Grim trotted at your heels, his nose twitching at the combined scent of the different dishes sprawled on long wooden tables. You stepped into Kalim’s line of sight and called his name over the thumps of the drums.

Kalim turned instantly, his face lighting up with delight. “Hey! You finally made it! Are you hungry? We have enough food to feed a whole school!”

You couldn’t mirror his smile as the weight of the night’s long, confusing investigation was pressing heavily on your body. “Kalim, we need to talk. It’s about Riddle.”

Kalim’s smile faltered slightly as he tilted his head. “Riddle? Is he coming to the party too? I should tell Jamil to set out another place!”

“He isn’t coming to any party. He passed out earlier yesterday evening, and we’re trying to figure out why,” Grim said and crossed his small paws.

Kalim stared at you like you told him the world was going to end. “He what? Riddle collapsed? Oh no, that’s terrible! Is it the heat? Was it something he ate?”

His voice began to rise into a frantic pitch of pure panic. Before you could try to soothe him, Jamil emerged from the crowd, looking l as composed as ever, his sharp eyes scanning Kalim’s distressed face.

“Kalim, breathe,” Jamil calmly commanded. “What is the problem now?”

“They said Riddle passed out!” Kalim cried, looking like he was about to burst into tears. “We have to do something! We need a doctor! Or a magic carpet!”

Jamil’s gaze shifted toward you, his expression unreadable. However, before he could say anything, the heavy doors of the dorm flew open with a violent bang enough to cut through the music.

“I ORDERED YOU TO STOP THIS AT ONCE!”

Riddle stormed into the light of the torches. His face was a shade of red that rivaled his own hair, and his eyes were wild with a mixture of fury and absolute mortification. Trey and Cater were trailing behind him, looking like two exhausted parents trying to control a runaway firework.

“Riddle, please, everyone is looking,” Trey whispered.

“Let’s just take a breath and go get some tea, okay?” Cater added, his l phone nowhere to be seen as he tried to block Riddle from public view.

Riddle entirely ignored them and marched straight up to you, his chest heaving. “I told you the matter was settled! You are making an utter spectacle of yourself and my reputation!”

Leona drifted out of the crowd to stand at your side, his tail swishing with irritation. He looked down at the tiny Housewarden as if he were a particularly noisy insect. Malleus stepped into the light behind you, his towering presence radiating a power that made the nearby students back away.

Trey and Cater both went pale when they realized exactly who was standing guard over you. Riddle, however, was far too deep in his own rage to notice the dragon prince.

“You’re the one making a scene,” Grim shot back, while hiding behind your leg.

Before Riddle could unleash a tirade, Kalim’s voice cut through. “Wait! Did Riddle pass out because he partied too hard?”

The courtyard fell into an agonizing silence as the music seemed to die out on its own. You looked at Kalim, your brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

Kalim blinked, looking perfectly innocent despite the bomb he had just dropped. “Well, Riddle was here earlier that evening! We were hanging out and having snacks. I thought he was just tired from all the dancing!”

Riddle’s head snapped toward Kalim. “Kalim Al-Asim, I command you to be silent!”

“You were here?” You asked as the pieces of the puzzle began to click into a very strange shape.

“It is irrelevant where I spend my time!” Riddle yelled.

“He was totally here,” Kalim continued, ignoring Riddle’s murderous glare. “He was eating a bunch of stuff, but he wouldn’t stay for the main show.”

Riddle’s temper finally snapped. He grabbed his magical pen, his voice rising to a shrill, hysterical pitch. “Off with your head!”

Magic flared in the air, but Jamil was already there, stepping between them with a look of pure irritation.

“Are you really that embarrassed, Riddle?” Jamil asked, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

Riddle’s face somehow turned even a darker shade of red. “This does not concern you, Viper!”

“It concerns the entire school when you start throwing collars around at my party,” Jamil replied.

Trey managed to grab Riddle’s arm, holding him back with significant effort, while Cater stepped in front of his Housewarden like a human shield.

You looked at Jamil, wanting the truth as you had reached your limits. “Jamil, tell me exactly what happened.”

“Just spill it. I have a headache that could kill a horse, and I want to go to sleep,” Leona growled, rubbing his temples.

Malleus quickly and calmly added. “I would suggest you speak. If Rosehearts attempts to silence you again, I will ensure his magic finds no purchase here.”

“It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Riddle was here, and he ate his way through an entire bowl of salted crackers and smoked cheese. But when we offered him something to drink, he checked his watch and realized it was past sunset,” Jamil sighed, crossing his arms.

Jamil paused, glancing at the mortified Riddle. “He cited Rule 153. He claimed that only herbal tea could be consumed in the evening. Since we didn’t have any in stock, he refused to touch a single drop of water or juice. He walked out of here as dry as the desert sands because he was too stubborn to break a rule for his own safety.”

A heavy silence followed the explanation. Then, Jack stepped forward from the back of the group with narrowed eyes. “Wait. Just to be absolutely clear…you’re saying Riddle passed out solely because of…dehydration?”

Jamil nodded slowly. “Total salt overload and zero hydration. He essentially turned himself into a piece of jerky.”

Trey and Cater were utterly speechless. Trey looked like he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, while Cater’s hands moved instinctively toward his pockets, likely mourning the fact that he couldn’t post this to Magicam.

“Fascinating. Humans truly are such fragile, peculiar creatures,” Malleus dryly chuckled.

Leona started chuckling. “I have to hand it to you, Red Tyrant. I wasn’t expecting a biological comedy. No wonder you didn’t want anyone looking into it.”

Grim couldn’t contain himself. The cat fell onto his back, kicking his paws in the air as he let out a loud, wheezing cackle. “You passed out because you were thirsty! You were taken down by a cracker!”

Riddle looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole. Kalim, ever the sweetheart, rushed forward with a guilty look. “I’m so sorry, Riddle! I didn’t realize the rule was that serious! I’ll make sure Jamil orders ten crates of herbal tea tomorrow so you never have to be thirsty again!”

You let out the longest sigh of your life, pressing your fingers into your throbbing temples. The mystery was solved, and it was the most absurd conclusion you could have imagined.

“Riddle,” you said, looking him in the eye. “It’s not embarrassing to be human. But it is incredibly stupid to follow a rule so blindly that you risk your life over a glass of water. Please, for the sake of my sanity, drink something next time.”

Riddle opened his mouth to argue, but the combined stares of Leona, Malleus, and Jamil seemed to drain the last of his fight. He just looked at the ground, his shoulders slumped.

“It’s over,” you announced to the group. “Finally. I am going back to Ramshackle and going to sleep for a week. Do not wake me up unless the school is actually on fire.”

Leona nodded in agreement, stretching his arms over his head. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll join you. Your couch is better than my bed anyway.”

“Absolutely not happening,” Malleus said immediately, his eyes narrowing.

Leona glanced at him with a snarl. “Excuse me? I don’t remember asking for a dragon’s permission.”

“I will not allow such a crude display,” Malleus replied, stepping between Leona and you.

As they began to bicker, Riddle blinked and looked up at Malleus. “Wait. Since when has Malleus Draconia been standing there?”

Trey sighed, looking older than his years. “Since the very beginning, Riddle.”

Cater leaned in and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Are you sure you don’t still feel a little faint? Because missing a giant like that in a courtyard this small is genuinely impressive, Housewarden.”

Riddle’s eyes snapped back to life with a spark of familiar fury. “Cater Diamond! Off with your head!”

Cater didn’t wait around for the collar. He bolted toward the portal, laughing as he went. Riddle chased after him instantly, his cape flying behind him as he shouted about rules and propriety.

Grim continued to laugh until he ran out of breath. Trey rubbed the back of his neck and turned to you with an appreciative smile. “You’ve had a rough few days. Tell you what, I’ll make it up to you. My treat. I’ll bake whatever you want tomorrow.”

You chuckled, feeling the tension leave your body. “A strawberry tart, Trey. A huge one.”

Trey nodded. “Consider it done.”

“And don’t give a single slice to Riddle,” you added, a mischievous glint in your eyes. “He made me work way too hard for this. Think of it as a punishment for making me worry.”

Trey laughed softly, looking over at the portal where Riddle had disappeared. “That’s a tempting idea, and he certainly deserves it. But I think I’d prefer not to be on the receiving end of his next tantrum when he finds out.”

You exhaled one last time, watching the sun set over the desert. The mystery was gone, replaced by the familiar, chaotic rhythm of Night Raven College. It was ridiculous, it was exhausting, and it was finally over.