Four weeks passed, and some things changed.
Oliver stopped coming to classes. His seat remained empty, lecture after lecture, until it became just another vacant spot no one talked about.
Students whispered theories in corners—family emergency, dropped out, got sick, but no official explanation ever came.
His name stayed on the roster for the first week, then quietly disappeared.
Alaric noticed. But said nothing.
Also, the hidden room they'd found didn't stay hidden long.
Three days after that night, Academy guards conducting routine perimeter checks reported unusual essence fluctuations near the eastern maintenance corridor.
They brought in tamed beasts; hounds bred specifically for detecting concealed spaces and magical traps.
The beasts went straight to the false wall.
