The weight of everything that had happened lately pressed down on me like an unbearable burden, but I had no choice but to carry it. I leaned against the cool stone wall of the corridor, the chill seeping through my uniform and into my bones.
My thoughts were a whirlpool of worry and dread, circling around Thalira's ominous threat and the looming duel that Eileen was now faced with.
I clenched my fists, feeling the tension ripple through me. I hated feeling helpless, but even more, I hated seeing Eileen caught in the crossfire of these political games.
The air in the university had taken on a heavier, more oppressive quality since Thalira's confrontation. Students moved through the halls with an undercurrent of unease, their conversations hushed, their eyes glancing around as if expecting something to happen.
I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, judged, and measured against some invisible standard that neither of us had agreed to.
