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Professor Mallet stared at the Prism, expression unguarded for once.
It glowed not violently, not with menace, but with a slow, deliberate light. A pulse. Deep blue at first, then fading to a soft purple, and then back again. The cycle repeated every few seconds, like it was breathing. Like it had come alive.
The cloaked Students stood frozen around the room, keeping their distance. None dared speak, but the tension in the area made every second feel longer than it was. They didn't know what they were looking at. Most had never seen a live reaction from a Prism before, let alone something like this.
Then came the second Prism.
It split off slowly from the main body, hovering into existence without so much as a flash. A smaller, sharp-edged shard of crystal, glowing slightly brighter than the one it had come from. It didn't spin. It floated with intent, orbiting the main Prism once, then stopping midair like it was claiming its position.
Gasps broke the silence. Even a few instructors nearby leaned in with confused looks.
But Mallet… Mallet understood.
His voice was calm but laced with intensity as he stepped forward.
"That's the signal," he said to no one in particular. "That's a stage confirmation. She's passed the first."
He'd never seen it happen in person. Not in all the years he'd supervised Prism access. Not in all the risky, unauthorized experiments he'd helped hide.
This was the first a class C student finally passed
This was happening.
And then Kathlyn was thrown out.
No fanfare.
No swirl of magic.
Just ejected, like the realm itself had had enough.
Her body hit the stone floor hard. She rolled once, limbs loose, not catching herself, until she settled on her side with a sickening thud.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then she twitched.
Her breath came out in short, uneven bursts. Her fists clenched and unclenched on their own. Her face contorted not in pain exactly, but in something rawer Something messier.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Wide.
Unfocused.
She didn't look at anyone. She couldn't. Her vision was bouncing between the ceiling, the floor, and somewhere else entirely.
She wasn't crying.
But her body was reacting like it had been torn through something incomprehensible.
She whimpered then gritted her teeth and then let out a half-choked sound that was part growl, part sob, part something not meant to be voiced aloud.
Professor Mallet stepped forward, crouching beside her without hesitation.
He didn't speak right away. He watched her. Made sure she was breathing.
Kathlyn's mouth opened, but only more broken noise came out. A shaky inhale. Then an exhale that bordered on a moan. Then a sound of frustration a noise made by someone trying to speak through emotion that wouldn't wait its turn.
"You've done it, girl," Mallet said at last, voice quiet. "You passed the first stage of the Prism."
Kathlyn didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her fingers curled into the floor. Her back arched for a second as if trying to push something out of her lungs. Her entire body was trembling not just from the energy of whatever trial she'd undergone, but from the weight of what it had done to her internally.
She wasn't just exhausted.
She was overwhelmed. Every emotion she had repressed every doubt, every scrap of pride, every fear and desperate belief had been pulled out and hung up in front of her.
Her expression was tight. Eyes wide and glassy.
Another small, high-pitched sound escaped her throat. She bit it down. Swallowed. Breathed.
Professor Mallet remained at her side, gaze briefly flicking up to the second Prism still floating in place.
"If you reach the fourth stage," he said softly, "I'll be able to enter. That's the rule."
It wasn't an encouragement.
It was a fact.
He looked back at her.
She was still curled on the ground, body twitching slightly, hands clutched over her chest like she was holding something back—rage, grief, panic, maybe all at once.
She didn't look strong right now.
She didn't look proud.
She looked real.
And for the first time in a long while, Professor Mallet's face softened.
"Let yourself breathe," he murmured.
Kathlyn didn't respond with words.
But after a long, slow minute, her body stopped trembling.
Not entirely.
But enough.
The smaller Prism pulsed once in the air above them, and the room slowly began to return to silence.
She had made it through.
Barely.
But she was through
Professor Mallet watched her As Kathlyn's breathing evened out barely, shakily he stood, giving a short gesture to two of the waiting aides nearby.
"Take her to her room," he ordered. "Be careful. Slowly. She's been out for four days."
That made the surrounding students stir.
Four days?
She didn't hear them. Kathlyn's eyes were glassy again, her body limp, her thoughts half-submerged beneath the chaos still echoing in her mind.
As the aides gently lifted her, her lips twitched.
Four days?
Time hadn't existed in that place. It had felt like hours. Maybe less. Maybe forever.
Mallet walked beside them as they carried her. He didn't speak until they were out of earshot of the other students.
"You're experiencing residual emotional amplification," he said quietly, mostly to her. "It's… expected. A side effect of the Prism rejecting someone who stayed to long
Kathlyn didn't respond.
But her jaw clenched.
They reached her room
She was placed down carefully, her body still tense even in rest. Every part of her felt too full. Too raw. Her chest buzzed like there were words she hadn't finished yelling. Her arms ached from swinging punches she couldn't remember throwing.
She finally turned her head, eyes locking with Professor Mallet's for the briefest moment.
"Is this… the punishment?" she rasped.
Mallet nodded once.
"You stayed longer then your permitted time
He crossed his arms.
"Emotions. Thoughts. All of it will continue to surface outside your control. You'll feel too much. For a while."
"How long?"
"Until the Prism is done teaching you."
She scoffed, weakly.
"Sounds… stupid."
"That's because it is."
He stepped away, his voice dropping just above a murmur.
"Rest, Kathlyn. If you want to face the second stage… you'll need your mind sharper than your fire."
He didn't wait for her to answer.
He didn't need to.
The fairies hadn't followed her out. The silence was back.
But it wasn't the same.
This time, it stayed with her.