The hall was empty now. Only the smell of chicken and the sound of quiet goodbyes remained. The new students felt both excited and confused. They were led to the courtyard for the "Orientation Gauntlet." Cyrene walked with Malric. She was still thinking about her short meeting with Lysander Veylor. Her fingers felt a strange tingle, like a memory of his magic.
Malric was busy staring at a small garden statue. Suddenly, he smiled. "I won! " he said.
"The statue blinked first." Cyrene asked him what the Gauntlet was. Malric explained that it was a set of magic tests and puzzles run by the older students. He said it was meant to be fun, but it also showed who could handle the pressure.
They reached a large yard filled with golden sunlight. At the end, there were several glowing doorways. One had sparks of electricity, one smelled like dirt, and another made a soft music sound. It looked like a magical fair.
The headmaster stood at the front. He looked very surprised, as he always did. Next to him was Commander Thalia Moonshade. She looked very serious and strict. Lysander Veylor stood nearby, watching everyone quietly.
"Welcome to the Orientation Gauntlet!" the headmaster shouted happily.
"These are your first tests. Go through the doors, show us what you can do, and prove you are ready for school!"
He pointed to Commander Moonshade and said her team would watch over them.
"Work together and use your heads," he added. "And please, try not to burn anything down."
Commander Moonshade nodded quickly. Her eyes moved across the crowd like a bright light.
"Make groups of four," she said in a sharp, hard voice.
"Pick a door carefully. Follow the rules. Do not leave the path. If you break the rules, we will know."
Everyone started moving fast to find partners. Malric grabbed Cyrene's arm.
"Stay with me, Scrappy!" he said.
"We need people who won't turn us into frogs by mistake."
They saw a quiet girl with dirt on her face. She was looking closely at a plant. Malric told Cyrene her name was Seraphina Moonveil. He said she was good with plants and seemed nice. They asked her to join them, and she gave a shy smile and said yes.
Malric pointed to the green, glowing door that smelled like earth.
"We are going there," he said. They still needed one more person.
A tall boy with dark hair walked by. He looked very calm and brave. Malric called out to him and asked if he wanted to join their group for the "earthy" test.
The boy walked over slowly. "I am Riven Calderis," he said in a quiet voice.
"The earth door sounds like a good choice."
Cyrene nodded. She felt calm around Riven. He was very different from the loud Malric or the cold Lysander.
"Okay! Let's go!" Malric shouted.
They walked through the green door. Suddenly, the sunny yard was gone. They were now in a dark, quiet forest. The ground and trees glowed with soft light.
"This is amazing," Cyrene said. Seraphina looked happy. She loved being near the plants.
The group worked together to finish the tasks. They found hidden mushrooms and walked through a maze of thorny bushes. Malric used his "glitches" to move through thick plants. When they walked past plants that made people dizzy, Cyrene's power stopped the magic from working on her. She felt perfectly fine.
Riven was very helpful and quiet. When a strong, cold wind tried to push them off the path, he used his magic to make a shield and protect them. Even the strict Commander Moonshade looked a little bit impressed as she watched them.
They were almost at the end when they heard a scream from the fire door nearby.
"Help! My leg is stuck! I can't move!" someone cried out.
Cyrene heard the boy scream. It sounded like the nervous boy from the bus.
"We have to help him!" she cried.
Riven stopped her. "We must finish our own test first," he said calmly.
"The teachers are watching him." Cyrene didn't like it, but she stayed with her group.
They reached a stone stand. A voice said they had to place an object on it that showed how they worked together. Malric put down an apple, Seraphina gave a glowing flower, and Riven added a solid stone. Cyrene put down a small whistle.
"This is so we can call each other," she said. The stand glowed. They had passed.
Suddenly, they were back in the sunny yard. Cyrene looked at the group from the fire door. She remembered seeing five students go in, but only four came out. One boy was missing.
"Where is the other boy?" Cyrene whispered to Malric. He looked worried.
"You're right. The boy with the brown hair is gone."
Cyrene walked up to Commander Moonshade. "Excuse me," she said.
"A boy is missing from the fire group. Five went in, but only four came out."
The commander looked at her with cold eyes.
"No one is missing," she said.
"He is just resting in the hospital. The magic in the test made you see things wrong. Do not spread rumors." Then she walked away.
Cyrene knew the Commander was lying. Malric looked uneasy. He pointed at Lysander Veylor, who was still writing notes and looking calm.
"He was watching that door," Malric said.
"If someone were gone, wouldn't he say something?" Lysander acted like nothing was wrong at all.
Cyrene felt very worried. St. Jude's was a famous school, but it was hiding a dark secret. A student had disappeared during a test, and the teachers were acting as if nothing had happened. They said he was safe, but Cyrene knew better.
Riven walked by and looked at her. For a second, his eyes showed that he was also worried. He gave a small nod and kept walking. He seemed to know that something was wrong, too.
Even in the warm sun, Cyrene felt cold. The magic at this school was beautiful, but now it felt scary. Someone was missing, and the people in charge were lying about it.
This was no longer just about school rules or making friends. It was about something much more dangerous. Cyrene looked at her hands and felt a strange tingle. She realized that if the teachers wouldn't look for the missing boy, she would have to do it herself with Malric and Riven.