Chapter 16: Fellis hall(1)
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Me and Kathlyn made our way through the stone corridors of Harlen Academy's lower wings the halls where Class C's office resided
We passed rows of whispering crystals, Kathlyn walked ahead of me, arms folded, saying nothing.
That was fine.
I'd said enough things over the past 48 hours to earn a lifetime of awkward silence.
Our destination was a small office tucked behind one of the less glamorous towers of the academy, past the dorm wings and a surprisingly well-hidden spiral staircase.
Professor Mallet's office.
He was waiting for us inside sitting at his desk like a war veteran in retirement. The room was surprisingly warm for a man with such a famously cold personality. Books lined the shelves, all academic and unsentimental. A steaming teacup sat on the desk next to a stack of scrolls, and above him hung a framed tapestry of the original academy logo slightly frayed with age.
Professor Mallet had always been a heavily disputed character in the forums.
On one hand, he was admired by readers for being one of the few academy staff members who gave a damn about Class C. He believed the system was unjust that students assigned to Class C weren't just "average" but victims of circumstance.
You could end up in Class D even if you were a prodigy, just for having the wrong connections or a rebellious attitude. Class C, though? That was the real grindset group the quiet ones, the scrappy ones, the workhorses who didn't whine but still got nowhere.