Over the next week, Maya and Kenji interviewed dozens of students, looking for more than just skill—they needed people who could work across cultures, who could adapt when their usual methods failed.
In the school's training yard, they watched ZARA from the Sandspire desert demonstrate how she used clay and herbs to create healing poultices that drew out excess magic. "In my land, we say that when magic runs wild, you must ground it in earth," she explained, pressing a warm poultice into a practice dummy. The dummy's glowing "sickness" faded to a steady light.
Next was LENA from the Frostborn north, who moved with the grace of snow falling. She held her hands over a bowl of water, and thin layers of ice formed and melted in patterns that seemed to tell a story. "We don't fight wild magic," she said. "We guide it, like water finding its way through ice."
Kenji tested each student's understanding of magical theory, while Maya watched how they interacted with each other. When Kai the Firekeeper student from Maya's class got into an argument with TORIN from the Earthwarden plains about whether magic should be controlled or allowed to grow naturally, Maya stepped in.
"Both of you are right," she said calmly. "Kai, your people need control to keep fire from burning what shouldn't be burned. Torin, your people need growth to keep the plains fertile. The question isn't which is better it's how to find what works for each situation."
By the end of the week, they had their team: twelve students from twelve lands, each with unique skills and perspectives. That evening, gathered in the courtyard around the Heart of Shadow, Maya spoke to them.
"We're not just going on an expedition," she said. "We're going to build something new something that combines all our traditions to help the world find balance again. It won't be easy. We'll disagree. We'll face things we don't understand. But together, we can find a way forward."
Kenji held up a glowing crystal that pulsed with twelve different colors. "This will connect us to each other and to the school," he said. "It will help us share our magic, our knowledge, and our strength. Remember we're not twelve individuals from twelve lands. We're one team, working for one world."