Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 120 - 119 Defiance

Chapter 120: Chapter 119 Defiance

(In Olivia’s dorm)

Two days had passed now. Although everything seemed to have calmed on the surface, a storm was brewing beneath Olivia’s skin.

She looked outside the window, her eyes gazing at the horizon. She had recovered a little. The mission time was ticking, and she needed to level up as soon as she could.

The fastest way for her to level was to consume monsters’ cores, but she doubted she had any chances to leave the fortress without detection.

She sighed deeply. Lucian, on the other hand, had refused to tell her about Gauss. She closed her hand so tightly that her knuckles whitened. If he was going to withhold the information from her... then she would find it herself.

She turned slightly towards the door when she heard the creaking sound of it opening. Emma emerged from the other side of it.

Olivia returned her gaze out the window again. She heard her footsteps coming closer towards her.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice was like ice, ready to pierce through anyone.

Emma calmly stared at her back. "The headmaster wants to see you in his office."

"Why?"

"I have no idea," Emma replied while staring at her with a little hint of fear in her eyes.

Olivia bit her lower lip, as her frustration flickered through her eyes. She hated being in Michael’s presence—not after their first encounter where he almost broke through into her mind. Furthermore, he had threatened to get her expelled on their second encounter. So what would happen now?

She had a bad feeling about this going south, but she hoped that he wouldn’t use his power on her anymore.

"Okay," she answered flatly. "Thank you," she added before heading towards Michael’s office. Her bandaged body still cried out in protest at every movement she made.

Hesitantly, Olivia’s hand hovered above the door, contemplating if she should go back and pretend she was sick.

She closed her eyes, cursing under her breath. She tried to think of anything she might have done to draw his attention. But there was none she could remember.

Taking a leap of faith, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," a cold voice echoed from the other side.

Stilling her racing heart, she pushed the door open, and the first thing her eyes landed on was his gaze—as if it was pulling her like a magnet.

Olivia felt nervous under his scrutinizing gaze. She shut the door behind her before walking towards him. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Something about him always made her feel unsettled.

"Miss Donovan, how have you been recovering?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion. It was flat and cold like ice in sheet form.

"I’ve been recovering well, sir," she answered in the same tone.

Michael clicked his tongue in annoyance at her very insolence. But he chose to let it slide.

"Ahem... your gracious manifestation was really awe-inspiring..." he began. "Now, almost half of the forest has been charred to nothing but coal and ash."

His cold gaze pierced through any last resolve she had left. Olivia’s lips parted; she tried to force herself to say something, but nothing came out.

She had known that she wouldn’t be called here for no reason. Now, this was the latest episode she would be forced to star in.

Hearing no response from her, he continued. "Not only were the trees burnt, but also some monsters which were being kept alive for important purposes... but you have destroyed them. Why don’t you tell me what to do to you for creating such an expensive mess?"

Trouble—why did it seem to follow her everywhere she went? She sighed, having no idea what to say.

"I’m sorry, sir... we were kidnapped. I was only trying to protect myself and my friend."

When she saw the deadly look that flickered across his face, she wondered if she had said something wrong.

He scoffed. "You think that is a valid reason for me to let you free?"

"Did you forget that you also broke the school’s rules the moment you entered the forbidden forest!" He slammed his hand on his table.

His deadly aura spilled over the room, making Olivia flinch in his presence. If he wanted to punish her, he should do so—he didn’t have to get mad and suffocate the air with his presence.

Olivia held herself back from glaring at him. A pool of anger settled in her chest. She wanted to yell at him that she had lost a friend because of the attack, but here he was, pushing the blame on her.

"With all due respect, sir, I didn’t do it intentionally. I and my friend were kidnapped and brought to that goddamn place. When we were being kidnapped, what were the school authorities doing? When we were fighting for our lives, where were you? When my friend was dying, where were you?" Olivia snapped, her eyes burning with anger.

"If you couldn’t protect your student... you might as well shut the school down. Who in his right mind would put monsters on a school premises? I thought teachers were supposed to protect the students, but what the f**k are you doing!..."

Before Olivia could finish her words, a slap tilted her head to the other side. Tears streamed down her face as a bitter smile formed on her lips. She wasn’t crying from the sting of the slap—rather, it was from the pain in her heart, the helplessness and unfairness she felt in that instant.

"You will not speak to me in such a manner," Michael growled angrily at her, his eyes turning blue.

But Olivia sadly chuckled at his words and demeanor. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She was no coward, and she had faced death multiple times.

"You should be able to eat what you serve," she said coldly, her words were final, she didn’t care what came next. Her hand clenched beside her, trembling from the anger coursing through her veins.