Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

The final day at Genvah Academy arrived with a rare, quiet beauty.

There were no classes, no rushed scrambling through hallways, no heavy tomes tucked under arms or ink-stained fingers frantically finishing last-minute assignments. Instead, there was a hum in the air- light, buzzing with excitement, and edged with a bittersweet kind of relief.

The morning feast was something straight out of a dream.

The Great Hall had been transformed overnight: white and gold banners cascaded from the ceilings, tables were laden with every kind of food imaginable, and the scents of fresh bread, roasted meats, spiced fruits, and sweet pastries filled the room so thickly it was almost dizzying.

Students were allowed to wear casual clothes for once, a freedom that many had embraced with fierce enthusiasm. Adrian wore his usual disregard for anything uniform, Sevan had simply thrown on a plain black collared shirr, and Aiden, after a moment of thought, had chosen something simple: a dark sweater vest and his leather jacket Adrian bought him and his old, slightly battered boots.

They sat near the front, laughing and eating far too much for so early in the day, the atmosphere light for once.

It wasn't long before Headmaster Kairos rose from his seat at the high table, raising his goblet with a warm, mischievous smile that instantly silenced the room.

"My dear students," Kairos said, his voice soft yet carrying effortlessly across the hall. "Today is not a day for lessons, nor for trials, nor even for lectures about your occasionally questionable behavior-"He gave a pointed glance at Adrian, who grinned innocently, earning a ripple of laughter.

"No," continued Kairos, "today is for celebrating all of you. Those who dared to learn, to stumble, to get up again… and, for some of you, to survive far more than you were ever meant to face."

There was a subtle weight in his words, and Aiden felt it land gently, like a hand on his shoulder.

With a casual flick of his wrist, a grand list appeared mid-air, letters shimmering and twisting in gold: the Top Ten of each year. The hall broke into excited murmurs as students scanned for names they recognized.

"Let us recognize the Top Ten," said Kairos, "who have shown excellence in their craft and character."

Year by year, students were called. Cheers erupted for each, some louder than others, as the golden sunburst pins were awarded. Ambrose with Shiloh were practically falling over each other laughing when both their names were called, shoving each other lightly before accepting their pins. Morrigan flushed beet red but smiled shyly as she bowed and accepted hers.

When they reached the first-years, the hall grew expectant. The second his name was called, the first-years erupted. They clapped and whooped so loudly that Aiden felt his face flush with heat.

Adrian whistled sharply, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Go get it, Champion!"

Sevan gave a rare, fond smile, clapping loudly.

Aiden stood up, awkward but trying to hold himself together, and made his way toward the front.

He could feel the claps from the classmates- loud, proud, fierce- and then the more hesitant applause from the older students.

It wasn't hostile anymore, but it wasn't exactly warm either. Like they didn't quite know what to make of him now that he'd survived something far greater than schoolyard duels.

But there, in the crowd, he spotted a splash of dyed pink hair- Cypris, the second-year who had helped them go to the Labyrinth. She clapped steadily, without hesitation, giving him a subtle thumbs-up when their eyes met.

Something in Aiden's chest tightened- something like gratitude.

When Aiden returned to his seat, Adrian immediately grabbed his pin and tried to bite it.

"Real gold?" he asked around a mouthful of food. Aiden rolled his eyes and snatched it back.

"Don't think it works that way."

Sevan just smirked and shoved another bread roll onto Aiden's plate, muttering, "Champion needs strength."

As the rest of the Top Ten recognitions wrapped up, Kairos dismissed them with a final, warm-hearted reminder to "stay out of trouble, or at least be clever enough not to get caught."

The students poured out into the halls with a kind of joyous anarchy, running, shouting, celebrating the end of the year.

The sun was bright and golden as they poured out of the Great Hall, a sea of students flooding the courtyard. Banners fluttered from the stone pillars above, bearing the colors of the academy, and every so often a burst of magic crackled through the air- fireworks of spells that had accidentally (or purposefully) gone awry.

The last day at Genvah Academy had arrived, and even the teachers seemed to have given up trying to maintain order.

Aiden walked with a slight limp, his pace slow but steady. Sevan stayed close on one side, a quiet but constant presence, and Adrian bounded around him like a wolf pup barely contained by a leash.Their laughter mixed with the noise around them, filling the warm air.

"So," Adrian said after a moment, grinning mischievously as they crossed the courtyard toward the line of carriages, "do you two want to hear about my magnificent, unparalleled, absolutely historic prank?"

He said it so dramatically that Aiden had to bite back a laugh.

Sevan immediately groaned. "No. Not again. Please."

Aiden elbowed Sevan lightly. "Of course I want to hear it. It's tradition at this point."

Adrian beamed, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Alright, you know the faculty lounge, right? You know how Professor Ylang-Ylang adores her tea? And Flinders absolutely needs his black coffee at precisely six a.m.?"

Aiden and Sevan both nodded warily.

"Well," Adrian continued, "with the help of the Kibbers, I enchanted the tea set. Now, whenever someone pours tea or coffee… it moos."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "And if they ignore the mooing for more than three seconds, the tea or coffee vanishes into thin air."

For a beat, there was silence. Then Aiden burst out laughing, clutching his side.

Sevan just closed his eyes and shook his head like a long-suffering parent.

"You're going to get banned for life," Sevan muttered under his breath.

"I'm going to get a statue erected in my honor," Adrian corrected him proudly."Visionary Adrian, Bringer of Mooing Beverages."

Unfortunately for Adrian's secret plan, Jarek and Rupert were close behind and had heard every word. Both of them immediately doubled over laughing, Rupert slapping Jarek on the back, who looked like he might actually cry from laughter.

"You're insane," Jarek gasped. "Absolutely insane."

"I hope they leave it forever," Rupert wheezed. "Imagine Flinders' face when his mug moos at him."

"Don't encourage him," Sevan said again, but this time with a small, grudging smile.

Adrian tossed his head back proudly. "I do it for the people."

The carriages were waiting at the edge of the academy, clustered along the main road, the horses stamping impatiently at the earth. One by one, the students boarded, the carriages rumbling to life with a low groan and setting off toward the thick forest where the river wound like a silver ribbon through the woods.

Aiden glanced out the small carriage window, watching the castle disappear behind the trees.The green of the forest swallowed them whole, sunlight dappling the path in flickers of gold and shadow.They bumped along the uneven trail, laughter and shouts echoing from other carriages ahead.

"I thought we were going home by portal," Aiden said under his breath.

"Nope," Adrian said, popping the 'p.' "Same way we came in. River crossing, Helio's Ferry."

Sure enough, after a long winding descent through the trees, the scent of fresh water reached them, and the carriages pulled to a stop along the grassy banks of the broad river they remembered from their very first day.

Waiting on the water were the familiar slim boats of the Helio's Ferry- enchanted to drift smoothly across the strong currents, carrying students back to the other side where they would eventually take them home.

The river glittered under the sun, wide and welcoming, a mirror of the bright sky above. Students poured from the carriages, laughing, shouting, carrying their trunks or floating them with magic. Professor Anwar and a few other teachers supervised lazily from the bank, some of them even smiling.

Aiden stepped down carefully, wincing slightly at the stiffness still left in his legs. Sevan grabbed his trunk for him without a word, hauling it easily toward one of the boats.

Adrian lingered behind a moment, grinning at the scene around them.He turned to Aiden with a smirk.

"This is going to be the best summer," Adrian said with unshakable confidence. "And next year? Just wait. We'll own Genvah."

Sevan snorted."Or we'll get expelled," he said dryly.

Aiden just laughed and hoisted his bag over his shoulder, following the others toward the boats.

The boat rocked slightly as they climbed aboard.Sevan took the rudder seat, grumbling about how no one else could steer properly, while Adrian promptly sprawled backward across the benches like a king on his throne.

As they pushed off from the shore, the soft rush of the river filled their ears, and Genvah faded slowly into the green behind them- a castle half-shrouded by trees, its towers catching the last light of the afternoon.

Inside the boat, the boys laughed and joked and plotted their summer adventures, saying that Sevan should go to their home during the summer.

And for once, Aiden let himself believe it: that there would be a next year, and that maybe, just maybe, it would be a good one.