Ethan waited for Mia, leaning against the bricks of the infirmary door. His entire face bore the boredom he was assaulted with. When he saw the young human approaching, he straightened up to greet her aloud.

Mia sighed and responded with a vague wave of her hand, not feeling like addressing him immediately. The young vila raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Still in such a good mood, I see," began Ethan, teasing.

Another sigh from Mia.

"Let's go," she ordered, taking the lead, ignoring his remark.

Ethan positioned himself behind her, letting her set the course. They crossed the corridors and the hall in silence, neither of them wanting to start a polite conversation. Besides, Ethan was too busy scanning the surroundings and sending fierce glances to the students who crossed their path.

Mia's stoicism in the face of the situation surprised him. She moved with her head held high, as if the space belonged to her and she had nothing to fear. He had to admit, he expected her to be at least uncomfortable, at worst terrified. Did she truly realize the mess they had involuntarily gotten themselves into? Humans were particularly vulnerable to creatures like those at the Arena. How could she ignore this fact and not act accordingly?

Arriving at the entrance to the arena tunnel, annoyance began to creep in. They hadn't exchanged a single word during the journey. Even though he tried to convince himself that he preferred them to completely ignore each other, pretending that this whole situation didn't exist, his inner vila wasn't pleased with the situation.

When they passed a few groups of students chatting near the stands and headed to seats a few meters away, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Is this really how it's going to be? Pretending I'm not here, as if everything's normal?" he blurted out, taking a seat next to the young woman.

She glanced at the vila and twitched, apparently annoyed by his questions. Her gaze was impenetrable, revealing nothing of her thoughts, completely closed off. It was a reaction he hadn't witnessed in the young human before. He didn't like it. Sharp remarks, insults, anger, he could deal with all that. But nothing? It was almost hurtful.

"How did you think it was going to go? Did you think we'd become best buddies?" she retorted venomously.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He certainly hadn't expected so much contempt. His inner vila roared, unhappy with the young woman's reaction. It urged him to resolve things, as if it were his fault, as if he had done anything to earn her wrath.

Had he done something to make it so?

No, we parted ways amicably yesterday. I have nothing to blame myself for.

"Did something happen last night or this morning?" he tried calmly, this wasn't the time to worsen the situation.

Mia's tense posture broke. Her shoulders slumped as a long sigh escaped her lips. He hadn't noticed how nervous she was before these signs. Ethan's mind raced as he awaited the blonde's response, already imagining that something serious had happened when he couldn't watch over her.

The contempt had vanished from her eyes, replaced by hesitation, as she finally spoke:

"No, it's... nothing...," she began weakly before recovering, now displaying a determined expression. "Listen, I'm still struggling to get used to this whole situation. I don't know how to handle you."

"How so? You seemed quite sure of how to handle the situation yesterday. What changed?"

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Ethan wasn't particularly sociable. One couldn't really say that he had many friends, or even any friends at all. He wasn't the type to trust just anyone, let alone stick his nose into matters that didn't concern him. He already struggled to understand his male peers, let alone a woman... He was navigating uncharted waters. He wasn't accustomed to dealing with such rapid changes in behavior.

"It's just that..."

Her words were cut off by the distinct sound of horns, demanding the attention of the students. Lost in his thoughts, Ethan hadn't noticed that the stands had filled considerably, and the Director had made his appearance, getting ready to begin his speech. Mia immediately shifted her focus away from the vila, turning her attention to the platform above the stands where the faculty and administration were located.

"Good morning, everyone!" greeted the Director as he stepped forward. "Let's not waste time beating around the bush; I know you're all eager to know what comes next and the results of the investigation."

A few laughs and exclamations arose, confirming the Director's words.

"First of all, classes will resume starting tomorrow..."

A buzz of conversations drowned out the rest of his speech. Many seemed disappointed and clearly hoped that classes would be canceled for a few more days. Ethan rolled his eyes, not the least surprised by his classmates' behavior. Those blissfully concerned only with the resumption of classes as their sole worry seemed quite ridiculous to him.

"Please, a little silence," he requested, raising his voice. "Let's get to the tournament."

The students' voices died out instantly, leaving the place in an awkward silence. Ethan's gaze shifted toward the large group of werewolves seated on the opposite side of the rows of stands. He had never seen them so united, which did little to reassure him. From afar, he spotted some individuals whispering, others clenching their fists, but all wore stern expressions.

"I won't go into the details of the investigation, but rest assured, we found nothing to suggest deliberate actions. Everything indicates that the events resulted from an unfortunate chain of accidental occurrences."

The Director paused, his expression somber. He knew that what he had just announced wouldn't please the werewolves, who didn't hesitate to protest. Shouts rose, demanding a more meticulous continuation of the investigation or demanding the name of a culprit.

"Let it be clear, we don't know who's behind these actions. No witness could clearly identify who was involved in that battle once the miasma had spread. However, we will not tolerate any retaliation."

The Director's gaze was firmly directed at the werewolves, who didn't seem inclined to regain their composure. The volume of their protests decreased, but the sound of their whispers still filled the area.

"Did they interrogate you?" Mia suddenly asked.

"No, what about you?"

"No," she replied simply.

It was a straightforward innocent question, but Ethan couldn't help but find it somewhat strange. They had been directly affected by the events of the tournament, and yet no one deemed it necessary to gather their testimony. Should he find that suspicious?

They probably deduced we couldn't see anything from up there anyway, he thought, deciding to put these thoughts aside for the moment.

The issue with the werewolves was more pressing, even if there was very little he could do about it. Tension hung in the school, and it was clearly palpable. He highly doubted that it would dissipate in a matter of days. One of their own had died; this wasn't just a minor quarrel in a hallway.

"To end on a more cheerful note, we've decided to organize a masquerade ball next weekend to ease tensions. The entire castle will be requisitioned for the occasion. Details will be posted on the bulletin board soon," concluded the Director. "Have a good day, everyone!"

He disappeared along with the rest of the administration and teachers, leaving the students to discuss and leave the arena at their own pace. As expected, some were excited about the news, while others displayed indignant expressions.

"It's not a bad idea, but I don't think it will really ease tensions," remarked someone behind them, a voice Ethan struggled to recognize.

Mia turned around and stood up, a smile on her face when she saw her friend Arry with another magician. They glanced at Ethan for a moment, then decided to act as if he wasn't there. Which suited him just fine.

"What are you planning to do today?" the young man inquired, addressing Mia.

The blonde gave a quick glance to Ethan, hesitant, before replying, "I don't know... Maybe borrow a book and read it in the infirmary..."

"Oh," Arry exclaimed a little disappointed. "We planned to take a walk by the lake and have a picnic around noon. We thought we'd invite you, Lily as well."

"I'm not sure..."

"If you change your mind, meet us at half past eleven in front of the gardens!"

The two magicians left the stands, leaving them alone again.

It was pretty obvious that Mia wanted to join her friends but hesitated because of the vila's presence. Unfortunately, he wasn't going back on his words. If she wanted to go, he would go as well, whether she liked it or not.