The carriage rattled to a stop before a massive stone archway.
Zane leaned forward, eyes widening. The structure towered over everything around it, ancient runes carved into its surface and glowing faintly with bluish light. Inside the arch swirled a rippling sheet of brilliance—like someone had bottled the night sky and folded it into a doorway.
His mouth hung open. "…Is that—"
"The teleportation portal," Mira finished, climbing down from the carriage. She straightened her cloak, her voice all business. "Academy's on the other side."
Zane stepped out, still staring like he'd seen the universe crack open. "It's like—like a giant puddle of magic. A door. A… a sparkly hole in reality. Do we just—do we walk into it? What if it eats us? What if my nose comes out first and the rest of me stays behind?"
"Calm down," Mira muttered, grabbing his sleeve to drag him along before he embarrassed them further.
But as they approached the gate, a bored-looking guard raised his hand. "Late arrivals. Fee's doubled. Ten silver each."
Mira scowled, patting her pouch. "You've got to be kidding me, I—"
Before she could even finish, Zane yawned, pulled a shiny coin from his pocket, and tossed it lazily toward the guard. "Keep the change."
The guard's eyes bugged out. "Is that—?! A gold coin?!"
Zane was already walking forward, scratching the back of his head. "Mhm. Yeah. Have fun with that."
Mira froze, staring at him in disbelief before storming after him through the glowing threshold.
The moment they passed through, reality bent. For a split second, Zane felt like his body had been stretched into threads of light before snapping back together. He stumbled, nearly falling on his face, while Mira caught her balance with practiced ease.
"Ugh, that was—am I inside-out?" Zane patted his chest. "Feels like I left my spleen back there."
Mira ignored his whining, arms crossed tightly as she glared at him. "What was that stunt back there? Tossing a gold coin at a guard like it was pocket lint? Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is? You could've—"
"—saved us time?" Zane offered, grinning sleepily.
She stomped her foot. "No! You can't just throw money around like that! Where did you even get it?"
Zane stretched, clasping his hands behind his head, looking infuriatingly casual. "I'll never tell."
Her brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
"You have your secrets," he said with a shrug. "I have mine."
Mira opened her mouth to argue but stopped, glaring at him one last time before turning away with a huff.
Zane smirked to himself, finally looking up at the grand sight of the Academy rising in the distance.
"…Guess this is where things get interesting."