The door slammed open.
Maya burst in, her hair slightly disheveled and her breathing ragged, eyes wide with unease.
Rihana, who had been sipping tea by the window, blinked in surprise.
"Maya? What's wrong? You look like you just ran a marathon with a dragon chasing you."
Maya tried to speak but stumbled over her own words.
"I-I don't know how to say this, but something's happening at the plaza… there was this, this strange pressure in the air, and then everything just,"
Rihana stood up immediately, her calm demeanor fading into seriousness.
"Hold on, slow down. Pressure? As in mana distortion?"
Maya nodded quickly.
"Y-Yeah! The air was shaking, Rihana! It wasn't normal, even the café glass was vibrating, and then,"
She bit her lip,
"—Lyrium told me to go back to the academy while he stayed behind."
Rihana froze for a second.
"He what?"
Her tone sharpened.
"You left him there? Alone?"
"I didn't want to!"
Maya's voice cracked.
