A few peaceful days had passed since the children stumbled into my domain, and to my mild disappointment, they hadn't destroyed anything—yet. But today, they finally made the decision to leave.
"Alright, we should get going," Lyrian announced, stretching his arms.
The others nodded in agreement.
I simply watched as they confidently strode towards the edge of the forest… and then promptly stopped.
Silence.
Reyna turned to Lyrian. "Uh… which way did we come from?"
Lyrian blinked. "I… think it was that way?" He pointed to a random direction that was most definitely not the way they had arrived.
Cailan crossed his arms. "No, no, we came from the west. That's north."
Darian sighed. "That's south."
Reyna paled. "Then where's west?!"
The realization hit all of them at once. They were lost. Again.
They had come into the forest through a warp space anomaly. Which meant there was no way to just 'walk back'.
A long pause settled over the group.
"…So… what now?" Lyrian finally asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. "You tell me. You were so determined to leave."
Cailan rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, Historias… buddy… sir… friend… wise forest dweller…"
I sighed. "Just say it."
"Can you get us out of here?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "And how were you planning to leave before asking me?"
Silence.
They avoided eye contact.
I exhaled. "Unbelievable."
Rolling my shoulders, I lifted a hand and snapped my fingers.
In an instant, space distorted around them, light bending as the magic activated. Before they could even process it, the forest vanished, and the next thing they knew—
They were standing right in front of Castellas Academy.
Their eyes widened.
Their jaws dropped.
Lyrian blinked, turning around to see the massive academy gates looming behind them. "Wait… hold on… WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
Cailan checked himself. "Did we… did we just… TELEPORT?!"
Reyna gasped. "Oh my gods, I think I left my hairbrush back there!"
Darian, the only one keeping his composure, rubbed his temples. "That's what you're worried about right now?!"
Lyrian threw his hands up. "Forget the hairbrush—HE JUST TELEPORTED US!"
I smirked, watching from a distance through a magical projection. "Ah, to be young and easily impressed."
With a flick of my wrist, I cut off the spell, letting them deal with their existential crisis.
It was always fun messing with the younger generation.
............
Silence.
The castle, once filled with the voices of children, had returned to its usual state—still, quiet, and unchanged.
As I walked through its halls, I noticed how different the air felt. The presence of others, however brief, had disrupted the monotony I had grown so used to. Now that they were gone, something about the silence felt… heavier.
I pushed the thought aside and resumed my routine—wake up, bathe, eat, train, research, repeat. It was the same pattern I had followed for centuries. But today, as I sat in the garden, feeling the breeze against my skin, an old thought surfaced.
Castellas Academy…
How had it changed? Who was running it now? Was it still following the vision I had set in place a thousand years ago?
A chuckle escaped me. I suppose a small visit wouldn't hurt.
As I entertained the thought, I suddenly recalled an old friend—the only one who had ever managed to track me down.
Aldren Vaelthorn.
I still had no idea how he did it. But our reunion 600 years ago was something I would never forget.
It had been an ordinary day. I was resting under a great oak tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it filtered through the leaves. The air carried the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers, and the distant chirping of birds added to the peaceful atmosphere. It was the perfect afternoon for a nap.
Then, the sunlight disappeared.
A shadow loomed over me, breaking my moment of peace. With a sigh, I cracked an eye open—only to be met with a familiar face.
Aldren.
Even after centuries, he was unmistakable. His long golden-blonde hair, tied loosely at his back, shimmered slightly in the patches of remaining sunlight. His emerald green eyes, sharp and piercing, stared down at me with a mixture of exasperation and mild amusement. He was clad in his usual high-collared black coat, silver embroidery lining the edges, a stark contrast against his fair complexion. He still carried himself with the same noble grace, but the firm set of his jaw told me he was far from pleased.
Arms crossed, he raised an unimpressed brow.
"Took me long enough to find you, you damn recluse."
I blinked, my lips twitching into a smirk. "Aldren," I greeted, stretching lazily. "I was starting to think you'd given up."
He scoffed. "As if I had a choice. Do you have any idea how much trouble you left behind?"
I grinned. "Enlighten me."
He did. And as I listened to his exasperated rant about all the chaos my sudden disappearance had caused, I found myself thinking…
It was good to see an old friend again.
.............