The group sat huddled in the quiet corner of the Thylacea common room, their heads close together as they whispered. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, casting flickering shadows on their faces. Soya glanced nervously around the room, but most of the other students were preoccupied with their own conversations or homework.


    “This is a bad idea,” Soya muttered, his voice barely audible. His calico kitten, curled in his lap, let out a soft meow, almost as if in agreement.


    “It’s the only way to get answers,” Eliza countered, her green eyes flashing with determination. “We need to see that rune up close and figure out what it’s doing there. If we wait for the professors, who knows how long it’ll take? They’re clearly keeping things from us.”


    Davonte leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “You’re assuming we can even find it again. The grove is huge, and it’s not like we marked the spot.”


    Eliza pulled out her notebook, flipping to a page covered in sketches and notes. “I drew a rough map of the area based on where we were during the field trip. I think I can retrace our steps.”


    Soya stared at the map, his stomach twisting. “And what if we get caught? Or worse, what if there’s another basilisk?”


    “We’ll be careful,” Eliza said, her tone firm. “We have locator orbs, and we’ll stick together. Besides, we’re not going to get close to any creatures—we’re just going to look at the rune.”


    Davonte sighed. “And then what? Take a picture and hand it to the professors? They’re going to wonder how we got it.”


    Eliza hesitated. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we just need to focus on finding the rune and figuring out what it means.”


    Soya shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He hated the idea of sneaking out, but he couldn’t deny the growing curiosity gnawing at him. The missing pages from Byrah’s book, the overheard conversation about basilisks—it all pointed to something bigger. And the rune by the lake might be the key to understanding it.


    “What about Sevrin and Sage?” Soya asked, glancing around the room again. “If they’re involved, they could already know we’re onto something.”


    Eliza frowned. “That’s why we need to move quickly. The longer we wait, the more time they have to cover their tracks—if they’re involved at all.”


    Davonte leaned forward, his silver eyes sharp. “So, what’s the plan? Sneak out after curfew? Hope the prefects don’t catch us?”


    “Pretty much,” Eliza admitted. “We’ll wait until the common room is clear, then head to the grove. I’ve got a Disillusionment Charm we can use if we run into trouble.”


    “Great,” Davonte said dryly. “Because sneaking around in the dark with a charm we barely know is such a foolproof plan.”


    Eliza shot him a look. “Do you have a better idea?”


    Davonte shrugged. “Not really. But if we’re doing this, we need to be smart about it. Stick to the shadows, keep quiet, and don’t take unnecessary risks.”


    Soya swallowed hard, his fingers tightening on his kitten’s fur. “And what if we find something dangerous? What then?”


    Eliza’s expression softened. “We’ll deal with it together. But we’re not going to let fear stop us. If we don’t do this, we’ll never get answers.”


    The fire crackled again, and the group fell into silence, the weight of their decision settling over them. Soya looked at his friends, their faces lit by the warm glow of the flames. Despite his fears, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of determination. They were in this together, and whatever they found in the grove, they would face it as a team.


    “Fine,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m in.”


    Eliza smiled, relief and resolve flickering in her eyes. “Good. Let’s meet back here after lights out. Bring your wands—and wear something you can move in.”


    Davonte smirked. “Looks like we’re going on an adventure after all.”


    As the others began to finalize their plan, Soya leaned back in his chair, his kitten purring softly in his lap. The knot of anxiety in his chest hadn’t disappeared.


    The hours dragged as the group waited for the castle to quiet down. Soya sat on the edge of his bed in the Thylacea dormitory, his kitten curled up next to him. He ran a hand through its soft fur, his mind racing with what-ifs. Davonte had made a sarcastic comment earlier about what to pack for sneaking through a magical forest, and Soya couldn’t help but replay it in his head. A joke was easier to focus on than the potential danger of their plan.


    When the soft hum of conversation in the common room finally died down, Soya grabbed his satchel, double-checking the contents: wand, notebook, and locator orb. He crept out of the dormitory, the dim light from the enchanted sconces casting long shadows on the stone walls.


    Eliza and Davonte were waiting in the corner near the fire, both dressed in dark cloaks. Eliza had a determined look on her face, while Davonte leaned against the wall, his usual smirk replaced with a more serious expression.


    “Ready?” Eliza asked, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Soya nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    “Good,” she said, pulling a small, battered tome from her bag. “I brought this in case we need a refresher on the Disillusionment Charm.”


    Davonte raised an eyebrow. “You brought a book? What are you going to do, read to the basilisk?”


    Eliza rolled her eyes. “If we do this right, we won’t need to worry about any creatures. Now, let’s go before someone decides to stay up late.”


    The trio slipped through the common room’s exit, the carved Tasmanian tiger on the door giving them a curious glance before letting them pass. The corridors of Austramore were eerily quiet, the usual bustle of students replaced by the distant echo of their footsteps. Moonlight streamed through the tall windows, casting silver patterns on the floor.


    “Stick close,” Eliza whispered, leading the way. “We’ll take the south staircase. Fewer patrols there.”


    They moved in silence, their senses heightened by the stillness of the castle. Every creak of the floorboards and distant hoot of an owl made Soya flinch, his hand gripping his wand tightly. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the adrenaline making every sound seem louder than it was.


    When they reached the entrance hall, Eliza stopped and motioned for them to huddle. “This is where it gets tricky,” she said quietly. “The main gate is usually locked after hours, but I’ve seen upperclassmen use a charm to open it. It’s simple enough—Alohomora.”


    Davonte glanced around nervously. “Let’s hope the prefects aren’t lurking nearby.”


    Eliza raised her wand, her movements precise as she pointed it at the lock. “Alohomora,” she whispered.


    The lock clicked softly, and the heavy wooden doors creaked open just enough for them to slip through. Eliza pushed the door shut behind them, ensuring it didn’t make too much noise.


    The cool night air hit them immediately, carrying the faint scent of eucalyptus and damp earth. The grounds were bathed in moonlight, the shadows of the towering trees stretching across the grass like dark veins. The trio moved quickly, sticking to the edges of the paths to avoid being seen.


    When they reached the edge of the grove, Eliza paused, pulling out her notebook. “We’ll head toward the stream first,” she said, flipping to the map she had sketched. “From there, we should be able to find the clearing where the rune was.”


    “Should,” Davonte repeated, his voice dry. “Very reassuring.”


    Soya glanced over his shoulder, the castle looming in the distance. “Let’s just get this over with.”


    The grove was even more unsettling at night. The rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot made Soya’s nerves jump. The locator orb at his waist glowed faintly, a comforting reminder of their connection to safety, but it did little to quell his unease.


    As they followed the stream, Eliza kept checking her map, her expression focused. Davonte muttered occasional complaints about the cold or the darkness, but even he seemed unusually tense. Soya stayed quiet, his senses on high alert.


    When they finally reached the clearing, Eliza stopped and pointed. “There it is,” she said, her voice hushed.


    The rune was faintly visible in the moonlight, etched into the ground near the edge of the water. It was larger than Soya had remembered, the intricate lines and symbols seeming to shimmer faintly as they got closer.


    Eliza knelt beside it, her notebook open as she began sketching. “This is definitely deliberate,” she murmured. “No way this was made by accident.”


    Davonte stood a few feet back, his wand drawn. “And no way this is just a summoning rune. Look at those patterns—they’re way too complex.”


    Soya crouched beside Eliza, his eyes scanning the rune. “What do you think it’s for?”


    Eliza frowned, her quill pausing mid-stroke. “I’m not sure yet, but it’s definitely tied to the basilisk. See these marks here? They’re similar to containment runes, but they’ve been altered. It’s like someone combined multiple types of magic.”


    “That’s not comforting,” Davonte muttered, his gaze darting around the clearing.


    As they continued studying the rune, a faint rustling sound made them all freeze. Soya’s heart leapt into his throat as he turned toward the noise, his wand trembling slightly in his hand.


    “What was that?” he whispered.


    “Probably just the wind,” Eliza said, though her voice was unconvincing.


    Davonte stepped forward cautiously, his wand raised. “Wind doesn’t make footsteps,” he said grimly. “We need to move. Now.”


    Eliza froze, her eyes wide as the faint sound of footsteps grew louder. Soya’s breath hitched, and Davonte immediately extinguished the light from his wand with a whispered, “Nox.” The three huddled low to the ground, retreating behind a cluster of bushes near the stream’s edge. The rustling of leaves and the crunch of twigs underfoot were unmistakable now—someone was approaching the rune.


    Soya’s heart pounded so loudly he was certain whoever was coming would hear it. Eliza pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for absolute silence. They crouched in the shadows, their breaths shallow as they waited.


    Two figures stepped into the clearing, their silhouettes sharp in the moonlight. Soya recognized them immediately: Sevrin Verelle and Sage Blackthorn. They moved with an air of purpose, their dark robes blending into the shadows of the grove.


    Sevrin stopped near the rune, his wand already in his hand. Sage followed closely, glancing around the clearing as if to ensure they were alone.


    “This is sloppy work,” Sevrin muttered, his tone laced with disdain. “If anyone else had stumbled upon this, we’d have more than just curious professors poking around.”


    Sage shrugged, his voice low but carrying an edge of annoyance. “We didn’t exactly have time for perfection, Sevrin. You’re lucky I even managed to get it done before Byrah showed up.”


    Sevrin scoffed, crouching to examine the rune more closely. “Lucky, indeed. But this is careless. They’ll figure it out eventually if we leave it like this.”


    From their hiding spot, Soya felt Eliza’s hand tighten on his arm. Her eyes were locked on the scene, her expression a mix of fear and determination. Davonte, crouched beside them, looked ready to spring into action at any moment, though the tension in his clenched jaw suggested he was restraining himself.


    Sage waved his wand over the rune, muttering an incantation under his breath. The etched lines began to fade, the shimmering patterns dissolving into the ground as if they had never been there.


    “There,” Sage said, straightening. “No one will find anything now.”


    “Not good enough,” Sevrin replied sharply. “We need to make sure nothing points back to us. If Byrah connects this to the basilisk, we’re finished.”


    “She won’t,” Sage said confidently. “She has no proof. All she has is a lot of questions and no answers.”


    Sevrin’s gaze darkened, and he took a step closer to Sage. “Questions lead to answers, Sage. You’d do well to remember that.”


    Sage rolled his eyes but said nothing, his wand still drawn as he scanned the clearing one last time. “Fine. Let’s go. There’s nothing left here to find.”


    Sevrin hesitated, his piercing green eyes narrowing as he looked toward the shadows. For a moment, Soya was certain Sevrin’s gaze had landed directly on their hiding spot. He held his breath, his muscles tensing as he prepared to run—or fight, if it came to that.


    “Something wrong?” Sage asked, glancing at Sevrin.


    Sevrin’s expression softened, and he shook his head. “No. Let’s move.”


    The two of them disappeared into the trees, their footsteps fading into the distance. Soya, Eliza, and Davonte remained frozen for several long moments, the silence of the grove pressing in around them.


    Finally, Eliza exhaled shakily, her voice barely above a whisper. “Did you hear that?”


    “They’re involved,” Davonte said grimly, his silver eyes blazing with anger. “They’re behind the basilisk, the rune—everything.”


    Soya nodded, his mind spinning. “But why? What could they possibly gain from all this?”


    Eliza shook her head, her expression conflicted. “I don’t know. But we can’t stay here. If they come back—”


    “We’ll be next on their list,” Davonte finished, already standing and brushing off his cloak. “Let’s get out of here.”


    The trio moved quickly but quietly, retracing their steps through the grove. The weight of what they had just witnessed hung heavily over them, each step a reminder of the danger they were now entangled in. By the time they reached the edge of the castle grounds, the first hints of dawn were breaking on the horizon.


    As they slipped back into the castle and made their way toward the Thylacea common room, Soya couldn’t shake the image of Sevrin and Sage standing over the rune, their cold voices echoing in his mind. Whatever was happening, it was bigger than any of them had realized—and far more dangerous.