After sealing the Rift Nexus and narrowly avoiding being insulted by their own magical clones, Andy and Peter returned to Blackridge Academy expecting a hero's welcome.
Instead, they got a scroll nailed to their dorm door that read:
"Congratulations. You survived. Now prove it wasn't luck. Welcome to Training Week. No excuses. No snacks. —Headmaster Kael"
Peter stared at the scroll. "No snacks? That's a hate crime."
Andy groaned. "We just saved reality. Can't we get a nap and a muffin?"
🧠 Day 1: Mental Endurance
Training Week kicked off with a six-hour lecture on magical ethics, delivered by Professor Dronemore, who spoke exclusively in riddles and smelled faintly of old parchment and regret.
Peter tried to take notes but accidentally summoned a sentient quill that kept correcting his handwriting. Andy fell asleep and dreamed of wind-powered muffins.
💪 Day 2: Physical Trials
The students were dropped into the Gravity Gauntlet, where the floor randomly flipped, rotated, and occasionally insulted their posture.
Andy used wind bursts to stay upright. Peter clung to a floating rune and screamed, "I didn't sign up for magical parkour!"
Lyra, now officially their reluctant mentor, watched from the sidelines eating grapes. "You two are doing great. By 'great,' I mean 'barely surviving.'"
🔥 Day 3: Elemental Sparring
Andy faced off against a water mage who kept turning his cyclones into steam. Peter battled a lightning specialist who short-circuited his flame glyphs.
After several defeats, Peter muttered, "I miss the Rift. At least it didn't judge my spell technique."
Andy nodded. "And it didn't throw water balloons at me."
🎭 Day 4: Teamwork Test
The final challenge was a simulated rescue mission inside a collapsing illusion maze. Andy and Peter had to retrieve a crystal without triggering traps.
They immediately triggered every trap.
Peter got stuck in a loop where he kept arguing with a mirror version of himself. Andy accidentally summoned a wind tunnel that launched them into a fake volcano.
Lyra sighed. "You two are chaos gremlins. But somehow… effective."
🏆 The End of Training Week
At the closing ceremony, Headmaster Kael stood before the students. "Some of you showed promise. Some of you showed panic. And some of you—" he looked directly at Andy and Peter, "—showed creativity. Which is a polite way of saying 'you broke half the course.'"
Peter raised a hand. "Does that mean we passed?"
Kael smirked. "It means you're still here. Which is more than I expected."
Andy and Peter high-fived, exhausted but proud.
Peter whispered, "Next time, we train with snacks."
Andy nodded. "And less gravity."
And somewhere, deep beneath the academy, a new scroll was being written:
"Phase Two: Field Missions. Bring snacks. And backup."
Chapter: Training Week – Field Mission Edition
After surviving gravity gauntlets, illusion mazes, and a lecture that made Peter question the meaning of punctuation, Andy and Peter were summoned to the Headmaster's office.
Kael didn't even look up from his paperwork. "You two broke half the training course. Congratulations. You're being sent off-campus."
Peter blinked. "Is this a reward or exile?"
Kael slid a scroll across the desk. "Field mission. Retrieve a relic from the Cavern of Mildly Inconvenient Doom."
Andy squinted. "That sounds… manageable?"
Kael smirked. "It's named ironically."
🧳 The Departure
Lyra met them at the academy gates, holding a map, a bag of enchanted trail mix, and a very judgmental squirrel named Reginald.
Peter stared. "Is the squirrel coming?"
Lyra nodded. "He's our emotional support rodent."
Andy whispered, "I already feel supported."
They set off toward the cavern, encountering minor obstacles like talking trees with unsolicited advice, a bridge that demanded riddles in exchange for crossing, and a flock of magical geese that chased Peter for wearing red.
Peter shouted, "I didn't know geese had fashion opinions!"
Lyra shrugged. "They're very judgmental."
🧱 Inside the Cavern
The Cavern of Mildly Inconvenient Doom was… damp. And echoey. And filled with puzzles that seemed designed by someone who hated logic and loved glitter.
Andy solved a wind-based maze by sneezing strategically. Peter accidentally activated a trap that turned his boots into tap shoes.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Lyra sighed. "You're stealthy as a parade."
Eventually, they reached the relic—a glowing orb labeled "Do Not Touch Unless You're Ready to Be Dramatically Changed."
Peter touched it immediately.
💫 The Aftermath
The orb pulsed and gave Peter temporary telepathy. He immediately heard Andy's thoughts:
"I hope Peter doesn't hear me thinking about that time he tried to enchant a sandwich and it exploded."
Peter blinked. "You still think about that?"
Andy grinned. "It was majestic."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Mission complete. Let's go before the orb decides to narrate our life stories."
🏫 Back at the Academy
They returned triumphant, orb in hand, squirrel mildly traumatized. Headmaster Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You retrieved the relic. And didn't explode. Impressive."
Peter handed over the orb. "Also, I can hear thoughts now. Andy's are mostly snack-related."
Kael nodded. "That tracks."
Andy whispered, "I regret nothing."
And somewhere, deep in the academy's vaults, the orb began to glow again—quietly judging everyone.
Want to continue with Peter's telepathy
Chapter: Training Week – Rivalry and Runes
Back at Blackridge Academy, Andy and Peter were still basking in the glory of surviving the Cavern of Mildly Inconvenient Doom. That is, until they walked into the dining hall and saw them.
Team Radiant.
They were everything Dorm 7 wasn't: polished, coordinated, and suspiciously sparkly. Their leader, Zane, had perfect hair, a cape that billowed on command, and a voice that sounded like it had its own echo.
Peter whispered, "I think his shampoo is enchanted."
Andy nodded. "And I think his ego is a sentient being."
🧪 The Challenge
Headmaster Kael announced a new field mission:
"Two teams. One relic. First to retrieve it wins. Losers clean the potion lab."
Peter groaned. "That place smells like regret and pickled unicorns."
Lyra handed them a map. "The relic is in the Ruins of Riddlethorn. Beware the traps. And the riddles. They're written by someone who thinks they're hilarious."
Andy squinted. "Is it you?"
Lyra winked. "No comment."
🏃♂️ The Race Begins
Both teams set off. Team Radiant rode enchanted hoverboards. Andy and Peter rode… a mildly confused goat named Trevor.
Peter muttered, "We're going to lose to hoverboards."
Andy patted Trevor. "Never underestimate a goat with dreams."
🧩 Inside the Ruins
The ruins were filled with riddles like:
"What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three after a bad spell mishap?"
Peter answered, "A wizard with poor balance."
Correct.
Team Radiant breezed through the first few traps—until Zane triggered a rune that turned his cape into a sentient scarf that tried to strangle him.
Peter laughed. "Finally. Fashion justice."
Andy and Peter reached the relic first—a glowing crystal shaped like a confused pineapple.
Peter picked it up. "Why does it smell like ambition and citrus?"
Lyra appeared from a portal. "You win. Also, the crystal is mildly cursed. Don't feed it after midnight."
🧼 The Aftermath
Team Radiant sulked in the potion lab, scrubbing cauldrons and dodging sentient fumes. Zane's scarf had joined the cleaning staff.
Andy and Peter returned to Dorm 7, victorious and slightly sticky from the ruins.
Peter flopped onto the couch. "We won. We're legends. And I smell like pineapple."
Andy grinned. "Training Week is officially ridiculous."
And somewhere, deep in the academy's vaults, the cursed crystal whispered:
"I crave snacks." Graduation-ish
Training Week was officially over. Andy and Peter had survived gravity flips, magical riddles, rival teams with suspiciously shiny hair, and a cursed pineapple-shaped relic that now lived in their sock drawer.
Headmaster Kael stood before the students in the courtyard, holding a scroll and a cup of something that smelled like burnt ambition.
"I hereby declare Training Week complete," he said. "Some of you learned discipline. Some of you learned teamwork. And some of you—" he looked directly at Andy and Peter, "—learned how to weaponize snacks."
Peter raised a hand. "Do we get a certificate?"
Kael sighed. "You get a sticker."
Andy grinned. "Is it enchanted?"
Kael nodded. "It screams when you lose focus."
Peter slapped his onto his notebook. "Perfect. Motivation and mild terror."
As the students dispersed, Lyra approached with a smirk. "You two are officially ready for Phase Two."
Andy blinked. "What's Phase Two?"
Lyra handed them a scroll. It read:
"Phase Two: Magical Diplomacy. Includes etiquette, enchanted forks, and how not to insult a royal jellyfish."
Peter groaned. "I miss the cursed pineapple."
Andy nodded. "At least it didn't judge our table manners."
And somewhere, deep in the academy's vaults, the pineapple relic whispered:
"I still crave snacks."
The adventure wasn't over. But for now, Andy and Peter had earned a nap, a muffin, and the right to say:
"We survived Training Week. Barely. But gloriously."