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"Yes." Neither of them explains further. Neither needs to. The answer alone is enough. Professor Neris places one gloved hand on the nearest saddle. "Officially..." She says. "This is an academic exercise." She looks first at Cassian. "Field observations." Then me. "Manifestation analysis." Finally Rhyven. "And command evaluation." Her gaze steadies. "Unofficially..." The wind stirs the hem of her coat. "I want to know whether the reports resemble what we've already found."

No one responds immediately. Because suddenly this no longer feels like an assignment. It feels like an investigation. Professor Neris reaches into her satchel and removes a folded map of Varethia. She spreads it across the saddle. The Academy sits at its center. Silver lines branch outward like veins across the kingdom. Every major village. Every watchtower. Every ward anchor. The entire network connected back to one point. The Academy. "The anchors sustain all of it." She says quietly. "If one anchor begins behaving unpredictably..." Her finger traces one silver line toward Briar's Hollow. "We need to understand why." She folds the map again. "We leave now."

I mount my horse, my pulse quickening despite myself. As the western gates open before us, I glance back toward the Academy. Students continue crossing the courtyards. Classes continue. Life continues exactly as it had an hour ago. For them today is an ordinary Wednesday. For us it feels like we've just crossed an invisible threshold. And somehow I don't think we're riding toward answers. I think we're riding toward better questions.

Briar's Hollow lies barely two hours from the Academy. Close enough that several merchant roads pass through it. Far enough that the mountains gradually give way to rolling farmland and dense forests. As we ride, Professor Neris rarely speaks. Not because the silence is uncomfortable. Because each of us is watching. Learning. Field studies, I realize, begin long before reaching the destination. "The ward network." Professor Neris says eventually. "It isn't simply protection."

Cassian immediately looks interested. "It also regulates magical flow."

She nods. "The wards don't project one enormous barrier over Varethia. It distributes magic through hundreds of anchors." I picture the map she showed us. The silver lines stretching across the kingdom.

"Like roots." I murmur.

Professor Neris glances at me. "Exactly. A damaged anchor affects the surrounding area first. Then neighboring anchors begin compensating."

Rhyven finally speaks. "If compensation continues too long..." He starts.

"The network weakens." Professor Neris finishes. None of us likes the direction that thought takes. Briar's Hollow appears just after midday. Smoke rises lazily from stone chimneys. Children chase each other between cottages. A blacksmith works beneath an open shed. Someone waves as Professor Neris rides past. She raises a hand in return. Nothing about the village looks wrong. Which somehow makes me more uneasy. If someone had asked me what magical instability looked like I would've imagined ruins. Not laughter.

An elderly woman waits for us beside a weathered stone well. She bows respectfully. "Professor Neris." She says.

"Keeper Aelindra." Professor Neris dismounts. "Thank you for receiving us." She adds.

"My pleasure." The woman notices the rest of us. "You brought students."

"Field observation." Professor Neris answers. The explanation is technically true.

The older woman smiles warmly. "Good. They should see these things."

She begins walking without another word. We follow. The village's ward anchor stands at its northern edge. Unlike the Academy's elegant architecture this one is surprisingly modest. A pillar of pale stone barely taller than I am. Ancient symbols spiral around its surface. Some glow softly beneath the afternoon light. Others remain completely dormant. "This anchor protects the northern district." Keeper Aelindra explains. "It has stood here longer than anyone remembers."

Professor Neris kneels beside it. "When did the disturbances begin?"

"Six days ago."

Neris nods thoughtfully. "Describe them."

The old woman doesn't hesitate. "The humming stopped." She touches the stone affectionately. "One morning they were silent."

Professor Neris looks toward me. "Eirea." I step forward. "Touch it."

I hesitate only briefly before resting my fingertips against the cool stone. Immediately magic hums beneath my skin. Steady. Ancient. Comforting. Nothing feels wrong.

I frown. "It feels normal."

The old woman nods. "It does now." Keeper Aelindra says quietly. "They always recover."

Professor Neris nods. "How long?"

"The first time...Three breaths. The second, five. The third, eight. And yesterday..." The old woman looks toward the surrounding forest. "Thirteen."

Silence settles between us. Each disturbance lasted longer. Not random. Progressing. Cassian slowly circles the anchor. His eyes remain closed. "What do you feel?" Professor Neris asks.

He doesn't answer immediately. Finally— "People." He says. "But..." He opens his eyes. "They're blurry." I exchange a glance with Rhyven. Cassian rarely struggles to read emotions.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"I don't know." He admits. "I can feel fear." He looks toward the nearby cottages. "But it doesn't feel connected."