After stepping through the portal, the first-years emerged into a vast clearing ringed by towering trees whose canopies stretched high above them like a natural wall. Sunlight poured down mercilessly from a sky where the sun hung unnaturally high, its heat pressing against their skin with an intensity that felt jarringly out of place. The contrast was sharp—only moments ago, it had been morning within the academy grounds, yet here it felt closer to midday, as though time itself had shifted slightly the instant they crossed over.
"Is it just me," Dylan said slowly, turning in a lazy circle as he surveyed their surroundings, "or does this place feel a lot like Vlardia?" His tone carried a hint of unease, memories surfacing of the realm the academy had once sent them to for their midterm examination, where they had been forced to survive for five grueling days.
