Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos-Chapter 48 - A Step from Expulsion

Olivia's steps felt heavier with each passing second. The silence in the hallway pressed down on her like a suffocating weight, the gazes of her classmates drilling into her back.

She exhaled sharply, keeping her head high. If she was in trouble, she'd face it head-on.

As she neared the headmaster's office, she tried to steady her thoughts. What was this about? Was it about her unauthorized hunt? Or worse... if they had found out that she was the one who was sneaking around the last time.'

She reached the tall oak doors and hesitated for a brief second before knocking.

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"Enter."

The voice was calm yet commanding.

Swallowing hard, Olivia pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The office was nothing like she expected.

Dimly lit, shelves lined with ancient books and artifacts surrounded the room. The air smelled of old parchment, wax, and something faintly metallic. A single desk sat in the center, a towering window behind it, casting a faint golden glow over the polished wooden floor.

Sitting behind the desk was the headmaster Micheal Thomson. His bald head reflecting the sunlight, his sharp brown eyes piercing through her as if he could see right into her soul. He wasn't a man of many words, but when he spoke, people listened.

Olivia's heart almost leaped out from her mouth. The past encounter with him was still replaying in her head. The mind torture, his chilling aura and power, almost made her scurry away and hide. Her eyes flickered around, and then, she saw the two people she wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Standing beside him was Alexa. Arms crossed, her blue eyes burned with unspoken anger. Olivia clenched her fists. Great. Just great.

Klaus was also there, casually leaning against a bookshelf, his arms folded. He shot her a smirk, but there was something unreadable in his gaze.

The air in the room grew thick. This wasn't just a simple reprimand. Cold sweat trickled down her spine, their presence was suffocating.

Micheal finally spoke. His eyes fiercely pierced through her. He remembered how she had blocked his attacks, a renowned figure like him was stopped by a nobody like her. The thought left a bitter taste in his heart.

"Miss Donovan." His voice was slow, deliberate. "Would you like to explain why you left the fortress without authorization?"

'So it was about that.' She unknowingly let out a sigh of relief, her tense muscles relaxing a bit.

Olivia swallowed before answering. "I had no intention of breaking any rules. I only left to find my missing teammates. I..."

Thud!

A file dropped onto the desk in front of her. The papers slid slightly apart, revealing surveillance images of her in the camp, when she was sneaking out.

'Sh*t' Olivia cussed under her breath.

"You didn't just look for your teammates," Alexa's voice was sharp. "You went on a hunt. And you nearly got yourself killed in the process."

Olivia's jaw tightened. "So what? I survived." She muttered, but it was loud enough for them to hear.

Michael's brown eyes darkened. "That's not the point, Miss Donovan. You went against protocol. That could have gotten not just you, but others, killed."

"I handled it." Olivia's hands clenched, her eyes narrowed. She was getting mad, not at the fact she was being interrogated, but because she couldn't remember why she had done that.

Klaus let out a chuckle. "Yeah, barely."

Olivia shot him a glare, but before she could retort, Micheal slid another paper toward her.

It was a medical report. Her medical report. Her blood ran cold.

"Tell me, Olivia," Micheal's voice was eerily calm, "do you recall how you survived the fall from the cliff?"

Her breath caught as something lurched inside her mind, a deep, hollow space where a memory should have been.

"I..." Olivia struggled, her hands trembling slightly. "I..."

Nothing.

She couldn't remember. Why couldn't she remember? Her breathing grew unsteady.

Not again.

Not this feeling of something being ripped away from her mind.

Micheal tapped the report. "You should have died, Olivia. You sustained injuries that should have been fatal. Yet, when we found you, you had zero critical wounds. Your body had already healed. Almost unnaturally fast."

Olivia's heartbeat pounded in her ears. 'Well that's all thanks to Eritrea, she has made me whole and perfectly fine.'

" Maybe it's the pill that Alexa gave me, it works wonders." She let out a nervous laugh, she glanced at Alexa, whose eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The pills only work once." Alexa coldly answered.

"It also works as a boost when the cores are consumed right?" She quickly said, she had no idea why she said that, but if this was her ticket out, she would say anything.

" Yes, if the pill is in your system, it amplifies the absorption of cores... but you should already be dead before you consume the cores I suppose." Alexa gave a stern glare.

Olivia swallowed, her hands clammy and trembling. Now how should she answer this? She nervously bit her lips.

Then Klaus, who unlike the others looked more intrigued than surprised.

Micheal leaned forward. "So, Olivia... what really happened out there?"

She had no answer. And that terrified her more than anything.

"I..." Olivia clenched her fists. "I don't know." Her shoulders slumped.

Alexa scoffed. "That's convenient."

Micheal's gaze was unreadable. "We cannot have a soldier who hides things from us, Olivia."

He picked up a sealed letter from his desk and handed it to her. "This is your official warning. One more reckless stunt, and you will be expelled from the fortress."

If he had it his way, he would have loved to attack her mind again, but the leader had ordered him not to act for now, they would simply watch her movements.

Olivia's breath hitched. Expelled? She took the letter, her fingers trembling slightly.

She didn't even realize Klaus had stepped beside her until he spoke.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" His tone was casual, but there was an edge to it.

Micheal's gaze flicked to him. "Rules exist for a reason, Reyes."

Klaus smirked. "True. But Olivia isn't ordinary, is she?"

Silence.

For a second, no one spoke.

Micheal stared at Klaus, as if debating whether to respond. Then, he turned back to Olivia.

"Dismissed."

Olivia walked out of the office, her hands gripping the warning letter like it was a death sentence. Expulsion... if she made another mistake.

Her heart pounded. This wasn't just about sneaking out. Something else was going on. Something they weren't telling her.

"Hey."

She turned to find Klaus beside her, hands in his pockets, watching her with an amused glint.

She scowled. "What do you want?"

"You, apparently," he teased. "But for now, I'm just curious... you really don't remember, do you?"

Olivia froze.

His gaze sharpened.

"Interesting." He drawled, amused.

Before she could react, he walked off, leaving her standing there—heart racing, mind in turmoil, and one terrifying thought echoing inside her head.

What exactly had she forgotten?