"What's got you so down in the dumps?" Rivena was chewing on something--likely gum, her lax arms crossed. Revian's eyes grew more indignant, her calm a distress to his mind.
He brushed his hand through his hair once more, plucking a few loose hairs. Hesitantly, he looked down to see even more white hairs interlaced with blond, marking the drastic changes that he's felt since his recovery.
"What's got me so down in the dumps...? I was threatened to be kicked out from this school, had to fight a brute in order to just barely maintain my spot, got hospitalized, then stomped into cardiac arrest by someone I beat just days prior, and then, finally, I'm told that I've lost a decade of my life. Ask me again why I'm feeling so down!"
Revian's extended arm pulled back from Varek who'd been holding him up, the weakness in his legs causing him to stumble down onto the ground.
Revian heaved uncontrollably for air, his breaths turning ragged like sharp daggers. This was in conjunction to the globules of red shooting out from his coarse throat, dry from his rapid breathing and his recent comatose state.
"Hey, don't move around so much!" Varek's hands hovered over Revian, his left gently patting his back to ease him down further. "Although I understand your concerns, now isn't the time. Not if you wish to make your case to the Admin."
"Hah, kid's having a frantic episode. Leave him alone for a moment--allow him to recoup. He's been through a lot," Katria said gently, pulling Varek back to leave Revian's side.
For a few seconds, the dark hall the four'd been traversing was filled only with the desperate gasps of Revian's disheveled figure, but once he'd been given the proper time to allow himself recovery from recent trauma, he slowed his chest's movements, alleviated by the deeper breaths he took.
Heart calm and body strong, he propped himself up, taking a moment to look between the three who hovered over him with worried faces.
"I'm fine now. Thank you." He smiled, turning around into the dim they were trekking through. "Although, I do have to ask; where are we heading right now?"
Rivena looked toward Varek, one eyebrow raised. "Varek, you didn't tell him?"
"No, I didn't believe it necessary until he was properly recovered."
The air begged for some type of movement from the group, the quietude dispelled only by Revian's incessant attitude.
"What? Spit it out."
"Well, you see, after the way Malric rampaged and nearly killed you, Varek put him under massive scrutiny under the Admin's watchful eye. So in an act of self-preservation, him and his family lied and said that you attacked him first." Rivena turned between Revian and Varek, watching as the two of them both listened for her words. "So you were ordered for a summons. What will ensue in these following moments will dictate not only your attendance to this university, but even your legal status as a citizen."
Revian's chin touched upon his thumb and index finger, his foot tapping against the floor involuntarily.
I anticipated that Malric wouldn't sit by as he got expelled, but what exactly am I to do? I'm class F, his words will take precedence over mine.
With furrowed brows, he looked down at the floor, eyes turning wet from bottled emotion. However, like a wave of tranquility washing over his taut limbs, he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll be here with you. You'll get out of this and attend this school, that I guarantee." Pulling Revian along with him, Varek continued his approach into the harrowing darkness.
They were walking through school grounds, the passageway the main thing connecting the hospital to the administrative headquarters.
The entire university was wired with trails like these, although Revian had never personally had to traverse through this one in specific--after all, how many times would the strongest need to be in hospice?
For a while, it stretched endlessly, offering no indication of its destination. The uneven surface of the hard stone floor elongated with each passing second, the many trees blending into a swirling mass of varying shapes.
Thump!
Revian's face slammed into something hard, as dark as the empty night sky. He rubbed at his nose, pain flaring from his nose like a hot firecracker.
"Grghgh..." He grunted, taking a second to look at the three behind him. "What was that?"
"We're here," Rivena quickly responded, using her right hand to push Rowan back a few feet.
Reaching for her pocket, she picked up an I.D. card, similar to the ones students held but clearly of higher clearance.
Eyeing the metal box just ahead of the large gate that Revian walked into, she beeped the card against its glass panel, prompting the iron doors to extend open.
"Well, then, what are you waiting for," she asked, retracting the card back into her pocket as Revian stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
Despite how late it was, the room was filled with the frantic clattering of footsteps, cluttered papers, and the clacking of typewriters.
The plethora of figures moving to fulfill their work was breath-stealing, not just because of how well they worked in the night, but because of the order found in their chaos.
They'd all maintained class in their posture and movements, the high-heels of the women and their clacking followed only by the composed, well-mannered expression in their gait.
"Don't just stand there--ah, this is your first time seeing the admin, isn't it?" Rivena asked, noting Revian's stunned silence.
He didn't speak--no, he was far too mesmerized in their coordinated chaos. Some floated at the behest of magic, their papers equally magic-bound with glowing white releasing from their engravings. Others walked, but with strength in their stride. As if entire mountains worth of power struggled to stay contained with their muscles.
"I understand your suprirse, but we must be on our way," Rivena added, holding Revian by the hand.
He refused her grip, stepping back to look on at his surroundings once more. "On our way to what?"
His question was momentarily forgotten at the footsteps of another, stepping into frame to reveal his gargantuan height. Disregarding how well he towered over the group, mana flared from him with such volatility that Revian could almost feel the air being squeezed from his lungs.
"You must be Revian. You are to be escorted to room D, where your questioning will be held."