Noble Academy

Chapter 30 (Duke's POV)

She turned around to face us, but we could see her face. The temperature of the room suddenly dropped. It went from warm to freezing under a second. I side glance to see Talon shaking from the cold.

Unlike him, it didn't bother me, even a bit. Steam started to come from my body due to my body always being very hot. Everything in the room froze. My feet steps on the floor to find it rock solid.

"W-winter! I-it's T-talon. Ca- can you please, bring b-back the temperature up?" Talon's shaky voice said.

Suddenly the ground underneath Talon shot up, breaking through the ceiling. Bring along Talon with it. The hole in the ceiling reclosed in ice as the cry from Talon died down. The room was now silent and dark.

I tried to light my hands on fire, so I could see her, but it didn't light at all, it just turned into steam. I started to get irritated. I heard an odd laugh come from her as I keep trying to light my hands.

Light filled the room, but it wasn't from me. It was from Winter. I look up to see her special blue flames. Past that I saw her eyes. They were a dull blue unlike her light blue.

"Winter." I breathed out.

"Duke." She said innocently before laughing.

My stomach sank when I heard her voice. It was different, it wasn't the same as before. It sounded more evil. This wasn't like Winter.

"What's wrong? Duke? You afraid? Scared like poor Talon." She asked with an evil grin.

"Winter. What happened to you?" I asked staring at her.

"What do you mean, what happened to me? I feel perfectly normal. In fact, I feel powerful. Maybe you just don't like the new me? Oh, what a shame and here I thought that you like me." She said walking over to me.

"Winter. You know I like you, but this isn't you. You don't want this." I said staring into her eyes.

"Yes, I do. Duke, you don't know me. You don't know what I want or how much I wanted this. The amount of pain, people have caused me. I give them kindness and what they do in return. Put on a fake smile and act like what they do doesn't hurt me. I'm sick and tired of being kind." She snarled looking away.

I walked closer to her causing her to look up at me. She gasps as I pulled her into my arms. I rest my chin on her shoulder. Hearing her rapidly heartbeat and quick breathing. I hold her tightly against me.

"Let go!" She shouted trying to pry me off, but I wasn't going to let go.

"Winter," I whispered causing her to stilled.

"Duke... please.."

"Please. This isn't what you want. This isn't what you need. You have never wanted to become this person. This isn't you." I whispered holding her like a teddy bear.

"Shut up. This is who I want to be. This is who-"

"It's not!" I shouted causing her to stop breathing for a moment.

We stood there in silence, together in each other's arms. I hold her even tighter, afraid she might disappear if I wasn't too careful. She felt like glass to me. So fragile. Sometimes I thought I was going to melt her away. Her glass was now tinted, no longer clear. I was going to make it clear again.

"In every heart, there is darkness no matter how pure. In every light, there will be darkness for it can't live without the other. When the 2 paths are laid in front of you. Which do you choose? To be kind or to be evil." She whispered in my ear.

"This isn't you. You don't walk the path of darkness. You walk the path of light. You shine so bright that others will follow. You're like an angel that has come to tell us the good. Not the bad. Winter, please don't do this." I pleaded with her.

A wicked grin appeared on her face before she let out a laugh. Her voice echoed the room, as a cold wind circled the room. My heart was beating faster as my lungs start to feel encased in the cold.

"Angel huh?" She smiled causing me to think she went back to normal.

"You think I'm an angel. Those things are pathetic and weak. I don't want to be like that. They are nothing but an image. If I wanted to be an angel, I would be an angel of darkness. An image of terror." She whispered causing my smile to drop.

Suddenly I felt a prick in my side causing me to pull away from Winter. I grab my side feeling the pain travelling to every part of my body. I grip onto the wall for support. I felt my eyes started to close. I look up to see a blurry picture of Winter.

"Please... Duke wake up... Save me..."

I felt myself getting sleepy. I look up to see and a teardrop near her smiling mouth. Her blue eyes flicker like blue flames, her eyes were talking to me like fire before I fell asleep.

It told me to forgive her