Ashok at this point was utterly speechless. Words simply refused to form in his head. To an outsider, it might seem trivial—just a harmless change in staffing, a different teacher presiding over a single course.
What difference could that possibly make? they might ask with a shrug.
But Ashok knew better. He knew too well.
The difference couldn't be measured by something as mild as big. No—this was the sort of change that could twist the threads of the entire plot itself.
And when two main characters were tangled up in it, the scale of consequence grew immeasurable.
The Academy's teachers weren't just instructors; each of them carried unique inheritances—secret skills, specialized arts, or mastery carved out of decades of experience.
To be chosen as a disciple under one of them meant inheriting skills no textbook could provide.
