The room Jessa and Raphael had found wasn't just any forgotten corner of the underground—it was old, ancient even, with markings etched into the walls that predated Blackmoor itself. The very air was heavy with power and secrets, like the walls were breathing.
Raphael paced slowly, running his fingers along one wall where carvings of strange beasts and symbols glowed faintly. "This is… not what I expected."
Jessa stepped toward the center of the room, her eyes narrowing on a raised pedestal that radiated a cold, silver energy. "This isn't part of the school. It's like… an anchor."
"An anchor to what?"
Jessa didn't answer. She was too busy listening—to the runes, to the magic in the room, to something calling out to her in a whisper only she could hear. Her fingers hovered just above the pedestal.
"Don't touch it," Raphael warned, his voice sharp.
"I'm not going to touch it," Jessa murmured. "I'm going to read it."
With a flick of her wrist, blue witchlight shimmered over the pedestal. The runes began rearranging themselves, translating into a language she could understand. As she read, her face paled.
"Oh no…"
"What is it?" Raphael stepped closer.
"This isn't just a binding site," she whispered. "This is a seal. One of several. And someone is trying to break them."
Raphael frowned. "Break what?"
She looked at him, her face grim. "Something ancient. Something locked beneath Blackmoor long before this school existed."
Just then, the room shook, and a crack spread through the pedestal like lightning across ice.
---
Meanwhile – Stephen and Daemon
Richard collapsed into Daemon's arms, unconscious but breathing.
Stephen was panting, his hands still glowing faintly. "That… was not fun. Did you hear the screaming ghosts or was that just me?"
Daemon laid Richard gently on the ground. "He's stable. But whatever was holding him, it fought back hard."
Stephen flopped onto the cold stone floor. "I swear, the next time someone goes missing, I'm sending a text instead of doing heroic underground rescue work."
A burst of wind sent a flurry of dust flying through the chamber. The walls shook again. This time, it felt deeper. Angrier.
"We need to move," Daemon said sharply. "Something's waking up."
---
Elsewhere – Celeste's Moment of Doubt
As Hope, London, and Celeste emerged from the narrow tunnel into the large, flickering corridor, Celeste pulled away from them, her face blank.
"Celeste?" Hope asked.
But Celeste didn't answer right away. Her mind was swirling.
She remembered the voice from earlier—the cloaked figure who had appeared to her in the shadows of the gardens, whispering promises.
"They don't trust you. They never will. You're just the human. The weak one. But you could be so much more. You could be powerful."
He had shown her a vision—Blackmoor in flames, her sister at the center of it, begging for help. The voice told her she could stop it all if she just let go of the school… let go of the lies.
But she hadn't told anyone. Not Jessa. Not Hope. Not even Stephen, who annoyed her but had been oddly kind.
She turned to London, whose gaze was gentle and knowing, and in that moment, she made a choice.
"No more secrets," she said softly. "Let's go find the others."
---
Moments Later – Reunion and Revelations
The groups collided just outside a grand hall etched in gold and red. Stephen and Daemon dragging an unconscious Richard. Jessa and Raphael, shaken. Hope, London, and Celeste, breathless.
"What happened to him?" Jessa cried, running to her father.
"He's alive," Daemon replied. "But he was being used as a magical battery. Someone is trying to break ancient seals beneath the school."
"That lines up," Jessa said. "We found one of the seals. It's cracking."
Hope's eyes met London's. "Someone planned this."
"I think," London said slowly, "the real villain is already among us."
Stephen looked around dramatically. "Great. So, who wants to take bets it's the lunch lady?"
---