6

CfdLooking at the cylindrical item with a symbol on it, I could feel a strange aura emanating from it. It was a dark, aged metallic container with intricate embossing and golden embroidery. The edges of the item were reinforced with bronze, pointing outward.

The most striking feature was the magical energy emanating from its center—swirling, luminous purple light in the shape of a double helix or infinity sign. The light flickered and pulsed, giving the impression of being trapped.

"It came via her night owl," Gusto replied as he handed it to Professor Dawkins.

"Without any corresponding messages, I can only assume..." The old man collected the cylindrical item and continued, "She had to get rid of it quickly to keep it safe."

"Presumably from Dracongard," Gusto added. "I tried opening it, but it seems sealed by a powerful magic."

Upon seeing the metal, Professor Dawkins remarked, "It looks like dwarf metal." He moved his hand around the object, examining it closely.

I stared at the mysterious item and pointed out, "What's that glow?"

"What glow?" Professor Dawkins asked.

"I can see a glow around the symbol," I said, deciding to share my observation, as it baffled me that they couldn't see it.

"I don't see anything," the professor replied.

"I don't either," Gusto added, and I could feel both of their gazes lock onto me in puzzlement.

Professor Dawkins handed the item to me. As it sat between my hands, I felt a numbness, as though something was tugging at my psyche. I stared at it, unsure of what to do.

As I tried to touch the glow in the infinity sign, my hand caressed it, and it began to shine brightly. I didn't notice it immediately, but by the time I did, it had already unlocked and split open, revealing a golden key with the same double helix symbol at the tip.

"What in the hidden sages..." Gusto muttered. I was about to touch the key when Professor Dawkins suddenly stopped me, signaling for me not to touch anything.

"We don't know the origin—" Before he could finish his sentence, a loud crash reverberated through the carriage as half of it was immediately torn open.

The part where Gusto had been sitting opposite us was completely shredded. I covered my eyes from the dust and then opened them to see the outline of a giant dragon. Clutched in its teeth was Gusto's mangled body, along with a large chunk of wood.

From between its teeth, I could see his hands, bloodied, stretched out. The dragon opened its mouth and crushed his body along with the wood, continuing to munch on the remains.

I watched in disbelief as the dragon swallowed everything whole, the pained expression on Gusto's face still lingering as it chomped down.

Everything had happened so fast. The well-mannered, scholarly young man had become dragon food right before my eyes.

Before I could fully process what was happening, I nearly fell out of the open carriage, but Professor Dawkins grabbed my arm, pulling me back into my seat. I immediately held onto the gap in the middle to prevent myself from falling while gripping his hand.

The heavy wind blew as the half-carriage floated in the sky. I heard howling, and when I looked back through the gaps in the carriage, I saw a large wall of four dragons with dark, scaly wings speeding toward us.

Like the first, the lead dragon had a dark, evil grin. Its mouth was wide open as it approached, followed by the others.

There was nothing we could do. As the dragons were about to collide with us, Professor Dawkins shouted, and I saw the carriage driver jump out of the carriage before disappearing into the wind.

We plummeted downward, falling quickly. At some point, the item had fallen out of my hand, and I saw the key descending rapidly.

"The key!" I shouted, reaching for it, but it was falling faster than I could catch it.

Looking at Professor Dawkins, who was falling beside me, I saw him eyeing the key as it descended. He looked at me and shouted, "Give me your hand." I managed to stretch my hand toward him, and after a moment, I locked hands with Professor Dawkins.

I could feel the sharp descent of the dragon approaching us, and suddenly, the key disappeared, landing in his hand.

In that moment, darkness seemed to engulf us as we continued to fall, heading straight for the mouth of the giant dragon.

Just before the dragon was about to close its mouth and swallow us, I felt a vast pulling force. My mind spun, and my vision turned dark, as an illusory sensation overtook me.

The carriage had already taken off, and the inside was as stable as if we were still on the ground. From the windows, I could faintly see the clouds as we passed by them quickly. Since it wasn't my first time in a flying carriage, I wasn't at all flustered; in fact, I felt relieved. Flying carriages were one of the safest means of transportation, with very little that could affect them mid-air. Not to mention, they were much faster than other modes of travel.

"So, I heard you went to Brimstone. How was it?" Gusto's voice broke through my thoughts. "Did you meet any visionaries? I'd love to hear about the experience."

Professor Dawkins shook his head. "Barely," he said. "But I doubt the visionaries stay outside the main city. I didn't happen to meet a single one on the outskirts."

Gusto nodded and leaned back. "Come to think of it," he continued, "who is your new traveling companion?" His gaze lingered on me.

I was about to say something, but Professor Dawkins beat me to it. "A new student," he explained briefly.

"A new one?" Gusto asked, his interest piqued. He looked at me, and I quickly responded, "Yes, sir. I'm starting as a fifth-year."

"How extraordinary," Gusto muttered, a peculiar look on his face.

"Indeed," Professor Dawkins said. "None of the faculty may have ever heard of someone being admitted into the Academy Spire so late."

"Nor have I," Gusto replied, glancing at me before turning back to Professor Dawkins. "As you know, all the other students would have been honing their magic skills for almost four years now. The professor has asked me to train our young lad here and bring him up to speed."

He turned to me and smiled. "You're a lucky one, young lad. You couldn't have asked for a better mentor. Not only is he a master of his craft, but his ability to flawlessly communicate the art of Runecasting also makes him a great teacher."

Professor Dawkins waved a hand at him. "Oh, stop it. As you can see, our dear Gustav here is prone to flattery." He chuckled. "It's one of the reasons he's risen so high in rank, despite being such a young man."

There was a short silence before Gusto turned away and pulled out a stack of newspapers. He handed one to Professor Dawkins. "Have you seen this?"

Professor Dawkins took the newspaper and started browsing through it. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at the page. A large humanoid figure dominated one section—its face resembled that of an oak, with long horns protruding from the back of its head. The figure's large build was covered in thorns, which grew from its jaw. The black-and-white photo almost seemed to come alive, its piercing gaze seemingly staring right through the newspaper, giving off a devious smile. I shuddered in awe, quickly looking away.

I calmed myself as I remembered seeing these magical newspapers before. Unlike regular papers, these were imbued with magic, showing moments from the past as if they were happening in real-time.

Professor Dawkins spoke again. "Although opinions differ, not many believe the Dracongard is a significant threat."

I continued staring out of the window, distracted. Something distinct in the clouds caught my attention, but I couldn't make out the silhouette clearly. I turned my focus back to the conversation.

Gusto, continuing his earlier topic, said, "Although I wasn't able to convince my colleagues, I personally believe the Dracongard is a major threat. It was your wife who alerted me to his activities months ago."

"Flora," Professor Dawkins said, his tone filled with melancholy and concern.

Gusto sighed. "She wrote to me about his activities just before... What happened to her. She asked me what the ministry planned to do about him."

I watched them both, noticing their solemn gazes. I didn't know who Professor Dawkins's wife was, but from the way they spoke about her, it was clear something bad had happened. She was either deceased or in a dire situation—though it was more likely the former.

Before I could share my condolences, Gusto added, "She entrusted me with this," pulling something out of his bag and placing it before Professor Dawkins and me.

I squinted at the object, my curiosity piqued. " This is..."