The stairwell spiraled downward like a spine carved from obsidian and moonlight.

Thorne moved in silence, bare feet brushing cool stone, the only sounds the whisper of his cloak and the soft hum of enchantments sleeping in the walls. High windows lined one side of the tower's curve, revealing the vast nothingness beyond, an endless, star-scattered cosmos suspended in perpetual twilight.

That was the thing about Umbra.

Everything here felt like dusk had been carved into stone.

Violet-flamed lanterns hovered in regular intervals along the inner wall, their glass casings etched with House Umbra's sigil: a candle burning in the dark. The flames didn't flicker. They pulsed, slow and rhythmic, like a heartbeat trying not to be heard.

When he reached the bottom of the stairwell, the arched entryway to the Umbra Common Room yawned open like the mouth of a cave lit by starlight.

The room beyond was round and warm in a quiet, eerie way.

Velvet shadows softened the walls. The ceiling was domed and enchanted to mirror the windowed sky, more cosmos, more stars, but these ones moved, swirling in slow, deliberate patterns that were almost meditative if you stared too long.

A few first-years wandered the room, still clearly in orientation limbo. One boy stood with his hands clasped behind his back, pretending to study a bookshelf while sneaking glances at a hovering snack tray. Two girls were crouched by the pond, whispering as a strange ripple disturbed its surface, something luminous and finned darting just beneath.

And tucked in the corner, framed by a half-circle bench and a low hovering table of crystal and wood, sat Lucien.

He was lounging with theatrical ease, surrounded by three older students, two men and one woman, all draped in carefully altered versions of the academy uniform. Their House mantles were pinned with silver cords, and their uniforms gleamed with threads of faint enchantment. One wore a gauntlet with opalescent etchings; another a sash woven through with sigils too old to be fashionable, which made them fashionable again.

Lucien spotted Thorne immediately.

He lifted a hand in a casual wave. "Silverbane."

Thorne padded across the stone floor, barefoot, the worn edges of Kerke's old trousers brushing his ankles. The borrowed cloak from Isadora hung clean and heavy over his shoulders, but underneath, he still looked like someone who'd arrived at a ball with nothing but a good story and a half-empty purse.

The moment he got close, the older students looked at him, not hostile, but not kind, either. Curious. Measured. Their eyes flicked down to his bare feet, then up to the cloak, pausing just long enough to register that nothing underneath matched it.

Lucien's smile curved slightly as he gestured. "These are some of my countrymen from Caledris, Arin, Vale, and Delessa. They arrived early this season. Apparently, the prospect of watching new students flounder was too tempting to resist."

The older students barely concealed their amusement. One of them, Arin, judging by the way he nodded without quite looking at Thorne, took a slow sip from his glass, his gaze drifting to Thorne's bare feet.

"And this," Lucien said smoothly, gesturing with the tilt of his chin, "is Thorne Silverbane. Apparently, the Ritual highlight of the year."

"More like the anomaly of the year," murmured one of the men, Arin, based on the lazy smirk.

The woman, Delessa, offered a nod, half-curious. "You made quite an impression. All that light. All that noise. tilted her head. I expected taller."

"Or cleaner," Arin added mildly.

Lucien gave them a look that might have been a warning, or just a nudge toward subtlety. "He's also the only first-year with more sponsorship offers than half the archmage council."

That earned a flicker of real interest from the group.

Thorne said nothing. He didn't sit.

"I have errands," he said instead. "Supplies. Uniforms. A wand. The basics."

Lucien raised his glass slightly. "Enjoy the chaos. Evermist's tailor district is a nest of vultures with good taste."

"I'll survive."

"I'm sure."

The older students returned to their drinks and half-whispered observations, already losing interest, as if Thorne had been catalogued and filed under curiosity, no immediate threat.

Thorne turned to leave.

As he stepped away, he caught a final glance over his shoulder, Lucien, already leaning toward Delessa with a conspiratorial smile, voice low and lazy.

Thorne shook his head to himself and left.

The staircase twisted upward from the Umbra common room like a thread being pulled taut.

Thorne climbed in silence, bare feet brushing stone worn smooth by centuries of steps. The violet lanterns that lit the halls below faded as he ascended, their glow giving way to the faint glimmer of natural light or something pretending to be.

Eventually, the narrow stair opened into a wide corridor of polished obsidian tile, its surface veined with glowing lines of silver and deep red. There were no windows, but light pooled from nowhere and everywhere, making the air feel somehow alive.

And ahead, waiting like the heart of the castle, was the Central Confluence.

Thorne stepped through the archway and froze. Earlier he didn't' have the presence of mind to register the room.

It was a massive chamber, circular and cathedral-high, and at its center lay a colossal wooden wheel, half-sunken into the floor. The wood was dark and ancient, carved so densely with symbols and sigils that they overlapped in layers, House marks, arcane glyphs, the names of gods long forgotten. It turned slowly, but not mechanically. It flowed, like it was being spun by the threads of fate themselves.

And as it turned, it wove strands of aether into the air, fine, glowing filaments that shimmered in gold, violet, red, and green. They drifted like spider silk caught in windless twilight, forming patterns he didn't understand but instinctively recognized as important.

Four arched bridges curved outward from the wheel's edges, leading in different directions. Each one bore a distinct House statue at its mouth:

Ignis: A lion with flames carved into its mane, eyes smoldering red.

Zephyrus: A silver-winged serpent, coils looped in elegant spirals that never quite stayed still.

Aegis: Twin stone guardians holding a shield between them, green runes glowing softly across their armor.

Umbra: A robed figure with no face, one hand clutching a book, the other a candle burning with violet fire.

The moment Thorne stepped onto the floor, his House insignia flared beneath him, a violet candle, glowing faintly between the tiles. It wasn't hot. It didn't cast shadows. But it felt... real.

Alive.

He stared down at it for a moment before stepping forward.

He didn't know where to go.

The Confluence wasn't a hallway or a room, it was a crossroads. One that didn't just ask where you wanted to walk, but who you thought you were.

Thorne moved cautiously around the edge of the wheel, the aether strands drifting close to his skin like threads trying to wrap around him. For a moment, he thought he felt one catch on his hand, not painful, just warm. Intimate. Like being seen.

He didn't like it.

He kept moving, the whisper of magic tickling the edges of his senses. There were no signs. No guards. No "this way, new students."

Just power. And watchers made of stone.

Eventually, he found the main corridor, the one that pulsed faintly with traffic, voices, footsteps ahead. The path widened and ascended again, past smooth pillars carved with flowing symbols he couldn't read. Light grew warmer. The air changed.

He reached a tall archway flanked by living torches that didn't burn, just floated, plumes of golden-blue fire suspended like feathers.

Then, finally, the main entrance.

Thorne stepped through the threshold and emerged into the central courtyard of the castle proper and had to pause again.

It was massive. Quiet, but not still, more like the silence of a temple before a ritual begins.

Towering spires loomed in every direction, each carved with a different architectural signature, some sleek and spiraling, others jagged and rune-covered, as if different centuries had collided and fused. Floating walkways arced between the towers like strands of silk. Stone balconies jutted out at impossible angles, and a flock of iridescent birds passed overhead, shifting color mid-flight like oil on water.

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The courtyard floor beneath him was patterned in concentric sigil-circles, worn smooth by time, yet humming faintly underfoot. Around him, students crossed paths in loose clusters, many of them already dressed in crisp uniforms, personal flair stitched boldly into their House mantles.

Students moved through the space like currents in a lazy river, groups flowing together, parting, recombining. Dozens of them, maybe more. Some stood by archways laughing softly. Others leaned over spell-scrolls or practiced casual aether manipulations in the open air: flickering lights between fingers, shifting the weight of their bags with floating glyphs, adjusting their uniforms with flicks of invisible thread.

They all looked… prepared.

Polished.

Even the first-years, still wide-eyed and overdressed, had the sheen of readiness. Some wore perfectly tailored robes, house insignias already embroidered in gold or steel thread. Others had gauntlets, cloaks, belts of tools or crystals, tokens of lineage, sponsorship, or just style.

One group of Zephyrus students drifted by like a cloud, their silver-trimmed uniforms shimmering faintly in the light. They barely spared Thorne a glance.

He pulled Isadora's cloak tighter around himself.

There were Ignis students near a firewell, an open brazier set into the ground, glowing bright red and surrounded by crackling sigils. A few sparred beside it with wand and flame, their laughter echoing like song and challenge in equal parts. At the far edge, two Aegis students stood in perfect stillness, arms crossed, flanked by floating training shields that hovered like sentinels. One of them nodded faintly to a passing professor who never slowed down.

And still, no one addressed him. Not directly. Not yet.

They noticed, though.

More than a few eyes flicked toward him: barefoot, dressed in worn clothes beneath a too-noble cloak, walking alone with the weight of something unspoken at his back.

He kept moving.

The courtyard's center was marked by a massive, multi-ringed sigil carved into the stone, a compass, a clock, a map. He couldn't tell. But it pulsed faintly beneath his feet, as if reacting to footsteps. Or bloodlines.

Around the courtyard, stone benches rearranged themselves when students passed, shuffling into new formations like they were eavesdropping on social cues. Trees grew in hovering marble planters, their leaves a silver-green that shimmered in response to conversation.

But it was the edge of the courtyard that stopped Thorne cold.

Not because of a wall. There wasn't one.

There was just the drop.

A sheer cliff stretched out ahead, no railing, no barrier, just a short rise of stone marked by ancient gargoyle sentinels, perched at intervals like guardians of some ancient rite. Each one was different: one held a sword, another a tome, one had antlers curling like smoke. Their eyes glowed softly, blue flame set deep into their sockets, tracking movement with subtle head turns, as though acknowledging every student who passed.

And beyond them, beyond the edge, was the sky.

Not the flat, empty sky of Alvar. Not the predictable blue dome of a normal world.

This sky was alive.

Clouds stretched like a vast, luminous ocean, shot through with ribbons of glowing aether, each one pulsing with soft color: pinks, golds, blues. They twisted and flowed like celestial rivers, arcing far above and vanishing into the curve of the world.

And from the courtyard, descending down through that dreamlike expanse, was the staircase of light.

It emerged from the stone like a miracle: a spiraling strand of steps, each one a disc of glowing crystal, hovering in midair with no visible support. They descended slowly through the clouds, vanishing into the shimmering haze below.

Thorne stepped closer to the edge. Other students were already moving down the stairs, some alone, others in pairs or small clusters. Their voices echoed faintly, caught and carried by the wind.

A girl from House Zephyrus floated her way down a few steps ahead, hovering instead of walking, held aloft by the wind sigils on her silver boots.

Two boys from Ignis argued in hushed tones, flames flickering at their fingertips as they walked side by side, the air rippling with heat.

A trio of Aegis students marched in perfect formation, their robes lined with green thread and their footsteps oddly synchronized, as though part of a drill.

And here he was.

Barefoot. Carrying a satchel packed with stolen wealth and old habits. Wrapped in someone else's cloak.

The contrast made him want to laugh.

He didn't.

He stepped past the gargoyles and onto the first stair.

It held.

There was no sound, just the soft pressure of light beneath his foot, solid but impossibly gentle. No hum of magic. No sign that it should work. But it did.

He took another step.

Evermist shimmered far below, its towers rising like a dreamscape out of the clouds, a city of floating spires, enchanted domes, and bridges suspended in mist.

He adjusted the strap of his satchel and pulled the cloak tighter.

The wind tugged at the hem.

Then he started his descent, step by glowing step, into the unknown.

Thorne descended into a dream.

Each step of the staircase shimmered beneath him, warm but weightless, holding his body like it belonged there. The clouds curled around him, soft and silver-blue, but left no dampness on his skin. The air didn't chill. The wind didn't bite. It was as if the staircase itself carried its own perfect bubble of calm.

He slowed near one edge, peering down past the luminous stairs to the empty air beyond.

Instinctively, his foot shifted closer, just a little too close.

A pulse.

His toes brushed something invisible, a gentle pressure, like pushing against water with a thin layer of silk between. It didn't shove him back, didn't spark or jolt. But it told him, wordlessly and clearly: not that way.

He exhaled, a breath caught somewhere between tension and relief.

He wouldn't fall. Not unless he meant to.

And so, with a little more confidence in his stride, he continued his descent through the clouds, through the light, through the strange quiet of the sky.

And then the clouds parted.

And Evermist revealed itself.

It was breathtaking.

A city like a glittering carpet of silver and gold, unfolding beneath him in endless, intricate patterns. Canals crisscrossed the city like veins, shimmering with aetherlit water. Stone bridges, narrow and curved like ribbons, arched across the waterways in delicate lines.

Spire-topped towers rose everywhere, carved from white and grey stone, their roofs tiled in blue, copper, or iridescent enamel. Floating platforms drifted lazily through the air, carrying goods or people or sometimes trees that hummed with enchantments.

Massive outer walls surrounded the city, ancient and ivy-wrapped, but still pulsing faintly with protective wards. And just beyond them, reaching, clawing, watching, was the forest.

Not a normal forest. Not one tamed by roads or paths.

Wild. Hungry. Alive.

Great black-barked trees with glowing leaves leaned toward the city like they were growing with purpose, trying to overtake it. The forest floor writhed with vines that shimmered faintly, and Thorne could feel it even from here, the press of something ancient and patient, waiting just outside the gates.

The final stretch of the staircase curved gently, coiling down into the largest open space he'd seen yet.

A massive plaza, tiled in pale stone, was spread at the base of the stair.

And it was full.

Packed, in fact.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of people filled the square. Shoppers, travelers, students, traders, and vendors. Carts hovered beside fountains, displays of robes and wands stretched between enchanted poles, and floating signs danced in midair, shifting languages based on who looked at them.

The buzz of voices was constant, layered, chaotic. Not a single word could be picked out at first, it all merged into a drone of sound, like being underwater in a sea of shouting.

Thorne reached the final step.

And everything changed.

Vendors turned immediately, as if alerted by some invisible charm the moment a foot touched the last stair.

"There he is!" "Fresh from the staircase! First-year, aren't you?" "You there! You need robes? Custom trim, enchanted pockets!" "Wand core binding special today, half-price for bonded focus!" "Hey! Student! Over here! No? Then where are you going? Come back!"

They surged toward him, half a dozen at least, cloth in hand, charms floating beside them, samples being summoned from open crates.

Thorne froze.

Not out of fear. Not exactly.

It was just... Too much. The volume. The colors. The energy. The press of movement, of eyes, of people who wanted something from him.

For a moment, just a moment, it felt like the entire population of Alvar had crammed itself into this single square. Like every secret he had, every scar he carried, had been laid bare by a single glowing stair step and now they were all closing in.

And there was nowhere to disappear.

A hand clapped Thorne lightly on the shoulder, friendly, not forceful.

"Don't take this the wrong way," a voice said, "but you look about three seconds from murdering someone with a shoe."

Thorne turned.

The boy standing beside him was around his age, brown hair tousled like it had never once behaved, plain robes slightly wrinkled, and a satchel that looked like it had been packed in a hurry and sat on. His grin was easy, like they'd known each other for years.

Thorne didn't recognize him by name, but he knew the face. He'd seen him during the Binding. And again yesterday, standing quietly near the Caledris delegation when Thorne was called in. The elf with the time affinity.

Now here he was. In the middle of the chaos. Acting like they were both in on some joke.

Thorne arched an eyebrow. "You know how I'd use the shoe?"

The boy blinked. "Wow. Okay. You are one of those."

"Those?"

"Brooding types. Definitely from Umbra."

Thorne didn't answer.

The vendors surged again, waving gloves and robes and crystal combs that supposedly enhanced study focus. One nearly tripped trying to shove a wand case into his hands.

"Right," the boy said. "This way."

He grabbed Thorne's sleeve and tugged, lightly, like he wasn't sure how much force he could get away with.

Thorne let him.

They didn't go far, just a quick pivot down the edge of a column where the crowd thinned slightly. The boy veered behind a hovering cart of sweetroot buns and dragged Thorne with him beneath the awning of a delivery stall, ducking just out of sight.

He reached into the tray and grabbed two small, wrapped bundles.

"What are you doing?" Thorne asked flatly.

"Borrowing. Calm down." The boy plopped one of the pastries into Thorne's hand and unwrapped his own. "It's a distraction."

A second later, a vendor with six arms and a glowing shawl started shouting about "THEFT!", and half the crowd near the staircase turned toward the ruckus.

The boy leaned sideways just enough to see around the edge of the stall. "There. Gap in the crowd. Go now."

Thorne didn't question it.

They moved, quick steps, smooth, weaving between carts while the vendors bickered behind them, he felt like he was back in Alvar, escaping a disgruntled merchant with Jonah. In seconds, they slipped past the outer edge of the plaza and into a quieter side street, the noise fading like a dropped curtain.

Thorne finally stopped walking.

The man grinned again and bit into his pastry. "See? No magic required."

Thorne stared at the roll in his hand. "That was theft." He felt like a fraud accusing someone of theft when he had done so much worse, but still...

"It was strategic borrowing from a soul-crushing price-gouger," the man corrected, chewing. "You're welcome."

There was a pause. Not awkward. Just enough for breath.

"So," the man said, wiping crumbs off his fingers, "you don't know where anything is either, huh?"

Thorne shook his head. "First time."

"Same." He looked around. "Great. Two lost geniuses wandering a magical city with zero social skills and exactly one stolen snack. What could possibly go wrong?"

Thorne gave him a look. "You always talk this much?"

The young man shrugged. "Only when someone looks like they could use a friend."

A pause.

"Name?"

Thorne hesitated. "You first."

The man raised an eyebrow, mock-offended. "Fine. Elías."

Thorne nodded once. "Thorne."

Elías's grin widened. "Figures."

They started walking again, side by side, with the plaza behind them and the strange, sprawling wonder of Evermist waiting ahead.

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