"Secure her. No mistakes."
The order echoed sharply through the sterile, silver-walled chamber.
A young woman lay unconscious upon a reinforced examination table, thick enchanted chains coiled around her wrists and ankles glowing faintly with runic restraints. Her skin was pale, luminescent almost, like moonlight reflecting off untouched snow.
Long black hair spilled over the edges of the table like ink from one side, and her emerald eyes twitched beneath closed lids as if fighting nightmares no one else could see.
One of the healers a thin man with shaking hands spoke urgently.
"She's a valuable student we can't lose her!"
The Headmaster, standing with hands folded behind his back, didn't react his gaze steady, unreadable.
Inside her mind, chaos churned.
Thoughts, voices, memories not her own clawed against her skull.
Save us.
Kill them.
You must survive.
You belong to no one.
The voices layered over one another until her consciousness shattered like glass.
She felt herself somewhere else not in her body, not in the room, but walking endlessly through a cold abyss.
A corridor stretching infinitely forward, flanked by monstrous iron cages carved with symbols older than language. Each one large enough to hold a dragon.
All empty.
All silent.
Except for one voice.
Deep.
Abyssal.
Ancient.
"Walk, girl."
She hesitated, but her legs moved anyway.
The torches ignited one by one as if obeying the unseen presence. The flames cast long shadows sharp and jagged across stone and steel.
"…Hello?" She called out though her voice trembled.
Something stirred in the dark.
Twin blood-red eyes snapped open.
They watched her like a god watching an insect.
"You walk a path drenched in blood and consequence," the voice rumbled. "Weakness is death. Power demands payment."
"Who are you?"
The creature chuckled low, apparently amused.
"Not yet. You stand too close to death to earn answers."
The torches flickered.
"And yet—"
The unknown presence leaned closer.
"You still cling to arrogance."
A pause.
"Good. Keep it. Arrogance sharpens ambition. Ambition sharpens survival."
And with a final whisper that reverberated through her bones
"Wake and become what you were born to be."
Victoria's eyes snapped open.
Reality slammed back into her.
Cold metal biting her wrists.
A ring of doctors and Runemasters around her. And the Headmaster watching.
Her voice came out rough, venomous
"…Why am I chained? Release me. Now."
The Headmaster did not flinch.
Instead, he offered a tired, patient smile.
"Administer the serum."
A mechanical arm descended, precision-perfect. A needle slid beneath her skin, injecting a swirling white liquid glowing with celestial runes.
The reaction was instant.
Victoria screamed a raw, primal sound that ripped through the room.
Her back arched violently against the table. Veins glowed beneath her skin like wildfire racing through stone. Blood dripped from her wrists as she strained against the chains her skin tearing, metal creaking.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Monitors blared.
"Vitals unstable—she's crashing!"
"She's going into soul fragmentation!"
"She's flatlining!"
In one motion, Professor Spark slammed a palm against the nearest console, sparks scattering.
She stepped forward, eyes narrowed, lightning crawling over her fingertips.
"Move."
Her voice wasn't loud. But every healer stepped back instantly. She pressed two glowing fingers to Victoria's sternum. The electricity wasn't gentle.
It was violent.
A thunderbolt disguised as medical intervention.
Lightning surged into Victoria's heart energy snapping through nerves, burning every pathway open again.
Smoke rose from her skin scorch marks tearing and visibly healing.
Then—
A twitch.
A breath.
A violent gasp.
Victoria shot upright chains rattling eyes wide and alive.
Spark clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Drama queen."
The Headmaster still watched, expression unreadable.
Victoria's breaths came fast, trembling but furious.
Her voice—broken, hoarse—escaped as a whisper.
"…you should've let me finish him."
Professor Spark leaned forward slightly, lightning still humming across her shoulders.
"Oh, you'll get another chance, sweetheart." She smirked.
"But next time?"
A spark crackled between her fingers.
"Try not to almost kill yourself in the process."