2 weeks later

In response to her rival's, she assumes an en grande position. The competitor leapt towards her as an attack. The two stood in one place, trading feints, s and parries with lightening speed. Swinging her own weapon over her head, Hyemi grunted with effort. The blades flash and ring. Beads of perspiration stung her eye before she forced herself to strike. Another hiss reverberate when the sides of the swords kissed. Her tongue raced above her chapped lips as she took steps around an imaginary circle. A direct hit.

Her opponent swipes, arcing it down towards Hyemi's leg, but she swerved away. Fortunately, her foe staggered, and she unhesitatingly lunged towards her. Hyemi's sword smashed against the other, disarming her rival. Before the contestant could react, she pinned her by the base, straddling her hips. A successful smirk of achievement made her features glow. The beads of sweat that saturated her forehead dripped slowly down her partner's cheek, making her wriggle uncomfortably.

Unhurried, slow claps inflated her tense position, and she directly ran her eyes over the eeire mentor. "Congratulations, Hyemi-ssi. You're progressing really well with us. I'm impressed."

Breathing out a certain amount of carbon dioxide as she got up on her feet, backing away from the girl to lend her a hand. "Thank you, Ms.Jung."

Before Hyemi could offer her hand, Hyuna brushed the back of her shorts as she got up. "You're getting better and better at this."

"Thanks." Hyemi panted while wiping the sweat away from her forehead.

After arriving back from the woods -where they would train with another bunch of night classes students, the rest returned to their classes. Her legs found the base of her chair, and she sank in with ease. The ache of her muscles washed away, and she silently closed her eyelids. The hectic battle between her and her partner -Hyuna- made her topple into a pool of scorching, topsy-turvy drowsiness. Her eyes just won't stay open.

They were rather bloodshot, sagging with fatigue, with purple smudge beneath her lashes- evidence of her restless slumber. Who would blame her? The information, the scenes she watched like flashes that struck her was too much to absorb. It was no use. No matter how many times she flung herself around the bed, entwining herself in ropes of blankets, how many pillows she pressed desperately over her head, how many damn numbers she counted over and over, sleep would not come. She knew it was absolutely, genuinely, honestly hopeless. And here she was, getting struck by it in the middle of a very so-called 'significant' hour. What would they master today? Right, spells. How cute. And fictional.

Plainly losing her control to keep her censured eyes open, all her concern about being caught wavered away, and she collapsed both her arms around each other and dug in. Eyelids closed against the dim light and her breathing deep and relaxed, all her muscles on her face were at peace. Not a twitch, not a spasm, barely any movements but her chest rising with each intake of air such was the depth of her oblivion. Her soft breathing making the world seem to stand still. A small murmur was lingering in the feeble silence with a shadow of pointy heels that the heedless Hyemi recognized as the teacher's.

"Am I boring you to death, Ms.Park?" She was nothing but polite although she could her simmering unfriendliness beneath the surface of her voice.

Shooting up, the latter submissively shook her head with a hint of drowsiness. "No, Ms.Jung."

"I suppose you may set us an example?" Ms.Jung's eyebrow quircked up, questioning.

As she rapidly swallowed, the abashed girl peeked at her seat mate. Hyuna secretly rapped on a paragraph with her perfectly manicured fingernail, hinting for her to quickly skim the paragraph before demonstrating infront of the instructor. Swiftly scanning the cluster of words, Hyemi gratefully nodded and sped after Ms.Jung's retreating tail. Placing the crimson candle that was smeared with blood on the table, she traced the surface. The fire light caught her eyes, and she almost appeared as an enchanting demoness.

"Power of fire, Power of light

vitality and hatred, bless me right!"

Repeating the chant in a mesmerizing tone, Hyemi knelt down and blew the flickering dot of light off. She knew what would happen by then. Wind and fire would merge together to create a curl of fire that will swirl around and recall back to its candle. Simple trick, impressive mark.

Strings of stillness had her puzzled.

Then it came.

The clouds ominously huddled together, their dark curves mocking the land scape, with a crack they burst open and the rain, slow at first, fell, plumeted to the dry ground. The gentle bruised sky crackled with wicked fingers of intense light. The ground was a stair of ripples, roaring and rumbling the panicking students who stood abruptly in alarm. Snatching the candle off Hyemi's hands, Hyun Rim puffed out the flame.

Everything froze. The clouds outside. The wind. The sky. The ground.

Until it came.

A blinding flash, followed by searing heat, followed by a bashing wave of radiation. It was a splintering hiss, and glass went flying. The windows were a screeching chaos, pressured by the jeering, snarling thunder. The groaning walls are spinning through her pupils and she has to blink enough until she gained it back.

Her chest was suddenly too small for her lungs.

The creature's sheer skin was shielded beneath two massive wings as it strode through the shattered glass. Its pentrating, ox eyed gaze swept through the room, inspecting the scandalized individuals. from any clothes but sultry fire, the fiery being ambled straight. The air was electric with emotion. Hyuna was the first to announce in a whisper, awe-struck with fear. "A saraph."

In unexpected motion, as if someone called his name, his jaws snapped towards the startled girl with a low growl. Charging towards the mildly shaken latter, Hyemi witnessed the scenery, frozen. Her heart hammered, slamming against the walls of her chest with such intesity she was sure it would break a rib. Every cell vibrated beneath her skin as she pulled her eyes to everyone. Everything was menacing. She felt like screaming, crying, running, anything to get out of here. She bit back the shriek that swelled at the back of , but it was stuck, a lump that was harder to breathe past. The drummer in her chest, pounded out a melody in her ear, more random and crazy than the normal song.

The sudden adernaline rush halted.

Hyuna will die.

And it's her fault.

No. She won't let that happen.

She quickened her pace until steps became leaps, and she pushed her legs harder, springing above the tumbled desks. In the corner of her vision, students and students and students darted past her -no, she darted past them. Soon enough, there was nothing left but the steady thuds of her footfalls, coming closer to her partner. Hyemi prayed over and over to the gods above 'Please let me save her'. Crashing upon the girl's chest, and she whirled, pulling Hyuna behind her and dropping into a low, defensive crouch, holding her candle like a truncheon.

The creature's flaming features were inches from hers, and sweat that was stuck to her temple trickled down. The gathering storm on her face gloomed more, and the sound of drums kept time with the throbbing vein on her forehead. She stared at its eyes, refusing to lose the tense competition. A palpable sense of tautness settled over the room, and at last, she growled in a low tone, defensive too.

"Get the lost."

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Fuming here, not in my best moods, but updated. Im sorry for the late updates, school is just a stupid hellhole. About the picture or the saraph creature, it was the closest picture from what i imagined this saraph angel would appear like. Just imagine it without the hair, hehe.

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