Maya kept the original notes while Mara made copies. By the time they were ready to leave the old facility, the institute had contacted the families and arranged for every student to be checked.One boy from another group needed a scraped knee cleaned. Julian’s casting arm trembled when he tried to lift his bag. A nurse sat him down before he could insist that he was fine. Maya accepted a second cup of water and stayed beside Nina until their vehicle arrived.Kael had his shoulder checked again. He had avoided further injury, but the nurse reminded him that this did not mean it had finished healing.Elena met them at the institute. She held Maya close before asking what had happened, and Maya put her face against her mother’s shoulder. For a while, she did not try to explain anything.The following morning’s practical classes were canceled. Students could speak to a counselor, and anyone still sore or shaken could ask for another medical check. The notice about the retired facility wa

Maya kept her hands away from the narrow box beneath the lamp. She could still feel magic there, though the broad glass face above it remained dark.The examiner waited across the table with her pen ready. Behind a low rail, Thomas and Elena had taken their visitor seats. Maya heard her father settle his cane beside his chair, but she did not turn around.“The label says it’s safe,” Maya began. “Does that mean I’m supposed to treat it as empty?”The examiner pointed to the instructions beside the tray. “Safe to inspect under these conditions. The cover stays locked, and the teacher operates all test controls. Your task is to check the description, not simply repeat it.”Maya read the white label again. No active output. It did not say there was no magic anywhere inside.The teacher beside the switch rested a hand on the closed control box. “Every sample in this room was prepared and checked before the examination. You may ask for any of the listed tests. You will not be asked to open

Kael loosened his grip on the result sheet. The examiner’s question was reasonable. A student had performed a repair with unusual control, and the man wanted to know where he had learned it.“I learned the principles before I came to the institute,” Kael answered. “During preparation, I worked out how to use them on this kind of plate. I developed the repair for this examination.”The examiner glanced at the small diagram in Kael’s notes. “Through a previous teacher?”Kael kept his voice calm. “I’d rather keep my earlier history private. But I can explain every part of the work I did here.”Maya stood beside Elena without speaking. Kael did not look to either of them for help.The examiner closed the folder. “The work is what we’re certifying. If we need anything else for the record, we’ll ask.”Director Bell moved aside to let a teacher carry the cooled plate back to the equipment bench. The conversation ended without a false name or a story Kael would have to remember later.When th

Kael reached for his mother’s hand. His fingers passed through the light, and the wooden table remained solid beneath it.He tried again, more slowly, though he already knew what he would find.Kael looked into her face. “Can you hear me?”The image did not turn toward his voice. Her hands remained folded in front of her, and her eyes held the same position. She was looking at a place where he had not yet stood when she spoke these words.His mother’s recorded voice continued. “I have left this message for you alone. Anyone outside the crystal’s protection will be able to see you, but they will not hear what I tell you.”Kael lowered his hand. She was not here. The small movement of her mouth, the sound of her breathing between sentences, even the concern in her face had been kept inside the crystal long ago.Beyond the clear barrier, Mara was speaking to Maya. Kael could see their mouths move, but heard nothing. He lifted one hand to show that he was unhurt, then turned back before h

Kael arrived in the fifth realm beside an empty well. His mother's crystal dipped below its broken rim, drawing a white spark out of the dark. No guards waited here. He let the fragment enter his chest, kept his hand against the stone until it settled, and stepped into the next crossing.Black Sky Peak was waiting. The warning from the collection yard would reach whoever guarded the pieces still ahead of him.The sixth realm brought him to a shallow cave. Water dripped near the entrance, but the floor at the back was dry. Another fragment rested there, caught in a split stone.This one pulled harder than the others.Kael crouched as it rose toward him. The moment it touched his chest, pain spread beneath his ribs. He drew on his growing reserve, trying to push the returning power into place.The pain sharpened. His hand struck the floor, and the crystal flashed beside his face.His mother's recorded voice filled the cave. “If the joining hurts, stop pushing. Hold your magic still. The