Echoes of a Broken Order

Chapter 9: Beneath the Surface

I could feel it. The academy wasn't the same. Every step I took today felt heavier, like I was dragging through something thick, something unseen. The usual whispers followed me, the same glares burned into my back, but today... they were sharper, like knives just waiting for the right moment to strike.

Keep your head down. Walk. Don't give them anything to latch onto.

The courtyard stretched out in front of me, buzzing with chatter. Laughter floated in the air—some light, some bitter. I didn't belong to any of it. There was no point in pretending otherwise. The nobles made sure of that from day one, and my own instincts did the rest. No attachments. No distractions.

But something was off today.

The commoners, the ones I'd usually pass by, weren't just avoiding eye contact—they were shrinking into themselves, quieter, like they'd all seen something I hadn't. The nobles? Smirking, more brazen than usual. A knot tightened in my gut.

I kept walking, pushing the unease aside, but it followed me.

"Elias!"

Jax's voice cut through the haze in my head. I paused, turning to see him jog over. His smile was there, but... no, there was something behind it today. Something uneasy.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, man," Jax said, falling into step beside me.

I shrugged. "Feels like I'm about to."

We walked in silence for a minute, but I could feel his eyes on me. Waiting for something. When he nudged me, I knew what was coming.

"You heard about the exam, right?" Jax asked, voice lowered. "Something's going on. Rumor is, the nobles have their hands all over it this time."

I should've expected it. Of course they'd find a way to rig it. "Doesn't surprise me," I muttered. "They've been looking for a reason to put us in our place."

Jax nodded, but it didn't calm me. If anything, his expression only made the knot in my stomach worse. "It's different this time. Feels like they're gunning for you, specifically."

There it was. The thing that had been sitting at the back of my mind all day, waiting to come to the surface. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll handle it."

Even as I said it, I wasn't sure how.

We didn't say much after that. Jax was trying to act normal, but I could feel the tension. Hell, I could taste it in the air now. He wasn't wrong. Something was coming, and this time, it wasn't just the usual games.

The rest of the day passed like a blur—lectures I barely heard, eyes watching me from every corner, waiting. By the time the last bell rang, my nerves were shot. I needed to get out of here, get away from all the noise, the stares.

I made my way back to the dorm, the quiet of the evening offering little comfort. Just as I reached my door, a voice cut through the silence, sharp, like ice.

"Elias."

I froze. Slowly, I turned, already knowing who it was. The noble from the library, the one with those cold, calculating eyes. He stepped out from the shadows, and in that moment, I knew this wasn't just about words anymore.

"We're not done, you and I," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "The academy has its rules, but there are other ways to get what we want."

My fists clenched at my sides. I could feel the anger boiling up, the frustration, the weight of every day spent pushing against a system that was rigged against me. I wasn't backing down. Not this time.