The tension hanging over the academy entrance was almost solid enough to be cut with a dagger.
While my mother, Baroness Elara Bartfort, maintained her porcelain smile and impeccable posture, I felt the weight of the System's invisible chains on my shoulders.
My abilities were blocked, gray icons on an interface pulsing with a threatening red. At that moment, I was just a sweaty, exhausted young noble, without the support of magic or Aria's omnipresence.
It was then that the sound of rhythmic boots echoed through the stone courtyard. A small group approached with an aura of authority that made even the gossiping students step back.
At the front was a middle-aged woman with a gaze that seemed to read anyone's soul: Director Valerius. Beside her was Vice-Director Marcus, a man with a severe appearance and hunched shoulders, acting as the director's subordinate shadow.
