The return trip to the Luminara Magic Tower was a blur of exhaustion and adrenaline.
We didn't stop to rest. The moment the cyclone fell, we packed our gear and left the scorched earth behind. None of us wanted to spend another second in that cursed forest. The air still tasted of ozone and death, and the shadows seemed to stretch a little too long.
We moved quickly, driven by the desperate need for safety.
Kaelen carried me. My legs were trembling from the aftermath of the synchronization, my mana reserves completely drained. I didn't have the strength to argue, so I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder. Nibbles curled up in the crook of my arm, his purrs vibrating softly against my chest.
Zarethis and Elara flanked us, their eyes scanning the tree line, weapons still drawn until we cleared the forest boundary.
By the time the white spires of the tower came into view, the sun was setting, casting long, golden shadows across the grounds.
We looked like we had walked through hell. Our uniforms were torn, stained with soot, mud, and dried blood, some of it ours, most of it the beast's. We were covered in grime, our faces pale with exhaustion.
Students milling about the courtyard stopped and stared as we entered the gates. Whispers rippled through the crowd, eyes widening at our battered state.
We ignored them, moving with purpose toward the main hall.
"Infirmary first," Elara commanded, her voice raspy. "Then the quest board."
We didn't protest.
The infirmary was quiet, the evening light filtering through the high windows. The nurse on duty took one look at us and immediately ushered us into a private recovery room.
She checked us over with efficient, practiced hands. She applied healing salves to our cuts, checked our mana levels, and wrapped bandages around Kaelen's bruised ribs and Zarethis's sprained wrist.
"Exhaustion and minor physical trauma," the nurse diagnosed, her tone stern. "Nothing broken, but your mana cores are dangerously low. You need rest. No magic for at least twenty-four hours."
She placed a mana-restoring potion on the bedside table for each of us. "Drink these and sleep."
Kaelen stood by my bed, watching as the nurse finished checking my pulse. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the fatigue was etched deep into his features.
"I'll go report to the quest board," he said, his voice rough. "I need to file the mission report and explain why we didn't find the cause until... well, until we found it."
He turned to leave, but I reached out, my hand weakly gripping the fabric of his torn shirt.
"Kaelen," I whispered.
He stopped, looking down at me.
I met his eyes with a stern, unyielding gaze. "Rest first. The report can wait until morning."
He opened his mouth to argue, but I squeezed his shirt tighter. "You're exhausted. We all are, so please."
He stared at me for a long moment, then let out a slow breath, his shoulders slumping in defeat. A small, tired smile touched his lips.
"Alright," he conceded.
He walked to the bed next to mine and collapsed onto it, not even bothering to take off his boots. Within seconds, his breathing evened out into the deep rhythm of sleep.
I watched him for a moment, the stern expression softening, before closing my eyes and letting the darkness take me.
We slept for nearly two days straight.
When we finally woke, the sun was high, and the infirmary was bustling with the morning shift. We were discharged with strict instructions to take it easy, our mana levels stabilized but still not at peak capacity.
We made our way to the lecture hall for our scheduled class, moving a little slower than usual.
The atmosphere in the room was different. Usually, the hall was filled with the low hum of chatter and the rustle of notebooks, but today, the air was thick with tension.
I took my seat next to Elara, with Kaelen on my other side, to my surprise, Zarethis slid into the chair next to Elara.
The mission seemed to have forged a bond between us, as a unit that had survived death together.
I shifted in my seat, my elven ears twitching. The room was buzzing with whispers, a low, constant murmur that grated on my nerves.
I turned to Elara, who was staring straight ahead at the podium, her jaw tight.
"Elara," I whispered, leaning in. "What's going on? Why is everyone whispering?"
Elara blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. She looked at me, surprised. "You haven't heard?"
I shook my head. "Me, Kaelen, and Zarethis were asleep for two days."
Elara glanced at Kaelen and Zarethis. They both shook their heads, looking equally confused.
Elara let out a long, heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping.
"During the time we were out on our mission," she began, her voice low and serious, "something happened in the capital. Something major."
She paused, ensuring she had our full attention.
"The Royal Artifact Library was breached."
Kaelen's eyes widened, his posture straightening instantly. Zarethis's dark elven ears perked up, swiveling toward Elara.
"The Royal Artifact Library?" Kaelen repeated, his voice incredulous. "That's impossible. It's the most heavily guarded place in the kingdom."
"Exactly," Elara said grimly. "It's protected directly under the King's supervision. The security there is absolute."
She looked around the room, then back at us.
"Someone bypassed all of it. They entered the library undetected, bypassed the King's surveillance, and stole one of the ancient weapons."
I gulped, the air in the room suddenly feeling heavy. "Which one?"
Elara's grey eyes darkened. "It belonged to one of the founders of the Erhtheas Kingdom. The first leader of the Moon Tribe."
She took a breath, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"It is called Lunae Caelestis, the Celestial Moon. But it is known by many names: The Silver Dusk, The Weaver of Tides, and the Blade of the First Night."
The name hung in the air, heavy with history.
"Describe it," Zarethis demanded, her curiosity piqued. "What does it do?"
Elara closed her eyes for a moment, as if recalling an ancient text.
"It is a longsword forged not from metal, but from solidified moonlight," she described, her voice taking on a reverent tone. "The blade is translucent, a pale, shimmering silver that seems to ripple like water when it moves. The hilt is wrapped in the hide of a moon-wolf, and the pommel is a single, large pearl that glows with a soft, internal luminescence."
She opened her eyes, looking at us.
"But its power... its power is what makes it terrifying."
Elara leaned forward, her hands clasping on the desk.
"You know that the elves are divided into tribes based on their connection to the elements and the celestial bodies. The High Elves of the Sun Tribe draw power from the daylight, their magic burning and purifying. The Dark Elves of the Shadow Tribe draw power from the absence of light, their magic stealthy and corrupting."
She pointed a finger upward, toward the ceiling, as if pointing to the sky.
"But the Moon Tribe is different. They are the bridge between day and night. They draw power from the reflection of the sun's light, the moon."
She continued, her voice intense.
"Lunae Caelestis is said to be the source of the Moon Tribe's founding power. It doesn't just cut physical matter; it cuts space and time, the blade can manipulate the tides of mana, severing the connection between a mage and their source."
She paused, letting the weight of the words sink in.
"Legend says that the first leader of the Moon Tribe used this sword to carve the valley of the Moon Tribe out of the mountains, not with physical force, but by shifting the earth's mana flow. It is said that under a full moon, the sword can reflect the light of the stars and teleport the wielder to any place the light touches."
I stared at her, horrified. "Someone stole a weapon that can manipulate space and sever mana connections?"
"And not just anyone," Kaelen added, his voice grim. "Someone who can bypass the King's own surveillance."
Elara nodded. "The most disturbing part is how they got it. The library is protected by barriers that have held for thousands of years. Ancient wards, woven by the founders themselves."
She looked at us, her face pale.
"According to the reports, those barriers didn't just fail. They were nullified. Disintegrated instantly, as if they never existed."
A silence fell over our group.
I looked down at my hands, thinking of the purple spatial mana I had seen swirling around Nibbles. I thought of the cyclone's red mana, and the void that had swallowed it.
The world felt suddenly much larger, and much more dangerous.
"Why?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "Why steal it now?"
Elara shook her head. "No one knows. But with a weapon like Lunae Caelestis in the hands of a thief capable of bypassing the Royal Library... it's only a matter of time before the peace of the kingdom shatters."