The academy was blanketed in silence, its towering halls cast in shadows as the night deepened. Valen led his allies through hidden corridors and forgotten passageways, each step echoing softly in the quiet. The familiar hallways had taken on an eerie stillness, a reminder of the secrets concealed within the academy's walls.
They moved carefully, sticking close to the shadows, their footsteps muffled by an enchantment Seraphine had cast. Aylara's illusion magic cloaked their forms in wisps of mist, masking them from any patrolling professors or detection spells. As they neared the secluded wing of the academy where the restricted archives lay hidden, Valen's pulse quickened, the weight of the prophecy pressing down on him like a tangible force.