This portal was nothing like the one that had brought them here. It was an archway filled with a swirling vortex of shadows, and as Otter stepped through, he felt no strange sensations like he had last time. No humming or buzzing, no pulsing lights. He just stepped across the threshold like he would any other door and found himself back in the bowels of Ironside Keep, with one notable exception.

Strands of the shadows stuck to him as he passed through, like spiderwebs on an early morning walk through the forest. They wrapped themselves around his head and torso in soft, clinging filaments. At first, he tried brushing them off, but since they were tendrils of darkness, it did no good. They passed right through his hands but remained stubbornly adhered to his body.

As the others stepped through the portal behind him, he saw that the same clinging shrouds covered them. The shadows draped over them like half-seen cloaks, shifting subtly when they moved.

More strange still—there was no sound. None at all. Not the shuffle of boots, not the rattle of packs, not even the faint swish of clothing. It was as if they had all been plunged into a bubble of pure, oppressive silence. When Otter tried to speak, to ask if everyone was alright, no sound left his lips. His words vanished before they could even form.

Panic threatened to spike in his chest, but he forced it down. They weren't hurt. They were just... affected. Changed, somehow, by the portal.

He dug into his pack and pulled out his battered journal and a stub of charcoal. Scribbling quickly, he held up the page for the others to see:

No noise. Silence spell? Stay close.

Erin read it and nodded, then tugged Jasper's sleeve to make sure he saw. Sage traced a blessing over her heart and pointed toward the exit. Liora simply tapped her temple with two fingers, signaling she understood.

Otter nodded back and tucked the journal into his belt for easy access.

They were standing in the giant cavernous chamber beneath Ironside Keep—the same room they had entered before the Simulation. Only now, the once-dormant space seemed alive with shadows that clung to the pillars and drifted in lazy, eerie curls across the floor.

The great wooden doors that led back into the mapped ruins loomed across the chamber. They were still sealed shut. Opposite them was the stairway leading out.

Otter took a few steps toward the stairs, then froze when he saw a flash of movement ahead.

At the far end of the hall, near the stairs, a figure patrolled. Otter squinted and saw what looked like a man wearing a uniform identical to the soldiers with Marcus. Shit. Why were they here? The answer seemed obvious: cutting off their escape.

Immediately, Otter covered his lantern. While there was some ephemeral ambient light down here, a light like that would be a beacon to the guard. Otter held his breath, wondering if they'd already been spotted, waiting for the guard to come charging toward them. But the charge never came.

Otter waited until the guard moved deeper into the room, then crept in a wide arc, keeping well out of sight. Step by step, breath by silent breath, they moved across the vast chamber toward freedom.

At the base of the stairs, Otter paused, holding up a hand to stop the others. The single guard they'd seen earlier was still visible in the cavern, but his patrol path wouldn't intersect with them if they moved quickly and quietly.

One by one, they ascended the stairs.

Their steps made no sound. Otter led the way, relying on the faint ambient light from the Keep above.

Halfway up, he caught more movement—a second guard, standing watch at the top landing.

Otter dropped into a crouch, gesturing sharply downward. The others froze behind him, tense as bowstrings.

The guard at the top shifted, adjusting his helmet. His eyes scanned the stairwell—right past them. Otter's heart leapt into his throat. They were in plain sight, no more than fifteen feet below, yet the guard didn't react. Didn't even blink.

He just turned and walked away, boots scuffing lightly on the stone.

Otter stayed frozen until he was sure the man was gone, then scribbled quickly in his journal and showed it to the others:

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He didn't see us. Shadows = invisibility??

Liora took the pencil and notebook and wrote something back.

Divine blessing from Altheris, I think. To keep us hidden.

Levi mouthed something, and while Otter couldn't hear the words, he thought they were a prayer to the god.

Understanding the gift they had been given, they moved quickly but carefully, slipping up the last few steps and into the upper reaches of Ironside Keep.

Above them, muffled sounds—real sounds—filtered through heavy doors: the creak of armor, the murmur of conversation, the distant clang of a gate.

Whatever magic clung to them, it was already beginning to weaken. Otter could feel it thinning, unraveling like mist in the morning sun.

They needed to move fast.

Once they slipped free of the stairwell and into the Keep's outer halls, it became clear just how precarious their situation was. The late afternoon sun slanted through the narrow windows in warm gold beams, illuminating motes of dust in the air. Academy staff moved through the corridors. While it was a holiday for the students, Otter realized, the professors must be busy catching up on grading and preparing for the final push to the end of the semester. Otter heard the Quartermaster's gruff grumbling around a corner, so he lowered his head, and continued on.

Altheris's blessing held, allowing them to escape the Keep unnoticed. But once they were outside, things deteriorated rapidly.

Students swarmed over the campus. The day had turned out to be a warm one. Since none of the students were allowed to leave for the long weekend, it seemed they had all decided to take advantage of the weather at once. Some clustered in groups, chatting idly and wandering aimlessly. Others sprawled out on the lawn, enjoying a late afternoon picnic. Someone had organized a game of Thornball.

On the surface, all seemed carefree. But Otter saw the extra guards mixed among the students, doing their best to patrol unobtrusively while keeping a sharp eye out for any danger. Their uniforms were dark, the ones worn by the extra security hired by the Academy. They were likely not a threat, but Otter decided not to take any chances.

Otter motioned for the others to duck behind the corner of the Keep. The last shreds of magic that had concealed them were evaporating, the thin tendrils of darkness slipping from their bodies like smoke.

"We need to split up," he whispered. The silence spell was gone, too. "I don't think we should be seen together. Not yet. We don't know if there have been any effects from what I did yet, or if anybody knows about it."

"Agreed," said Erin. "We can blend in with the crowd. Head back to our rooms. I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

"Yeah. Let's meet up at the mess for dinner. That wouldn't seem strange. It might actually seem strange if we didn't."

They all nodded in agreement. Levi gave a quick salute and slid around the corner, making his way toward a group of students. Then Jasper and Liora left, heading a different direction, toward the training yard. Milo hesitated, but Otter laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll be fine," he said. "Go get some rest." Milo smiled sheepishly, shouldered his backpack, and ran off toward the dorms.

Erin lingered a moment. She touched Otter's arm, squeezed it once, then disappeared into a different knot of students, her golden hair catching the sunlight for just an instant before she was gone.

Otter took one last look around, then slipped into the chaos himself.

He kept his head down, moving casually, doing his best to look like he belonged. A pair of second-years jostled past him, arguing over something he didn't catch, and he let himself be pulled into their wake, just another student caught in the confusion of a campus bristling with pent-up energy.

***

The Mess Hall buzzed with low conversation and clinking utensils, louder than usual, since so many people were here. With nowhere else to go, the place was packed. Which suited the six companions perfectly.

They had gathered at a corner table near a set of tall windows. Only Sage was absent. While he would have liked her to be here, Divine Conduits didn't mingle with the other Academy students. It would seem very strange indeed if she showed up.

Erin poked half-heartedly at a bowl of stew. Jasper slouched low in his seat, one arm slung across the back of a neighboring chair. Liora was almost a shadow against the wall, her plate untouched. Milo picked at a hunk of bread, tearing it into smaller and smaller pieces, while Levi leaned forward, pretending to study the rough meal like it might offer answers.

For a long moment, none of them spoke.

Finally, Otter broke the silence. "We made it."

There were no cheers. No celebratory slaps on the back. Although, Levi flashed a big grin and said, "Yeah, we did."

"Has anybody overheard any conversations about… changes?" Milo's eyes darted around the mess.

"Not a word," Otter replied. "If anybody does know, it hasn't spread."

"Does that mean we're in the clear?" Milo looked hopeful.

Otter shrugged.

"I think it's only a matter of time until the Overseers find out." Erin gestured with her spoon. "I mean, how could they not know that something has fundamentally changed."

Jasper looked thoughtful. "Yeah. That's true. But that doesn't mean they'll know who was responsible. The System updates at least once a year, remember? Maybe they'll just chalk it up to that."

Liora eyed him skeptically. "Those updates aren't anything major, though. Music on your wrisplay, a timekeeper function. They're great and useful, but not fundamental changes to how the world works."

"Plus," added Milo, "If Marcus gets out of there, he knows what happened."

"Yeah, but he's just one guy," countered Erin. "He doesn't know who we are, right? If we keep quiet, say nothing to anyone, I think we'll be okay."

Otter leaned back, scanning the crowded Mess Hall. Students laughed and chatted in ignorance of what had transpired beneath their feet. None seemed to give their table a second glance.

For now, they were safe.

How long they would remain that way, he didn't know. He suspected trouble would find them soon enough, however. Otter tightened his grip on his spoon and forced himself to focus on the simple, mundane meal in front of him. Tonight, they would eat. They would rest.

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow, the world would be different. And he would be ready for it.

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