Later that day, another assembly was held with the entire school in attendance. Professors and other faculty staff stood somberly around the great hall while the students waited attentively for the news about what had happened.

Many were nervous, showing signs of anxiety due to the recent events. Some students even believed that the earthquake that had rattled the castle was linked to the tragedy in Newhall.

The hall was filled with whispers, each student seeming to have their own theory on what happened. But it quickly died down when a familiar figure ascended the stairs and appeared on the raised platform.

"My little seedlings," he began, "I know many of you are anxious, but let me first begin this assembly by stating that there is no longer a threat to castle."

Bartholomew smiled reassuringly, his tone confident.

"There was a small change in the eastern magical forest—resulting in one of the stronger magical beasts taking up residence close by," the short man explained matter-of-factly. "After it caused a little havoc, we were able to eliminate the beast with relative ease."

A few whispers rang out in the hall in response. The eastern magical forest was known to most of the students—so the story about there being a powerful beast inside was quite believable.

Along with the whispers, the tension seemed to ease slightly at his announcement.

Michael, Melody and Rudy were standing in the first-year area, their expressions a little off. The story that the headmaster had given was an obvious lie—at least to them who had known the real truth.

However, no one spoke up. If anything, it was better that everyone didn't know the truth. Michael already had a target on his back—revealing that he possessed an ancient scroll would be even worse.

The three shared a brief look of understanding before the headmaster spoke again.

"But this is not the only reason why I've gathered you today," he spoke, his smile turning a little stiff. "The royal investigation has ended, and the criminals who committed the atrocious acts in Newhall have been captured by the royal family."

The news dropped, causing a stir. The students had been in lockdown for the past three weeks, confined to the academy with almost no way of receiving information from the outside.

This was the first good thing they'd heard in that time.

"So at this time, we are removing the lockdown protocol." The headmaster announced.

The relief was palpable.

The mood in the great hall was considerably better, a stark difference to when they had all been gathered at the last assembly.

"Excursions and missions will resume tomorrow, and if any students require a leave of absence to visit family—I ask that you be mindful, and use the correct channels to request one."

The headmaster smiled, happy with the reaction to the news, though his expression changed slightly a moment later.

He cleared his throat, getting the students attention once more. "There is one last announcement."

"As you know, we at Arcadia do not tolerate acts of violence among our students…" he began, "this morning, there were three individuals who ambushed a first-year student and beat him terribly—almost killing him."

Gasps and cries of shock rang out across the hall. Everyone's gaze moved to the group of first-years with curious gazes, while Michael fidgeted slightly—feeling the weight of everyone's eyes.

Even the first-years around him were shocked, looking around among themselves as if to try and find out who had suffered the beating.

Michael's eyes caught Braydon looking at him, a complicated expression on his face. It seemed that he was the only one who knew something about what had happened.

"The offenders; Troy Bishop, Randolph Bishop and Peter Winston have been expelled from the academy and will be facing further consequences—pending an investigation." The headmaster continued, his tone even.

However, this announcement caused even more of a stir. There was no student present who didn't know the Bishop family—one of the elite noble families on the continent.

The clamor intensified as the students in the hall whispered among each other, sharing anecdotes about the news.

The bearded man cleared his throat, breaking through the noise and retaining their focus once more. "If any of you have information that may be of use… I ask that you comply with with the investigation."

This was news to Michael. He had thought that the three boys had simply been expelled, but from what the headmaster had said, it seemed that there was more punishment to come—likely from the royal family.

His eyes evaluated the headmaster for a few moments, his mind feeling a little muddled.

Is the headmaster really going so far just for me? He thought to himself.

Michael couldn't be sure. He did not know the man well enough to understand his intentions.

His actions could be for a variety of reasons. A chance to deal a blow to the Bishop family, or using the situation to send a message to the rest of the student body—or perhaps it was a matter of principle.

Michael decided to keep his calm. He had hoped that the reveal of his ancient scroll and the fact he'd somehow managed to cast the spell would have gained the interest of the headmaster, but it might not be the case.

It was a shame. If he could get the support of the man, the nobles competing for Melody's hand would need to be far more careful with their actions—especially in the public eye.

Though Troy and Randolph had been expelled, it didn't mean his life would be smooth sailing from now on. In fact, there was a good chance that the Bishop family now held a grudge against him—despite him being the victim.

He needed support, a backer who could stand toe to toe with the elite noble families.

Two faces appeared in his mind. The headmaster and Magnus Pritchard, the second prince.

In an instant, he shook his head—disregarding the latter. He did not want to get further involved in royal politics, not when he was already suffering so much because of it.

Which left only the headmaster.

I need my unique soul to awaken… he thought, clenching his fists.

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