Chapter 14: Missing students

A hush of uncertainty settled over the academy as the outside howled, rattling the very foundations of the grand institution. It was a night like no other a night where the air itself seemed alive, pulsing with an unseen force. The sudden gusts of wind had swept through the halls, scattering loose parchments and dousing candle flames, plunging parts of the academy into flickering darkness.

Gasps of surprise had echoed through the corridors as students clutched their books and belongings, wide-eyed with confusion. Teachers, seasoned in dealing with the occasional magical disturbance, found themselves exchanging uneasy glances. But before anyone could issue an explanation, a single cry shattered the murmur of uncertainty.

"The Headmistress! Someone help!"

The voice belonged to a young apprentice who had ventured near the headmistress's chambers. Within moments, Professor Eldrin, the senior instructor of magical theory, was already moving, his long robes flowing behind him as he strode toward the source of the disturbance. The door to Headmistress Valeria's office was slightly ajared, creaking eerily as he pushed it open.

His breath caught in his throat.

Valeria lay motionless on the cold marble floor, her usually composed figure unnervingly still. A faint, eerie glow pulsed around her, casting long, shifting shadows against the walls. It was unlike anything Eldrin had seen before.

"Headmistress!" he called out, quickly kneeling beside her. His fingers sought her pulse weak but steady. She was alive. But something was wrong. The air around her hummed with dark energy, as if some unseen force had left its mark.

By now, other teachers had gathered outside, whispering anxiously. Professor Lysaraa, a specialist in enchantments and protective magic, pushed forward.

"What happened to her?" she asked, her voice tight with concern.

Eldrin shook his head. "I don't know… but something is very wrong." His gaze flicked to the large arched windows, where the winds still raged unnaturally.

Lysaraa exchanged a worried glance with Variana, the academy's combat magic instructor. "She needs medical attention immediately. We have to stabilize her."

Eldrin didn't hesitate. "Take the headmistress to the healer at once. Ensure she is watched closely, and inform me of any changes."

Two teachers carefully lifted Valeria, carrying her away with urgency. Eldrin then turned to the remaining staff.

"Ring the bells. All students are to return to their dormitories at once. No exceptions. Any missing students must be reported to me immediately."

Lysaraa gave a sharp nod. "I'll organize a headcount and check each dormitory personally."

"Good. Move quickly," Eldrin ordered. His fingers tightened around the staff he carried, its worn wood humming faintly in response to his unease. The energy in the air was unnatural, foreign. He had been at this academy for decades, yet never before had he sensed a shift like this.

Lysaraa disappeared down the hall, as she set off to check on the students. The minutes that followed were filled with anxious silence, broken only by the distant ringing of the academy's warning bells.

When Lysaraa returned, her expression was grim. "Some students are missing she said, how many students are missing,he asked," she said, with her voice low. "Six students are missing Aria, Jax, Lila, Mira, Riven, and Eryn."

Eldrin grip on his staff tightened. "That many?" His mind raced. "This isn't a coincidence."

Variana exhaled sharply. "Six students vanishing at the same time? Where could they have gone?"

"We need to find them immediately," Eldrin said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Search every corner of the academy. We must ensure their safety."

Despite his commanding words, a gnawing feeling settled in his chest. Something was very wrong.

The academy stood in an unnatural hush, the usual crackle of torches and distant murmurs of students absent. The only sounds were the howling wind outside and the hurried footsteps of the professors, their search beginning with urgency and fear 

Professor Eldrin and Lysaraa were the first to arrive at the library, the last known location of the missing students. The heavy oak doors groaned as they pushed them open, revealing rows upon rows of towering bookshelves, their leather-bound volumes untouched. The grand chandeliers overhead flickered with candlelight, but an unsettling chill had settled over the space.

"Lets spread out," Eldrin ordered, his voice cutting through the thick silence.

Lysaraa moved quickly between the long wooden tables, her sharp eyes scanning for any sign of struggle a fallen book, an overturned chair, anything that would suggest where the students had gone. But the library was pristine, every object in its place.

"If they had been taken, there would be signs," she murmured. "This… this feels different."

Eldrin trailed his fingers over the smooth surface of a desk, pausing. It was cold. Too cold. Normally, if students had just been here, there would still be lingering warmth where they had sat.

"They didn't leave in a rush," he said grimly. "They weren't taken by force. They either left willingly… or something lured them away."

A draft slithered through the library, rustling pages and making the torches waver. Lysaraa shivered, casting one last look around.

"They're not here," she confirmed.

Eldrin gave a slow nod. "Then we keep searching."

At the Courtyard and the Fountain

Variana led another group toward the academy's courtyard, where the great stone fountain stood at the center, its cascading water illuminated by the moonlight. The grounds were empty, save for the occasional rustling of the hedges in the wind.

"Search everywhere," Eldrin ordered, his gaze sweeping across the darkened garden. "If magic is involved, the signs won't be obvious."

Two professors split off, checking the hedges and the stone pathways leading toward the training grounds. Variana circled the fountain, his hand brushing against its cool stone. The water should have been rippling gently in the breeze, but instead, it was perfectly still.

Frowning, he dipped his fingers into the pool. The moment his skin touched the surface, a sharp, unnatural cold shot through him, forcing him to yank his hand back.

"Something passed through here," he muttered, flexing his numbed fingers. "Something… not natural."

A faint ripple spread across the fountain's surface, as if something unseen had moved beneath it. Variana tensed, waiting but nothing happened. The water remained eerily calm, offering no answers.

He exhaled sharply. "They're not here."

One of the professors returned, shaking his head. "No tracks in the garden, no sign of movement near the walls. It's like they vanished into thin air."

Variana clenched his jaw. "Then we keep looking."

At The Dormitories

Professor Lysaraa stormed through the dormitory halls, her expression tight with worry. She knocked on doors, checking rooms one by one, questioning any student still awake. But no one had seen Aria, Jax, Lila, Mira, Riven, or Eryn.

"You're sure they didn't return here after the library?" she asked a nervous apprentice, who clutched his blanket tightly.

"I… I don't know," the boy stammered. "I saw them earlier today, but not after that. They just… disappeared."

Lysara's lips pressed into a thin line. She turned to another student, standing uncertainly in the hallway. "Did you notice anything strange tonight?"

The girl hesitated, then nodded. "The wind. It seems unnatural. Right before the bells rang."

Lysara's stomach twisted. "Keep your doors locked. If anything unusual happens, come straight to me."

The students nodded, their fear evident. Lysara turned on her heel and hurried back toward the main hall.

Eldrin, Variana, Lysara, and others reconvened in the academy's entrance hall, frustration evident in their expressions.

"They're not in the library," Eldrin stated.

"Not in the courtyard," Variana added.

"Not in the dormitories," Lysaraa confirmed.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them. Then, Lysara took a slow breath. "Unless they found something we don't know about."

Eldrin's eyes darkened. "And what could that be?he asked confusion written All over his face.

Eldrin rubbed his temples, frustration evident in his furrowed brows. "We've searched everywhere, and there's no sign of them," he muttered, glancing at Professor Lysara, who stood beside him with arms crossed.

"Then we wait until Headmistress Valeria awakes up," Lysaraa said firmly. "She might know something we don't."

Variana exhaled sharply. "We can't just sit around.and wait for the headmistress,The longer they're missing, the worse this gets." She turned to the gathered staff. "We need to find a trace anything that tells us where they went. Question the students. Someone must have seen them last."

Miss Cathy, the librarian, hesitated before speaking. "They were last seen in the library, weren't they? Perhaps we missed something there."

Eldrin nodded. "Agreed. Cathy, check the library again. Look for anything unusual."

"I'll question the students," Lysara added. "If anyone saw them leave or heard anything strange, we need to know."

"I'll check the surrounding grounds again," Variana said. "We might have overlooked something."

With that they dispersed, hoping to find the missing students 

Academy Infirmary Late Evening

The room was dimly lit, the scent of healing herbs lingering in the air. The soft crackling of a lantern was the only sound as Headmistress Valeria'seyes snapped open.

She blinked in confusion, staring at the ceiling before pushing herself up on the cot. Her head ached, and for a moment, she couldn't recall how she had ended up here.

"What… am I doing here?" she murmured, her voice hoarse.

A healer, startled by her sudden movement, rushed to her side. "Headmistress, you're awake! Please, don't strain yourself."

Valeria's sharp gaze locked onto the healer. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A few hours. We found you collapsed in your office."

The headmistress frowned, the memory returning in fragments. She had been reviewing something—something urgent. Then… darkness.

"The students…" she whispered suddenly, her heart pounding. "Where are they?"

The healer hesitated. "They… they're missing, Headmistress. The professors have been searching everywhere."

Valeria swung her legs off the cot, ignoring the dizziness that followed. "No," she muttered. "No, no, this isn't right." She clenched her fists, trying to steady her breath.