After Ellie’s impressive demonstration and her unexpectedly revered lecture, the Academy wasted no time in assigning her a new task—leading a group of students on an expedition to the ancient ruins outside the city.

The usual guide, an expert in ancient sites, had fallen ill, leaving Ellie as their chosen replacement. The Academy saw it as a natural progression of her responsibilities, a way for her to further "impart her wisdom" to eager young minds.

The ruins were said to be the resting place of relics—artifacts of immense power that had once belonged to Lorthraine’s most legendary archmage. Most thought them nothing more than a fable, a tale to frighten young mages or inspire them to greatness.

But the Academy believed the ruins still held secrets, and now they expected her to uncover them.

Ellie stood at the edge of the Academy’s courtyard, staring out at the misty horizon where the ruins supposedly waited. Her heart clenched with dread. The stone towers and familiar bustle of the Academy seemed distant, comforting in their ordered precision. Out there, beyond the walls, was the unknown—untamed, dangerous.

“Lady Ellie?”

The voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to see Mariel, the same council member who had first brought her to the Academy, approaching with her usual grace. The blue of her robe shimmered faintly in the morning light, the silver trim catching on the mist. Mariel’s expression was carefully neutral, but Ellie could feel the weight of her scrutiny.

“I’ve gathered the students,” Mariel said smoothly. “They are eager to accompany you to the ruins.”

Ellie managed a stiff nod. “Right.” She glanced behind Mariel to where a small group of students stood, their faces bright with anticipation. She recognized a few of them from her lecture—the silver-haired girl who had asked about magic’s will, the dark-eyed boy who had pressed her about dragons. They looked up at her with an awe that made her stomach twist.

“They’ve been preparing for this field trip for weeks,” Mariel continued, her voice low, meant only for Ellie’s ears. “The opportunity to explore the ruins is rare. I trust you will guide them well.”

Ellie swallowed, her mouth dry. She hadn’t been given a choice in the matter. After the lecture—after the wards had reawakened—the Academy had wasted no time in assigning her this new responsibility. A field trip to the ruins. It sounded so simple, so harmless. But Ellie knew better.

Mariel’s eyes lingered on her a moment longer, sharp and knowing. “These students look up to you,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “They believe in you. Lead them safely, and they will learn much.”

Ellie forced a smile, though it felt brittle. “I’ll do my best,” she muttered, though the words sounded hollow in her ears.

What did Mariel expect? That she would somehow stumble into another miracle? She barely knew how she had survived her encounters with magic before, and now they wanted her to lead students through an ancient ruin filled with gods knew what?

Mariel dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment, then turned and left, her steps quiet as she moved back toward the Academy.

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Ellie watched her go, her chest tightening. She could feel the students’ eyes on her again, waiting. They believed in her, trusted her. And she had no idea how to live up to that trust.

Forcing herself to move, Ellie approached the group of students. “Right,” she said, her voice louder than she intended. “We’re heading to the ruins. Stay close, listen to what I say, and... we’ll be fine.”

The students nodded eagerly, their faces bright with excitement. They had no idea what lay ahead.

The journey out of the city was quiet, the streets growing narrower and more winding as they left the safety of the walls. The air felt different here, heavier somehow, as if it carried the weight of centuries of forgotten history. The mist clung to the ground, swirling around their feet, and Ellie couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, though she knew it was just her nerves.

The students chattered softly among themselves, their voices a low hum of excitement and curiosity. Occasionally, one of them would glance at Ellie, as if seeking reassurance, and she would nod, trying to look as though she knew exactly what she was doing.

As they neared the ruins, the landscape began to change. The cobbled roads gave way to overgrown paths, the trees growing taller and denser, their twisted branches arching overhead like skeletal fingers. The mist thickened, curling around the trunks of the trees and making the world feel smaller, more claustrophobic.

Finally, they reached the edge of the ruins.

Ellie halted, her breath catching in her throat. Before them, half-buried in the earth, rose the broken remains of stone arches and crumbling walls. Vines twisted through the cracks, and the once grand towers that must have stood here had long since fallen, reduced to jagged stumps. The mist pooled in the shadows of the ruins, thick and almost tangible, and the air hummed faintly with an ancient, slumbering magic.

The students fell silent, their wide eyes taking in the sight of the forgotten place. One of them, a young boy with sandy hair and a nervous look, whispered, “It’s even older than I imagined.”

Ellie nodded absently, her gaze fixed on the entrance to the ruins—a dark, yawning archway half-covered in moss. Beyond it, shadows stretched into the unknown, a labyrinth of stone and earth that felt more like a tomb than a place of learning.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was waiting inside, something that had been undisturbed for centuries. The air was still, too still, as though the ruins themselves were holding their breath.

‘What am I doing here?’ Ellie thought, her pulse quickening. She didn’t belong in this place. She was no scholar, no mage trained in the delicate arts of relic hunting. She had no spells to protect herself or the students, no intricate knowledge of the ancient wards that might still linger in the stones.

But there was no turning back now. The students stood behind her, waiting, trusting her to lead them.

Ellie swallowed hard and took a step forward, her boots crunching softly on the moss-covered ground. The ancient arch loomed above her, its stones worn smooth by time and weather, and she paused at the threshold, staring into the darkness.

“We go in,” she said quietly, though her voice trembled. The students gathered close behind her, their excitement tempered by a nervous anticipation.

As she crossed the threshold into the ruins, a chill ran down her spine. The air inside was colder, damp with the weight of years. The shadows seemed to shift and twist, alive in ways that made her skin crawl.

Ellie paused just inside the entrance, her hand brushing the worn stone of the archway, feeling the faint thrum of magic that still lingered there. ‘Whatever happens,’ she thought, ‘I need to get them out safely.’

Behind her, the students were still. They looked to her, waiting for direction.

Ellie glanced back, her gaze flicking from one eager face to the next. And then she turned, her heart pounding in her chest, and stepped deeper into the darkness.

The ruins swallowed them whole.