The dormitory hallways were quieter than Elora had expected.
Most students were probably at dinner or tucked into their rooms, which suited her just fine.
She didn’t want curious stares or questions about her “accident.” Not after the orb incident.
As if she needed another strange incident to add to the list.
She slowly opened the door and collapsed onto her own bed, finally allowing herself to process everything that had happened.
She pulled the necklace out from under her uniform, holding it up to the window where the evening light could catch the crystal.
The crack was definitely there, a thin line running from the top to about halfway down.
But as she watched, something else caught her attention.
The crystal was glowing faintly, pulsing gently like a slow heartbeat.
“You’re glowing again…” Elora murmured, turning the pendant in different directions.
The glow didn’t change no matter how she turned it.
It was coming from inside the crystal itself.
Elora set the necklace on her desk and searched through her belongings until she found the small hand mirror.
The glow appeared in the reflection too, so she wasn’t hallucinating this part, at least.
The crystal pulsed again, a little brighter this time, and Elora jerked her hand back.
What are you?
she wondered, staring at the pendant.
Her parents had never told her anything about the necklace being magical.
Then again, they’d never told her anything about it at all, since they’d died when she was only four years old.
But someone had to know something about it.
Elora grabbed a sheet of parchment and began writing down everything she could remember about the necklace and the ruins before the memories faded.
An academy this old had to have records about things like this.
Artifacts.
Bloodlines.
Ancient magic.
Something had to match the necklace.
Elora tucked the necklace back under her uniform, though she could still feel its faint warmth against her skin.
The pulsing settled into a steady rhythm, which was probably not a good sign…
though Elora wasn’t entirely sure.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
That must be Lyra.
“Come in,” she called, quickly hiding her notes under some other papers.
The door opened to reveal a girl with curly blonde hair and bright green eyes, practically bouncing with energy.
Yeah, that was definitely Lyra.
“Are you okay?” she asked, dropping her tote by the bed.
“How are you feeling?
I heard you were stuck in the infirmary for ages.” “They said I just had a minor accident.
Honestly, I’m not sure what that means,” Elora replied automatically.
“But don’t worry, I’m fine.” She forced a smile.
“I think I’m just tired.” “Oh, good.
I heard the healers were pretty concerned.
They said there was some kind of magical backlash during the practical?” “I don’t really remember much.
Honestly…
it felt more like a nightmare than an exam,” Elora said.
Lyra pulled out a chocolate bar and held it out to her.
“Here.
Emergency chocolate.
You know food solves at least eighty percent of life’s problems.
And I brought plenty of snacks for you too.” “Thank you so much.” Elora laughed.
“See?
This is why girls should support each other.” Elora accepted the chocolate bar, unwrapping it slowly as she watched Lyra unpack snacks from her bag.
“Anyway, what about your exam?” Elora asked.
“What did you end up doing?
Did you fight any monsters or something?” “Not really.” Lyra laughed.
“We got sent into a forest and were told to gather magical plants.
It was actually going pretty well until one of us decided it would be a great idea to taste one of them.” Elora stared at her.
“…He what?” “Yeah.” Lyra sighed.
“He got poisoned right away, so the rest of the exam basically turned into a rescue mission.
Luckily, he was okay, and we still managed to finish the task.” Elora’s hand drifted to the necklace resting against her chest.
The crystal felt warmer than it should, the faint glow pulsing in a steady rhythm.
As Elora reached for another piece of chocolate, the pendant slipped free from beneath her uniform.
The faint crimson glow immediately caught Lyra’s attention.
“Whoa…
is your necklace glowing?” “I…
I’m not sure.
I’ve never seen it like this before.
“Maybe it’s reacting to all the mana around the academy?” “That’s so cool!” Lyra leaned closer, peering at the pendant.
“I’ve never seen a crystal do that before.
What kind is it?” “I don’t know,” Elora admitted, her fingers curling around the necklace.
“It was my parents’.” “Oh.” Lyra’s expression softened.
“I’m sorry.
That must be a special family heirloom.” Elora nodded and left it at that.
She didn’t really have the energy to talk about her parents right now.
“Hey, maybe it’s enchanted or something!” Lyra suggested.
“You should take it to Professor Glynn.
He’d know all about jewelry like that.” “I don’t know…” “You’re a student here now—might as well take advantage of all the resources, right?” Elora glanced down at the necklace again.
Showing it to a professor would only raise more questions.
Still, Lyra wasn’t wrong.
If anyone could identify the necklace, it would be someone at the academy.
And maybe it had something to do with the orb incident…
or whatever had really happened during today’s exam.
“Okay,” Elora agreed, offering Lyra a small smile.
“Let’s do it.” Lyra grinned and sat in the chair across the room, still talking while sorting through the snacks she had brought.
Not long after, Lyra finally headed back to her room, leaving Elora alone with far more questions than answers.
The more she thought about it, the less the whole thing made sense.
Lyra’s group had spent their exam gathering plants in a forest, yet Elora had ended up trapped inside a collapsing ruin.
There had been endless darkness, a bottomless hole, and a terrifying creature that had nearly killed her.
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
If it hadn’t been for the Abyss System, she wasn’t sure she would have made it out alive.
Abyss…
The word lingered in her mind.
She distinctly remembered the system calling it an Abyss Trial or something similar.
Then there was the voice, and the shadow standing behind the throne.
There’s no way the Abyss actually exists.
After centuries…
The memory surfaced so suddenly that Elora groaned and pulled a pillow over her face.
“Nope.
Absolutely not.” She wasn’t dealing with the Abyss tonight.