Chapter 7

Ariella's POV

We locked eyes for half a second—which felt like ten minutes to me. Something in that gaze seemed to soften, to give way.

But he still turned his face away stubbornly, his voice low.

"I'm Asher Lynes."

With that, the black robe fled in a hurry, stirring up a breeze as he disappeared at the stairwell.

I stood there, my heart pounding—not just from fear, but with a flutter of something else.

There was only one class on the first day. After leaving the academic building, I headed straight to the dorm.

The dorm was a single room, fully equipped with bedding and toiletries that automatically replenished themselves. They even thoughtfully provided each student with a phone.

My class schedule was posted on the dorm door, updating automatically. When I opened the closet, I found a row of neatly hung robes inside—absolutely incredible.

I rolled around on the bed, playing with my phone all evening before reluctantly falling asleep.

But soon, I realized Maeve's warning wasn't unnecessary.

Since the day we parted, she hadn't spoken a single word to me, as if she'd made up her mind to distance herself completely.

If she wouldn't hang out with me, the other classmates certainly wouldn't either. Most desperately, Asher didn't come to class either, leaving me sitting alone in the back row.

The dining hall was much bigger than I'd imagined. Hundreds of candles floated and burned beneath the domed ceiling. Several long wooden tables were pushed together, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Students sat together in noisy groups. The smell of roasted chicken and pumpkin juice mixed in the air, making me hungry enough to turn into a tiger.

I held my tray and looked around. Whenever I made eye contact with someone, they'd nervously look away, some even moving seats right in front of me.

Great. Isolated again.

I picked an empty corner seat and started eating my bread with my head down—I really wanted to get some roasted chicken from the front, but everyone was staring at me, which was embarrassing.

"The new student from Botany House? She's the one who caused trouble on the field yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, that's her..."

"She's crazy, trying to be friends with Asher."

The whispers buzzed like annoying mosquitoes, drilling into my ears. I chewed my bread through gritted teeth, imagining their faces being crushed between my teeth...

Until a shadow fell over me from above.

I looked up to meet Cara's face looking down at me.

She stood in front of me, her dark red hair swaying in the wind. Behind her stood the same guy and girl, but this time one had bandages wrapped around their wrist, and the other had a magical bandage stuck on their head.

"Ariella." Cara pronounced my name slowly. "Where are your plant friends?"

"Cara, you forgot," Emma tilted her head with a sarcastic tone, "this isn't the field. There are no plants for her to go crazy with."

I tightened my grip on my fork, stopping mid-chew.

She was right. The dining hall had no trees, flowers, or grass. All four walls were cold, hard stone slabs. Above were burning candles, below only stone and dirt...

I tried to sense the soil deep underground, but hit a barrier just a few inches below the stone bricks. I couldn't go any deeper.

My heart sank.

Cara didn't miss the flash of panic on my face. Her smile deepened as she elegantly bent down, hands on the table, blinking her dark red eyes.

"Just as I thought—without those tree roots, you're nothing."

I suddenly stood up, accidentally knocking over my tray. The half-eaten bread rolled onto the floor.

"Get out of my way." I pressed my back against the chair, backing away.

Cara straightened up mockingly, walking toward me step by step. "Get out of the way? You were pretty bold yesterday, weren't you? Making me lose face in front of the whole school?!"

Emma approached from the side, John had somehow circled behind me. The three of them formed an inescapable net. Once caught, I'd be done for.

The surrounding students were disturbed by the commotion and moved away with their trays. Some silently watched this scene unfold. No one stepped forward to help.

A flame appeared in Cara's palm—smaller than before, bluer, with a more scorching, purer energy.

Her tone was vicious. "Don't worry, I won't burn you to death. You'll just spend three weeks in the Healing Chamber at most."

The other two laughed.

The next second, that flame shot straight at me!

I quickly kicked over the chair and ran!

Even now, I subconsciously still thought of myself as just an ordinary person with some special abilities, not ready to be beaten up by wizards.

I knocked over several students' trays, who cursed at me for being blind. Cara's shrill laughter was right behind me. I didn't dare look back, just ran forward desperately, darting around aimlessly.

Today the magic closet had automatically provided low-heeled shoes—elegant for walking to class, but they kept slipping on the smooth stone floor when running. In the chaos, my knee slammed hard into a bench, almost bringing tears to my eyes.

If I could get back to my dorm in one piece, I'd throw out every pair of heeled shoes in that closet!

I randomly pushed open a door and rushed up a narrow spiral staircase, running straight into a boy.

I crashed right into his chest. While covering my nose and apologizing, I couldn't help thinking this guy had pretty decent pecs...

Then I looked up and saw the black magical robe flowing in the wind, and a pair of golden eyes that seemed capable of melting the world.

Asher.

Cara chased around the corner. When she saw who it was, her smile froze.

Emma gasped, extinguishing her wand. John stepped back several paces, looking fearful.

"A... Asher," Cara's voice tensed up, "this has nothing to do with you."

Asher pushed me toward the railing—he probably hadn't had much contact with girls, so the movement wasn't exactly gentle—then turned to face them.

The atmosphere fell into a long silence.

My heart went from pounding wildly to deathly still as I stared at Asher's back, feeling uneasy.

Was he scared?

That would be normal, I guess. Who would offend Cara and her group for a classmate they barely knew?

I looked away, wondering if I should keep running to avoid dragging him down.

Cara held the standoff for a moment, then gathered a cluster of flame in her palm.

I was gripping the staircase railing. The instant the fire shot out, I instinctively lifted my foot to run, but my heel got stuck in the gap between the stone steps.

Oh no!

There were at least twenty steps below this spiral staircase!

My body tilted downward, my mind went blank.

I saw Emma's wand light up again, illuminating three evil faces. Cara wore a cruel smile. That flame was about to hit my face.

She said, "Just let her fall. Teach her a lesson."

Was this how my time at Hollyvale Academy of Magic would end? No—

Suddenly, a long, strong hand reached out from the side and firmly caught my waist.

The falling momentum suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes in disbelief.

Asher had one hand gripping the railing and the other supporting my waist, forcibly pulling me back from mid-air!

His hood slipped from his head, revealing that complete, exquisitely pale and handsome face.

Those golden pupils burned fiercely, contracting dangerously, yet his body didn't forget to shield me.

His voice was hoarse. In that instant, his body radiated an overwhelming power from within.

"Don't. Touch. Her!"