Rise of the Morningstar

Chapter Four

My eyes snapped open to a room shrouded in darkness, My heart raced each beat pounding in my ears. I sat upright, gasping for air, sweat sticking to my skin. My mind replayed the interaction with Xavier over and over and over again. Remembering the pain sent chills down my spine, I've never felt so defenseless despite my siblings being there I felt alone, hopeless, and weak.

I refused to go back to sleep knowing the nightmares that awaited me, getting out of bed I limped  past my sleeping siblings to the window. Opening it I stared at the night sky, the cool night air brushed against my skin, offering momentarily release from the suffocating weight of my thoughts. Though that relief faded as quickly as it came, not even the beauty of the stars could free my mind. Leaning against the window frame I clung to it as if it were the only anchor keeping me from being swept away in a sea of turmoil. "Shy," a soft voice called out.

I ignored it, figuring it was my mind playing tricks on me. I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, "Shy you should be in bed, you need to give yourself time to heal fully." Ely said softly.

"Can't sleep," I replied plainly

Ely sighed deeply, " well can you at least sit down whatever he hit you with really did a number on your leg." She urged

Begrudgingly I made my way back to bed. Laying down I stared up at the ceiling, "hey Ely." I called out

"Yea." She questioned

"All of this is my fault isn't it, I mean we wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't attempt that spell." I said

"Shy, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known any of this would happen so don't beat yourself up about it." She replied sincerely

"Okay, good night Ely." I said

"Goodnight Shy." She replied

I continued to stare at the ceiling, I longed for dawn. Maybe then will all of my nightmares disappear. I quickly grew tiresome, it felt like time was at a standstill. Eventually the sun's golden light cast away the darkness. I quickly did my morning routine and left for class. I'm never excited except for today, I'll finally have a distraction for a few hours.

I slowly made my way up the stairs and to class. "This damn injury is really slowing me down." I thought. Walking into class late Mr.Morrison made a snarky remark about my tardiness. Ignoring him I sat in my usual seat in the back. He continued his lecture on magic defense, tuning him out like usual, I put in my AirPods and played my R&B playlist. The kid in front of me tapped my desk, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked at them confused, they mouthed something and pointed to the front of the class. Looking forward I expected a scolding from Mr.Morrison for not paying attention, I couldn't be any more wrong my heart dropped when I locked eyes with an unexpected guest instead.

I whipped my phone out and frantically texted my siblings.

Losers club rejects 🚫:

He's here and he's in my class.

Drewskii🖤: Who's in your class? Daniel?

No Xavier
What if he's here to finish us off.

Bre💙: He's not gonna hurt you.

We don't know that

My phone was snatched away causing me to look up. There stood Mr.Morrison he had an expression of disappointment and anger. Taking my AirPods out I demanded he give me back my phone.

"Absolutely not, Xavier came out of his way to talk to you all about anti-magic and your back here on your phone. I am extremely disappointed in you." He said angrily

"But sir this is imp-"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses, now sit down and pay attention." He demanded

Sighing in frustration I yielded, watching as he returned to the front of the class apologizing to Xavier assuring him that I never behaved like this. Xavier laughed softly making an awful joke about teenagers and their mood swings. My gaze focused on Xavier intensely , "what did he want, why is he here?" My mind raced with millions of questions.

Xavier cleared his throat and began telling the long history between magic users and anti-magic users.

As Xavier continued his lecture, I couldn't shake the unease settling in my stomach. His presence felt like a dark cloud looming over me. Class ended and Xavier lagged behind packing his bags. Something was compelling me to confront him. Ignoring the fact I was completely alone with the man who haunted my dreams and nearly killed me, I stood up, my heart racing pounding like a drum in my ears .

"Xavier," I called out, my voice trembling slightly. "What are you really doing here?"

His eyes met mine, cold and calculating. "Just coming to see how your holding up," he replied smoothly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I-I" I fumbled over my words

"What's that matter Morningstar, do i really scare you that much." He mocked slowly approaching

My heart rate accelerated even more. His presence through my emotions out of whack the only thing i could feel towards him was fear.

He closed the gap between us towering over me. He smiled cockily, "Don't worry i'm not gonna kill you, not yet at least i want you to be at your strongest when i crush you. So I can bask in the glory of killing a morningstar magic user." He said coldly

Before I could respond, my siblings barged into the room, stepping between us, their protective instincts kicking in. But Xavier's demeanor shifted, his expression turning deadly serious.

"You shouldn't have come here," Roman warned, his voice laced with a warning.

Xavier's smile faded, replaced by a steely resolve. "You're right, he's still weak, he won't provide me with an interesting fight. But I'm not leaving here empty-handed," he declared, his gaze flickering between each of us.

Before we could react, he unleashed a wave of anti-magic, immobilizing us where we stood. He crept closer to me, kicking me so hard I flew into the back wall. Landing on my side, my heart sank as I watched him drag my siblings into the hallway, their shouts echoing in the empty classroom.

"NO!" I shouted, trying my best to run after him. My injured leg gave out in front of the door. I watched in horror as a black aura slowly enveloped them. I extended my hand,  calling out for my siblings. The last thing I heard before they disappeared was their screams of pain.

I felt Alone and powerless, as I layed on the ground, overwhelmed by a sense of defeat and despair. He took them and I couldn't do anything to stop him. My siblings are in the hands of this sadist because of me. Tears began to stream down my face, the empty classroom echoing my anguish. What could I possibly do to save them? The weight of the situation felt unbearable.