The corridors buzzed with chatter, but Seraphina barely registered it. She walked in silence beside Alessa and Thorne, her thoughts heavy. The day’s events replayed in her mind—the Flux Brush, her failure in Professor Lumiere’s workshop, and Umbra’s jabs. The words still echoed in her head, cold and cutting, a reminder that she was still falling short.

Alessa nudged her arm, her tone light but knowing.

“Forget about her. We’ve got cosmic secrets to unlock.”

Seraphina offered a thin smile, but the words felt hollow. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong here, not in this world of effortless brilliance. What’s wrong with me?

She wanted to be alone, away from their glances, away from Alessa’s persistent attempts at encouragement. She wasn’t sure if she could take hearing “it’s just a bad day” anymore. Wasn’t she past that? Wasn't she supposed to be mastering Lumina Arts by now?

“I’ll catch up,” she murmured, her voice quiet, almost lost among the crowd. Thorne opened his mouth to speak, but Alessa placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. Seraphina didn’t need to say more.

She veered off towards the eastern wing, where the air was cooler and the noise faded. The long corridors were quiet, lined with archways draped in velumroot vines, their silver tendrils glowing faintly. Seraphina brushed a finger along one of them, searching for a sense of calm. The vine hummed lightly under her touch, but the storm inside her didn’t subside.

She found an alcove tucked away from the bustle and slumped against the cool stone, feeling the weight of her failures still pressing on her. Enterprise Day had been a constant reminder of her inadequacies. The others had excelled, creating complex constructs effortlessly, while she… had barely managed to conjure a flicker of light. What was wrong with her? Was it that she just wasn’t good enough?

Then, a flicker of light caught her eye, sharp and sudden, breaking through her fog. She turned toward it, squinting as the glow spilled from a narrow corridor to her left—a passage she’d passed a hundred times without a second thought. But now, it drew her in.

It wasn’t much—just a faint shimmer in the shadows. But it felt... significant, as if something was calling to her, offering a break from the spiral of doubt.

Instinctively, she moved toward it, as if something within her recognized it for what it was—an escape, however fleeting.

Her steps echoed softly on the stone floor as she ventured down the corridor. At its end, an arched doorway opened to reveal a forgotten storeroom, its rough-hewn stone walls swallowed by creeping vines. The space was dim, but the vines gave off a soft glow, casting long shadows over shelves stacked with dust-covered relics and tools, some forgotten, some abandoned.

In the far corner of the room, half-buried under old burlap sacks, stood a stone pedestal. It was carved with intricate symbols, their faint pulse barely noticeable, like they were reacting to something in the air.

Atop the pedestal was a bronze sphere, its surface covered in intricate carvings that shifted and rippled with the flickering light from the Lumina crystals. It was beautiful—ancient, as if it had absorbed something timeless, some essence beyond comprehension.

Seraphina’s breath caught in her throat. Is this one of the artifacts Headmistress Magdalene mentioned?

Her hand hovered just above the relic, the warmth radiating from its surface almost too inviting. The warmth felt like a promise—something she had longed for, something that could finally give her the control she’d been searching for. But her fingers shook, uncertainty bubbling up.

What if this only made her chaos worse? What if, like everything else that had happened today, she was in over her head?

She hesitated, a flutter of doubt running through her veins. For a long, suspended moment, she simply stood there, caught between the desire to touch it and the fear of what might happen. She could almost hear her heartbeat in the silence of the room, pounding louder with each breath. Is this what I want?

She could feel the weight of her decision pressing down on her, but the pull from the sphere was stronger—irresistible.

Slowly, her fingers brushed the surface of the sphere.

The moment her skin made contact, a pulse of warmth spread through her veins, quick and sure. It wasn’t like anything she had ever felt before—no more struggle, no more chaos. It felt... steady, controlled, as if the turbulence inside her had finally found its anchor. For a brief instant, she thought she had found the peace she had been seeking, the control that had always eluded her.

She froze, her heart racing. What’s happening?

For a moment, everything around her seemed to fall away—the failure in the workshops, the rising tension in her mind—and the world felt calm, clear.

Her abilities had always been manageable, controllable. She had honed them, built them like a steady flame that could light the way in even the darkest of places. But now? Now it felt as though the chaos inside her was awakening. That deep, swirling current of unpredictability, like a storm brewing inside, suddenly rising to the surface.

She stepped back, her breath catching in her throat. And then the voice came—soft but unmistakable.

"Seraphina… we finally meet."

She spun around, her hand trembling.

“Who—who said that?” Her voice barely rose above a whisper, heart hammering in her chest.

The warmth still lingered, grounding her—for now—but it seemed to be slipping away. Then the voice came again, calm and steady, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

"I am Lumos. Guardian of Light. And you, Seraphina, will walk this path with me."

Her mind spun. Walk this path? But what path? Her power, once steady, now felt completely out of her grasp. Is this what Lumos means?

The golden warmth flared again, this time different—threads of light wound around her hands, glowing brighter with a raw, untamed energy. The air crackled with intensity.

"You feel it, don’t you?" Lumos’s voice seemed to hum with the energy around her. "The chaos that churns inside you? The Triumvirate—the balance between chaos, unity, and harmony—is awakening within you."

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Seraphina's breath quickened.

"But it wasn’t like this before. I—" She couldn't finish. The sphere in her hand pulsed with heat, glowing brighter with every second.

"You were never meant to remain static," Lumos replied, her tone steady but gentle. "You were chosen, Seraphina, not just for your light, but for the potential to unite the forces of the Triumvirate. Your power, like all Luminaries, is born from balance. But that balance begins within you."

Seraphina's head swirled, struggling to grasp Lumos's words. Balance? How could she even begin to understand it?

"The light within you calls to all three forces," Lumos continued, her voice both soothing and firm. "But you must learn to master it first—to control the chaos within, and align it with the balance and unity that you are meant to embody."

Seraphina’s hand trembled, the golden energy still flickering around her fingers. For the first time, she didn’t just feel overwhelmed by the power; she felt the weight of the responsibility she hadn't even known she was carrying.

"Will I be able to control it?" she whispered, uncertainty threading through her words.

"You must," Lumos replied simply, her tone unwavering. "But only by learning the truth of yourself. The Triumvirate guides you, but it is your light, Seraphina, that will lead the way. Walk this path, step by step, and you will find the balance you seek."

Her hand clenched around the sphere, and the energy began to subside, leaving only the echo of its warmth. The golden light still lingered inside her, a promise of something more, something unknown.

"What is this?" she whispered, more to herself than to Lumos. "What am I supposed to do now?"

A rustle came from the corridor behind her.

“Seraphina?”

Her breath hitched as she whirled around, her heart in her throat. Alessa stood at the edge of the corridor, framed by shadows, her expression sharp yet hesitant.

“What are you doing here?” Alessa asked, stepping closer, her voice quiet but edged with urgency, the glow from the nearby luminescent vines casting shadows across her features.

Seraphina hand closed around her satchel, instinctively pulling it closer. She slipped the relic deeper into its fabric, covering it with her sketchbook. Her smile felt forced, brittle.

“Just… exploring,” she said lightly, her voice unsteady. “I thought I’d check out this old room.”

Alessa’s gaze swept over the dust-covered shelves and faded tomes scattered about the space. Her brow creased.

“Exploring?” she echoed, skepticism lacing her words. “You’ve been off all day.”

Seraphina shrugged, trying to maintain nonchalance.

“I just needed a moment to clear my head. It’s been a rough day.”

Alessa closed the distance between them, her hair shimmering faintly in the low light, cosmic hues catching on the air.

“Sera,” she said quietly, the sharp edge softening, “I can tell when you’re hiding something. What’s going on?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Seraphina said too quickly, her voice tight. She took a deep breath, forcing the words out. “I thought I saw something down here. Turns out it’s just old junk. Nothing exciting.”

Alessa stared at her for a moment, her gaze unyielding. Before either of them could say more, the academy’s bells rang, their sound sharp and clear through the stone halls.

“All students are reminded to report to the Astral Auditorium within the next ten minutes for the collaborative task,” Headmistress Magdalene’s voice boomed, steady and resolute.

Alessa glanced at the hallway and back at Seraphina.

“We should go,” she said, her voice resolute but measured.

Seraphina nodded quickly, grateful for the distraction.

As they walked side by side, Seraphina couldn’t shake the feeling that Alessa wasn’t done with her questions—and that soon enough, her friend would press again.

“Oh, I left something in the studio,” Seraphina said quickly, offering an apologetic smile. “I’ll just grab it and meet you there. Save me a seat!”

Without waiting for a response, she stepped past Alessa, moving toward the eastern wing and the art studio. A wave of guilt washed over her, another white lie layered onto her thoughts. But she needed a distraction, and more importantly, she needed time to examine the relic in the light of day.

When she entered the art studio, the room bloomed with colour and the vibrant glow of unfinished Astralcrafted works hanging in the air. Easels stood at various angles, illuminated by the glow of distant lights. She closed the door behind her, grateful for the solitude.

The relic’s faint glow filtered through the fabric of her satchel, casting a pale light onto the walls.

“Lumos,” she said, pulling it free with trembling hands and placing it onto the edge of an empty easel. The glow from the relic spilled over her hands, the golden light soft yet undeniable.

“What am I supposed to do with you?”

Before she could finish the thought, the warmth returned—solid, familiar, and alive, wrapping itself around her like sunlight.

“Create.”

The voice was clear, simple.

Her fingers hovered above the relic, hesitant. Her mind felt like it was spinning, questions clawing at the edges of her thoughts. What did it mean? She had always struggled to connect her energy to her creations—her forms had been flat, unremarkable, even during the most focused efforts. But this... this felt different.

The light swirled beneath her hands, alive, as if waiting for her. She could feel it. The golden glow played across her skin, refracting into threads of blue and red, flickering and curling with a living, ethereal energy.

Create.

The word whispered through her mind, a voice as steady as her own thoughts. It wasn’t a command so much as an invitation, a question lingering in the air between her and the relic.

She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath, and imagined her power condensing into a radiant ball of light at her core. Gently cupping the sphere with both hands, she stretched her arms outward and opened her eyes. The light split into two glowing orbs, illuminating her palms and casting soft trails in the air. With deliberate movements, she began to shape the energy, letting it dance and shift like a painter guiding a brush across a canvas.

She swept her arms wide, painting a trail of gold that shimmered and swirled in the air. With smaller, more precise motions, she coaxed the glowing threads into a familiar form: the Celestial Sanctum, the tallest structure on her home island of Solyra. Its spires rose sharply, glimmering as if they belonged to the stars themselves.

The creation before her pulsed with energy, beautiful in its perfection. But as she stood there, gazing at it, a hollow fear settled deep within her chest. This power—her magic—had always been a source of instability. Was it really hers to control?

Seraphina pulled her hands back abruptly, the threads unraveling into motes of light. She stared down at the relic, her thoughts spinning. Frustration warred with excitement, but something deeper—a quiet, unshakable certainty—had taken root.

“I’ll figure this out later,” she whispered, her voice steadying. She had to get to the Astral Auditorium! She pulled her hands back and turned from the relic, frustration and excitement fighting for dominance within her.

But as she picked up the relic, she hesitated. Its pull was undeniable, like an invisible thread in her chest. She glanced at it again, the golden glow warm and alive.

Before she could second-guess herself, she slipped the relic into her satchel, tucking it securely away. She didn’t know what would happen if she left it behind, or what it meant to carry it with her, but she couldn’t resist the impulse to keep it close.

The sound of the academy’s usual life returned as she stepped into the corridor: distant laughter, footsteps, hushed conversations, and the steady creak of stone beneath movement. It all felt a little unreal, like waking from a vivid dream.

Lumos. She tried the name again under her breath. It held a strange weight—less like a name and more like a promise, a quiet tether to something powerful and uncertain.

Her shoulders squared as she moved toward the Astral Auditorium, and though her thoughts were still turbulent, she knew that whatever this path meant, whatever this relic meant, she would face it later.