Chapter 25: Shadows of the Coming War
—Narrated by Eli Whitmore
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After the ruins and the third seal, we returned to the Arcane Institute. It was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that made the hairs on your neck stand up—not peaceful, but the kind of hush before a storm.
We were back, yes. But we weren't the same.
Not after everything we had faced.
The moment we stepped onto the academy grounds, I felt something strange. Like the sky itself was watching us.
Still, for a day, we let ourselves breathe.
Just one day.
---
The Return and the Rest
Luna stretched her arms as we passed through the main courtyard. "I never thought I'd miss this place. Even the library smells comforting."
Felix chuckled beside her. "If I hear one more riddle or trial command, I swear I'll turn into a sentient puzzle box."
Ryker tossed his bag over his shoulder. "That could be useful in combat, actually."
Draven smiled faintly. "Or really, really annoying."
I caught Thorne's eye. He gave me a tired but soft smile. We were all tired.
But we were together.
Back in our dorms, the warmth of familiar beds wrapped us like a memory. Even if we knew this peace wouldn't last.
---
The Dream of Seraphina
That night, the dreams came again.
I was standing in the middle of a silver forest, where trees glowed with starlight. A soft wind carried whispers. One word repeated again and again:
> "Gate... Gate... Gate..."
And then she appeared.
Seraphina Whitmore.
Dressed in robes woven from moonlight, her eyes full of gentle sadness.
> "Eli," she said. "The final gate is close. But its path is buried in the Weeping Hollow. The seal of balance lies beneath its roots."
> "You must not walk alone. When the Umbrawraiths rise, the darkness will seek to divide you. That is their curse."
> "The final gate is not just a place. It is a moment of choice."
And then she touched my forehead.
A pain seared through me, like light carving itself into my soul. I gasped.
I woke up covered in sweat.
And the air in the room had changed.
---
The Umbrawraiths Attack
Screams.
From outside.
Felix and Ryker were the first to bolt upright. Luna ran to the window.
"Shadow creatures..." she whispered. "All over the campus grounds."
I rushed to the door. "Everyone, get ready. They're here."
Thorne appeared in the hallway, already armed with his shadow blades with dust smoke. "They moved fast. We must protect the west wing. That's where the junior wards are."
We ran.
The courtyard, so calm before, was now torn by chaos. Black shadows with hollow eyes and shifting bodies moved like smoke, clawing at anyone in their path.
"Umbrawraiths!" I shouted.
One turned to me. Its body twisted unnaturally. It whispered in my mind:
> "You carry the light. But it will betray you."
I struck it with a burst of light magic. It screamed and vanished into ash.
Around me, Luna created a barrier of crystalline air to protect a group of students.
Draven fought back-to-back with Thorne, combining darkness and shadow blades like a whirlwind of sharp, cold justice.
Ryker use his strength to knocking up the creatures while Felix burned them with golden runes etched in the air.
We fought like a team.
But there were too many.
And the sky was turning blacker by the second.
---
The Vision Within the Fire
Then I saw it.
The main fountain in the courtyard suddenly burst into a pillar of flame. In its heart, I saw a glowing image.
The Final Gate.
A giant door carved with celestial and shadow symbols, suspended between two moons.
And behind it, me.
Older.
Broken.
Alone.
"That's not the future I choose," I whispered. I closed my eyes and I whispered the incantation about light magic. "Potentia lucis in me erit scutum meum, et alios proteget." ("The power of light within me will be my shield and it will protect the others.")
A light burst from me, repelling the Umbrawraiths like a shockwave.
We bought enough time for the professors to arrive. Headmaster Alaric himself emerged in a blazing chariot of light, banishing the shadows in all directions.
The battle was over.
But the war had begun.
---
Aftermath
We sat on the steps, bloodied and tired.
"So... they know we're close," Felix murmured.
I nodded. "They tried to stop us before we could even search the Weeping Hollow."
Thorne touched my shoulder. "Your dream... It wasn't just a warning, was it?"
"No," I whispered. "It was a map. And a choice."
Luna stood. "Then we need to move before they strike again. We go to the Weeping Hollow."
Everyone looked at me.
And I knew.
The journey had begun.
But the war is not end.
---
To be continued...