Rain fell without thunder
Just a slow steady rhythm like the academy was breathing through the walls
Azel sat under the broken arch near the combat hall
Echo crouched beside him eyes scanning every window
They were waiting
But not blindly
The map Azel stole from the sealed library wasn't just a blueprint
It was a trap directory
Old pathways marked with red ink
Symbols beside them
Some meant collapse
Others meant watchers
But one had no mark at all
A blank tunnel beneath the dorms
Too clean
Too forgotten
That's the one they chose
They moved without words
Silence was their language now
Down the laundry shaft past the cracked boiler room into the floor grate covered with rust
Azel peeled it open
Below was a tunnel carved not by hands but by magic gone wrong
The walls pulsed faintly
As if they were alive
Halfway through Echo froze
His eyes locked on the ceiling
See it
Azel nodded
Thin wires barely visible
Spellstrings woven into a curse net
One wrong step and the ceiling caves
Azel reached into his coat pulled out a crystal shard
Reflected the wires perfectly
They danced through like wind
Made it across
That's when they saw the door
Wooden frame with a silver lock
Nothing else around
But something was behind it
Breathing
Azel reached for the lock
Echo stepped back
As soon as Azel touched it the door opened on its own
Inside stood a girl
Long silver hair tied back eyes tired but alert
Sera
She held a knife but didn't move
You shouldn't be here she said quietly
Neither should you
She lowered the blade
You triggered the watchers
They'll come now
Azel stepped inside
Let them
Tell me why this tunnel exists
She didn't speak for a moment
Then looked at Echo
That's not a normal summon
No Azel replied
He's a remnant
Sera sighed
This place is older than the academy
It used to be a gate chamber
What kind of gate
To another realm
Echo smiled sharp
I like her
Sera turned to Azel
I came here looking for truth
But I found something worse
A journal
She handed it over
Azel opened the first page
The handwriting was flawless
Elegant
Too familiar
It was the headmaster's
And the first line said
> If the next ritual fails we bury them again but this time deeper
Azel closed the book
Looked at Echo
Looked at Sera
Then back at the door
We're not just students anymore
We're survivors
But we're not running
He stepped back out into the tunnel
Rain still falling above
Let them come
We'll show them what it means to awaken something they can't erase