"I'm fine, Arielle," I grinned.
She landed on my chest, hopping over to snuggle herself between my cheek and Orion's chest. She began chirping over and over again.
"Yes. I missed you," I giggled weakly.
"Let's get a move on. I remember my brother showed me an emergency exit. He said a council member had shown it to him and said if there was no way out from the school, it would lead to somewhere safe. Like a gate or portal," Hunter revealed.
"Let's go!" Finn ordered, moving out of the doorway and ushering us to follow. Orion tightened his hold on me, speed walking out with the others.
I noticed the chaos and destruction in the hall. The lockers were dented and papers and bags littered the ground. We rushed down the hall, my eyes catching a glimpse of students fighting off Forsaken down another hall.
"Left!" Hunter called out, leading the way before he stopped and lifted his bow. He summoned multiple arrows, shooting them in quick succession into the hall ahead. Loud hisses and screams could be heard, but we didn't linger.
The others added to the ongoing assault ahead of us, shooting magic balls of their strongest element as we moved ahead toward a hall I'd never seen before. It didn't look like it was a part of the school, appearing more ancient with numerous magic circles on the walls.
We turned another corner, this hall even more narrow than the last. Hunter went first, Orion and I were behind him and the others followed in single file. As we approached, I noticed a familiar person at the end of the hall.
"Magnor!" I called out with all my strength. His eyes widened and his face filled with relief at seeing us.
"Hurry. Through the portal," He waved for us to enter. The open door began to glow a bright green and gold as magic began to swirl in a circular pattern.
Hunter didn't hesitate, going right in. I looked up to Orion who tightened his hold around me. I glanced back at Magnor when we reached the entrance of the portal.
He gave me a proud smile, nodding his head.
"Trust me. I'll see you in a moment," he promised. I nodded and Arielle chirped before Orion walked through the portal.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the way my stomach dropped at the dizzying movement of the portal. Ten seconds later, I felt a warm breeze and there was the fresh smell of flowers.
"Wow," Orion whispered, making me wonder at his astonishment.
I opened my eyes and turned my head, "What?" I questioned in a hushed tone, unable to find the right words for the beautiful land before us. I heard the others walking out of the portal and within seconds they too exclaimed their shock at the scenery.
Hunter came to our side while the others gathered around; we turned to see Magnor walk out of the portal.
"Magnor? Where...what is this place?" I asked.
He gave me a soft smile, glancing at each of us before nodding his head. "I think someone else can answer that better than I," he announced, taking a step to the side and ushering for us to look back at the portal that still glowed a gold-green mixture.
A tall man emerged from the portal; my eyes grew wide as I gawked at him.
He was six-four with long blond hair. He wore a gold cape decorated with green magic circles that rested effortlessly on his broad shoulder. He had a bigger build, but a slim waist and wore clothing similar to our uniform at Aslan, but looked richer and hosted magic within the delicate fabric.
He had a swirling tattoo on his right cheek and held a large golden staff that arched at the top, hosting an emerald crystal that floated in the middle of a purple orb. The familiar mismatched eyes met mine, his purple and green ones were identical to mine.
"Father?" I whispered.
The guys all gasped, turning their attention to me before returning their gazes to the man who smiled at my acknowledgment.
"Hello, my dear. It's been a long time," he greeted. He looked beyond proud to see me, an expression I hadn't seen in almost twenty years.
"What...but...why?" I asked, feeling even more confused.
He shook his head. "There's a lot to explain, but I think I need to state this first," he began. He tapped his wand on the ground; the portal we'd ventured out of closed within seconds. When it did, we could see what was beyond it which left us even more stunned.
Before any of us could say anything, Father raised his hand, signaling us to stop.
"I know this is very confusing, but I will answer all your questions once you are well rested and recovered from your depletion of magic," he announced. He stalled for a moment, looking over to Magnor who nodded.
Father turned his attention back to us; his eyes locked on mine as he opened his mouth to speak.
"My name is Orlando Rainbow. There is a lot of explaining that needs to be done, but let's start with this. Congratulations. As Headmaster, I'd like to be the first to welcome you to the REAL Aslan Academy for Hunters and Huntresses. You have passed."