The dust had barely settled when the senior student turned his attention to John and his companions. His presence radiated calm authority, his uniform bearing the insignia of the elite senior class.
"Are you all alright? Principal, are you okay?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with concern. His sharp eyes scanned each of them, lingering momentarily on the smallest movements, the faintest signs of injury.
Principal Anthony, brushing off the front of his jacket, offered a nod and a small smile. "Yes, my boy, we're fine. It's been a long time." There was a familiar warmth in his tone, the kind reserved for someone who had once been close. "You've grown so much. You never came back to visit us after moving to the senior level. What brings you here today?"
The senior smiled politely. "Well, actually, I heard that a boy here generated a Neuro-Core… at the age of fifteen."
Gasps echoed faintly among the nearby students.
"The Principal asked me to come and meet him," he added, turning back to Anthony. "Would you mind introducing us?"
"Of course, of course! Why wouldn't I?" the Principal said, chuckling as he motioned to the students behind him. "This is Liam, a student from the senior class—"
Before he could finish, whispers erupted like wildfire.
"Liam? That name sounds familiar…"
"Wait… isn't he the leader of that team? The one ranked in the top ten in the entire senior class?"
"Yeah! His whole team is in the top ten—and there are thousands of teams!"
All eyes locked onto Liam. His expression remained neutral, unreadable, but his gaze had already zeroed in on one person: John.
Liam stepped forward, his presence commanding attention without a single word. "So, John," he began, "before I arrived… I saw you controlling those animals, didn't I?"
The crowd stilled, frozen mid-breath.
"I must say," Liam continued, his tone thoughtful, "controlling so many at once is… truly remarkable."
Gasps turned into stunned silence. The realization swept through the students like a sudden wave.
John controlled those animals?
But that's impossible—no one can control more than one beast at a time!
And he wasn't even speaking! How did he do that?
The disbelief was written on every face. But Liam only smiled, as if he already knew what none of them did.
"It's alright, John," he said, his voice now softer, almost conspiratorial. "I know you've been feeding those animals for a long time. That's why they became your pets, isn't it? You just never told anyone."
He placed a firm hand on John's shoulder, his eyes gleaming with quiet approval. "And now… it's come in handy."
John stood silent, the weight of everyone's gaze heavy around him. But for the first time, it didn't feel overwhelming—it felt earned.
After a few more words of encouragement and brief conversation, Liam took a step back, nodded respectfully to the Principal, and turned to leave.
But as he walked away, the silence he left behind spoke louder than any words: something had changed. And everyone knew it.
John was no longer just another student.