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Scholomance 10 Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2021-05-28 14:31:49 +0000 UTCLast night, my world completely changed.
Samara believed I was Satan reborn and destined to take over all of Scholomance and the realms. The news might change the course of the future, but deep down, I still felt like I was the same person.
Even if that wasn’t the case.
My thoughts spun around like a whirlwind, but instead of driving myself insane with questions about my past, I stared at the gorgeous former goddess in bed beside me and relished in all her divine beauty. She looked like a sleeping statue with her perfect profile, soft glowing skin, and rosy cheeks. Her long lashes fluttered as she slept deeply and peacefully, but when I brushed a strand of golden hair out of her face, her ocean-blue eyes opened and fixated on me.
“Good morning, master,” Samara purred in a sleepy voice. “Did you sleep well?”
“Of course,” I chuckled. “You barely moved an inch all night.”
“I was exhausted,” she said, and a smile played on the corner of her lips. “You certainly wore me out.”
“And I could do it again,” I muttered as I brushed the sheets away from her body. “What do you say? Up for another round?”
I still needed to speak to Theodora about this new Satanic revelation, but the gorgeous former goddess was too much of a temptation to overlook.
Samara giggled with delight, but before I could reach down to caress her body, a powerful gust of wind roared through the room. It was so strong, it caused the floorboards to creak, and all the blankets flew off the bed.
“What’s happening, master?” Samara screamed before she snatched my cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I don’t know!” I shouted over the chaos.
We scrambled off the bed, and I quickly pulled my pants up before I snatched my wand. Then I looked around and tried to determine where the magic was coming from.
“M-Master, I-I don’t feel well,” Samara suddenly whispered. Her face was whitewashed, and her legs nearly buckled beneath her.
“I’ve got you,” I said as I grabbed her elbow, but I couldn’t have her be weak in the face of whatever attack this was, so I lowered my voice. “You’re okay, Samara. You feel strong, and you will fight by my side.”
“Yes, my dark lord.” The former goddess straightened as the authority of my power and the blood pact coursed through her veins. She had no wand, but she was still capable of using magic, and together we would face this unseen enemy.
The two of us looked at every corner of the room, but there was nothing saving the howling wind and the random debris it tossed up into the air. Then Samara abruptly screamed and covered her ears. She stumbled backward, pressed her back against the wall, and slumped down to the floor like she was in excruciating pain.
“My ears!” she cried out, and blood dripped out from where her palms were pressed against the sides of her head. “Do you hear that, master?”
“Hear what?” I demanded, but then my heart clenched as the golden-haired woman seemed to flicker in my vision. “Samara?”
Something was dangerously wrong, but before I could say another word, Samara lifted her hand and gasped.
Her arm was nearly transparent.
My mouth went dry as her entire body started to vanish, but before she could disappear entirely, I lunged out and grabbed her wrist. Together, we plummeted into darkness, and our bodies violently twisted through space and time. Suddenly, my tight grip on Samara’s wrist loosened as her body was flung away from mine, and I was left spinning on my own. I couldn’t even find the breath to scream the goddess’ name, so I just closed my eyes and braced myself for the inevitable impact that came moments later.
When everything finally came to a standstill, I cracked open my eyelids, but it took a long moment before my eyes adjusted to my new surroundings. No matter how many times I blinked, my vision remained blurry, and everything was an obscure mess of shapes and colors.
Finally, my vision cleared, and I saw a familiar, crimson-hued landscape with thick black clouds drifting by on a wind that wasn’t there. I tried to place but sight the ebony and red mist before me, but then a sharp, agonizing pain penetrated my skull and made my temples throb. My hands shook, my eyes watered, and every movement felt draining, like death was slowly consuming every fiber of my being.
“M-Master?” Samara’s voice croaked from somewhere off to my left.
I painstakingly turned in that direction, and I saw the former goddess sprawled on her back a dozen yards away, so I shoved my pain away and forced myself to move.
“Are you alright?” I asked as I rushed to her side.
“I-I think so,” she replied while she got to her feet, but then I noticed wisps of gray smog curled around her waist like dozens of smoky snakes. Her face was two shades paler than usual, and her eyes swiftly darted back and forth.
“What the hell are those?” I asked, and I narrowed my eyes at the curls of smoke twining their way around her body.
“I… don’t know,” she said in a trembling voice. ““W-Where are we? I can barely see, my eyes haven’t adjusted fully, but this place feels… familiar.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but a terrible smell wafted up to my nostrils and made me gag. My eyes instantly watered, and I pinched my nose as I looked around me for the source. The mist and haze around us was thinning, and I saw shapes and silhouettes scattered across the ground around us. Then the shadows slowly took on more definition, and I saw charred and raw corpses on what I now knew was a battlefield. The stench of death clung to the air, and I curled my lip as I studied the blood-stained clouds of the holy kingdom I’d just destroyed.
“Why the hell are we back here?” I whispered. “How did we even get here? This makes no fucking sense.”
“What’s the matter?” an unfamiliar voice chuckled. “Does it not suit you? You created this blood-soaked realm after all.”
“Oh,” Samara gasped, but it was a small, quick sound, like the air had been punched out of her.
“Who is that?” I asked as I whipped out my wand. “Show yourself. Don’t hide in the shadows.”
“Who says I’m hiding?” the voice demanded.
I swung my magical weapon in every direction as I desperately tried to locate the source of the voice, and as I turned in circles, the sound of laughter suddenly rang through the air like a chorus of thunderbolts striking the same spot at once. It made the cloudy ground rumble and sent violent shivers up my legs.
“Are you looking for me?” the voice taunted, and when I spun around, I saw someone emerge from the bloody clouds.
Their face was hazy behind the wisps of red smoke trailing through the air, but whoever this person was, they were growing closer and closer.
“I won’t ask again,” I snarled. “Answer my question. Now.”
“And if I don’t?” he sneered as he took another step forward, and suddenly, the image of him became crystal clear.
My eyes widened with fury as I saw a tall soldier with pale blond hair, icy blue eyes, and a small smirk plastered across his chiseled, predominant jaw. He wore a shimmering, white, toga-like gown with leather sandals, a bronzed breastplate, and a golden crown rested upon his head. He stared at me with a mischievous look in his blue eyes, and as he grew closer, his lips twitched into a broader smile.
“Then I’ll just kill you,” I growled.
“How brutish, but the real question is, who are you?” he asked, and his voice reverberated like the beginning of a brewing sea storm. “I have seen your power, and I must say it’s rather impressive… for a Wicca, that is. If that is truly what you are.”
“C-Cole,” Samara suddenly stammered by my side. “I know him. He’s--”
“Shut your fucking mouth, traitourous whore,” the elder snapped, and his face darkened. “I am the one you must fear above all else, for I am heaven’s sun, the Lord of Elders, the one who bears all holy power and domination over every creature and being in the worlds. I am the maker of mankind, and my work is not yet done--”
“I didn’t need a monologue, dumbass,” I sighed, but when I tried to wave my wand, my hand froze in place.
“Didn’t expect that, now did you?” he cackled before he raised his free hand into the air. “Minimo!”
A bright light, one that burned and shone more brilliant than the sun, suddenly spurted from his fingertips and came soaring right at us. My head felt like it was going to split in half before the attack even came close to touching me, but still, I managed to raise my wand.
“Motus!” I cried out.
The elder’s incantation stopped just in front of Samara and me, and it burned my vision and made my entire body tremble. Then my throat felt like it was going to close up as the spell started to expand before me, and it nearly made me fall down to my knees. I could barely keep my eyes open, and the light was consuming everything in front of me. All I could see was a burning glow of white.
“You can’t fight it,” the Elder Lord chuckled, and the sound of his voice made my skin crawl. “Just let go. Both of you.”
“No thanks,” I growled as I narrowed my eyes at his spell. “Also, fuck you.”
I used all my energy to concentrate on the burning ball of light, all while keeping my focus on Samara as well.
“We won’t succumb to you,” Samara grunted as she lifted her hands, narrowed her eyes, and added her might to my own spell. “Cole is far more powerful than you’ll ever be.”
“You care about him, don’t you, whore?” the elder growled, and his brow furrowed in concentration as he maintained the incantation. “You turned back to the darkness just so you could open your legs for him. I wonder what he would do if I taught you a lesson? Revolo!”
Suddenly, Samara’s body flew backward, and when I looked over my shoulder, she was lying in a pile of blackened bones, and her eyes were shut as blood slipped down her face.
“No!” I snarled, but I couldn’t run to her because then the elder’s spell would overcome my own, so I glared at the bastard before me. “You fucking cunt. I will tear you to pieces for touching her.”
“That bitch deserves my wrath,” the elder sneered. “She turned against me… after everything I gave her. She will pay for her betrayal, and you’ll pay for your insolence. Now… let go.”
“Never,” I seethed. “And if you speak ill of her again, I promise I’ll carve every curse you’ve ever spat at her into your damned bones.”
“You are… too weak to defeat me,” he grunted, but I could see doubt flicker in his eyes as I continued to push back against him. Then the spell started to inch back in his direction, and I knew this was my chance.
I gritted my teeth, and beads of sweat trickled down my forehead as I tried with all my might to defeat his spell. My body trembled as I focused on the light and it felt like my bones were about to break, but I bared down and willed his incantation to combust into a thousand pieces. Right before it exploded, I thought I heard him cry out, and then everything turned a burning shade of white.
It felt like the sun just detonated in front of us, and it caused my body to violently fly backward. I hit my head against the soft cloud-like surface, and stinging hot bile rose up my throat when I forced myself to sit up. My entire body trembled as I stood on my feet, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I needed to get Samara and get the hell out of here.
When the light finally died out, I saw the Elder Lord sprawled on his side a dozen yards away, but soon, he was forcing himself back up. I swiftly adjusted my feet and kept them firmly planted beneath me, and my wand was pointed straight out in front of me.
No matter how hard I hit him with his own spell, I knew this bastard wasn’t finished with me.
At least not yet.
“Adtono!” the elder asshole screamed as he struggled to his feet, and a ray of deep purple light exploded from the palm of his hand and went soaring in my direction.
I was able to physically dodge the incantation just seconds before it hit me right in the center of my temple, but when I spun around to check on Samara, she was already on her feet and ready to fight. The elder’s holy curse hovered just inches away from her nose, and a glint of determination glittered in her narrowed, ocean-hued eyes. Then she smiled and focused intently on the light, and even before she opened her mouth, I could feel a ray of awesome power flowing through her body like a boiling stream of fire.
“You won’t kill me,” Samara growled as the light expanded in front of her. “And you sure as hell won’t make me pay for my sins. I have chosen the right side. I know who my true master is. Behold my power and feel my wrath.”
Now that it was two against one, I knew the Elder Lord was quietly quivering in his sandals. His eyebrows furrowed deeply in concentration, and a thin film of sweat glistened on his upper lip. I knew he was doing everything in his willpower to keep the spell from dying out, and at that moment, I felt like this was going to be one of my only opportunities to use his holiness against him.
So, with all my wicked power, I pictured a spell burning a hole right through the fucker’s robes and penetrating his heart. I willed the unholy darkness to come rushing to my side, and when I was ready, I silently uttered the tremendous and ancient Satanic spell.
Motus.
Suddenly, the plum-colored light in front of Samara expanded and grew like the sun, and its undying rays shone just as brightly. The Elder Lord gasped with shock, and his entire body trembled as he tried to control the spell. Then he turned his gaze toward me and scowled as we both fought against each other.
But Samara wasn’t about to let us have all the fun, and it didn’t take long for her to raise her hand even higher into the air.
“Exupero!” the golden blonde screeched at the top of her lungs.
A bright yellow light suddenly exploded from her open hand and flew toward the purple blaze like a bolt of lightning. The Elder Lord’s bright blue eyes suddenly widened, and he shifted his body so he was no longer holding onto the purple incantation. The two spells collided and exploded in a splash of color and light, and the elder snarled and focused solely on Samara.
“Occido!” he cried out.
A surge of green light shot from his palm as quick as a whip and flew toward the former elder goddess. For an instant, I feared for Samara, but she was already prepared to prove the extent of her formidable power.
“Perdere!” she shouted.
A ball of burning red light emerged from the center of her hand and soared right toward the Elder Lord’s magic. His eye twitched with dread, and his mouth curled into a deep frown before her spell turned both incantations into a million shards of glass.
“You truly do harness the power of the darkness,” he spat like each word tasted sour on the tip of his tongue. “How dare you turn your back on our people? Have I taught you nothing?”
“I have been reborn thanks to my true master,” Samara grunted as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. “He made me realize you were never my people. You filled my head with lies and took advantage of me, but now I see clearly.”
“Stop this foolishness at once,” he said in a low purr like he was talking to a child or an obedient animal. “You’re simply confused, Samara. You know heaven is where you belong. Perhaps, if you submit yourself to me now, I can sway the others to let you live. This is your only chance, little one. Submit yourself to me. Return to us.”
“I’d rather die a thousand deaths than betray my unholy master,” Samara spat. “And you’ll never be able to call me yours again. I belong to Cole and no one else.”
“You deny me, but submit yourself to him so easily?” he snarled, and his voice made the clouds rumble.
Suddenly, everything turned a shade darker, and I could feel the tension rising in the air. The Elder Lord’s body trembled with fury, right before two giant, golden wings sprouted from the back of his shoulder blades. Then his face fell into an emotionless mask, and I braced myself for his next attack.
“Do your worst,” I growled, and my blood was pumping like a simmering river. “We’ll return the favor tenfold.”
“So you say,” he grunted, and for a moment, I thought he was going to utter his most powerful incantation, but then, everything became as still as stone. He studied us as he stood there silently, and even though I could see seething rage behind his eyes, he forced himself to smile. “You know what? You are not worth my effort. At least not yet. But I assure you, we’ll be meeting again shortly. Praetervolo!”
The Elder Lord suddenly disappeared, and we were left standing there alone in the bloody clouds strewn with the charred husks of my enemies. Only the stench of death and decay remained.
“Fucking bastard,” I seethed as I glared at the spot where the elder disappeared. Then I turned to Samara and offered my hand. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be in this holy place one more damn minute.”
“Yes, master,” the former goddess murmured as she slipped her palm into mine.
I closed my eyes and muttered the incantation to shadowport us back to Scholomance, and a moment later, I could feel myself leaving this world and entering another.
Everything started to spin in wild circles, and I pictured the rest of my coven, the school’s grounds, sturdy stone walls, and beautiful professors. I longed to return to our home, and soon I slammed into hard ground feet-first. Stars danced in the darkness behind my closed eyes, but at least I could hear my women’s voices, so I knew I was back on unholy grounds.
“Master!” Akira’s voice rang through the fog of my head. “Are you alright?”
I finally managed to peel my lids open, and when the common room came into view, the women were all staring at me with wide eyes and parted lips. I knew they were shocked to the bone, but they shook their heads and composed themselves before they reached out to run their hands over my body.
“W-What happened, master?” Morgana asked as she laid her hand over my still pounding heart. “We went looking for you this morning, but you were gone.”
“You look pale,” Marina commented with a small frown. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” I grunted, even though my tongue tasted metallic. “But I saw someone who called himself the Elder Lord. He tried to kill Samara and me.”
“The holy ruler of all elder creation?” the bookworm brunette gasped, and it sounded like she was out of breath.
“What the fuckkkk,” Nyx drawled with hazy blue eyes, but I couldn’t tell if she was groggy because it was the morning or because she’d smoked something. Probably both.
“Yes,” I muttered, and I cupped my brow to try and stop the world from spinning. “He had pale blond hair, ice-blue eyes, and a pair of golden wings.”
“He was the one who turned me to the holy side,” Samara clarified from beside me, and she dropped her head with a shameful expression. “He was powerful, alluring, and at the time, I fell weak to his charms. He is all-powerful, and everyone who believes in the holy light sees him as their almighty God.”
“How did this Elder Lord manage to take you, master?” Marina questioned, and the former siren frowned in confusion. “What about the wards? I know I’m newer around here, but I thought Scholomance was fully protected from outsiders.”
“Those wards have been around forever,” Circe added as she narrowed her serpentine eyes. “And I know the headmistress has only strengthened them recently.”
“Do you think the wards have fallen?” Revna gasped, and the wild witch glanced hesitantly at the walls around us.
“No, I think it was because of me,” Samara responded in a soft voice, and her face was pained when she turned to me. “He must have still had a connection with me, like a mark he left on my soul, and he’s one of the most powerful elders in existence. It probably wasn’t easy, but I bet he was able to bypass the wards to try and take me specifically, and when Cole grabbed me, he was dragged into it, too.”
“Unholy fuck,” Penelope hissed, and her chocolate-brown eyes narrowed. “This is not good…”
“No shit,” Akira grunted before she pushed back her dark hair. “Are you two alright? Did he hurt you?”
“He tried,” I responded before I looked at Samara, saw her head wound had already healed, and smiled. “But we fought the asshole off.”
“And now, master, I don’t think there’s any chance he could ever take me again,” Samara interjected as she copied my smile. “I think when we fought, my soul fully rejected him and freed me from his influence. I sensed this… unraveling inside me when it happened, and now I can’t feel an ounce of his lingering presence. All I can feel is Cole. He is everything to me.”
“Good,” I growled before I reached out and buried my hand in her golden hair. “Because you’re all mine, now and forever.”
“Yes, master,” the former goddess sighed with adoration in her ocean-hued eyes. “I can think of nothing better. Thank you for claiming me. Your power is all encompassing, and I welcome it inside of me.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but what are we going to do?” Nyx asked as she chewed on the stem of her wooden pipe she pulled out of thin air. “If he calls himself the Elder Lord, he must be the most powerful holy creature in all existence, so he’s not gonna be, like, easy to beat.”
“Don’t worry,” I said as I straightened my back. “He may be the ruler of heaven, but this time, he’s met his match.”
“What do you mean, master?” Vesta purred, and I looked over to see the elvish witch had her snake familiar draped over her neck like a scarf.
“Just trust me when I say he’ll be dealt with soon enough.” Before I said a word to my women about what Samara had told me, I wanted to be sure I was who the former goddess thought I was, and the only way to do that was by gaining a private audience with Headmistress Theodora.
“But… master.” Morgana cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly on her feet. “That doesn’t exactly answer the question.”
“But you trust me?” I asked.
“With our lives, master,” Akira said in a firm tone. “You know this.”
“I do.” I smiled. “So, trust me when I tell you that I’m handling it.”
“We believe you, master,” Faye said, and her green eyes glittered with her faith in me. “More than anything in all the realms.”
“Good,” I said before I cleared my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find Headmistress Theodora and ask her a couple of questions.”
This time, I vowed to myself I wouldn’t step foot outside her office until she gave me all the answers I was looking for.
“But, we have class, master,” Morgana reminded me.
“I think the professors will understand,” Samara responded before I could give the bookish brunette an answer. “This is a very unusual situation.”
“Agreed,” I said, and then I took one more look around the group. “I’ll meet you all later.”
“Yes, master,” my coven responded in unison.
I nodded in the women’s direction and took my leave, and as I made my way through the corridors and past other students, I couldn’t help but think about the Elder Lord and his undeniable power. His magic was strong, and I knew I’d need to gather my strength before I faced him again. If I was indeed who Samara said, then perhaps next time, I’d be able to kill him once and for all.
I was finally in front of Theodora’s office, and I raised my hand and knocked three hard times. It didn’t take long before the headmistress swung the door open, and when her bright blue eyes met mine, she smiled softly and studied me from head to toe.
“Cole,” she purred. “Come in… I’ve been expecting you.”
