Morning light stretched across the towering spires of Hogwarts, painting the ancient stone in gold and pale orange. Students shuffled into the Great Hall, the usual chatter buzzing like a hive. Plates clattered, owls swooped through the enchanted ceiling sky, and laughter bounced between the high walls.
Yet beneath the ordinary rhythm of the morning, something felt… off.
Julian noticed it first.
A subtle tension in the air. The sort that creeps across your skin when a thunderstorm is preparing somewhere beyond the horizon.
Noah sat across from him, lazily spinning a spoon between his fingers. Lake leaned back in his chair, while Oliver scanned the room with his usual quiet alertness.
Then the Great Hall doors opened.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But the effect was immediate.
Conversation died like a candle pinched between fingers.
A single figure walked inside.
Principal Aadon
He wasn't tall. In fact, he stood slightly shorter than Lake. But there was something about him that made the room feel smaller.
His dark coat hung heavy with silver runic embroidery, and an ancient staff rested calmly in his hand. The polished black wood shimmered faintly with distant starlight.
Starbreaker.
Every step he took echoed across the hall.
Students straightened instinctively.
Even the enchanted ceiling clouds seemed to slow.
Aadon's golden eyes moved slowly across the room.
They passed over hundreds of students.
Then they paused.
Julian felt it immediately.
Like being examined by gravity itself.
The principal's gaze shifted to Noah.
Then Lake.
Then Oliver.
Finally, he turned toward the far end of the hall.
Three transfer students sat quietly.
BankoQuintonCruise
They looked like ordinary students.
But Aadon's eyes lingered for just a moment too long.
He stepped forward to the center of the hall.
Then he spoke.
His voice was calm, deep, and steady.
"Something powerful has entered this castle."
Silence swallowed the room.
Banko slowly smiled.
The storm had officially begun.