31. Arcady: An Invitation

Campus falls silent after the second trial, and Arcady throws himself into finishing a history paper while nightly dreams with Everen intensify their golden bond. Despite the closeness, they find no new lead on the golden tree, and Everen hints at returning to the human world, leaving Arcady feeling cornered by fate.

At the infirmary gathering for those who advanced, Willem and Edin are recovering; Willem’s ribs and scratches will heal, and Edin’s arm is braced. The group pieces together what happened: Lowe Balcil overspent magic, the ward imploded, and Lowe turned Starveling, nearly killing Willem before professors intervened.

The students debate whether the Trials will continue. Some argue Loc won’t cancel for fear of seeming weak; others note the Citadel is shaken. Lowe’s fate is certain: his dragonstone seal will be replaced with marble and he will be expelled from magic, a public shame that underscores Arcady’s own risk if exposed.

As Spirit Moon break begins, most students plan to leave the Citadel. Arcady intends to stay and study, and Sorin will remain as an acolyte. Willem, facing a lonely holiday while his parents contend with a tense maritime incident between Jask and Loc, invites Arcady, Sorin, and Edin to his family’s remote hunting lodge for companionship.

Arcady accepts, outwardly for friendship and rest, but privately for two strategic reasons: a secluded estate is a plausible place to uncover a professor’s hidden, possibly forbidden research, and its isolation could make it a safer site to attempt drawing Everen back into the human world.