Classes had finally ended, and Zane had successfully learned absolutely nothing.
While everyone scribbled notes furiously, he'd spent the lecture staring out the window. Birds swooped and glided across the sky, their wings catching the sunlight.
Must be nice… Zane thought, chin resting on his palm. No rules, no uniforms, no "sit still and memorize." Just flying around, eating worms. Living the dream.
The bell rang and everyone rushed for the door. Zane stretched, cracked his neck, and muttered, "Finally. Freedom."
Except, no.
When he tried to casually stroll out the academy gates, two armored guards stepped in front of him, halberds crossed.
"Students may not leave academy grounds unless assigned to an official task."
Zane blinked. "What? But there's a town nearby. You can literally see it from the wall. Let me just… I dunno, go sightseeing or something."
"Denied," the guard replied flatly.
"Denied?" Zane groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "Come on, man. I've been cooped up in classrooms all morning. I need air. People. A meat skewer, preferably grilled."
Still denied.
Zane trudged back toward the courtyard, shoulders sagging, muttering under his breath. "I finally leave my house after two years and they put me in another prison. Fantastic."
That's when he noticed it.
A group of students, huddled near the outer wall, glancing around like guilty puppies. One girl was shaking so hard she might rattle her own teeth loose. Another kept whispering something and getting shushed.
Wow, Zane thought. If "suspicious" was a play, these guys would be the stars.
He trailed them casually, hands in his pockets, and soon noticed something odd—a shimmer along the stone wall. Magic overflow. He didn't know how he knew, but he felt it.
"Alright," Zane announced suddenly, stepping out from behind them. "Time out. Why are you guys acting like you're smuggling drugs?"
All of them froze. The shaky girl nearly jumped out of her shoes.
Zane held up a finger. "First of all, you're acting way too suspicious. You—" he pointed at the trembling girl, "are basically vibrating."
The girl squeaked.
"Second," Zane continued, "if you're gonna sneak out, don't walk in a group like this. Split up. Take different routes. You're not leading a coup d'état."
"…What's a coup d'état?" one boy asked.
Zane paused. "Good question. I have no idea. Just sounded right."
He moved on without missing a beat. "Third, the hole in the wall is enchanted with some kind of illusion magic. Great. Love that. But you're still standing around like you've got 'GUILTY' stamped on your foreheads. If you're nervous, at least pretend to be normal."
The group exchanged uneasy looks.
"And finally…" Zane leaned back, hands behind his head, "what exactly are you scared of?"
Silence.
Then one boy stepped forward, clearly trying to act like the "brave leader." His voice cracked anyway. "This is… our first time. We only know about the hole because some seniors told us. They said if we wanted to go outside, we had to meet them here. At sundown. Which is… uh… three minutes from now."
The group turned to look at the sinking sun.
Zane raised an eyebrow beneath his blindfold. Seniors. Of course. This smells like trouble.