Students shuffled through the halls. Looking around with determination as they made their way to their first class. Bila looked above the crowds of kids to the signs floating in place at the top of each door. Soon enough she passed Ethereal 101. Bila wormed her way through the river of kids. The classroom was large, a handful of students were already sat and talking among themselves. She spotted Tuni and Alsa in the top row. She thought of sitting next to them but a twinge of awkwardness hit her. She wondered if such action would come off as off putting or even desperate. As Bila mulled over the idea she heard Tuni’s voice eagerly call out,” Hey Bila! Come sit with us!” The dark haired boy smiled, his long ears raised a tad as he waved feverishly. Bila smiled and climbed the steps. She looked on at the cheerful Tuni kindly and tried to extend the same to Alsa, but found the air between them felt thicker than it ought. 

“Did you find the Lyratin common room, alright?” Bila looked down at Alsa.

“Uhh, yeah,” Alsa avoided eye contact.

“ What was it like?” Tuni inquired.

“ It was cool I guess. Kinda dark, there weren't a lot of other first years there,” Alsa said recalling the night prior. The image of the dark and relatively derelict room came to her mind. She didn't wish to describe it.

“Yeah, I've heard it's the least populated house. I kinda wanted to be put in it, I thought it was cool,” Bila smiled sitting down.

“ You aren't missing much,” Alsa replied to her. The air between them began to unwind.  “ How did the Mydralin introduction go, Tuni?” Bila asked with a poorly masked curiosity. “ Oh it was fun. I got to talk to a few of my house mates. And my roommate is super cool,” Tuni recounted with a grin.

“Are the rumors spreading to the first years yet?” Bila asked matter-of-factly, giving up on the tiptoeing.

“ oh uh, what rumors?” Tuni's ears lower in contemplation. Alsa perked up, curious of the context.

“ Of the failed experiments in the basement,” Bila smiled, a sense of unease washed over the three of them. Bila found the budding fear tantalizing.

“Hmmm, no. but the house seer did say something about talking in the halls and not wandering into random doors and staircases.”  Bila smirked.

“ My brothers say a failed experiment from Tharn Wick used the catacombs under the schools to escape,” Bila informed them in a hushed voice, excitement tickling the edges of her voice.

“Really?” Tuni asked as his face dropped.

“ Yeah, my brothers are in the university, my dad's a professor there,” Bila smirked. Alsa rolled her eyes at the not so subtle boasting of the silver hair girl.

“ You don't know. Maybe they are just trying to scare you,” Alsa added. She found Bila's smugness irritating.

“Fine, why don't we see for ourselves?” Bila huffed.

Tuni looked anxious,” what do you mean?”

“ I mean, after the end of the day let's go to the basement and into the Catacombs to see for ourselves what's down there,” Bila seemed almost too enraptured  at the prospects.

Alsa looked a bit shocked at the escalation.

“ That’s such a dumb idea,” she bit back

“ What, just say you're too scared,” Bila egged Alsa on.

“ I'm not, it's just a stupid idea,” Alsa felt a heat rush to her cheeks. 

“ Then meet me after school and we'll poke around, it won't take that much time. Plus Tuni, maybe if you find the experiment House Mydralin will reward you,” Bila turned to the dark haired boy. Tuni's uneasiness faded at the idea.

“It'd be cool to check it out,” Tuni said looking at Alsa. Alsa furrowed her brow in discontentment. She felt how quickly Tuni changed his mind, a small betrayal. The echoes of her fathers command trumping her own desire to leave the conversation. ‘I have to stick by Tuni,’ she thought to herself.

“Fine,” Alsa agreed in annoyance. As class started the group fell silent. Every now and then Tuni and Bila would chatter among themselves about what they thought was in the basement. Alsa felt a distance between them crack further. ‘Father said I had to stick with Tuni because of the ‘families relationship’ as if it's anything more than him wanting to make sure Tuni's NoBlE family keeps lining his pockets,’ Alsa seethed to herself watching Bila and Tuni giggle quietly, trying to avoid the teachers gaze. A guilt tickled at the back of her throat. She did like Tuni. It's just that it felt like an obligation sometimes to always follow what he wants. 

The day passed quickly, and the halls lulled.  As the golden sun set, and the chill night breeze blew through the vestibule in a low moan. Three small padders of steps echoed, converging at a rickety old door. 

“ Are you sure this is the way?” Tuni questioned looking at the unassuming door.

“Yes, I'm positive,” Bila replied, her ears perking up.  Alsa listened to the two in silence, finding that any thoughts or comments of her own just merely wouldn't reach her tongue. Bila put her hand on the cold rusty nob. The air pulled tied in anticipation. But as the door creaked open what was there was not some endless staircase as the other two had assumed. No, it was just a mere mop closet. Shelves of tools and a few buckets and rags in the corner. Tuni's shoulders dropped in confusion.

“ This is a closet,” Alsa commented dryly. An awkwardness sparkled in the air before Bila coughed out a coy laugh.

“We're in a school of magic, have some imagination,” she turned back grinning at the two, as if she purposely kept the reality a secret to see their faces. But Bila was quick to walk in and  start moving aside all the buckets and rags. To reveal a small trap door on the ground. 

“ Hurry, come in and close the door,” Bila requested. Alsa was shocked but pushed Tuni through the door and closed it behind them. The two looked at the old hatch with some surprise. As if they didn't know what to do from here. Bila pulled out her wand and tapped the lock three times with her eyes closed, focusing. A click could be heard. She then went to pull on the trap door. It raised an inch or two as Bila pulled on the handle but she found it quite heavy. Alsa broke out of her vague trance and also grabbed the handle heaving it open with some effort. Curiosity began to grip her too. They peered down and saw an old ladder. The hole was pitch black. Bila was first to ardently climb down. The other two hesitated for a moment as they watched her silver hair be submerged in black. 

“What are you chickens waiting for, come on!” Bila called out from down below. Alsa rolled her eyes as she was the next down and just behind, Tuni followed. Soon all three of them stood huddled together in complete blackness. 

“Ok what now?” Alsa questioned, having no intention of trudging around in a cryptid with no light. Bila raised her wand and closed her eyes. A bead of light began to flicker to life at the tip of the old wooden rod.. It dimly lit up their surroundings. They looked at each other's faces, a youthful grin shared amidst them. One only born out of pure hearted mischief. Alsa glanced just behind Tuni’s giggling self and her heart dropped. She quickly grabbed the boy and pulled him closer. The three of them all turned to look at what she was looking at. A drop farther than they could imagine. Bila willfully strode up to the edge to peer down, making Alsa panic.

“Yeah my brothers mentioned this. There is a staircase though, see,” Bila tried to comfort the two as she pointed her wand at the decrepit stone stairs descending down into the gods only know what. She earnestly started the descent. Tuni quickly followed, brushing off the fear from moments prior. Alsa furrowed her brow in disapproval. Tuni could have just taken one step back and died right there. But the grim reality of their situation didn’t seem to reach the others. Alsa swallowed the complaint and followed behind the dark haired boy. 

The staircase spiraled down into the abyss, each step bouncing off the walls falling into the unknown. As they continued to walk for ten minutes the nerves eased up as they fell into a rhythm.

“ what do you think it's gonna be?” Tuni asked. Bila hummed a thought to herself before replying,” I'm not sure, but it must be alive. I doubt it'll be all too dangerous, I haven't heard of attacks. Considering it ran away, perhaps it's small?”  Alsa listened intently. The thought of it being small lifted a worry off her shoulders. If Tuni got hurt, she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it. She barely was able to attend Glorithral after she got put in Lyratin. 

“So, Alsa, what does your family do?” Bila asked, filling in the emptiness.

“ oh uh. My dad owns the opera house.” 

“ Oh that's pretty cool, does your family have a main house like mine?” Bila glanced up at her  as she followed behind.

“ yeah, most my family is in Arintilin…” Alsa avoided eye contact.

“ that's really cool! Did you want to be in Arintilin?” Bila smiled at her, just happy to hear her house mentioned.

“ yeah, I guess so,” Alsa tone got distant.

“ Well you can always reapply for rehousing for Tharn Wick. Not uncommon for houses to change by then,” Bila could sense the uneasiness with Alsa, and was unsure how to remedy it.

“ Yeah, I don't know. Maybe,” Alsa shrugged it off. Soon the echoing dispersed and a cold spacious breeze hit them. Bila raised up her wand trying to light up the environment better. They had reached the bottom of the stairs. The ground was soft, but as Bila shifted her weight little cracks and snapped could be felt beneath her feet. The catacombs are a large open space far below the schools. There was a chill in the wind that smelled damp and musty. Bila stepped forward, looking up and down the pillars. Massive structures that held the catacomb together. Each adorned in statues of writhing figures. Bila walked closer to the pillar to their right. Alsa followed the girl’s gaze. The stone was engraved with hobs and humans running from something as they peered towards the sky. Bila followed the stone hob’s gaze up to see a great bird elve in the clouds, raining down on the mortals below.

“It’s an Elviri,” Bila’s interest seemed peaked.

“So these pillars just tell myths?” Alsa asked, looking around at each one. Bila held her wand up to the ornately carved stone, examining the depictions.

“ I suppose, but I don’t know which one,” Bila replied. The three young hobs seemed entrenched in the old artistry of the catacombs. 

“Look, this guy kinda reminds me of that painting from the other day,” Alsa said pointing at a figure on the pillar a few paces away from Bila. Bila approached holding her wand out.  A winged figure stood above a mountain of hobs, curved horns jutted out of its head and a long tail curled down its legs. Her eyes widened at the connection, it certainly was the same species.

“An Algviri,” Bila said under her breath. Suddenly snaps of bones scurried behind them in the dark. The young hobs whipped around, their hearts shooting to  their throats. 

“What was that?” Tuni asked, trying to scan their surroundings. 

“Uhh,” Bila couldn’t think of what to respond with as dread trickled down her spine. Alsa pulled her wand out of its holster and readied it. They all stood waiting in silence. 

“T-he beast,” A voice shattered the thick air, its voice doubled. 

“Who’s there!” Alsa yelled out. Bila stepped towards the voice with her wand extending.

Moist crackles and laboured breathing emanated from behind a pillar a mere 15 feet away. 

“Th-e horned one, false god,” the voice spoke warped. Its body still obscured by the great pillar. 

“Come out!” Bila’s voice shaked as she barked. A wet slap against the ground rang out as its body shifted. A head peeked out from behind the  dimly lit stone. Its eyes bulged out, wet as if it was crying, staring at the three hobs. Bila could have sworn she saw its abyss black pupils pulsing. It’s eye didn’t break from the hobs, as if it waited for a reaction.

“A-are you the experiment?” Tuni croaked out, his hands drawn to his chest in fear.  The thing’s eyes seemed to impossibly enlarge at the question. It ripped itself from behind the pillar lurching closer to the three.  Alsa let out a horrified scream as she grabbed Tuni’s hand and began to run, dragging the boy behind her. Alsa got a few paces away before see peered back to see Bila frozen in place staring up at the creature that was now in full view. It was almost 6ft tall, its body writhed in place, its head propped on top of a thick lumpy neck. A long fleshy tube hung off it, it was purple and rotting, a head seemed to hang off the decaying stumb. The smell made Alsa’s eyes water, she could feel her stomach churn at the sight. 

But nothing happened, as Bila froze in place looking at the creature, the creature had not moved, it merely peered down at the frozen girl. Until it spoke again in his sickening voice.

“The false god, it poisoned our minds,”

“W-who is the false god?” Bila asked in a trembling voice.

“The one you called Algviri,” it creaked out. The three fell silent as they looked at the beast. Its eyes continued to drip with a thick off white substance as it looked down on them.

“Never seek its guidance, the MRA is not what it seems,” the thing pulled back, as if sinking in on itself. Bila finally broke from her ice as she ran towards Alsa and Tuni. The three of them hurled themselves up the stairs. Turning the originally over 15 minute trip into a mere 5.  As they rushed up the ladder into the closet once again. Alsa slammed the trap door closed behind them, and Bila surged forward to lock it. The hobs heavied in the air like water in a desert. All with panic in their eyes, waiting for someone to speak first. Finally Alsa got out between breaths,” We need to tell a teacher.” 

“No!” Bila barked back. Tuni and Alsa looked shocked at the sudden aggression. 

“I think they already know about it,  we should have never gone down there,” Bila had a face of sheer dread looking at the other two. 

“We saw something we weren’t supposed to see,” Bila stared at the other two wide eyed, pupils dilated. Almost mimicking those bulged out wet eyes from deep below.