Inside the Student Council room, the most powerful students in the entire Academy sat gathered around a long, polished table.
At the head sat Elizabeth Murdock, third-year student and Council President, her purple hair catching the afternoon light streaming through tall windows.
Her violet eyes were distant, unfocused, as if her mind was sowhere far away from this room.
Victor Cross stood at the opposite end of the table, presenting his case with the confident air of soone who believed he’d already won.
He was the top-ranked second-year student, a C rank awakener, and vice president of the Clubs Committee.
His brown hair was perfectly styled, his uniform immaculate, his expression righteous and determined.
"The so-called Mafia organization has beco a destabilizing force within this Academy. They’ve encouraged violence between students, disrupted the established social order, and created unnecessary conflict where none needed to exist."
His voice carried practiced authority as he paced slightly, gesturing for emphasis.
"For the good of all students and the Academy’s reputation, I propose we officially ban the Mafia and declare it an illegal student organization. Any students who continue to associate with it should face disciplinary action."
Around the table, the other council mbers listened with varying expressions.
Micheal Thorne sat with visible bandages wrapped around his ribs and one arm in a sling.
His golden hair was slightly disheveled, his normally confident posture diminished.
He stayed completely silent, his golden eyes fixed on the table in front of him.
Micheal was talented, yes. Arrogant, absolutely. But he also respected genuine power when it was demonstrated so thoroughly.
Damian had defeated him easily... Again. In front of hundreds of witnesses.
His family had seen the videos. His friends had seen his humiliation. His pride had been shattered into pieces that couldn’t be easily put back together.
What excuse could he possibly make now?
Adrian Murdock sat nearby, his purple eyes watching Victor with analytical calculation but saying nothing. His expression was carefully neutral, revealing nothing of his true thoughts.
Gareth Blackwood leaned back in his chair, his massive bear-like fra making the furniture look small.
His black hair was tied back simply, and his dark eyes studied Victor with obvious skepticism.
Arielle Voss sat with perfect posture despite her petite fra, her grey eyes sharp and assessing. Her black hair was cut short and practical.
Naomi Lark fidgeted nervously with her navy-blue hair, her glasses sliding down slightly as she looked between different speakers with obvious anxiety.
Liam Evergreen looked relaxed and handso with his distinctive green hair and eyes, but his expression was thoughtful rather than dismissive.
Mara Kestrel sat in the corner, her broad shoulders tense, her hands clenched into fists on the table.
Her shaved sides and long hair tied back gave her an aggressive appearance that matched her current mood perfectly.
Her teeth ground together audibly as Victor continued speaking.
She rembered everything with burning clarity. How her family’s na had been dragged through the mud. How she’d been beaten unconscious in front of the entire Academy.
How Damian had insulted the entire Kestrel Noble House without consequence.
But she couldn’t do anything about it now. Gareth had already put Damian in his place that day, even forced him to resign from the council.
That should have been enough.
Except it clearly hadn’t been.
The other council mbers were also present: Rex Dalmir with his braided dark hair and tan skin, Selena Hart with her amber eyes and quiet deanor, Jonas Harrington looking cheerful despite the serious topic, and Elena Dray with her elegant platinum hair.
"I think we should wait before making such a drastic decision."
Gareth’s deep voice cut through Victor’s speech.
"Victor, I know you’re deliberately creating an issue for Damian Valcor. You should reconsider this path."
Victor’s jaw tightened with irritation.
"I’m simply proposing what’s best for Academy stability–"
"You’re pushing an agenda."
Gareth’s tone was flat, factual.
"I stood against Damian that day because he crossed a clear line by attacking Mara. But I’m not going to support manufactured conflicts designed to suppress him for political reasons."
Arielle nodded her agreent, her grey eyes serious.
"We shouldn’t start another major issue right now. The Academy is already chaotic thanks to all these conflicts.
And Victor, you should be focusing on your upcoming battlefield deploynt in a few weeks when the entire second year gets sent to fight Monsters, not on student politics."
Victor paused, his confident expression flickering slightly.
Then he straightened his shoulders and pressed forward.
"The Academy is a ss specifically because of the Mafia in the first place. So why not simply ban the organization and end all these problems at the source?"
His voice grew stronger, more insistent.
"We have the authority to make this decision... We should use it."
Several other council mbers began nodding, their expressions agreeing with Victor’s logic.
These were supposed to be the strongest, most capable students the Academy had produced.
Students who could theoretically fight above their ranks, who represented the peak of their generation.
But they were also the ones who’d decided to isolate Damian the mont he beca a symbol for commoners. The ones who’d made him realize he was everyone’s enemy simply for being too talented.
Hypocrites running the sa social construct they claid to be managing fairly.
Probably only Arielle, Naomi, and Elizabeth had never actively antagonized Damian among those present.
Victor raised his voice, seeing Gareth and Arielle still opposing his proposal.
"Don’t you all already know that the Imperial families have started suppressing that commoner? From what I’ve heard, they’ve already pressured multiple professors into refusing to guide Damian anymore."
He moved closer to Gareth with a knowing smirk.
"Doesn’t Gareth already know about this personally? Considering your uncle Salazar Blackwood, who was Damian’s master in the Oga Point weapon art, has been forced to sever all ties with him."
Silence crashed through the room like a physical wave.
Everyone’s eyes went wide with genuine shock.
They’d known the families would do sothing to restore their damaged reputations. That was expected.
But they hadn’t thought the response would go this far. Making Damian lose all support from professors was harsh enough.
But forcing a master to sever ties with his disciple?
Complex expressions spread across multiple faces.
In their world, the master-disciple relationship was considered sacred. More important than romantic love, more binding than friendship, sotis even stronger than blood family ties.
It was essentially like forcing a father to abandon his son.
The cruelty of that move was staggering.
Only Damian himself, still not fully accustod to this world’s cultural values, probably didn’t realize just how humiliating and devastating that action was ant to be.
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