Our seating arrangement shifted like pieces on a board, everyone silently adjusting to the weight of their new rank. The front row now belonged to Lucifer and me, while Ren loomed silently to my left like a coiled spring. Rachel and Cecilia sat behind us, their contrasting energies radiating like sunlight and wildfire. Jin, Seraphina, and Ian completed the ranks, rounding out Class 1-A in a neat and tense hierarchy.
Nero stood at the front of the room, his ever-watchful eyes scanning us like a hawk. He was a man who could silence a room with a raised eyebrow, though today, his expression leaned toward exasperated patience.
"As you know, we will have three practical evaluations again this semester," Nero began, his tone clipped. "But they will be very different from what we had last semester. Pay attention. I won't repeat myself."
Everyone straightened instinctively.
