THE LAST BELL

The Burning Truth.

“Don’t touch her!” Evelyn shouted as she rushed into the hidden library.

Her voice echoed against the cold stone walls. She and Rowan had finally arrived, but what they saw froze them in place. Chloe was on the ground, trembling, her skin pale, her veins glowing with a sick curse that crawled under her flesh like fire.

Axel knelt beside Chloe, his hands shaking as he tried to hold her still. “Stay with me, Chloe. Don’t let it take you.”

But Rowan only smirked. She leaned against a cracked pillar, her eyes shining with dark joy. “This was always the plan.”

Evelyn turned to her in shock. “What are you saying, Rowan?”

Rowan raised her hand and pointed to the wall behind them. Written in thick, dried blood were words that sent a chill into the air: One cursed heir must rule, the other must burn.

Axel’s eyes widened as he read it. His heart pounded in his chest. “You knew this… You knew Chloe would be dragged into this curse!”

Rowan’s smirk grew sharper. “Of course. The prophecy demands balance. Without her pain, the truth would never come alive.”

“Liar!” Evelyn screamed. “You betrayed us all!”

Axel’s rage boiled over. His eyes turned black, and shadows burst out from the corners of the library, crawling like living snakes. He pointed at Rowan. “Tear her apart!”

The shadows leapt at Rowan, but in midair, they froze. It was as if some invisible wall held them back. Rowan didn’t even flinch. She walked forward slowly, her boots crunching over broken stone.

“You can’t harm me, Axel,” she whispered. “The curse itself protects me. I am part of it.”

Axel’s hands shook. His powers failed him, and for the first time, he felt weak.

Evelyn rushed to Chloe’s side and grabbed her hand. Chloe’s eyes flickered open, but they were no longer her own. They glowed with a red, burning light.

“Axel…” Chloe’s voice was faint, but when she spoke again, another voice slipped out with hers. It was deeper, twisted. “I have seen the end.”

Everyone froze.

“The end?” Evelyn asked, fear gripping her chest. “What do you mean, Chloe?”

Chloe coughed, blood spilling from her lips, but the voice inside her spoke again. “I see fire. I see betrayal. I see the world consumed by the dead.”

Axel’s eyes filled with panic. “No, no, don’t say that. You’re stronger than this curse. Fight it, Chloe.”

Rowan laughed softly. “She cannot fight it. She is the key. And when the key breaks, the door opens. The dead will rise.”

Far above them, in the bloody cafeteria of the ruined school, Sophia stood on a broken table. 

Around her, the infected students—those once cruel to Axel—were kneeling. Their eyes glowed with the same strange rhythm as Sophia’s. She felt it pulsing inside her, like a crown of fire resting on her head.

She whispered to herself, “I can command them… I can control them.”

Her hands lifted, and the zombies moved with her command. With every gesture, they obeyed, like she was their queen.

One student crawled forward and bowed at her feet. “We serve you, my queen,” he muttered, his voice broken but loyal.

Sophia’s heart raced. She had once been hated, mocked, and treated like dirt. But now, the same people who laughed at her were kneeling before her. Power rushed through her veins, and she smiled.

“Maybe this curse chose me,” she whispered. “Maybe I was always meant to lead them.”

Meanwhile, in the gym, Lena faced Damian. He towered over her, his body twisted and monstrous from infection. His claws scraped against the ground, sparks flying.

Lena gripped the glowing sword tightly. It felt alive in her hands, whispering into her mind. Strike true. I accept you. You are my wielder.

Her chest heaved with every breath. She swung the sword, and each strike cut through Damian’s shadowed flesh. Light burst from the blade, burning away the darkness.

Damian roared, stumbling back. “You cannot defeat me!”

But Lena’s eyes burned with determination. “This sword chose me. And I will not fail.”

Her strikes became faster, more merciless. The gym filled with light as she slashed, pushing Damian back step by step.

Still, the voice of the sword whispered darker things. You will have to kill him. Mercy will only destroy you.

Lena gritted her teeth. She didn’t know if she was ready to listen.

Underground, Axel fell to his knees. He was torn apart inside. Chloe was dying, Rowan was untouchable, and Mason, the cursed knight, appeared from the shadows behind them. His armor was cracked, his eyes glowing red.

“You cannot save her,” Mason said, his voice like thunder. “The prophecy is already in motion. One will rule. One will burn.”

Axel’s fists slammed against the ground. “I won’t let this happen!”

Mason raised his sword, pointing it at Axel. “Then fight me, if you still have the strength.”

Evelyn screamed, “Stop this! Can’t you see Chloe is dying?”

But Mason didn’t move. His blade gleamed with cursed light.

Chloe suddenly gasped, her body shaking violently. Her mouth opened, and the twisted voice spoke again.

“I have seen the end… and it is closer than you think.”

Axel grabbed her shoulders, tears burning his eyes. “Chloe, please, don’t let it take you away. Stay with me. I need you.”

For a brief moment, Chloe’s real voice broke through. She touched Axel’s cheek weakly. “Do you… Love me?”

Axel froze. His heart ached. He had never said it out loud, but now, as her life slipped away, he couldn’t hold it back.

“Yes. I love you,” he whispered. “I always have.”

A single tear rolled down Chloe’s face. But then, the curse surged through her again, twisting her words into the darker voice.

“If you love her,” the voice mocked, “will you let her burn?”

Axel’s hands shook. He didn’t know what to do.

Rowan stepped closer, her eyes glowing brighter. “The time is almost here. She must choose. And so must you.”

Axel turned toward her, his rage and despair colliding. “Choose? Choose what?”

Chloe’s eyes glowed brighter, and her body lifted slightly into the air, as if the curse itself was pulling her.

Her lips moved, and the twisted voice asked the question that silenced them all:

“When the final moment comes… whose side will she choose?”