Alpha Group – Deep in the Forest
The Alphas gathered close, helping each other up, exchanging water and what little comfort they could. Cuts and bruises covered many of them. Charline Oneida stepped forward, her hands glowing softly as she moved from one injured classmate to another, healing with quiet focus.
Kaesy, still catching her breath, stood tall and began to count heads.
"Wait…" she said, scanning the group again. "Where's Carl? And… Ella?"
Keisha looked down. "Ella was taken earlier. We tried to chase after her, but she disappeared into the dark… we still haven't found her."
Kaesy turned sharply to Theodore. "And Carl? He was with your group, right?"
Rayah answered instead, frowning. "Carl… he was just behind us earlier. He didn't say anything. We thought he was still with us."
Kaesy's frustration flared. Her fists clenched, teeth gritted. "Just where are those two now?!"
She was about to yell when a sound cut through the silence ...footsteps.
Heavy. Slow. Approaching.
Everyone turned toward the noise, tensed.
Kaesy narrowed her eyes. "Who's there…?"
The trees parted under the pale light of the moon and there he was. Carl Perez, emerging from the darkness, carrying Ella in his arms.
Her body was limp, her face pale and unconscious, but she was breathing.
"Ella!" several voices cried.
They rushed to help him.
"I found her," Carl said, his voice breathless but steady. "She was deep in the woods… unconscious. I think she passed out from exhaustion or… something else."
Celsy placed a hand over her chest, relieved, and Keisha quickly checked Ella's pulse.
Just then, flickers of torchlight glimmered through the trees. Voices. Orders being shouted.
Kaesy stood and waved her arms. "Over here!"
Within moments, the professors arrived Professor Valcroft, Professor Vaughn, and Professor Laurion leading a small squad of elite guards and wizards.
They stopped at the sight of the gathered Alphas tired, bloodied, but alive.
Laurion exhaled deeply. "Thank the gods…"
Valcroft immediately moved to Ella, while Laurion began checking the rest.
Vaughn's eyes scanned the group and stopped the moment he saw her.
Kaesy.
Relief broke across his usually stern face. Without a word, he stepped closer, eyes locked with hers. She looked away quickly, pretending not to notice the unspoken concern in his gaze.
But everyone saw it.
And everyone wondered the same thing.
After the professors found them in the forest, the group was escorted back to the academy under tight guard. The gates closed behind them with a heavy groan, sealing away the danger at least for the moment. Healers rushed to meet them, guiding the injured Alphas to the infirmary as the sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn
Kaesy stood just outside the infirmary doors, arms crossed, her shirt stained with dirt and blood that wasn't all hers. Her gaze was fixed on the distant treetops, now just silhouettes against the starlit sky.
Behind her, quiet footsteps approached.
"You should be inside… getting rest," came a low, familiar voice.
Kaesy didn't turn. "I'm not tired."
A pause. Then, Professor Vaughn stepped beside her, folding his arms, mirroring her posture.
"I saw you out there," he said. "Taking charge. You kept them together."
"They needed someone," Kaesy replied, her tone guarded. "And we couldn't just sit around waiting."
He nodded slightly. "I know. And you did well."
Kaesy finally turned to face him. "You came running the moment you heard I was missing."
Vaughn looked at her, not flinching. "Would you have preferred I stayed behind?"
She held his gaze, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why do you care so much?"
There was silence. Heavy. Then Vaughn exhaled and looked away, toward the moon.
"You remind me of someone," he said quietly. "Someone I couldn't protect."
Kaesy blinked. The fire in her dimmed a little. "A former student?"
Vaughn shook his head. "No. My sister."
Kaesy's breath caught.
"She died… during the early rise of the Dark Scourge," he continued. "Stubborn, fierce. Always running ahead. I thought I could keep her safe just by watching her back, but I was wrong."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The quiet night air carried only the sounds of leaves rustling and the occasional echo from the infirmary.
Kaesy's voice softened. "I'm not her."
"I know," he replied. "But I still don't want to lose you."
She looked at him again, seeing something different now not just a professor, not just a soldier but a man carrying regrets.
Kaesy shifted uncomfortably. "You're not going to lecture me, then?"
He smirked faintly. "You already survived a forest full of god-knows-what and saved your classmates. I think you've earned a break."
They stood there in quiet understanding.
Finally, Kaesy looked back toward the trees. "This isn't over, is it?"
"No," Vaughn said. "It's only beginning."