Page 220 of Magical Mission

“Iknow.” My voice cracked, then softened. “But this isn’t going away. It’s building. And this time, it won’t be satisfied with slipping in around the edges. It wants in. Fully. It wants to unravel everything we’ve rebuilt, and we’ve barely just started.”

Lady Limora stepped forward again. “If you’re going into Shadowick, you must prepare accordingly. The Moonbeam doesn’t just weaken the veil. It empowers intention. You’ll be seen clearly. And judged.”

The wordjudgedstruck something low in my ribs.

“What does that mean?” Twobble muttered under his breath. “Sounds like a trial I didn’t sign up for.”

I met Lady Limora’s gaze again. “I’ll prepare.”

She nodded once. “We’ll help you.”

The others closed in around me—my circle, my shield. Nova. Ember. Stella. Keegan. Bella. Ardetia. Frank. Even Twobble, muttering complaints and dragging a chalkboard toward the map.

I turned back to the students, to the faces watching me with wide eyes, trust held tight in their hands.

“The Moonbeam is coming,” I said softly. “We can’t stop it. But we can meet it. We can prepare. And wewillbe ready.”

And this time, I wouldn’t let the light falter.

But our Academy’s mission had become clear, and I couldn’t wait to write it in the textbook.

The Academy exists to cultivate fearless magic rooted in love, light, and lived experience. We honor bravery not as the absence of fear, but as the choice to rise through it. Our purpose is to guide new discoveries with wisdom, wonder, and a devotion to truth. In all things, we stand firmly on the side of good, lighting the way against shadows. For even the hardest paths are not punishments, but invitations and divine reminders that the strongest souls are called not to ease, but to rise into their greatness.

And I was ready to step into Shadowick and end the cruelty once and for all. Unlike Gideon, I was done hiding in the shadows, and I welcomed the Moonbeam.

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