Chapter 820: Nothing
Chapter 820: Nothing
By the time the final lesson ended and the academy bells rang to announce the end of the day, Liam had gained no useful information from Nyxie, Raven, or Smoke. None of the three targets had revealed anything conclusive. Chris had moved through his day with frustrating ordinariness, at least from the pieces Nyxie had passed along through brief impressions. Sheila had remained busy, but nothing around her suggested a clear leak. Isolde had behaved like a student president handling duties.But Liam was not surprised.
The chance of getting something useful during lesson hours had never been high. People did not usually conduct private meetings between instructors, classmates, scheduled movement, and crowded corridors unless they were desperate or stupid. The better chance would come outside formal hours, when students had personal time and could move under the cover of routine. After classes ended, people went where they wanted, spoke with whom they wanted, and made the kinds of small choices that revealed what schedules hid.
Still, the lack of progress was irritating.
The academy bells continued ringing across the grounds as students poured out of their classrooms. Doors opened all along the corridors, releasing streams of second-years, first-years, and the occasional third-year from late sessions. Voices rose quickly. Bags shifted over shoulders. Some students stretched with relief, while others immediately began complaining about assignments due the next morning.
The end of the day always loosened the academy’s structure, but the tension of upcoming exams still hung over everyone like low cloud cover.
Among them, Liam walked calmly with a detached expression, his books and materials held beneath one arm.
’Nothing useful yet,’ he thought, moving through the crowd without slowing. ’But that was expected. If Chris is meeting someone, it will likely be after lessons. Nyxie will have a better chance now.’
His connection to her remained steady in the back of his mind. Distant, quiet, but alert. Raven and Smoke were also still active, their presences stretched away from him in different directions across the academy. Maintaining awareness of all three without actively linking was not difficult, but it created a subtle sense of occupied space inside him, as if three shadows were tied to his own and moving through places he could not see.
He did not mind that part.
He minded not having answers yet.
There had been one development that eased some of his irritation, though only slightly. Earlier in the day, through ordinary observation rather than shadow links, Liam had seen Sheila and Edith speaking together near the eastern study hall. The conversation had not been brief. They had stood close enough for seriousness, but not tension, and both had carried themselves with the controlled composure of people settling something important. Later, Sheila had been seen with Edith beside her while speaking to a small group of second-years about exam preparation.