Charlotte’s POV:

A blue sphere hovered at the far end of the ruined village, resting against a large boulder. Within it, the illusion of a tunnel, its blue surface rotating both clockwise and anti-clockwise simultaneously.

Charlotte stared at it, quiet excitement written across her face. A Terror Rune Realm.

There were four colours of portals: blue, white, red, and black, each standing for a different class: Terror, Malice, Abyssal, and Void.

A black portal was what she was after. A Void Rune Realm. That was what she lived for, and everything she needed to give the Greenwoods a reputation and fortune of a lifetime.

This was the weakest of the four, but she was glad nonetheless. It was a start, and it would pave her path to a Void Rune Realm eventually.

"There are two places this portal may take you... either into an ancient ruined city or an abandoned castle."

Instructor Moon stood before the portal, hands in his pockets, with that same emotionless and intimidating presence about him as always.

"You are supposed to fend for yourself until the Endbringer is defeated. Perhaps mercenaries have already failed... and if you are lucky, you may still find some inside, clinging to the hope of killing it."

His tone dropped lower. "But it doesn’t matter. What matters is only this: slay it and exit the portal. I will not repeat myself. You cannot leave until the Endbringer is slain... and death is real."

A sinister look settled across his face, as though he was quite enjoying the temptation in his own words.

"One piece of advice. I will not be there with you, and only the one who exits holding the head of the Endbringer will be the victor. Consider this a request from the Spire Magic Tower."

Charlotte gulped back bile. This changed everything. The battle wouldn’t end with slaying the Endbringer, whoever took it down had to hold their ground and protect their prize until Moon confirmed it.

A sigh left her. Her soulless eyes swept over the others: Leomaris, Lucius, and then Warner, standing at the far end with Alfred.

’The party that wins would gain the privilege to raid the Malice Rune Realm as well. I can see it... everyone wants it.’ 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her fist clenched into a tight ball. ’I can’t let them.’

Raine’s eyes found Charlotte’s eyes soon enough.

"You remember everything we planned... don’t you?"

Charlotte motioned positively. "Yes, I do."

Their plan was straightforward. Get inside, find shelter, and sort out food. Moon hadn’t allowed them to bring any in, so they’d have to manage on their own. With a creature they couldn’t finish off in a day, those two things came before anything else.

’Raine and I have recently become Sorcerers, and while our strength has increased exponentially, it would still not be sufficient to guarantee an easy victory. We will need to study the creature for a period before making our move. Ultimately, we do not only need to return with its head, but we must also acquire enough knowledge to face an Endbringer within the Malice Rune Realm, as it is significantly stronger.’

For the first time, Moon’s eyes moved across their faces without once landing on Leomaris.

"Do you have any questions?"

Alfred’s voice rushed. "You said there could be others within the Rune Realm... what if they’re there, and they kill the Endbringer before any of us can?"

Moon watched Alfred speak, his face expressionless.

"If that happens, you all fail. This is not an academic assignment... It is real-world preparation. You need experience. You have the potential to become one of the best cadets in the academy, and I intend to see that you do."

Raine was the next to speak. "But we’re only first-years... isn’t this a stretch?"

A frown crossed Moon’s face. For someone so expressionless, it was plain enough.

"If you have a problem with that, you can leave. It is not too late. I would not mind if only one cadet stays."

Charlotte moved toward Raine instantly before she could think. "Please don’t leave. I need this."

Raine looked at Charlotte, confusion plain on her face. She wasn’t used to Charlotte saying anything coherent, but a soft smile came through all the same.

"Don’t you worry. I was just curious."

Charlotte let out a sigh. "I appreciate it."

Raine motioned positively.

The excitement was building inside her, the anticipation coiling tight. Becoming a Sorcerer had given her more than five words to work with, even so, she could only manage the pronouns me, myself, and I, so this was no mean feat.

She could cast her spells a little faster now too — writing poems in the air rather than speaking them, borrowing others’ words as verse. The seven rules governing her ability hadn’t loosened, but this much she was grateful for.

She had no wish to use it against Leomaris, the one who’d helped her get this far, but this was her dream. If he stood in her way, she wouldn’t think twice.

Her eyes found Leomaris soon enough. "I am sorry, Leomaris..." Her words were barely audible.

"If there are no further questions, you are dismissed."

—

Instructor Moon’s POV:

None of this was what he’d intended. Each plan he’d put together had fallen apart the moment he clocked there was an oddity among the first-years.

This oddball had to be treated with caution, and it didn’t matter if it meant going against his orders or throwing his original plan out the window.

He turned to the portal and watched them file in, one by one. Everyone except the anomaly himself.

Leomaris watched them all go in. Then, just before he stepped through, he turned and met Moon’s eyes dead on.

Unreadable as his expression was, something about it made Moon feel as though Leomaris was onto him.

With almost a carefree smile, he spoke: "See you soon, Instructor Moon."

Moon said nothing. Leomaris didn’t wait for him to, he stepped into the portal and vanished.

Against his principles, against everything he stood for, but it had to be done.