The whispers were already well circulated by the time Elias reached the dining hall for breakfast. In a place like the Academy, gossip moved with the speed of a wild fire.
He didn't need to listen to know the shapes the lies were taking.
"He just stood there," a third-year noble whispered, her voice barely carrying over the clatter of silverware. "He watched the powder spread over the front row and he didn't even reach for his powers or try to save anyone. Like he was waiting for them to choke."
"I heard the Headmage found a second
plant hidden in the vents," another replied, leaning in. "Primed with neuro-toxins. It wasn't an accident. It was an execution."
None of it was true but all of it was sticking.
Elias kept his head up as he walked, tray held in hands. Usually, he could understand the shape rumors about him before, but today, the world was moving too fast. The air felt thin, overcharged with a static that made the fine hairs on his arms stand up.
