The academy had returned to normal.
On the surface.
Students laughed again. Conversations flowed easily. The tension from the system incident had faded into something distant something no one wanted to think about too deeply.
But beneath that calm…
Something had changed.
Ivy Morgan could feel it.
Eyes lingered on her a second longer than before. Whispers followed more deliberately now. Not loud but intentional.
Not everyone.
Just the right people.
She walked through the hallway quietly, her expression unchanged, her steps steady.
Then
“Ivy.”
The voice stopped her.
She didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Eliana Scott.
Ivy faced her calmly.
Eliana stood a few steps away, perfectly composed as always. Aria Cole and Zara Blake stood behind her, silent but watchful.
This wa
