With confusion lurking in their hearts, they decided to address this emotion. They all agreed to gather in Old Town's hut and face sothing they all left behind from the past.
"We are here"
"Oh you are here Klint"
"Yes it has been a while, Professor Calista"
Calista looked at the young man and knew all the burden of what happened that day was on him.
"Klint Soman"
"Yes, professor!"
Unconsciously out of habit, Klint straightens his back while imitating a military salute.
"Student Klint Soman of the Lower class is here as their representative!"
Calista could only chuckle while the lad did the sa; sohow, the student and teacher missed their ti in the academy.
These were the students who once belonged to the lower class.
"You should head inside your classmates are waiting"
"Yes professor"
Klint went in, and soon, his figure disappeared, replaced by more silhouettes approaching from the distance.
This ti it was Elara, she arrived with other mbers of the class.
"Good afternoon professor"
"Good afternoon student Elara, please head inside"
The young lady just nodded and went inside along with her friends.
Inside the hut, a layer of seats welcos the guests.
"This feels like..."
"Like we are back at the class"
"Yeah"
Elara replied to Indigo; while their group stood still, srized at the nostalgic place, Klint, who noticed them, imdiately beckoned them to co over.
"Here, co over here!"
Elara unconsciously smiled so many things made her reminisce and made her let down her guard. Ever since their class disbandnt, she could not help but be on alert for fear of their enemies in the academy coming for them. She beca on edge especially when the topic of returning was open. Though it wasn't confird, it still made her feel guarded.
After they settled down and made themselves comfortable, a foreign sound of footsteps entered their ears. Soone was entering, and they could all sense that soone powerful was about to greet them. So, without their knowledge, sweat slowly drips while they gulp down to calm their trembling body. As the presence drew closer, they felt sothing like a force hit them, but courageously, they faced it.
The room grew silent as everyone turned to look at him. They greeted the pressure with unwavering perseverance. However, their painful experience soon ca to a stop when the man, surrounded with fearso energy, finally began to speak.
Apollo, in his disguised voice, greeted them with a nod. "Good morning i am the assistant professor that was sent directly by the headmaster"
Strangely, as the mysterious professor moves, a heavy pressure dawns on their body, but instead of looking away. They were drawn by the power that made them surrender at the mont.
While they are thrown into a state of alertness the mysterious professor spoke yet again.
"I know the academy wasn't the most accommodating but if you have concerns you can surrender them to , once I have delivered the reason for all of you to be here"
There was a mont of silence as he was savoring the mont then a news they sohow anticipated entered their ears.
"All students present are hereby granted reinstatent of their class by the order of the Aster academy's headmaster, Emilio Von Elysium.
He then placed the stack of letters on the table. Prompting the others to look at it.
"These are from your forr professors. And these…" He pulled out the official reinstatent docunts. "Are your invitations to return."
Although they had anticipated the announcent, the students felt confused and could only exchange uncertain glances.
"Return?" One of them scoffed. "After what happened? After everything we endured?"
Klint looked at the source of such a discontent voice, and when he realized it was Joshua, he imdiately understood why. Out of all the students in the class, Joshua had a hard ti adjusting and finding his new path in life. Their class disbanturn their lives upside down, but Joshua had it rough for being the hope of his family, yet he ended up returning ho two and a half months after enrolling. He faces not just disappointnt but also criticism. And thus it took a while for him to step forward again. He worked so hard to re-enroll and start a new school life, yet now a sudden news ca to him.
Klint didn't speak but just let his friends vent their frustration.
"We know that what happened to us is the result of the bet we accepted, but even so, we wouldn't have to agree if it weren't for that constant threatening of our families and harassnt we experienced. The academy didn't even stop such an act even when the professors were aware of it. And now you are asking us to return to that place?" Gemini spoke, hating the mory of their ti in the academy.
Joshua's fingers curled into a fist. "We suffered. And now we have built new lives. And now the academy wants us back? What a joke"
Apollo remained calm. "I understand your anger. But have you read what they wrote?"
Slowly, the students hesitantly picked up the letters.
The room fell into silence as they read. So eyes widened in surprise. Others trembled as old emotions resurfaced.
One student, Marcus, let out a shaky breath. "They never abandoned us…"
Elara swallowed hard. "…They were still watching over us."
Another student, Daniel, gritted his teeth. "Even so… if we go back, won't we just be used again? All those bullying and being looked down on will return just like before"
"Things have changed and I know you all are aware of it. From the students who participated in your bullying to the professors who allowed it. All of them had already reviewed their punishnt. The academy is moving into a new place different from the ones you have experienced"
"So are you telling us to just forget what happened before and leave the things we have built for a year?"
Apollo's eyes glinted behind his glasses. "That's up to you. But let ask—how long will you run?"
The students looked at him.
"You fought so hard," Apollo continued. "Not for revenge, not for status—but for a place to belong. And you earned it. Are you really willing to throw that all away? You know the place I am referring to. You all have earned your place there; I know deep down you also felt at ho when you were at the academy. Despite what you had experienced, despite the struggle. The feeling of relaxing at the bonfire reading letters from the seniors. That gave you hope, didn't it? They gave the courage to desire more than what others think. You strived because of that hope, because of their words. Even when you never t them in person, and you only see them in pages and words from their diaries, they have already left a big mark that can't be taken. And that is why even when you already left the academy, your hearts were still there. Hoping better things would happen. I hope to et the people behind the letters, the books, and the drawings. The warmth you all felt in that place I know it still lingering in your minds"
Silence.
Then, finally—
Elara exhaled sharply. "…You're good at this, professor."
Apollo smirked behind his disguise. "So? What will you do?"
After a long pause, Elara finally spoke.
"We'll think about it."
Klint also nodded liking what she said
And for now—that was enough.
.
.
.
.
After that Apollo and the rest of the other professors left to let the kids form their decision.
The forr lower-class students sat in stunned silence, their fingers trembling over the letters their old professors had written. So were hesitant to open them, while others read their ssages in silence, their eyes reflecting the weight of emotions they had long buried.
On the other hand, Klint remained composed as he observed his friends's reactions. He could see the flickering uncertainty in their gazes, the war between resentnt and longing.
"It wasn't easy for us either," he said, his voice calm yet firm. "But you should know sothing—you were never forgotten."
The students looked up at Joshua as he read the letter in his hand.
"Damn it why have handwritten letters had such an effect"
Then Klint pulled out another set of letters, this ti bound in a leather folder. He placed them gently on the table.
Taking out those letters, he rembered what Professor Callista said.
{These are the letters written by the first-year students, they are very attached to you all so these letters are very important for them}
"These were written by my classmates. My friends."
The room tensed as Klint read the note on top of the leather folder.
"They spoke of you. Of the impact you left behind. The lessons you taught them, the strength you showed. Even when you were gone, your words remained."**
Slowly, he picked up one of the letters and began to read aloud.
Words That Echo Through Their minds as if a haunting mory
"To my seniors,"
.....
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