Winter Boys ~Riven ❅ Fate the Winx Saga

❅ 8: All Systems Go

"Get ready, Soren. Remember, they come faster than you think," Riven said lowly from behind me, his breath hot on my ear.

I took a deep breath, very aware of his presence behind me, before focusing ahead.

Riven bent down and pressed his hands down to the ground before looking up, "It's coming."

White mist began to gather in my palms as the sound of thudding footsteps grew louder before a Burned One lept out into the clearing. I was instantly struck with a crippling sense of dread as I took in its staggering height and stepped back.

"No running, Soren," Riven said from behind me, his hands pressed into my lower back and moved me back forward, "You can handle this,"

My breaths came faster, and I gulped before stepping forward again as the Burned One charged us.

"Just wait... one, two, three, now!" Riven exclaimed, sliding out from behind me, his sword on the ready.

I swung my hands up and clapped them together, watching the mist and snow splash out from my palms before pulling them apart into an O shape over my mouth and blowing hard. Shards of ice and sleet showered onto the Burned One from the small hole between my fingers, freezing bits of the creature's body with each contact they made.

"Okay, now cover me," Riven said gruffly from beside me before rushing forward into an arc formation. I turned back and froze the Burned One's feet in place as Riven came up along the side of the monster before planting both of his feet and deftly twisting his torso gaining enough momentum to slam his blade through the Burned One's core. The Burned One let out a pained cry before swiping at Riven, catching the edge of his waist before collapsing forward onto his sword.

"Fuck!" Riven recoiled backwards, holding his side and pulling his hand back to reveal a wide gash.

"Shit, Riv," I ran up to him, reaching for his side. He backed away before grimacing, probably feeling the sting from his wound.

"Let me see," I said pulling his arm towards me and lifting his hand to see.

The wound wasn't too deep and the Burned One only seemed to have cut through a couple of layers of skin.

"Here," I said, reaching for my backpack in the brush beside us and pulling out a small towel, "Press this to your side and I'll walk you to the infirmary."

He took the towel from me and nodded his thanks before pressing it into his wound to stop the bleeding.

I looked back to eye the small diamond that housed the Burned One simulation lying inconspicuously in the grass.

"Do you think you could numb it too? This little shit burns every time I take a step."

"Yeah, hold on," I said, turning back to Riven, splaying my hands over the cut and channeling cold mist onto it, listening as his breaths became less labored.

"You could actually do a lot more than numb that, you know?"

I whipped around at the sudden interjection and freeze at Rosalind's piercing gaze running over me. I'd tried my best to avoid any sort of interaction with her in the two weeks since she'd taken over as headmistress. Alfea's curriculum had undergone a complete facelift, with all of our training becoming almost solely combat-focused, much to Sam's dismay.

"Riven, I trust you can find your own way to the infirmary?" Rosalind said, her eyes cutting to him, clearly showing that he was not welcome in this conversation.

I turned back to him, and he sent me a concerned look before trudging back off toward the school.

"Your case is an interesting one, Mister Ymir," Rosalind turned on her heel before signaling that I walk with her, "I took a look into the file Farah created with your admission to the school."