Chapter 2 2

Nyxara pov

That crimson light that illuminated the entire courtyard... that massive body that looked as though it had been carved from solid rock, those razor-sharp claws, and the earth-shaking roar that echoed throughout Blackwood Academy, jolting everyone awake in terror...

"Ignivar!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, ignoring the pain tearing through my body. Despite my injuries, I forced myself to my feet and rushed in front of him.

My heart tightened with fear as I stood there facing him... I couldn't bear the thought of anyone hurting him.

The moment I reached him, I stopped and spread both my arms protectively in front of him... even though, compared to his enormous size, I was nothing more than a tiny speck.

He was the one capable of protecting me, not the other way around... but I wasn't about to let anyone get anywhere near him, especially the Blackmoon royal family.

Roxana had already shifted back into her human form. She sat on the ground, desperately crawling backward, her face drained of every trace of color.

As for everyone else... they stood frozen where they were, their eyes wide with disbelief, desperately trying to find the words to say, yet none of them seemed capable of speaking.

A few moments later, Olivia, Kylan, and Luke arrived. My closest friends had been hiding nearby, waiting for me to come out of Headmaster Brooks's office.

Apparently, Ignivar's roar alone had been enough to send them running here without a second thought.

They now stood beside Headmaster Brooks, wearing the very same stunned expressions as everyone else.

None of them could hide the shock on their faces as they stared at the enormous crimson creature standing before them.

Fortunately... this courtyard was behind the academy, far from the main student grounds. Otherwise, everyone would have seen Ignivar.

"Nyxara... slowly back away from him," Kylan called out, his voice filled with fear and concern. It was obvious he was terrified I'd make one wrong move.

Olivia, Luke, and Headmaster Brooks immediately took defensive stances, while the royal family remained behind them, watching the scene with extreme caution.

Anger flared inside me, and I shouted at all of them, "Don't any of you come near him... not one more step!"

Luke rushed forward as his wolf began surfacing. Within seconds, he'd partially shifted into his half-wolf form. Stretching a hand toward me, he pleaded anxiously, "Come here, Nyxara... Don't be afraid."

Everyone started moving behind him, preparing to attack as though they were facing an uncontrollable monster.

But before anyone could take another step...Ignivar unleashed another deafening roar.

The entire courtyard shook beneath its force, and everyone instinctively stumbled backward.

"I'm not afraid of him, damn it!" I yelled furiously. "He's here to protect me, not hurt me! Stay away from him before you force him to attack you!"

Of course... I was talking about my friends and Headmaster Brooks. As for the esteemed royal family, I honestly wouldn't have minded if Ignivar had attacked them the moment they tried to get close.

Their gazes shifted back and forth between Ignivar and me, as if their minds simply refused to process what they were seeing.

The shock on their faces was unmistakable. They were trying to make sense of my words... while their eyes screamed the same question. How could a girl stand fearlessly in front of a dragon that size? And how could such a terrifying creature actually stop... and listen to her?

I turned to Ignivar when another deep growl rumbled from his throat. Following his line of sight, I realized he was staring directly at Roxana.

The fury blazing in his golden eyes was impossible to miss, and flames were already gathering in his throat as though he intended to burn her to ashes in the next second.

I let out a helpless sigh. "Believe me... I'd love to burn her too, but please don't do it for my sake."

He answered with another dissatisfied growl, making it painfully clear he didn't approve of my request. I sighed again before pointing toward the royal family.

"Honestly... I wouldn't even mind if you roasted them too. But that would bring us far more trouble than we need right now."

Ignivar slowly lowered his enormous head toward me. I reached out and gently stroked it, a small smile appearing on my lips.

The sight left everyone speechless...

He was actually allowing me to touch him, as though he didn't see me as a threat in the slightest.

Kaid, Logan's twin brother, finally spoke, his voice caught somewhere between disbelief and astonishment. "Is this... some kind of joke? Is that a Xerax Dragon... or am I dreaming?"

He cautiously took one step after another as he spoke, but the moment he moved any closer, Ignivar snapped his head up, bared his massive fangs once again, and released a low, threatening growl.

"Stop right there!" I shouted immediately. "Don't come any closer... or I won't be able to stop him this time."

As for Logan, his eyes remained wide with shock. He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. After struggling for a moment, he finally managed to ask in a hoarse voice, "Who... who the hell are you?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I climbed onto Ignivar's back beneath their stunned gazes. Every pair of eyes followed my every movement, as though they were afraid that blinking would make them miss something.

I glanced back at them for a brief moment, a mysterious smile curling across my lips... but I remained silent.

The next second, Ignivar spread his enormous wings.

The thunderous sound of them unfurling echoed through the courtyard, making everyone instinctively stumble backward, while Lina and Roxana screamed in terror.

Then he launched himself into the sky, soaring away, his furious gaze never leaving them...

After a while, we reached our secret hideout. Ignivar landed with remarkable gentleness, and the moment my feet touched the ground, I dropped down beside him with an exhausted sigh. "I swear I'm going to lose my mind..."

I rubbed a hand over my face in frustration before muttering, "Headmaster Brooks warned me... He told me not to reveal even the smallest part of my identity yet."

I looked up at the sky and let out a tense breath. "And now? They're definitely going to come after me... They'll do everything they can to find out who I am and where I came from."

I closed my eyes, and my thoughts drifted back to the very first time I met Ignivar...

Flashback

"That academy... every single person there is so full of themselves. They all think they're better than everyone else!"

I shouted angrily as I ran deeper into the forest stretching behind the academy.

I had no idea where I was going. All I wanted was to get away from those faces that made me feel like I never belonged among them.

I don't know how long I wandered aimlessly between the trees, but I was sure at least five hours had passed.

Eventually, my legs gave out. I threw myself onto the grass with an exhausted groan. "Great... now it'll take another five hours just to get back."

I sighed heavily as I stared up at the sky. "I should've stayed with the people in the Territories... I never should've accepted the scholarship Headmaster Brooks offered me."

What I didn't know back then... was that a single decision would change my entire life.

The sun had completely set, so I quickly got to my feet and turned to head back.

The moment I looked around, however, I realized the forest had changed...

The trees had grown darker, endless shadows stretched between their branches, and the path I'd taken had given way to steep, uneven slopes that forced me to watch every step.

This wasn't an ordinary forest... It was the Enchanted Forest... a place no one was allowed to enter, especially after nightfall.

And somehow... I had wandered deep into its heart.

After what felt like forever, every step became harder than the last. I stumbled over roots again and again, bumping into things I couldn't even identify in the suffocating darkness that had swallowed the forest whole.

Then...I froze. My entire body went rigid.

I no longer felt the cold. I no longer felt exhausted. The only thing I could feel... was the primal fear that washed over me as I stared at the creature standing before me.

I couldn't even tell what it was... I slowly took a step back before glancing around, desperately searching for another path... any path that would lead me away from that mysterious creature.

But my eyes found it again.

Its piercing eyes glowed with molten gold, burning with an inner fire that made it seem as though flames lived within them. Its long neck rose proudly above its colossal body, while enormous claws dug deep into the earth beneath it. Its powerful tail stretched for yards behind it, and its massive wings remained folded against its back, covered in dark crimson scales that shimmered beneath the moonlight as though living fire had been trapped beneath their surface. Standing before a creature that immense... I felt no bigger than an ant.

I tried to back away as quietly as possible, but my foot accidentally snapped a dry branch beneath me.

The crack echoed through the forest.

Instantly.. It turned toward me.

It was the deadliest look I'd ever seen. It spread its enormous wings, released a roar that shook the entire forest, then charged straight at me.

I bolted without thinking, running as fast as my legs could carry me while screaming at the top of my lungs, "Weren't dragons supposed to have gone extinct ages ago?! Seriously... why do I have to be the first person to run into one?!"

My foot caught on something beneath me, sending me tumbling violently across the ground until I slammed into the trunk of a massive tree.

I struggled to sit up, gasping desperately for air.

The moment I lifted my head...It was standing right in front of me.

My eyes widened—not only in fear... but because I'd never imagined I'd see a creature that enormous from so close.

A heavy silence settled between us, lasting for several long seconds before it slowly lowered its massive head toward me.

It let out a deep breath, and the hot air from its nostrils washed over my face. Its breath smelled absolutely awful... yet I remained frozen, staring at it without even daring to blink…