The hall fell silent as everyone looked at Felix, Rowan, and Athena, their faces covered in blood. Flate and Thorn stood frozen, their hands also bloody from trying to clean Flint's wounds.
Thorn began to cry, and everyone's attention turned to him. He cried and cried, and then Flate hugged him. Even though Flate wanted to cry, he didn't want to break down in front of everyone. But eventually, he let the tears flow. Felix wanted to hug them both and say it was okay, but deep down, he knew that was a lie.
Then Professor Nightshade raised her wand and uttered "Azure Luminance." A faint glow emanated from the tip of her wand, and a little blood was cleaned off Flate and Thorn. She repeated the spell, and more blood was removed from Felix, Rowan, and Athena's faces. Finally, Professor Nightshade commanded, "Everyone, go to your dorms."
"And then she said, 'Flate, Thorn since the accident happened, we saw that your cave was a little... damaged. So, you guys have to stay here. What are your parents' magic lines so we can call them over the magic mirror?'"
Thorn cried, and Professor Nightshade said, "I am so sorry." Thorn wiped his tears and said, "I- It's okay."
She said, "We will find a room for you guys later, but for now, you have to sleep in the room with Felix and Rowan."
"And then Professor Nightshade said, 'Ethereal Conveyance,' and they were instantly transported to Felix and Rowan's room. Thorn was still shaking."
Felix began to talk, "Uh, the showers are nearby if someone wants to shower."
Then Athena said, "It is getting dark. I better get going." She stood up, walked toward the door, and opened it.
She slowly closed the door to avoid making noise and then walked straight to her dorm. Felix looked at Thorn and Flate and asked, "So, are you guys hungry?" Flate, who was very protective of Thorn and Flint, Flate looked at Thorn, and Thorn nodded. Felix said, "Okay, I'll get some food and snacks. Wait here."
Felix ran to the kitchen, which was big and spacious. He approached one of the workers and asked, "Uh, can I get food for five?" He paused, realizing he forgot to ask what they liked. "Uh, do you guys know what the 3V likes? Well, only Flate and Thorn since Flint is with the healer."
One of the workers screamed, "WHAT? FLINT IS IN THE HEALER'S ROOM?!"
The other workers looked like they didn't believe it. Felix said, "Yeah, something happened tonight that shouldn't have happened."
One of the workers said, "Wow, I never thought Flint would be the one needing the healer's room."
"Yeah, me neither," another worker added.
Felix asked, "But can you make something for Flate, Thorn, Rowan, and me?"
"Yes, we'll deliver it to your room," they replied.
"Awesome!" Felix said.
Felix went back to his room, where it was silent. Then Rowan said, "Should we play Run, Stay, or Magic?"
"Sure," Flate said, and Felix sat on the bed.
Rowan asked, "Hey mate, how are you?"
Felix replied, "Good, I just want to eat something."
"Yeah, me too," Rowan agreed.
Thorn then asked, "Who is starting?"
"Oh yeah, um, I'll start," Rowan said.
Rowan took his wand and said, "Ludus Evocare." A round, blue object appeared, opening to reveal a prompt: "Select the players." Rowan said, "Player Flameheart," and Felix added, "Player Ravenwood." Thorn then chimed in, "Player Evernight," while Flate said, "Player Silvermoon." Rowan commanded with his wand, "Play on," and the object turned green, indicating the game had begun.
The object asked, "Player Flameheart, run, stay, or magic?" Rowan replied, "I choose stay." The object displayed options and presented a wheel labeled "Stay." Rowan spun the wheel, watching as it whirled around until it finally landed on "Magic Run."
Thorn began to laugh and said, "Haha! You chose 'stay,' but you got 'run'!" He continued laughing, and Rowan's face turned red. He screamed, "Oh, bloody hell!" Thorn laughed even more at that, and Flate chuckled a little. Then the magic object allowed him to choose some items. Rowan said, "I choose the Diamond Broomstick that costs 6000 blue coins, please." He clicked on it, and the message appeared: "You have completed the purchase of the Diamond Broomstick, Player Flameheart."
At the start, Player Flameheart, then Rowan, teleported, but they could still be seen through a magic screen mirror that filmed everything. They heard Player Flameheart say, "If you are ready to race, then take your wand and say 'start'." Rowan followed the instructions and took his wand, saying, "Start." They heard the countdown: "1, 2, 3, GO!" Rowan sped up on his broomstick as they raced alongside nine other players. Felix screamed, "Come on, Rowan, you can do this!"
They heard updates: "Player Flameheart is in 5th place. Come on, dude, don't miss this!" Flate shouted. Rowan picked up speed, and soon they heard, "Player Flameheart is in 2nd place." "Yes, yes, yes!" they cheered. Then, they heard, "Player Flameheart is in 1st place. Congratulations, Player Flameheart! Wins 7000 blue coins." Rowan tried to show off, soaring up on his broomstick and making a victory lap before landing. He said, "Player Flameheart off," and the object responded, "Okay, Player Flameheart is offline now."
Certainly! Here's a revised version:
Then they heard a knock, and Rowan opened the door. One of the kitchen workers came in with snacks and food. Rowan thanked them, then looked at Thorn and Flate and asked, "Are you guys from the 3v?" Flate replied, "Uh, yeah." Then she screamed, "They're here! They're really here!" and ran to the kitchen.
Thorn looked confused and glanced at Flate, who also seemed puzzled. "What just happened?" Felix asked. "I don't know," Rowan replied.
"Anyway," Rowan said, "let's eat!" They all ate until they were full. Then, Thorn spoke up. "Uh, can we check on Flint? I'm worried about him."
"Yeah, sure," Felix said.
They arrived at the healer's room and saw a healer's assistant there. "Names and last names, please," she requested.
"I am Felix Ravenwood," Felix said.
"I am Rowan Flameheart," Rowan added.
"I am Flate Silvermoon," Flate stated.
"And I am Thorn Evernight," Thorn said.
The healer looked at them. "The 3V and the Emberforge kids," she observed.
She instructed them to follow her, and they walked with her until she opened a room. Inside, Felix saw Thorn lying almost frozen again. Flate hugged him tightly, reassuring, "He's going to wake up again."
Thorn nodded, then walked forward and sat down. He gently took Flint's hand and whispered, "It's gonna be okay, Flint. You know she didn't mean to. It's the magic. It's gonna be okay. Don't worry."
Thorn whispered in Flint's ears the entire time, so engrossed that he didn't realize how quickly time passed until the healer interrupted, saying, "It's time to leave now."
Thorn wanted to protest, but the healer advised, "It's better to let him rest. He needs his rest."
Reluctantly, Thorn stood up, and they walked back to Rowan and Felix's room. Just as they arrived, they heard Athena scream, "WHAT DA BLOODY HELL?!"
They found Athena lying on the ground, and another witch, looking nervous, stood nearby. She was also a first-year, the same age as them, only 13 years old. She appeared apologetic.
Athena screamed again, "WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU THINK IT WOULD BE OKAY TO SHOVE THE BOOKS OUT OF MY HANDS?!"
"I am so sorry," the other witch stammered. "It was dark, and then we bumped..."
Athena tried to pick up her books and noticed Rowan, Felix, Thorn, and Flate. She stormed off angrily to her dorm.
Felix sighed, "Ah, now we have to deal with that attitude tomorrow. Damn!"
"Let's go sleep now," Rowan suggested. "Yeah," they all agreed.
The next morning, they woke up to find Flint sitting on the bed, watching them the whole time. They all screamed in surprise. Flint, covered with bandages, laughed at their reaction.
Thorn hugged him tightly, and Flate joined in, wrapping his arms around him. Flint smiled, and Thorn said, "It was horrible when you were in the healer's room. We missed you."
"I missed you guys too," Flint replied warmly.
"And then Rowan said, 'Aren't you supposed to be in the healer's room?'"
"I sneaked out to see you guys," Flint admitted.
"But you have to go back to heal," Flate reminded him.
"I am. I just wanted to see you guys," Flint explained, and they hugged again.
Just then, Athena knocked and said, "Felix, Rowan, it's time to eat in the Hall of Feast."
"Okay, Athena, can you make space for us and the 3V?" Felix asked.
"Huh? But Flint is still in the healer's room, right?" Athena questioned.
"No," Flate replied. "He got out of the healer's room!"
"Oh, okay!" Athena exclaimed.
They changed quickly and headed to the Hall of Feast. Everyone looked their way, but no one said anything. Then, Flint overheard someone saying, "He's from the 3V, isn't he? Flint... Flint is so hot. He's a cutie," another girl commented.
They heard Athena calling them, so they walked over to her. She seemed to be pondering something before finally asking, "How old are you guys, Flint, Flate, and Thorn?"
"We are 13," Flate replied. "Well, actually, me and Flint are 13. Thorn is 14. But why did you ask that, if I may ask?"
"I just wanted to know," Athena responded.
Rowan teased, "Oh, your attitude from last night is already gone, huh?"
"I can't stay mad forever," Athena admitted.
"But sometimes it doesn't seem like that," Felix laughed.
"Oh, bloody hell, that is so not true!" Athena protested, crossing her arms. They all laughed at how Athena reacted.
And then Professor Nightshade came over and said, "Mr. Mystershade, come with me for a minute."
"Okay," Flint replied, and they walked into the professor's office.
"Mr. Mystershade, why did you leave the healer's room?" Professor Nightshade asked.
"I'm sorry, I wanted to see my friends," Flint explained.
"Don't worry about it. You can eat here, but make sure you go back to the healer's room afterward, okay?" Professor Nightshade instructed.
"Okay," Flint said.
She cast a spell, and Flint was teleported back into the Hall of Feast.
"How was it?" Flate asked, worried.
"It was good, don't worry about it," Flint replied with a smile.
Rowan looked at his schedule and exclaimed, "DAMN IT, I HAVE POTION LESSON!"
Felix groaned, "Nooooo, I have Arcane Studies."
Athena chimed in, "I have Alchemy."
"Which lesson do we have?" Thorn asked.
Professor Nightshade appeared out of nowhere and said, "You guys have Runic Magic. Good luck with it."
And of course, she disappeared again. "Damn, we have to go," Felix said.
As they walked, Felix bumped into another student. His books fell, and lucian snapped, "Watch where you're going, Ravenwood!" He picked up his books and continued on his way.
A professor then called out, "Welcome to Arcane Studies. Today, we are learning the history of magic. When did it all start? How did wizards and witches discover magic? Who found out there was magic, and does everyone possess it? I will give each of you a paper to write your thoughts on these questions."
Meanwhile, in Potions class, the professor welcomed them, "Today, you will be making a potion that induces laughter. The correct color for this potion is pink. Anyone who ends up with the wrong color will not be allowed to use the magic mirror for the entire day."
The students began to protest, but the professor cut them off, "I think I've made myself clear. I hope to see beautiful potions."
Rowan started gathering his ingredients when he noticed something strange. It was something he couldn't fully describe, something questionable, something he couldn't explain. And then
He saw big green eyes staring back at him, filled with madness. As he attempted to call out to the professor, the...