Starwhisper Academy

The corridors of Starwhisper Academy stretched before Harper Quinn like a labyrinth of secrets. The soft glow of her pendant lit the path ahead, casting shifting patterns across the stone walls, as if the shadows themselves were watching.

The silence pressed in, broken only by the faint hum of protective wards woven into the academy's bones—comforting, yet eerily aware. Each step Harper took echoed louder than it should have, like the halls were warning her to turn back.

But she couldn't. Not tonight.

She hadn't told her friends. Not yet. Not without proof. Professor Thorn's cryptic warning and her own growing suspicions had ignited something inside her—a fire that demanded answers.

At the end of the hallway, she stopped.

Beneath the thick oak door of the Arcane Library's restricted section, a faint glow leaked out, shimmering like a pulse. Her breath caught.

This was it.

The restricted section—off-limits, dangerous, sacred. A vault of arcane secrets, cursed relics, and forbidden truths. If Astra and Mira were hiding something, it would be here.

Harper reached for the door.

It opened with a soft creak.

She slipped inside, breath shallow. The air was thick with dust and magic. A single lamp glowed on a central table, casting eerie shadows across towering shelves of ancient tomes. This place felt alive.

And she wasn't alone.

Two voices murmured ahead—low, urgent, unmistakable.

Harper froze behind a bookshelf, peering between the gaps.

Astra Stormwind and Mira Solstice sat at the table, faces bathed in golden light, their backs to her. Astra leaned over an ancient map etched with constellations and runes. Mira scribbled furiously on parchment, glancing up between notes.

"We can't waste any more time," Astra whispered, her fingers brushing a glowing rune. "If we align these with the celestial event, the wards will weaken. The seals will break."

Mira nodded, her voice sharp with excitement. "And with the storm control spell active, the relics will respond. They'll be ours."

Harper's stomach dropped.

She knew it. Knew they were after the Celestial Relics—but hearing it spoken aloud turned dread into something colder. Realer.

The map pulsed, reacting to Astra's touch. The rune she referenced glowed softly—positioned perfectly near the upcoming alignment. This wasn't just academic curiosity. This was a plan.

And they were nearly ready.

Then—a sound.

Footsteps.

Harper ducked further behind the shelf, heart hammering. The door creaked open.

Professor Cedric Thorn entered, his presence commanding, eyes sharp.

His gaze swept the room, landing on Astra and Mira.

"What is this?" His voice sliced through the tension.

Astra straightened, schooling her expression. "We were just… researching celestial alignments. For class."

Professor Thorn didn't blink. He stepped closer, inspecting the map, his eyes narrowing at the glowing rune.

"These texts are restricted. You had no permission to be here."

Mira opened her mouth. "We didn't mean—"

"Enough." The command in his voice left no room for debate. "You'll return these materials now. And you will explain yourselves to Headmaster Hawthorne—at dawn."

Defeated, Astra and Mira gathered their notes. Their frustration was palpable.

Harper watched them go, barely daring to breathe. Only when their footsteps faded did she move.

She stepped out of hiding, hands trembling slightly as she reached for the book left behind on the table—its leather cover inked with celestial symbols.

The Secrets of the Celestial Wards.

It felt heavy in her arms—like it knew how dangerous it was.

She tucked it beneath her cloak and slipped out into the night.

Back in Her Room

Harper spread the book and map across her bed, eyes darting across the glowing runes. The alignment was marked clearly—just days away.

She traced the path of the