CHAPTER 43: A SEAT AT THE FIRE

The Evening sky over Euphoria burned with twin moons, silver and violet, their glow filtering through the towering forest walls that surrounded the Monster Academy camp.

The wind whispered through black pines and ghost oaks, brushing over tents and flickering lanterns like invisible fingers.

Most students had settled into their camp zones by now, some still murmuring about the series of events that have unfolded since their arrival, and the strict warnings about the restricted zone.

But at the far right of camp— near the slope overlooking the valley sat Valkyrie’s group, The Demon Slayers.

A crackling fire glowed at the center of their handmade stone circle. Flames danced orange against their faces.

Soda chewed jerky aggressively like it had personally wronged her. Tekna was tinkering with a small drone-like device. Jasmine sharpened a hunting dagger against stone. Rain polished her bow in silence. Lily scribbled charms onto wooden coins. Suki sat quietly with a book and a flashlight, reading God knows what. However May was not with them for whatever reasons.

Valkyrie sat slightly apart from the group, staring at the heavy forest like she could hear something moving inside it.

The tension of the day still lingered. Then Soda broke the silence first.

"Man...I think I’m beginning to hate this place already," she muttered. "The air smells like flowers and death. Pick a struggle."

Lily smirked turning around as if observing something."Where on earth is May? She’s been gone for over four hours now"

"That’s right...Wait..." She said then paused, froming a hilarious look on her face "...uhhh maybe she found herself some hot dude, cause tell me why she’s been gone for so long?" Soda said playfully.

Before Valkyrie could add a thing or two, footsteps approached slowly and steadily.

A shadow stood just outside the firelight.

Then a voice followed.

"Hey. Mind if I sit here?"

They all turned.

It was Ball.

Her red braided hair was tied up in a rough knot. She wore the Angels training uniform with the jacket open, gloves tucked into her belt like she was still ready for a fight. Her red ball unreadable eyes, scanned the circle slowly as though calculating whether to stay or not.

Instantly, Soda stood. "Nope. Absolutely not. Wrong campfire. Keep walking girl."

Ball didn’t move. "I just came to sit. That’s not a crime, is it?."

"It is, when nobody invited you," Soda fired back.

Before it could escalate, Valkyrie spoke, with a firm voice.

"Soda," she said, grabbing her sleeve. "Don’t be rude."

Soda snapped her head back. "Rude? We barely know her. She could be anyone."

"Well I know her..." Valkyrie replied, eyes steady. "If she wanted trouble, she would’ve started it already. Sit down."

Soda growled but dropped back to the log. "Fine. Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when she starts doing weird shit"

Ball stepped forward, And sat opposite to Valkyrie, She then placed her backpack beside her. Took a deep breath and spoke.

"Thanks Valkyrie..."

"Val...We’re close now, you can call me Val"

Valkyrie whispered.

Then Ball turned her head intentionally searching for words as she scanned the camp again. "This is beautiful, you girls are really creative"

"You think?" Soda interrupted.

"Soda?" Val fired back.

"Man I’m outta here" Soda already pissed off, stands angrily as she moves an inch away from the girls, but can still hear all that’s being said.

Lily shifted to face her. "Alright then. Weird girl, tell us about yourself..."

Ball shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

Soda leaned forward. "Maybe start with your real name?"

Ball stared at her. "But my real name is Ball..."

"Your parents named you that?" Soda scoffed. "Were they high on something or what?" Lily said laughing loud but suddenly noticed no one was laughing with her, then she snapped back. "Oh. My bad...Nice name. Ball"

Ball smiled lightly. "My name is Ballerina, so I just tell people I’m Ball"

"See?...I know I wasn’t stupid when I asked". Lily said with satisfaction as though she won a lottery.

"I think it’s genius, no one would even suspect your real name is Ballerina except who told them, I’m Tekna— T for short..." Tekna said.

"And I’m Lily"

"Rain"

"Jasmine"

"Suki"

"And she’s Soda" Valkyrie said pointing to the spot Soda was sitting at, Clutching to her knees like a pillow case. Eaves dropping. "Together we’re the Demon Slayers"

"Where the hell is May?" Jasmine asked. But no one answered. Instead they all turned around as if searching for her with their eyes.

Rain then tilted her head back and continued with the introduction "Where are you from?"

"Am Swede, but my Father is from Norway"

"If your father is from Norway doesn’t that makes you...a Norwegian?" Jasmine asked.

"Actually I grew up in Sweden, with my mom... I never knew or saw my dad— just horrible stories about him, so I don’t claim his identity" Ball said, her voice emotional.

"I’m so sorry ball" Valkyrie intervened.

"I wouldn’t too if it was me, why are parents just... horrible?" Jasmine asked.

"Well not all parents, at least I still got my mom" said Ball.

"Yeah you’re right, not all parents, but hey, I’m sorry you had to go through all that, I really am"

"It’s okay, it’s all in the past now, I mean I’m here ain’t I? I’m grown now so fuck all that" Ball said with a slight smirk on her face.

Suki studied her not fully impressed. "How long have you known Sky?"

Ball’s eyes flickered. "Uhmm Long enough" She said "We’re friends."

Valkyrie didn’t show her reaction— but she felt that answer like a quiet punch. But it didn’t have much effect on her, since she had no strong romantic feelings for Sky, but it was weird how all of a sudden Ball is ’Friends’ with him.

Tekna asked, "Are you here on someone’s orders? Or..."

"Yes."

Everyone straightened suddenly.

Ball continued, "Principal Camila told me to join a team. And I chose yours."

Soda nearly choked from the spot she was on. "Excuse me? You chose what?"

Ball looked at her. "I don’t like crowds. Your group is small and efficient. And seems fun, I prefer that. Y’all wouldn’t mind right?"

"Uhmm of Cause not...why would we?" Tekna murmured aloud. And then finally guess who shows up...

***********************************************

[The Cliff Edge Camp—]

Principal Camila stood on a cliff edge overlooking the sprawling forest below where the students had set up camp earlier that day.

Darren stood beside her, leaning on the railing, arms folded. They had said little since the evening training concluded, but both of them knew silence couldn’t hide the weight pressing on their shoulders.

The wind pushed against Camila’s coat as she finally spoke.

"Things are moving faster than I hoped," she said quietly.

Darren’s gaze remained forward. "You mean Venom?"

Camila nodded. "And what comes with him."

Darren’s jaw flexed. "Euphoria was supposed to be a controlled field mission. But now we’re working under the shadow of a threat we can’t fully define."

"We always knew the academy would walk into the storm eventually," Camila replied. "I just didn’t expect it to be this soon."

Darren took a long pause as they both stood side to side, staring at the forest. Eventually he turned to her observing. "You’re holding something back. I can tell."

Camila didn’t look at him. "I am." she said

"Care to share?"

Her fingers tightened slightly on the cold metal railing and she began. "Last night, I had a dream."

Darren raised a brow. Camila didn’t speak emotionally, rarely speculated, and never brought up dreams. She was structure and calculation, strategy and control. But now—her voice had something in it he hadn’t heard before.

Something like Fear.

Camila took a steady breath then continued.

"I saw Monster Academy," she said slowly. "But it was upside down. The sky was black, the grounds were torn open like the world itself rejected our existence. Towers collapsing. Students screaming. Fire igniting everything. The academy we built... the one I swore to protect... falling apart in our hands."

Darren didn’t interrupt her. He gave her a listening ear trying to figure out where she was heading.

"But in the chaos," she continued, "I saw something. Or someone. A figure standing alone. A girl."

"A student?" Darren asked.

"I don’t know. She stood in the middle of everything like she existed in another reality while the world destroyed itself around her." Her voice lowered. "She had bright wings."

Darren frowned. "One of the Angels then."

"No," Camila said sharply. "She had wings of light— but something else moved behind her. A shadow. A Dark energy and pure devilish essence. It followed her As though she commands it."

Darren stiffened. "That doesn’t make sense."

Camila looked at him now, eyes intense. "She was not an Angel. She was not a Devil. She was both."

Silence stretched.

Darren shook his head. "Hybrids are rare, we’ve never seen one in a very long time... That theory was discarded years ago."

Camila gave a humorless laugh, cause even Darren didn’t know that she was a partial hybrid and a Siren. "Discarded does not mean they’re not real Darren"

She stepped closer to him.

"And that only means...someone must have found a way."

Darren looked unsettled— but he didn’t deny it.

"What else did you see?" he asked.....