Mystic Academy had never been this loud.
Morning sunlight poured through the glass halls, but the brightness only made the nervous chatter sharper. Everywhere Aranea went, students whispered in frantic tones — about the forest, about the shadows, about them.
"I heard it was an ambush!"
"No, no — it was a training accident!"
"Didn't you see the fire? That was Zann! And Leonel's water exploded!"
"I swear I saw a dragon's claw—"
"Liar, that was a tree—"
"Shhh! Here they come!"
Aranea froze as the hall fell briefly silent when she and her group passed by. Zann walked beside her, arms crossed and jaw tight, pretending not to hear. Beau just smirked, soaking in the attention like a performer taking the stage. Leonel looked straight ahead, face unreadable.
Elenea sighed, leaning toward her twin. "You'd think saving the academy would earn you less gossip."
Aranea forced a smile. "I wish it worked that way."
