The bells tolled, but the sound was different now. Not heavy, not brittle—watchful. Their echo carried not only through the walls of the Academy but through the hearts of every student who stirred that morning. All who had seen the Trial of Chains woke with the same memory burned into their eyes: Team Two standing in the circle, the chainbound kneeling.
Rumors no longer crawled. They ran.
"They bent a chainbound.""Aldery commanded it.""Gold's fire seared runes. Stag bled but bound. Rane's knots held.""No team has ever… not like that."
Some spoke in awe, voices hushed as if naming something sacred. Others spoke with envy, bitterness curdling their words.
"Priests meant to break them.""They didn't.""They'll try again."
The courtyard buzzed louder than bees. Nobles stood in knots, their fine cloaks swishing as they whispered. When Team Two walked into the light, the murmurs grew to a storm.
Rowan stiffened at the sound, his face tight with both pride and unease. His bandaged cheek itched beneath the stares. For once, the whispers carried more awe than mockery, but that awe pressed heavier than insults had.
Mikel ignored them. His stride was unhurried, his expression unchanging. His presence steadied the others, though he never said a word.
Celina walked apart, as always, though her beauty drew every eye. Her emerald gaze did not waver; she gave the crowd nothing, not a glance, not a smile. Only her cursed wrist trembled faintly beneath her sleeve, as if it remembered the runes it had burned.
And Ernest—Ernest walked as though no trial had taken place at all. His black eyes calm, his step steady, his silence heavier than the flood of voices.
The students parted before them, not because they chose to, but because they could not do otherwise.
Lecture hall three was crowded with tension. Halvern scribbled furiously at the slate, his words sharper, his voice quicker than usual. His spectacles flashed, betraying unease he did not name.
The priests sat at the back. Their white robes glowed faintly in the half-light. The old one with lashes white as frost did not move, did not blink. His gaze never left Team Two.
Halvern's voice cracked the silence. "We will review yesterday's containment. Team Two—describe the principles you used."
Rowan swallowed, then spoke, his voice rough. "Rope. Pressure. Binding until noise died."
"Insufficient," Halvern snapped.
Mikel spoke next, steady. "Knots. Anchors. Hold until weight yields."
Halvern's chalk slowed. His head dipped faintly. "Acceptable."
Celina raised her hand. "Runes burn when fire is constant. Discipline bends flame away from curse."
The priests leaned forward, their pale eyes gleaming. Halvern hesitated, then nodded once.
Finally, Ernest spoke. His voice was low, calm, merciless. "Chains obey command. All things do."
The hall stilled.
Halvern's chalk cracked against slate. "Enough. Next question."
The priests whispered. The old one smiled faintly, lashes lowering and lifting.
The yard drills felt lighter, though Serren barked no less fiercely. Students struck harder, as though trying to match what they had witnessed. Some glared at Team Two, some avoided them entirely. None dared mock.
Rowan fought sharper, his strikes less reckless, though sweat dripped into his bandages. Pride flickered in his eyes, though fear still lingered.
Mikel's rhythm remained steady, unbroken. His blade moved as if nothing had changed.
Celina disarmed her partner in three moves, her emerald eyes calm, her fire burning low but steady.
Ernest cut the air with silent precision. His strikes did not need speed or force. They carried weight simply because they were his.
At the yard's edge, the priests stood. They did not whisper. They only watched.
That evening, the dining hall was louder than any since the year began. Whispers rose like smoke, filling the air until it was hard to breathe.
"They're untouchable.""Or cursed.""The priests won't stop.""Which house will try to claim them?"
Nobles from other houses began to send their heirs closer. Some offered compliments that tasted of envy. Some offered sly smiles, promises of alliance in hushed tones.
Rowan bristled, unused to such attention. He stammered, his pride clashing with confusion. Mikel ignored them, eating steadily. Celina brushed all away with silence, her emerald eyes cutting through every false smile.
Ernest said nothing. He ate in calm silence, his black eyes giving nothing. Yet he listened. He weighed. He remembered every whisper.
The priests dined too, their white robes bright in the lamplight. They spoke to no one, yet their presence was heavier than every voice.
Later, in lecture room five, the four gathered again. The lamp burned steady on the table. The air felt heavier than ever.
Rowan broke first, as always. "They're watching us." His voice shook. "Not just the priests. Everyone. Every heir. Every whisper."
"Good," Ernest said.
Rowan's eyes widened. "Good?"
"Yes. Fear sharpens. Whispers bind tighter than rope."
Mikel nodded faintly. "Fear endures where unity fades."
Rowan swallowed hard, then nodded. "Then I'll stand in it. Even if it breaks me."
Celina's lips curved faintly, not quite a smile. "It won't break you. Fear bends. So do you. You'll endure."
Rowan looked at her, startled. For once, her words were not cold. He bowed his head.
The silence that followed was not heavy. It was steady.
That night, Ernest wrote in his notebook.
Fallout heavy. Students whisper louder. Nobles circle. Priests silent, but gaze sharper.
Rowan basks in pride, but shame still claws. He bends, but does not yet stand fully.
Mikel unchanged. Anchor, steady.
Celina—words softening. Recognition deepening. Dangerous bond grows.
Team Two is no longer ignored. They are watched. Feared. Envied. The Academy turns.
He closed the book, stood at the window. The courtyard lay pale in moonlight. Celina's candle burned steady, Rowan's lamp glowed faint, Mikel's light constant.
His reflection met his gaze—pale, calm, merciless.
"The forest bent," Ernest whispered. "The nobles bowed. The beast knelt. The chain obeyed. The bound fell. Now the Academy watches."
His lips curved, thin, sharp.
"Let them watch. Fear will bind them tighter than chains. I am the Voice that commands—even in silence."