Damien was sitting quietly in Pearl Institute's garden courtyard, nestled under a flowering mana willow, sipping from a chilled carton of peach-flavored mana tea. The world, for once, was calm. No fireballs. No explosions. Just breeze, birdsong, and a few bugs wisely minding their business.
Then she appeared.
Jiang Xiao Yu.
She stepped through the garden arch like a breeze carved from glass—graceful, composed, but... distant. Her long raven-black hair drifted behind her, and her pale robes shimmered faintly with defensive enchantments. She looked unchanged, but Damien could tell instantly: something had happened.
"You alright?" he asked, closing his tea and rising slowly.
"I'm fine," she replied, just a fraction too quickly.
"Your parents—"
"I said I'm fine."
Her words weren't harsh. Just final. She turned and walked off toward the dorms, her silhouette poised, unreadable.
Damien sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So… I guess that means not fine, huh."
