The Midnight Arrival
The central corridor of the Aethelgard Magic Academy was never truly empty, even at midnight.
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- 1、The Midnight Arrival
- 2、A Change in the Air
- 3、The Bone-Chilling Transformation
- 4、The Handover of Fate
- 5、The Burden of the Key
- 6、A Targeted Freshman
- 7、The Looming Shadow
- 8、The War Begins in Silence
Towering stone pillars cast long, distorted shadows under the flickering light of magical torches.
Leo, a freshman who had arrived only hours ago, clutched the straps of his luggage until his knuckles turned white.
He was a cute, clever boy, but he carried a secret that could get him expelled—or worse—if the faculty ever looked too closely at his lineage.
His father had been a disgraced scholar, and Leo was here to clear the family name, or so he thought.
As he hurried toward the dormitory, the moonlight filtered through the stained glass, painting the floor in shades of blood-red and deep violet.
That was when he saw it: the black cat that every student knew as "Shadow."
A Change in the Air
Shadow was supposed to be a fixture of the academy, a silent observer of a thousand years of history.
Several handsome upperclassmen, members of the elite Solar House, were walking back from a late-night duel practice.
They stopped when they saw the freshman interacting with the cat, ready to throw a few mocking comments his way.
"Careful, kid," one of the seniors laughed, "that cat has a taste for freshman fingers."
Leo didn't respond; he felt a strange, magnetic pull toward the feline's golden eyes.
The air in the corridor suddenly grew heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and ancient parchment.
The torches flickered once, twice, and then died out completely, leaving only the cold moonlight.
The Bone-Chilling Transformation
The black cat didn't hiss or run; it let out a low, melodic hum that vibrated through the stone floor.
Before anyone could take another breath, the cat’s small frame began to distort and expand.
Golden magical light erupted from its skin, blinding the upperclassmen who shielded their eyes in terror.
The sound was like a thousand old books being slammed shut at once.
Where the cat had stood, there was now a towering old man clad in robes that seemed woven from the night sky itself.
He was the Archmage Valerius, a man the history books claimed had been executed for treason half a century ago.
The upperclassmen fell back, one of them stumbling over his own cloak in a desperate attempt to retreat.
The Handover of Fate
Valerius did not look at the seniors; his gaze was fixed solely on Leo, the boy who shouldn't have been there.
The old man reached into the folds of his shimmering robes and pulled out a key.
It wasn't made of gold or silver, but of a dark, pulsing stone engraved with runes that seemed to bleed light.
"I have been waiting here for a long time," the old man said, his voice sounding like grinding stones.
He grabbed Leo’s hand, the coldness of his touch sending a shiver straight to the boy’s soul.
"This key belongs only to you, for only the son of a traitor can unlock the truth of this cage."
The upperclassmen gasped, realizing that the freshman wasn't just a nobody, but the heir to a legacy of rebellion.
The Burden of the Key
Leo stood frozen, his fingers closing involuntarily around the ancient relic.
The moment the key touched his skin, the runes flared with a blinding, righteous gold.
The boy felt a rush of memories that weren't his—visions of hidden chambers beneath the school and the dark rituals the Headmaster performed in secret.
In the distance, the Great Bell of the academy began to toll, a deep, mournful sound that signaled an emergency.
The old man began to fade, his body turning back into wisps of smoke and shadow.
"Do not let them see it," Valerius whispered as his eyes vanished into the gloom.
"If they find the key, they will finish what they started with your father."
