Chapter 187: Summon
The silent tension in the Hall of Communion was so profound it felt as if the very air had solidified. The echoes of my failure—the empty dais, the fleeing spirits, the whispers of "defective"—still hung heavy, a shroud of humiliation I couldn't quite shake. Lysandra's cryptic message about the Guardian Dragon wanting to speak with Elara only deepened the mystery, leaving the class in a state of hushed, anxious curiosity.
But the ritual had to continue. The Academy's schedule waited for no one, not even a Dragon's decree.
"Next," Lysandra called, her voice regaining its gentle cadence, though her eyes lingered on Elara for a moment longer than necessary. "Leon Lionheart."
The name acted as a balm on the room's frayed nerves. Leon Lionheart. The protagonist. The golden boy whose very existence seemed to correct the world's imbalances.
