The tension that once cloaked the academy like a thick fog had not vanished, but it had simply shifted. Olivia noticed it in the way people whispered less and avoided Alexa entirely. The wild rumors that once bounced off the walls like a bullet had dulled into silence. No one dared to say a word now, not after Alexa had sent Lydia to the infirmary with one blow.
Fear had a funny way of purifying gossip. Olivia had watched it happen. One violent outburst, and suddenly, Alexa wasn't a target—she was a warning. A living one.
As she walked through the academy's courtyard, her boots crunching on loose gravel, Olivia felt the growing conflict in her chest. Everything had changed so quickly. Her mission was complete, her system was quiet for now, and yet… nothing felt settled.
Lucian walked a step behind her. Silent, observant. Ever since he caught her from the tree, he had become unusually distant. Not cold exactly, but preoccupied.
