Angelica's words were followed by a heavy silence.
Vale opened his mouth, about to retort with another insult, another sneer—
But he never got the chance.
A wave of dread swept across the room like a silent storm.
It came without sound, without motion, yet every teacher felt it.
A crushing weight, invisible and immense, settled over them. Their breaths caught in their throats. Their hearts pounded.
Even Edward, the headmaster, revered as the strongest man in the academy stiffened, his fingers tightening on the table's edge. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. His chair creaked under the tension in his body.
It felt as though the air had grown ten times heavier. As though gravity itself had thickened. Had they not already been seated, some of them might have collapsed to their knees.
With great effort, stiff necks turned. All eyes slowly shifted to the source of the pressure.
Angelica.
