Chapter 5 The Beast That Knelt Before Me

Ivy’s POV

“Aahhh—!”

The scream ripped out of me 

A scream ripped out of me as I threw myself to the side at the very last second. But the beast’s massive claws slammed into the stone floor where I had been standing barely a second ago, cracking the ground with such brutal force that the entire arena shook violently beneath my feet.

“Oh my God!”

“It was this close to killing her!”

The students' whispers echoed above me, followed by loud bursts of mocking laughter that thundered through the entire arena. My chest tightened painfully as I scrambled backward across the rough stone floor, my chest rising and falling heavily.

They were enjoying this.

Every single one of them.

I looked up toward the crowd desperately, hoping—that at least one person reasonable enough would stop this madness.

But nobody moved.

Even Rhydian remained standing above the arena with that same cold expression on his face, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched everything unfold like it was nothing more than entertainment.

Before my brain could process anything, the beast let out another terrifying growl and charged at me again. I barely managed to roll out of the way before its claws came crashing down. 

Pain exploded through my shoulder instantly as one of its claws caught me, tearing through the sleeve of my dress and scraping against my skin.

I gasped as agony shot through my body wickedly.

It hurt.

God, it hurt so badly.

Meanwhile, the students above erupted into even louder reactions as they watched me struggle, not an ounce of pity on any of their faces.

“Run, powerless girl!”

“She’s so dead!”

“Oh…This is painful to watch!”

Panic flooded every inch of me as I forced myself back onto my feet and started running again. But the beast was already two steps ahead of me, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground beneath my feet as it chased me across the arena.

No matter how fast I ran, I could hear its growling getting closer and closer. And there was nowhere to hide in this cursed place. 

I nearly slipped as I turned sharply around one of the stone pillars scattered across the arena. My lungs burned violently now, and my legs were already starting to give up beneath me.

Then suddenly—

Before I could catch my breath even for one second, the beast suddenly slammed into the pillar behind me, shattering part of the stone into pieces.  A painful scream tore from my throat as fragments of rock sliced across my arm and cheek before I stumbled forward again.

Why was nobody stopping this?!

“Please!” I shouted toward the crowd desperately. “Somebody help me!”

I got no response in return. 

If anything, the laughter only grew much louder this time as the beast roared again, swiping one massive claw toward me, before throwing me violently through the air. My body hit the stone wall so hard that I swore I could hear the sound of my backbone crack.

“Wah—ahh—!”

The broken cry escaped my lips as I collapsed onto the ground. Everything around me began to spin, and for a few terrifying seconds, I couldn’t even breathe properly. 

It felt like my entire body had shattered apart.

The arena above me sounded distant now, like I was sinking underwater— but I could still hear the students reacting loudly as some of them watched in excitement, while some looked horrified by everything that was unfolding.

But none of them stopped it.

I forced my eyes open, only to see that the beast was slowly making its way toward me now, like it knew I couldn’t run anymore.

“No… ” I whispered weakly, dragging myself backward with trembling arms. “Please…dont…”

The beast towered over me now, its massive shadow swallowing me completely. Its glowing red eyes stared directly into mine while thick growls rumbled deep inside its chest.

So this is it.

This is how I was going to die on my very first day inside this cursed academy. I thought about Aunt Elara, about my tiny village. How badly I had wanted answers about my parents…and who I was.

And now I would never get them.

The beast slowly raised one massive claw above me, getting ready to rip me apart instantly. The crowd above went completely wild as different voices echoed through the arena.

“Finish her!”

“She’s done for!”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my body shaking violently as I had accepted my fate, waiting for the pain to come.

But then—

The growling suddenly stopped.

Silence fell over the entire arena so suddenly that it felt unreal. For a moment, I thought I was already in the afterlife. Then, slowly, I opened my eyes.

The beast had gone completely still. 

Its claw hovered inches from my face, trembling slightly as if something invisible had forced it to stop. Then slowly…it began to step back. 

I stared at it in complete shock as it lowered its massive head down…and bowed. 

“What…what is happening?” I whispered. 

This was the same beast that had been ready to tear me apart seconds ago, and now—it was kneeling before me like it recognized something in me that I didn’t even understand.

I forced myself up slightly, ignoring the pain tearing through my body as my eyes locked onto the beast in utter disbelief. Before I could make sense of anything—

The ground beneath me began to change.

Ancient symbols carved into the arena floor flickered to life—one after the other—they began to ignite in bright silver light. They spread rapidly across the stone like fire burning through dry grass. 

All of them were awakening beneath my feet as the entire arena shook violently. Students began to scramble backward in panic while others stared in complete disbelief.

“The dragon runes…”

“They’re awakening!”

“This…is impossible!”

My breathing turned uneven as the glowing symbols continued to expand further and further beneath me. The silver light reflecting off the arena walls was so bright it almost hurt to look at it.

“What the hell is happening right now?”