chapter 10

Three weeks had passed since my match with Marcus, and our life at the academy had settled into an exciting and challenging routine.

Morning classes were with the regular first-year students, but the afternoon was the Honors Program with Professor Stormhammer.

"Today we're going to learn something different," the professor said, leading us into a part of the academy we'd never visited before.

"Tracing the Magical Relic and Uncovering Hidden Magic!"

We were in an underground area, ancient stone passageways lit by dim magic spheres. The air was cool and filled with a dense and complex magical energy.

"This is part of the old academy," the professor explained.

"Two hundred years ago, when the new academy was built, these tunnels were abandoned. But they're perfect for training because they're filled with ancient magical relics."

I secretly activated the "Sacred Eye of the Spirit" skill, and I saw the place in a completely different light. Threads of ancient magical energy flowed through the walls like luminous veins, and in some places, there were energy pools indicating the presence of hidden objects.

"Your mission today is simple," the professor said with a sly smile.

"I've hidden five magical objects in these tunnels. Use your senses and abilities to find them. You have two hours."

"Are we working as a team?" Drakken asked.

"Of course. Cooperation is an important part of training."

The professor left us alone at the beginning of the tunnel, with a simple map and a single magic lantern.

"Okay,"

Iliana said, studying the map.

"The tunnel branches into five paths. Perhaps each path contains one object?"

"Makes sense."

Draakken agreed.

"But how do we detect hidden magic?"

I used the Holy Eye again and peered deeper into the tunnels.

"There's a way. Ember and Luna can sense magical energy in different ways. Fire detects active energy, and light detects hidden energy."

"Great idea!"

Iliana said.

"Luna, can you help us?"

The small spirit of light flew from Iliana's shoulder and began to glow with a different light, softer but deeper. Suddenly, we saw faint threads of light extending through the tunnel.

"!"

"!"

"Amazing!"

Draken said.

"I can see the energy paths now."

We began following the paths, and soon found our first object—a small ring hidden in a cavity in the wall, protected by a magical barrier.

"How do we break the barrier?" Iliana asked.

"Let me try something," I said.

I focused with Ember, and we used a new technique we'd learned.

"Ember, the Flame of Purification."

Instead of a normal flame, Ember produced soft golden flames that melted the magical barrier without damaging the ring.

"Great!"

Draken said.

"One, four to go."

We found the second and third with relative ease, but the fourth was more difficult. It was hidden behind a magical puzzle—a wall containing various symbols, and we had to arrange them in the correct order.

"These are the symbols of the four elements,"

Iliana observed.

"Fire, water, earth, air. But how do we order them?"

She looked at the puzzle, remembering a bit of history. "In ancient magic, there was a specific order of elements used in rituals. Fire first, then air, then water, and finally earth."

We tried this order, and the wall slowly slid away, revealing a beautiful necklace of precious stones.

"Four!" Iliana said with delight. "Only the fifth!"

But the fifth was different. According to the Holy Eye, it was hidden in a place that didn't appear on the map—a narrow side tunnel that wasn't charted.

"That's strange,"

I muttered.

"The professor didn't mention any parts outside the map."

"Maybe part of the challenge?"

Draken suggested.

"A real exploration test?"

We entered the narrow tunnel cautiously. It was older than the other sections, and the magical energy here was... different. Stronger, but also darker.

"I feel uneasy,"

Iliana whispered into the darkness.

"This place doesn't look like part of the Academy."

She was right. As we delved deeper, I began to see disturbing things with the Eye of the Holy Spirit—trace of ancient dark magic, strange symbols etched into the walls.

"!"

Suddenly, we heard voices coming from the depths. Human voices speaking in whispers.

"We must retreat,"

Draken spoke, his hand moving toward his sword as he sweated.

But my curiosity was stronger than my caution.

I cautiously advanced toward the source of the voices, my friends hesitantly following.

We arrived at a large alcove illuminated by a dim red light, and what we saw made us freeze in place.

Five masked figures were standing around an ancient stone table, on which lay a collection of rare and dangerous magical objects. They wore black robes with strange red symbols.

"The last shipment of spirit stones has arrived,"

one of them said in a gruff voice.

"We can now begin the second phase of the plan."

"That's good,"

Another said, his voice sounding disturbingly familiar.

"Soon, we'll be able to extract the spirit power from the students without anyone noticing."

My heart stopped. These weren't just intruders—they were planning something terrible against the academy students!

"When do we start the exams?"

A third asked.

"Next week,"

The familiar voice replied. "We'll start with the weaker students, those who won't be missed quickly. Then we'll work our way up to the stronger ones."

I tried to see the speaker's face, but the mask and the dim lighting made it impossible.

But the voice...

Where had I heard it before?

"What about the new honor students?"

A fourth asked.

"Shadowwind and his friends?"

"Those will be very useful,"

The main speaker said with a cold laugh.

"Their spiritual power is high, and they have strong connections with their souls. They'll give us enough energy for months."

I felt a wave of terror and anger.

These criminals were planning to drain our spiritual power!

Suddenly, Ember moved without my asking her, emitting a faint flash of anger. Fortunately, no one in the group noticed, but it reminded me that we were in real danger.

I signaled my friends to stand back, and we began to cautiously sneak out of the tunnel.

But just as we were about to reach the main tunnel, we heard footsteps behind us.

"Who's there?!"

An angry voice shouted.

"Run!"

I shouted.

We sprinted through the tunnels, the sounds of the chase growing closer behind us.

Ember and Luna lit the way ahead, while we heard magic spells being cast behind us.

"There!"

We reached the secure zone where we'd left Professor Stormhammer. But he wasn't there.

"Where?!"

Illyana shouted in panic.

"To the Main Academy!"

I replied, and we headed for the stairs leading up.

"Huh, huh, huh?"

We arrived at the Academy buildings, panting, our hearts pounding. I looked behind me, but saw no sign of our pursuers.

Huh... huh!

"Do... do you think they followed us?" Illyana asked breathlessly.

"I don't think so,"

Draken said, scanning the entrance.

"Maybe they don't want to expose themselves at the Main Academy."

"We should tell one of the professors!"

Illyana said.

"These people are dangerous criminals!"

"Yes, but who?"

I said worriedly.

"One of them sounded familiar. What if there's a spy at the Academy?"

This silenced us all.

The idea that a professor might be involved was terrifying.

"Professor Stormhammer,"

Draken said finally.

"We can trust him. He's the one who selected us for the advanced program."

I agreed, but part of me was still skeptical.

In a world filled with magic and intrigue, no one can be completely trusted.

We found Professor Stormhammer in his office, engrossed in grading exam papers.

When he saw us rushing into his office, pale and terrified, he dropped everything and stood up.

"What happened? I looked for you in the tunnels but couldn't find you."

"Professor,"

I said quickly.

"We found something scary in the tunnels. Masked men planning to harm the Academy students!"

His expression immediately changed from worried to serious.

"Sit down and tell me everything. Every detail."

We told him what we had seen and heard, and as we spoke, the professor's face darkened.

"This is very dangerous,"

He said in a low voice.

"Spiritual stones, power extraction... these look like Soul Hunters."

"Soul Hunters?"

"Yes."

The professor nodded.

"But if they're operating from within the academy, then they have help from within."

"That's what we fear,"

I said.

"One of the voices sounded familiar, but I couldn't tell who!"

The professor stood and began pacing around his office.

"This changes everything. I can't tell any of the other professors without being certain of their identity."

"So what do we do?"

Draken asked.

"First, this remains a secret between us only,"

the professor said firmly.

"Don't tell anyone else, not even your closest friends. Second, you will continue your normal routine, but with extra caution."

"And third?" I asked.

The professor smiled, a smile that wasn't entirely reassuring.

"Third, we'll set a trap for these criminals. But that will require you to be the bait."

He looked at all of us.

"Are you ready for this?"

"..."

I looked at Illyana and Drakken, and saw the same determination in their eyes that I felt.

"Ready," we said together.

But as we left the professor's office, I felt a chill run down my spine. A feeling that we were being watched, that the real game was just beginning.

That night, I sat in my room trying to sleep, but my mind was filled with questions and worries.

Ember hovered anxiously around me, sensing my tension through our bond.

"Everything will be okay," I told her, but I wasn't entirely convinced by my words.

Outside my window, I saw shadows moving in the academy garden.

Maybe it was just a few late students, or maybe...

Maybe our hidden enemy was preparing its next move.

Deep in my heart, I knew the coming weeks would be more dangerous than anything we'd faced so far.