SHATTERED REALM: FORGOTTEN ECHOES-Chapter 190: Arrival

By the time the carriages came to a halt within the academy grounds, Lynnor had already transformed.

The woman who had just finished terrorizing two young cultivators with shameless commentary stepped down first with a dignified and composed expression.

Anyone watching would think she’d spent the entire journey discussing philosophy.

If only they knew...

She clasped her hands behind her back and glanced at Aramith, Mozrael, and Sylvia.

"Now," she said calmly, "Remember. Walk confidently, and don’t give face to anyone. They’re not worth it."

Mozrael stared at her. "You were just—"

"I was what?" Lynnor interrupted smoothly.

Mozrael opened her mouth, then closed it.

There were no words.

Lynnor smiled, utterly serene, and began walking.

They followed quietly.

The academy was alive in a way it hadn’t been before the contest.

Students lined the paths, gathered in clusters, leaning against pillars and railings. Conversations faltered as Lynnor’s group passed. Eyes followed them—some curious, some hostile, some openly disapproving.

Whispers bloomed like wildfire.

"That’s them."

"They only joined a month ago."

"Of course, they’ll wear those robes. Did you see who led them?"

"Lynnor’s favorites."

"I know the others are just afraid of Lynnor, that’s why they’re not telling us anything."

They’d asked the other students about what happened at the arena, but none of them answered them.

They didn’t persist because Forsaken Peak had never achieved anything grand in the contest before.

Mozrael’s shoulders tightened with every step.

She kept her gaze forward, but she could feel the weight of judgment pressing down from every direction.

This discomfort of being watched was different from fear.

And their gazes weren’t of awe or intrigue. This was resentment.

Sylvia noticed too, but she lifted her chin slightly, caring not about their gazes.

She was used to being observed, but not like this. Not as something undeserved. It made her want to confront them, but a glance at Aramith dissolved such thoughts.

Aramith walked as he always did, expression unchanged, giving no sign that the stares around him meant anything at all.

A few tutors approached, offering stiff congratulations.

"Well done," one said in a clipped tone. "Impressive performance," said another, though his eyes lingered on Lynnor rather than the students.

Another congratulated them, but when they passed, he grimaced, looking at Aramith with a disgusted expression.

Lynnor accepted every word with an indulgent smile. "Oh, they did wonderfully, didn’t they? Such talent. Such promise."

She said it loudly.

Mozrael nearly tripped.

A group of senior students passed them, one scoffing openly.

"Must be nice," someone muttered. "Getting everything handed to you."

Sylvia glanced at them. "I’m sure you would know a lot about that," she said.

The students paused, irritated, but before they could speak, Lynnor stepped forward. "Anything to say?" she asked, grinning.

They quickly shook their heads and left.

Aramith did not react.

His mind was elsewhere. The difference in Youm density here was a huge blow to him.

The difference was minuscule, but to him it was unmistakable. His cultivation base had reduced a little, and that had him worried.

I wonder if it will keep going down.

They reached the central hall, where paths split toward different faculties. Lynnor stopped and turned, clapping once.

"All right," she said brightly. "That’s far enough for you lot."

The other students hesitated, then dispersed, some relieved, some annoyed.

Lynnor turned back to her three students, expression unreadable now.

"Time to see the Rector."

Mozrael said what they’d all noticed. "They don’t like us."

"No," Lynnor agreed lightly. "They don’t."

Sylvia frowned. "Because they think we didn’t earn it."

Lynnor shrugged. "People think many things," Lynnor said. "None of that matters."

She started walking again, toward the upper tower where Ilthane’s office awaited.

Behind them, the whispers resumed.

When they arrived at Father Ilthane’s office, Lynnor didn’t pause to knock.

She just opened the door and plopped herself on the nearest chair.

"I can’t believe we had to endure all that crap."

She turned to Ilthane, who was busy scribbling something.

It was almost as if he hadn’t noticed their arrival.

"I need booze," she said. "Strong enough to erase the memory of today’s nonsense."

Ilthane, without looking up, replied, "You can only get tea here."

She exhaled, disappointed. "I’ll take the boring tea."

Ilthane smiled faintly, already reaching for the kettle. "I take it the walk back was eventful."

All three students stared at Ilthane in surprise. Why was he serving her?

"Define eventful," Lynnor replied, waving a hand. "If you mean being glared at like villains for doing exactly what you told us to do, then yes. Extremely."

She took the cup of tea and sipped it. For the first time, Lynnor looked like someone respectable and noble. (Someone who didn’t say the nastiest things without even thinking first.)

Ilthane folded his hands atop the desk and looked at Lynnor. "Tell me what happened in the arena."

Lynnor leaned back in her chair, unimpressed."No."

Ilthane blinked once, unamused. It was the first time Lynnor had gone out for such an event. She could at least be clear about the course of events, right?

"I’m not interested in wasting time recounting things that are already over," she continued. "And I’m certainly not interested in wasting my students’ time by forcing them to relive it."

Her gaze shifted briefly to Aramith, who gave a small nod, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, simply acknowledging her glance.

Ilthane studied him for a moment longer, then sighed."I expected as much."

Aramith reached into his robe and withdrew the letter they had received earlier. He placed it gently on the desk.

Ilthane took it, his brows knitting together almost immediately. He turned it once, then again, his fingers tracing the seal.

"I cannot open this," he said quietly, noticing how heavy it felt

"Of course," Lynnor replied. "You’re not the winner."

Ilthane looked up, raising the letter.

Aramith nodded in understanding and took the letter back. His thumb pressed against the seal, and for a brief moment, the patterns carved into it flared with a dim, restrained light. The resistance vanished as though it had never existed.

He opened it and handed it back without looking inside.

Ilthane unfolded the contents.

Inside was a black sheet, smooth and unnervingly cold to the touch. Aureated, interwoven patterns ran through it like veins and vines, pulsing faintly. The surface was otherwise empty.

Save for the centered message.

30 days remaining.

Ilthane stared at it for a moment, understanding the simple message.

"The reward," he said. "It has yet to manifest."

He turned it for them to see.

"Thirty days," Lynnor scoffed. "What a joke. I hope they’re not going to say anything dumb like we should go there again."

Ilthane ignored the comment and refolded the sheet carefully."It means the competition’s outcome has been acknowledged."

He looked at the three students.

Then Ilthane straightened."You may rest, if you wish," he said. "Or you may come with me to the assembly grounds. I intend to announce the results myself."

Lynnor stood immediately, grinning mischievously."We’re going."

The assembly grounds were already crowded when they arrived.

Students filled the terraces and walkways, tutors standing among them. Conversations rippled through the space, curious, doubtful, sharp-edged.

When Ilthane stepped forward, the noise faded as every head was raised to look up at him.

He raised a hand.

"The inter-academy contest has concluded," he said. "This year, our academy was not eliminated."

Murmurs stirred.

"We were not expelled early. We were not dismissed as unworthy."

The murmurs grew louder.

"Forsaken Peak Academy came out victorious."

The words landed heavily, silence settling like a thick blanket.

"We won?"

"What?"

Some students looked stunned. Others frowned openly. A few laughed under their breath, shaking their heads in disbelief, but excited.

It took a few seconds before the reality of the news fully settled.

"We won!"

A girl squealed, and her joy rippled across, shared among the students who still couldn’t believe this impossible feat.

They looked around, searching for the students who represented them.

Ilthane did not react. He allowed them to freely show their excitement till they calmed down.

"This victory," he continued, "was not the result of luck. Nor was it the result of favoritism."

That earned him several skeptical looks.

"Aramith," he called.

A hush fell as Aramith stepped forward.

Some understood what this meant, but others stared in confusion.

Ilthane’s voice was calm when he spoke again.

"This student made that victory possible."

The silence that followed was sharper than any outcry.

Whispers erupted immediately.

"What?"

"He’s new."

"He has only been here a month."

"That’s impossible. What level is he?"

Ilthane raised his hand once more.

"Aramith, Mozrael, and Sylvia."

All three names echoed through the grounds as the other two stepped forward.

"I am taking them under my house."

The reaction was immediate.

Shock spread like fire.

Ilthane’s house had not accepted new members in years. Not one. It was the most difficult faction within the academy to enter, and anyone who entered that house was regarded with high respect.

It was the greatest honor.

And now, three students who had arrived barely a month ago were being welcomed in.

The resentment was no longer subtle.

A few students looked as though they might speak, then stopped themselves.

Ilthane’s gaze swept across them.

"This decision is final."

The assembly remained frozen, unable to argue, unwilling to accept, forced to swallow the announcement whole.

Among the crowd, belief did not take root, and someone was about to make it worse.

"I will also be their personal tutor," Lynnor’s voice echoed loud and clear as she stepped forward, smiling softly.

But that soft smile was clearly her looking down on them.

"If you doubt that my students are the best, look at them," she pointed at the far corner, where a group stood frowning.

They were the other students who’d gone with them for the competition.

"My Aramith had to save their sorry asses so many times," she laughed.

Ilthane didn’t say anything and turned to leave. Lynnor was another creature that needed a manual if you wanted to control her.