Lahat ng Kabanata ng What Survived The Burn: Kabanata 141 - Kabanata 150

Loria’s POVThe last teen stepped through the threshold just as the light of my enchantment started to flicker—too much mass, too much movement. The spell was straining.“Alright, Audrey. You’re up.”She gave me a dry smile and adjusted her satchel strap. “If I puke mid-transport, it’s your fault.”And with that, she stepped inside.I waited just long enough to be sure everyone made it through before closing the crate’s door, laying my palm against the wood. “Take us home.”Magic rippled outward, soft as a heartbeat—and then the world blurred.One breath. One blink.And we were back.The castle courtyard shimmered in late afternoon sunlight, the ivy-covered walls alive with color from the earlier restoration. It looked like something out of a fairytale, if that fairytale was half-abandoned and half-being-magicked-back-together by two absolutely exhausted people.The moment the portal opened, chaos erupted.Witches tumbled out, blinking in the sudden light, bags clattering to the groun

Loria’s POVWe stood at the base of the school tower—Simon, Audrey, Moon, and me—clustered beneath a curling stone archway weathered by time. The air held a quiet kind of weight to it, like the tower had been holding its breath for years, waiting for us to climb the stairs and wake it up again.A soft breeze drifted down the spiral, stirring the edge of my long hair. Moon’s tiny fingers tightened around mine. She looked up at me with huge eyes full of wonder, her curly dark hair tumbling over her shoulders in soft disarray. Her magic buzzed faintly beneath her skin like static, a baby storm not yet fully born.Simon stood at my side, silent and steady as always. His energy hummed low and familiar, syncing with mine in ways that felt effortless now. Audrey lingered behind Moon, arms crossed, copper hair catching the light that filtered through a cracked stained-glass panel high above us. Her eyes were sharp and calculating—always reading, always planning.Audrey broke the silence first

Loria’s POVThe scent of roasted vegetables, baked bread, and some kind of honey-glazed meat drifted through the air as we entered the grand dining hall—and for the first time all day, my body remembered how hungry I was.It was beautiful in here now. The chandeliers had been polished to a celestial glow, their crystals scattering light across the high stone ceiling like a web of stars. The twin hundred-foot tables stretched out before us, fully set with mismatched plates and silverware. Everyone is sitting in groups.Laughter echoed from one end of the room to the other. Someone had conjured floating candles. Someone else had stacked fruit into towers. It wasn’t just functional—it felt magical. Alive.Amy caught sight of us near the entrance and waved us over, apron smudged, cheeks flushed with kitchen heat and triumph.“There she is,” she said with a grin. “Hope you’re starving.”“Starving might be an understatement,” I replied, sinking onto a bench between Simon and Moon, who promp

Simon’s POVThe hallway was quiet now. Still glowing faintly with magic left behind by our work, but hushed—like the castle was holding its breath.Loria stood beside me, one hand cupped gently around a golden sphere of light. It hovered just above her palm, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.“What is that?” I asked, watching as it floated upward and drifted slowly down the corridor ahead of us.“A locator spell,” she murmured. “Designed to find the Headmaster’s quarters—or, in this case, the quarters meant for whoever’s in charge.”My brows lifted. “You’re assuming it’s not just a bedroom.”She smirked. “Have you seen the rest of this place?”Fair point.The sphere glided steadily, turning corners, drifting past doors until—finally—it stopped. It hovered in front of the very last door at the end of the hall, spinning slightly in place.“This is it,” she said, excitement threading through her voice.I stepped ahead of her and laid my hand on the door. The wood was ancient, reinforced wit

Simon’s POVWe didn’t pack much.There was no need to.Between Loria and me, we could conjure anything we needed—clothes, bedding, heat, protection. But food was still practical, and so was the magical tent. The same one we’d used before. It had earned its place.While I double-checked the perimeter wards around the castle one more time, Loria was in our office crafting something far more delicate.She held two small oval mirrors—framed in brushed silver, no bigger than the palm of her hand—and whispered old magic into them. Her fingers moved with practiced ease, weaving sigils across the glass as golden light shimmered between the pair.“They’ll work like mirrors between realms,” she explained, without looking up. “Like… magical FaceTime, but prettier.”I chuckled. “That’s horrifying and amazing.”“You love it.”“Not denying that.”When she was done, she handed me one of the mirrors. The surface pulsed once as it attuned to me, then fell still.We packed lightly after that: a few enc