The first enemy attacks
The school lounge bustled with life, its walls echoing with laughter and lively conversations as students moved through the space. The chatter of passing girls filled the air, their carefree laughter creating a stark contrast to Dominic's muted presence. He sat slouched on one of the old leather couches, absentmindedly staring at the ground, his thoughts adrift. To him, the vibrant atmosphere of the lounge seemed distant, like a faint hum in the background. Even the usual flutter of curious glances from passing girls - glances that might have once held his attention - were now lost on him.
Outside, the sky hung heavy with the dim light of an overcast morning, matching the weight that Dominic carried since yesterday. The previous day's events still played over and over in his mind, like an endless loop. Ingrid, with her bright smile and easy charm, had ended their fleeting arrangement.
Suddenly, the clink of a nearby chair pulled Dominic from his thoughts. Rainier, his younger brother and ever the voice of reason, dropped into the seat next to him. There was a lighthearted smirk on his face, but his eyes carried understanding.
"Hey bro, are you still feeling upset since Ingrid immediately ended your deal?" Rainier's tone was teasing, but gentle enough not to poke too hard. Dominic let out a sigh, leaning back in the chair. "Ah… No worries," he murmured, his voice calm but distant. "Maybe this is not yet the right time for a serious relationship. I may involve other people then in a conflict."
Rainier raised an eyebrow, studying Dominic for a moment. Dominic's eyes, however, were somewhere else - lost, staring past the lounge, past the room, perhaps into yesterday. It wasn't about Ingrid, not entirely. It was about something more. Something deeper that Rainier couldn't quite put his finger on.
Meanwhile, Maria and Teresa passed by and spotted the group of boys lounging together. Unable to resist, Maria called out with a broad smile, "Good morning, guys! How's the day going?" Teresa, however, managed only a polite smile, slightly uneasy with Maria's boldness. "Good morning," she greeted them with a more reserved tone.
In response, only Rainier spoke up audibly. "Good morning, ladies. We're fine!" he replied with a friendly grin. Tristan glanced up with a brief smile, while Gabriel bowed his head in quiet acknowledgment. Dominic, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable.
But Maria wasn't one to let it go. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Dominic. "What's wrong with you? I can tell something's off - spill it, won't you?" Sensing Maria's persistence, Teresa intervened, tugging at her arm. "Hey, Mary, let's get back to class!" "But I'm not finished yet!" Maria protested, resisting Teresa's grip.
Determined to avoid further awkwardness, Teresa firmly pulled Maria away from the lounge. As they moved, Maria couldn't help but look back at the boys, curiosity still etched on her face. But then, out of the corner of her eye, Teresa spotted a familiar figure in the distance - Brigette Pearl, striding quickly with a hint of unease, her destination unclear. With narrowed eyes, Teresa wondered silently, Where on earth could she be going?
It was finally lunch break, and Teresa seized the chance to investigate Brigette's whereabouts. She hurried to the Grade 12 classrooms, stopping to ask her classmates if they had seen her. The few responses she received only added to her unease - none of Brigette's classmates knew why she had been absent all morning, though some guessed she might return in the afternoon.
Adding to the mystery, Brigette hadn't replied to any messages from earlier and hadn't been online for hours. Teresa's sense of worry deepened. Something felt off. Teresa tried to shake off the uneasy feeling, though her instincts had rarely led her astray. She'd learned to trust them, even when it seemed like she was just being paranoid. Still deep in thought, she headed to the school canteen for lunch.
Only few students were left in the canteen. Just as she arrived, Maria spotted her, looking both relieved and exasperated. She hadn't touched her food, and her phone showed four missed calls to Teresa. "Teresa! Where have you been?" Caught off guard by Maria's concern and not wanting to share her suspicions, Teresa quickly thought of a reasonable excuse. "Oh, um, my mom dropped by to give me some money. She forgot to give it to me this morning," she said with a reassuring smile. "Ah, I see," Maria replied, her expression relaxing. "Well, let's eat." Reassured, she accepted the explanation, and Teresa proceeded to order her food for lunch.
The afternoon sun dipped lower as classes ended, but Teresa's search for Brigette had only intensified. She had been missing all day, and Teresa couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong. With no clear starting point, she wandered aimlessly through the campus, retracing familiar paths in hopes of finding any clue. The search seemed fruitless, and her frustration grew with every empty corner. Luckily, Maria had gone home early, busy with other matters, leaving Teresa to search undisturbed.
Nearly thirty minutes had passed, and it felt as if she'd already scoured every inch of the academy. Yet there was still no sign of Brigette. She has to be somewhere close, Teresa thought anxiously, a sense of impending dread gnawing at her. She feared that either something terrible had already happened - or that it was just about to unfold.
Worn out and overwhelmed, she stopped to take a deep breath, closing her eyes to calm her racing mind. The campus was now eerily quiet; the last students had long gone, and the sun's orange glow was beginning to sink behind edge of the school. Shadows stretched and lengthened across the grounds, casting an uneasy stillness over the place.
Feeling an instinctive pull, Teresa made her way to the rooftop - her sanctuary, the one spot she loved most in the entire school. As she climbed the final steps and reached the top, the sudden silence was shattered by a piercing scream.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The desperate cry echoed around her, sending chills down her spine and freezing her in place. That was Brigette's voice, she realized, panic tightening in her chest. Teresa's heart raced as she stepped back, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Brigette! Wait... what is this?" she stammered, barely able to comprehend the sight before her.
Emerging from behind the small building at the rooftop, where she was so sure Brigette would be hiding, was something completely unexpected. Instead of her, a towering creature stood before her, its form stretching high like a century-old tree. Its bark-like skin was rough and gnarled, blending seamlessly with the twilight shadows. From its trunk, long, slender vines cascaded down like wriggling, living tendrils, twisting and coiling as if searching for something - or someone.
Teresa took another step back, but her gaze remained fixed on the creature. It seemed to pulsate with an eerie, unnatural energy, and the air around it grew cold, despite the lingering warmth of the setting sun. The creature's vines spread out across the ground, creeping ever closer to her, almost as if they were alive, sensing her presence.
"No... this can't be real," Teresa whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling sound of the vines. Fear gripped her, but a strange sense of determination flared within her - she couldn't turn back now, not without finding out what happened to Brigette. Summoning all her courage, she took a shaky step forward, her eyes narrowing with a mix of dread and resolve. Whatever this creature was, it held the key to Brigette's disappearance, and Teresa knew she had to face it, no matter what.
"Wwwhhaat are you? Who are you?" Teresa managed to shout with courage, asking a question to the huge and scary creature in front of her. Instead of a clear answer, a sarcastic laugh went out, "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Looking for Brigette? Aren't you? You will no longer find her!
"Where did you take her?" Teresa snapped, annoyance evident in her voice. In defense, she unveiled her incredible Onyx stone - a once small jewel that had transformed into a formidable entity following her harrowing encounter with the Montenegro brothers. Although it was her destiny to wield this power, the intensity of its energy surged through her, leaving her struggling to maintain control.
Suddenly, a creature lunged at her, its vines slashing through the air. Just as one was about to ensnare Teresa, the rock instinctively formed a barrier, countering the attack with a fierce energy. Undeterred by this setback, the creature pressed on, determined to land another blow.
"Oh dear Teresa, you're quite the tough one! Give me that precious stone you're so proud of - I envy it," the creature cooed, her voice smooth and tempting. But then, with a sudden shift, she erupted into a fierce, thunderous laugh. "Ha ha ha! But, I am far better than anything you possess!"
At the center of the creature's body gleamed a glowing necklace, the very source of her power. As it pulsed with brilliant light, she transformed into a figure the size of a human, a woman. Her skin was a dark, greenish hue, resembling rough bark, and her head bore a thick layer of bark in place of hair. Her eyes glowed a menacing red, piercing through the darkness. Vines, long and sinuous, extended downward from her back, adding to her intimidating presence.
As the intense light subsided, Teresa uncovered her eyes, now clear of the blinding glow. The creature began to approach, moving with a fluid grace reminiscent of a model on a runway, each step deliberate and menacing.
"You call me Teresa? Well, then, it's you, Brigette!" Teresa exclaimed, now certain that the creature before her was indeed Brigette. Despite the dark hues that masked her visage, there was no mistaking her.
Deep within Teresa's mind, she grappled with the reality of the supernatural events unfolding before her. What remained unclear, however, was how Brigette had transformed into this malevolent creature and the origin of the powers she now wielded. A mix of confusion and fear gnawed at her, but she was determined to uncover the truth behind this dark metamorphosis.
"Brigette… Hmmm. That name may be beautiful, but it's weak!" the creature taunted, her voice smooth and alluring. A thin vine stretched from her back, gently brushing against Teresa's chin. "But tonight, I am powerful! I have been reborn with a name: Verdantia! Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Verdantia…" With a look of disgust, Teresa slapped the creature's vine away.
"Oh?" The being now known as Verdantia was taken aback by Teresa's defiance. "Hmmm. Isn't it a more beautiful name? I am no longer Brigette. I am far beyond her!"
With a fierce pride, Verdantia revealed her true nature. "Do you want to know how I became like this?" she asked, her voice laced with dark satisfaction. "I was born from rejection, anger, and hatred. And now, I am here to take my revenge." Her conviction resonated through the air, a chilling testament to her transformation.
"Really?" Teresa couldn't fathom how a rich girl and beauty queen like Brigette had descended into such darkness. "How do you plan to exact this revenge?" she asked playfully, though curiosity tinged her voice.
Annoyed by Teresa's tone, Verdantia unleashed another vine - a longer, thicker one - wrapping it tightly around Teresa's neck and lifting her off the ground. "Ha ha ha ha ha! This! I will kill anyone who crosses my path. Every life I take will make me stronger!" Verdantia declared, her voice dripping with malice as she revealed her terrifying power.
"Uuughhhh!" Teresa gasped, struggling for air as she clutched the vine with both hands. Just then, her stone began to float, shimmering as it started to fade. Shock coursed through her - where was it going? But as it vanished, a brilliant light emanated from it, creating a surge of energy that flowed through her entire body, absorbing its power.
Teresa felt utterly powerless as she absorbed the energy, her mind blank and her eyes wide with shock. The immense force surged through her, leaving her in a state of confusion. She knew it would take time to learn how to harness this newfound power, but for now, it remained volatile and unruly.
Suddenly, without warning, her energy erupted uncontrollably, sending a wave of force that stirred up dust and debris - an embodiment of the stone's connection to the earth. The vine that constricted her neck loosened its grip and unraveled, propelled by the overwhelming surge. Verdantia, caught off guard, was knocked backward by the tremendous blast of energy, her surprise evident as she was sent sprawling away from Teresa.
"Aggghh!" The impact caused intense pain to Verdantia, and she gasped for breath. "Huh huh huh," she wheezed, feeling exhausted. But then a smile crept onto her lips. "We'll see each other again, Teresa." As her necklace began to glow ominously, her vines wrapped around her with a powerful wind, and in an instant, she vanished.
Meanwhile, Teresa remained dazed, her senses still reeling from the encounter, even as the stone settled after unleashing its earlier blast. For a few seconds, she was lost in the fog of confusion. Then, her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked, finally regaining her awareness.
But before she could utter a word, her legs gave way, and she collapsed. Just in time, a strong arm caught her, preventing a disastrous fall. It was Tristan. How could this be? Had he been watching the entire incident unfold without them knowing?
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