*Chapter 16: The Phantom in the Garden*
The days rolled by with lessons, laughter, and subtle glances exchanged between the chosen five. At every opportunity, they split from their usual routines to follow new leads—always careful, always blending in. The rest of the school had no inkling that Jin Ming's "harmless" midnight snack raids were really stakeouts, or that Bao Yu tended plants along the outer fields to watch for magical disturbances.
One evening, Mei Fen's hummingbird illusion caught flickers of movement near the old orchard. The group assembled quietly, splitting up to surround the area as shadows lengthened and the sky glowed purple with dusk. Chen Xiulan's talisman pulsed: the threat was close. They waited, breath held, invisible in the tall grass.
Suddenly, a cloaked figure glided out from the trees, whispering incantations and scattering strange black powder at the garden's edge. The plants shriveled, and the protective runes flickered faintly. Jin Ming nearly charged in, but Li Wei held him back—they watched, collecting every detail.
After the figure vanished, the group rushed in to inspect the ground. Bao Yu, heart pounding, knelt and examined a single dark vine that hadn't shriveled—a clue left behind. Chen Xiulan slipped the vine and a sample of the powder into enchanted jars for Headmistress Zhou. "Whatever this is, it's meant to weaken our barriers," she whispered.
That night, gathered in their secret alcove, the friends pieced together their findings. "We're running out of time," Li Wei said quietly. "But no one suspects us, and that's our greatest strength right now."
With new evidence and their bond tighter than ever, the team prepared for the next steps—knowing that soon, shadows and secrets alike would have to be faced head-on.