Page 41 of Ascension

“The majors work together, the light and dark balancing each other out. They have a large role in maintaining the balance of the realms, including our own. Their influence helps to progress societies, bringing about necessary change. As demigods, we will assist in these duties, offering aid and powers when needed. Many demigods are sent to different realms since the gods cannot be everywhere at once. They apprise the gods of any developments that may require their attention.”

The door rattles against the trim, the sound echoing throughout the room, pulling my focus from the professor. Silence settles over the class, collectively holding our breath. The only sound is the increasingly rough slamming of the door rocking back and forth. No one moves from their place, all eyes glued to the entrance.

A whistling wind joins the echoing crashes, its high pitch foreboding as the intensity increases. A chill skitters up my spine. My heart leaps in my chest at the sound of the first splinter of wood. The splinters grow, moving across the surface of the door.

I gasp sharply at the first snap, the wood now visibly bending and breaking. A hushed murmur spreads through the room like a wave. Some voices raise in panic as a large crack forms down the middle.

The wind filters through the room, sweeping papers up into the air. Whipping around our clothes and hair. The high-pitched screams start as fear settles in, the sounds barely audible over the wind, echoing its cry off every surface in the room.

The door finally snaps from the force, cracking down the middle and collapsing on itself. As if the door itself had caused the rampaging wind, the stream of air slowly fades, now that its barrier is reduced to a pile of matchsticks.

I hold my breath for a moment, eyes scanning the room. The students collectively let out a sigh of relief before chattering voices raise again.

“What was that?” Kali whispers, her voice coming out in a hesitant rasp.

My eyes dart to the professor, still reluctant to let my guard down so soon. Professor Gabris’ eyes are glued to the door. She backs towards her desk, blindly reaching out for a text. The rest of the students are too wrapped up in their conversations to notice.

She moves her eyes from the door for a moment, frantically flipping through the pages. Kali inhales, about to speak once more, and I blindly grasp her arm, directing her eyes to follow mine. I spare a glance her way and see the moment realization strikes her. Despite the brief respite, the threat has far from passed.

My eyes are pulled back to the front of the room, catching Gabris’ movement. She must have found the passage she was searching for. She stares at the door, hand moving in sharp, sure gestures, her lips frantically moving, eyes bouncing from the book to the door. The students quiet once more, taking in the professor.

My heart pounds in my chest, fear and dread clutching me in their vice-like grip. A thin tendril of black smoke slithers through the doorway. Dancing through the air so innocently. Gabris’ eyes widen at the dark tendril, her chant speeding up, the words barely discernible at this pace.

A wave of black smoke billows through the entrance, curling around on a silent wind. The book drops from her hands, the smoke sucking it up, absorbing the text, leaving no trace of the leatherbound book. She takes a few steps back, cowering against the wall as the smoke swirls in a column, taking the form of a destructive tornado.

“Under your desks,” she shouts, fear causing her voice to shake.

I sit frozen in my seat as chairs scrape around me, the high-pitched screeching making me cringe. Fear grips me—fear of the unknown, of the ominous power suffocating the room.

However, I feel a strange power blossom in my chest, my curiosity keeps me planted firmly in my seat. I need to see first-hand the creature emerging from the smoke. The tornado slows and the black smoke dissipates, shadows still shrouding the figure that forms from the darkness.

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