Elora looked away before she could be sure.
Whatever was going on, she wanted no part of it.
Unfortunately, she had a feeling that wasn’t going to be an option.
Students continued talking as academy staff directed everyone who had finished their evaluation back to their dormitories.
Those who hadn’t been evaluated yet were asked to wait a little longer for further instructions.
Confused looks were exchanged throughout the crowd, and more than a few people glanced back at the damaged artifact before moving on.
Above them, the Nexus Orb remained suspended in the air.
The runes had gone dark, the colors inside the crystal had vanished, and the crack still cut across its surface like a scar.
The professors didn’t seem to have any answers.
Neither did she.
The attention wasn’t helping.
Some students quickly looked away whenever she caught them staring, while others didn’t bother pretending at all.
Elora let out a quiet sigh.
“Great.” Exactly what she needed on her second day at the academy.
From the corner of her eye, she saw someone pushing through the crowd.
Lyra.
For a second, Elora thought she might stop halfway, but she didn’t.
Lyra walked straight over and fell into step beside her as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
The two of them headed toward the exit with the rest of the first-years.
Elora resisted the urge to look back.
It wouldn’t change anything.
She still had no idea what had just happened.
The walk back across the academy felt way longer than it had that morning.
Maybe it was the attention.
Or maybe it was the way, every time Elora looked up, someone immediately looked away like she’d personally caught them doing something illegal.
Either way, it was getting annoying fast.
Elora adjusted the strap of her bag and kept walking.
Whatever.
Around her, groups of students drifted between buildings, talking excitedly about their affinity results.
Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Normally, Elora would’ve been doing the same thing.
Instead…
She didn’t even have a result.
“How does that even happen?” she muttered.
Lyra, walking beside her, glanced over.
“What part?
The orb couldn’t read your affinity?
Or the crack part?” “The important part, obviously.
The part where the giant magical orb decided to self-destruct in the middle of my evaluation.” “Technically, it didn’t explode.
It cracked.” “Yeah, whatever.
Why did it mess up the second it was my turn?” Lyra’s mouth twitched.
“Maybe it sensed you were—” “No.” Elora cut her off immediately.
“Let’s not speculate yet.
I’ve had enough rumors for one day.” Lyra was about to say something when another pair of students passed, slowing just enough to be annoying.
“How convenient.
You ruined everything on day one.” “Looks like someone’s getting sent home early.” A few students laughed, one obnoxious chuckle standing out from the rest.
Of course they were enjoying this.
The academy had barely been open for a day, and somehow she’d already become the hottest topic on campus.
Elora sighed, like her soul had already filed a complaint.
“Can everyone just wait for the official announcement?” Lyra didn’t even look at them.
She swung her arm around Elora’s shoulders and steered her forward, like she was guiding a runaway cart.
“Hey, let’s wait for the official announcement.
Don’t listen to them.
They clearly don’t have anything better to do.” A few students passing in the opposite direction immediately turned.
A whisper slid through the air, sharp and fast.
“Okay, did you see that?
They literally turned around to look at me.” She pointed behind her.
“That’s not necessary.
I’m not some kind of walking explosion.” Elora buried her face in her hands.
She already felt like she was losing a fight she didn’t remember starting.
She’d been at Arcane Academy for less than two days, and somehow she was already a rumor.
That had to be some kind of record.
As they crossed one of the stone bridges connecting two sections of campus, Elora glanced toward the distant evaluation grounds.
Even from here, she could still see the Nexus Orb hovering above the arena.
The crack was impossible to miss.
That thing had been perfectly fine all morning.
Then she stepped underneath it.
Not exactly a great look.
Elora and Lyra kept walking.
For a while, neither of them said much.
The silence wasn’t awkward—it was just tired.
Around them, the academy carried on like nothing had happened.
Students hurried between classes, professors crossed courtyards discussing things Elora didn’t understand, and floating platforms drifted between towers overhead like the sky had decided to join the trend.
Life moved on around her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the Nexus Orb.
A few minutes later, the dorm buildings came into view, and Elora realized she’d never thought she’d be this happy to see…
walls.
A door.
Anything that wasn’t a crowd.
“I think I’m done being perceived for today,” she said.
Lyra laughed.
“Yeah.
Let’s take a nap.
Uggh, my body gave up.” Elora almost agreed on instinct.
Honestly?
If she could spend the rest of the day hiding in her room, that sounded perfect.
Unfortunately, knowing her luck, the day wasn’t finished with her yet.
The moment Elora stepped into Room 214, she closed the door behind her and let out a long breath.
Finally.
She dropped her bag beside the desk and fell backward onto the bed.
The mattress bounced slightly, like it was trying to be supportive in the only way it could.
“This day was terrible.” The ceiling, unsurprisingly, offered no comment.
She wasn’t sure whether to scream or hide under the blanket and pretend the entire day had never happened.
For a while, Elora simply lay there, staring upward while exhaustion slowly settled into her bones.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the Nexus Orb cracking apart above her.
There had to be an explanation.
She just didn’t have one.
Outside her window, students continued moving across the grounds.
Voices drifted up from below, distant and bright like none of it mattered.
She glanced at the schedule on her desk—tomorrow’s classes, tomorrow’s academy life, and tomorrow’s problems.
Then she noticed something else.
The first-year exams were tomorrow.
“Give me a break,” Elora muttered.
Apparently today hadn’t suffered enough.
Tomorrow was already lining up another problem.
Eventually, exhaustion started calling the shots.
It had been a long day—honestly, a weird one, too.
Without meaning to, Elora’s eyes drifted shut.
Knock.
Knock.
Her eyes snapped open.
…
Seriously?