Puppet in Disguise

On the inside of the academy, Zayn was standing at the entrance to a sizable structure the next afternoon. With ivy growing up the sides of the brick walls, it was run-down but somehow charming. A location where secrets might be safely concealed in full view.

Zayn heard the happy banter of a small group as he pulled open the massive door. Three people sat at a table covered in documents and maps, each of them seemingly normal in their own right. As soon as he stepped inside, they looked at him with mild interest.

"Ah! The new recruit!"

Zayn eyed her warily. 

"Thea, I presume?"

She grinned. 

"The one and only. Welcome to the Adventure Club. You're going to love it here, or hate it. Either way, you'll find out soon enough because you're just someone that Trinity recommended to us."

The thing that Trinity whispers before to Zayn was to join the Adventure Club so they can both keep an eye contact.

Zayn remained motionless while he looked around the room. The gathering was more relaxed than he had anticipated. He brushed back the growing glimmer of doubt in his chest. It wasn't simply about joining some adventure club he had a purpose for being here.

The other 2 members then walks towards him and introduces himself, Zayn play along and just started acting like the goody to-shoe he is, and introduces himself as the heir of the Magi clan making the three of them surprised that they got a member from the Magi clan.

They then immediately started a mission but Zayn just kept eyeing Trinity, they gathered around the table once more. The map of the The Eldoria Archivum was before them, and the buzz of excitement they had changed into shocked faces.

Because Trinity brought them a map of a place that was just a fantasy to other people but the agents in EIHO knew that they were real and Trinity has one and decided to use it to test the abilities of the people around him.

As the map of The Eldoria Archivum unfolded on the table, the tension in the room increased. It's edges glistened slightly, as if the paper on which it was printed had a latent, ancient power. With his fingers aching to touch the table, Zayn leaned over it, but he restrained himself and concentrated on the responses of those around him.

The other three exchanged looks of disbelief. Their casual demeanor had shifted, the weight of what they were seeing settling on them like a physical presence. The Eldoria Archivum wasn't just any place it was a myth, a legend whispered about in the deepest circles of the most secretive organizations.

It was said to house the knowledge of the world itself, locked away behind countless layers of magic and traps. No one was ever supposed to find it, and even fewer were ever meant to enter.

The other three looked at each other incredulously. Their laid-back manner had changed as the reality of what they were witnessing began to weigh on them like a physical burden. The Eldoria Archivum was more than simply a location; it was a legend and a story that was discussed in the innermost reaches of the most covert institutions. It was believed to contain the world's information, hidden behind innumerable levels of traps and sorcery. It was never intended for anyone to discover it, and even fewer were intended to go inside.

Kiri finally spoke, breaking the silence that had gripped the room. His voice was steady, though his eyes betrayed his shock.

"This is…The Eldoria Archivum? You've found it?"

Trinity nods, others were confused on how did he get it but didn't pay attention and instead just focuses on the map. Luke's eyes shines on the map because he knows about the Archivum.

"Knowledge...Power...The Archivum has been a focal point for scholars, mages, and secret societies for centuries. Those who have tried to enter haven't always come back..."

Others got quiet on the last term he said but quickly made a plan on still going because they want to see about the fantasy place the knew and always heard in the books. They plan on heading out on dawn, they all accepted it but some of them have a mix of excitement and fear in their eyes...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the group stood atop the mountain, the wind howled around them, a cold bite in the air that made the silence feel even more oppressive. The landscape stretched out before them, jagged cliffs and dense fog shrouding the distant valley below. But none of them were looking at the view. Their eyes were fixed on what had materialized in front of them an enormous mansion, its towering silhouette casting a long shadow across the mountain's peak. The mansion was no illusion, It was real, and it had appeared the moment they reached the apex of the mountain, as if the very world had shifted to accommodate their arrival.

A massive door stood at the mansion's entrance, wrought from dark, ancient wood. Its design was intricate, covered in symbols that seemed to pulse with a faint glow. Zayn's pulse quickened, and he couldn't suppress the unease that crept up his spine. This was it the Eldoria Archivum.

Trinity, who had been quietly observing the mansion, finally broke the silence. 

"This is the place," 

he said in a voice calm, but his gaze sharp. 

"Prepare yourselves. Once we enter, there's no turning back."

The others nodded in unison, their expressions a mix of resolve and excitement. Kiri checked the straps on his pack, while Thea adjusted her gloves, her eyes scanning the surroundings as if expecting something to jump out of the shadows at any moment.

As the group advanced toward the door, a big hole suddenly appears infront of it sucking them inside the mansion.

And with that the game had begun...

Shadows clung to every corner, and the faint, of glow of strange symbols illuminated the path ahead. The group had barely taken a few steps before the atmosphere shifted before the quiet was broken.

A weak growl echoed from one of the darkened hallways, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

The floor suddenly shifted in multiple spots, exposing hideous, twisted beings monstrous creatures with crimson, glowing eyes and jagged claws. With a cry, the first one sprang forward, its sharp teeth gleaming in the low light.

The five of them suddenly got separated with the group being Kiri and Luke, Thea and Zayn and Trinity being gone without them noticing.

Luke, always the first to charge in, slammed his longsword into the chest of one of the creatures, knocking it back with a powerful blow. Kiri, on the other hand, was more calculated. His dual katana sliced through the air with controlled swipes, each move designed to disarm or disable. The air around him shimmered with a strange power as he slashed the air around making aome of them got knocked back.

Meanwhile, Thea danced through the chaos with a grace that defied the carnage around her. Her staff whirled through the air, a blur of motion as she effortlessly blocked and struck at the oncoming monsters. The end of her staff crackled with energy, and with a powerful thrust, she sent one creature flying backward, its body colliding with the far wall. But there were more. Always more.

Zayn stood to the side, watching his companions fight with impressive skill. But unlike the others, his power came not from physical weapons, but from within. He extended his hand, and with a focused thought, a burst of raw energy shot out from his palm, slamming into one of the creatures that had charged at him. The monster screeched as the energy wrapped around it, sending arcs of electricity crackling through its body, before it collapsed in a heap.

Suddenly A second wave of monsters appeared, bigger, stronger, and more vicious. Zayn clenched his fist, gathering the magic around him, and in a sweeping motion, he released a wave of force, knocking several creatures back. He didn't wait for them to regroup. With another motion, a glowing sigil appeared beneath his feet, and he launched himself forward, his hands crackling with raw magical energy.

"They just keep coming!," 

Luke shouted, his breath panting because of the intense battle. He swung his sword again, sending another creature flying into the air.

The creatures weren't done, though. As they closed in, their movements growing more erratic, Zayn's magic pulsed with an undeniable intensity. He raised both hands, focusing all his energy into a single, massive blast of magic that erupted from him in a wave of air ball. The blast surged through the remaining monsters, engulfing them in an explosion of energy that sent them flying backward, their bodies crumbling into nothingness.

But even as the last of the monsters fell, Zayn's eyes locked onto Trinity, still standing in the shadows ontop of the mansion, his expression unreadable. Zayn felt a flicker of doubt, something gnawing at the edge of his mind. Was this all part of the test? Or was Trinity testing him in ways he couldn't even begin to understand?

The group stood together, breathing heavily, covered in sweat and the remnants of battle. The creatures were gone, but the air felt thick with anticipation, as if the mansion was waiting for something more.

Trinity appears at there back who has a sweat on his forehead but look calm

"Not bad...these things put up a fight"

The three then started celebrating but Zayn's heart was racing while looking at Trinity because he knew there were more. The moment they started celebrating they suddenly heard a large thud. They look around the place and saw at the ground a strange figure.

The light clears out and they saw a robotic spider looking at them, they got confused on why a spider looking robot was infront of them, then suddenly a strong wind approaches them making all of them get thrown away. Before they could hit the wall it suddenly opens swallowing them.

A quick spark then suddenly appears in the sky...