The entrance ceremony was still ongoing.
After the main event in the forest, the new students were presented with an illusory staircase they had to climb in order to reach Celestelle. The staircase suppressed their powers and put weight on their backs, forcing them to use sheer endurance to move forward.
It would take many hours for that part of the ceremony to end, which presented Gio and Neriah more than enough time to be escorted back to the Institute.
The faculty member who found them was, ironically, a new teacher assigned to certain first-year courses. She was ecstatic when she found them and quickly displayed her friendliness before swooping them up in a green ball of energy and rushing back to the school at light speed.
Gio expected for them to be taken somewhere important. His guess was proven right almost immediately.
