"Wha—wait! You're having me fight her? That's not fair! She's the most powerful students here! Everyone knows it!" the boy protested, his earlier confidence completely gone.
As if he had heard enough of the boy's nonsense, the smile vanished from Aurelius's face like a candle being snuffed out. His gaze sharpened, and when he spoke, his words struck with the weight of stone.
"Unfair? You speak of unfairness?"
He stepped forward, and the entire courtyard seemed to darken. Some of the kids instinctively took a step back, a chill running down their spines.
"Was the world fair when you were born into privilege, while others were born into suffering? Was it fair that some of you were gifted, while others watched their Blessing Ritual end in silence—never to wield power, never to be chosen? Was it fair when chaos energy descended upon our world three hundred years ago, turning humans and beasts into monsters overnight?"
A heavy silence spread among the students like a fog.
