A low hum echoed through the quiet hall. Then came a click.
Celeste's eyes blinked open, amber and dazed. The last thing she remembered was the sudden energy surge then darkness.
She tried to move, but her arms were restrained by glowing runes. Her breath hitched slightly as she looked around. The entire faculty, including the Sage, lay unconscious nearby. Broken sigils still crackled faintly on the walls.
"…Containment runes?" she whispered, blinking hard as if recalibrating her focus. "This is… strange."
The morning light began to filter through the windows as she regained composure. The air smelled faintly of ozone, and the entire room pulsed with residual mana.
A faint groan broke the silence. Milly stirred.
Her head hurt like she'd been hit by a boulder. She blinked blearily, sitting up and spotting Celeste already awake, sitting calmly against the wall.
"Celeste?" she rasped. "What happened?"
Celeste looked up with a composed expression, though her tone held a subtle mechanical rhythm to it. "Unclear. There was a surge across the academy's entire mana grid. Everyone seems to have been affected."
"Everyone…?"
Celeste nodded once. "Yes. You should rest. Your vitals still seem unstable-" She stopped mid-sentence, catching herself. "I mean, you look pale. You might have fainted from magical exhaustion."
Milly frowned faintly, rubbing her temples. "You talk like a healer."
Celeste chuckled lightly. "Old habit, I suppose."
The two sat in silence for a moment. Some teachers were starting to stir, groaning softly.
Milly sighed. "Great. Another mystery. Just what I needed."
Celeste tilted her head, a faint flicker of blue briefly passing through her amber eyes before returning to normal. "I'll report this to the Headmistress once the suppression runes deactivate. Try not to move too much for now."
Milly smiled tiredly. "You sound like you're used to giving orders."
Celeste's lips twitched. "Do I?" she said smoothly, brushing a stray lock of cyan hair behind her ear. "Must be my tone."
Milly chuckled softly, letting her head rest against the wall. "Yeah. Must be."
Outside, faint golden light spilled through the cracked glass, painting soft rays across their faces. Neither spoke again, but the silence carried a strange warmth a quiet connection neither of them could yet explain.