senseless threat (Continuation)

Omir

As I was headed toward the dining hall in the Great Hall building, located in the Central Wing of the Academy, Lynx perched lightly on my shoulder. The hallways were already buzzing with students, some hurrying from morning classes, others leisurely walking in clusters. I walked alone.

Just as I reached the arched entrance, Liam fell into step beside me.

“So, how were your Magical Creatures classes? You get any tips to face the terrifying Professor Myra?” he asked, nudging my arm.

“She's intense. Doesn’t tolerate any nonsense. But the class itself was fascinating,” I replied.

“Yeah, well, this isn’t that tiny provincial school we both went to. I felt completely out of my depth in Political History. Half of it sounded like I should’ve known it already. Thank the stars for Aurelia. She taught me about some of the different empires' history and politics .”

He sighed. “Gods, I miss her.”

Aurelia Cornelius, Liam’s soulmate, was a second-year student. We rarely saw her during the day because of the separate schedules. Liam had met her in a tiny bookshop tucked into the corner of an outer province when we were fourteen. She was sharp, all spine and suspicion. Honestly? I don’t think she liked me at first. Thought I might come between her and Liam. As if. It wasn’t until I helped her tweak a cloaking rune, something that let her meet with Liam undetected. Things began to shift. She realized I wasn’t a threat. Just someone who understood what it meant to hide. She never said thank you out loud.

But after that, she started including me sometimes in their secret little rendezvous.

“You should sit with her,” I said, adjusting the strap on my bag. “I’m just going to find a spot in the corner. No need to make the rumors worse.”

“Absolutely not,” Liam said, shutting that down immediately. “Aurelia invited us to sit with her. Us. Plural.”

“Liam–”

“No. She specifically asked me to bring you. And she hasn’t seen you in forever. Don’t make me drag you.”

I hesitated. “It’s not good for her, being seen with me. You’re her soulmate, fine. But me? It won’t help her, politically.”

“She doesn’t care. And you know it. And I don’t either.”

“You were just talking about how much you miss her.”

“Yeah, and she’d agree with me on this,” he said. “Look, we’ll meet her after classes if that’s easier, but I’m not letting you eat alone like some loner.”

I rolled my eyes.

He grinned. “Also, I may have spotted a certain redhead.”

My stomach twisted.

“You saw Aria?” I tried not to sound as breathless as I felt.

“Yep, in political history.”

I didn’t say anything.

We stepped into the Dining Hall, a vaulted room with long banners of each empire swaying gently.

Liam was still trying to talk me into sitting closer to the center when the tension hit me, like a pressure drop in the room. I felt it before I saw it.

The Ozius boy from class stood in front of us in the middle of the hall. I was flanked by a tall, lean serval familiar, its tail flicking like a warning. His eyes locked on me with open, unmistakable contempt.

“Well, well,” he said, loud enough for several nearby tables to turn. “If it isn’t Omir Igwe. The traitor.” He said loud enough for at least three tables to turn their heads.

Liam stiffened.

“You were supposed to serve Zamani, weren’t you?” the boy went on. “Your mother died for our nation. And yet here you are, groveling at the feet of the Allerick lapdogs who took you in.”

Lynx bristled on my shoulder. I clenched my hands.

My breath caught in my throat.

Lynx’s claws tightened slightly on my shoulder. Don’t, I warned him silently.

“Ignore him,” Liam whispered through his teeth. “He wants a scene.”

The Ozius boy stepped closer..

“Not that anyone’s surprised. No one from the working class ever makes it into the Academy. Not unless they’re handed a spot. So tell us, Igwe, who’s your soulmate? Or did they die before the bond could take?”

That was enough.

“It’s better to be unbounded than to be bound to someone like you.” I added quietly. 

A hush swept the room.

“Is there a reason I’m hearing shouting from the dining hall?” came a calm, cutting voice.

Professor Myra. She swept toward us, robes trailing, gaze sharp.

“Mister Theron Ozius,” Professor Myra said, her voice calm, but dangerously still.

The air shifted.

“You may not be used to being corrected, but let me be clear: this is not your household. This is the Academy’s Dining Hall. And if I hear anything like that again, especially about the dead, you will be scrubbing floors without magic until your hands shake too much to lift a spoon.”

Theron opened his mouth to protest.

“Would you prefer a formal report to Principal Blackash on weaponizing your familiar against a peer instead?” she added, just as softly.

His jaw clicked shut. He sat down, stiff and silent.

She turned to me with that same unreadable expression. “And you, Mister Igwe… thank you for your restraint.”

I managed a nod. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

She walked off with the kind of grace only someone born to command could pull off, her hawk Soreya trailing above her with wings barely moving.

I exhaled slowly. The room was still half-watching, half-pretending they weren’t.

Off to the side, I caught a glimpse of Ethan and Aria at another table. They weren’t speaking. Aria sat nearby, unreadable.  Both frozen, watching.

Liam exhaled sharply. “Well,” he said, “that could’ve gone worse.”

“Still think I should’ve eaten alone?” I muttered.

Before he could answer, another figure crossed the hall, Aurelia, her uniform immaculate, her presence calm and self-contained. She was just returning to her table, a tray balanced in her hands. For the briefest second, she glanced our way.

Our eyes met.

No smile. No wave. Just a quiet nod. The kind of acknowledgment that said,  I saw. I heard. I’m still here.

I gave the barest nod back.

Liam grinned beside me. “Told you,” he said under his breath.

I didn’t answer. I just sat, let Lynx curl tighter on my shoulder, and tried to steady the rhythm of my heart.