Tension gripped the air like an iron chain tightening around the throats of every student present.
The weight of Mia's icy glare pressed down upon them, her promise of disciplinary action hanging over their heads like an executioner's blade.
Leon swallowed hard, his breath uneven.
He had been the one closest to the chaos, the one who had stepped forward in an attempt to stop the fight—yet now, he was first in line to explain himself.
Though no one knew exactly what punishment awaited them, the possibilities raced through their minds—suspension from classes, demotion to Wyrd Class, and the most terrifying of all… expulsion.
For every student present, regardless of status—whether a noble or one of the Empire's prodigies—expulsion was the one fate they could not afford.
Each had entered the Academy with a goal, a dream, a future they refused to abandon.
Leon steadied himself, his thoughts racing.
