The ramp of The Astral Wing Mini let out a low hiss as it extended down onto cracked, frost-glazed stone. Mist crawled around the broken flagstones of the outpost landing ring, tendrils curling like fingers around boot soles as the students began to disembark one by one.
The wind was thin here—biting but not unbearable. Snow hadn't fallen, but the mountain air was sharp, filled with the scent of old pine, iron, and something faintly magical, like a candle that had just been snuffed.
Verdenholt was nothing like the campus.
Ancient Asgardian ruins stretched in half-collapsed walls and jagged watchtowers. Weather-worn banners still clung to shattered columns, their sigils faded with time. Trees had grown between stone cracks, their roots thick and twisted, like nature reclaiming war's memory.
The outpost overlooked a small valley nestled deeper into the mountains. In the far distance, faint trails of smoke rose—civilian hearths, barely visible in the haze.
Kiyoshi stepped down second, just behind Sanae, his eyes immediately scanning the terrain. His washed-gray gaze lingered on the ruined arches to the east... something about the way the air shimmered subtly there.
Behind them, Rajieru hopped down and took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, stretching his arms out dramatically, "so, which haunted corner of this beautiful deathtrap do we start with?"
"Don't joke," Celosia muttered, brushing her sleeves down as she stepped out. "The mana here feels... wrong."
Giyuu was silent, already a few steps ahead, crouched near a weathered rune marker embedded into the ground. His fingers traced the grooves absently. The rest of the class trickled out behind them—Zoltan with hands in pockets, Haruki tugging up his gloves, Reuel with his usual measured pace, Asami clutching a folded parchment, scanning for anything familiar.
Professor Kayuki remained at the top of the ramp. He didn't follow them down. Instead, his silhouette lingered at the threshold of the ship, arms crossed, gaze sharp but unreadable. "Remember," his voice projected, "this is a field test. Not a babysitting trip. I'll remain aboard with the pilot in case of an emergency—but you're expected to figure out your plan of action."
Sanae turned around. "What about—"
"No questions. No checklist. No hand-holding." Kayuki gave a lazy two-finger salute. "Leadership starts now, Miss Class Rep."
Sanae froze for just a second as everyone's attention shifted her way. She adjusted her collar, exhaled through her nose, and gave a small nod. "Alright. Everyone, gear check—then we move to establish a perimeter and survey the mana readings."
"Big words," Manjiro teased, flicking her lightly on the forehead as he passed her by. "Proud of you already."
Sanae rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
Kiyoshi moved toward the western-facing ridge, quietly motioning for Rin and Kotaka to follow. "We'll scan from high ground. Someone should keep watch."
"Got it," Rin said, cracking her knuckles.
"Try not to fall off a cliff," Rajieru added, strolling lazily toward the overgrown ruins near the northern arch. "Or do. I won't stop you."
Zoltan passed Sanae, and Asami on his way south, giving her a brief glance. "If we find anything unstable, I'll send up a flare."
Celosia, Haruki and Manjiro could be seen heading towards the eastern perimeter. Reuel simply nodded and followed behind Rajieru. Giyuu lingered last.
Each trio drifted into position, the group naturally falling into the four directions—north, east, south, and west—like compass points anchoring the operation. The fog crept quietly through the trees, threading between stone and soil. Far below, the civilian village continued its daily rhythm, unaware of the slow, silent convergence that had begun. Something was waiting. And it had already felt their presence.
──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──
Western Side – Kiyoshi, Kotaka, Rin
The descent was quiet. Fog clung to the old steps carved into the cliffside, coiling around their boots like it wanted to pull them back.
Rin broke the silence first. "So, does this place feel like a graveyard to anyone else, or am I just being dramatic?"
"You're being dramatic," Kiyoshi replied dryly, but not unkindly. His gaze swept the forest below. "But... you're not wrong."
Kotaka trailed a step behind them, hood pulled low, eyes locked on the uneven path. Every so often, he'd glance to the trees—quick, twitchy movements, like he was expecting something to jump out at them.
"You okay, Kota?" Rin asked over her shoulder.
He blinked. "Fine. Just... too quiet."
Kiyoshi didn't say it aloud, but he agreed. There was a pressure in the air. Not wind. Not noise. Just... weight.
He placed his palm on one of the old stone pillars marking the edge of their path. The runes etched into it were faded, but still faintly warm with old magic. Warding glyphs. They pulsed—slow and strained. Something had disturbed them.
Kiyoshi exhaled quietly.
"Stay close," he said. "This part of the ruins isn't as dead as it looks."
──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──
Eastern Side – Celosia, Haruki, Manjiro
Celosia knelt at the edge of a shallow ravine, her fingers brushing over an exposed mana-thread stitched into the roots of an ancient tree.
"This... shouldn't be this exposed," she whispered, voice tight.
Haruki peered down. "Think the storm pulled it loose?"
"No." She glanced up at the forest around them. "Something's been feeding on it."
Manjiro lounged against a mossy boulder behind them, arms behind his head, staring up at the canopy. "Can't believe I gave up a nap for this. And here I thought ancient ruins would at least have, like, cursed gold or something."
Haruki smiled faintly. "You want cursed gold? I'm sure we can find you some."
Celosia stood slowly, brushing dirt from her knees. Her eyes lingered on a patch of trees nearby—half of them blackened at the roots. Quietly decaying.
She shivered.
Manjiro caught her unease, his lazy smile dropping just a fraction. He pushed off the boulder and stepped closer to them.
"Well," he said, tone light again, "if anything jumps out, I vote we make Haruki deal with it. I'm far too delicate."
Haruki snorted, but didn't argue.
They pressed deeper into the woods, unaware that behind them, a shadow crossed over the soil... and didn't leave footprints.
──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──
Northern Side – Rajieru, Reuel, Giyuu
The north side felt like it had been carved from ice. Even the air seemed still, brittle—cracking against their breath like frost on old glass.
Rajieru's voice cut through the cold like a firework.
"Wanna know what this place needs?" he asked, leaping over a fallen log with far too much flair. "A good coat of paint. Maybe a food cart. Toss in a bard or two."
"Or silence," Giyuu muttered, inspecting a fractured pillar half-buried in snow.
Reuel knelt near an ancient wall, brushing aside layers of powdered ash with gloved fingers. Beneath the surface, sigils glowed faintly—still active, but fading. He tilted his head, listening.
"There's something buried here," he said at last. "Not a person. A seal."
Rajieru tilted his head, curious. "How buried are we talking? 'Tap it and die,' or 'dig it up and become king of the underworld'?"
Giyuu's eyes narrowed.
"Don't touch anything."
"Where's the fun in that?"
Reuel stood, dusting off his gloves. "Focus. There's something beneath this place."
Rajieru finally quieted. He glanced toward the tree line, eyes briefly sharp beneath the mask of mischief. The north side was too still. Something here was waiting to be disturbed.
──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──
Southern Side – Zoltan, Sanae, Asami
The ruins on the southern edge were deeper in the woods, half-eaten by vines and fog. Cracks ran through old stones like veins, and the air felt warmer here—wrongly so.
Asami scanned a floating crystal compass, its pale glow flickering erratically. "It's spiking," she muttered. "Mana's erratic here. Either the wards are broken or something's drawing from them."
Zoltan stepped ahead of her, claws just lightly extended, the way one might idly drum their fingers. "You feel that heat? Like something breathing down your neck?"
Sanae rubbed the back of hers. "Yeah. It's not natural."
She moved closer to the edge of a ruined watchtower, eyes sharp despite her unease. "We'll keep a perimeter. Minimal magic. If something's watching us... let's not let it know what we're capable of yet."
Zoltan gave her a look—something between approval and amusement.
"You sound like a real leader," he said. "Getting used to the title?"
She sighed. "Still feels fake. Like I'm holding it for someone else."
Asami looked up from her readings, quiet for a beat. "You're not."
The moment passed with the wind, rustling through fractured stone and distant branches.
Something in the forest took one slow step closer.
──⊱◈◈⊰───⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──⊱◈◈⊰──
From Afar – The Wind Watches
Unseen by the students, far above in the jagged spires of broken stone, a shape crouched.
Eyes glowing faintly. Movements still.
It didn't breathe.
It didn't need to.
But it watched—every step, every word.
And somewhere, deep beneath the ruined fortress... something stirred in response.