Chapter 111: Saved Their Lives
Everything happened so quickly.
One moment, the dragon’s roar reverberated through the restroom. The next, Rhydian’s entire body shuddered violently, his breathing turning ragged as if the dragon inside him was desperately trying to claw its way free.
"Rhydian!"
Aria tried to go to him, but Maverick caught her wrist.
"We have to go," he said urgently, tightening his grip.
"I have to help him."
"It’s too late." Maverick’s voice was grim as he tilted his chin toward Rhydian, silently urging her to look.
Aria did, and her breath caught.
Rhydian’s body convulsed again, harder this time. Every muscle beneath his clothes seemed to tighten at once, straining against the fabric. His shoulders broadened with frightening speed, stretching the seams of his uniform until the material groaned in protest.
Aria’s eyes widened as crimson scales began pushing through the skin along his neck, catching the light with a metallic sheen. They spread rapidly beneath his jaw and disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt while others crept over the backs of his hands.
His fingers flexed, and the nails lengthened before her eyes, darkening into black talons that gouged deep grooves into the tiled wall when he instinctively reached out to steady himself.
His pupils narrowed into razor-thin slits as his brilliant blue eyes burned with an intensity that made Aria’s pulse stumble. The restroom itself seemed to shrink around him, and every breath he drew felt larger than the room could contain.
"Maverick..." Aria whispered fearfully, unable to tear her eyes away.
"He’s shifting," Maverick answered, his expression hardening. "And it doesn’t look like he’s controlling it."
Almost as if to prove his words, Rhydian’s back arched violently. Something enormous struggled beneath his skin, forcing muscle and bone to distort beneath the surface before snapping violently back into place.
Another roar tore from Rhydian, and only then did Aria truly grasp the danger. This restroom had never been built to contain a full-grown dragon. If Rhydian completed the transformation in here, there wouldn’t be a restroom left.
"Oh my God..." the realization hit her.
Maverick wasted no more time. He pulled Aria firmly behind him and headed for the ruined doorway. This time, she didn’t resist. Fear had finally caught up with her.
The moment they burst out of the restroom, they were met by Variant, Valerie, and the two guards who had only just regained their footing.
"What’s going on?" Variant demanded, having noticed the tension in the air.
"Rhydian’s shifting!" Maverick barked. "Get the fuck out of here!"
"What?!" Variant and Valerie shouted in unison, genuine panic flashing across their faces.
Before anyone could ask another question, the entire corridor lurched beneath their feet as a deafening boom erupted from inside the restroom.
The walls shuddered violently as though something enormous had slammed into them from within. Fine cracks raced across the plaster, and dust rained from the ceiling in pale clouds.
For one frozen heartbeat, everyone simply stared before common sense took over. None of them needed to be told twice. They broke into a sprint just as another tremendous impact shook the building.
Unfortunately, they had barely covered a few meters when an earth-shattering explosion tore through the corridor and the restroom walls burst apart. Bricks, shattered tiles, and chunks of concrete blasted outward in every direction like deadly shrapnel.
From the corner of her eye, Aria caught sight of something colossal crashing through the collapsing ceiling. Crimson scales flashed between clouds of dust before an enormous wing burst free, tearing through the stone as though it were paper, and the dragon soared into the open sky.
But the damage had already been done.
"Look out!"
Aria threw both arms over her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she braced for the crushing impact of the falling debris.
Except when several seconds passed and nothing happened, she slowly lowered her arms in confusion.
That was when she saw it.
A wall of crystal-blue ice stood between them and the collapsing building. Massive chunks of stone hammered against it one after another, each impact sending spiderwebs of frost racing across its surface, yet none of them managed to break through.
Maverick.
Aria turned sharply toward him. He stood directly in front of them with both arms outstretched, his gray eyes fixed on the barrier. Frost crawled over his forearms and spread across the floor beneath his boots as he held the shield in place.
Only then did she notice his posture. One knee had sunk toward the ground while the other leg trembled beneath him. The sheer weight of the fallen masonry pressing against the barrier was forcing him lower inch by inch.
"Maverick..." Concern gripped Aria’s chest.
A strained breath escaped him, but he never looked away from the barrier.
"Come on," he muttered, as though urging himself on.
The ice groaned, and for a terrifying moment, Aria thought it would shatter. Instead, Maverick drew a deep breath and let out a roar of his own. The frost coating the barrier thickened instantly, and with a violent thrust of both arms, he drove the shield outward.
A thunderous crack split the air as the wall of ice surged forward like an avalanche, hurling the heap of broken stone away from them. The bricks exploded across the way, clearing a path as dust billowed through the hall.
Silence followed, broken only by the distant beat of enormous wings overhead, reminding them that somewhere above the academy, a dragon was now flying free.
Everyone stood frozen for a heartbeat before the dust slowly began to settle. Cautiously, Aria looked around and realized an entire section of the dining hall had collapsed inward, leaving a gaping hole where the restroom wall and part of the ceiling had once stood.
Before she could fully take in the devastation, strong arms suddenly wrapped around her. Maverick pulled her tightly against his chest, holding her as though reassuring himself she was truly alive.
Only then did Aria realize how violently he was shaking. She had no choice but to hug him back. He had just saved their fucking lives.