Chapter 45 : Scholar
The next day dawned bright, though I hardly noticed.
Sleep had been elusive. Every time I closed my eyes, the Freshers' Ball replayed in my head not the cheerful dancing, not the shimmering chandeliers or the elegant gowns, but the moment when the laughter curdled into screams. The summoning circle. The stench of blood. The look of shock on students' faces when their world cracked open.
No matter how much I tried to shove the memory aside, it clung to me like a shadow.
And so, when the bell rang for the Mana Studies class, I walked in with my body present but my mind miles away.
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The Classroom