Chapter 16

The day started off like any other. Alex walked through the school halls with Samira, still getting used to the strange new energy inside him. The amulet, its warmth always present against his chest, was a constant reminder of the power he had inherited. Since his connection with it deepened, everything around him felt different—the way he moved, the way he saw the world. It was like he had stepped into a whole new reality, one where he could sense danger before it even arrived.

They were headed to lunch when he noticed something off. A group of students gathered near the stairs, their voices panicked. Samira and Alex exchanged a quick glance, and without a word, we pushed through the crowd to see what was happening.

At the bottom of the staircase, a student lay sprawled out on the floor, barely conscious. His breathing was shallow, and there was a nasty gash on his forehead, blood trickling down the side of his face. I heard someone say he’d slipped and hit his head on the way down,