Professor Sylvia dismissed the students.
And the crowd dispersed in small clusters, buzzing with talk of locations and danger.
But while most students were busy imagining their missions, one pair of eyes burned with something else entirely.
Edwin.
Edwin stopped a few paces away, the sound of his boots striking the ground louder than the whispers that followed.
"Kael!"
The name cracked like a whip.
Students halted mid-step and turned. A hush rolled across the field.
Kael exhaled softly and turned his head.
"What is it?" he asked with a bored sound.
Edwin's jaw tightened.
"You think you can stand there and act innocent? After what happened in Blackstone Village?"
At the name, a ripple of unease passed through the watching students.
"Blackstone Village."
"The demon raid." someone murmured.
The rumors that Kael had somehow drawn the demons to the village.
Kael's expression didn't change. "You've been listening to gossip."
"Gossip?" Edwin stepped closer.
