Chapter:16
The students emerged from the depths of the labyrinth one by one, their faces pale and marked with exhaustion, but their eyes alight with something new—growth.
They stepped out into the bright courtyard of Aflety Academy, blinking under the daylight as the ancient staircase sealed itself behind them. The doors closed with a heavy thrum, as if the labyrinth itself exhaled one last breath.
Professor Ansel Marrow stood waiting beside a few other robed instructors, hands behind his back, expression unreadable.
"Welcome back," he said coolly, scanning each of them. "You survived."
Silva rolled her eyes. "Barely."
Gareth groaned and collapsed into the grass like a ragdoll. "I need a ten-year nap."
Cassia remained stoic, but her steps were slower than usual.
Lilith helped Evan sit on a stone bench near the statue of the first Grand Magus of Aflety. She gently placed Nyx on Evan's lap, who was still snoozing contentedly, snoring like a coiled kitten.
"I don't think he realizes he saved us," Evan muttered, smiling faintly.
Lilith gave him a side glance. "Or maybe he does—and he's just smug about it."
"I'm still not naming him Smuggy."
"Shame. It suits him."
—
By late afternoon, all first-year students had emerged. Some carried injuries; others bore psychological scars. A few had to be pulled from the lower floors by senior enchanters and healing wardens.
Professor Marrow called everyone to the amphitheater—a wide, open space where magical projections shimmered above the stage.
"Your first evaluation is complete," he announced, his voice echoing over the murmurs of the gathered students. "The Elemental Labyrinth is designed to test every aspect of a mage—your discipline, bond with your beast, mastery over your element, and mental resilience."
The projection shifted—showing names ranked by performance.
1. Evan Rochel – Element: Water/Darkness – Beast: ???
2. Lilith Laistrygones – Element: Blood/Ice – Beast: Crimson Bat – Noble House
3. Silva Elowen – Element: Wind/Nature – Beast: Spirit Owl – Elven Lineage
4. Gareth Ironfang – Element: Fire/Earth – Beast: Emberfang Lion – Beastmen Clan
5. Cassia Belvane – Element: Time/Metal – Beast: Clockwork Wyrm – Royal Scholar Line
The top five names glowed brighter than the rest.
A hush fell over the amphitheater.
Then, murmurs exploded.
"The Duke's son… he's ranked first?"
"His beast isn't even properly identified."
"Isn't that the kid with the creepy snake?"
"I heard it ate a spirit."
Evan sat still, jaw tight, unsure if he should feel proud—or wary.
Professor Marrow turned toward him.
"Your performance was… unexpected," he said. "But results are results. Well done, Mr. Rochel. You've impressed not just the faculty—but certain… observers."
Observers?
Before Evan could respond, a gust of unnatural wind passed through the amphitheater.
Everyone felt it.
They turned toward the highest balcony of the academy tower.
A figure stood there.
Cloaked in deep violet robes, wearing a silver mask carved like a crow's beak. They leaned on the railing, hands gloved, unmoving. Watching.
The wind seemed to coil around them unnaturally—like it was listening to them.
Even Professor Marrow froze for a moment.
Lilith narrowed her eyes.
"That's not faculty."
Cassia muttered, "That's… one of the Watchers."
"The what?" Evan whispered.
"Old figures who serve the Crown. Or something darker. No one knows their real names."
Then the wind whispered.
So soft—only Evan could hear it.
"Serpent's heir… you will awaken the storm."
The figure vanished in a blink. No magic trail. No signature. Just… gone.
Nyx stirred in his lap, eyes flicking open as if it had sensed the whisper too.
Evan clenched his fists.
Something was coming.
And it had already started watching him.
—
Later, in the quiet of his dorm room, Evan sat beside the fireplace, a book of elemental theory open beside him. But he wasn't reading.
Nyx, his basilisk, was curled beside his feet, yawning wide enough to show rows of baby fangs.
Evan sighed.
"I guess I should name you now, huh?"
The basilisk blinked.
"Something cool. Not something Lilith would suggest like 'Smuggy.'"
Nyx flicked his tongue.
"I guess you're darkness and water… born from a cursed egg, but you protected everyone like a guardian."
He leaned back, thinking of his past life. Of how powerless he had felt. How he'd longed for someone to shield him.
And now, he had someone to protect—and something to become.
He looked into the beast's glowing eyes.
"How about… Nyx? After the primordial night. The mother of shadows."
The basilisk hissed softly, coiling tighter. As if satisfied.
Nyx. The name pulsed faintly in the bond they shared.
A perfect fit.
—
Meanwhile…
Far from the academy, in a cavern laced with blood runes and obsidian chains, torches flickered against the stone. Hooded figures knelt around a central figure cloaked in black and crimson.
His mask was jagged—like a cracked crown.
Shade Cardinal, leader of the Black Nest, stood before a dark crystal. Inside, vague shadows of the Aflety Labyrinth pulsed.
"So the heir of Rochel awakened the basilisk…"
A follower knelt. "He ranked first, my lord."
Another spoke. "The Watchers have noticed him."
Shade Cardinal smiled beneath his mask.
"Then we begin the next phase."
Chapter End
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