The air was still thick with whispers and tension when Celeste unleashed her aura to gather everyone's attention, her cool and commanding voice echoing out as she spoke,
"Enough."
The single word sliced through the courtyard like a blade. The students, human, elf, and demon alike, fell silent, their restless murmurs dying instantly under the weight of her authority.
Celeste let the silence linger for a breath before speaking again.
"This was only the first day of the exchange, usually used as an introduction, though we had some hickups," she said, her gaze, and the gazes of many others swept across the bruised and broken Valerian, then toward Albedo who still stood relaxed, as though nothing had transpired.
"Tomorrow, the real lessons begin."
Her lips curved, not quite a smile, more like the faint curve of someone who saw a storm forming and relished the thought of standing in its eye.
