Kaitri sat with Varik on one of the cold, stone benches, his back straight and his eyes scanned the assembly hall. The vast chamber, usually echoing with the footsteps of hundreds was feeling unnervingly intimate. It held only the thirty students chosen for the expedition, yet the tension was so thick it was almost suffocating.
Along the upper galleries and lining the walls of the dais, the entire academy staff was present. Kaitri recognized Professor Vale, his arms crossed with an unreadable expression.
He saw Professor Obi, standing as still as a statue with a silent presence. He even saw figures he'd only glimpsed before — the stern-faced quartermasters from the armoury, the pale, quiet librarians, and, most bizarrely, there were two Elven chefs in tall white hats, standing stiffly at the very end of the staff lineup.
'What is this?' Kaitri thought, his unease growing. 'Why are the cooks here? Are they expecting to prepare a victory meal, or just identify the bodies?'
Headmaster Jonesy stepped onto the dais. His usual, almost forced, warmth had returned. He smiled at the thirty students, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Thank you all for getting this far in your academics. It feels like yesterday when you were fresh and green," he began, his voice echoing in the quiet hall. "I hope you have learned a lot from your teachers. We've pushed you, we've tested you, and you have persevered. Today's orientation is also a celebration. We are not only addressing you as our students, but as the heroes of the next generation."
He clapped his hands twice, clearly a signal for something.
The Elven chefs, who had been perfectly still all moved as one. They bowed, then turned to the bare walls of the hall. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Their hands began to move, fingers tracing intricate patterns in the empty air.
Kaitri watched, his scepticism warring with his curiosity. The chefs were Eldran, Otherworlders—or O-Ws, as the academy slang went. He knew they, like Jenny, could interact with Resonance without a Bounded spirit, but this… this was something else.
Silver-blue light flowed from their fingertips, painting the stone with quick, complex runes. The air crackled. A deep hum, like a massive engine waking up, vibrated through the floor.
The hall reacted.
The stone walls groaned, not in protest, but in movement. The high, vaulted ceiling shimmered, the stone seeming to liquify and flow upwards, reforming into ornate, gothic arches. The flat, practical benches the students were sitting on suddenly dissolved.
"What the hell?" Zeren Veylan yelped, jumping to his feet as his seat melted from under him.
A few other students scrambled up, their expressions a mix of shock and awe. The floor rippled, stone tiles shifting and re-settling into a polished, black marble. The benches didn't just disappear… they were reformed. They flowed like liquid wood, rising and twisting into thirty high-backed, throne-like chairs, each one carved with the crest of the academy.
Kaitri and Varik stared at each other as the very structure of the room expanded, stretching to the size of a castle's great hall.
"This hall always gives me the creeps," Varik said.
"Yeah, same," Kaitri thought, his mind struggling to process the sheer, casual display of power. This wasn't combat magic. This was spatial sorcery on an architectural scale. "What are they getting at? This is just a week's expedition."
The rumbling stopped. The transformation was complete. The once-austere hall was now a grand banquet chamber. In the centre, a long, wooden table had risen from the floor, laden with food. Steam rose from silver platters, and the air filled with the rich scent of roasted meats, exotic spices, and sweet, baked bread.
"Whoa!" Varik breathed, his eyes wide as dinner plates. He pointed at a massive, glistening roast at the centre of the table. "Is that… is that an Earth-stock Auroch? Holy! I've only seen those in archives! They had to import that from Earth! The shipping contracts alone must have cost a fortune." He leaned closer to Kaitri, whispering conspiratorially. "The beast that meat is from is also rumoured to produce the tastiest milk, I promise. My granddad told me stories."
Headmaster Jonesy waited patiently for the murmurs to die down. When they did, his smile was gone. His expression and voice became stern, the warmth vanishing as if it had been a rune-craft illusion.
"I do not know what you think this is going to be when you signed the form to get here," he said, his voice cutting through the hall. "But I will let you understand that this expedition might claim some of your lives. As a matter of fact, some of you are not going to return."
The rich aroma of the food suddenly seemed mawkish, sickening.
"But don't worry," Jonesy paused, gesturing to the two teachers who had remained standing. Professor Obi and a tall, slender man with sharp, intelligent eyes. It was Professor Tai Young, the head of the Rune Theory department.
Jonesy explained that the expedition would be overseen by these two. They were both Diaphanous-ranked, masters of their respective fields.
Their presence was a formality, a requirement by the Concord for any off-campus student activity, especially one involving a high-risk zone like the Darkwood.
"They will not be leading you," Jonesy stated flatly. "Most of Professor Obi's advanced combat class is on this expedition, and Professor Tai Young's second-year students are busy with their own resonance calibrations. Their only job is to protect you from certain death. A stray Fragment, you can handle. A pack of Strikers, you can handle. If a Dominion-class creature happens to wander by… they might intervene. If they are in the vicinity."
He let that sink in. The message was clear: you are on your own.
"You will be grouped into five teams of six. You will have one week to achieve your goal while surviving the harrowing creatures of the Darkwood. The rift that opened recently was unexpected, but our Guardian division has confirmed the fissure is closed and the primary threats have been purged. You will be dealing with the... leftovers."
He smiled, but it was a grim, humourless expression. "Your goal is to hunt. Each team will be assigned a target. You will use your knowledge to find food, make traps, and complete the goal before the others. The teams will gather Momento Sinew for points. The higher the rank of the creature killed, the greater the points."
A holographic board lit up behind him. Fragment: 10 points.Warden: 15 points.Striker: 50 points.Sentinel (Primary Target): 100 points.
"The student who deals the final blow to a target," Jonesy continued, "receives a significant academic grade boost. This grade, as you know, determines your ranking at the end of this year. It determines what level of support from the Houses you will receive, and which scouts will be watching you during the Resonance trials. Just because you are a noble from a House does not mean that House will accept you as their Resonant. Houses have standards. Meet them."
Kaitri felt a cold, sharp smile touch his own lips. 'A big personal score.'
He could work with that.
"There are measures in place to monitor and grade each of you."
Kaitri's gaze drifted to a figure standing in the shadows near the staff entrance. Vice Headmaster Penny Darman. She was a short, severe woman who could only be described as a stereotypical witch, right down to the pointed nose and the perpetual scowl.
She was also, as his Aunt had warned him, one of the most terrifying scouts in House Annex, with a career spanning over a hundred years. Her ability was the stuff of legend: she could disperse her consciousness into a flock of crows, scouting entire planets.
"Don't worry," the headmaster said, as if reading their minds. "She only scouts the real threatening creatures in your vicinity, not the actual groups. She won't know whatever goes on between you guys. That's it."
The hall became profoundly solemn at that realization. Kaitri's mind seized on the loophole instantly. 'She's not watching us. The teachers will only intervene for 'certain death.'
This wasn't just a survival test. This was a political one.
In a battle for their futures, where a single grade boost could mean the difference between being a House champion or a forgotten footnote, some students would definitely compete. 'Is this why most people here knew each other? Did they really pick based on performance, or another criterion?'
He had no doubt that teams were already being formed based on House alliances, not just friendship.
After a few more formalities, the spectacle ended. The thrones and banquet table remained, and the students were allowed to converse before heading to the transport bay.
Kaitri, Varik, and Jenny immediately formed a tight huddle near the door.
"This is bad," Kaitri said, his voice low. "We need a plan."
"What's bad? A free-for-all in a monster-filled forest? Sounds like my kind of party," Jenny grinned, already eyeing the roast.
"Think, Jenny," Kaitri snapped. "Look around. Cassian is already with his buddies. That dumbass, Stefan. That's a bunch of people who already hate us... Well… me. We stick together, the three of us, and we're a target. We're Varik (the info-guy), Jenny (the rune-nerd), and me (the Annex brat). That makes us a threat to a weak team and a juicy target for a strong one. We'll be hunted from both sides."
Jenny's grin faded. "So, what do you suggest? We split up?"
"Exactly."
"What? Why would we want to kill each other?" Varik asked, looking genuinely hurt.
"Not us, you idiot," Kaitri hissed. "Look around you! These people are trying not to disappoint their families. In two years, most of us will go our separate ways. Do you think Cassian, or his friends care who they step on to get to the top?"
Varik's gaze drifted across the room. He pointed with his chin. "Yeah, you're right. Paul, the Crowfolk. He's sus for real. Just look at him."
Kaitri and Jenny followed his gaze. The Corvian student, Paul, was sitting alone, happily gnawing on a massive roasted bird leg.
"He's eating a bird," Varik whispered, horrified. "That's just wrong. He's a cannibal. He'll definitely kill us without a thought."
"That's a chicken, Varik. He's a crow," Jenny sighed, rubbing her temples. "But Kaitri's right. This is a setup for internal conflict. So, what's the plan, genius?"
"We split," Kaitri said firmly. "We join stronger, more established teams. We make ourselves indispensable. We survive the week, meet at the rendezvous point for the boss, and we get out."
"But…" Jenny protested, "I'll need my guinea pig for experiments."
Kaitri scowled. "One, I am not your guinea pig. And two, it's just until we all meet and face the final boss."
"Not all of us," Varik stated, his voice suddenly grim. They both looked at him.
Varik closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head with a small, sad smile. "What will you two do without me? I got some insider info. The one Jonesy didn't read, I guess."
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a bare whisper. "The rift didn't just bring in random Dark-souled. It was a transport. They sent in a Striker-class creature, and it's still in there. There are two final bosses. The system is going to automatically assign three teams to the Sentinel's coordinates, and the other two… they get the Striker."
Kaitri gnashed his teeth, his fist clenching so hard his knuckles went white. "A Striker. They're sending first-years, most of them pre-Resonant, against a Striker. If they survive long enough… what a terrible trial."
"It's realistic, though," Jenny said, her voice cold and practical. "The world doesn't care if you're ready."
Kaitri looked at her and sighed, unclenching his hand. "You're right." He refocused. "This is what we do. The Sentinel is the real prize, but it's too high-risk. We aim for the Striker. Jenny, you're a top student in runes. You're valuable. You join Aris Veylan's team. She's smart, she's strong, and she'll want an asset like you."
"And us?" Varik asked.
"You're with me," Kaitri said.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Varik grinned.
"Plus, I know her…"
Both boys turned to Jenny, their expressions a mix of disbelief and pity. Aris Veylan was the ice queen of the first years. She was notoriously hard to approach and was always flanked by her twin brother, Zeren. Even Kaitri's brief, awkward encounter with her in the cafeteria had been a fluke.
Jenny just scoffed. "Please... Aris consults me for advice. We study together overnight in the archives. She finds my mastery of non-linear glyph equations 'stimulating.'"
"WHAT?!" the boys exclaimed in unison.
Jenny flipped her hair, her smirk insufferable. "I'll go implement the plan."
She sauntered off toward Aris, who was already deep in discussion with Zeren and Stefan.
As the day ended, the groups had been formed. Jenny was in with Aris. Kaitri and Varik had managed to pull together a team of four others which included, to Varik's horror, Paul the Crowfolk, who had simply walked up with a blank expression and said, "You two seem less likely to die immediately. I'll join you."
The transports were waiting, their engines humming a low, hungry tune. It was time to move to the Darkwood.