CHAPTER 33 - Aftermath
The academy had always been loud.
Footsteps echoed through the corridors. Conversations drifted from one classroom to another. Laughter spilled from open windows overlooking the central courtyard.
Today...
Something felt different.
As Lyra stepped into the main hallway, the conversations around her didn't stop.
They simply changed.
"...That's her."
She caught the whisper as two first-year students walked past.
"The one from Professor Aldric's practical?"
"I heard she couldn't perform Astral Materialization."
"I thought she had dual affinities."
"So did everyone."
The voices faded behind her.
Lyra kept walking.
She had expected this.
Yesterday's practical had been witnessed by nearly every first-year in the Magic Division. It was only a matter of time before the story spread.
Knowing that, however...
Didn't make it any easier.
She adjusted the strap of her bag and continued toward her classroom without lifting her gaze.
As she entered, the room fell unusually quiet.
Several students glanced up before quickly returning to their conversations. Others pretended to organize their notes, though their eyes continued to drift toward her.
Lyra made her way to her usual seat near the back of the room.
No one spoke to her.
No one needed to.
The silence itself said enough.
---
By the time the morning lectures ended, the rumors had already spread beyond the Magic Division.
Students gathered along the walkways connecting the academy buildings, discussing an event most of them hadn't even witnessed.
"I heard Professor Aldric stopped the entire examination."
"No, he suspended her evaluation."
"Why?"
"Apparently she admitted she hasn't been able to materialize Astral for over a year."
"Over a year?"
"So how did she even get into the academy?"
"Maybe the entrance examiners made a mistake."
Each retelling sounded more convincing than the last.
Facts blurred into assumptions.
Assumptions became certainty.
No one seemed interested in finding out what had actually happened.
---
When lunchtime arrived, Lyra headed toward the cafeteria.
The familiar aroma of fresh bread and warm soup greeted her as she stepped inside.
Normally...
Amy would already be waving enthusiastically from somewhere in the room.
Today, Lyra searched the crowded cafeteria in silence.
She found Amy near one of the windows.
Several girls from her class sat with her, trays untouched as they spoke in hushed voices.
Amy wasn't joining the conversation.
She looked distracted.
Almost troubled.
As if sensing someone watching her, Amy looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, the sounds of the cafeteria seemed to disappear.
Amy instinctively pushed her chair back.
She almost stood.
Almost called Lyra over.
Then yesterday returned to her mind.
"Over a year..."
Those words echoed louder than the conversations surrounding her.
For over a year...
Lyra had carried something that painful.
Yet she had never told her.
Amy's fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
She wanted to ask why.
Why didn't you tell me?
Didn't you trust me?
Or...
Were you simply afraid?
The questions tangled together until she couldn't bring herself to say a single word.
Across the room, Lyra understood.
Amy wasn't avoiding her out of anger.
She was confused.
Hurt.
Searching for answers Lyra wasn't ready to give.
A faint smile touched Lyra's lips.
Not a happy smile.
Not even a reassuring one.
Just a quiet acknowledgment.
Then she turned away.
She found an empty table tucked into the corner of the cafeteria and sat alone.
For the first few minutes, no one approached the seats around her.
Eventually, a pair of second-year students carrying lunch trays headed toward the empty table nearby.
One noticed Lyra.
The two exchanged a glance.
Without saying a word, they turned and chose another table instead.
Lyra lowered her eyes to her meal.
She had lost her appetite before taking the first bite.
Around the cafeteria, conversations slowly resumed.
"They used to eat together every day."
"I guess they're not friends anymore."
"I'd feel betrayed too."
"Maybe Lyra had a reason."
"What reason could there be?"
The words drifted across the room.
No one spoke loudly.
But no one tried particularly hard to hide them either.
Lyra quietly finished what little she could eat before returning her tray.
---
The afternoon sun bathed the academy grounds in warm golden light.
Students filled the central courtyard, enjoying the break between classes.
Groups laughed beneath the shade of ancient trees.
Others reviewed lecture notes or argued over practical assignments.
Lyra usually spent this time with Amy.
Sometimes they studied together.
More often...
Amy simply talked enough for both of them.
Today...
She walked alone.
As she crossed the courtyard, conversations shifted around her.
Not every student whispered.
Some simply watched.
Others fell silent as she passed before resuming their discussions once she was gone.
A pair of first-years standing near the fountain stepped aside to let her pass.
Neither looked at her.
The gesture wasn't rude.
But it wasn't welcoming either.
It made the space between Lyra and everyone else feel wider than the courtyard itself.
She tightened her grip on her bag and continued toward the academy gardens.
Near the shade of an old oak tree stood Vivienne.
Two girls from her class chatted excitedly beside her.
"I still can't believe it."
"I know."
"Everyone talked about her like she was some kind of genius."
"And Erix personally trained her."
Vivienne remained unusually quiet.
Her attention drifted toward the stone pathway.
A familiar figure approached.
Dark auburn hair.
Amber eyes lowered toward the ground.
Walking alone.
The other girls noticed Lyra and gradually fell silent.
For a heartbeat, neither side moved.
Vivienne met Lyra's eyes.
The disappointment in them was impossible to miss.
Finally, she spoke.
"...So it was true."
There was no mockery.
No satisfaction.
Only quiet disappointment.
Lyra held her gaze.
For a moment, she considered explaining.
Telling her there was more to the story.
That things weren't as simple as everyone believed.
But the words never came.
She lowered her eyes instead.
And continued walking.
As she passed, Vivienne quietly murmured,
"...What a shame."
The words were barely louder than the wind.
Yet they struck deeper than any insult.
Behind her, one of the girls sighed.
"I really thought she'd earned Erix's attention."
The other nodded.
"I guess we were wrong."
Lyra never looked back.
She simply kept walking.
The voices gradually faded behind her.
But Vivienne's words lingered.
What a shame.
She had endured harsher words before.
Crueler ones.
Yet somehow...
Those four words weighed more heavily than all the whispers she had heard that day.
For the first time since arriving at Valmere Academy...
She wondered if there was still a place for her there.