CHAPTER 329: MEETING ARDIS KYRELLE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Ethan didn’t rush.

The hallway wasn’t long, but each step felt like it echoed more than it should’ve.

The soles of his boots made a soft thud against the polished tiles, and even though the place wasn’t cold, it had the quiet stillness of a place that didn’t belong to the rest of the school.

The walls were plain and clean. The light came down through angled crystal panels above him, casting faint streaks of color across the floor—cool blues and soft ambers that moved a little as he walked, like reflections in shallow water.

Two wide wooden doors stood open at the end of the hall.

No guards. No welcome committee. No tech blinking at the sides.

Just silence.

Inside, the room didn’t feel like a classroom at all. It reminded him more of a meditation chamber, or maybe even a shrine.

The room was quiet, but not weirdly or awkwardly. It just felt calm, like everything inside it had slowed down a little.

The floor was covered in pale mats, set in soft rings that kind of faded into the light. There were no desks or equipment.

There are no screens, no noise, just open space and still air, like the room is waiting for something to happen.

In the middle stood a young woman.

She wasn’t facing him.

Her body had a soft, natural shape—a slim waist and gentle curves—nothing exaggerated, just balanced.

She wore light robes in soft violet and silver, and the fabric looked almost like mist when the light hit it.

She didn’t move in a flashy way or try to show off. Everything about her felt quiet and calm, like she didn’t need to do anything special to stand out.

Her hair was long and smooth, reaching down her back. It was a pale color, somewhere between white and light purple, with the ends fading into a soft lilac.

A few strands had slipped loose and rested against her neck, not styled on purpose but still somehow perfect.

Her hands were clasped behind her, and her sleeves hung low, covering part of her wrists.

She wasn’t frozen or stiff. She was just standing still because she wanted to.

There was something about her that drew attention in a quiet way. She didn’t try to be noticed, but once you saw her, it was hard to stop looking.

Like watching a calm lake—not loud, not moving much, but still holding your focus.

She gave off a peaceful vibe. Not cold, not distant. Just steady.

She didn’t move. Not even when he stepped inside. But he noticed a few small things right away.

Her fingers were curled in slightly, like she was keeping them from shaking.

And every so often, her eyes—though she kept her head mostly still—glanced toward the side of the room where a door was barely cracked open.

She looked calm on the outside. Not stiff, not tense—just very still. The kind of stillness that looked like it had taken years to learn.

But Ethan had seen enough people try to fake control to recognize it when he saw it.

She wasn’t calm.

She was trying to be.

Most people would’ve called her graceful. Maybe even mysterious or disciplined.

But Ethan knew better.

She was nervous. Quietly, carefully nervous.

He didn’t say anything right away. He just walked forward until he was a respectful distance away and then offered a calm, neutral greeting.

"Hey. I’m Ethan Nocturne. I’m guessing you’re the tutor they assigned me?"

She didn’t turn around right away. But when she did, she moved with smooth, measured steps.

Her eyes met his, level and steady, and for a second she didn’t speak. Just looked at him—not like she was judging him, more like she was reading him. Measuring him in her head.

"You’re early," she said finally.

Ethan gave a small shrug. "Didn’t sleep much. Figured I’d get here before the hallways filled up."

She tilted her head slightly, then stepped forward just enough to stand in the middle of the floor again, hands now at her sides.

"I was told you’d be different."

He raised an eyebrow and gave a crooked little smile. "Different as in ’a problem,’ or different as in ’might actually be fun to work with’?"

"I haven’t decided yet."

Her voice wasn’t cold exactly, but it wasn’t warm either. It was just calm, distant, like steel that hadn’t been sharpened but would still cut.

That was fine.

He could work with that.

"So... do I get a name, or should I just call you ’mysterious woman in the robe’ in my notebook?"

She paused for the briefest second. Then said, "Ardis Kyrelle."

That name tugged at something in the back of his head. Recognition, maybe. But he didn’t show it. Not yet.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ardis," he said simply.

She didn’t reply. Just turned again and walked with quiet, deliberate steps toward the center of the ring, the hem of her robe brushing lightly against the mats.

"I don’t do lectures," she said as she moved.

"Not even a short one to kick things off?"

"I prefer to see if someone is worth the noise first."

He gave a slow nod. "Good news, then. I don’t make much noise."

She looked back over her shoulder. "That’s the problem."

No more words after that. No formal start. No instructions. Just her standing there, waiting. So Ethan moved too.

Not rushing. Just walking forward and meeting her there in the quiet center of the room, like that, was all the signal he needed.

There was no warmup.

No explanation.

No warning.

She wasn’t testing his knowledge. She was watching something else.

His breathing. His reactions. The way he stood. The way he chose to step into silence without asking permission.

She was looking for proof. Not answers.

That, too, he could handle.

Eventually, they both sat down—if you could call it sitting. It wasn’t a ceremony. She just dropped into a quiet, relaxed posture on the mat with her legs crossed, eyes forward, hands resting lightly in her lap.

No signal. No "now we begin." Just that soft stillness again.

Ethan waited a second, then sat down the same way, letting the silence stretch out between them.

It wasn’t awkward, not exactly, but it wasn’t comfortable either. It was neutral. For example, the room didn’t care who you were until you made it care.

She didn’t speak.