The Inquisitive Hound of Eldermere Academy

Seldom had a creature so utterly unsuited to the arcane arts been admitted to Eldermere Academy as Biscuit, a scruffy terrier with an insatiable curiosity and a heart far larger than his paws. Whereas his peers—young mages, sorcerers, and enchanters—conjured fireballs and levitated tomes with practised ease, Biscuit could only wag his tail and sniff at the mysterious scents wafting from the forbidden East Wing. It was not that he lacked intelligence; rather, his was a mind grounded in the tangible, the verifiable, the here-and-now. Consequently, while others chased illusions, Biscuit chased evidence. And it was this very trait that would soon embroil him in a mystery no human had dared to solve.

Not since the academy's founding had any student—human or otherwise—dared to approach the Shadowed Staircase, a spiralling descent into the catacombs where, legend had it, a phantom hound howled on moonless nights. Biscuit, however, was not one to accept legend at face value. What evidence, he reasoned, supported the existence of such a spectre? Had anyone actually seen it, or merely heard tales passed down through generations? Thus, with tail held high and nose twitching, he resolved to investigate. His decision, though brave, would test the very limits of his courage.