Chapter 26: Reaction
The next day, the entire academy was in uproar.
Whispers and rumours flooded the corridors of the academy. The air crackled with unease as the news mixed with rumours of a student being badly injured flew around the academy.
The news had spread like wildfire. Details were scarce, and in the absence of facts, fear filled the gaps. There was no shortage of students who were fear mongering in such circumstances and were adding their own spice in the mix.
Some whispered it was a fight between students that had gone too far. Others spoke of an outsider infiltrating the academy, about an unseen menace lurking in the shadows.
Speculations of a serial attacker or even an assassination attempt began to swirl, each retelling twisting the tale further.
No official statement had been released. The tension was palpable, the students were in panic as they discussed the news in clusters, eyes darting, voices hushed.
And all the while, the clock ticked toward the start of the first class of the day.
(Sometime before the first class)
More than a dozen individuals sat around a large, polished round table. They had gathered in a room on the top floor of the A Block of the academy.
Seated at the head was an old man, his hair and beard grey in colour because of the old age, his body lean to the point of frailty.