Chapter 22: Written Exam[3]
I stared at the page for a long time.
Not because I didn’t know the answer.
But because the question in front of me was honest. It was brutally and viciously honest.
Most exams tested what you already knew. They asked about the formulas, the dates, and the techniques.
They asked about the right thing to do under perfect and imaginary conditions.
But this question? This one asked what you could live with for the rest of your life.
What you could stain your soul with and still wake up the next morning.
My fingers curled tighter around the pen. The ink hadn’t even touched the page yet.
Yet the silence in the examination hall didn’t feel peaceful anymore. It felt dense and heavy, like the air itself had weight.
I could hear the sharp scratch of Serena’s quill. It was precise and unrelenting. I could hear Freya, who was cursing through her teeth like a barbarian trying to interpret ancient tax law.
I could even hear someone breathing softly in the far corner of the other side of the room.