The final bell rang, its echo washing over the halls like a sigh of freedom. Students poured out of classrooms, laughing and shouting, their voices bouncing down the corridors.
Oswald moved more slowly than the rest, his backpack slung over one shoulder. The strange hum in his chest had been there all day—steady, alive, impossible to ignore. His senses stayed razor sharp; he could hear conversations across the hallway, feel the thrum of footsteps through the floor. Acting normal was getting harder by the hour.
When he stepped outside into the cooling afternoon light, he froze.
Near the school gates, Lyra stood, arms crossed, her silver-streaked hair glinting in the sunlight. But she wasn't alone.
On her right stood a tall boy with dark curls and serious eyes—his posture steady, like someone used to command. A faint shimmer of power flickered around his hands, almost invisible unless you looked closely.
On her left stood another girl, shorter, with her hair tied back and a charm dangling from her wrist. The charm pulsed with soft blue light, reacting to the tension in the air.
Oswald didn't need anyone to tell him—they weren't normal students.
Lyra's eyes found him instantly, sharp and cold. The same fury from last night still burned behind them, though now it was tempered with caution.
They're waiting for me.
Oswald's steps slowed. The crowd of students thinned until only a few stragglers remained, giving nervous glances before hurrying away. The courtyard grew quiet, heavy with unspoken threat.
Lyra took a step forward, her two companions moving with her in perfect sync. The tall boy's gaze didn't leave Oswald for a second; the girl with the charm whispered something under her breath, the charm glowing brighter.
"Oswald Omni," Lyra said, her voice clear and steady. "We need to talk."
Oswald met her eyes, his heartbeat calm but his instincts screaming. The hum in his chest deepened, a faint pulse of power that made the air around him ripple.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I figured you'd say that."