Serene’s POV

I couldn’t believe my eyes. He stood right in front of me, his flaming red hair tied back in a ponytail, his eyes pitch black just like Zeph, clearly showing he was under her mind control. Salillah, Dria and Aronis accompanied him, their eyes were the same colour as that of Arlo. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

This made me uneasy, I heard gasps behind me and knew this made all of us uneasy. Their faces were expressionless and eyes blank of emotions as they stared at us.

"Arlo, are you alright?" Ayrden spoke from behind me and rushed towards him but he gave her a deathly stare, making her stop in her tracks.

"Ayrden get back, he is not himself. He can hurt you." I yelled at her, keeping her under my shield.

"Serene, use your sleep arrows." Lavaria Sensei shouted from the side. Shumal Sensei was already by my side with her hands outstretched forming narrow threads, she hurled them toward Arlo and our other vampire friends. Shumal Sensei had the power to produce special threads which were almost unbreakable and could trap the enemy in them.

Salillah defended with her acid attack burning a few threads and letting others escape while Aronis was captured in them. I could feel all of them attack me simultaneously, trying to break my shield. Everyone else was too dumbfounded to attack our friends.

Arlo waved his hand and drenched the whole hall into pitch darkness and then I felt that eerie presence tugging at my brain, trying to break my shield to get to my friends.

Meliana, I knew she was here, I concentrated with all my might, no way I could let her mind control me and get to my friends. I could hear anguished cries all around me and knew Zeph, Ralph, and others were fighting them.

"They always hide the novices in Enchantment Hall, from our time to this, the tradition hasn’t changed. It was too easy to find you people." Meliana laughed somewhere near me.

"Serene, concentrate on the shield. Keep it up." Zeph shouted from a distance, I could hear the slicing and dicing of his sword.

A ringing sensation grew louder and louder in my ears as I held onto my shield in the dark, a scream escaped my lips as I fell to my knees, fighting against her mind control. She was near very near me. Attack after attack was being hurled on my shield, I knew I had little time. So I pressed the crystal on my pendant, calling Kilamin.

The snarling of the creatures could be heard all around us and I knew she had called reinforcements. Something cold, extremely cold was near me, chilling me, There was a zapping of energy all around as I gave one final push to keep my shield intact, and hoped for another shield bearer to arrive on time.

The last of my energy depleted after 10 minutes and finally, it disappeared, leaving my friends vulnerable. Arlo lifted his darkness and I could see we were completely surrounded by creatures and vampires. Shumal and Lavaria Sensei were fighting on one side, Zeph and Ralph were fighting a Schlangto, Ayrden was dumbstruck, Tanzil and Mikasim were fighting with vampires, while Aronis and Salillah were down, Dria stood with Arlo while Meliana was right in front of me.

Before I could try to bring my shield up again, Meliana moved at her super speed and began touching my friends, bringing them under her control. I steadied my bow and aimed with the Arrow of Misery but she dodged my arrow and taking hold of Zeph pushed him in front of my arrow, which pierced his chest, plunging him into agonizing pain.

His screams echoed throughout the hall making me shudder. What had I done? He fall on the carcasses of the numerous creatures he had slain. Ralph scuffled to his side but he was also put under Meliana’s spell.

Everyone around me was falling under her spell, it was too easy for her. She was ancient and too powerful, her laugh echoed all around me as Shumal Sensei tried to trap her in her threads but Meliana put her under and instead her threads trapped Lavaria Sensei.

I rushed toward Zeph but Arlo intercepted me at his super speed, he pushed me, his face masked by a blank expression and I tumbled and fell backward. The bow cluttered out of my hands and one of the vampires picked it up.

Then I felt my blood boiling under my skin as if it had been set on fire, the excruciating pain had me double over in pain. Dria, it was Dria’s power. A tumbling pain etched in my throat and I coughed out bouts of blood. I tried to put back my shield and reach my companions but fighting Meliana’s mind control was depleting my energy.

I scanned my surroundings and almost everyone had fallen under her mind control, some people were unconscious while others were standing with her, their eyes pitch black, except Zeph. He was still on the floor writhing in pain.

"Arlo, get her," Meliana ordered and Arlo briskly moved towards me. His hand yanked me up by my hair. I didn’t want to hurt him but I had to get myself free of his hold. Twisting his wrist, I swiftly moved my head near his.

"Arlo, it’s me Serene. Get hold of yourself. We are your friends." I shouted at him in frustration.

"He can’t hear you, he is long gone. He is just my puppet now." Meliana snickered from a distance and continued to speak: "Let me show you."

"Arlo, bite her. Drink her blood, she is your reward for today." I panicked and stared at him in shock, hoping to find some traces of my friend in there.

Zeph tried to get up irrespective of the excruciating pain I had put him under, his legs wobbling and tried to reach in his pocket for the vial, but Shumal Sensei bound him in her threads and held him on the spot, making him watch.

Arlo’s menacing eyes were fixed on me, I mustered up as much courage as I could and punched him across the face. His nose began to bleed but there was no effect. He didn’t budge, his hands didn’t leave my hair.

That was the effect of mind control, when you were under your body didn’t feel any physical damage and you become a zombie. You couldn’t control your body and yet the subconscious will see everything. Real Arlo was there inside, most probably writhing in pain for what she was making him do.

I fought him with all my might, but he was so much stronger than me, he yanked my hair hard once again, and exposing my neck he plunged his fangs into it. A squeal escaped me as I struggled against his hold, the pain blinding me for he was far from being gentle. Zeph’s cursing could be heard from the distance as he shouted at Arlo to let me go.

Feeling lightheaded as he devoid me of my blood, his hold on my hair didn’t let me fall.

"That’s enough, Arlo. Let’s make her watch now. Dria bring Serene’s boyfriend here." Meliana ordered. Dria dragged Zeph’s bound body toward Meliana.

"Let him go," I yelled, my head throbbing and vision blurry. I helplessly gazed at Zeph who was trying to reassure me everything would be fine with his eyes. We were the only ones left in the hall, who weren’t under her mind control. All creatures, our Senseis, and friends were under her spell.

"Serene, close your eyes." Zeph pleaded with me, knowing very well that I won’t be able to bear whatever she was about to do to him.

I struggled against Arlo’s strong grasp, hoping he would let me go. Meliana had hoisted Zeph up and carried a disgusted look on her face as she spatted at him:

"You look and smell just like Aaban, it appears like seeing Sahala and Aaban all over again."

"Then remember Sahala entombed you for 500 years and her progeny will end your wretched life. What Sahala couldn’t finish, Serene surely will." Zeph had no hint of fear in his stubborn eyes as he shouted back at her. His words didn’t please her, her face contorted in anger, she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and her fingers dug deep into his temples as she invaded his mind and plunged her fangs deep into his skin.

"Nooooo," I screamed a surge of energy blasted through me and reached Zeph, engulfing him before a full-blown blast surged through me and spread out wreaking havoc and blasting everyone in the path. Friends, and foes alike. It was an involuntary reaction, the blast was uncontrollable, I didn’t want to lose him.

I heard someone call my name in the distance as I slowly fell, reinforcements entered the hall, led by Artins Sensei and I heard the clamouring of their feet before hitting the ground and passing out.