---
The journey back to the academy was slow and cautious. Fowad's Chaos Eye scanned the surroundings constantly, ensuring they weren't being followed.
The forest seemed eerily quiet, the tension from the battle still lingering in the air.
When the academy's walls finally came into view, a collective sigh of relief swept through the group.
"We made it," Helena said, her voice soft but filled with relief.
The familiar gates of the academy loomed ahead, their towering iron bars casting long shadows in the fading evening light.
Fowad's group trudged through, their steps heavy with exhaustion and defeat. The injuries of Liam and Mira weighed on all of them, a constant reminder of the toll the mission had taken.
Students milling about in the courtyard froze at the sight of the battered group. The whispers began immediately, hushed murmurs rippling through the crowd like wildfire.
"Are they injured? What happened?"
