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CHAPTER 20
~Jade's POV~
I left the training grounds with my muscles still buzzing, sweat cooling against my skin as the adrenaline from the duel slowly ebbed.
I didn't bother searching for Isa. I just needed to get this over with. With every step I took, the message replayed in my mind.
Report to Prof. Halden's office immediately.
Immediate usually meant trouble. My first thought was Troy.
The realisation came with a faint tightening in my chest. I hadn't seen him since the previous day. Not after training or even at lunch break in the cafeteria.
He wasn't even lingering at the edges of the courtyard like he usually did. For someone who always managed to appear when I least wanted company, his absence felt… noticeable.
And unsettling.
I quickened my pace as I made my way toward the faculty wing. Professor Halden wasn't the kind of man to summon students without reason. He was precise, methodical, and every word he spoke carried intent.
