The moment Ezra pressed Harper's rune to sever magic, a shockwave rippled through the academy — a pulse that reverberated deep into its foundations. The magic that held its defenses, its wards, its creatures — all faltered for just a moment. That moment was all Ezra and his team needed.
Vulcan darted forward, a shimmering barrier blooming to protect him and Ansel from a rush of elemental creatures that sprang to attack their intruders. Ansel pressed his healing magic into the barrier, strengthening it and adding a protective aura. Callista pressed forward, dart-like blasts of magic piercing through the creatures' defenses, freeing their path toward the academy's lower catacombs — toward the place Harper had called the Lost City.
"The Lost City's Secret is more than a tale." Ezra said quietly as he fell into stride alongside his friends. His grip tightened on Harper's Grimoire, knuckles turning white beneath his mage's gloves. "Harper wrote about something ancient — something hidden deep within these catacombs — something that might be the key to unlocking or closing magic itself."
"That's what I'm worried about." Callista whispered. "If we release something we do not control, we could destroy everything — or let the conspiracy consolidate its power."
Vulcan nodded, adding quietly, "Whatever we do, we must make sure we're the ones in control — not the conspiracy."
The team pressed forward through abandoned hallways, following Harper's map — a map made up of rune-like lines and a shimmering compass rune that glowed faintly on the Grimoire's page. The further down they went, the more oppressive the magic seemed — thickening, growing wild. The magic flowed in raw streams, coalescing into shimmering formations and thickening into physical structures made entirely of magic.
"It's beautiful… and awful." Ansel said quietly. "The magic here… it's pure… untamed… the kind we barely comprehend today."
"That's why Harper kept it a secret." Ezra tightened his grip on the Grimoire. "He feared the conspiracy might exploit its power… or destroy magic itself in their quest for domination."
At the bottom of their descent, the team came upon a colossal gate made of gold, silver, and rune-forged metal. The gate was locked by a complex rune — a rune designed to respond to magic itself. Harper's notes explained that this rune was a manifestation of pure magic — a manifestation forged by the first mage-council. Breaking it without causing catastrophic backlash was a delicate, dangerous process — a process that would require all their collective skill.
Ezra pressed his hands against the gate. His magic flowed inward — slowly, carefully — to ease the rune's defenses. Ansel supported him, adding healing magic to ease the stress his magic was under, while Callista and Vulcan kept a vigilant watch for creatures or soldiers who might interrupt their progress.
"It's opening." Ezra whispered, a chorus-like ringing growing in his mind. "The Lost City… Harper… I'm going to see something I was meant to see… something we must protect."
The gate opened with a rush of ancient magic — a rush that forced them all backwards briefly — and then fell silent. Inside, a vast chamber glimmering with gold, silver, and luminescent stones opened before them — a city made entirely of magic, a city suspended in eternal stasis. Inside its streets, creatures made of pure magic flowed alongside spectral forms — the ghosts of the first mage-council, eternal guardians sworn to protect magic itself.
"The Lost City of Arcana." Callista whispered in awe. "Harper was right. It exists… and it's not a fairy tale."
Ezra turned back toward his friends. "Whatever we do today… we must make sure we do not destroy its magic… or let it be used to destroy us. This is our greatest challenge yet — protecting magic itself."
Together, the team stepped forward into the Lost City, not as conquerors, but as guardians — following Harper's guidance to redeem magic from those who would exploit it. The fate of magic, the academy, and their world rested upon their ability to do the impossible — to safeguard something eternal.