Echoes of a Broken Order

Chapter 8: Unseen Boundaries

The academy had become a place of whispers. Every conversation seemed laced with quiet tension, every glance weighed with unspoken judgments. The division between the nobles and commoners had never been more apparent. It wasn't just the noble families clinging to their sense of superiority—it was the commoners too, pulling away in self-defense, building invisible walls around themselves.

Elias walked through the academy grounds, his boots crunching against the gravel, eyes narrowed in thought. The isolation that had haunted him was becoming a collective feeling now, shared by others who were tired of the system but powerless to change it. There were no riots or protests, not yet, but the strain was there. It was in the air, thick and suffocating.

His days had begun to blur into each other. Wake up. Attend classes where the teachers barely acknowledged him. Sit through lectures surrounded by students who pretended he didn't exist. His isolation had once been his own choice—born from his defiance of the academy's system—but now, it felt like a prison he couldn't escape.

As he neared the library, Jax's familiar voice called out to him.

"Elias!" Jax jogged up, his usual carefree expression slightly strained. "You've been avoiding me lately."

"Not avoiding," Elias said quietly, though he wasn't sure if he believed his own words. "Just... thinking."

Jax gave him a knowing look. "Thinking's fine, but don't let it eat you up. This place is getting to everyone."

Elias nodded, but he felt a gnawing doubt. He wasn't like everyone else. The academy had taken everything from him—the nobles who ignored the suffering of commoners, the system that elevated them over people like him. And now, even among those who might share his disdain for the academy's structure, he still felt alone.

As they reached the library steps, the door swung open, and a group of nobles walked out, their conversation dropping into an awkward silence as they saw Elias. One of them, a tall boy with piercing blue eyes, sneered.

"I didn't think they let rats in here."

Elias clenched his fists, but said nothing. The insult stung, but it was nothing new. The nobles' disdain for him, a commoner in their sacred halls, was practically tradition by now.

Jax shot the noble a sharp look but grabbed Elias by the arm, pulling him toward the entrance. "Come on, don't waste your breath."

Inside the library, the tension faded, replaced by the quiet hum of students pouring over their books. But for Elias, the anger lingered. No matter where he went, the divide between him and the rest of the academy was as wide as ever.

As Elias and Jax walked deeper into the library, the door suddenly slammed open behind them. A voice called out—loud, commanding—echoing through the room.

"You think you can just walk away from me?"

It was the noble from earlier, his eyes blazing with fury as he strode toward Elias. Several students turned to watch, their gazes flicking nervously between the noble and the commoner who had dared to defy their silent hierarchy.

Elias stopped in his tracks, feeling the tension ripple through the room. Jax stepped forward, his hand raised in a calming gesture. "Hey, there's no need for this—"

"Stay out of it, Jax," the noble snapped, cutting him off. "This is between him and me."

Elias turned slowly to face the noble, his fists still clenched at his sides. He knew this was coming, the confrontation he had been avoiding for too long. He had tried to stay quiet, to keep his head down, but no matter what he did, the nobles were always there, pushing him, testing his limits.

"What do you want?" Elias asked, his voice cold, emotionless.

The noble smirked. "You, commoner, think you can walk through these halls like you belong here? You think you can challenge us—challenge everything we stand for—and just walk away?"

Elias's jaw tightened. He could feel the eyes of the entire room on him now. It wasn't just about him anymore. This was about every commoner in the academy, every student who had ever felt the weight of the nobles' superiority pressing down on them.

"You don't belong here," the noble continued, stepping closer, his voice dripping with contempt. "And you never will."

Elias's anger flared, burning away the doubt that had been gnawing at him. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, his eyes locked on the noble's. "Maybe it's not me who doesn't belong here. Maybe it's people like you."

The room seemed to hold its breath. For a moment, everything was still.

Then the noble lunged.

But before he could get close, a shimmering barrier of energy appeared between them, crackling with power. It wasn't Elias's doing—he hadn't even moved. The barrier was formed by the academy's ward, a magical safeguard meant to prevent physical confrontations within the school grounds.

"Enough," a voice boomed from the back of the room.

The headmaster, flanked by two professors, entered the library, his expression stern. His presence silenced the tension, the power of his authority undeniable.

"This is not the place for such displays," the headmaster said, his eyes sweeping over both Elias and the noble. "If you have grievances, you will settle them through the proper channels, not through reckless brawls."

The noble backed down, glaring at Elias one last time before turning on his heel and storming out of the library. The crowd dispersed, whispers filling the air, but the headmaster's gaze lingered on Elias.

"This is your final warning," he said quietly, his tone dangerous. "Do not disrupt the peace of this academy."

Elias met his gaze, unflinching. He hadn't started the fight, but he knew the headmaster wouldn't care. The rules of the academy were clear—commoners were always in the wrong.

As the headmaster left, Jax leaned in, whispering, "That could have gone worse."

Elias nodded, but inside, something had shifted. The confrontation wasn't over—it had just begun.