Amidst the swirling chaos of rumours, anxiety, hushed whispers and fake news, Athar quietly stepped into the morning theory class.
The air in the room felt heavy and was laced with a sense of curiosity, unease and suffocation. The eyes of the students in the class were darting around the room, searching for clues, for someone who knew more than they knew. For someone who could answer their uncertainty.
Athar, however, was moving with a composed form, his expression was neutral and calm. His demeanour was normal and as he usually was. He was calm and unlike other students there was no exaggerated expression on his face.
To the others, this was not strange. From the very first day, Athar had always been reserved, quiet, and unremarkable in his character. A young man who had always blended into the background. And so, his lack of visible emotion drew no special attention.
Athar had spent the night regaining control over his emotions, forcing himself to think clearly, to remain composed. The rush of adrenaline had faded and it had left a cold, calculating awareness in its place.
He was slightly worried. He would and could not deny his anxiety to himself. The thought of being caught was gnawing at the edges of his mind. Even so, he was constantly reminding himself that he had planned for all this. Every detail, every single one, had been meticulously accounted for.
As Quint had informed the meeting of the teachers, he acted smartly and had been tactically brilliant. From the choice of weapon to the spot and time of his action, everything had been planned meticulously. He had left no visible flaws in his actions.
Quint's report in the teacher's meeting had only confirmed it. There was no clear lead, as of now, though Athar was unaware of this.
Athar had been tactically brilliant, and that gave him a measure of confidence. But if, despite all this, despite all his preparations and planning, he was still caught, well, he would deal with it when the time came. He had taken the risk, knowing the price. There was no turning back now.
For now, all he could do was keep his head down, act natural, and wait. There was nothing he could do now. Not that he regretted his action. Not even for a moment. If given a chance, he would take the same action again.
Athar's thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone occupy the seat next to him. He did not need to look to know who it was. Ryler.
In the past four days, their bond had grown stronger. Even Athar had to admit that Ryler was probably his friend.
"Athar," Ryler whispered, leaning in like he was about to share a top secret revelation. "Have you heard what happened?"
Athar nodded, not bothering to look up.
The excitement on Ryler's face faltered for a moment, replaced by mild confusion.
"How do you know?" he mumbled, puzzled. "I doubt that you even talk to anyone besides me."
Athar shook his head, a faint smile of amusement tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You do not have to talk to people to know what's going on. Having two ears is enough. Just listen," he replied, voice low but calm. "Everyone has been whispering about it since morning. There is no other chatter today."
Ryler blinked in realisation, then chuckled awkwardly.
"Yeah. That makes sense," he muttered, looking a bit sheepish. "Here I thought I would bring you some shocking news."
He paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up again.
"But I do have something no one else knows yet," he added, his voice dropping conspiratorially.
He was like, 'I have another big secret.'
Athar glanced at him. His gaze was sharp with curiosity. His silent look said, 'Go on.'
"So, you know the attack happened on the stairs to the fifth floor, right?" Ryler questioned with a grin.
"I heard something like that," Athar nodded, feigning mild interest.
Ryler leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Exactly," he said. "And you know what that means? The students living on the fourth floor? They had the best chance to see or hear anything. And guess who lives on the fourth floor?"
Ryler answered his own question, barely able to contain his excitement.
"The first years," he said.
Athar's gaze sharpened slightly, but he remained silent. Ryler leaned in even further, his voice a barely audible whisper.
"When I was coming here for class, I saw the first batch of first years being escorted by a couple of teachers," he continued. "If I were to guess? They are being questioned. One by one."
He sat back, grinning as if he had just cracked a major conspiracy.
"And if I am right, which I am sure I am," he added. "It would not be long before they start questioning us too."
Athar's expression did not change, but his mind was already running calculations. He had expected this. The moment he had left the scene, he knew the academy would tighten its net. Interrogations were inevitable.
But he had been careful. From the moment he picked up the metal rod to the strike on Trux, every step had been taken in the shadows, unseen and unheard. He had made sure that no one had been around him.
Athar leaned back in his chair, arms crossed loosely, and nodded.
"I see," he murmured.
"Say," Ryler continued. "Is it not a shocking piece of news that I have delivered to you?"
"Yeah, sure this is," Athar replied with a chuckle.
The hushed whispers of the class were broken down when Vale entered the class. Today, the usual expression of delight was absent from his face. And his smile had been replaced by something heavy that has been weighing on his mind. His arrival was marked by complete silence in the class and the entire class was anticipating if Vale was going to provide them with some information.
"Good morning, class," Vale greeted with as much cheerfulness as he could at that moment. The students replied back in unison.
"Before we move and deal with any topic of our syllabus, there is something I need to inform you all," he said. "I know that most of you are already aware of what has happened but all the news that you have been hearing is more rumour than truth."
After this Vale informed the students everything that Quint had informed them in the meeting. The academy was truthful in approach and no portion of the truth was hidden.
"I know that this incident is a blot on our reputation," he said. "But I assure you that the academy has taken proper steps to buff up the security of the premises. And I assure you that we are doing everything that we could to catch the culprit."
"I also urge you to believe that whatever I have spoken just now is all true and please do not create an environment of panic by spreading unnecessary rumours," he added.
"Now, we should start our topic," he said, shifting away from the discussion.
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