down the marble halls. Students shoved past us, some screaming, some stone-cold silent with shock.In the distance, spells lit up the night in wild bursts of color. Blue. Gold. Red.
I stumbled, nearly crashing into a wall, but Asher caught my wrist, steadying me without a word. His hand lingered a beat too long.And maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was something else — but when our eyes met, I swear, the world tilted.
His fingers tightened. A silent promise.I've got you.
And then we were moving again.
We burst onto the main staircase just as the headmaster's voice boomed overhead, sharp and cold:"All students report to your designated shelters immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."
The walls trembled with every word. Dust rained from the ceiling. Somewhere close, something howled — high and broken and furious.
I grabbed Asher's sleeve. "The others—"
"We'll find them," he said, fierce and certain.
But in that moment, a group of Wraiths slammed through the north entrance.Dark, shuddering figures, eyes like burning coals.
The first one lunged.
Asher pushed me behind him without hesitation, raising his blade.And for half a second —Just half a second —I realized:I wasn't afraid.Not while he was standing there like that. Like the storm itself had chosen sides — and chosen us.
The Wraith shrieked. Asher moved. Fluid, lethal, terrifyingly beautiful.
I ripped the knife from my belt and charged after him.
If this was how we went down, then so be it.
We fought like we were born for it.Like maybe all those endless drills, all the bruises and sweat and blood, had finally led here.
I didn't think.I didn't hesitate.
I stabbed. I dodged. I kicked a Wraith square in the chest and watched it splinter into smoke.
Asher's laugh — rough and breathless — cut through the chaos."Remind me never to piss you off."
"Noted," I panted, grinning like an idiot even as a Wraith swiped at my head.
Somewhere between stabbing monsters and dodging death, I realized my heart wasn't pounding from fear anymore.It was something else.Something wild and reckless and stupidly, stupidly alive.
It was him.
It was us.
Fighting like we were made of fire and fury and something that couldn't be broken.
The courtyard was a war zone.Students in tattered uniforms fought back-to-back. Professors hurled spells like grenades. Wraiths twisted and shrieked and fell.
We found the others near the main gates.Nova, Ryker, and Cass.
Cass was bleeding from her forehead, wild-eyed but grinning like a maniac. Nova was practically dragging Ryker, who looked half-dead but still managed to flip off a Wraith between gasping breaths.
"Took you long enough," Cass shouted when she saw us.
"Sorry," I yelled back. "Traffic."
Nova scowled. "This is bad. Really bad. They're inside the perimeter. The wards are failing—"
A massive crack split the air.We all ducked instinctively as a bolt of black lightning slammed into the Academy tower, sending debris raining down.
Ryker cursed. "That's it. We're screwed."
"Not yet," Asher growled.
He turned to me, eyes dark and fierce.
"We stick to the plan," he said. "We get to the Archives. Find the core spell. If we can reactivate the barriers—"
I nodded, heart hammering.
The Archives. The most protected part of the Academy. If we could get there, we might still have a chance.
Might.
No promises. No guarantees. Just a stupid, desperate spark of hope.
And yet, when Asher reached out again — grabbing my hand, this time without hesitation — I squeezed back like my life depended on it.
Maybe it did.
Maybe it always had.
We ran.
Through broken hallways and shattered glass, through fire and smoke and shadows.
At one point, I stumbled.I felt my strength falter, just for a second.
Asher caught me. Pulled me upright.His hand slid to the small of my back, anchoring me.
"You're not falling," he said, voice rough.
Not on my watch, he didn't say.He didn't have to.
I heard it anyway.
And somewhere deep inside, something burned brighter than fear.
Something that tasted like survival. Like defiance.Like a beginning.
By the time we reached the Archives, the Academy was barely standing.
Nova blasted the last Wraith guarding the doors.Ryker and Cass rammed their shoulders against the heavy oak, forcing it open.
Inside, the air was thick with old magic and the smell of dust and leather.
We staggered into the dark, slamming the doors shut behind us.
For now, we were safe.
For now.
I slumped against the nearest wall, panting, sweat dripping into my eyes.
Asher sank down beside me, close enough that our knees brushed.
Neither of us spoke.
We didn't need to.
Outside, the world was ending.Inside, something else was beginning.
I didn't know what tomorrow would look like.
I didn't know if we'd survive long enough to find out.
But as Asher's shoulder bumped mine — warm, steady, real — I knew one thing for certain.
If we burned, we'd burn together.
And damn it, part of me was ready to light the match.