The ship's interior felt warm after the frozen void. Students lay sprawled across couches and floor, some still coughing, others wrapped in blankets the med-bot had distributed. Isabella sat propped against a wall, an oxygen mask pressed to her face, eyes closed.
VP Dubois stood at the center, arms crossed, that terrifying smile still playing at her lips.
"Congratulations, Captain." Her eyes found Kael. "You have taken a step into forming your own domain. I'm surprised. That was out of my expectation. I only wanted to test and strengthen your physical stats, but you went even further." The smile widened. "Looks like I won't be disappointed in my decision of choosing you as the captain."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"You're welcome."
A hand shot up.
Yenna Frostveil sat upright, frost still clinging to her hair and eyelashes, but her expression was sharp and focused.
"Vice Principal Harlow—is this also a domain seed?"
The temperature in the room plummeted.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
