Grand Hall
Later That Morning
The grand hall buzzed with low murmurs as all the Alpha students gathered, tension and worry thick in the air. The moment the doors opened and the professors stepped in Professor Laurion, Professor Vaughn, and Professor Valcroft the room fell into dead silence.
Professor Laurion stood at the center, her face unreadable, though the tiredness in her eyes betrayed the sleepless nights.
"We know what you're all thinking," she began, his voice calm but firm. "And we've gathered you here to tell you the truth."
A ripple of unease moved through the crowd.
Professor Valcroft took a step forward. "It's been three days since Winter Briaella Cross, Khierra Sky Smith, and Ynah Blair disappeared into the forest. Despite deploying elite guards, veteran trackers, and even arcane scanners..."
She looked around grimly.
"We've found nothing."
A wave of whispers rose from the students. Jeremiah clenched his fists. Keisha looked down, heart sinking. Celsy's hands trembled in her lap.
Professor Vaughn's jaw was tight as he added, "It's as if they vanished no traces, no energy signatures, not even footprints after a certain point. We believe... they might have been caught by a powerful magical creatures possibly one that even the academy's detectors can't see."
"The shadows…" Jeremiah muttered under his breath, and Rey Vien nodded silently beside him.
"We are not giving up," Laurion said firmly. "Our best are still out there. But for now, we ask you all to remain inside the Alpha House. This is not just for your safety but for theirs. If any of you get caught in the same trap, we'll lose more than we can handle."
"But we can't just do nothing!" Aella finally spoke, her voice emotional.
"We understand how you feel," Valcroft said gently. "But until we know more, action without understanding could make things worse."
Vaughn's gaze drifted toward the back of the room, where Kaesy stood quiet but sharp-eyed.
"And for what it's worth," he said, softer now, "they're strong. The three of them. If anyone can survive what's out there... it's them."
But even as the students slowly nodded and filed out, the heaviness in their steps showed just how powerless they all felt.
And above them, the storm clouds began to gather again.
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Inside the Forest – Unknown Location
It was morning, but the light barely pierced through the dense canopy above. The three girls walked in silence, the weight of the unknown pressing on their backs.
Winter broke the silence. "We need to find the source of this cage. Magic like this doesn't just happen it's created."
Khierra scanned the area, her fingers faintly glowing with her fire magic, ready for anything. "Whoever made this didn't want us or anyone else getting out."
"I tried connecting again," Ynah muttered, her voice tight with frustration. "Still nothing. It's like the air itself swallows my magic."
They walked deeper, past twisted trees and eerie silence. The forest was different here darker, older. Winter's steps slowed when she noticed the ground.
"Do you feel that?" she asked. "The energy… it's getting stronger."
Khierra crouched, placing her palm on the earth. "It's pulsing… like it's alive."
Suddenly, the trees around them shifted just slightly, like a breath had been taken in the woods themselves.
"Over there," Ynah pointed to a crooked stone arch half-buried in vines and moss. "That wasn't here before, right?"
They cautiously approached the arch, and as they passed through it, the temperature dropped. Strange symbols were etched into the rocks ancient, glowing faintly in a purple hue.
"This is it," Winter whispered. "The center."
A tree stood in the middle of the clearing, tall, completely black, its bark cracked with glowing veins of violet light. Around it, the ground was scorched in a perfect circle.
"This… this is the anchor," Khierra said, her breath catching. "The Void Cage is tied to this tree."
"Then we destroy it," Ynah said firmly.
Winter frowned. "Not yet. We don't know what kind of reaction that might cause. We need to study it first. Figure out who did this… and why."
A gust of cold wind brushed against them.
And they know that somewhere in the shadows… something was watching.
The girls slowly circled the blackened tree, its ominous violet veins pulsing like a heartbeat.
Ynah knelt near the roots, her fingers brushing over one of the glowing symbols carved into the bark. "These markings... I've seen them in the old ruins near the northern border. This is ancient spellwork. Forbidden."
Winter furrowed her brows. "Do you think someone used this place as a prison? Or a barrier?"
"No," Khierra said, standing still. "I think it's a trap. And something triggered it."
Suddenly, a loud crack of energy erupted from the base of the tree, a ripple pulsing outward like a shockwave. All the girls staggered back, shielding their eyes.
The tree's glow grew brighter....unstable.
Ynah's voice trembled. "We need to hurry. If this collapses… we might never get out."