Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series - Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Orchestral Symphony [9]
If Aiden could have a feria, which is the currency of Espera, for every time he thought nothing could go wrong, he’d have two ferias- which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice.

Because in no way that they stayed out of the issue.

The common room was eerily silent when they stepped inside, the warmth of the fire doing little to dispel the unsettling stillness. The usual murmurs of conversation, laughter, and movement were missing, replaced by an emptiness that made the space feel strangely hollow.

Most of the students were probably still at dinner, which made sense, but Aiden had expected at least some of them to be back by now.

Adrian stretched, rolling his shoulders as he glanced around. “Finally, some peace and-”

His words were cut off by a sudden, startled yell.

“What the-?!”

Aiden and Sevan snapped their heads up to see what had made Adrian shouted, only to freeze at the sight above them.

Hanging upside down from the ceiling, completely still and utterly unbothered, was Collei.

“Keep it down,” she muttered, eyes closed as if their entrance had mildly annoyed her. “You’re making a racket.”

Aiden’s heart was still racing from the shock. “What- how- why are you hanging from the ceiling?”

Collei, still suspended like some kind of oversized bat, swung slightly, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position.

“Felt like it.”

Sevan furrowed his brows. “Have you been up there this whole time?”

“Since after dinner, yeah.”

Adrian was still staring at her, mouth slightly open. “You just… came straight back here after eating and decided to hang from the ceiling?”

“Yes,” she replied flatly.

Aiden took a step closer, narrowing his eyes. “How even are you staying up there?”

Collei blinked, as if surprised he needed to ask. “Magic.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Sevan crossed his arms, watching her. “You could’ve just sat in a chair, you know. Or on a bed. Like a normal person.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she smiled casually.

Aiden let out a slow breath and glanced around, suddenly aware of just how empty the common room really was.

“You came back alone?”

“Obviously.”

“Why?”

Collei tilted her head slightly. “I like the peace and quiet.”

That made sense, in a way. Collei had never been the type to linger in noisy areas longer than necessary.

Sevan turned his attention to the hallway leading to the dorms. “Have the others not returned yet?”

“Nope. Just me.”*

“No one at all?”

Collei was silent for a moment before finally adding, “Well… Emmeranne came back just a few minutes before you guys.”

That caught their attention immediately.

“Emmeranne?” Adrian repeated. “She left dinner early too?”

“Oh, what? Dinner? No. I didn’t see her during dinner

.”

Aiden and Sevan exchanged a look. “Did she say anything?”

“Nope.”

“Did she look… normal?”

Collei went quiet again, as if carefully choosing her words. Then, finally, “I mean she looks just like she does everyday, if that’s what you mean by normal. But she looked like she was in a hurry. Went straight to her room and shut the door.”

The three of them stood there for a moment, the silence pressing down on them.

Collei finally sighed. “You guys gonna stand there all night or what?”

Adrian snorted, shaking off the tension. “I still can’t believe you’re just hanging there.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

It wasn’t long before the common room door opened again, and the rest of their classmates began trickling in. The quiet atmosphere was quickly replaced by a low hum of conversation as they returned from dinner. Jarek was among the first to step inside, scanning the room before his gaze landed on Aiden, Adrian, and Sevan.

“There you are,” Jarek said, his usual gruff tone carrying a hint of urgency. “What happened earlier? The whole dining hall was buzzing about it.”

Ivara, who had entered just behind him, crossed her arms. “They canceled the Trials for the day. Something serious must’ve happened And you three must’ve seen it? Assuming of course, but I’m not wrong with my hunches.”

Aiden exchanged a glance with Adrian and Sevan before sighing. “A student was attacked near the forest.”*

That got everyone’s attention. A few gasps sounded around the room, and students who had already started to settle in paused, turning their heads toward them.

“Attacked?” Rupert echoed, eyes narrowing. “By what?”

“We don’t know yet,” Sevan replied. “She ran into a crowd that we were following, screaming and firing off magic. She had two deep gashes on her face, like claw marks.”

“Or like blade marks,” Aiden muttered.

Ivara’s expression darkened. “So someone attacked her.”

“Seems that way,” Adrian said, leaning against the couch. “She collapsed before she could explain anything else.”

The tension in the room thickened. No one spoke for a moment as the weight of the situation sank in.

“Was it… an outsider?” Morrigan asked hesitantly.

“If it was, that means someone managed to get past the Academy’s security,” Amihan added, her expression troubled. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

Ivara scoffed. “It clearly is possible if a student died before and me and Aiden got attacked and now someone nearly died.”

“She didn’t die,” Sevan corrected. “She’s alive.”

“For now,” Ivara shot back. “And what’s stopping it from happening again? What if the next person isn’t as lucky?”

Her words sent a ripple of unease through the group. Even the more indifferent students were now listening in.

“The school needs to do something about this,” Ivara continued. “It’s bad enough we have to worry about these Trials, but now students are being attacked? What is the Academy even doing?”

“Security should be tighter,” Jarek agreed, his jaw clenched. “If there’s something dangerous out there, they need to find it before someone else gets hurt.”

“And yet,” Jarek drawled, from where he was lounging on the couch, “instead of focusing on that, they’re still making us go about our business as usual.”

“The Trials were canceled today,” Rupert pointed out.

“For today,” Jarek emphasized. “They’ll probably start up again tomorrow, as if nothing happened.”

“Then they’re being reckless,” Ivara said firmly. “If the Academy wants to act like this is nothing, then that just means we’re all at risk.”

No one disagreed with her. The entire room had shifted into a quiet, simmering frustration.

Aiden leaned back, watching his classmates. They were scared, and rightfully so. Someone had been attacked, and instead of receiving clear answers, they were left in the dark. Fear was quickly turning into anger.