"The headmaster assigned us a secret mission?" Jin's eyes were wide with excitement as Draven briefed his friends in their dormitory room. "Us specifically?"Lyra Stormwind, her blonde hair pulled back in a practical braid, looked more skeptical. "Why would he choose first-years for something this important? There are plenty of senior students with more experience.""Maybe because we're expendable," Sera Nightwhisper suggested, her voice characteristically soft yet pointed. The shadow mage lounged in the corner, half-hidden as always, her silver eyes missing nothing."Or maybe," Jin countered, "it's because we've proven ourselves already. The catacombs, remember? We did what senior teams couldn't."Draven spread the headmaster's map on his bed, weighing down the corners with books. "Whatever his reasons, this is our assignment. These tunnels beneath the Imperial City—we're supposed to investigate energy fluctuations that might be connected to the Shadow Moon Sect."His friends gathere

The cafeteria was buzzing with its usual noise, but Draven's table sat in tense silence. They'd grabbed a corner spot away from the other students, their food getting cold as they replayed what had happened in the underground chamber."We got lucky," Jin said finally, stabbing at his potatoes. "Those Shadow Moon guys could have killed us.""Lucky?" Lyra shook her head. "Did you see how they fought? That wasn't random. They knew exactly what they were doing."Sera nodded, her silver eyes scanning the room. "Professional. Military-level coordination. We were out of our league.""We are lucky we were able to run away,"Draven pushed his food around his plate. The pendant felt heavy against his chest. "They mentioned fragments. And masters. What do you think they meant?""Nothing good," Jin muttered. "And they'll be back. People like that don't just give up.""So what do we do?" Lyra asked. "Report it to the academy?""And tell them what?" Sera raised an eyebrow. "That we were exploring f

The old training ground was deserted when they met that night. Moonlight cast long shadows across the worn practice dummies and cracked stone targets. Draven arrived first, his stomach churning with nerves about what he'd have to reveal.Jin showed up next, carrying a small bag. "Brought some food," he said awkwardly. "Figured this might take a while."Lyra came jogging up a few minutes later, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, had to sneak past the hall monitor."Sera emerged from the shadows like she'd been there all along. "Everyone ready?"They sat in a circle on the grass. For a long moment, nobody spoke."So," Jin said finally. "Who goes first?""I will." Sera's voice was steady. "I suggested this, so I should start."She told them about growing up in a family where trust was earned through blood. About learning shadow magic not from books but from masters who disappeared if you failed their tests. About always feeling like she was being watched, judged, tested.But when it came to

The ice sentinel was massive, easily three times taller than any of them. It looked like it had been carved from a single block of glacier ice, its surface so clear they could see the rock wall behind it. But as they approached, the thing's crystalline eyes tracked their movement."Is it alive?" Jin whispered."Define alive," Sera replied, her hand moving to her daggers.The sentinel stepped forward with a sound like breaking glass. Its voice was the grinding of glaciers, deep and ancient."Who seeks entry into this sacred grounds?"Draven stepped forward, trying to keep his voice steady. "We do. We seek the trials of Ice War God Glacius.""Many seek. Few are worthy." The sentinel's head tilted, studying them. "Why should the caverns accept you?""Because we're strong," Jin said, though his voice cracked slightly.The sentinel's laugh was like an avalanche. "Strength of body is nothing here, earth-shaper. The cold will freeze your bones regardless of how strong you think you are.""Th

The passage opened into a vast chamber filled with towering walls of ice. But these weren't ordinary ice formations - they were mirrors, perfectly smooth and reflective, arranged in a complex maze that stretched as far as they could see."Great," Jin muttered. "A maze. Because this wasn't complicated enough already.""At least we can see where we're going," Lyra said, studying the mirror walls."Can we?" Sera asked quietly.She was right to be suspicious. The mirrors showed their reflections, but like everything else in the caverns, the images were wrong. Some reflections moved independently, waving when they stood still. Others showed them as different people entirely - older, younger, wearing different clothes."Don't trust what you see," Draven warned as they entered the maze. "These mirrors are trying to trick us."The passages between the mirror walls were narrow, forcing them to walk single file. Draven led, followed by Jin, then Lyra, with Sera bringing up the rear. Their foots