Celestial_Trinity

Below the Wall

The students returned one by one, stumbling from the shattered gate with dazed expressions, as though waking from half-remembered dreams. One after another, they crossed the boundary until the final student emerged—and with a resonant hum, the towering gate sealed shut for another year.

Among the last to return were Dawn, Gary, and Ingrid. The three of them walked in silence, the weight of the inexplicable still heavy on their minds. They'd spoken briefly since awakening, huddled together in a quiet corner of the recovery tents. All three remembered the ritual. The distortion. The feeling of something clawing at the edge of perception. And then—nothing.

Only Dawn recalled a sliver more—a moment of refusal, a defiance against something unnamed. Even that memory was blurry, like trying to remember the shape of a shadow.

"So...we're just going to pretend nothing happened?" Gary had asked earlier, his voice low.

"No," Ingrid had replied, frowning. "But what can we say when we don't even know what we've forgotten?"

Now, as they stepped into the courtyard beneath the Wall, their hushed murmurs gave way to surprise. Approaching them, flanked by a retinue of stoic guards clad in ceremonial silver, was a woman of otherworldly elegance. Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall spun from moonlight, and her violet eyes shimmered with an enigmatic light.

Princess Luna.

All three instinctively bowed.

Luna's gaze lingered briefly on Dawn before she inclined her head in greeting, her posture impeccably regal. "You've returned. I trust the Wilderness didn't break you?"

Gary cracked a half-smile. "Not permanently."

Ingrid gave a polite nod. "Your Highness."

Dawn said nothing at first, but his eyes met hers—and she tilted her head just slightly, curious.

"I think we lost something in there," Dawn said finally.

"A shame," Luna replied. "But perhaps you gained something too."

Her voice was calm, composed. But there was something in her tone—an undercurrent of interest. Not fascination, not infatuation. Just...curiosity. Dawn intrigued her. She didn't quite know why yet, and she would never say it aloud. But there it was.

Before more could be said, a gong echoed from the Wall. The final student had crossed. The Gate shimmered for a moment and then closed with finality. Silence fell over the gathering.

From the highest balcony, the Grand Instructor stepped forward, clad in deep blue robes that shimmered like the night sky. His voice, amplified by ancient glyphs, rang across the courtyard.

"This year's expedition has been... unlike any other."

Students turned to listen, many still nursing bruises and confusion.

"You have faced the echoes of ancient beings, the remnant wills of the land, and the Wilderness itself. Some of you stood tall. Some faltered. All endured."

Then, the Grand Duke stepped forward. Verdant armor adorned his imposing frame, and behind his calm eyes was the weight of someone who had seen far more than any mortal should.

"The sky," he said, "is no longer a distant canopy. It is a battlefield. Some of us have walked those grounds... and some of you may one day do the same. But this trial—this step—marks your beginning."

His gaze swept across the students, pausing for a moment on Luna. Then on Dawn.

"Remember: survival is not the same as victory. Understanding is not the same as wisdom. But you have time to grow. And when that time ends—you must be ready."

The courtyard erupted in a respectful cheer, albeit a restrained one.

Later, as the students dispersed, Luna approached the trio once more.

"I'll be returning to my family for a while," she said, glancing briefly at the Grand Duke, who stood not far off. "But I hope to see you again... back at the Academy."

"Likewise," Dawn replied, offering a small nod.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Family visit? Sounds like someone missed royal pampering."

Luna shot him a look—sharp, but amused. "I do enjoy warmth over frostbitten cliffs. You should try it sometime."

Ingrid smirked. "Fair point."

And then, almost as an afterthought, Gary asked, "So... wait. You're the Grand Duke's granddaughter?"

Luna gave him a single, elegant blink. "Is that truly surprising?"

Ingrid and Gary stared.

Dawn just sighed. "Of course she is."

With a faint smile, Luna turned and rejoined her guards, her figure regal against the sunlit stone.

And so the curtain fell on this year's expedition.

But the memory—what little remained—clung to them like shadows at noon.

---

End of chapter