Students recognized me as I walked through the campus. I could hear it moving through the groups, the specific murmur of people sharing information, faces turning, the particular attention of a student population that had heard something and was confirming it with their own eyes.
One of them who went outside and came back.
"You're Bram, right?" A girl stepped directly into my path, books clutched tight to her chest.
"Yeah," I said, sidestepping her without breaking stride, boots scuffing against the polished stone walkway.
Up the stairs. Each step echoed. Into the classroom.
The front desks sat empty. No Vince. No purple hair, no sudden drop in temperature that always announced his presence. I still didn't know if he was dead or recovering somewhere in the Vale mansion under Sophia's careful management. The system had stayed silent about him since the forest.
No Harmione either. Probably still resting. And at the back, Azure's seat was empty.
