Chapter 3 - Impending Chaos

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Dustin and I stood before the imposing dark brown desk of the Keeper Principal, a man whose mere presence seemed to suck life out of the room. His gigantic office, adorned with many intimidating paintings and statues, seemed to only amplify the pressure.

We waited in silence for the Keeper Principal to speak. The silence was loud to the voice in my head, like a cat scratching a chalkboard. 

My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced my face into a mask of calm. Dustin’s body shook, his eyes scanning the room for a way out. I could feel the heat of his anger and his fear mingling with the icy knot of dread within my stomach.

“I cannot stress enough the gravity of your actions.” The principal’s voice was cold and precise, each word like a punch to the gut. “Fighting with magic, unsupervised and unchecked, violates the highest order at Keeper Academy. Our mandate is perfection and order. And you two,” he paused, his piercing gaze anchoring us to the ground, “have brought chaos.”

He let the words hang in the air, their weight pressing down on us. I wanted to say something to explain that I hadn’t meant to unleash the forbidden magic within me, that it had just... happened. But the words stuck in my throat. I had seen the way the other keepers looked at me after the duel; their eyes were filled with fear and suspicion.

The fire magic they could understand, but the dark energy and purple flames? That was something they would never forget.

“You have both forced our hand,” the principal continued, his tone shifting to something colder, more final. “One of you must be expelled. The rules demand it. There is only one way to determine who stays and who goes.” He paused, letting the silence stretch until it felt unbearable. “You will duel. In front of the keepers. And the loser will be banned from Keeper Academy for life.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. Expelled. Banned for life. The stakes had just gone from low to our lives depended on it. I glanced at Dustin, who looked as pale as a ghost. His magical prowess contrasted sharply with his weak resolve. His weak mindset was being shown to the surface underneath his strong bully persona. 

“But know this,” the principal’s voice cut through my thoughts like a razor, “there will be no holding back. If either of you fails to give your all, the consequence will be losing your life.”

My blood ran cold. I knew what he was implying. If I didn’t fight with everything I had—even the dark magic that I feared and loathed—I might as well say goodbye to life. Nobody can stop the Keepers in their own domain. But if I used it, what would that mean for me? What would that make me?

“Prepare yourselves,” the principal said, dismissing us with a wave of his hand. “Your duel will be at dawn.”

Dustin and I turned to leave, but before we reached the door, the principal spoke again, his voice low and menacing. “And Nico, remember what I said? Use your powers without permission again, and the government of Tarondar will have no choice but to treat you as a threat to civilian life.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of his words settle like a stone in my gut. As we stepped out of the office, the cold reality of what lay ahead hit me. Tomorrow, everything will change.

As the door to the principal’s office closed behind me, the world outside seemed distant and unreal. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists, trying to stop the thoughts racing through my mind. I couldn’t afford to lose—not with everything at stake. But as I stood there, staring out at the academy grounds bathed in the dying light of day, a thought struck me, chilling me to the core.

What if this wasn’t just about Dustin and me? What if the principal had a deeper reason for forcing this duel? What if someone wanted me to lose? Or what if this was an observational test of the extent of my personal powers? What if they are trying to make me afraid of my powers enough that I won’t use them ever again? 

The thought lingered, dark and unsettling, as I made my way back to my room. Tomorrow, I would face Dustin again, but now I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone—or something—was pulling the strings behind the scenes. And whatever it was, it was far more dangerous than anything I’d faced before.

I had to win this duel. But even if I did, I knew this was just the start of my personal hell.