Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Aftermath The students were released.
The top three winners would be announced later, after everyone had rested.
On the stands, the Headmistress moved toward the instructors, her steps steady, her gaze locked onto Liane, who stood barefoot as always, set apart from the rest of the group.
Liane kept her arms folded tightly across her chest, her jaw clenched, her face cold and unreadable.
The tension in her stance made it clear to everyone nearby that now was not the time to approach her.
Normally, Liane carried herself with ease, often calm enough to joke when no one else could. But today, not a single instructor dared to speak a word to her.
Five of her students hadn’t returned.
There was no need to guess what that meant.
Liane had always fought for the cursed—no, the evolved, as she always insisted. She understood what they faced.
She made it her duty to give them something better than what the world would offer on its own.
The Headmistress stopped in front of her, giving a respectful distance.
"Do you want to go with the team retrieving the bodies and watches?" she asked.
Liane shook her head without hesitation, her bare feet shifting slightly against the polished floor as she answered.
"No," she said. "I need to talk to my remaining students. Please excuse me."
She turned and walked away without looking back, her bare heels tapping lightly against the floor with every step.
No one dared to stop her or call after her.
The instructors stood still, their silence thick as they watched her leave.
The Headmistress said nothing, only following Liane’s back with her eyes until she disappeared beyond the stands.
The moment Liane’s silhouette vanished beyond the stands, the male instructor—Andy—let out a derisive scoff and crossed his arms.
"I don’t think that behavior is appropriate," he muttered, loud enough for the others to hear. "She’s not the only one who lost students today."
Mara, a female instructor, turned on him with a glare sharp enough to flay skin. "Shut it, Andy. You couldn’t say that to her face, don’t say it now."
Andy’s jaw tightened. "Oh, please. Like you’re not thinking the same thing. She acts like her students are the only ones who matter—"
Mara stepped into his space, her voice a venomous whisper. "Her students are the ones no one else gives a damn about. So yeah, maybe they do matter more."
The tension crackled between them, thick enough to choke on.
The other instructors shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting toward the Headmistress, who observed the exchange in silence.
Then—
A single, deliberate tap of the Headmistress’s boot against the floor.
The silence that followed wasn’t out of fear or obedience but because she had enforced it. Andy’s mouth moved, but no sound came out.
Mara opened her lips to retort, only to find herself equally mute. The instructors tensed, realization dawning as their voices were stolen.
The Headmistress didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to.
"Stop acting like children," she said, her gaze lingering on Andy. "If you insist on behaving as such, you will be treated as such."
Andy’s face flushed, but with his voice locked away, he couldn’t speak or argue. The Headmistress turned away, her message clear.
This discussion was over.
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Liane’s footsteps echoed down the empty hall, sharp against the silence.
She hated this school on days like this—hated the polished floors, hated the pristine walls, hated the way it pretended to care more about progress than the people paying for it with their lives.
But right now, she needed to focus.She rounded the corner, her gaze narrowing as she spotted Iris and Rhian waiting near the classroom.
The other evolved students should have been with them. A muted grief settled in her chest like a second heartbeat.
Iris straightened immediately when she saw Liane approaching.
There was a tension in the way she stood, like she wanted to run forward and crumple into her instructor, but she stopped herself.
Instead, she dug her fingernails into her palms.
Rhian stood beside her, his lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but Liane spoke first. "Sit," she said, gesturing to the courtyard benches.
They obeyed.
Liane exhaled slowly before sitting across from them.
She didn’t offer empty comfort, didn’t try to spin this into some grand lesson about survival.
She just looked at them—really looked—and said, "Tell me what happened."
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Meanwhile...Ash had been waiting with the rest of his team near the academy gates, arms folded as he leaned against the wall.
His gaze flicked to Nia every few seconds, watching her tug at her sleeves—a nervous tic he’d picked up on. "She okay?" Aras muttered under his breath, low enough that only Ash heard.
Ash didn’t answer right away. His eyes lingered on Nia’s stiff posture, the way her fingers twitched like she was still fighting something in her head.
Finally, he shrugged. "Dunno. But she’s pissed about something."Aras followed his gaze, frowning. "She and Rhian barely said two words to each other after coming back." Ash smirked, acting as if he knew why she was like this.
"Yeah. Bet it’s getting real awkward in that little love triangle of ours."
Aras blinked. "What trian—"
But Ash had already pushed off the wall, striding toward Nia before Aras could finish his sentence.
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Back in the Evolved Class.
Liane listened as Rhian and Iris recounted their time in the portal, how the others had been separated early on, everything Rhian told Nia, of course Rhian again left out the other things, but other than that there wasn’t anything to hide.
When they finished, Liane’s expression didn’t change.
Rhian said nothing, but his fingers traced the edge of his sleeve where scales had formed along his wrist.
He had managed to get dressed after coming back and got dressed, but before they could meet up as friends they got called by Miss Liane.
Rhian had to say he had never seen her like this. She didn’t look sad or anything but angry if anything.