A minute later they found themselves inside a side hall. It was not too big but it was wide enough to comfortably hold all of them.
Bare stone walls enclosed the space, etched with faint formation lines, isolating the room from outside noise.
The black-robed man who had dragged them here was already gone.
Dominic let out a slow sigh and cursed his luck under his breath. Sevran stood beside him with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, clearly thinking the same thing.
Beside them, the two girls who had stood together earlier seemed completely at ease. They spoke to each other in a relaxed manner.
One of them laughed lightly and said, "Relax. This is nothing."
"Ehm," the other replied. "At most we'll get a warning. Even if there's punishment, it won't be serious. For us, that is."
They sounded almost bored.
But the lone girl who stood apart from them said nothing.
She stood a short distance away, arms at her sides, eyes cold and unfocused as if she were staring through the wall. Anger radiated from her in a way that made the air around her feel tight.
By coincidence, she stood close to Dominic.
He glanced at her, then paused.
Her hair caught his attention immediately. It was mostly black but streaks of white ran through it, not from age, definitely, but natural and distinct.
The white was less dominant, but clear enough to stand out. On one side, part of her hair was woven into a tight braid.
It was striking. Unusual. Dominic wondered briefly if the color was natural.
She turned suddenly.
Her eyes snapped onto him with such sharpness that Dominic stiffened. For a moment he genuinely thought she might hit him.
The anger in her gaze was dense and compressed, far greater than simple irritation.
He had never seen that much hatred contained in someone so young. He thought that this girl must have also been through some shit.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
Her voice was slightly deeper than expected, firm and filled with warning.
"Nothing." Dominic answered evenly.
Before anything else could be said, Sevran spoke up from beside him. His patience clearly gone.
"Hey," he said sharply, looking at all three girls. "You do realize this happened because of you, right?"
The two girls turned toward him at once.
"What do you mean, because of us?" one of them snapped. She had long black hair that was clearly well cared for, her posture rigid with offense. "We didn't drag you into anything. And watch your tone when you speak to me."
"If you hadn't started fighting right after our first class, none of us would be here," Sevran shot back. "Use your head!"
The girl scoffed. "Oh, please. That common trash insulted me first."
"Yeah," her friend added, crossing her arms. "She should've known her place. If she can't handle her words and get punished, that's her problem."
Sevran laughed once, humorless. "So slapping another student in public halls is justified?"
"She deserved it," the first girl said coldly. "Don't pretend this concerns you. You're only here because you're unlucky. It's not my fault. Or… maybe you three are meant to be together."
"What in the damnation is that supposed to mean?" Sevran demanded.
Lady Leon tilted her chin up and looked him over slowly, from his boots to his collar, her lips curling in faint disgust.
"You three are commoners, after all," she said. "Maybe there's a bond between lowlifes like you. That's why you flock together."
She and her friend scoffed softly, as if the conclusion amused them.
Sevran's jaw tightened. His voice dropped into a sharp and cold one. "And how do you know that?"
Dominic noticed the change immediately. This was no longer a simple irritation. Sevran was genuinely angry now.
Lady Leon didn't hesitate.
"I can smell commoners," she said with a smirk.
The words hit like a spark on dry powder.
Sevran's shoulders shifted as he turned fully toward her. He planted his feet instinctively.
At the same time, the girl with the black-and-white hair moved as well. Her silence broke without words but with a stance!
Her body lowered, one foot sliding back, her gaze locking onto Leon with clear hostility.
"Damn it all!" Dominic swore under his breath and also shifted his stance, ready to step in.
If this escalated nothing good would come of it. Another fight would only make things worse and he would get dragged down with them whether he liked it or not.
"Enough!" he said, forcing calm into his voice. "If this turns into another fight, it won't end well for any of us."
Neither of them listened.
He was just about to move when the air in front of them cracked. Lines of distortion tearing open in front of them. A crack spread wide enough for a man to step through.
The black-robed man emerged first. His eyes swept across the scene, taking in the stances, the tension, and he knew it was the moment right before a violence.
Beside him stepped another man.
It was Felix.
Dominic felt a small wave of relief when he saw him. Then the sour and heavy thought followed immediately after.
He was not sure if Felix was here to save them. He was an academy staff after all.
The black-robed man looked at them once more with his flat and cold expression.
"So," he said. "You were about to continue."
The man's voice carried weight that was far heavier than its volume. His aura pressed down on the five students, making their movement stopped.
Felix let out a light chuckle, breaking the suffocating stillness.
"Now, now, Rekto," he said smoothly, his deep voice warm and almost pleasant. "They're just hot-blooded kids, yes? No need to glare at them like that."
Rekto did not relax.
"They must be punished," he replied flatly. "This academy exists for study. If they wish to fight, they can just go to the arena and kill each other there."
Felix laughed again. "Ahaha. You're right. Completely right." He stepped forward, placing himself between Rekto and the students. "But don't worry, my friend. I'll handle it from here."
The pressure eased slightly as Rekto withdrew his focus, though his gaze remained sharp.
Felix turned toward them, his eyes settling briefly on Dominic. He gave a small nod and an easy smile, as if to reassure him without drawing attention.
Dominic felt tension drain from his shoulders.
So Felix really was here to stop things from getting worse.
For the first time since being dragged into the hall, Dominic allowed himself to breathe properly, grateful that someone had stepped in before everything shattered completely.
—