The concrete corridor is cold, sterile, and entirely uninviting.
Every step sends a white-hot spike of agony shooting up her left leg, a brutal reminder of her escape from the cavern.
She presses her back against the rough wall, holding her breath as the mechanical hum of a security camera pans past her position.
Timing is everything.
Counting the seconds in her head, she slips through the blind spot, dragging her fractured limb as silently as possible toward the heavy door marked Lecture Room 26.
With a trembling hand, she turns the handle.
The door creaks open just enough for her to slip inside before she clicks it shut, collapsing back against the wood with a sharp exhale.
The lecture hall is vast and swallowed by shadows, save for a faint, ethereal glow radiating from the teacher’s desk at the front of the room.
There it lies: an ancient, leather-bound book, its pages shimmering with a soft, enchanted light.
It is exactly what she has been searching for.
Ignoring the throbbing in her leg, she limps down the stepped aisle.
Her fingers tremble as she reaches out to grab the artifact.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”
The male voice slices through the silence like a blade.
She gasps, spinning around so fast her bad leg buckles under her weight.
She grips the edge of the desk to keep from falling, her eyes scanning the dark rows of seats at the back of the hall.
A figure shifts in the dim light of the rear row.
It is her class teacher, Master Gwon, slouched casually with his boots propped up on the desk in front of him.
“Master Gwon?” she breathes, her voice shaking as she tries to master her panic.
“What… what are you doing here at this hour?”
“I could ask you the exact same thing,” he says, lowering his legs and stepping into the aisle.
He holds a small leather flask in one hand and a thick, mundane textbook in the other.
“Though, to answer your question, I spend my days drinking and my nights studying. It’s a peaceful routine. Usually.”
She swallows hard, trying to hide her shaking hands behind her back.
“I just… I realized I left my notebook in here earlier. I came back to look for it.”
Master Gwon chuckles, a low, rumbling sound that echoes in the empty hall.
He walks down the steps, his footsteps slow and deliberate.
“A notebook. Right. We both know that’s a lie, kid.”
She looks down, unable to meet his gaze.
“And as for your prize,” he continues, stopping a few feet away from her.
He points a finger at the glowing artifact on the desk.
“Watch closely.”
He snaps his fingers.
The brilliant, enchanted book instantly dissolves into a cloud of sparkling dust, leaving nothing but a bare wooden surface.
“An illusion,” she whispers, her chest tightening in despair.
“It’s not real.”
“Nope,” Master Gwon says, raising the heavy, worn textbook he holds in his left hand.
“The one I’m reading is the real one. Safety precaution. You aren’t the only one curious about what’s written inside these walls.”
She lets out a long, ragged sigh, the weight of her failure crashing down on her.
The adrenaline is fading, leaving only exhaustion and the crushing memory of what she has discovered beneath the school.
“I was in the cave,” she confesses, her voice dropping to a fragile whisper.
“The one beneath the eastern ridge.”
Master Gwon’s casual demeanor shifts instantly.
His brow furrows, and he takes a step closer, studying her face.
“The cave? Let me guess… this is about your sister, Primrose?”
Her head snaps up, her eyes wide.
“How do you know her name? How do you know about her?”
“Because she’s all you’ve been talking about since you arrived at this academy,” he says gently, though his expression remains guarded.
“Every essay, every question in class, every backward glance. It doesn’t take a genius to piece it together. So, you found the cavern. And now you’re here.”
“Where is she, Master Gwon?” she demands, taking a painful step forward, completely forgetting her fear.
“Why did I feel her presence in that cave? Is she alive? Is she being held somewhere around here?”
Master Gwon’s face hardens slightly, a complicated look passing through his eyes.
He looks away, a bitter smirk playing on his lips.
“I’m sorry, kid. I really am. But I can’t tell you anything about that.”
“Why not?!” she cries out, her voice cracking, dangerously close to a scream.
“If you know something, you have to tell me! She’s my sister!”
“Calm down,” he says quietly, his voice a steady anchor against her rising hysteria.
“Listen to me. I don’t make the rules around here. I just have to follow them. If it were up to me, if I actually held the keys to this place, I would totally help you. You have to believe me on that.”
She stares at him, her chest heaving as tears threaten to spill over.
The sheer helplessness of her situation feels like a physical weight crushing her lungs.
Seeing her distress, Master Gwon’s expression softens into something entirely uncharacteristic.
He steps forward and places a heavy, warm hand on top of her head, roughly ruffling her hair in a clumsy attempt at comfort.
“You’re a good kid,” he says, his voice surprisingly tender.
“You’ve got real potential, and a fighting spirit I haven’t seen in a long time. But you’re reckless. You’ve gotta take things one step at a time, or you’re going to get yourself killed before you find any answers.”
As he speaks, a soft, genuine smile touches his lips.
She looks up through her blurry vision, and for a fleeting second, she doesn’t see a strict, distant instructor.
It was the same look of protective, unconditional care she hasn’t felt since her own family disappeared.
Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotion, she lunges forward, throwing her arms around his torso and burying her face in his jacket, pulling him into a desperate hug.
Master Gwon goes completely rigid.
He freezes, his arms hovering awkwardly in the air, completely taken aback by the sudden display of affection.
He doesn’t embrace her back, standing as stiff as a statue for several seconds while she holds onto him as if he were a lifeline.
Gently, but firmly, he grips her shoulders and moves her away, breaking the hug.
“I… I’m sorry,” she stammered quickly, stepping back and wiping her eyes, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“I didn’t know what came over me. I just…”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, his smile returning, though he looks a little flustered.
His eyes drift downward, noticing her hand tightly gripping her left thigh.
She is subconsciously rubbing the area right above her knee, trying to massage away the agonizing throbbing that has grown unbearable during their conversation.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, metallic vial containing a glowing crimson capsule.
“You look like hell. Take this. It’ll dull the pain.”
She stares at the capsule and immediately shakes her head, pulling her hands away.
“I’m not taking that capsule. I know what the academy puts in those medical supplements. They slow your casting reflex.”
Master Gwon chuckles lightly, shoving the vial back into his pocket.
“Trust me, I don’t like that synthetic stuff either. That’s why I cook for myself.”
He raises his right hand, twirling his fingers in a brief, elegant motion.
A soft hum of localized magic vibrates through the air, and with a sudden pop, a perfectly warm, freshly made cheeseburger appears in his palm, wrapped in simple brown paper.
He takes a large, delightful munch out of it, chewing happily before looking back down at her leg.
“Hold still,” he mutters around a mouthful of food.
Before she could ask what he was doing, he points two fingers at her fractured leg.
A bright green arcane circle manifests around her ankle, spinning rapidly as it rises up her shin.
A soothing, cool sensation washes over her limb, completely replacing the fiery pain.
She feels the fractured bone smoothly click back into its proper alignment, the torn muscle fibers knitting themselves together in a matter of seconds.
He finishes chewing and swallows, lowering his hand as the magic fades.
“Better?”
She tests her weight, stepping firmly onto her left foot.
There is no pain, no stiffness, and no weakness.
She looks up at him, a bright, genuine smile breaking across her face.
“Much better. Thank you, Master Gwon.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says, offering a small wink.
“Literally. Don’t mention it to anyone. Now, get back to your dorm before the midnight patrol actually catches you.”