The students were released.
The top three winners would be announced later, after everyone had rested.
On the stands, the Headmistress moved toward the instructors, her steps steady, her gaze locked onto Liane, who stood barefoot as always, set apart from the rest of the group.
Liane kept her arms folded tightly across her chest, her jaw clenched, her face cold and unreadable.
The tension in her stance made it clear to everyone nearby that now was not the time to approach her.
Normally, Liane carried herself with ease, often calm enough to joke when no one else could. But today, not a single instructor dared to speak a word to her.
Five of her students hadn't returned.
There was no need to guess what that meant.
Liane had always fought for the cursed—no, the evolved, as she always insisted. She understood what they faced.
She made it her duty to give them something better than what the world would offer on its own.
