CHAPTER 47: UNSEEN DARKNESS OF LIGHT 2

[Continuation—]

Jasmine, Tekna, Rain, Lily, Suki, and May finally arrived— pushing through the circle of students surrounding the scene. Their eyes moved from Stephanie lying on the ground in agony, to Valkyrie standing frozen, shaken and clutching the broken bracelet. The air shifted as they stepped in, all looking confused and alert.

"What happened?" Jasmine demanded, scanning Valkyrie’s face.

"Val, are you hurt?" Tekna asked quickly.

"Talk to us...what’s going on?" Lily said, voice steady but concerned.

Rain stepped closer locking her eyes on Soda. "Soda... what happened?"

But before Soda could speak— Mona’s voice cut through like a blade.

"What happened?" Mona repeated mockingly. "What HAPPENED is your precious Valkyrie is not what she portrays to be... She’s a monster. Look at what she did!" She pointed furiously at Stephanie’s burned shoulder. "She blasted her like a psychotic freak...almost fried her alive."

"Don’t twist this," Soda snapped. "Stephanie pushed her. You KNOW she did..."

"Oh shut up," Rosé barked. "Stephanie didn’t deserve to be attacked!"

"She DESTROYED the one thing Valkyrie cared about!" Soda fired back. "She’s been tormenting her for days now— what did you EXPECT?"

"Oh please," Mona spat. "You don’t get to decide who deserves what. Look at her eyes— LOOK at her. Something is wrong with that girl."

Jasmine stepped forward sharply. "Watch what you say goofy..."

Mona ignored her and pointed again at Valkyrie like she was something filthy.

"That wasn’t normal magic. That wasn’t light. That wasn’t angel energy. That was DARK. You all felt it..."

A ripple of whispers ran through the crowd. Eyes shifted. Doubt spread. And fear grew.

Valkyrie felt it. Every stare. Every heartbeat. Every accusation. Her own heartbeat roared. Her hands shook. She didn’t mean to lose control. She didn’t even understand what had happened.

But now all they saw was danger.

Mona sneered. "Go on...say something. Defend yourself. Oh wait...you can’t. Because you KNOW what you are."

She stepped into Valkyrie’s face like poison.

"Aaa. MOnSTeRrrr" The word shattered something in the air.

Soda moved instinctively, but Valkyrie reached out and stopped her with a trembling hand. She didn’t speak. Her eyes were hollow and shaken, haunted by what she didn’t understand in herself.

She didn’t deny it.

She couldn’t.

And that silence— that silence became its own confession.

Then— cutting through the tension, A voice filled with disgust sliced through.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

Heads turned.

Ball stepped out from the onlookers, eyes burning directly at Mona.

"You’re actually standing here acting like Valkyrie planned this? Like she woke up this morning thinking, ’Yeah, I’m totally going to almost burn somebody today’?"

"And who the fuck are you? Stay outta this..." Mona snapped.

"No," Ball stepped forward, unbothered. "I’m going to speak, because all I’m hearing is bullshit. You mess with people, mock them, destroy something important to them— then act shocked when it blows up in your face. You wanted a reaction...you got one."

Rosé scoffed. "That doesn’t justify this!"

Ball’s expression sharpened. "Actions have consequences...And Stephanie deserved what she got..."

"How dare you... you insignificant nobody," Stephanie hissed through clenched teeth, wincing from the burn. "You think you can stand there and judge me? You don’t even belong on my level."

"You’re right," Ball shrugged. "I’m not on your level. I don’t spend my life bullying people to feel important." She let the words drop, heavy as stone.

Jasmine stepped forward, unflinching.

"Stephanie, your level is dirt. And we don’t step in filth...we walk over it."

Stephanie’s eyes flared. "Watch it, Tomboy. Don’t make me put you in your place."

"Well don’t make me call Valkyrie, you wouldn’t want that would you?" Jasmine hissed.

Before they Stephenie could react, two shapes sprinted from the opposite side of the training field— Bulb and Stone, drawn by the sudden energy spike and exploding magic. Delvin, Punch and Raven followed not far behind.

Bulb arrived first, tall and fast, pushing through the crowd with Stone close behind him. The moment they saw Stephanie still on the ground, burned and gripping her shoulder, every expectation was that Bulb would rush to his sister’s side.

He didn’t.

Instead— he ran straight to Valkyrie.

He didn’t even hesitate.

"Val," Bulb said, grabbing her by the shoulders, scanning her face, checking her arms for injuries. "Are you okay? What happened? You’re shaking..."

The crowd froze.

Rosé’s head snapped up from her position beside Stephanie. Her expression twisted.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she spat, standing in disbelief. "Your sister is bleeding in the dirt— not even breathing right...and you’re checking....on HER?!"

Bulb paused as if he had just woken up. He turned slowly, blinking like someone slapped him out of a trance. He saw Stephanie again— her burn, her pain, Mona’s frantic hands, and behind him Stone exhaled sharply, confused.

"Bro..." Stone muttered. "What are you doing?"

But Bulb didn’t answer. He looked between Valkyrie and Stephanie with a strange conflict in his eyes. Not guilt but confusion. Something deeper. Something no one could understand— not even him.

Whispers started spreading like wildfire.

"Why did he go to her first?"

"He ignored his own blood?"

"Is he out of his mind?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Mona held her ground, but she wasn’t reckless. She kept her voice controlled but firm, choosing each word carefully. "Bulb... this isn’t the time for confusion. Your sister needs help." She said, pointing to Stephenie.

Slowly, Bulb turned back to Stephanie. His jaw tensed— just slightly, as if it took effort. He crouched beside her, not looking Mona in the eyes as he did so. He reached a hand out to check her injury, but before he could even touch her....

Stephanie jerked back with a burst of irritation. "Don’t touch me."

A beat of silence. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Bulb didn’t move. He didn’t flinch.

Stephanie glared at him through pain, Fake tears slipping from the corner of her eye— not soft tears, but made up ones. "Get away from me," she spat, voice shaking but deadly. "You don’t get to act like you care now."

Bulb’s expression didn’t change, but something briefly flickered in his eyes. Like a shadow brushing over still water.

"Stephanie," he said quietly.

She cut him off, fury blazing. "No. Don’t say my name like that. You ignored me. You turned your back on me... for what? An angel? for her?..." She pointed out to Valkyrie in bitterness. She pointed a trembling finger at Valkyrie, eyes wild. "After everything? After everything I’ve done...for you?"

The crowd felt the weight of her words. Eyes widened. Heads turned. Gasps rippled like fire through dry grass.

"Are they dating now? Bulb and Valkyrie?"

"That can never happen, the book of hope forbid’s it"

"This is Sad to watch, poor Stephanie, she just wanted to be friends" whispers unfold as everybody watched and listened.

But before anyone could question what that meant— A ragged breath shattered the air.

Everyone turned. And it was Valkyrie.

She stood frozen, eyes wide and empty, like she wasn’t here anymore. Her chest rose and fell too fast hearing all the murmur from other students, Her hands began to shake lightly, Her skin went pale. And then—

—She ran.

With No warning, or words. She turned and bolted out of the training grounds like her life depended on it. Past the crushed fragments glinting faintly in the dirt. Past broken stares and broken trust. Past everything.

"Valkyrie... wait." Bulb called.

Everyone turned back in disbelief.

He had risen to his feet again— ignoring Stephanie’s furious stare, eyes locked on the direction Valkyrie had run to.

He took a step forward. Then stopped. The world seemed to freeze again, not out of anything this time but deeper confusion.

Why?

Why would Bulb, leader of the devil’s cult move like that?

Even Stone, his buddy looked shocked.

Principal Camila who was been watching from the Cliff Edge froze. Soda narrowed her eyes.

Because whatever pulled Bulb’s attention toward Valkyrie... it wasn’t logic. It was something unknown.

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

"Valkyrie!" Jasmine called, reaching out.

"Val, wait!" May shouted, already moving to follow.

But Soda stepped in front of them, grabbing both of their arms. "No...leave her. She needs space."

Jasmine hesitated. "But she..."

"...She’ll come back when she’s ready," Soda said firmly. But her eyes softened as she watched Valkyrie disappear into the trees. "Right now... she just needs some alone time..."

["Some alone time?" in the woods of Euphoria? While Venom is watching? You can’t make this up...."]