Darkness stretched endlessly in all directions, vast and silent. It wasn't the absence of light, nor was it the presence of shadows—it was simply nothing. And yet, within that nothingness, something stirred. A figure, barely distinguishable against the void, moved with purpose, its shape flickering between definition and obscurity.
A voice, neither loud nor soft, echoed through the emptiness. This place is not meant to hold me forever…
A single light flickered in the distance, dim and wavering, like a flame struggling against an unseen wind.
I must reach it before—
The shrill wail of an alarm ripped through the dream, and before Hush could even grasp what had been said, he was drenched.
He jerked awake, sputtering as a relentless downpour rained from the ceiling, drenching him and his bed in ice-cold water. He barely had time to process what was happening before he registered the frantic scuffling from the other side of the room.
The day before, after the students had been paired up, Elias and Hush had followed the rest of the Foundation students through the dormitory halls, guided by the faint glow of the enchanted lanterns lining the corridor. Each room bore an engraved plaque, softly illuminated, with the names of its occupants etched in elegant flowing script.
"Looks like this is us," Elias had said, stopping in front of a sturdy wooden door with Elias & Hush neatly inscribed in gold lettering. He had run a hand along the engraving, grinning to himself. "Feels kinda official, doesn't it?"
Hush had merely nodded, pondering the nature of his identification on the door as he pushed it open without a word. The room was spacious but simple—two beds on opposite sides, a large desk near the window, and shelves lining one wall for storage. A soft, magical glow pulsed from the lanterns hanging in the corners, casting a warm, flickering light across the wooden floor.
Elias had immediately flopped onto his bed with a satisfied sigh. "Not bad at all," he had mused. "I half expected bunk beds, but this is way better."
Hush, on the other hand, had taken a more measured approach, walking over to his side of the room and running his fingers along the shelves, inspecting their sturdiness before nodding in approval. He had placed his bag down neatly beside the bed, exhaling as he let himself relax just a little.
It hadn't taken long for them to settle in, but opposed to his relatively collected behavior the previous day, Elias was now standing in the middle of their newly flooded dormitory, his hair dripping, with his wand still faintly glowing in hand. His expression was a wild mix of panic and guilt as he frantically waved his hands, as if attempting to swat away the problem itself.
"Okay, so technically this isn't my fault," Elias blurted out over the blaring of the fire alarm, "because technically I was just practicing containment exercises, and technically nothing actually caught on fire." He gestured wildly toward the still-smoking scorch mark on the wall. "It's just that—well, the alarm system in this place is way too sensitive! I barely—"
Hush let out a slow, exhausted sigh and wordlessly raised an arm to stop Elias from saying anything more. Then, with a simple snap of his fingers, the blaring alarm ceased instantly, and the room was engulfed in blessed silence—except for the continuous drip, drip, drip of water splashing from the soaked ceiling.
Elias blinked, impressed. "Okay, that's actually really convenient." He ran a hand through his drenched hair, flicking water droplets onto the already ruined floor. "So, uh… I might've—"
Before he could even attempt to dig himself out of the situation, the door to their dorm slammed open, and a team of three armored academy security officers stormed inside.
"Hands where we can see them!" one of them barked.
Hush groaned.
Elias, still holding his wand, slowly raised both hands in surrender, sending a sheepish grin toward Hush. "See? Technically—"
The guards weren't interested in explanations. Within seconds, both boys found themselves hauled out of their flooded room, water sloshing around their feet as the security officers wasted no time in dragging them—dripping, grumbling, and entirely too damp—out into the hallway for an early morning chat with Administrator Dorne.