***
"We have to talk with the other races about this matter."
Emily's voice carried a quiet weight that made the room feel colder.
She sat behind her desk, back straight, fingers interlocked as if holding the world together by will alone.
The soft rustle of papers and the faint ticking of the clock were the only sounds that dared to exist in that silence.
Across from her, Alicia and Ed exchanged uncertain glances.
Both had seen the look in Emily's eyes before, the kind that meant the world outside their academy walls was about to shake again.
Shirone, standing near the window with his arms crossed, exhaled sharply through his nose.
He didn't even bother to hide the tiredness in his tone.
"So… it's going to be the same as that time, huh?"
Emily's gaze flickered toward him, calm but edged with something unspoken, memory, maybe even guilt.
