“Ryan! Come over here for a second.”Ryan had just returned to the dormitory area after dinner when Caleb Morgan called out to him from the lounge.He had actually planned to go straight to his room and sleep.But when he saw who was sitting with Caleb, he changed his mind.Five other people were in the room. Ryan recognized their faces from various freshman gatherings, though he wasn’t particularly close to any of them.Acting Class Captains from other groups.Apparently, without anyone planning it, the temporary leaders of each group had begun forming their own small circle after the Monthly Exam.Ryan was actually

News that Ryan Volde would be leaving Blackthorn temporarily spread far faster than he had expected.By the time Ryan finally closed the door to his room, the Blackthorn Network was already overflowing with speculation.Some students thought he was being punished because of the Monthly Exam.Others believed he had been expelled from the academy for missing too many classes because of Felix Arden’s experiments.The most popular theory, however, was much closer to the truth.Ryan would return to the old world, then travel to Argent Academy and possibly enter Asterra.For freshmen, that last part sounded almost impossible.They had

“Don’t touch anything if you still want to reach the old world in one piece.”Felix Arden gave the warning just as Ryan was about to approach one of the runes embedded in the massive iron gate.Ryan immediately pulled his hand back.“Is it really that dangerous?”“This is the Teleportation Court. Why do you think there are so many guards?”A black steel gate stood before them, even taller than Blackthorn’s main entrance. More than a dozen attendants in dark robes guarded both sides, while defensive runes covered the surrounding walls and floor.Ryan and Felix had already gone through nearly fifteen minutes of inspection before they w