"Just like that?" Luke said in disbelief, rubbing his temple. "After the pain you went through, it just vanished?"
Chast rubbed his palm, making sure the mark was really gone, though he could still feel the warmth and faint tingle it left behind.
"Ughhh," Ronnie rolled her eyes and gripped Chast's hand to stop him. Watching him obsessively rub his palms made her dizzy.
"Or, hey... maybe that was magic? Did you do it, uh... man?" Luke squinted at him. He still didn't know Chast's name.
"If I did it, I should've done it in the beginning and not suffer," Chast said, glaring. "I'm not stupid like you."
Luke laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! Fine, genius. But seriously... that was wild."
Ronnie shook his head, waving his hand. "Nah... I think he's a bad omen. Just look at him. Since he entered the academy, he's already had the worst luck."
Luke sneered. "What? What happened... to this man?"
Ronnie patted Chast's head lightly, like he was a pet. "This poor boy fainted because he was scared of thunder... or maybe he's just completely overwhelmed."
Chast flushed red, muttering under his breath. "Great... now I'm a walking disaster."
Luke snapped his fingers in the air the moment Chast spoke, grinning like he had just solved the world's biggest puzzle. "I'm a genius! I have a great idea!"
Confused, Ronnie and Chast exchanged a look. Neither of them had a clue what Luke was rambling about. This guy is really a weird, crazy mess, Chast thought.
"A walking disaster! That's it. I finally have something to call you—even without knowing your real name." Luke winked at Chast.
Chast stood, cracked his neck, and stretched his arms. "Wanna go, fashion-teleporting-thief-model?"
"Oh, so now you're giving me weird names?" Luke shot back, standing up to face him. "For your information, I do have a name!"
"You started it!" Chast argued.
"Because I don't even know your name!" Luke snapped.
"Whoa, calm down, you two!" Ronnie rushed between them, pressing his hands against their chests in a desperate attempt to keep them apart. Short and skinny, he looked like a slice of ham wedged between two oversized burger buns—ridiculous, yes, but the strain in his voice made it clear he was dead serious. "You guys are worse than kids!"
"Oh, listen to this little nerd, trying to sound scary." Chast sneered, brushing Ronnie's hand aside. He walked past them and dropped onto the plush couch.
"Can we please stop calling each other stupid names?" Ronnie barked.
"Chast." Chast finally introduced himself.
"Chast? What an ugly, weird name," Luke muttered.
Before Chast could snap back and spark another argument, the marble table between them suddenly floated a few inches off the ground. It glowed faintly, releasing a clear ding that froze all three in place.
"Who did that?" Chast asked, already knowing it wasn't him—he was the only one without magic.
Ronnie and Luke both shook their heads, their eyes locked on the table.
Then, all at once, a scroll materialized above the marble surface and slowly unfurled in midair.
The three of them gasped in unison.
This place is really magical, Chast thought, his chest tightening. And I don't belong here.
"Greetings, wondrous newbies of Valvrynth Academy! Your dorms are hopefully comfier than cloud nine! Fetch your uniforms, then grab hold of me and—whoosh!—we'll zip to the Grand Orientation faster than popping bubbles!"
The scroll shimmered, twirled, and gave a little wiggle, as if giggling at its own jokes, floating playfully before the students.
The three of them clapped in unison, completely bewitched by the talking scroll.
"I wish I had one of these at home!" Ronnie exclaimed, bouncing slightly on his heels, eyes wide with excitement.
"I wish a scroll like this could actually teach me magic!" Luke muttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Just thinking about school makes me sick... I hate it already!"
Chast blinked at the scroll, tilting his head in disbelief. "Wait... is that a phone? In this dimension? That's... actually kind of impressive." He leaned closer, poking the air as if he could swipe it.
"What are you still waiting for? Goooo!" the scroll shrieked, zipping around like it had downed five cups of coffee.
"Run!" Luke barked, already dashing ahead.
Chast blinked as his companions split off. Ronnie darted toward the first room, closest to the bookshelf. Its door was draped in dried, glowing vines that trailed across the floor like enchanted curtains. Luke, naturally, claimed the last door at the end of the hall—wrapped with lush vines covered in shimmering leaves that glowed faintly, as if the wood itself was alive.
That left the middle door.
Chast frowned. Compared to the others, his looked painfully ordinary—just plain wood, no glowing vines, no mystical ornaments. And yet, something about it tugged at him, a quiet pull he couldn't put into words.
"I guess this is mine," he muttered, stepping closer.
But when he reached out, he froze. No knob. No handle. No latch. Nothing but smooth, stubborn wood.
"Tsk." Chast clicked his tongue, irritation bubbling up. "Of course. Those idiots skipped this one because it doesn't open. I get the broken one." He pressed his palm against the surface, glaring. "Great. Another problem for me to solve."
To his shock, the door suddenly quivered and let out a groaning yawn.
"Well, well, look who drew the short straw," it said in a smug, creaky voice. "A walking disaster, trying to walk into me. How poetic."
Chast jumped back. "You can talk?!"
"Talk? Honey, I can insult. Now, what's the magic word? Password, phrase, dance routine? Impress me."
"I don't have time for this," Chast grumbled, shoving at the door. It didn't budge.
"Wrong answer," the door sang, stretching its woodgrain into a mocking smile. "Try again, genius. Do a jig. Confess your most embarrassing secret. Or maybe just admit you don't belong."
Chast clenched his fists, cheeks burning. "Tsk... stupid wooden brat."
Suddenly, glowing runes crawled across the surface of the door, rearranging into words:
To enter where you truly belong, speak not your power, but your truth.
Chast blinked. His truth? He wasn't even sure what that meant. He swallowed, glaring at the runes.
"I... I don't belong here," he said at last, voice low.
The runes flared, then faded. The door let out a dramatic sigh. "Well, finally. Took you long enough. Honestly, you're worse than the last guy who tried to open me."
The wood creaked, splitting down the middle. With a grumble and a puff of faint silver dust, the door swung open.
Chast stood there, stunned. "...Guess that worked."
Chast rushed in walked directly to the cabinet to change his clothes when he heard Luke and Ronnie were already outside without checking his room. Ugh, these clothes are ridiculous!He looked at the mirror and saw himself like weird guy wearing a long cape. Perfect. Harry Potter with worse fashion sense.
"Wait up! Chast said when he came out from his room.
"What took you so long?" Luke irritably while tapping his foot on the floor.
While Ronnie flashed a wide smile on his face and clapped his hands, "You're finally here!" he said excitedly.
"Huh.. You talked like as if you have no idea." Chast mumbled. Idiot! You know my room has a difficult magical door to deal with.
Luke didn't argue back, he knows what Chast meant.
"Okay, let's do it guys." Ronnie said then the three of them hold the scroll.
The students were taken aback and cried out as the scroll inhaled them with a thunderous whoosh. One blink, and the dorm vanished.
They were no longer standing on solid ground.
Instead, the three of them floated helplessly in a vast expanse filled with rolling lavender haze. The air shimmered with a violet glow, thick and weightless, wrapping around them like silk. Their bodies spun in slow motion, tumbling as if time itself had loosened its grip.
Chast's stomach lurched. His limbs moved sluggishly, as though he were swimming through honey. Ronnie drifted past upside-down, his hair sticking straight out like he was underwater, while Luke twirled with his arms wide, laughing nervously.
But the haze wasn't just mist—it was alive.
"Whe....re a...re w....e?" Chast talked as if it will take him days to finish his words.
The glowing firefly-creatures Chast had noticed earlier at the academy gate reappeared, swirling around the students. Their dance was strange, almost ritualistic, their lights pulsing in rhythm like a chant no one could understand.
The fireflies flickered, shifting from gold to blue. Their buzzing deepened into eerie whispers curling around Chast's ears:
A bridge of glass, once cracked, never whole again.
Some hands lift you higher, others push you from the edge.
Blood binds strong, yet shadows in kin cut deepest.
A flame that warms the soul can also turn to ash.
"Ugh!" Chast slapped the air, swatting at them like mosquitos. If only his mouth would work properly in this strange haze, he would've screamed at the glowing pests.
The fireflies scattered, fading into the mist just as the students dropped onto soft, floating cushions below.
Chast shrieked as he landed, clutching the cushion's edge like his life depended on it. His pulse hammered, his adrenaline spiking as he scrambled to sit upright.
"This school is going to be the death of me."