The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Elara looked up from the corner of her eye as Amberine approached, her normally stoic face softened by the unmistakable bags under her eyes. Maris was slumped over her desk, staring at nothing in particular, while Amberine herself felt a familiar, dull ache beneath her eyelids. None of them had gotten enough sleep—something had kept them all up last night, gnawing at their thoughts.

"You look like you got run over by a horse," Amberine muttered as she dropped into the seat beside Elara, her voice laced with dry sarcasm.

Elara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, though there was a hint of amusement in her tired eyes. "You look worse, Amberine," she shot back, her tone just as flat and precise as ever. "The fire magic burns out the energy, doesn't it?"

Maris, ever the peacemaker, sighed from her place between them. "Not today, please. Both of you need to save your energy for this exam... we all do." She rubbed her temples, her own sleepless night weighing heavily on her mind.

The three of them exchanged knowing glances, silently acknowledging their shared exhaustion. They didn't need to say it aloud—they had all spent the night anxiously tossing and turning, their minds racing about the upcoming exam, Professor Draven's latest cryptic words ringing in their heads.

The classroom door creaked open, cutting through the tension, and the temperature seemed to plummet. Amberine's breath caught in her throat as Professor Draven stepped in, his cold gaze sweeping over the room like a winter storm. He carried himself with the same controlled grace, his posture straight and intimidating.

There was an air of finality about him today, a quiet intensity that made Amberine shiver. Even Ifrit, the fire spirit beneath her robes, stirred slightly as if sensing the chill in the atmosphere. Find more to read at empire

But what really caught Amberine's eye was the bag slung over Draven's shoulder—a beautiful, luxurious leather case that seemed out of place in the stark, academic setting. It gleamed in the classroom's dim lighting, polished to perfection. There was no mistaking what it held: the dreaded exam papers.

Draven wasted no time, walking with measured steps to the front of the class. His presence alone seemed to silence the room, though his cold, sharp eyes sweeping across the students had already done most of the work. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, and Amberine could almost hear the collective intake of breath as he reached the desk.

He set the bag down with a soft thud, his long fingers methodically unbuckling the straps. For a brief moment, no one moved, no one dared to speak. Then, without preamble, Draven's cool, detached voice filled the room.

"These are your exams," he said, pulling out a thick stack of papers and placing them neatly on the desk. "Each of you will receive only one paper, and there will be no second chances. The duration is seventy-two hours. You may take it home if you wish."

The room buzzed with a mixture of nervous excitement and fear. Amberine exchanged a quick glance with Elara and Maris, her heart hammering in her chest. Draven was known for his brutal exams—puzzles that required not just intellect, but an ability to think far beyond the usual bounds of magic theory.

"You may collaborate," Draven continued, his tone indifferent, "though I doubt the smarter among you will choose to do so. Collaboration will only hinder your progress, for this is not an exam of knowledge. This is a test of essence, the true essence of this class. Consider that carefully."

Amberine's stomach churned at his words. Collaboration was always the easiest option, but if Draven was hinting that it would slow them down, she knew better than to ignore him. This exam, whatever it entailed, would require something more than just teamwork.

Draven's gaze moved over them once more, his eyes lingering briefly on Amberine, Elara, and Maris before he spoke the final word that sent a shiver down her spine: "Dismissed."

The class erupted into motion as students rushed forward to collect their exam papers. Amberine waited for her turn, watching Draven with a mix of awe and dread. His presence dominated the room, but it was more than just his cold demeanor—it was the way he seemed to see through them, to anticipate their every move, their every doubt.

When Amberine finally reached the desk, Draven handed her the paper with a brief, almost disinterested glance, but that single moment was enough to make her feel exposed.

"Good luck, Amberine," he said, his voice a soft, dangerous whisper. "You'll need it."

Amberine clenched the paper in her hand, feeling its weight as though it was a boulder. She didn't respond, just nodded and quickly retreated to her seat, her heart racing.

Back at her desk, Maris and Elara were already poring over their own papers, their expressions shifting from curiosity to alarm within seconds. Amberine sat down, unfolding the paper with trembling fingers.

Her eyes widened.

The first thing she noticed was that the exam wasn't written in a typical format. The questions were scrawled in a script that seemed to shift and writhe as she looked at it, as though the very letters were alive. She squinted, trying to make sense of it, but the more she stared, the more the letters blurred and twisted, refusing to settle into something legible.

"What the...?" Amberine muttered under her breath, her frustration growing. The exam seemed designed to deceive, to mislead anyone foolish enough to look at it with ordinary eyes.

Beside her, Elara furrowed her brow, her fingers tracing the edge of the paper. "This isn't just a test of knowledge," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "We have to decode it."

"Decoding...?" Maris echoed, blinking rapidly. She looked exhausted, her eyes flickering between the paper and Amberine. "How are we supposed to—?"

Amberine held up a hand, cutting her off. "We're not going to figure this out in the middle of class." Her mind was already racing, trying to formulate a plan. She glanced around the room, noting how the other students were either panicking or staring blankly at their papers. "Let's take it home. We'll need time and focus."

Elara nodded in agreement. "We can't rush this. Every detail matters." Her voice was steady, but even she seemed unsettled by the strange nature of the exam.

Maris sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. "I can't believe we're dealing with this on no sleep."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Amberine smirked, trying to inject a bit of levity into the situation. "Don't worry, Maris. We'll get through this. If Draven wants to test us, we'll show him what we're made of."

The three of them exchanged determined nods, their earlier exhaustion forgotten in the face of the challenge before them. Amberine stuffed the exam paper into her bag, her mind already whirring with ideas on how to tackle it.

As they left the classroom, Amberine couldn't shake the feeling that this exam was more than just a test of skill. There was something deeper, something darker at play. Draven's cryptic words echoed in her mind: This is the essence of the class.

What exactly did he mean by that? And why did she feel like this was the beginning of something much larger than a simple exam?

The door closed behind them, and the three girls made their way through the stone corridors of the academy, the weight of Draven's challenge hanging over them like a cloud. Amberine's fiery determination flared to life, and for the first time that day, she felt a surge of energy. This wasn't just a test—they were being drawn into something much more dangerous.

And Amberine, with her fire spirit Ifrit stirring restlessly beneath her robe, knew that whatever lay ahead, she would face it with everything she has.

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