Chapter 178. Tether
Art groaned, rolling his shoulders back and letting his head lean toward the sky. The soft golden hue of dawn was just beginning to bleed into the edge of the forest.
He exhaled through his nose, muttering, "You know what... we can’t even blame them entirely."
Zyon raised a brow, arms crossed, his eyes not leaving the quiet crowd of traumatized students.
Art continued, "That crash out was real. Genuine. We couldn’t have predicted what happened, not even close. That monster... whatever the hell it was... came out of nowhere. It’s normal—human—to break like that."
Zyon scoffed. "Maybe. But when you act like a coward, you lose the right to act like a judge. They’re all so ready to point fingers at Freya, but not one of them had the spine to take charge themselves."
Art glanced sideways at him, his eyes a touch colder than before. "You think I don’t know that? But you’re missing the point. Freya didn’t have to take charge either. No one forced her."
Zyon narrowed his gaze slightly.
Art met it, unwavering. "She took command because she wanted to prove something to herself. You know it. I know it."
Zyon grunted, arms still crossed, voice tight. "Yeah... she wanted to move past it. The trauma from the entrance exam. The guilt. She thought if she could guide them safely this time, maybe she’d silence those voices in her head."
He looked back at the others.
"But now they’re louder than ever."