The students continued to chatter among themselves, their voices rising and falling like waves crashing inside the grand hall. Two hundred people spoke at once, and the noise echoed endlessly off the polished walls.
Then, without warning, the brightness that filled the chamber flickered. The great chandelier dimmed, and the hall was plunged into sudden mild darkness. Only a single beam of light remained, focused on the stage, illuminating the solitary podium that stood there like a silent sentinel.
A hush swept across the room as the sound of footsteps echoed faintly from afar. Slow, deliberate, and calm, the steps carried a weight that drew every gaze toward their source. Recognition dawned instantly on their faces, for this presence was unmistakable. It was the same old man who had teleported them to the forest not long ago.
