Chapter 32 - The Truth Everyone Saw
No one spoke.
The practical hall had never felt so quiet.
Dozens of students stared at Lyra.
Some looked confused.
Others looked as though they had misheard.
Professor Aldric remained motionless.
His eyes stayed on Lyra for several long seconds.
"...For over a year?"
Lyra gave a small nod.
"...Yes, Professor."
He looked down at the register in his hand.
Then back at Lyra.
"...You should have informed me before the examination."
Lyra lowered her gaze.
"I intended to."
"...Intended?"
"I slept through the announcement."
A few students exchanged puzzled glances.
Professor Aldric frowned.
"You were unaware today's practical was taking place?"
"...Yes."
"I only learned about it before entering the hall."
His expression changed.
The frustration disappeared, replaced by confusion.
"...I see."
He slowly closed the register.
There was no accusation in his eyes anymore.
Only questions.
Questions he couldn't ask in front of an entire class.
"We will suspend your evaluation."
A murmur rippled across the room.
Professor Aldric raised his voice.
"The examination will continue."
No one moved.
"I said..."
His gaze swept across the students.
"...continue."
Only then did the next student slowly walk toward the evaluation formation.
But no one was paying attention anymore.
Every pair of eyes drifted back toward Lyra.
...
Amy sat frozen.
Her hands rested on the edge of her desk.
She hadn't moved since Lyra spoke.
Over a year.
The words echoed relentlessly in her mind.
She remembered every conversation.
Every meal.
Every joke.
Every time she'd proudly introduced Lyra to another student.
"She's amazing."
"She's a dual-affinity mage."
"Erix trains her personally."
She thought she knew everything about her closest friend.
She had been wrong.
...
One whisper appeared.
"...Did she really say over a year?"
"...How is that possible?"
"I thought she had dual affinities."
"So did I."
"I've never heard of someone unable to materialize for that long."
"Then how did she pass entrance exam?"
The whispers multiplied.
Professor Aldric heard them.
"...Silence."
The room quieted.
For only a moment.
The practical continued.
Students stepped into the evaluation formation.
Constructs appeared.
Spells were cast.
The crystal pillars flashed.
"Pass."
"Pass."
"Excellent."
But the examination had lost its purpose.
No one discussed the performances anymore.
Every conversation returned to the same person.
Lyra Ashbourne.
...
When the practical finally ended—
Students stood.
No one hurried toward the exit.
Instead...
Small groups immediately formed.
"...Did you hear what she said?"
"Apparently she's been hiding it."
"Erix teaches her, doesn't he?"
"Does that mean he knew about it?"
"I don't understand."
Neither did anyone else.
...
Amy stood.
She looked toward Lyra.
She wanted to say something.
Anything.
But every sentence sounded wrong before it reached her lips.
Lyra noticed.
"...Amy."
Amy looked away.
"...I need some time."
The words came out quietly.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just honest.
Then she walked away.
Lyra watched her disappear into the crowd.
...
The hallway outside the practical hall was already growing louder.
Students leaving other classes glanced toward the gathering crowd.
"...What happened?"
"You haven't heard?"
"The dual-affinity girl..."
"They say she can't perform Astral Materialization."
"What?"
"She admitted it herself."
Every retelling spread faster than the last.
Within minutes—
The story had crossed into another corridor.
Then another.
By lunchtime...
Students who had never met Lyra Ashbourne knew her name.
Not because she possessed dual affinities.
But because of what she couldn't do.
...
Lyra walked alone.
Every hallway felt different now.
Conversations stopped as she approached.
Started again after she passed.
She kept her eyes forward.
She had expected this.
That didn't make it hurt any less.
...
Far from the academy's main building—
A carriage waited near the front gates.
Riven secured the final crate onto the rear platform.
Kaylen checked the mission documents once more.
"Everything's ready."
Erix adjusted the sword at his waist.
Seren stood nearby with his arms folded.
"So you're really leaving today."
"We'll be back in a few days," Kaylen replied.
"If everything goes according to plan."
Lucian nodded.
"Don't tell me you are jealous of not being assigned..." Rivan said with a proud smile which was abruptly met with a pouch full of essentials onto his face by Lucian.
"Take that you idiot..." Lucian gave a dissatisfied look
"I'll keep an eye on things here."
Erix gave him a small nod.
"I'd appreciate that."
He placed one foot onto the carriage.
Then paused.
For reasons he couldn't explain...
A strange unease settled over him.
He glanced back toward the academy.
Something felt...
Off.
"...Erix?"
Riven called.
Erix looked away.
"...It's nothing."
At least...
That's what he told himself.
He climbed into the carriage.
The gates slowly opened.
The carriage rolled forward.
Behind them—
The academy slowly disappeared beyond the trees.
But inside its walls...
Lyra Ashbourne's secret was only beginning to spread.