The light engulfed them.
Hand in hand, Isen, Ivy, Orien, and Tenley stepped through the glowing door beneath the Emerald Forest, hearts steady but uncertain. The spiral staircase of crystal led them downward, glowing beneath their feet, humming with power too ancient to name.
The air grew warmer.
The magic thickened, wrapping around their bodies like invisible threads pulling tighter and tighter.
Then—
BOOM.
A blinding flash of silver erupted around them.
They were no longer walking.
They were falling.
Falling fast.
Like the earth had been ripped from beneath them. Like gravity itself had let go.
Wind roared in their ears. Orien shouted something, but it was swallowed by the blinding rush. Ivy's hair whipped into her face, her hand still clutching Isen's. Tenley screamed—not in fear, but in shock—as the world spiraled around them.
Then—
CRASH.
THUMP. THUD. SMACK. SPLASH.
They hit the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, groans, and slamming elbows.
"OW—MY BACK!" Orien barked.
"I landed on someone!" Ivy cried.
"Your heel is in my face!" Tenley wheezed.
They blinked.
Then blinked again.
It wasn't a cave. Or a forest. Or a hidden magical chamber.
They were sitting in a puddle on white tiled floors.
Flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
The scent of bleach stung their noses.
They were in the school restroom.
The boys' restroom.
Tenley shrieked, shoving off Ivy. "What the ACTUAL—?!"
Ivy scrambled to sit up. "Wait… WHAT?!"
Isen rolled onto his stomach. "Where… where are we?"
Orien just lay on his back, arms sprawled wide, staring at the ceiling. "This is the worst teleportation spell in history."
A moment of stunned silence passed as they all looked around.
A cracked mirror. Rust-stained sinks. A blinking light that made a soft electric tik-tik-tik.
Everything looked… normal.
Too normal.
Then—
"UH… GUYS?"
They turned.
The restroom door creaked open, and a group of boys stood frozen, wide-eyed, jaws slack. Some with half-washed hands still dripping, some holding their phones mid-scroll.
One of them whispered, "Did… did four people just fall from the ceiling?"
Another muttered, "Is that Ivy? And Isen?!"
One slowly pulled out his phone. "I'm definitely not high, right?"
Isen looked down. His royal armor was gone—replaced by a rumpled school uniform. Tie crooked. Shirt untucked. School crest on his blazer.
Ivy's gown had vanished too. She was back in her daily clothes: pleated skirt, backpack, sneakers.
Tenley touched her hair. "Oh my god. We're back."
Orien sat up, patting himself down like someone checking if they still existed. "My sword… it's gone."
"And so is my healing pouch," Tenley said softly, looking around as if her magic might be hiding behind a urinal.
Isen slowly stood, helping Ivy to her feet.
He looked in the mirror.
He didn't look like a king.
But something in his eyes… remembered.
"I remember everything," he said quietly.
Ivy nodded, stepping beside him. "Me too. All of it. The temple. The war. Our marriage… the door…"
Tenley clutched Orien's arm. "We were royalty. Warriors. Magic."
"And now," Orien muttered, brushing off his sleeves, "we're high school kids who just crash-landed in the boys' bathroom during lunch."
One of the boys at the door broke the silence. "So… are y'all okay?"
"No," Tenley deadpanned. "We fell through a magical door and landed in a toilet."
"Fair," the boy nodded, backing out slowly.
The door swung shut again.
Silence returned.
Isen leaned against the sink, exhaling slowly.
"This can't be coincidence. The magic… brought us back. On purpose."
Ivy touched the edge of the sink, whispering, "But why?"
"Maybe we passed the test," Orien said. "Or maybe we woke up."
Tenley's eyes narrowed. "What if… what if this is the next trial?"
Isen straightened, taking a deep breath. "Then we face it. All of us. Together."
They all looked at each other—four souls who had saved a kingdom, who had died and fought and loved in a world far from this tiled room.
Now, just teenagers.
But somehow… more.
Ivy smiled softly. "No matter where we are, the magic's still in us."
Orien grinned. "Yeah, and if we're gonna fall into magical doors again, can we land in the cafeteria next time? I'm starving."
Tenley laughed, and the sound made it real. Normal. Human.
They opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Class bells rang. Friends laughed. Life went on.
But behind them, in the cracked mirror just above the sink…
A faint glow shimmered.
Just for a second.
Like the magic hadn't left.
Not really.
It was just hiding.
Waiting.