"Aestrea... is this the place?" Maria asked, breathing hard as she wiped sweat from her forehead.
"It should be..."
A giant, broken castle stood in front of them. Its black stone walls were cracked and scorched, with towers half-collapsed.
The front gate was massive, easily twice as tall as any normal building, and glowing faintly with pulsing magic. Sharp lines of red light ran across the doors like veins.
And just outside that gate… people were already waiting.
The Hero's Group.
Eira's Group.
And his own group of friends.
The other students were nowhere to be seen.
Some were sitting on broken rocks or leaning on their weapons.
Others stood tall, tense, with swords or staves in hand. Every single one of them was watching the gate, ready for what was coming.
"Aestrea!" Derek shouted, raising a hand.
He jogged over with a relieved smile.
"You're finally here," he said with a heavy sigh.
James followed right after him, frowning.
"Yo, bro, what happened to you?" he asked.
