BAZALGA
Kyla stood before the tall oak door marked LIBRARY.
Students weren't allowed inside at this hour—but she had special permission from Mistress Halwen. She slipped the iron key from her bag, glancing down the dim corridor to ensure she was alone. Silence.
The lock clicked open. She stepped inside.
Darkness swallowed the room. With a flick of her hand, a small flame flared to life on her fingertip, casting a soft amber glow across the dust-laced air. Shadows danced along the endless rows of lettered shelves towering above her.
Kyla exhaled, adjusting the strap of her bag. She had two specific books to find: Third Level Enchantments and The Lost Recipes of Astral Baking.
Raising her other hand, she murmured a wind incantation. A gentle current stirred, swirling through the aisles.
"Find them," she whispered, and the breeze scattered like a hound on a scent. Meanwhile, Kyla stepped deeper into the quiet maze of bookshelves, her flame flickering in the darkness, searching alongside it.
As Kyla scanned the shelves for books, a strange shift in the air made her pause. She glanced over her shoulder—nothing. Or so it seemed.
Shrugging it off, she continued her search, fingers gliding across spines worn with age. Then suddenly, she whipped around, flicked her wrist, and felt her magic slam into something—an invisible form, human-shaped.
With one hand, she gripped the unseen figure by the neck. Her other hand cast a swift spell, shattering the illusion. The shimmer peeled away, revealing a face she'd seen before—but couldn't place.
"Please don't choke me!" the girl gasped, suspended mid-air.
Kyla blinked, then let her go. The girl fell with a thud, face-first onto the floor.
"Ouch," she groaned.
Kyla turned back to the shelf, unfazed. "Care to tell me why you're in the library?"
"I just wanted to get a book. No big deal," the girl mumbled, standing and brushing herself off.
"You know it's against school rules to be here at this hour," Kyla said, still scanning the shelves.
"You're here too."
"I have permission from Mistress Halwen. You don't."
"Please don't tell on me," the girl said, her eyes wide. "I just needed the fourth Utopia Magicals book."
Kyla paused. "This better be the last time you sneak in here. I'm not a snitch, but someone else might not be so kind. Understand?"
"Yes. Thank you," the girl said, relieved.
"I'm Georgina." She added after a moment.
"Kyla."
A breeze swept into the aisle as Kyla's summoned wind spirit returned, dropping two books into her hand. She murmured a quick command, and it darted off again—this time in search of Gina's request.
"Thank you," Gina said, surprised.
"I know I've seen you before," Kyla said as they walked to a table, "what class are you in?"
"Class Four. We met briefly at the Academy's Conference last year."
"Right, that's where I remember you from," Kyla nodded.
"You're sixteen, right? How come you're already in Class Six?"
"I started early," Kyla replied with a shrug.
The wind spirit returned, carrying the fourth Utopia Magicals book. Kyla caught it mid-air and handed it to Gina.
"I wish I were as talented as you," Gina said softly.
Kyla didn't respond, only gave her a look—neutral, unreadable.
They stepped out of the library, and with Mistress Halwen's key, Kyla sealed the door behind them.