The atmosphere inside Class S remained considerably lighter than it had been at the beginning of the day, the earlier gloom left behind by the breach report having mostly faded after Valerian’s dramatic appearance and equally dramatic removal from the classroom. Yet despite the more relaxed mood surrounding the students, a certain seriousness still lingered beneath the surface as everyone focused on Elowen’s lesson.
anwhile—
At the very back of the classroom—
Elowen stood before Damon.
Her calm smile remained exactly as it always did.
"Student Damon," she repeated gently, "how has your progress been?"
For a brief mont, Damon remained silent.
His mind imdiately drifted toward the incident inside the carriage.
The mana.
The pain.
The blood.
Then, after a brief pause, he simply answered,
"It’s alright."
The answer itself sounded perfectly ordinary.
Yet strangely—
Elowen continued looking at him for another mont.
Her expression did not change.
Her smile remained exactly the sa.
But sothing within her gaze seed to linger slightly longer than it had with the other students.
Then eventually—
She nodded.
"I see."
A brief pause followed.
Then casually—
As though ntioning sothing completely insignificant—
"et after class for our session."
Several nearby students imdiately looked toward Damon.
anwhile, Damon himself simply nodded.
"Understood."
Only then did Elowen continue moving throughout the classroom.
Soon afterward, the lesson resud completely.
Unlike many instructors who simply followed prepared lecture materials, Elowen adjusted the entire class based upon the responses she had gathered from the students themselves.
The difficulties they experienced.
The mistakes they were making.
The misconceptions they held.
Everything beca part of the lesson.
Standing before the classroom, she calmly explained how mana naturally existed within the surrounding world before discussing the process through which resonance users gradually learned to perceive it.
She spoke about concentration.
About ntal discipline.
About forcing nothing and guiding everything.
Several students asked questions.
Others described problems they had encountered.
So struggled sensing mana altogether.
Others could sense it but failed to maintain the connection.
Several managed guiding mana briefly into their first nadi only for it to disperse monts later.
And for every problem—
Elowen had an answer.
A correction.
An explanation.
A solution.
anwhile, Damon listened far more attentively than usual.
Not because he found the lesson particularly fascinating.
But because he was searching.
Searching for sothing.
Anything.
So explanation that matched what had happened to him.
Yet the longer the lesson continued—
The deeper his frown beca.
Because nothing matched.
Not a single student described anything remotely similar to his experience.
No one ntioned pain.
No one ntioned injury.
No one ntioned their body violently rejecting the process.
And certainly—
No one ntioned coughing blood.
The discrepancy only beca more obvious the more examples he heard.
Eventually, the lesson ca to an end.
The academy bell echoed softly throughout the building.
Students imdiately began gathering books and materials while conversations gradually resud throughout the classroom.
So discussed the breach.
Others discussed mana training.
A few imdiately began arguing over whose progress had been better.
anwhile, Damon remained seated for a mont longer.
His thoughts lingered on the sa question.
What exactly happened to ?
Eventually, he stood up.
Khaira imdiately glanced toward him.
"What’s the lesson she talked about?"
Damon answered, "Not your buisness."
Eric imdiately looked jealous.
"I want special lessons."
"You barely survive the normal ones."
"...That’s a fair point."
Damon simply ignored them afterward before leaving the classroom altogether.
Soon—
He walked through the academy corridors.
The white-and-gold architecture stretched endlessly around him while students moved throughout the building in every direction, creating the familiar bustle that always filled Crownspire between classes.
Yet Damon paid little attention to any of it.
Instead, his destination remained clear.
Eventually—
He arrived before a familiar office.
Miss Elowen’s office.
The polished door stood quietly before him while the sounds of the corridor gradually faded into the background.
Damon paused briefly.
Then raised his hand.
Knock.
Knock.
A few monts later—
A calm voice sounded from inside.
"Co in."
Without hesitation, Damon reached for the handle, opened the door, and stepped inside.
The mont Damon stepped through the doorway, a calm and refreshing atmosphere greeted him from within the office.
Unlike the large lecture halls and auditoriums scattered throughout Crownspire Academy, Elowen’s office felt considerably smaller and more personal. Large glass panels stretched across one side of the room, allowing warm afternoon sunlight to pour inside while offering a clear view of the academy grounds below. White shelves lined the walls neatly, filled with books regarding mana theory, resonance studies, anatomy, and countless other academic subjects, while several potted plants added subtle traces of green throughout the otherwise white-and-gold interior.
anwhile—
Elowen sat behind her desk as usual.
Several docunts rested before her alongside a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, suggesting she had been working even before classes had ended.
The mont Damon entered—
She smiled softly.
"Please, take a seat."
Damon nodded before calmly walking toward the chair positioned opposite her desk and sitting down without hesitation.
For a brief mont afterward, neither spoke.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
rely patient.
anwhile, Elowen closed the docunt she had been reading before folding her hands together atop the desk.
"So," she began gently, "how was your trip ho?"
Damon had expected that question.
"The manor is still standing."
A small laugh escaped Elowen.
"I’ll take that as a positive report."
Damon rely shrugged.
"The territory was peaceful."
"And your family?"
The question caused Damon to pause briefly.
Only briefly.
"My little sister is doing well."
The answer slipped out almost automatically.
Elowen’s smile deepened slightly.
"And the others?"
Damon imdiately realized his mistake.
He had answered about Cecelia first.
anwhile, Elowen clearly noticed as well.
"The Duke remains occupied."
His answer remained neutral.
"Brother continues swinging swords at things."
This ti Elowen genuinely laughed.
The soft sound briefly filled the office.
"I see."
Damon remained silent afterward.
anwhile, Elowen quietly observed him for several monts.
The young man before her had undoubtedly changed since entering the academy.
The changes were subtle.
Difficult for most people to notice.
Yet they existed.
Particularly whenever he spoke about certain people.
Eventually, Elowen let the subject go.
Instead, she opened a notebook resting beside her desk.
"Now then."
The atmosphere gradually beca more serious.
"Let’s discuss your mana circulation progress."
Damon’s expression imdiately beca more reserved.
anwhile, Elowen calmly continued.
"Your answer in class was considerably shorter than usual."
A small smile appeared.
"Which ans one of two things."
Damon already knew where this was going.
"Either you’ve made remarkable progress and don’t wish to share it."
Her smile remained.
"Or sothing went wrong."
Silence settled briefly.
anwhile, Damon considered the situation carefully.
He could lie.
It would be easy.
Yet after sitting through the entire class and hearing dozens of students describe their experiences—
He had already realized he needed answers.
Eventually—
He exhaled quietly.
Then decided to tell the truth.
"When I attempted the exercise..."
Elowen’s expression imdiately beca attentive.
Damon continued.
"I was travelling back to the Valecrest territory."
"The carriage was stable."
"I followed your instructions exactly as explained."
His brows gradually furrowed as he recalled the experience.
"I sensed the mana."
Elowen nodded.
"Good."
"Then I began guiding it."
The office remained silent.
For the first ti, Damon noticed Elowen wasn’t interrupting him.
Not even once.
She simply listened.
"I managed it."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"At least I think I did."
A pause followed.
"Then everything beca painful."
Elowen’s fingers slowly stopped moving.
Damon noticed.
But continued.
"It wasn’t discomfort."
"It wasn’t strain."
His voice beca colder.
"It felt like my body was rejecting sothing."
The atmosphere inside the office subtly changed.
anwhile, Elowen’s expression remained calm.
Yet her eyes had sharpened considerably.
Damon continued.
"The pressure increased almost instantly."
"The mana beca difficult to control."
"And before I could stop..."
His gaze lowered slightly.
"...I coughed blood."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even the sounds of students moving outside the office seed distant now.
anwhile—
For the first ti since entering the room—
Elowen’s smile disappeared.
Not dramatically.
Not suddenly.
Simply...
Gone.
Several long monts passed.
Then finally—
She slowly leaned back in her chair.
And spoke.
"Damon."
Her voice remained calm.
Yet sohow—
It sounded considerably more serious than before.
"...That is not supposed to happen."
For a brief mont, silence settled throughout the office after Elowen’s words.
Damon’s brows imdiately furrowed.
The answer itself was obvious.
Of course it wasn’t supposed to happen.
The real question was—
Why?
His golden eyes remained fixed upon Elowen as he calmly asked,
"What do you an by that?"
anwhile, Elowen herself appeared unusually thoughtful.
Her fingers lightly tapped against the desk once before stopping completely as though she were organizing her thoughts, yet when she finally spoke, she still didn’t provide a direct answer.
"Normally, the process of guiding mana into the nadis can be uncomfortable for beginners."
Her gaze remained steady.
"It can cause ntal exhaustion, headaches, dizziness, and in so cases temporary fatigue if too much concentration is used."
A slight pause followed.
"But it should not cause physical damage."
Damon’s eyes narrowed.
"Should not?"
This ti, Elowen’s brows furrowed slightly.
Not in irritation.
In concern.
The expression lasted only briefly before disappearing again.
Then instead of answering his question directly, she slowly closed the notebook resting before her.
"Would you mind doing it again?"
The request caused Damon to pause.
"Now?"
Elowen nodded.
"Here."
The office fell quiet once more.
anwhile, Damon carefully observed the woman sitting across from him.
Her expression remained calm.
Professional.
Yet there was sothing beneath it now.
Sothing she was not saying.
Sothing she was trying to confirm before reaching a conclusion.
And that alone told him enough.
Whatever had happened inside the carriage—
It wasn’t sothing Elowen had expected.
Nor was it sothing she could imdiately explain.
After several monts of consideration, Damon finally gave a small nod.
"Fine."
Without saying anything further, he adjusted himself within the chair before slowly closing his eyes.
The office gradually fell silent.
The sounds from outside the glass windows seed to fade into the distance while Elowen quietly observed from across the desk, her attention entirely focused upon him.
Then—
Damon took a slow breath.
And once again began reaching toward the mana surrounding him.
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