Incubus Ascension-Chapter 37

Liam nodded. "Yes, I’m ready for the test!"

Director Elena clapped her hands once, her face lighting up with a quick smile. "Wonderful," she said.

Before Liam could even take another breath, the two of them lifted smoothly into the air.

They were rising far higher than the tallest towers of the Ark Academy.

The ground dropped away fast, and the whole campus shrank beneath them until it looked like a toy model.

They came to a stop on a wide, see-through disk that hung in the open sky.

It was solid under their feet but clear enough that Liam could see straight down to the rooftops below.

The wind tugged at his clothes, cool and steady.

Liam tilted his head and glanced around. "Where’s the test, Director?"

Elena grinned at him, sharp and knowing, and pointed toward the far edge of the sky where everything suddenly looked darker.

Like a storm that wasn’t real. "I’ve used one of my special spells and rebuilt a whole copy of the academy down there.

You’ll meet both friends and enemies inside it.

You get points for taking out enemies and for saving friends. But if you kill a friend by mistake, you lose points."

She tilted her staff a little, and the dark horizon seemed to pulse once.

"One hundred points is the passing mark."

The words were barely out of her mouth when the world around Liam blinked out.

One second he was standing on that floating disk with the wind in his face;

The next he was sitting on the cold floor of a familiar hallway inside the academy.

He lifted his head slowly, looking left, then right. The corridor was empty. No footsteps, no voices.

Just the usual rows of lockers and the faint smell of floor cleaner. He pushed himself up, brushed off his pants, and started walking.

His boots echoed softly. He kept his hand near the hilt of his sword, just in case.

He kept going until he reached the door of his usual classroom.

He paused for half a second, then stepped inside.

Teacher Martha was there, standing near the front desk like always. Liam’s pulse jumped hard in his throat.

He forced a slow breath and told himself, Take it easy.

I’ve already dealt with her before. She’s not real. This whole place is just Elena’s spell.

He walked toward her anyway, his mind racing. Friend or enemy? The question looped in his head with every step.

Martha turned, smiled the same warm smile he remembered from class, and came right up to him.

Before he could say anything, she put both hands on his shoulders and leaned in, kissing him full on the mouth.

Liam froze for a second, then pushed her back firmly.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at her. "That is the worst way to greet someone." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She laughed, a light, easy sound. "Relax. I’m just an illusion made by Elena. Cut me some slack."

Liam rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess you’re a friend, then. You didn’t attack me."

She laughed again, shaking her head. "I can’t tell you that. It would be cheating."

Then she looked at him sideways and added, "I can only tell you I want to have sex with you right now."

Liam ignored the words completely. He turned and started walking toward the door.

Behind him, fabric rustled. Martha pulled a sword from inside her sleeve and lunged.

Liam twisted to the side just in time, the blade slicing through empty air.

He spun to face her. "Such a simple mind you have." He drew his own sword in one smooth motion and the fight was on.

They moved around the classroom for a full hour, desks scraping, chairs toppling.

Liam’s arms burned and sweat stung his eyes, but he kept his footing, blocking, dodging, countering.

Finally he drove her back against the big table in the middle of the room and ended it with a clean strike.

Martha slumped onto the tabletop. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

Liam stood over her, breathing hard.

He figured he should at least try to get something useful before she faded.

"Do you know where your other friends are?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

Martha lifted one weak hand, flipped him the middle finger, stuck her tongue out.

And shouted, "Fuck no!" Then her eyes went blank and she was gone.

Liam shook his head, wiped his blade on his sleeve, and left the classroom.

The hallway felt longer now. He kept walking until he reached the gym area.

The double doors were open, and the moment he stepped through, his eyes widened.

Every girl from his year was there, all of them in the short gym dresses they wore for physical class.

They were jumping and shouting, playing volleyball like it was any normal afternoon.

The tight shorts hugged their bodies as they moved, and their shirts clung to them with every leap.

Liam’s gaze swept the court once, then twice. Something felt off. One girl was missing.

He turned around fast.

There was Pyra, standing right behind him, wearing an even more shameless version of the gym clothes.

Her shorts were so tiny and tight they looked more like underwear, barely covering anything and showing off the smooth.

Milky skin of her plump thighs. Her huge chest strained against the thin fabric, pushing it outward.

And Liam could clearly see the outline of her nipples pressing through.

Pyra stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her body tight against his solid chest.

"Liam, why don’t you ’play’ with me?" she said, voice soft and loving.

Liam swallowed hard. His face felt warm. He let her take his wrist and pull him along.

Following her out of the main gym and into the side changing room. The door clicked shut behind them. They were alone.

Liam gulped again. Pyra reached down with one hand and started sliding her shorts down her legs.

His eyes locked on the movement, heart thumping. He didn’t see her other hand until it was too late.

She had a knife hidden there, muscles tensed, and she slashed straight toward his eyes.

Liam jerked his head back just in time and caught her wrist with his free hand.

With his other arm he slammed her back against the nearest locker, pinning her there.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Pyra would never talk to me like that. Your acting sucks."

The girl in his grip looked over her shoulder and smirked.

"I thought you always wanted to fuck such a cold high-class beauty." She started rubbing her ass back against him slowly.

Liam’s jaw tightened. "No." He used the same knife she had tried to stab him with and ended it fast.

Pyra’s body turned to smoke and drifted away, leaving nothing but the empty changing room.

Liam let out a long sigh, annoyed. "This illusion is messing with my head," he muttered.

Then a thought clicked into place. Every single one of them, the kiss from Martha.

The way Pyra came on to him, they had all tried to seduce him first. Was that a pattern?

He stepped out of the changing room, mind turning the idea over and over.

How can I use that to my advantage to complete the test?