Chapter 68: _Awakening
Celeste’s POV
*****
The second we stepped through the portal and into the other side, my eyes dimmed.
A current of wind hit my face, forcing me to raise my arms. "What did we jump into now—?"
Howling winds cut off my voice, blowing strands of my hair until I could barely see over a few meters ahead. A storm.
I glanced to my right where Caelum and the Whiteflame students struggled as well.
Just when we dared to step forward—it happened.
"Argh!" I cried out, a strained breath ripping out. My insides felt like they were being shredded. My magic stirred in ways it hasn’t in years, running through my cells like lightning. "So... This is the destabilisation they were talking about."
Caelum and the others grunted as well, stumbling backwards. Guttural howls rumbled out of my brother’s throat, his eyes glowing with magic simultaneously.
It went on for a couple of minutes before we all managed to gain some semblance of control. I was on the floor, panting, fingers splayed across the mud and dirt.
"I can barely hear myself think through this storm," Caelum grumbled, hands on his knees. "We need to move. The Dean said we’d face obstacles and I doubt we’ll see any standing here."
Right. Ignore your sister fighting for her life.
I’d hoped the destabilisation wouldn’t affect me since I didn’t have a wolf to balance my witch side. But oh well...
"This is where we part ways." The male Whiteflame student spoke with a deep voice when I got to my feet. He gave Caelum and me curt nods. "Good luck."
Without another word, he and his teammate turned, waltzing into the storm with arms in front of their faces.
Caelum’s head turned to me when they’d gotten a good distance away. "Come on! We can’t let them gain on us."
The preceding walk was hell. I clung close to Caelum, gripping his arm as we moved deeper into the storm. Every step felt like I’d get swept off the ground.
On top of that, occasional bursts of my magic hit my chest. My witch side warred inside me, strengthened and erratic in ways it shouldn’t be. But that begs the question... What was it warring against if I didn’t have a wolf?
"Are you okay?" Caelum’s words echoed despite the wind.
Of course, I wasn’t okay. Do I even need to answer that?
Seeing my silence, he lifted his free hand, fingers sparking with a spell. Then he clenched it into a fist.
Light flickered to life, an invisible force manifesting around us slowly—
—Only for the entire construct to crumble, the wind hitting us harder like the pocket dimension itself was mocking us.
"Fuck," he hissed. "That was supposed to be a simple force field spell. I can barely concentrate with this wind and my wolf howling like a feral beast in heat."
While I couldn’t relate, my magic was still swirling like it was going to rip out of my chest any second. Yet... I felt like I could get a hold of it.
I hope.
Gritting my teeth, I channelled magic. Silver light flared on my palm as I raised it, casting the spell.
Almost instantly, the silver light formed a dome around us, which shifted until it became an invisible force field. The wind ceased, hitting the force bubble instead.
I blinked, surprised. "That... Was unexpected."
My brother’s footsteps faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "It must be because you only have your witch side to worry about. It’s easier for you to use magic."
Way to undermine my effort.
Ignoring him, I kept the force field stable as we continued walking through the storm.
Minutes passed.
No one said anything, both of us too "busy" staring into the endless path ahead. Nothing seemed to exist here other than seemingly endless miles of dirt and rocks.
If any beasts were lurking around, we didn’t see them and they didn’t approach us. Not yet. And hopefully not ever.
Sadly, that silence didn’t last for long. "So you’re not going to talk about it, huh?" He queried as if I was supposed to know what he was talking about.
I eyed him with squinted eyes. "Talk about what?"
"You and that new guy," he murmured, facing me now. "Azrael Vaelmont."
A knot tightened in my stomach when he brought up that name.
Gods, anything but this conversation.
"I didn’t want to say anything at first when you two left the field the other time." Caelum continued despite my obvious lack of interest. "But then you came back. Crying. While he was nowhere to be found."
My jaw tightened.
Looks like there was no avoiding this.
"You should’ve stuck with that instinct," a sarcastic smile curved my mouth. "The one that made you not want to ask at first."
His silver eyes flashed. "How can you say that? I—"
"Because I don’t want to talk about anything, Caelum." I snapped. "Can you stop trying to babysit me?"
"Baby sit?" He echoed. "Celeste, we’re twins. I’ve noticed a lot happening with you even if you don’t talk about it. The shift in your mood and how you interact."
I swear, suddenly hearing my mother’s warning about my hybrid powers felt like a need if it meant not having to hear the rest of this.
But when has Caelum Bloodoak ever not tried to push a point?
"I looked into him, by the way." He blurted casually, head angling away from me. "After that kiss went viral thanks to Blood Eye."
My forehead wrinkled. "So now you’re spying on the men I kiss? What next? Setting me up for an episode of Love Is Blind?"
"It wasn’t spying." His tone stayed flat. "It was... Research. And boy, did I discover some things that made me pause."
Those last words sent chills up my spine.
Huh?
"What... What are you talking about?" I stopped walking, nearly losing focus of the force bubble.
He stopped as well, head tilting. "He’s a transfer student, right? From another supernatural academy."
I nodded slowly, wondering if this was leading somewhere.
Hesitation lingered in his eyes before he whispered. "I couldn’t find any records linking an ’Azrael Vaelmont’ to any supernatural academy. And believe me, I checked. I even looked into lesser-known Asian and African academies and a few here in North America."
My breath caught.
Now that wasn’t just unusual. It was a freaking red flag—scratch that. A red carpet.
"So..." I tried regulating my breathing. "So what does this mean? That... That he never existed? He created a fake identity or something?"
Caelum shook his head. "I don’t know. But what I do know is that I don’t trust the man. One bit. And I know you two have something going on. Yet I can’t help but wonder why."
Fuck my life.
He knew more than anyone how withdrawn I was from the idea of relationships before Luther. That was the one thing we both shared similarities in throughout the years.
Null love lives.
So me suddenly getting close to Azrael and even Silas so soon after the breakup with Luther must’ve triggered suspicions in his head.
I know I’d be suspicious too.
"Anyway," he cleared his throat, making me jolt. "Let’s keep moving. Moon knows if the students out in the Expanse are hearing our conversation. I doubt it but I’m not taking chances."
We continued walking after that.
With each passing second, I felt this annoying guilt weighing on my chest.
I should tell him. Everything.
From the bonds. To my unexplained connection to Vein beasts. And then, of course, the crazy situation with Miss Benedicta.
But anytime I felt pushed to talk, a pull from my mind made me stop. Willow already knew about the bonds and that was isky.
Letting more people know—gods, what am I saying?! This is my twin brother for Selene’s sake! Since when do we keep such deep secrets from each other?
’I need to tell him.’ I thought to myself, closing my eyes.
The moment I opened them, ready to let the cat out of the bag... I froze.
"Well, that’s new." Caelum halted as well, mouth ajar with awe at the sight before us.
A shimmering veil of purple light stood tall and wide. It shone like a second moon, its surface etched with swirling dark spots that reminded me of petrol in water.
Absolutely breathtaking display of magic.
"You see that?" Caelum pointed. I followed his finger, noticing a large tree behind the veil. "I bet all my gaming systems that that tree is our first obstacle."
His grip tightened on my hand as sweat trailed down my forehead. "You ready?"
Did I have a choice?
The moment I nodded, he led the way, dragging me along. I thought the veil would be a hard surface but it let us walk past, cold against my skin.
"Wow." I marvelled at the tree the light veil hid.
Tall and blossoming with vibrant pink leaves unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
However, something stood out.
Two mirrors were rooted to the ground in front of it, their surfaces sparkling as if someone cleaned them not too long ago.
Caelum and I exchanged silent glances first. Then—
He drew in a heavy breath, strutting toward a mirror. I followed cautiously, afraid something would jump out of them and grab us.
When I got in front of the mirror and saw my reflection—I felt a shift.
The air stilled.
Leaves stopped falling off the tree as an eerie silence stretched around us.
Staring at my violet eyes momentarily reminded me of Mom. "Are we supposed to just stand here and wait?" I questioned.
My brother shrugged. "It seems so. I’m guessing—"
He didn’t get to finish.
Terror twisted his features, followed by pain that made him double over. He placed a shaky hand on the mirror’s edge, beastly growls vibrating out of his core.
"Caelum!" I panicked but before I could take a step, a sharp pain in my chest stopped me.
I gasped, clutching my chest. My eyes fell on my reflection—and then nearly flicked away just as fast.
Because my reflection? It had a crooked smile on its face, cracks spreading on the mirror’s surface. "You can feel it. Can’t you?" My reflection whispered.
Concentrating was tedious, my magic surging violently again. Except this time was different.
"Something is awakening in you." My reflection continued. "The hybrid trial was meant to make your wolf and witch sides war against each other. I’m a reflection of your inner witch."
Another sting in my chest made me fall to my knees.
My reflection stood, unmoved and plain. "Are you ready for our next Chapter, Celeste?"
Silver energy pulsed out of me in devastating waves. My head swung back, eyes on the stormy skies. Lightning flashed through the storm outside, the wind picking up.
All four of my mates’ bonds reacted, each with my magic in ways that made me feel everything. Their lust. Their care. Their intense possessiveness which threatened to consume me.
I almost got lost in it—until something echoed in the back of my head. Distant.
A sound that shouldn’t exist.
A wolf’s howl.
