The Path beyond the gates

The woman continued.

“You will walk through the Wryborne Forest and arrive at the academy by dawn.”

Someone near the back laughed nervously. “That’s it?”

Her expression did not change.

“The Wryborne Forest is alive. It reacts to fear, arrogance, dishonesty, and unstable magic.” A pause. “If it rejects you… you will not reach the academy."

Silence.

Complete silence

Anette frowned slightly.

Rejected?

Before anyone could ask another question, the woman stepped aside and the gates slowly groaned open.

The forest beyond seemed to breathe.

Students immediately began grouping together.

Anette stayed where she was.

Of course, she did.

Anette adjusted the strap of her satchel and prepared herself to walk toward the entrance alone.

“I hope you’re not planning on going by yourself?”

The voice came from beside her.

Anette glanced over to see a girl around her age with dark curly hair tied messily back. She looked more irritated than nervous, which was oddly comforting.

“Probably,” Anette replied.

The girl stared at her for a second. “That’s either really brave or really stupid.”

Anette shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”

A short laugh escaped the girl before she held out a hand. “Valerie."

Anette looked at the hand for a moment before shaking it lightly. “Anette.”

Another girl walked over then, quieter than Valerie, carrying several books against her chest despite the situation.

“You’re stopping in the middle of the path,”

she pointed out calmly.

Valerie looked offended. “Freda, I’m making allies. Survival is important.”

Freda gave Anette a small nod. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Valerie glanced toward the forest entrance again and lowered her voice slightly. “Okay, honestly… does this place look mildly cursed to you or is that just me?”

“It’s definitely cursed,” Freda said immediately.

Valerie sighed. “Great. Wonderful start.”

To Anette’s surprise, she felt the corner of her mouth twitch slightly upward.

Valerie noticed instantly. “Oh, she smiles. That’s good. I thought you were going to silently judge us the entire way.”

“I still might.”

“Fair enough.”

Somewhere deep in the forest, something cracked loudly.

All three girls went quiet.

Valerie slowly turned toward the trees. “Right,”

she said. “Let’s start moving before whatever makes that sound decides to introduce itself.”

And together, they stepped into the Wryborne Forest.

The deeper they walked into the Wryborne Forest, the stranger it became.

At first, it only felt cold.

Not ordinary cold—but the kind that slipped beneath layers of clothing and settled quietly into your bones. Mist curled low around the ground, drifting between roots thick enough to look like sleeping creatures beneath the earth.

No one spoke for a while.

The sounds of the other students had slowly faded behind them until Anette could no longer tell if anyone else was even nearby.

Valerie noticed it too.

“Okay,” she said after a few minutes, her voice quieter than before, “either this forest is massive or we’ve already been abandoned.”

“We haven’t been abandoned,” Freda replied, though she tightened her grip on her books slightly. “The forest is designed to separate groups.”

Valerie blinked. “You say things like that so casually.”

Freda looked genuinely confused. “Should I say them dramatically?”

“Yes.”

Anette glanced sideways at them.

The interaction felt… easy.

Normal.

Something unfamiliar tugged uncomfortably in her chest at the realization.

She wasn’t used to walking beside people without silence stretching awkwardly between them.

Valerie kicked a small stone along the path. “So,” she said, looking at Anette, “where are you from?”

“Small town.”

“That sounds like code for ‘I don’t want to answer.’”

“It is.”

Valerie snorted softly. “Fair.”

Freda adjusted one of the books in her arms. “You came alone, though.”

Anette nodded once.

“No family?”

The question wasn’t cruel. Just careful.

“Orphanage,” Anette answered simply.

Something in Valerie’s expression shifted immediately—not pity, thankfully, but understanding.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Me too.”

Anette looked at her properly then.

Valerie shrugged. “Not the tragic mysterious kind, unfortunately. Mine just hated responsibility.”

“Valerie,” Freda warned.

“What? Humor is how I cope.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Thank you.”

Anette let out the faintest breath of amusement before she could stop herself.

Valerie pointed immediately. “There it is again.”

“What?”

“The almost-smile.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm.”

The forest suddenly groaned around them.

All three froze.

The sound was low and deep, like wood bending somewhere far too large to exist naturally. The floating blue lanterns flickered violently for a moment.

Then—

a whisper.

Soft.

Unclear.

Anette’s stomach tightened.

“Did you hear that?” Valerie asked quietly.

Freda nodded slowly. “The forest reacts to magic.”

Another whisper drifted through the trees.

Closer this time.

Anette felt warmth crawl sharply beneath her skin.

Her wrist.

The glow.