The first day of Year Two began with staring.
A lot of staring.
Aegis walked through the academy halls with Talia at her side, and every single person they passed either gawked, whispered, or both. A group of second-years pressed themselves against the wall as Aegis went by, like she was going to start throwing shadow bolts at random. One kid, couldn't have been older than fifteen, literally dropped his books when he saw her coming and just stood there frozen until she passed.
"You'd think I murdered someone," Aegis muttered.
"You did use forbidden magic in front of five hundred nobles," Talia said. "At our wedding."
"Details."
A pair of girls hurried past them, heads down, moving fast. One of them glanced back at Aegis with wide eyes, then whispered to her friend. Aegis caught the words "shadow mage" and "Umbral Blade" before they rounded a corner and disappeared.
[Great. They think I'm a cultist now.]
