BACK TO PARADISE HIGH
The ground erupted, sending fire and debris flying through the air. From the gaping hole in the earth, a thick, suffocating darkness emerged—a dark void that pulsed with malevolent energy. It spread like a disease, seeping into the very foundations of Paradise High, engulfing every corridor, every classroom, every shadowed corner.
A red moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the school. The once-pristine institution was now a battlefield, its walls cracking under the pressure of the chaotic energy spilling forth. And from the heart of the darkness, a figure emerged.
Lamia.
But this was not the Lamia they once knew. His long red hair, once vibrant and untamed, had darkened into an abyssal shade of black, swirling with cursed energy. His eyes—once a mesmerizing midnight blue—had turned hollow, filled with a sinister emptiness. Veins, dark and pulsating with unholy power, crawled across his pale skin like serpents.
And worst of all, that wide, unnatural grin stretched across his face, splitting his lips apart like a jagged wound.
Slyvia, standing amidst the chaos, had been deep in the midst of her chanting when she noticed the sudden shift in the air. A suffocating presence washed over her, drowning out her magic with sheer force. The silver glow surrounding her flickered. The winds howled. The branches that had begun sprouting from the corners of the school trembled as if recoiling from the darkness.
Ares, poised to strike, hesitated. He wasn't sure what was happening, but Ava—watching from the corner—felt it immediately.
Something was very wrong.
"Lamia…?" Ava whispered, her voice barely audible. She had seen him in his death sleep, motionless, lifeless. But now, he stood before them—his aura tainted, his presence twisted beyond recognition.
And then it happened.
A force like an invisible hand coiled around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Ava choked, her limbs flailing as an unseen grip tightened around her, crushing the air from her lungs. Blood spewed from her mouth, dripping down her chin as she struggled.
Slyvia's chanting ceased. Her glowing eyes widened in horror.
"Ava!"
The moment she turned, she saw him—Lamia standing there, expression unreadable, but his eyes gleaming with amusement.
That was when Asher's voice shattered the air.
"No! That's not Lamia! He's been possessed!"
But it was already too late.
Lamia raised his hand toward the heavens. A swirling mass of yellow flames, burning with a divine intensity, gathered in his palm. In an instant, the fire shot forward, an inferno racing toward the bystanders with the force of a hurricane.
The explosion that followed was catastrophic.
Slyvia was launched backward, her body colliding with a jagged rock. A sickening crack echoed as her head struck the stone, blood seeping into her silver hair. Ava fared no better—her body was shredded from skin to skin, deep gashes forming as golden embers ate away at her flesh. She let out an agonized scream, her hands trembling as she tried to shield herself.
"No! Please, it hurts—my arms! My arms!"
But her cries fell on deaf ears.
Lamia merely grinned, his eyes glowing with pure malice. His once gentle lips were now curled into a smile of a demon reveling in the destruction before him. Yellow flakes continued to tear through Ava's body, stripping her of her strength.
Slyvia, barely conscious, pushed herself up, only to be met with an unseen force. Lamia flicked his wrist. A glass-like barrier materialized around her, trapping her inside.
And then the torture began.
Lightning crackled to life within the cage, dancing across the transparent walls. The electricity surged through her, tearing through her organs, igniting her nerves with unbearable pain.
Her screams were raw. Desperate.
Asher watched in sheer horror, his body trembling with rage.
"You bastard!" he roared, his voice cracking under the weight of his fury. "Leave them alone!"
But Lamia's grin only widened.
The yellow flames surrounding him twisted and shifted, turning into a blinding golden tornado. The raw energy gathered into his hands, condensing into a singular point of unimaginable power.
And then he unleashed it.
The golden torrent tore through the darkness like a spear of divine punishment—except this time, it was aimed directly at Asher.
He barely had time to react.
The sheer force of the blast sent him skidding across the battlefield. A deafening crack rang out as the flames consumed him, his body writhing in pain. He screamed, his voice echoing through the ruined school as the divine fire scorched his flesh.
But then, something snapped.
A sudden, blinding light erupted from within him, swallowing the golden flames whole. The divine energy that had sought to destroy him was now… dissipating. Banished.
And then, he saw it.
A shadow fell to the ground. A piece of himself.
His arm.
The limb lay motionless beside him, severed, detached. Blood pooled around it, staining the earth.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then, footsteps.
Jeremy emerged from the darkness, his face pale, his breath caught in his throat. Rose followed closely behind, her trembling hands clutched to her chest.
And they both saw it.
Asher, lying on the ground, his severed arm beside him. Blood. So much blood.
And standing above them, Lamia.
The possessed demi-god let out a soft chuckle, his once melodious voice now a distorted nightmare.
"Get up, losers." His grin stretched even wider. "I'm just warming up."
The air turned suffocating. The shadows of the school shifted. The Red Oak Tree groaned in the distance, its branches curling in response to the unnatural darkness consuming the world.
And then, in the depths of the void, Rowan and Lyon watched in silence.
They knew.
This was no longer just a battle.
This was the beginning of annihilation.