Severin and Darius Faulkner stared at each other so, their faces displaying different emotions.
Severin could see the remnant of the shock on his face and how he was trying so hard to think and come to a conclusion on how things might have gone.
Darius Faulkner finally spoke, his voice sounded relaxed and smooth. "Severin Reignhart, welcome back, I did not expect you to be back so... fast."
Severin blinked and his hard face expression broke into that of a slight confusion. "I... am fast?"
Darius’s face twitched. "Well, most students usually use up to a year or so but you are back so fast. So suddenly."
Darius’s voice was warm but Severin could hear the probing warning beneath. He shook his head as if he was trying to clear his head. "I must have been terribly lucky."
Darius nodded. "Of course, why else would you be here if you were not lucky?"
Then before Severin could react, he raised his eye to the whole room and he smiled. His voice going up. "Severin Reignhart is back! He was sent into the Sector Delta, a place filled with countless traps to test his resolve and build his strength! Many have fallen and only a few ever managed to make it back!"
Then his voice lowered. "Severin, why don’t you tell us how your trip went?"
Severin blinked even harder. He couldn’t believe that Darius Faulkner was setting him up, but it was something he expected and his guard was already up.
He raised his head and frowned, the confusion on his face was more pronounced now, and his eyes were slightly glazed.
The whole hall had quieted down, their eyes on him, some of them held their breath as they leaned forward.
Severin raised his hand to his head to scratch it, his eyes narrowed. "Eh... mmh... well... it’s like this... I think?"
Everyone’s faces changed in various degrees. Some looked at him in surprise and some, in narrowed eyes while some rolled their eyes.
Severin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his eyes unfocused. "When I landed in Sector Delta... I... can’t remember most of it again..."
He shuddered. "Shadows crawling on the wall, horses with human bodies and stitches, darkness and cold. Everything was rolled together!"
Suddenly his voice changed and fear crawled into Severin’s face. "They...!! I can’t remember but the pain! And the fear! I was running and running! Blood and all! I can’t remember shit!"
Severin shuddered and flinched as if someone was trying to touch him.
A chill suddenly ran down the spine of all the people who saw him. The room became still at once and a lot of people held their breath.
What the fuck?
What did this guy really pass through?
Members of the Chains looked at their leader in helplessness and confusion. What’s happening to their leader? A bad feeling settled into their stomach.
Even Darius didn’t know how to react, he froze and simply stood there, looking at him before he suddenly jerked back. "Humm... well. You can go now, the Academy will pay for your mental treatment."
Suddenly Severin’s hand shot forward and gripped the orb.
Everyone paused and stared at him.
And the orb.
It didn’t respond at first but then golden light came from the orb in a weak flash.
Darius blinked. "You advanced already?"
Severin nodded, his face was still the same fear-filled. "I advanced."
Darius looked at him even more curiously. "Severin Reignhart, lower class!"
Immediately after that Severin turned to go, already moving towards the entrance door without looking at anyone.
"Wait!" Darius suddenly shouted.
Severin stiffened. He didn’t want anything to do with the Head Instructor even though he knew the man would still come at him later.
What Severin needed, and wanted, was a long bath to wash away the dust from Sector Delta. Anything else could come after. He turned slowly as if he didn’t trust his body to move fast. "Sir?"
"Why don’t you head to the healers?"
Severin knew that Darius Faulkner wasn’t a good person that cared about any of his students. His mention of healers instantly put him on edge.
He smiled softly and shook his head. "I’ll go later. I need some hours of sleep first."
Darius didn’t say anything as Severin turned and slowly left the hall. He watched him until he disappeared and a hint of ugliness flashed in his eyes.
He raised his head and turned back to the hall. "Alright. Let’s continue with it!"
But his mind wasn’t in it. His mind was on him and what might have gone wrong.
☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆
The members of House Chains were walking towards the House building in a daze. Each of them had imagined the different scenarios of him coming back but none of them could have predicted that he would just walk into the hall like that.
But what made their stomachs clench wasn’t that. It was the look on Severin’s face, a vacant sort of expression as if he was lost. It was a look they’ve never seen before and it chilled them.
They couldn’t help it. They reacted in different ways. They’ve always perceived Severin as a strong person, it was one of the reasons they followed him so willingly.
Even though he was the weakest among them, it didn’t seem so because he was also the strongest.
But in the hall, they saw Severin as weak.
As they walked towards the building, a sort of strange tension filled the space among them. They couldn’t put their hands on it entirely but just like wolves when they saw their alpha wounded, their instincts naturally rose to take over.
Julius’s hand didn’t leave his glasses as they stepped into the waiting room and were greeted by the secretary they hired.
They took the elevator and none of them spoke as they headed down but by this time the tension among them was so high that the small space was almost suffocating.
Why, just why did he appear that weak?
Julius sighed. He didn’t know what might happen next.