Three months had passed since the ceremony, and Draven was getting real tired of people looking at him like he was a kicked puppy."Careful with those," Elena said from his doorway, watching him stuff clothes into his travel bag like he was trying to murder them. "They're the only good clothes you have.""Does it matter?" Draven muttered, shoving a shirt into the bag with more force than necessary. "I'm the family embarrassment anyway."Elena's face softened. "You're still an Ashworth, young master.""Am I?" Draven held up another shirt, this one with tiny burn holes from his brother Garrett's training accidents. "Ashworths have power. I don't. I'm just... here."Elena opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, then closed it again. That hurt more than if she'd just agreed with him outright.The academy letter sat on his desk, already wrinkled from being read too many times. "Report to the Imperial Academy on the fifteenth day of the Fire Month...""It's not exile," he told himself fo

Draven woke up to Jin shaking his shoulder and sunlight streaming through their window."Come on," Jin said, already dressed and ready. "Entrance examination starts in an hour. You don't want to be late on your first day."Actually, being late sounds pretty good right now.But Draven dragged himself out of bed anyway, his stomach churning with nerves. The pendant under his nightshirt felt heavier than usual, like it was reminding him it was there.The academy's training grounds were even more impressive in daylight. Multiple arenas spread out across several acres, each one designed for different types of magic. There was a fire pit surrounded by heat-resistant stones, a water arena with pools and fountains, an earth circle covered in sand and loose rocks. The air arena was just an open field, but Draven could see wind barriers shimmering at the edges.And in the center of it all was the main platform where the entrance examinations were being held."Nervous?" Jin asked as they joined

Draven woke up feeling like a completely different person. The memories from the Memorial Garden were still there, settled into his mind like they'd always belonged. Fighting techniques from a dozen different masters. Tactical knowledge that could turn the tide of battles. And underneath it all, that warm ember of understanding about fire magic. Time to see if any of this is real, or if I just had the world's most vivid hallucination. Jin was already up and dressed, looking worried. "You were talking in your sleep last night," he said. "Something about swords and spirits. Bad dreams?" "Something like that." Draven stretched, surprised that his body didn't ache more after last night's... experience. "What's on the schedule today?" "Basic combat training for everyone. Even the theoretical students have to take it." Jin made a face. "Professor Elmsworth said it was academy policy. Everyone needs to know how to defend themselves." Perfect. They made their way to the training ground

The application went better than expected."Draven Ashworth and Jin Ironforge," the clerk had said, barely looking up from his paperwork. "Team applications for Whispering Catacombs investigation. Approved."Just like that. No questions about qualifications, no lecture about the dangers. Draven suspected his family name had something to do with it, but he wasn't about to complain.Now, three days later, he was starting to wonder if they'd made a huge mistake."You sure about this?" Jin asked for the dozenth time as they walked across the academy courtyard. "I mean, really sure? Because my mom always said—""Your mom also said earth magic was just 'moving dirt around,'" Draven interrupted. "And look how that turned out."Jin grinned. "Fair point."They were heading to the library to research the catacombs when they heard the commotion. Voices raised in anger, the sound of magic crackling through the air, and underneath it all, someone pleading."Please, I didn't mean anything by it—""

The deeper they went, the more wrong everything felt.The passage the spirits had opened led to tunnels that were definitely not on any academy map. The walls here were different—smoother, older, carved with symbols that seemed to move when Draven wasn't looking directly at them."Are you sure about this?" Jin asked for the dozenth time, his voice echoing strangely in the narrow corridor."No," Draven said honestly. "But I'm sure we need to be here."The pendant against his chest had settled into a steady, warm pulse. Not uncomfortable, but constant. Like a heartbeat that wasn't his own."The air's getting thicker," Lyra observed, creating a small wind current to test the atmosphere. "There's something... old down here. Really old.""Old and angry," Sera added. She was using her shadow magic to scout ahead, her form flickering between solid and translucent. "I can feel hostility in the darkness. Not from the spirits we saw before—something else."Somethin