The morning sun washed over the vast grounds of the Royal Mages Academy as I stood at its gates, my stomach doing anxious flips. The towering walls of the academy rose before me like some enchanted fortress, its white stone shimmering in the light as if alive with magic. Runes and vines—intricate and elegant—decorated the surface, pulsing faintly, as if they had secrets to whisper if I stared long enough. I adjusted my ba...