The portal opened with a low, uneven thrum. Its edges flickered, unstable, leaving fractures in the surrounding air as the first figure stepped through.
Cedric Valerius emerged first, carrying the limp body of his brother, Cassius Valerius, across his back. Cedric's breathing was steady, but strained. The strain didn't come from Cassius' weight. It came from something heavier and unnatural pressure that settled in his bones the moment the subplane began to collapse.
The fourth floor's courtyard was covered in a fresh layer of snow from the winter expanse. No footsteps marked it. Only the spiral burn from the portal's collapse etched into the stone below them. It was too early for anyone else to be outside. The academy was still asleep.
Behind Cedric came Liora Valerius. Her steps, normally fluid and confident, were quiet now. She scanned the courtyard with sharp eyes, expecting someone, faculty, sentinels, surveillance drones, but the space remained empty. Even the guards that typically patrolled the eastern watchtowers were absent.
Lucius Valerius stepped out behind her. His hands were clenched at his sides, posture rigid. He had not spoken once since they crossed the threshold. His silence didn't concern anyone. It was usual for him.
Avaia Valerius came last. Her expression betrayed nothing, but her fingers hovered just above her hip, where her weapon would normally rest. Her tension wasn't visible unless you were looking for it.
The portal sealed behind them with no sound. One blink and it was gone, leaving only the spiral burn and silence in its place.
The five siblings stood still. No one spoke.
Cassius let out a low breath, barely audible. Cedric shifted him slightly, keeping his body supported.
"He's burning," Cedric said. His voice was quiet. "Internally."
Liora stepped forward and pressed two fingers to Cassius' temple. Her expression stayed flat, but her breathing changed. She turned. "We need to move. Now."
They entered through the eastern corridor. The halls were pristine. Stone walls reflected the early morning light. The cold tiles beneath their feet were quickly stained with melted snow and dirt.
Their appearance didn't match the corridor. Ash from Cassius' boots streaked behind them. Mud had soaked into their coats. Avaia had wrapped her wrist in a strip of torn sleeve. Lucius' knuckles were scraped open. Liora had a shallow cut beneath her left eye. None of them commented on their injuries.
Cassius didn't open his eyes. His body stayed rigid, even in unconsciousness. He didn't radiate warmth. He didn't project cold. His aura was hollow. And it was leaking.
It clung to their skin, like pressure without weight.
They climbed the stairwell to the infirmary wing. By the time they reached the fourth landing, they weren't alone.
Two medicae waited near the entrance, one tall, with gray gloves and a badge marking him as Senior Healer Relven; the other, younger, less experienced, named Tana Murel, marked by the red trim on her coat. Neither approached.
Standing beside them was Headmaster Cidren Renvael.
Renvael wore no outer cloak, only the deep navy uniform of the Council-aligned staff. The cold didn't seem to register to him. His hands were clasped behind his back. His expression was unreadable.
Renvael's presence made the group stop moving. His eyes shifted immediately to Cassius.
Cedric spoke first. "He needs help. Now. Something's wrong."
"I can see that," Renvael said. His voice was composed. "Take him to a resonance-isolated ward."
Healer Relven nodded and stepped forward, but Cedric didn't let go of Cassius.
"Isolated?" Cedric asked.
Renvael didn't blink. "He's leaking. I can feel it from here. That's a threat to the stabilizers on this floor."
At the word "containment," Cassius shifted. His right hand twitched once. A dull pulse passed through the floor, a vibration, not an energy. The temperature in the hallway dropped slightly.
Renvael stepped forward once. "Put him down."
Cedric looked at the stretcher, then lowered Cassius carefully onto it. As soon as Cassius touched the surface, the metal strained. It wasn't weight. It was pressure. The steel frame groaned inward.
Liora flinched. Avaia watched her. Lucius said nothing.
"He's quite dangerous," Renvael said.
Healer Relven and Murel wheeled the stretcher away at once, toward the reinforced resonance wing. The hallway sealed behind them with a triple-locked mechanism. Soundproof. Energy-locked. Medical-grade.
Renvael looked back at the remaining four siblings.
"What happened?"
Cedric inhaled, but Liora stepped forward.
"Why wasn't anyone monitoring the subplane up until the collapse?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was sharp.
Renvael didn't answer.
Lucius stepped forward. "The collapse started from inside. Not from outside interference."
Renvael's gaze swept across them, Lucius, Avaia, Liora, Cedric, measuring something.
"Cassius should not have had access to the gate," he said.
"He didn't," Avaia replied. "He forced his way in."
"He forced it open?" Renvael asked.
"Well, that's what we think," said Cedric.
Cedric nodded. "It was broken. He forced it the rest of the way. He shouldn't have, but if he hadn't, none of us would've made it out."
Renvael didn't respond for a moment. Then he asked, "What did he do once inside?"
Cedric hesitated. Liora's jaw tightened.
"He manifested a resonance," Cedric said.
Renvael blinked. "That's not possible."
"It happened," Avaia said. "It wasn't a delayed awakening. It was created mid-collapse."
Renvael looked back toward the sealed hallway. The calculation behind his eyes shifted. He didn't speak again. He turned and walked away.
The siblings didn't move. They stood in silence for several minutes, the cold of the corridor seeping into their sleeves.
Eventually, Liora asked, "Do you think he's going to live?"
Cedric didn't answer.
They were taken to a holding room afterward. Their injuries were cleaned. Traces of ash and collapsed matter were scrubbed from their coats and hair. They were scanned for irregular resonance behavior. The medical team found nothing, but still kept them under observation for another hour.
When they were released, the academy had awakened. Students passed them in the halls. Most said nothing. A few whispered. Every glance lingered too long.
Lucius walked with his hood up. Avaia kept to his left. Liora watched everyone. Cedric led the group without a word.
They were being watched.
Not for what they'd done but for who had returned with them.