Outside the main building of Manipur Sorcery University, newly admitted students stood scattered across the open grounds. Some carried small bags, others stood empty-handed, all of them waiting with the same uncertain expressions.
They had passed the trial—but now none of them knew what to do next.
Thangjam Lanthaba stood quietly near the stone pathway, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the area calmly.
A familiar face approached him.
"Hey," the boy said. "Did you get your hostel room yet?"
It was Nongthombam Yaikhomba.
Lanthaba shook his head. "Not yet. The hostel committee is supposed to give us the Room ID. We're waiting for the hostel manager."
Yaikhomba blinked. "You're sure about that? A lot of students look completely lost."
Lanthaba gave a small smile. "That's normal."
"How do you even know all this?" Yaikhomba asked. "Everyone else is clueless."
"My family's part of Thawai Society," Lanthaba replied. "My father and uncle studied here. I don't know everything, but I know enough to not panic."
Yaikhomba nodded slowly, clearly impressed.
As they spoke, footsteps approached from behind.
"Lanthaba."
They turned.
Standing there was Sorel Yaipokpa, dressed casually but still carrying the same confident presence from the previous . Without wasting time, he handed Lanthaba a key.
"Room key," Sorel said. Then he handed another key to Yaikhomba. "Same room."
Yaikhomba stared at it in surprise. "W–Wait, both of us?"
Sorel nodded. "Yes."
He then looked back at Lanthaba. "You really missed two years, didn't you? It's good to see you here again."
Yaikhomba's eyes widened. "You know each other?"
Lanthaba scratched the back of his head. "We're cousins. My mother is from Sorel's family—one of the smaller families within Thawai Society."
"Ohhh," Yaikhomba said. "That explains a lot."
Lanthaba looked at Sorel. "Have you given the keys to everyone else?"
"The hostel manager has already started distributing them," Sorel replied. "You just happened to be standing in the right place."
With that, he gave them a brief nod and walked away.
Lanthaba and Yaikhomba followed the directions etched faintly along the path. The hostel building stood quietly among tall trees, its structure simple but solid.
Their room was modest—two beds, two desks, and a large window letting in soft daylight.
"So… we're roommates," Yaikhomba said, setting his bag down.
"Looks like it," Lanthaba replied.
They spent the next hour unpacking, wiping dust from shelves, and arranging their space. The awkwardness faded quickly.
As they sat down to rest, Yaikhomba spoke again.
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What exactly is Thawai Society?"
Lanthaba thought for a moment. "It was created when sorcerer families decided to unite instead of acting alone. I don't know much about its politics, but I do know its purpose—to keep sorcerers together and prevent chaos."
"So it's like a hidden organization?"
"More like a foundation," Lanthaba said. "Without it, sorcerers would've destroyed each other long ago."
Yaikhomba nodded, absorbing every word.
They continued talking—about the university, rumors, strange buildings, and what kind of classes they might have. Time passed without them noticing.
Night fell quietly.
The next morning, the campus felt different—calmer, heavier.
Lanthaba and Yaikhomba entered their classroom along with other students and took their seats. Conversations slowly died down as footsteps echoed from the front.
A woman stepped inside.
Her hair was snow-white, her expression calm yet sharp. She wore a traditional white phanek and enaphi, her presence commanding without effort.
Silence filled the room.
"This is bad…" someone whispered.
Lanthaba's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Wakheipa Kondonglei," he murmured.
The woman placed her hand on the desk and looked at the class.
Their teacher had arrived.