I'm here again in my safe place, wrestling with a single question: will Zellon ever forgive me for what I did to that woman? My thoughts swirl, my heart pounds-am I afraid of what's coming? Will he hurt me?

It wasn't my fault-it was hers! Yet, why does it feel like he's siding with her?

A loud crash outside jolts me from my spiraling thoughts. My breath catches as I recognize the figure storming toward me: Zellon. His eyes blaze with fury, and for a moment, I think he might kill me. My legs tremble; I'm frozen in place.

"Why did you lie to me?!" Zellon's voice thunders, cutting through the air.

"I-I'm so sorry," I stammer, the words barely audible.

Arlon steps in, his voice firm. "Zellon, stop. It's not her fault! Don't yell at her!"

Their argument erupts like a storm, but I can barely focus. The world tilts. Pain erupts through my chest-a sword pierces my body. My vision blurs as my strength fades. The last thing I hear is Zellon shouting my name...

When I open my eyes, I'm in a strange place. Waterfalls shimmer in the distance, and towering trees surround me. A soft voice breaks the silence.

"How are you feeling?"

I turn to see a man with kind eyes approaching.

"Where am I? What is this place?" My voice is hoarse, my mind foggy.

"You're in Emberglow Kingdom," he says, placing a tray of food beside me. "A place where witches and wizards thrive."

"I-I don't remember anything," I admit, panic creeping into my voice.

The man smiles gently. "I'm Evander Caleb Callahan, Duke Callahan's eldest son. Nice to meet you. And you are...?"

"Sage," I whisper. "That's all I remember. I-I don't remember being here."

Evander's expression softens. "It's been six years since we found you in the Solace Dark Forest. You've been unconscious ever since."

Before I can respond, an older woman enters, her presence calming.

"Hello, dear," she says warmly. " I'm, so glad you're awake after all this time. How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" I looked at her with confusion. "Do I know you? Because you look kinda familiar to me?" I kept on looking at her from head to toes.

‎

‎She just chuckled and place her warm hands into my head like she's patting it. "I know you, we've met before did we not?"

I titled my head in more confusion. I kept on making my head remember her, but I just couldn't. Then the man named Evander spoke.

"Stop, forcing yourself to remember her. You should take it slowly so you won't faint again." after he said that he walked towards me and gave me a tray of foods.

I looked at him and said "Thank you Evander, Can I look around after I ate?"

The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of trees, casting dappled patterns of gold and green on the forest floor. "Sage, we’re waiting!" Dessa shouted from below, her voice sharp and impatient.

"Wait, Dessa, I’m coming!" I called back, hastily throwing on my jacket. The sounds of hurried footsteps and the rustle of leaves reached my ears.

"Sage Raven Harper, are you coming or what?" Dessa yelled again, her tone growing more exasperated.

Mira’s voice chimed in, soft but firm. "Jeez, Dessa, let her be."

I hurried down the narrow staircase, my boots echoing against the worn wood. Finally, I stepped into the main room of our little cottage. "I’m here. No need to shout my name like that," I said, rolling my eyes at Dessa, who stood with her hands on her hips.

Dessa’s auburn hair caught the light as she tilted her head. "What took you so long to get down?" she asked sarcastically, her smirk playful but challenging.

I shrugged, trying to match her energy. "I was packing my stuff for the new semester, duh!" I said with an exaggerated wave of my hand.

Mira suddenly appeared from the back door and decided to join the conversation. "Come on, girls, stop with the sarcasm, and let’s leave. We might be late," she said seriously.

Dessa replied with a smirk, "We have brooms for a reason, Mira. We can just fly over the trees in Solace."

As they continued talking, I heard a noise coming from outside. Curious, I decided to take a peek and saw someone. At first, I thought it was just an animal, but I was wrong—it was a knight.

He looked lost, wandering around the forest as if he didn’t know his way. Intrigued, I decided to follow him silently, making no noise at all.

As I watched him from a distance, I noticed something familiar about his sword. It bore an emblem that stirred a memory. I racked my brain until I realized where I had seen it before—it was from the Solmere Kingdom, a place where witches are considered extinct.

If a witch dared to set foot on Solmere's land, they would be hunted and killed by the royal knights.

For a moment, I thought about using magic on him, but I quickly remembered that witches from Ashfall Academy are strictly forbidden from using magic on Solmere royal knights. This rule exists to avoid a war between witches and humans.

As I watched him closely, I accidentally stepped on a branch, and it snapped loudly. His head turned sharply in my direction. My heart pounded in my chest, and I started sweating, terrified that he might find me and take me to Solmere.

Suddenly, someone called his name, and he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Relieved, I made my way back to our little cottage, only to find Dessa and Mira glaring at me.

"Where were you? And why are you sweating?" Dessa demanded.

Trying to stay calm, I replied, "I—I was just wandering around the forest."

"You sure?" Dessa asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, of course," I answered quickly.

I let out a silent sigh of relief, thinking, Phew, I thought they wouldn’t believe me.

As we mounted our brooms to head to Ashfall Academy, we saw some adorable little birds flying alongside us. After a few minutes, we arrived at the school. The courtyard was bustling with students, some already using their magic to play while waiting for Headmistress Edith to make her announcement.

I was chatting with Dessa and Mira when Hazel, the spoiled brat of the academy, strutted toward us.

"If it isn’t the weird kids," Hazel sneered.

Dessa was about to cast a spell on Hazel, but just then, the Headmistress appeared. We all straightened up, standing at attention as she walked toward us.

I placed a hand on Dessa’s arm and whispered, "Stop, Dessa. She’s not worth it."

The headmistress began talking about the rules, laws, and other school regulations. She emphasized that we must not use our magic on others. After an hour of her speech, she finally finished and assigned us to our dorms. Like last year, I was sharing a dorm with Dessa and Mira.

As we walked toward the school, we decided to explore it first and head to our dorms later. While exploring, we were amazed by the new decorations and the updated rooms inside the school. Eventually, we made our way to the training grounds, which were significantly larger than before. They also had more equipment and extra brooms for new students.

Time flew by, and soon it was lunchtime. We decided to head to our dorms to unpack our things. However, as we approached, we noticed someone standing in front of our dorm. Curious, we peeked to see who it was. To our surprise, it was the headmistress, accompanied by someone unfamiliar who clearly wasn’t from our school.

As they began walking in our direction, we acted quickly. Using our magic, we cast an invisibility spell to hide ourselves.

From our concealed position, we strained to hear their conversation. The stranger was tall and imposing, with sharp blue eyes that seemed to pierce through everything they gazed upon. Her attire wasn’t from Solmere or any kingdom I recognized.

"These students are unprepared for what’s coming," she said, her voice cold.

The headmistress frowned. "They’ll be ready. They have to be. The rift must not open again."

My heart froze. Rift? What rift?

As they walked past us, oblivious to the fact that we had heard every word they said, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Their conversation had been filled with cryptic remarks, and I could sense something was amiss. We made our way back to our dorms in silence. Standing there, in the middle of the room, we exchanged looks that spoke volumes. After a moment, I broke the silence. "What do they mean?" I asked, the question lingering in the air.

Mira shrugged, her brow furrowed. "I really don’t know... but do we really need to prepare for whatever this is?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice. She had always been the more laid-back one, but even she couldn’t ignore the tension hanging in the air.

Dessa, who had been silent up until then, spoke with a calm confidence that only she seemed to possess. "You heard the Headmistress, Mira. We should be prepared, no matter what happens." Her words were firm, as if she had already made up her mind about something much bigger than we could understand at that moment.

My thoughts were a whirlwind. The rift they had mentioned, the danger in their voices—it all felt so real, so imminent. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. I tried to push it out of my mind as I finished unpacking, but it lingered, like a shadow in the corner of my thoughts.

Just as I was about to sit down, Mira’s voice broke through my reverie. "Lunch is ready," she called out. "We should head to the cafeteria."

We both replied in unison, "Coming!"

We made our way down the stairs, the noise of the busy hallway growing louder as we descended. When we reached the bottom, we almost bumped into Theodore—Hazel's boyfriend.

It was impossible not to notice him, tall with messy brown hair, his eyes always darting around nervously, like he was constantly on edge. We had never understood why Theodore was with Hazel. Everyone knew she had a reputation—her temper was legendary, and she had a way of getting what she wanted, regardless of the consequences. Despite that, they seemed inseparable. But we didn’t bother questioning it anymore. Everyone had their own reasons for their choices, and we had bigger concerns at the moment.

When we reached the cafeteria, the atmosphere shifted instantly. It was alive with the buzz of conversation, students gathered in clusters, laughing and talking. Some were showing off their magic tricks, causing sparks to fly in the air, while others were simply enjoying a quiet lunch. The scent of freshly cooked food filled the room, mixing with the faint smell of enchanted parchment.

The lunch line stretched out in front of us, and my stomach growled at the sight of so many options. There were soups, sandwiches, fruits, and several exotic dishes that I didn’t recognize. The smell of roasted meats and baked goods made my mouth water. Still, I kept it simple today, choosing a chicken salad with fresh greens and a glass of juice to wash it down. As I took my tray, I noticed the way everyone was eyeing each other—whispers of secrets being passed along like an invisible thread connecting everyone in the room.