Orin Alpheratz (15 years old) Location: Solaris Date: Year 873 / Crow Cycle (3) / Hunter's Day (7)

  After that, everyone left the room, leaving Perseus behind. As they hurried silently through the halls of the academy, Orin quickly noticed something. Just as Felis had pointed out, there were no enemies in sight.

  The halls were eerily empty. No guards, no patrols, only silence. But every now and then, the group stumbled upon bodies lying on the ground, twisted and still. The younger students couldn't help but stare, their eyes widening with fear and confusion. Some bit their lips to keep from crying out.

  As they neared the exit, Orin noticed Antilae lagging slightly behind. Her face was pale, her steps unsteady. He slowed down and matched her pace.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

  She glanced at him, forcing a faint, lifeless smile that only made her exhaustion more apparent.

  "I'm better now," she whispered, her voice fragile. "Just... a little tired."

  Orin had no words that could truly comfort her. Instead, he gently patted her back, hoping the small gesture would at least give her strength.

  "We're close," Eridus called from the front, trying to keep morale high.

  Aran turned her head slightly, her eyes sharp despite the darkness. "Once outside, we'll take the path and head into the trees on the left. Mahasim should have a wagon hidden past the grove."

  The promise of escape quickened their steps.

  When they finally pushed through the academy's main doors, the night air greeted them with biting cold. The silence of the outside world was deafening. No footsteps, no pursuit, only the faint, steady chorus of crickets hidden in the grass.

  Some of the students shivered violently. Most had no coats, no belongings. They carried nothing but fear and exhaustion.

  As the path stretched before them, Aran slowed and stopped at a bend. Her eyes flicked toward the left, into the shadow of the trees.

  "I think this is it," she murmured, uncertain. She was about to take a step forward when a figure emerged from the grove, making several of the children flinch.

  It was Felis.

  "Perfect. Everyone's here now," he said with a smile that was just a little too sharp. His words held no warmth, and yet they carried a strange reassurance. Some of the wizard children exchanged nervous glances, torn between relief and suspicion.

  "Relax," Felis added, his tone light but unsettling. "Our little alliance won't last much longer. We just need to cross this grove. Your transport awaits beyond it."

  Orin, still trying to piece together the plan, finally approached him.

  "Will you take us to Dhamarr?" he asked quietly. His tone carried resignation, as though he had already accepted the desert as their inevitable destination.

  But Felis's eyes widened, then he burst into a short, dry laugh.

  "No. Not Dhamarr," he said with surprising certainty. "That would be far too dangerous. Instead, we'll send you to an inn in Solaris. It's run by a sympathizer of our cause."

  He looked over the weary group, his smile fading into something more practical, more serious.

  "Rest there tonight. But at dawn, you must flee the city. Things are about to turn ugly here. That's not an order, it's advice. If I were you..." His gaze darkened, and for a brief moment, his playful tone disappeared. "I'd head to Minoris. The city of sorcery and alchemy. For students like you, it may be the only place left that can still feel like home."

  Orin couldn't help but frown. The thought of his friends’ fate being tied to Minoris left a bitter taste in his mouth. As someone who had grown up in Solaris, he carried nothing but resentment for that place, once hailed as the Alchemical City. Yet, at the same time, he no longer knew who to call friend or foe. Felis's words echoed in his mind: if there was any place where sorcerers would not be hunted, any place where they might find protection, it was Minoris.

  Suppressing the turmoil within him, Orin finally spoke to the group.

  “...Let's go.”

  The forest gave way to a clearing, where two enormous wagons stood waiting in silence. Beside them, a tall, dark-skinned man lifted his chin in greeting.

  “Mahasim is our smuggler,” Felis explained, his lips curling into an amused smile. “Thanks to him, I was able to reach the academy without anyone noticing. He's not one for chatter, but when it comes to his work, there’s no one better.”

  Mahasim's sharp, stern face betrayed no emotion as he gave Felis a sidelong look. “We'd better move quickly.”

  One by one, the students clambered into the wagons, their nervous chatter filling the night air. Orin and Eridus lingered to help the younger ones aboard before finally stepping in themselves. Aran slid in beside Orin, while Felis occupied the space across from them, idly spinning a dagger between his fingers.

  With a creak of wood and the steady clop of hooves, the wagons lurched forward. Two black horses, their coats blending into the night, pulled each cart with an almost spectral grace. Slowly, the academy grounds fell away behind them.

  Orin leaned against the wooden frame, his gaze fixed on the fading silhouette of the academy. For all its flaws, it had been his home, even if only for a short time. Now, it shrank into nothingness in the distance.

  As the wagon rocked gently along the uneven road, Orin let his eyes wander across the passing landscape. Shadows of the trees stretched long under the pale moonlight, swaying like silent specters. His thoughts, however, were far from the scenery.

  There was something he had been holding back, something that gnawed at him ever since their frantic escape. The words weighed heavily on his tongue, but at last he drew a quiet breath and forced them out.

  "I didn't want to ask before... back in the academy it wasn't the time," Orin began, his voice hesitant. He swallowed hard, bracing himself for the answer he already dreaded. "But... Gina wasn't with the students trapped in the room. Was she... was she captured and sent somewhere else, like Draco?"

  Eridus's expression faltered. For a moment, he didn't answer, his gaze drifted down to his hands, then slowly he shook his head.

  "I haven't seen Gina," he admitted in a low voice. "And she wasn't with Draco's group either. I can only assume she was captured, but... if that's true, they must have taken her elsewhere. I don't know why, and I don't know where."

  The words struck Orin harder than he expected. Was that a sliver of hope, that she had been spared the same fate as the others? Or was it a more ominous sign, that Gina had been singled out for something far worse? His chest tightened, torn between dread and fragile hope.

  Neither boy spoke after that. Their eyes were drawn back, almost instinctively, to the silhouette of the academy. The building stood against the horizon like a monument of stone and memory, shrinking with every turn of the wheels.

  “What should we do now?” Eridus murmured, his voice heavy with regret. His eyes remained locked on the vanishing spires. “We can't go back there anymore.”

  Orin clenched his fists, feeling the weight of reality press against him. He hated to admit it, but there was no other choice.

  “It's probably best if you head to Minoris,” he said quietly.

  Eridus turned to him, eyes wide with surprise. After a pause, he asked the question that had been gnawing at him. “And you? What will you do, Orin?”

  “I don't know yet.” Orin's words came out bitter. His eyes flicked toward Felis, who was polishing his daggers with maddening calm, as if none of this concerned him.

  Without looking up, Felis finally spoke.

  “Once you've had some rest at the inn, you'll need to cross Solaris and make for the North Gate. There, another wagon will be waiting to take you to the port. From there... you'll sail to Minoris.”

  Orin glanced at Eridus, who still looked doubtful.

  “I think this is the best plan for now,” Orin said, his voice firm though his heart wavered. “The Church of Luminia is likely working behind the Emperor's back. That means our priority isn't to fight, it's to get every sorcerer out of Solaris, as far away as possible.”

  Eridus muttered under his breath, clearly reluctant, but finally sighed.

  “You're right,” he admitted. “This isn't the time to hesitate. We have to get the younger ones out of here.”

  Silence fell after that. The wagon creaked on, the steady rhythm of hooves on the dirt road filling the void where words should have been. Slowly, the scenery shifted: first groves of trees whispering in the night wind, then lonely cottages scattered along the roadside. Before long, the narrow path widened into the outskirts of Solaris. It was nothing like the majestic avenues near the imperial palace where Orin had grown up. This place reeked of age, worn stones and faded paint marking lives lived in quiet obscurity.

  “We've arrived.” Mahasim's voice cut through the stillness from the front of the wagon. His words were followed by a low murmur as the confused students disembarked one by one, their voices uncertain, fragile.

  Orin and Eridus climbed down as well, following the group toward a weather-beaten inn whose better days were long behind it. Its crooked sign swayed weakly in the night breeze, like it might fall at any moment. Halfway there, Felis stepped out of the shadows and intercepted Orin.

  “I'll catch up later,” Orin told Eridus, gesturing for him to go on ahead.

  Felis's expression was unusually grim.

  “You'll be safe here for now,” he said, though his tone carried none of his usual calm certainty. “But the silence at the academy... and the silence on the way here, it's unnatural. Like the calm before the storm.” His eyes narrowed. “Something will happen soon. I recommend you leave this place the moment the sun rises.”

  Orin said nothing, his gaze fixed on the gathering of students around Mahasim. The man was already explaining the plan, pointing toward the path leading to the North Gate where another wagon would be waiting to take them far from Solaris.

  “Don't worry, they'll be fine.” Aran's voice reached him as she stepped closer, her presence as steadying as always. “Mahasim has many allies in the city. If the group can reach the North Gate without incident, everything will proceed as planned.”

  “Our priestess speaks the truth,” Felis added, nodding. Then his dark eyes shifted back to Orin. “I imagine you'll go with them until the North Gate, but... what then? Minoris is no place for someone without magic.”

  Orin clenched his fists. He knew that. The thought of parting ways with Eridus and the others filled him with unease, yet his path could not be the same as theirs.

  “I'll probably try to learn where the others were taken...” Orin said slowly. “Or... maybe I’ll go back to the academy. Perseus is still there, and he might need me.”

  “Or you could go to Dhamarr,” Felis interrupted quickly.

  Orin turned sharply toward him, eyes narrowing. He hadn't once considered going to Dhamarr, but Felis's insistence caught his attention.

  “...Dhamarr?” Orin asked. “Why would I go there? Why is it so important?”

  “Because it's your destiny.” Felis didn't hesitate. His words were sharp, cutting through the night air. “If you go to Dhamarr, you'll gain more than strength... strength enough to rescue your friends. And also you'll find the answers you've been seeking, about yourself, and about the one you're searching for.”