CHAPTER 15: WHEN WIND MEETS DARKNESS

[The Stance Trail— Graveyard]

The bell tolled once.

And then the graveyard field stirred with an eerie mist, tombstones glimmering faintly in the pale moonlight. Inside the glass dome, only two figures stood— Soda, her shoulders were squared calmly and her fists were clenched, then Stephanie, her smirk was curling— like a shadow at the corner of her lips.

The air itself seemed to tighten with anticipation. Students leaned forward on their seats, angels murmuring encouragement, while devils were chuckling under their breath, some even making bets on who would last longer.

Mr Ohio raised his hand up for a few seconds to build up anticipation before waving it down...then—

"Begin."

At once, the lights inside the dome flickered, the mist thickening until it was hard to see even two steps ahead. Stephanie’s form dissolved into the fog like smoke, vanishing completely.

"Running already?" Soda’s voice rang out, it was sharp and steady but never gave afraid. She spun slowly, scanning the darkness.

From somewhere far, a whisper slithered through the air. Stephanie’s voice, warped and multiplied, echoed from every direction.

"You’re all alone, Soda. Can you feel it? The shadows are closing in on you hunny. This graveyard belongs to me."

Some students shivered at the chilling echo.

Soda folded her arms, with her chin raised. "If you think whispering ghost stories is going to scare me, then you’ve got another thing coming. I’m not afraid of you, Stephanie. I never was."

The devil’s voice cackled from the fog.

"Hmmm. Well not yet. But we’ll see how that goes"

Without warning, a flash of movement cut through the mist— Stephanie appeared behind Soda, her hands glowing with dark energy.

But Soda was ready. She twisted sharply after paying close attention to the air, that’s how she knew where stephenie would strike from. her body flew like the wind itself, ducking under the strike. With a sudden push of her palms, the air around her swirled violently, condensing into a dense bomb of darkened wind. She flung it backward, the blast roaring as it spiraled toward Stephanie.

"Dark Gale— Paralyze!" Soda cried.

The bomb exploded outward, its shockwave crackling through the graveyard. The force could numb an opponent’s limbs, locking them in place.

But Stephanie was faster than she looked. She cartwheeled back, her form twisting into shadows, and the wind bomb missed by inches, crashing into a line of crooked tombstones that shattered under the blast.

The students gasped in unison.

"Yesss! That’s my girl" Jasmine screamed on top of her voice, jumping to her feet.

Rain clasped her hands together, her eyes full of worry but her voice was steady. "She’s holding her own. She can do this."

Valkyrie leaned forward, with her eyes burning with intensity. "Stay sharp, Soda".

"She’s paying attention to the wind" Soda whispered to Lily. "Don’t let her bait you girl" she stood and echoed to the hearing of everyone.

On the other side of the field, the devils roared with laughter and mockery.

"Hah! She missed!" Stone echoed while laughing with Mona.

"Graveyard’s too big for her,"...."Stephanie will eat her alive." Mona replied back

"C’mon Soda, maybe the wind can carry you home when you lose!" Stone stood up and screamed on top of his lungs, making the others burst into laughter.

The angels booed the taunts, rallying louder for Soda, their voices cutting across the field. The glass dome thrummed with the sound of two crowds clashing in spirit.

Inside the graveyard, the duel escalated.

Stephanie reappeared, her body cloaked in a dark armor that shimmered like oil under moonlight. She lunged, summoning jagged claws that swiped at Soda with blistering speed.

Soda raised her hands, the air compressing around her arms into a glowing barrier. She blocked it, and the clash sent ripples through the mist. Sparks flew as claw met wind, and the sound of grinding energy filled the dome.

"You’re quick," Soda muttered, pushing back against the strike.

Stephanie sneered, her eyes were glowing red. "And you’re predictable."

She vanished again, melting into the mist.

Soda steadied her breath, lowering her stance. "You can hide all you want. I’ll still find you." She spun, unleashing another burst of wind, scattering the fog in wild streaks.

For a heartbeat, the graveyard cleared, tombstones and barren soil stretching out around her. Then—

Stephanie was there observing from a pillar in the graveyard. immediately, she dropped from above like a shadow.

Soda rolled aside, throwing herself to the ground just as claws scraped across where her shoulder had been. She kicked upward, sending a burst of compressed air that forced Stephanie to stumble back.

The crowd erupted in awe.

"Let’s gooo Soda!" Soda’s friends uttered screamed, clapping and stomping on their feet.

"You’re annoyingly resilient. But this is my terrain. I chose this graveyard for a reason."

Her voice dropped into a mocking hiss. "Because fear grows strongest among the dead."

Soda’s chest tightened, but she refused to back down. Not ever. "Then maybe you’ll get to join them when I’m done with you."

The graveyard pulsed with power as the two clashed again— wind against shadow, armor against barrier. The mist curled tighter, the moonlight fading as if the battle itself drained the light from the field.

The angels and devils cheered louder, And the academy roaring like a stadium.

But above it all, Stephanie’s smirk lingered, as if she was waiting for the perfect moment to end it.

Because hidden in her arsenal was a weapon Soda hadn’t seen yet— one that could crawl into her mind and tear her down from the inside.

Soda’s cyclone slammed into Stephanie, knocking her against another headstone. The crowd roared in surprise— angels rose in their feet in cheers, while devils were hissing and booing.

Valkyrie clutched Jasmine’s arm. "She’s got her! Soda’s got her!"

Inside the dome, Soda pressed forward, her chest heaving but her grin was fierce. "Give it up, Stephanie. You can’t beat me."

Stephanie, now trapped to the ground was coughing but smiling faintly, whispered something under her breath. Her body shimmered like it was turning into something else, her bones began to crack and rearranging until the figure that stood in the swirling mist wasn’t Stephanie at all.

It was an old woman with wrinkled hands. A frail back. Eyes filled with warmth. And black hair decorated with assessories.

Soda’s breath hitched. "...Grandma?"

The wind around her faltered, breaking apart like smoke in the air. She froze mid air, her heart began to hammer. The memory of her grandmother— her only comfort after her parent’s endless travels, rose up so vividly that Soda’s knees almost buckled.

The old woman’s voice was soft, tender, but carried Stephanie’s mocking undertone. "Why are you hurting me, my sweet Soda? Don’t you remember how I held you when you cried?"

Gasps echoed through the crowd. Valkyrie’s eyes widened immediately. "No. No way. She didn’t..."

Stephanie, in disguise, staggered forward, pretending weakness. "Please... stop this."

Soda’s arms dropped immediately, her guard began to crumble. "I... I can’t... it’s you..."

That was all Stephanie needed. With a flash, her form shifted back into her devil self, and she slammed Soda with a wave of corrupt energy that sent her flying across the graveyard. Soda crashed into the dirt, coughing and unable to rise.

The devils erupted in wild cheers. "That’s our girl!" . Rosé added, "Show that airhead what real power looks like!"

The angels shouted in outrage. Jasmine shot to her feet. "That’s cheating! She shapeshifted into her grandmother!"

Suki’s voice cracked with fury. "That’s not a fair fight!"

Miss Vivian’s jaw clenched, her face went pale. She didn’t speak— but her fists trembled at her side.

Soda pushed herself halfway up, glaring through her tears. "You... you cheated!" she yelled hoarsely.

The crowd buzzed with whispers and shouts, split down the middle. Valkyrie banged her hand on the glass. "She’s right! You can’t just play with someone’s heart like that!"

But Mr. Ohio chuckled, raising a brow as if amused by the angel’s protests. He spread his hands smoothly. "Cheating? No, little ones. That’s not cheating." He leaned forward, with his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Stephanie is a devil. What did you expect her to do? Follow your rules?"

The devils howled with laughter, clapping and stomping their feet. Stephanie smirked, brushing dust from her shoulders, as Soda collapsed back on the ground, defeated.

The scoreboard above the battlefield flared green, which signifies that their was a winner.

Miss Vivian hated it but had no other choice than to announce— "And the winner of this trail is..."