The echo of footsteps filled the Central Hall as the three headed there.
Nola walked in slowly, flanked by Maika on one side and Taveer on the other. Her breath caught in her throat the moment she stepped past the gilded archway.
She'd never seen this many students in one place before.
Every tower had gathered, Sun, Moon, Star, Comet, Eclipse, Aurora, Void and the illustrious Nebula Tower. A sea of uniforms, colors, and voices.
There were hundreds of them, all filling the tiered steps and long benches that spiraled up toward the glass-domed ceiling, which reflected the sky in slow, swirling clouds.
It was overwhelming.
The last time Nola had been here, it had been during orientation. Empty chairs. Clean floors. Now the room pulsed with anxiety, tension, and whispers. But there had been only the Sun tower students then.
"They're all here," Maika muttered, wide-eyed. "Even the elite track students from the NebulaTower. Look at those cloaks, so foggy and dramatic."
Taveer didn't say anything, just shoved his hands in his pockets and walked with quiet purpose. He had healed, but Nola could still see the strain in his jaw.
The stage at the center of the hall was lit by soft sunlight, and at its edge stood the Headmistress. She was tall, serene, and terrifying as ever. Professors lined both sides of the stage, most in their teaching robes, arms folded, eyes tracking every shift in the crowd.
Nola's hands were clammy. The weight of her katana felt heavier even though she wasn't wearing it.
A sharp tone rang through the hall as the Headmistress raised one hand.
Silence spread like falling snow.
"Students," she said, voice calm but resonant, "thank you for assembling on such short notice."
No one moved. Even the most restless students sat still.
"You have all heard some version of what happened last night. Let me speak the truth."
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd.
"There was a rift," she said. "One powerful enough to breach Eldhollow's wards. A creature emerged, unlike any we've seen in decades. It harmed several students and severely injured a member of the Moon Legion. This was no accident. It was a sabotage. Someone placed a cursed object within our school."
Whispers flared again.
Maika leaned in. "She's not sugar-coating it. I like her."
"For the time being," the Headmistress continued, "all students will be escorted by a faculty member to and from classes. Dorm curfews are now strict. No unsupervised access to relic halls, arcane archives, or the alchemical wing."
Groans echoed.
"Additionally," she said, cutting through the noise, "a special commission will be sent from the Legions. Trained operatives and investigators.They will be your protectors."
Nola glanced at Taveer. He didn't blink. He just listened.
"The Moon Legion will remain stationed at Eldhollow until the threat is eliminated."
Gasps this time.
"Furthermore," the Headmistress said, "we are establishing a student commission—five final-year Will-bearers who will patrol the towers. Not as enforcers, but as eyes and ears for us all. Their names will be announced tomorrow."
Maika clapped softly under her breath. "Finally. Tower drama with a little surveillance? Count me in."
Nola didn't speak. Her chest was still tight. Her nerves weren't from the announcement. They were from what she saw coming next.
The Headmistress turned slightly and gestured toward the center of the stage.
"I would like to acknowledge two students," she said. "Nola Makinoshi. Taveer Ilyan."
Nola's stomach dropped.
Maika gasped and shoved her lightly. "Go! That's you!"
Taveer stood already, shoulders square.
Nola swallowed and rose slowly, heart pounding. Her boots felt too loud as they stepped up to the platform. She could feel hundreds of eyes on her back. She didn't dare look at the crowd.
The Headmistress didn't smile, but her voice was softer.
"These two fought to save a fellow student from a Riftspawn," she said. "They used their Wills not for glory, not for fame but to protect their fellow student. They faced the rift and lived. And in doing so, they bought time for the rest of us."
A pause.
A breath.
Then, to Nola's horror, the hall erupted in applause.
She didn't know where to look.
She kept her head low, cheeks flushed, while Taveer stood beside her like stone, his expression unreadable.
"Nice going, Auriel's sister," said a soft voice behind her.
Nola turned and saw Caelis in full armor, standing at the base of the steps. "You have earned your Will and our respects."
The applause swelled. Not everyone clapped. Some watched with envy, others with suspicion. But enough of them did.
Enough to make Nola want to crawl under the floor.
The Headmistress raised her hand again, and the sound faded.
"Makinoshi. Ilyan. You may return to your seats. But know this, that once you've faced a rift, the world watches you differently. And it will expect more. Always."
Nola and Taveer walked back to their spots. The moment they sat, Maika leaned over.
"You guys are famous. I'm talking first-name gossip famous."
"I hate this," Nola muttered.
"You'll get used to it," Taveer said, voice low. "Or you won't."
He sounded tired but gave a small smile.
But he didn't sound regretful.
The rest of the assembly blurred. More warnings. Details about the curfew. A brief lesson on rift corruption. A reminder to report strange behavior.
Nola barely registered it.
She was thinking about Auriel's calls. About Caelis's voice. About the pressure now pressing down on her from all sides.
And somewhere, deep down, she was thinking of the sword that had felt so right in her hands.
Not because it made her strong.
But because it made her feel real.
When the assembly ended, the crowd dispersed slowly.
Maika jabbered excitedly about how they'd made history. Taveer walked behind them like a ghost, quiet and present.
And Nola?
She looked up once.
The stained-glass ceiling showed a sky fractured by golden light.
And for the first time, she wasn't sure if the cracks were part of the design… or something beginning to break.