Thunder suddenly rushes towards us.

Nott swats it aside and it detonates across the field a few feet away. “Idiot older brother… Even I can’t beat the Vanirian Goddess.”

A small smile emerges on Sól’s normally impassive face as we run. Hand in hand, the three of us weave through the ground of destruction before us. His grip is cold and strong, pulling us ever forward.

I quietly thank him in my heart.

Running back whence we came, the hallways are strewn with destruction. Rubble and shatter glass line the floors. We’re heading towards a dead-end so I try to pull back. Sól urges us forward, so I trust him and continue straight towards the giant slab of fallen stone.

As we near the end, the walls unlock and unfurl like a door. Just like when it led us to the principal.

As we move further down, I begin to see students huddling together. Somehow we’re in the dormitory lounge. “This room should be on the north end.” I exhale in wonder.

“This building is alive,” Sól explains, “and it protects its inhabitants like a guardian.”

We spot Fenrir and Horusha at one corner of the room. I’m about to walk towards them when Sól lets go of our hands.

“Sól?”

“I need to make sure Nott is okay,” He answers flatly, “I’m not as powerful as my younger brother, but… Even if I can serve a moment’s distraction for him and he can get away…”

“What are you saying?” I grab his hand, trying to calm his rash attitude.

He shakes me off, “Nott is the next heir to the Kindred throne.”

I’m shocked. Normally, Kindred monarchs are chosen based upon lineage and age. And Sól is the Amaryllis family’s eldest.

Almost as if reading my mind, he clarifies, “He’s the most powerful Kindred we’ve seen in millennia. It doesn’t matter if I must sacrifice myself, he’s our species’ hope.”

“What…? Is this well known? I’ve never heard anyone mention it.”

“No one says it, but everyone knows it to be true. Besides,” His eyes are a striking silver, “I’m his older brother, how pathetic if I cannot even protect him.”

My gaze falls on Noel, cold and shivering.

I myself stood between Vaniriel and Noel, allowing my body to act as a shield with no regards to my own safety. I don’t feel as if I have a right to stop him, but even still, “Nott will be okay.”

The image of Vaniriel’s bloodthirsty expression as she fought off the apparition a few months prior, bursts in my head like a scarlet camellia. I don’t even believe my own words, but I say it anyways.

“Just trust in him.”