Aria's judgment was swift and stern. Master Eleonora, with an expression of impassive severity, presided over the assembly of students and faculty in the Great Hall. Kaelen, Lyra, and Finn watched from the front row, their faces marked by confusion and sadness.
"Aria," Eleonora said, her voice echoing in the silence, "you have committed a grave crime. You have betrayed Umbria's trust, you have endangered us all. How do you plead?"
Aria, standing before everyone, head bowed but gaze steady, replied, "Guilty, Master. But…"
Eleonora interrupted her. "There are no 'buts,' Aria. Your actions speak for themselves. The Lumina Stone is the heart of Umbria, and you tried to steal it."
Aria tried to explain her vision, her desire to use the stone's power for good, but Eleonora's words drowned her out. The Master seemed unyielding, determined to punish her mercilessly.
Finally, Eleonora pronounced the sentence. "Aria, for your crimes, you are banished from Umbria. You will be forbidden to use magic and sent back to the mundane world, stripped of your memories of this place."
A murmur of shock and dismay rippled through the Great Hall. Expulsion was the harshest punishment Umbria could impose.
Aria felt the world crumble around her. Umbria was her home, magic was her life. Losing both was worse than death.
But before the sentence could be carried out, Kaelen stood up. "Master Eleonora, this is unfair!" she exclaimed. "Aria is not a thief. She was tricked, manipulated. The Lumina Stone corrupted her!"
Lyra and Finn joined Kaelen, vehemently defending Aria. They spoke of her bravery, her loyalty, her kindness. They reminded everyone how Aria had saved Umbria from Malkor.
But Eleonora remained impassive. "The law is the law," she said. "And Aria has broken it."
As the guards approached Aria to lead her away, something strange happened. The Lumina Stone, which Eleonora had placed on a pedestal in the center of the hall, began to vibrate and emit a pulsing light.
The light intensified, becoming blinding. A deep hum filled the air, shaking the college to its foundations. And then, Aria's voice, amplified by the stone's magic, echoed in the Great Hall.
"Lies!" Aria cried. "This is all a lie!"
Everyone turned to Aria, shocked. Her eyes, normally a vibrant green, now glowed with a golden light, identical to that of the Lumina Stone.
"Master Eleonora tricked me," Aria continued, her voice filled with an authority she'd never displayed before. "She wanted me to steal the stone. She put the vision in my mind."
A murmur of disbelief rippled through the room. Eleonora, for the first time, seemed puzzled.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Aria?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Master Eleonora cast a modified Confundus spell on me," Aria explained, the golden light in her eyes intensifying. "A subtle spell, designed to amplify my desire to help, my yearning to do good. She manipulated me into believing that stealing the Lumina Stone was the only way to save the world."
The Lumina Stone, as if confirming Aria's words, projected an image into the air. An image of Eleonora, standing in front of Aria, whispering unintelligible words while making a complex gesture with her hand. The image of Aria, at that moment, had glassy eyes, a confused expression on her face.
The Great Hall erupted in a chaos of murmurs and exclamations. Everyone looked at Eleonora, searching for an explanation.
Eleonora, pale and trembling, tried to deny it. "It's an illusion! The stone is lying!"
But the evidence was irrefutable. The magic of the Lumina Stone was true, and the truth was that Eleonora had manipulated Aria into stealing the stone, then framed her and disposed of it.
"Why, Master?" Kaelen asked, her voice breaking. "Why would she do something like that?"
Eleonora finally broke down. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I... I just wanted to protect Umbria," she whispered. "The Lumen Stone is too powerful, too dangerous. No one should have access to it, not even us."
"But Malkor…" Lyra began.
"Malkor was a distraction," Eleonora interrupted. "A threat I created myself, to unite Umbria, to justify my actions. I needed someone to steal the stone, so I could seal it away forever, away from everyone."
"And Aria?" Finn asked, his voice icy. "Were you going to sacrifice her, one of your students, to achieve your goal?"
Eleonora didn't respond. She simply sank to her knees, sobbing.
The truth was devastating. Master Eleonora, the figure of authority and wisdom everyone looked up to, had betrayed her trust, manipulated her students, lied to everyone.
The Lumen Stone, now glowing with a soft, tranquil light,
Reassuringly, she returned to her normal self. The assembly, silent, watched as Eleonora was stripped of her position and escorted from the Great Hall.
Aria, freed from the spell, felt the golden energy drain from her eyes. She felt weak, confused, but also relieved. The truth had come out, albeit in the most unexpected way.
Kaelen, Lyra, and Finn approached her, holding her tightly. "We're sorry, Aria," Kaelen said. "We should have believed you from the beginning."
Aria smiled weakly. "It doesn't matter," she said. "The important thing is that the truth has prevailed."
Umbria faced a period of uncertainty and rebuilding. Eleonora's betrayal had shaken the foundations of the college, and it would take time to heal the wounds. But the truth, though painful, had also brought new clarity.
Aria, Kaelen, Lyra, and Finn, along with the other students and teachers, banded together to rebuild trust and restore Umbria's honor. The Lumina Stone, now in the custody of a democratically elected council of mages, would be used wisely and cautiously.
And Aria, the girl once accused of treason, became a symbol of hope, a reminder that even in the deepest darkness, the truth will always find a way to emerge. Experience taught her that magic, no matter how powerful, must always be at the service of truth and justice, and that trust, once broken, is the hardest treasure to recover.