**Chapter 16: After The Silence**
Returning to the Academy after the ordeal at the ruin was nothing like anyone expected. No cheers. No chatter. Only silence.
The once lively hallways, filled with constant bickering, laughter, and footsteps, now echoed with a heavy stillness. Students kept to themselves, casting furtive glances at one another but avoiding conversation. Friendships that once seemed unbreakable were now strained under the memory of betrayal and desperation. No one had forgotten what they had done.
Even the teachers seemed subdued. There were no lectures about valor or lessons about teamwork. Instead, a strange, almost oppressive quiet hung over every classroom. It was as if everyone was trying to forget the truth they had seen about themselves and their companions.
On the other hand princess Elira's interested lies on different things.She doesn't care about grades nor status she does what she want to.That night she is going back and forth in a very deep thought.
A moment later a breeze rushed through the window.She stopped and turned to the open window.
She said, “Find out everything about this student named Lucien Elcarin.Everything!! ”.
A voice with silence came—yes,your majesty as you wish.
Finally, she finds some relief from the encounter which kept repeating in her head countless time.she never troubled this much before even when second prince throwed her into the cage of goblins when she was little.she then shut the window and went to sleep.
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Days passed. Eventually, the results of the "special training" at the ruins were posted.
The students gathered slowly around the large marble board in the Academy's central plaza. Murmurs rose as eyes widened in disbelief.
At the very top of the ranking list, in bold golden letters, shone the name:
> 1st Place - Elira Ephesus
1st Place - Lucien Elcarin
An uproar started to build, but it was muffled by the still-present guilt. The two top scores were tied between the Third Princess and... a Peasant class student.
Azrael, standing not far away, watched quietly. He wasn't surprised. No—he had guessed it during their encounter at the ruins. Lucien Elcarin had shown a calmness, a cold precision that even seasoned warriors would envy. He was not an ordinary student, and certainly no ordinary peasant.
2nd Place - Prince Azrael
3rd Place (tie) - Tavion & Victor
The shock deepened.
Peasant class students had taken not just one, but multiple top spots. Their reputation soared like a phoenix reborn from ashes. Suddenly, whispers began to circle the Academy. Peasant students who were once ignored or sneered at were now looked at with a strange mix of fear, admiration, and resentment.
The Elite class wore sour faces. The Royal class remained dignified but troubled.
Behind closed doors, however, a storm was brewing among the Teacher Council. The instructors convened in secret meetings, their voices low but tense.
"How did this happen?"
"A peasant—no, multiple peasants—outperforming Royals and Elites?"
"The Academy’s balance will collapse if this continues!"
"We must observe carefully. Some... remedial adjustments may be necessary."
Clouds of doubt and concern settled heavily over the highest authorities. Change was coming, and many feared it.
---
Amid this growing tension, a grand announcement was made:
"The Mid-Term Exams will commence in one month's time!"
It wasn't just a test. It would be a battlefield.
For many students, it represented a chance to redeem themselves—or to solidify their fall.
For Peasant students, it was an opportunity to prove that their victories were not mere flukes.
For Lucien Elcarin, it was another step forward in his quiet march toward something greater, something hidden.
And for the Princes and Princesses, it was a warning. No longer were they the undisputed rulers of the Academy.
A new dawn was coming.
A clash unlike any before was about to begin.
And this time—no one would escape its consequences.
